Rogue - Jericho's Boys #2 - ch. 11 (Patreon)

Unbeta'd/Unedited. Yada yada yada. I cannot write a short chapter in this story to save my life.

Levi

Chapter 10

Levi

Levi tried to whisk Shiloh from Jericho’s office onto the street without alerting his friends. “Hey, where are you going?” Nico cried.

Levi heaved a sigh. Clearly, his whisking needed work.

The last thing Shiloh needed was an interrogation, especially from his friends who had all the tact of a sledgehammer. Right now, Shiloh was too soft for them. He’d explode like an over-ripe watermelon under the weight of his friends irritating—if well-intentioned—concerns. He wanted to take him back to his place so he could rest.

“Back to the apartment,” Levi said, not slowing, tightening his arm around Shiloh’s shoulders.

“Hey, no fair. We want to meet him,” Lake called.

Levi rolled his eyes. “He’ll be with me at Jericho’s tonight. You can meet him then.”

“Really?” Arsen said, catching up and standing in front of them both. “He got invite to family dinner already? Wow. When is wedding?”

Shiloh turned an adorable shade of pink but still refused to look up at the blue-haired mechanic.

“Fuck off,” Levi snapped. “You’re embarrassing him.”

“Don’t yell at him,” Seven admonished. “We have a right to be curious about how you came to be cuddling your attempted murderer.”

Shiloh’s head jerked up at that, big brown eyes going wide as he took in all of Levi’s friends.

“Is-Is that what they think?” he whispered.

Before Levi could answer, Felix stood from the sofa, walking around to lean on the back, arms crossed. Shiloh’s mouth fell open. Who could blame him? How often did one find a man in a ten thousand dollar suit and a full face of makeup languishing on a greasy sofa in the back of an auto shop?

“Don’t act like you didn’t terrorize poor Ever the day you met him,” he said, his smirk letting Levi know Felix was just adding fuel to the fire for his own amusement.

Still Levi took the bait. He always took the bait. “Terrorize? He bit me?” Levi sputtered, unwilling to let this injustice stand. “I still maintain I was the wounded party here.”

Ever suddenly appeared beside Arsen. Levi opened his mouth to apologize, but the boy just threw himself into Levi’s arms, trapping Shiloh in the hug as well. “I’m sorry. I just got scared. Everything was so…crazy in my head back then.”

Guilt clawed at Levi’s insides. Why was Ever so fucking adorable? He used to find it infuriating. “I-I know. It was forever ago. It’s no big deal. You know that.”

Ever studied his face like he wanted to make sure Levi wasn’t placating him, but then he turned his attention to Shiloh. The two blinked wide, owlish eyes at each other. It was like watching two baby deer meet for the first time.

Ever beamed at Shiloh. “I’m Ever.”

“Shiloh,” Shiloh whispered.

“I know,” he said. “You should come with me and let them fight about this. They’ll bicker for hours. I have candy. Do you like candy?”

“I-Yeah, I like candy,” Shiloh admitted, like it was some shameful secret.

Would Shiloh ever speak without second guessing himself and stumbling over his words? Would he ever stop apologizing for just existing? Ever took Shiloh’s hand, threading their fingers together, pulling Shiloh up the stairs to Arsen and Ever’s apartment overlooking the garage. Something inside him eased. Shiloh was safe with Ever. He was the gentlest creature Levi had ever met.

When he turned back to his friends, they all stared expectantly. “What?”

“Well, what did he have to say for himself?” Cree asked.

And just like that, the ease was gone, the knot in his stomach back. He crossed his arms. “I’m not saying. You’re just going to be dicks about it.”

Cree sighed. “If Jericho’s cool enough with him to invite him to his place, we’ll give him a chance. But we still need to know what’s happening.”

Levi huffed, then stomped to the sofa and collapsed, making sure he could see up into the loft where Ever and Shiloh stood. Ever held up a seemingly endless assortment of candy. Shiloh stood, smiling, expression a bit dazzled.

Ever had that effect on people. He was so sweet and endearing, it was hard to believe he was even human. Truthfully, Levi wasn’t a hundred percent convinced Ever wasn’t some faery creature trapped top-side. He’d probably fallen in love with Arsen thinking he was a faery too. The mechanic’s blue hair and annoyingly perfect bone structure confused people.

Whatever Ever was, he would take care of Shiloh. There was nothing he liked more than caring for people. It’s how he became the sitter for almost every Mulvaney. Kids just loved him and he loved them. Ever had so much empathy for a kid raised in an actual closet.

