Rogue - Jericho's Boys #2 - ch. 17 (Patreon)

Unbeta'd/Unedited. Sex and then Mulvaney's. Hopefully, you like it. I'm still dealing with my crippling imposter syndrome. But at least we're almost to the end. Levi“Are you sure about this,” Levi asked, giving Shiloh a chaste kiss on his cheek, then his ear.“Yeah, it’s on the sexual bucket list,” Shiloh said, propping himself up on one arm to look at Levi over his shoulder.The sexual bucket list. A thing that had been theoretical yesterday, was now a real list Shiloh had created in Levi’s memo app and it was getting longer by the minute. Shiloh had been so excited to scratch deep-throating off the list, along with the ‘showering together’ that followed the said deepthroating incident. But this next task had Levi a little nervous. Not for his sake, but for Shiloh’s. He just didn’t know how to explain it to him.“It’s just that you’re still kind of new to all this and this feels like going straight from novice to expert mode?”Shiloh rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to think you don’t want to do this.”“No, I do. I totally do,” Levi said, glancing nervously at the phone propped on the desk. The phone currently recording their impromptu sex tape. “I just don’t want you to feel like…”Shiloh frowned. “Like what?”Levi shrugged. “Like it’s not romantic or something.”Shiloh’s flat stare was so adorable, Levi had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. “You can’t be serious.”Levi laid on top of Shiloh, flattening him onto the bed, kissing his shoulder, his neck, his cheek. “I’m so serious. Your first time sucked. Your second time too. I don’t want you to think that I am not serious about you…about us…because the sex got too crazy too fast.”Shiloh giggled. letting Levi thread their fingers together. “Was the blowjob I just gave you romantic?”Levi shivered at the memory of Shiloh on his knees, eyes teary and nose runny, drool on his chin as he let Levi use his mouth, the sloppy sounds of his slurping and the way he would moan around Levi’s cock every time he went deep enough to make Shiloh gag or cough.“I mean, I wouldn’t call it like making-”Shiloh cut him off. “If you finish that sentence I’m going to throw up all over your bed and we’re definitely not having sex.”“Who knew you were so sassy under all that angst?” Levi teased, biting the shell of Shiloh’s ear.“Who knew you were such a marshmallow under all those piercings and tattoos.”“I can’t help that I want to take care of you,” Levi said, tone pouty.Levi watched Shiloh smile, even though only half his face was visible. “Are you saying you’ll think less of me if I sometimes just want you to spank me and call me a dirty whore during sex?” Levi sucked in a breath, his cock getting hard so fast there was no way Shiloh couldn’t feel it pressing against his naked ass. He giggled again. “Is that a yes or a no?”“You’re killing me,” Levi groaned. “I will never think less of you. Ever. I just don’t want you thinking I will and regretting this later.”“You’re so sweet, really—far more than someone like me deserves—but it’s just a sex tape on your phone, baby. It’s not going on Pornhub.”Levi gasped, dropping his hands to Shiloh’s waist and digging his fingers in until he shrieked. “What do you know about Pornhub, huh?”“I haven’t had sex in like eight years, I probably have the ‘hot twink getting pounded by ‘insert stereotype here’ category memorized by now,” Shiloh admitted.“No wonder you filled out this bucket list so fast,” Levi said. “Just remember I’m the only one who gets to pound this hot twink ever again.”“Hot twink pounded by tattooed bad boy was my favorite search,” Shiloh teased.“Good,” Levi said, kissing down his neck to his shoulder. “I’d love to say you’re exactly my type, but honestly, I didn’t even dare to dream this high until I met you.”Shiloh scoffed. “And you were worried this wouldn’t feel romantic.”Levi kissed his way down Shiloh’s naked body, then settled on his belly between his open legs. He watched as a full body shiver ran through him. “Nervous?”Shiloh closed his legs on Levi’s shoulders briefly, then opened them. “A little. Not because of the camera but because nobody’s ever done this to me before.”“It’s a fucking crime that nobody’s ever worshipped this ass the way it deserves,” he said reverently.Shiloh buried his head in his pillow and groaned. “This is kind of embarrassing.”