Page 53 of Leo, My Partner

CHAPTER 18

LEO

“Good,” I croak, tapping Tyshawn on the arm three times. He unwraps his arm from around my neck, and I’m able to breathe again. I’m teaching him the proper way to do chokeholds. The one I just showed him cuts off the blood supply to a person’s brain. It’s taken him a few tries, but he has it down now.

I told Ty I would train him to be my partner, and he’s holding me to it. We’re killing Ian, the camp counselor, tonight, but Ty said he wanted to learn a few things before we do that. My living room is large enough that we can do a few hand-to-hand drills, though I’d like to have some mats to really get down to it. That could be a project for the future.

“You okay?” Ty asks, kneeling beside me and running cool fingers over my throat. I’m sure there will be a faint red mark, but I won’t bruise.

“I’m okay. That was good. Next time, grip your other arm or your other shoulder so your opponent won’t be able to pry your hands off them.”

I let him help me off the floor, even though I don’t need it. “Tomorrow, we can use other items for strangulation. That’s not my favorite method of killing because it takes too long. Five or more minutes, even if you use something other than your hands. I enjoy torture, but I don’t like to wait for the kill.”

“You’ll still teach me, right?” Ty asks.

“Of course, kotenok.”

A knock at the door has both our heads turning in that direction. No one visits but June and Blu, so I figure it’s one of them. Either way, I motion for Ty to have a seat, away from the door.

Looking through the peephole, I find June standing there. I undo the locks and open the door, meeting the wide grin of my best friend.

He pushes past me, looking around. “Hey, Leo,” he says over his shoulder, then rounds the corner to my living room. His face brightens when he sees Ty. “Ty! Hey! I’m glad you’re here.”

June gives Ty a hug, who returns it with a small smile on his face. “Really? Why?”

After June pulls away, he sits on the couch, Ty sitting beside him. “Well, I was going to tell Leo to invite you on a date with me and Blu, but since you’re already here, I can ask you two at the same time. Blu is taking me to my favorite French restaurant, and I wanted to know if you guys would like to join us.”

“When?” Ty asks, tucking a foot under himself.

“Tomorrow night at eight.”

Ty looks over at me, and I nod. He grins at June and dips his head. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

June squeals, grabbing Ty’s hands. “Good, I’m glad. Listen, if you ever want to get together without Blu and Leo, you can always give me a call. It’s nice to have someone around I can talk to about my psychopath boyfriend and best friend.”

Ty laughs high and loud, the musical lilt making me glow. I love that he’s happy. I’m always wondering if I’m doing a good job at bringing him joy since I don’t know anything about relationships or how to make someone else happy. But Ty would tell me. His rambling thoughts would spew from his lips if he were displeased with how I treat him. “I would like that. My best friend wouldn’t understand that my boyfriend is a psychopath. We can get together for lunch sometimes.”

Ty and June talk for a few more minutes, both laughing as they discuss me and Blu. Seeing my best friend and my boyfriend getting along has another one of those weird swooping in my belly that I’m recognizing as contentment. This is the life I want for both Ty and June—someone they can connect with and talk to about something they can’t otherwise discuss with anyone else.

After they exchange numbers, June gives Ty a long hug, then does the same with me before he leaves. Ty’s face radiates joy when he walks over to me and wraps his arms around my waist. I kiss the top of his head, loving how his slight weight feels against me. “We have a few more hours before we get started with Ian. Do you want to go with me to pick him up, or do you want me to come get you when I have everything organized?”

Ty shakes his head, looking up at me with excitement. “I want to be there for the whole thing.”

“Okay. Let’s get started.”

Grabbing his hand, I lead him back to my office. Something I splurged on—beside the condo itself—was having a secret room built. I told the contractors it would be for a large safe that would hold my important documents, but the safe contains all the weapons I’ll ever need for my jobs.

Ty’s mouth drops open when he sees the contents of the safe. “Holy fuck, Leo. This is amazing.”

I grin as I load up a kill kit for him, sliding in a roll of knives, a garrote, rolls of duct tape, and two handguns—a Glock 19 and a Sig Sauer. Ty is great with both, so he can have his choice of which to use when the time comes.

Zipping his bag, I hand it to him and close the safe. “This will be your kill kit. After every kill, we’ll clean your guns and sterilize your knives. After a few months, we’ll switch everything out, so your equipment is fresh and ready for use.”

“Fuck, it’s so hot to hear you talk about weapons. Is that a kink?”

I smirk, brushing my lips over his. “If it’s not, you can make it one.” Our lips meet again, then I’m leading him out of the bedroom.

We make a quick stop at a local hardware store to pick up rope, plastic wrap, and a few things that we’ll need for cleanup. Before we go abduct Ian, Ty pulls over to a gas station with an outside bathroom, and we change into black clothing and heavy-duty boots. Ty looks fucking hot in his clothes, and I have fight not to bend him over the sink and slide my dick between his ass cheeks.

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