With one more longing look, Levi dragged his gaze back to his friends. When he saw they still waited for an answer, he sighed. “His brother wants to use me to get close to Jericho because he thinks he’s some criminal mastermind.”

Lake snorted. “Jericho?”

Levi nodded, expression grim. “Yeah.”

Felix giggled. “Boy, is he barking up the wrong tree.”

“Not really,” Arsen said. “Right tree, wrong species.”

“You’re losing me with the tree metaphors,” Seven whined.

“Jericho is criminal. We’re all criminals. We kill people. Regularly,” Arsen reminded quietly.

“Micah knows about that. It’s no secret around the neighborhood that we’re who people call when they can’t call the police,” Levi said. “That’s not what this is about. Micah claims he wants to take over 4Loco’s territory, and Jericho is just in his way. He told Shiloh to find something on Jericho that he could use to frame him, send him to prison like he did Shiloh’s brother.”

“Jericho sent Shiloh’s brother to prison?” Nico asked, frowning.

Levi worried about his friend sometimes. He wasn’t stupid, but he sometimes failed to grasp the simplest things. “No, you dumbass. Shiloh’s brother, Micah sent Shiloh’s other brother, Malachi to prison.”

“What? Why? What did Malachi do?” Nico asked. “Is he a maniac too?”

They all stared at Nico until he grew defensive. “What? I’m just asking.”

Felix shook his head, looking at his perfectly manicured nails. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, angel.”

Nico gave him a radiant smile. “You think I’m pretty?”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Malachi didn’t do anything. That’s the point,” he said. “He framed him to punish him for pissing him off over something. But without Malachi to torment, he’s apparently decided to turn all his energy into making Shiloh his punching bag.”

“What a douche,” Felix muttered. “Shiloh just confessed all this to you?”

Levi nodded. “As soon as I said you guys thought he was a spy, he just blurted it out, then had a panic attack.”

Arsen gazed up at the loft. “Poor thing. Ever will take care of him.”

“Poor thing?” Seven echoed. “He’s a spy. A spy Jericho is letting into his home. How do we know this wasn’t his master plan all along?”

Arsen raised a brow. “His plan was to come here, confess he is a spy so Jericho then makes him double agent, but really he still plan to report to his brother about Jericho. Making him what…triple agent?” Arsen said, his voice dripping with cynicism.

Seven’s expression turned sullen. “What? It could happen.”

Cree shook his head. “Something’s still not adding up. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Look, not that I don’t trust your sixth sense, but Shiloh is telling the truth. Look at his face. Someone’s definitely using him as target practice. It’s not like we can’t check to see if his brother is actually in prison. If Jericho says he’s cool, then he’s cool.”

Seven scoffed. “Ass-kisser.”

“What was that?”

They all turned to find Jericho standing there, arms folded across his muscular chest, chin raised in Seven’s direction, his icy stare daring the boy to say something else. They called it Jericho’s dad stare.

“Nothing,” Seven mumbled.

“Are you sure we can trust him?” Cree said, not to Levi but to Jericho.

Jericho sighed. “He’s a scared kid who got stuck with a shitty family. I’m pretty sure most of you can relate,” Jericho said. “I don’t think he’s lying. Do I think his brother isn’t telling him everything, most likely. That’s why he’s going to work for me until we can get to the bottom of this.”

“Aren’t you worried at all?” Lake asked.

Jericho shrugged. “In Shiloh’s mind, the situation with his brother seems impossible, like he has no way out. To us, the guy is just one more annoyance. A bully who’s karma is about to catch up with him. But, in the meantime, we’ll keep him occupied, chasing his tail, so we can figure out a way to get this Malachi out of jail.”

Seven flung himself back against the couch. “Why are we helping the kid who tried to shoot Levi in the face?”

Jericho gave him a sharp look. “Because he needs help. And we help people who need it. That’s why I do what I do. That’s why I trained you to do what I do.” Seven looked contrite, but apparently Jericho wasn’t done. He gave a quick look at Levi before turning to Seven once more. “Besides, your brother likes him. He trusts him. If you trust Levi, then you need to trust his judgment. Is that going to be a problem?”

“No…sir,” Seven said, flopping back onto the couch, Cree’s arm going around him to comfort him after his verbal spanking.

“Good,” Jericho said. “I’m going to pick up Atticus from his office and we’re gonna go visit Calliope and Lola to see what they can learn about Shiloh’s family.”