“Why, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Levi said, slapping his hands on both cheeks, then jiggling them softly. “I am intimately familiar with this part of your body.”Levi squeezed his ass, then gently spread him open, blowing on the sensitive skin, earning a tremulous moan from Shiloh. “So pretty here.”Shiloh hid his face in the pillow, clearly not wanting to think about Levi staring at the most intimate part of him. But Levi loved looking at him like this, loved knowing that nobody else got to see him like this, hear him like this, nobody else got to see how fucked out and ruined he looked when Levi was done with him, all heaving breaths and flushed skin, his pretty little hole gaping and dripping with Levi’s cum.Levi dropped a kiss on one plush cheek, then said, “Fuck, baby. Give me my phone real quick.”Shiloh lifted his head, snagging it, his face a mask of confusion when he handed it back to him over his shoulder. Levi smacked his ass playfully, then jiggled it once more, before pulling one cheek back, zooming in.Shiloh gasped, face feverish as he cried, “Oh,my God. What are you doing?”Levi grinned, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. “A before and after.”Shiloh blinked at him. “A…what?”Levi angled the phone, watching himself bite into Shiloh’s ass, earning a strangled yelp and a glare. “Ow.”Levi dropped an apologetic kiss onto the teeth marks.“I want a picture of you now, all pristine and tight.” He ran his thumb over the tight ring of muscle, earning another shudder from Shiloh. “And another after I’ve fucked you all loose and pliant, my cum spilling out of you.” Shiloh gave a wanton moan, grinding his hips into the mattress. “You like that idea, huh?”“Shut up,” he whined.“You do, don’t you? I bet you're just dying to see what you look like down here after I wreck you.” Levi ran a soothing hand up Shiloh’s thigh, giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay. You can be as dirty as you want with me. I promise.”Shiloh looked back at him, pupils dilated, mouth slack. “Can you please stop talking and put your mouth on me?”Levi gave Shiloh’s ass one more chaste kiss than surged up enough to replace his phone so it had the best angle of the two of them. Shiloh folded his arms beneath him, then rested his cheek on them.This time when he settled between Shiloh’s legs, he snaked his hands beneath his thighs then grasped his cheeks with both hands. Shiloh wanted his lips, his tongue, right at the heart of him. But Levi didn’t like to scarf down his food, he liked to take his time and appreciate each bite. He wouldn’t be rushed.He placed a sloppy open mouthed kiss on one globe and then the other. He nibbled at the tender inner flesh near the crevice, grinning when Shiloh opened his legs a little wider. Levi rewarded him by licking over the skin, then sucking a mark there, before repeating the same thing on the other side.He kissed and licked and sucked at the sensitive skin all around his entrance, but never where he wanted it, only stopping to blow on his spit-slick skin, watching as goosebumps erupted there.Shiloh gave a frustrated whine, trying to arch his back, trying to cleverly put Levi’ mouth where he wanted it, but he wouldn’t be rushed. He alternated mouthing at his cheeks, biting little half-moons into the flesh, with dropping lower, sucking at Shiloh’s balls, teasing his tongue over the space just behind until Shiloh was reduced to nothing but empty pleas and desperate whimpers.“Levi…” he sobbed.“What?” he teased, thumb circling his rim. “What’s wrong, baby?”“You said you were gonna…” Shiloh trailed off with a huff, his whole body flushed.Levi’s tongue circled around the muscle tauntingly. “Gonna what?” When Shiloh gave him a miserable look, he said, “If you can’t say it maybe we shouldn’t be doing it?”“If you don’t put something inside me in the next five seconds I swear to God, I’m gonna-”His threat became a strangled scream as Levi ran the flat of his tongue over Shiloh’s entrance. Shiloh stared wide-eyed as Levi blew on the thin skin there, then spit directly onto his hole.“Oh, my God,” Shiloh said, then buried his face in the pillow once more.Levi tried to push his saliva into the tight furl, but Shiloh was far too wound up, every muscle tense. “Relax, dimples. Let me in. That’s what you wanted right? My tongue fucking into you?” Whatever Shiloh wailed was lost to the cushion. Levi was too invested in his exploration to mind. “You have dimples here too.” Kissing the twin divots just above Shiloh’s pert little ass.Shiloh’s only response was a muffled groan. Levi shrugged, then sealed his mouth over Shiloh’s rim, sucking deeply, Shiloh’s whole body jerked like he’d been electrocuted, a desperate wail punched from deep in Shiloh’s throat, his hips coming up off the bed even with Levi anchoring them. He pulled off noisily, making a pleased sound when he saw the skin turning purple.Could give him a hickey there? He could try. Levi got lost in the task, sucking at Shiloh’s hole until he was wet and messy, the obscene sound of him working Shiloh’s sloppy hole drowned out only by Shiloh’s helpless, choking sobs and the sound of his name over and over again.Levi prayed Nico had read his headphone warning text.Levi’s cock throbbed, trapped between his stomach and the mattress, but he didn’t care. He was determined to catalog every sound Shiloh made. How he moaned when Levi flicked his tongue just so, or how he whimpered when he probed the tip against his rim, seeking entrance.Levi had no idea how much time passed while he devoured Shiloh. He was enjoying himself so much, he almost didn’t notice when Shiloh’s cries of pleasure became whimpers of discomfort. When it finally penetrated that Shiloh was flinching each time he licked over him, he sat back on his knees, face wet, lips tingling. “Are you okay, baby?”Shiloh lifted his head just enough to look at him over his shoulder. His gaze was unfocused, his movements syrupy. “Sensitive. Can you fucked me now? Please? I’m so hard it hurts.”Levi leaned forward kissing his back. “I’m sorry, dimples. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”He popped the cap on the lube he’d dropped on the sheets beside him, pouring some onto his hand warming it up between his fingers. “Ready?”Shiloh nodded, voice shaky, “Please.”Levi sank one finger in, groaning as Shiloh’s hole sucked him in. He fucked himself back on Levi’s single digit, choking on a frustrated sound. Levi took pity on him, pulling out then pushing back in with two, scissoring his fingers almost immediately.Shiloh was practically up on his knees, working himself against Levi’s fingers as he fucked them into Shiloh hard. “Fuck you look so pretty like this. So desperate. You wanna come like this, baby? Want me to just hold still while you fuck my fingers?”“Want your cock,” Shiloh gasped, still working himself on his fingers.“Fuck, baby, I could come just watching this.”Shiloh gave a broken little sound, his hips faltering, then stopping. He grabbed the phone again, tossing it at Levi haphazardly, whining, “Show me?”Levi’s cock drooled onto the mattress, heat pulsing through him. “Fuck.”Levi took the camera, switching the view. A low, throaty sound knocked from him as he watched Shiloh sink back on his fingers, then begin to fuck himself in earnest, pretty, breathy little sounds punching from him each time he buried Levi’s fingers in his warmth.“Fuck me now, please?” Shiloh panted. “I’m so hard it hurts.”Levi bit back another moan. He wouldn’t last six seconds once his aching cock was swallowed by Shiloh’s soft heat.“I just want to make sure you’re ready.”“Come on,” Shiloh wailed, his frustration obvious. “You could probably park an airplane in there by now.”Levi’s brows went up, but he decided to give Shiloh what they both wanted. He slipped his fingers free, not letting go of the phone as he sloppily poured lube over his dick, hissing then cursing when it spilled onto the sheets below, glowering when he heard Shiloh snicker at him.Once closed, he tossed the bottle aside, giving himself a couple of strokes just to take the edge off. “Reach back and hold yourself open for me, baby.”Shiloh sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”Levi rubbed Shiloh’s ass, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “You heard me. Show me where you want me to fill you up.”The sound Shiloh made was somewhere between mortification and desperation, but he did as he was told, reaching back and spreading himself for Levi. He squeezed the base of his dick hard, praying he lasted long enough to make Shiloh feel good too.He leaned forward just enough to guide his cock to Shiloh’s rim, making sure the camera caught the way Shiloh’s hole opened up for him as he sank past that first tight ring of muscle, biting his lip as Shiloh’s core sucked him deeper, just like it had with his fingers. He was made to be fucked like this.Shiloh’s tiny pained whimper had Levi freezing. “What’s the matter? Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”Shiloh shook his head, letting go of himself to bring his hands up by his face, like he wanted to hide.