Calliope was the Mulvaney family hacker and Lola was her private detective girlfriend. Their collective knowledge was terrifying. If anyone would be able to learn all of Micah’s secrets, it was those two.

“Do you know his last name?” Jericho asked Levi.

Before he could answer, a voice said, “Mizrahi.”

Shiloh and Ever had returned. They stood at the foot of the stairs, Ever’s arm looped around Shiloh’s waist. They looked like the world’s most adorable chibi’s.

“Like the designer?” Felix asked, perking up.

Shiloh regarded Felix warily, like he was a wild animal, giving a stilted nod. “I-I guess, yeah.”

Shiloh had good instincts. Most abuse victims did. Levi would know. His mother had instilled those same instincts in him. Shiloh was right to be wary of Felix. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but he was one of the most dangerous people Levi had ever known. That was what made him such an efficient killer. Nobody ever saw him coming.

Felix didn’t really take assignments from Jericho though. Not anymore. The Mulvaney family had their own vigilante ring going and they had a much larger pool of enemies. Not that anyone knew it. Anyone outside of the inner circle anyway.

Levi hoped Atticus would be willing to use the Mulvaney’s to help Shiloh. Someone needed to help Shiloh, and while Levi would happily kill for him, he lacked the resources necessary to get his brother freed from prison. If there was one thing the Mulvaney family didn’t lack, it was resources.

The perks of being billionaire celebrities.

“Can I please take Shiloh home now? He needs to get some rest,” Levi asked Jericho.

Shiloh’s eyes went wide. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re exhausted,” Levi said, taking his hand and tugging him gently from Ever’s hold. When Ever pouted, Levi said, “We’ll be at Jericho’s tonight. You can see him then.”

Ever brightened, giving Shiloh a smile and a tiny wave before practically skipping over to Arsen, smacking a loud kiss on his face.

“Yeah, just be at my house by six,” Jericho said. He looked at Shiloh. “Try not to talk to your brother until then. If you have to answer, be vague.”

“He won’t like that,” Shiloh said, voice raw.

“It’s okay. You’re going to call him tonight from my place.” Shiloh’s eyes widened, his fear a living thing standing with them in the garage. Jericho gently touched his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. You’ve got us now. We’ll protect you and your brother.”

Tears sprung to Shiloh’s eyes but he blinked them away, giving Jericho a nod. “Thank you.”

Levi knew Shiloh didn’t believe they could help, not really. Jericho was right, he did believe his brother was some larger than life villain. They followed Jericho out, then began the short walk to Levi and Nico’s place. Shiloh kept his head down, staring at the sidewalk, likely to keep strangers from staring at the bruises on his face.

Finally, he said, “I’m really sorry for dragging you into this.”

“It’s not your fault,” Levi said. “We can’t pick our family.”

“I doubt anyone’s family is as fucked up as mine,” Shiloh said softly.

If only Shiloh knew how wrong he was. “Ever was trapped in a closet most of his life. My friend Noah’s father sexually molested him and sold him to others. Seven’s dad liked to beat the shit out of him, Arsen’s dad, too.”

“Oh,” Shiloh said, as if processing this information.

“My mom’s in the hospital right now,” Levi said. Shiloh’s head jerked up at him, eyes crinkling at the corners, face etched with concern. “It’s true. Ask me why.”

“Why?” Shiloh said obediently.

Levi shouldn’t find that hot, right? But he did, he really did. He wanted Shiloh to be good and obedient just for him. Not all the time, but just in the bedroom. Fuck. He needed to be inside him soon. He shook his head to clear his horny train of thought. Shiloh was suffering and Levi was thinking about getting laid. He was an asshole.

“Because she threw herself in front of a bus.”

Shiloh sucked in a breath. “She tried to kill herself.”

Levi shook his head. “Nope. She threw herself in front of a bus, hoping to force them to give her a free ride to the liquor store.”

“What?” Shiloh echoed.

Levi nodded. “My mom’s an alcoholic. She can’t go even a few hours without it. I was late getting to her place to bring her to buy more booze. So she decided to try to get herself there, but had no money. And in typical Naomi fashion, she had to be as extra as possible.”

“Was she badly hurt?” Levi asked.

“No, but she had some kind of psychotic break. They have her on a psych hold.”

“My brother has done those once or twice.”

“Micah?”

Shiloh shook his head. “Micah’s evil, not crazy. When Malachi gets too…overstimulated he sometimes…breaks. Micah used to call the paramedics, have them take him in.”