“It’s just…a lot. You’re so big. I just…need a second.”Levi felt a pang of guilt. “Of course, whatever you need, baby.”Levi held still, kneading the globes of Shiloh’s ass, rubbing his hands along his back and along his thighs, listening to their ragged breaths and the blood rushing in his ears.Finally, Shiloh whispered, “I’m-I’m good. You can move.”Levi’s moan was absolutely filthy as he bottomed out, fully engulfed in Shiloh’s heat. He pulled back just a bit, then rolled forward again, listening for any signs of distress. All he got was a sweet whine and Shiloh gasping, “Oh, fuck. Do that again?”Levi draped himself over Shiloh’s back, rolling his hips lazily, kissing Shiloh’s ear, his neck, his shoulder before he handed him the camera, helping him position it so Shiloh’s face as well as the view over his shoulder was captured.Levi met Shiloh’s gaze in the camera as he sat back on his knees, then snapped his hips forward driving a choked moan from Shiloh who almost dropped the camera before he caught himself. Levi did it again, heat pooling low in his belly, pleasure making his toes curl.“Oh, please…like that,” Shiloh begged, voice high and whiny.Levi gave a pained groan, a blissful heat lancing through him every time he fucked into Shiloh hard and deep, pulling almost all the way out before driving forward, punching needy little cries from him again and again.“Faster, please,” Shiloh begged, hands fisting in the sheets.Levi was barely hanging on but he wasn’t going to deny Shiloh anything. He drew back, going to his knees, dragging Shiloh’s ass into the air. Shiloh’s mouth fell open, still watching Levi fuck him through the phone screen. He gripped Shiloh’s waist hard enough to bruise, then set a brutal pace, no longer worried about going deep, but angling his hips so that he dragged over that bundle of nerves with every thrust.He knew he found it when Shiloh was no longer forming words, just desperate sobs and mindless begging, until Levi thought he could probably come just from the sound of Shiloh’s voice alone.When Shiloh finally wrapped a hand around his own cock, he started babbling.“Oh, fuck. Oh…God. Oh, God…Oh, please, right there. Right there. Oh, please, don’t stop. I’m so close.” Levi was close too. Shiloh’s voice was hoarse, his emotions raw as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Levi, please, I’m gonna come. Can I come? Can I?”Levi was so lost in watching him fall apart it and chasing his own pleasure, he almost didn’t realize Shiloh was asking him a question. “Yeah, dimples. Come for me. Let me feel you come on my cock.”“Oh, yes, Oh…” Shiloh’s final word became a muffled scream as he buried his face in the pillow, clenching on Levi, his walls spasming around him.“Oh, fuck. That’s so good,” he said, hips falling off rhythm, snapping forward two more times before lights danced behind his eyelids as he ground himself against Shiloh’s ass, spilling inside him.A full body shiver rolled over Levi as he gently pulled out, then collapsed on top of Shiloh. The phone was flat on the mattress, having fallen from Shiloh’s limp hand. Levi peppered kisses on whatever skin he could reach. “Was that okay?” he said against his ear.Shiloh laughed breathlessly. “Is that a joke?”“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” Levi said, defensive.“I know, baby. But don’t you want your after shot?”It took far longer than it should have for Levi to remember what he meant. “Can I?”Shiloh giggled. “Sure, as long as I don’t have to move.”“Nope, just lay there and look pretty.”“Okay,” Shiloh said around a yawn.Levi sat back between his legs, phone in hand, gripping Shiloh’s ass cheek and pulling until his hole was revealed. His spent cock twitched as he took in Shiloh’s puffy hole leaking Levi’s cum onto the mattress. “Fuck, that’s hot.”He laid back on top of Shiloh, saving the file then going to the end to show Shiloh the final shot. He squealed, then hid his face. “Oh, my God. You ruined me.”Levi chuckled. “Just for other men.”He contented himself by dragging his lips along Shiloh’s shoulder, then biting at it gently. “I love you,” he said softly.Shiloh stiffened. “You can’t mean that. You don’t even know me…”“You know me better than anyone else on the planet. Even Nico,” Levi said, trying to swallow his disappointment. “But you don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”They lay there in the silence for a long time, when Levi’s phone dinged. He picked it up and frowned.Meet us at the tunnel entrance at midnight. Bring Shiloh. Head on a swivel, though. Micah has eyes on your apartment and the garage.“Fuck.”“What?” Shiloh said, already dozing beneath him.“The Mulvaney’s want a meeting.”“When?”Levi groaned, burying his face in Shiloh’s neck. “Tonight.”Shiloh gave a pouty whine. “I’m so sleepy.”“I know, baby. But we have a few hours,” Levi said. “We can power nap.”“Okay,” Shiloh said. “Don’t forget to text Nico and Mal.”“About?”“The meeting. They’ll never let us go alone,” he said, already drifting.Shiloh was right. Fuck. “I’ll take care of it, baby. Just go to sleep.”Shiloh was out before Levi had even pulled up Nico’s phone number.###Shiloh shrunk back against Levi as they exited the van. Levi wrapped his arms around him from behind, eyes traveling up the outside of the white-washed brick building caked in layers of dirt and grime, frowning at a rusted red shoot that connected one building to another. It would have been ominous in the light of day, but at night, lit by one flickering streetlight and a handful of yellowish security lights, it was fucking terrifying.“Where are we?” Shiloh whispered.It was Mal who answered. “Looks like a slaughterhouse,” he said, pointing to the faded logo painted on the steel metal doors.G & J Meats. Great.“A slaughterhouse?” Shiloh asked, voice wavering. “Levi, why is the murder family taking us to a slaughterhouse?”Noah appeared in front of them, a grin on his handsome freckled face. “We own it. It’s just easier to talk here. Not even the meth heads will try to break in here. The smell of blood and rotting meat chases them away. That way we can control all the variables.”Shiloh looked like he might vomit, but Noah was in his element. It was clear he loved this shit. He came alive when he coordinated these little missions for Thomas. Sometimes, it was hard to remember he hadn’t been born into the Mulvaney family but married into it.“Variables?” Shiloh echoed, scanning the empty surroundings.Despite the numerous industrial buildings, there wasn’t a soul for miles. And it wasn’t because it was after midnight, the whole commerce park was abandoned, a mini-ghost town.“Mulvaney Holdings owns the commerce park and the marina. That way we control who comes in and goes out. We also control the security measures.”Noah looked up and waved at a camera tucked into the corner of the building, not hidden, but not immediately noticeable either.Levi’s brow went up as the camera shook back and forth like it was acknowledging his wave. “Calliope?”Noah shrugged. “Or Lola. Or Arlo. Or Dimitri. They alternate monitoring now. Lola insists on it. Something about work-life balance?”Nico threw his arm over Noah’s shoulders, voice falsely chipper as always . “Can we get inside now, all this emptiness is giving me the creeps.”Noah laughed. “I don’t think you’ll find it any better inside.” To Shiloh, he said, “Don’t be scared. We’re here to help you.”Shiloh didn’t respond, but some of the tension left him as he sank against Levi’s chest. Noah led them to the large iron door. A screeching sound cut through the silence as the hinges on the heavy door protested.“Would some WD-40 kill you guys?” Nico asked, shivering. “That sound is nightmare inducing.”Noah laughed. “I don’t know, I think it adds to the overall…ambiance of the place.”“Yeah, it’s downright charming. Homey, even,” Nico muttered.The group followed Noah through wide cement rooms and down dark, narrow corridors lit only with emergency lights, before they pushed through strips of heavy plastic sheeting and came face to face with at least half of the Mulvaney clan standing in the center of the room surrounded by equipment that had most definitely once been used to chop up animals. And if the Mulvaney’s owned it, probably humans too.Shiloh froze in his tracks, but Nico moved further into the room, hopping up on a steel countertop like there wasn’t dried blood on the floor and rusty metal blades just lying around everywhere.Mal floated towards Nico, not like he chose to but like he had no choice. Like Nico was the moon and Mal the tides. Nico didn’t seem to notice, happy just to have his new friend nearby.“Where are Jericho and Atticus?” Levi asked, looking at each of them in turn, trying to gauge what exactly was happening.It wasn’t odd to find Adam at one of these little rendezvous, especially when Noah was coordinating. The baby of the Mulvaney family was nothing if not codependent. It was also not odd to find August there, as he was by far their most efficient monster. The twins being there wasn’t an anomaly, but them being there without Felix and Zane was…weird.None of that spooked Levi. What did spook him was having Thomas Mulvaney himself as well as his husband there. They rarely participated in these types of things anymore. Thomas didn’t like coordinating ops outside the mansion and Aiden didn’t like being away from Thomas, especially now that Thomas had finally retired—at least from the revenge portion of his life. He was busy raising his infant son and grandchildren to be the next generation of justice-seekers.“They’re on their way,” Noah promised. “They had to drop the kids with Ever.”Worry drained from Levi in a rush that made him dizzy, but he kept his arms tight around Shiloh.