“Did it help?”

Shiloh shook his head again. “It wasn’t supposed to help. It was supposed to make Mal look unstable so if he ever turned on Micah they wouldn’t believe him. They never believe crazy people.”

“Sadly we don’t get to choose our bloodline. But we do get to choose who we call family.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Naomi gave birth to me, but Jericho’s my family. Those idiots you just met are my family. They can be your family too.”

Shiloh’s mouth twisted into a frown. “They hate me.”

Levi shook his head. “They don’t. They just don’t know you. And they like to give me a hard time. Besides, you have Ever on your side now. Nobody will go to the mat harder for you than Ever. Nobody can resist him.”

Shiloh’s face split into a grin and Levi swore for a second the world got brighter. Holy fuck was he pretty when he smiled, both dimples on display. “He is pretty cute.”

Levi blinked. Who was? Oh, right. Ever. “You’re pretty cute, too.”

Shiloh’s whole face turned red and he bumped Levi’s shoulder with his own. “Shut up,” he said, but there was a tiny smile tugging at his lips.

Levi smiled back, throwing an arm around Shiloh’s shoulders. “We really should go take a nap. It’s going to be a long night.”

“Okay. Just napping?” Shiloh asked, the barest hint of…something in his tone as he gazed up at Levi through sooty lashes.

Levi’s smile became a smirk. “Did you have something else in mind, dimples?”

Shiloh’s jaw dropped, his already red cheeks turning crimson. “What? N-No. I was just asking.”

“Mm,” Levi teased. “Yes, just sleep. For now.”

That seemed to please Shiloh, a small smile at his lips. “Okay, for now.”

###

“Are you sure he won’t know anyone is listening in?” Shiloh asked for the tenth time.

Levi ached for Shiloh, he really did, so afraid of his brother that he shook beside Levi, his eyes glued to where Atticus messed with his phone. How could he make him feel better? He couldn’t. He could only sit and watch, sitting as close as possible, waiting for this phone call to play out.

All his friends from the garage were now there for dinner, scattered around the living room. Nico sat on Shiloh’s other side, gaze flicking from him to Levi and back again, like if he watched them long enough he might receive the answer to whatever question currently plagued him. Felix was the only person who had canceled on family dinner. He was still trying to dazzle someone into playing surrogate for him and Avi.

Levi wasn’t sure what the point of this exercise was, except Jericho testing Shiloh or maybe getting some idea of what Micah had in store for all of them. The others were just there to eavesdrop and freeload. Jericho was always generous when it came to his food and his time.

Atticus put a large hand on Shiloh’s shoulder. “You just go into the bedroom and talk normally. We’ll hear it out here. There won’t be any echo or feedback. He’ll never know that we can hear him.”

“What-What do I say if he asks where I am?” Shiloh asked.

“Tell him you’re at our place,” Jericho said. “Try to get him to tell you what he wants you to do.”

Shiloh’s leg began to bounce triple time. He was vibrating like he’d had too much caffeine. “Do-Do I tell him the truth? Do I tell him you know I’m a spy? He won’t just believe you let me into your home after I tried to kill Levi,” Shiloh said, picking at his fingernail. “He’s going to kill me, either way. He’s going to know if I’m lying. He always knows.”

“What was it he told you to do? How were you supposed to get us to trust you?” Atticus asked, his voice soft and low like when he talked to his little boys.

Shiloh darted startled eyes to Levi, his expression imploring him to do something, say something so he didn’t have to speak the truth out loud. “He was supposed to seduce me. Micah told him to fuck me and make me think I’m rescuing him.”

Shiloh’s shoulders dropped, as if relieved he didn’t have to say it out loud. He wished there was something he could do or say to make Shiloh feel better, to make him feel safe. Micah’s reach spanned miles. He could somehow terrorize Shiloh all from the comfort of his home. He would probably always be the voice in Shiloh’s head.

“Then tell him that,” Jericho said. “Tell him you went to Levi for help and Levi brought you here to me. That’s all you have to say.”

“He’s gonna kill me,” Shiloh whispered again.

“Nobody is going to let that happen,” Atticus assured him. “You’re just going to have to trust us a little, like we’re trusting you.”

Before Levi could think of something to say, Nico put a hand on Shiloh’s back, rubbing comforting circles. “We won’t let anyone hurt you,” Nico said. “Promise.”

Shiloh looked like he might cry, but then he gave a stilted nod. “Yeah, yeah, okay.” To Jericho, he said, “Now?”