“Why does this feel like an ambush?” Nico said, kicking his feet like he was on a swing set, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of dying at the hands of the Mulvaney’s. “You’re not gonna, like, kill us and shove us through a meat grinder or something. Are you? I mean, I’d be flattered to get merc’d by a Mulvaney and all, but I have a lot of shit left I want to do.”Levi rolled his eyes. His friend was certifiable. He seemed so normal, so happy, but he was an onion and his layers grew darker the deeper you went. But there were parts even Levi hadn’t seen, things even Levi didn’t know.“The grinder is on the meatpacking side of the plant, and we haven’t figured out how to disable the safety mechanism that would let us chuck a whole person in there,” Avi said, practically pouting as he folded his arms over his muscular chest.“Yeah and Jericho said he wouldn’t fix it, when a bunch of bone and cartilage eventually got gunked up in there,” Asa added, mirroring his brother’s stance.Twins indeed.“Bummer,” Nico said, suddenly bobbing his head to a tune only he could hear. Mal mimicked his movement. It didn’t go unnoticed by anyone but Nico. When Shiloh caught Mal’s gaze, he stopped mirroring Nico, instead crossing the room to where he sat on the counter, stepping between his open knees, then turning his back to him, resting his forearms on Nico’s thighs. Nico didn’t skip a beat, just settled his hands on Mal’s shoulders, oblivious to the looks as he continued to sway and dance.“I thought he was your brother,” Adam said to Shiloh, pointing back and forth between him and Malachi.“I’ve stolen him,” Nico said, triumphantly. “Shiloh stole my friend, I’m taking his brother.”Adam arched his brow. “Taking him how?”Nico gave Adam the finger.Aiden’s lips twitched in amusement as he said, “I thought you two met today?”Nico shrugged. “We did, but listening to those two fuck like porn stars has trauma bonded us for life.”“Oh, my God,” Shiloh cried, hands going to cover his face, his mortification obvious.“He’s just teasing you, baby,” Levi said, shooting Nico a look that screamed ‘shut up’.“I’m not, actually,” Nico said. “You called for God so much I didn’t know if you were getting off or being raptured. Maybe both.”To his credit, Mal just continued to stare, his expression blank like he’d just…powered off.Shiloh gave a high-pitched whine, turning to glare daggers at Levi. “You said we weren’t that loud.”“I didn’t think we were,” Levi said, glowering at Nico.“Yeah, but you also didn’t think none of us would notice you jerking him off under a blanket in a room full of people so…I don’t think Shiloh should trust your judgment,” Nico said, tone smug.Shiloh jerked forward, grabbing Asa by the hand. “Where did you say that meat grinder was? I volunteer as tribute. I’ll even sign a waiver.”The twins were delighted by this.Avi patted Shiloh’s curls, like he was a puppy. “I like this one. He’s adorable. Like Ever, but a different flavor. I hear he’s a little freak in bed, too.”Levi dragged Shiloh back against him, giving Avi a dirty look. “If Arsen heard you say that about his precious angel baby, you’d be getting up close and personal with that meat grinder.” To Shiloh, he said, “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve had to listen to Nico have sex so often I could probably pick his moans out of a lineup.”“Ah, that’s sweet, man,” Nico said. “I’d like to say the same but it was hard to hear you over dimples over there.”“One more word and I will rip out your tongue and feed it to you,” Levi said, narrowing his eyes and pointing at him.Nico’s smile was downright diabolical as he leaned into Mal’s space, lips by his ear. “Did you hear that, Mal? He’s threatening me.”Mal’s brain came online at lightning speed, shooting a bone-chilling look at Levi. “What?”“Yeah, he threatened to rip out my tongue.”When Mal took a menacing step towards Levi, Nico pulled him back. “I think I’ll forgive him…this time.”“You're both lunatics,” Levi muttered.Before Nico could retort, Mal said, “There’s a psychological condition called ‘Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress’ seen in slaughterhouse workers, " he said casually, glancing around the room, then tilting his head to stare directly at the sallow lighting overhead. “It’s akin to PTSD, stemming from causing trauma rather than experiencing it.”Nico grinned like an idiot.Adam looked dumbfounded. “What?”Mal nodded. “It’s funny how humans who kill other humans don’t suffer from the same disorder.”“Perhaps it’s because humans are far less innocent than animals,” August said. “Most people who commit murder—as opposed to, say, manslaughter—feel justified in their actions, no?”“Mm,” Mal said, honing in on a wicked looking blade covered in rust. “The tools used in these plants were often the cause of severe injuries among workers. You think the animals felt some small sense of justice anytime one of their murderers lost a limb?”August nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Pigs are among the smartest domesticated animals. Did you know they’re capable of solving complex problems? I imagine they gleaned some satisfaction from seeing their captors get some form of payback.”“For the love of God, someone stop them before I start killing people,” Adam muttered.“No, don’t,” Avi said. “I like it. It’s like watching two robots try to have a human conversation.”Thomas cleared his throat. “If we’re done with the slaughterhouse trivia for the night, perhaps we can get to the task at hand? I’m sure everyone is eager to go home and get some sleep.”“Why are there so many of you?” Levi asked.“I’m coordinating, obviously, which means Adam just had to tag along,” Noah said, “Felix and Zane had theater tickets and basically left the twins for me to babysit. August is here—” he broke off abruptly. “Wait, why are you here?”“I have no idea,” August said, looking at Noah in confusion. “You texted me.”Noah pulled his phone out, shaking his head. “No, I didn—” He cut himself off once more, wincing. “Oh, oops. I may have added you to the group text by accident.”August rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? I left Lucas home alone with all three kids…on a school night. During finals week. After he made my favorite dinner.”Noah floundered, his hands flailing. “Don’t blame me. Blame your dad and his stupid obsession with giving you all A names. What did he think would happen?”Thomas cleared his throat, giving Noah a look that would have stopped Levi’s heart in his chest. “My stupid what?”Noah blushed, then dropped his head, mumbling, “I’m just saying…”There was the distant sound of a door opening and closing and then footsteps. They all stood, tense, like they were uncertain who would come even though there were only two guests missing. Jericho and Atticus pushed through the plastic, then stopped short, looking around at the large group of people.“What is happening? Why are there so many of you? I thought it was just supposed to be Noah, Aiden and the two of us talking with Levi and Shiloh,” Atticus asked.“I’m not here,” August said, then tipped his imaginary hat. “I have to stop at Château de Lumière’s and hope they’ll sell me an entire salted caramel cheesecake so my husband will have sex with me again sometime before our children graduate college.” He was already in the corridor when he hollered, “Be more careful with your texts… rookie.”Noah’s mouth fell open, his hand clutching imaginary pearls before yelling back, “Don’t you care about the plan at all?”“Just call me when it’s time to torture somebody.”August’s words echoed through the space ominously and they all stood silent until the slamming of the door seemed to bring them back to the task at hand.“Well, what’s the plan,” Levi said, another yawn breaking free.Noah cleared his throat. “So here’s the deal. The plan is simple. You feed your brother the coordinates of the murder cabin, he goes to investigate, we intercept him and torture him until he tells us who is after dad and why and then you guys can decide if you want to kill him or if you want us to do it?”“That’s it?” Nico said. “I feel like this could have been sent in a text.”“It could have, if someone’s crew had end to end encryption on their phones, but since you don’t, we have to do this the old fashioned way,” Noah said, tone pissy.“Oh, I’m sorry we don’t all have Mulvaney monopoly money to pay for our spy equipment,” Levi shot back.“I would be happy to-” Thomas started.“Absolutely not,” Jericho said, raising a hand. “You cannot support the entire world, Thomas.”“I don’t know, I’ve seen his net worth, it’s possible he could,” Nico said. When Jericho leveled a glare at him, he shriveled, muttering, “Fine, we’ll just use our loser phones and meet in slaughterhouses at midnight cause that’s not sus at all.”“Is that seriously the whole plan?” Levi asked, looking at Thomas.“Your brother cannot possibly be the mastermind behind some huge conspiracy to take us down,” Aiden said. “While he definitely sees himself as Al Capone, he’s honestly just a sociopath with a math degree. There’s a much bigger bad at play here and we have to figure out who that person is before we kill your brother so we can handle them as well. Does that make sense?”