Jericho nodded. Shiloh bolted to his feet, taking his phone back, walking on rubbery legs to the boys’ room. Jett and Jagger were with their grandfather. Jericho still tried to shield them from all the bad stuff. They were so little. Even though they would be raised like all the other Mulvaney’s, Jericho didn’t want them in any real danger, they had a lifetime to learn what a shit place the world was.

Levi jolted as a sharp ring cut through the silence of the large living space.

Once.

Twice.

“Where have you been?” Micah said by way of greeting. His voice deceptively chipper.

Levi shivered. He knew that tone. That nauseatingly sweet voice narcissists used when they wanted something from you, when they were gaslighting you. Despite the casualness of Micah’s voice, everyone in that room could sense that underlying thread of warning in his greeting.

“D-Doing what you asked me to do,” Shiloh mumbled.

“Where are you, baby brother?”

“I-” Shiloh lowered his voice. “I’m in his house.”

Silence stretched like a wire pulled taut.

“Whose house?” Micah finally asked. “You’re boyfriend’s?”

Boyfriend. Seemed such a sad word for what Shiloh meant to him. Maybe he was just picking up on his friends' habits of imprinting on their soulmates like baby ducklings but Shiloh was it for him. Levi wanted to look at that face for the rest of his life.

“Jericho’s.” Shiloh swallowed audibly. “Levi brought me here.”

“What did you do?” Micah asked, his voice so menacing the others around the coffee table shifted closer.

“Nothing,” Shiloh whined, his fear evident to every person in the room. “Only what y-you said to do.”

Micah made a sound of disbelief, then said, “So you fucked him so well that he just magically brought you right to Jericho’s house just where you needed to be?”

“That’s not-”

“You’re fucking lying to me, baby brother,: Micah sang. “And you know what happens to liars…don’t you?”

Shiloh made a whiny sound so similar to the sounds he made in bed with Levi it confused something inside Levi. Was Shiloh afraid of him in bed? “Micah, it’s not like th-”

“I’m starting to think you enjoy our time together on the roof. Is that it? Are you starting to like the pain like Mal?” he taunted. “Do I need to get more…creative in my punishments?”

Levi bolted to his feet, but Jericho caught him around the bicep and pushed him back down with a shake of his head. This was bullshit. He came to Levi for help and now they were just letting Micah terrorize him. For what purpose? Levi should have gone in there with him. Held his hand. Something.

“No-No, that’s not it at all,” Shiloh said, voice clicking like his mouth had gone painfully dry. “He-Levi…he saw all the bruises when we were…you know—”

“And you blamed me, of course,” he said, sullen. “You love making me the villain. You never talk about your part.”

Levi was going to gut this motherfucker. He was going to take a potato peeler to his skin so he could listen to his screams as he worked. He truly sounded like he believed he was the victim in all this. He was just as crazy as Shiloh had implied.

“It was you,” Shiloh wailed, then lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he said again, dragging out the word. “But…But it was you and he saw you hit me outside the store that night. Lying would have just made it worse. Then they wouldn’t trust me. Then they’d know I was lying.”

“They shouldn’t trust you. Poor abused little Shiloh,” Micah mocked. “Did you tell them everything? Huh? Did you tell them how you egg me on? How you never just do what you’re told? How you whine and cry like a little baby to get your way? Did you tell them I spoil you rotten? That I’m the reason you’re even alive? Did you tell them how crazy you are? Hmm? Poor little crazy Shiloh. Always a victim, always looking for someone to take care of you. Did you even remember to take your pills with you? We wouldn’t want you to have an episode.”

“Jesus Christ. We’re going to fucking kill this guy. Right, Coe?” Lake asked.

Jericho raised his hand, letting Lake know to stay quiet.

Levi tore his eyes away from the speaker to look at the others. Jericho raised his hand, letting Lake know to stay quiet, his jaw ticking with what Levi could only assume was anger. Atticus wore his usual stoic expression. He could be mentally adding granola bars to his grocery list, solving some complex formula from the lab, or planning on making a rug out of Micah’s skin. There was no telling with Atticus.

The others were far more transparent. His friends were seething. There was no other word for it. Jaw’s tight, fists clenched, nostrils flaring, chests heaving. They wanted this man dead just as much as Levi did.

“What do you care what they think about you? You’re trying to get rid of them, remember?” Shiloh reminded, sounding so beat down, Levi ached.

“You don’t appreciate me at all,” Micah pouted. “Nobody appreciates the sacrifices I had to make to raise you and Malachi.”

“Micah,” Shiloh said, a noise of frustration leaching out of him. “I don’t have time for this. I’m in his house like you wanted. But I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. It’s just…normal. What is it I am looking for?”

There was an exasperated sigh. “I should have thrown you in jail and kept Malachi out. He’s batshit crazy but at least he has two brain cells to rub together. Did you think they were just going to keep incriminating evidence lying around? Especially with you there?”

“What do you want me to do?” Shiloh begged.

Once more there was that long, drawn out silence. Finally, Micah said, “Observe, learn who everyone is. I want to know how deeply involved the Mulvaney’s are in his operation.”

This time it was Shiloh who fell silent. Levi could practically hear his mind churning. “The Mulvaney’s? I thought this was about Jericho?” Shiloh asked, bewildered.

“Leave the thinking to the adults. Just get as much information as you can. About Jericho and his husband. Names, door codes, their kid’s school information—”

Shiloh gasped. “No way, Micah. You can’t. You didn’t say anything about kids.”

Jericho and Atticus exchanged an indecipherable look between them.

A heavy sigh came through the speaker like static. “Are you telling me what to do now?”

“No. But you- you just can’t—they’re little, Micah. Babies. I’m not helping you hurt babies.”

“The choice is yours,” Micah said, that carefree tone back. “Some random stranger’s brats or Malachi dead by the end of the weekend.”

“Micah…”

“Don’t think I can’t do it. I have connections everywhere.”

Shiloh sounded like he was choking back tears. “You promised not to hurt him.”

“And you promised to be obedient. I guess we both fucking lied. Get me the information I want and check in more often. If I have to chase you down, you won’t like what happens. I don’t trust you not to fuck this up anymore than you already have.”

“Micah, ple-”

“Clock’s ticking, Shiloh. Make good choices.”

The line went dead then. They all just sat in silence, processing the phone call. Is that what Shiloh dealt with every day? It must feel like dancing on the sharp end of a knife's blade. This went far beyond physical abuse, which was bad enough. Micah was psychologically terrorizing him as well. Using Malachi to turn Shiloh into his puppet.

The bedroom door crept open slowly, all eyes on Shiloh as he emerged. He walked quickly, head down as always, pocketing his phone before dropping down beside Levi. Ever was on his feet immediately, squirming his way between the non-existent space between Nico and Shiloh, earning a soft “Hey,” from his best friend as Ever wrapped his arms around Shiloh.

Shiloh immediately burst into tears, sobs wracking his body like they had that day. “I’m so sorry,” he said to nobody in particular. “I don’t know why he’s like this. I don’t know why he’s so crazy. I promise I won’t tell him anything about your babies. I promise. I promise. Please don’t change your mind about me, about Malachi. Please help us. Please?”

Ever shushed him, his lips on Shiloh’s hair. “Shh, it’s not your fault. They’re going to help you. We’re all going to help you, right?” Ever gave a hard look to Jericho. “Right?”

Levi had never seen Ever like this. He was like an angry little gremlin, perched beside Shiloh, holding him in a tight hug. Levi placed his hand on Shiloh’s thigh, just wanting him to know he was close by.

Jericho handed Shiloh a tissue box, then sat on the coffee table in front of him. “Hey, breathe. Nobody blames you for this. It’s clear your brother has some real issues. But I can’t let him go after my children.”

“Of course, not,” Shiloh wailed, clutching the tissue box in his hands. “I would never help him do that.”

“I know. But I need you to understand what’s about to happen. Can you look at me?” Shiloh dragged his eyes upwards to meet Jericho’s. “We’re going to help you. We’re going to help Malachi. But involving my kids…this goes beyond a nuisance. Your brother has to die. I need you to under—”

“Do it,” Shiloh said fiercely. “Please. Please kill him. Please. Just please save Mal first.”

The doorbell rang, making everyone jump. Atticus ran a hand along Jericho’s shoulder. “I’ll get it. It’s the food.”

“Check the peephole first,” Jericho said. “Just in case.”

Atticus shook his head, a tinge of amusement in his voice. “What am I new here or something?”

“Don’t get sassy with me, freckles,” Jericho teased. To Shiloh, he said, “It’s going to be okay.”

“But we are going to need to loop in my father and brothers,” Atticus said, as he returned to the living room with five large pizza boxes stacked in front of him. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem. Let’s eat.”