“Start with the district attorney,” Mal said. “He’s the one who keeps dragging his feet on my case and he’s the one who handpicked the dirtiest prosecutor. Whatever evidence Micah manufactured was enough to get a grand jury to indict me. Enzo thinks the DA wants to use the Mulvaney’s to make a name for himself.”“Like using our connections or outing us to the world as psycho killers?” Asa asked.Mal shrugged. “Isn’t that the information you’re supposed to torture out of him?”“You two seem surprisingly calm about us torturing your brother,” Adam said, looking between Shiloh and Mal.“I’ve watched my brother use Shiloh as batting practice more times than I can count,” Mal said flatly. “Do you know how many broken bones this kid has had?”Shiloh shrank back against Levi’s chest when they all turned to look at him. “It-It wasn’t that bad.”Malachi marched to Shiloh and yanked his shirt up. Noah and Thomas sucked in a breath at the mottled bruises on his torso. Shiloh yanked his shirt down, looking at Mal, betrayal etched on his face.“What do you mean, batting practice?” Noah asked. “A bat didn’t make those marks.”“No, the baseballs did. The ones he fired at my brother while he was practicing his swing,” Mal said, his voice icy.“I can’t wait to kill this guy,” Noah muttered.“I’ll bring my bat,” Avi said, eyes lighting up.“I’d like to do the killing myself, if it’s not too much trouble,” Mal said. “You know, him being family and all.”“Are you certain you could do it?” Aiden asked. “Killing family is a lot harder than you might think.”“I was planning to kill him when he made me his scapegoat and had me thrown in prison,” Mal said.“What?” Shiloh gasped.Mal returned to stand between Nico’s legs, taking the other boy’s hands and putting them on his head. Nico began to comb through his curls absently.Mal shrugged. “I was going to be smart about it. Potassium chloride injected between his toes. It’s undetectable in autopsy. It would just look like a heart attack.”Atticus frowned. “A heart attack in a healthy twenty-something-year-old man would catch a coroner’s eye.”Mal gave another terrifying smile. “Not if the victim had been abusing Adderall.”“Your brother is abusing amphetamines?” Thomas asked.Mal gave a slow shrug. “Not to his knowledge, but, yes.”“What does that mean?” Avi asked, leaning in, clearly intrigued.“It means the vitamin capsules he insists on taking every morning have been filled with Adderall. I’d been titrating his dose higher and higher for months.”“Impressive,” Thomas said.Atticus scoffed. “Still, where were you going to get your hands on potassium chloride without leaving a paper trail?”Mal shrugged. “I was initially going to make it myself, but it was too tedious. I would have needed a working lab and that would have been too big a risk. So I stole some from a vet clinic.”“Weren’t you afraid someone might put two and two together?” Asa asked.“There was no way anyone would connect the sudden death of a drug addict with a vial of potassium chloride that went missing from a vet’s office one year prior,” Mal said. “Especially since I didn’t get caught.”“You’ve been planning this for a year?” Shiloh asked, voice wobbling.Mal shook his head. “I’ve been planning this for a decade, doodlebug. Did you think I was going to let him torture you forever? I just had to be smart about it.”Shiloh crossed the room and threw himself into Mal’s arms. His brother returned the hug haltingly, eyes dull, back straight, like hugging Shiloh was expected but not necessarily welcome. Nico dropped one hand to scritch at Shiloh’s scalp as well, like he was petting two cats.When Shiloh pulled back, Mal sighed and used his sleeve to wipe his brother’s tears, then turned him around and pushed him back towards Levi. He opened his arms so Shiloh could hug him, closing them around him, squeezing him the way Mal wouldn’t, his heart tripping in his chest when Shiloh buried his face in his neck.“I have no problems with you being the point person once we’re done questioning him,” Aiden said. “But I’d prefer you stay back with Shiloh until we have him secured. If he manages to get his hands on either of you this goes from interrogation to hostage negotiation and we lose the advantage.”Mal looked like he was going to protest, when Thomas stepped in. “Once we have the information we need, we’ll have someone bring you out and you can do what you want with him. As long as he doesn’t have a pulse when we leave.”Mal looked at Shiloh for a long moment, then sighed. “I guess that’s fine.”“We won’t kill him without you,” Asa promised. “But I can’t guarantee what kind of shape he’ll be in when we get done with him.”Mal’s face was expressionless. “As long as I get to kill him.”