Page 128 of Stitches

He let out a loud snort. “Fuck, maybe. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

I shook my head. “Honestly, yes. The only use for you was the fucking voices in your head and your complete disregard for human life and the respect of others.”

“Tell you what. Give me about an hour, and I’ll be back to my old self. It lasts me about an hour when I do an entire stick. So about the time you’re hopefully walking out of this meeting, I’ll be just as bat shit crazy as always.”

We reached the admin building and I stared up at it.

“Adam’s back,” he said.

“I heard.”

“I’d have run his head over. That’s the difference between you and me.” He moved his focus to the stars. “Huh. Would you look at that. A shooting star. I wish you were just as crazy as I am.”

I stared up to the streak in the night sky. “Why do you think I’m not?”

“I didn’t say you weren’t. Just that you’re not as crazy as me.” He looked at me, a dark twinkle in his blue eyes. “I’d have carved my name into her flesh if it were me. People tend to shy away from a man’s name hacked into the flesh of a woman they’re infatuated with.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

He smiled brightly. “Looks like my voices are coming back. I’ll talk to you later, Dante. Be a good boy and go disappoint your father for me. It irritates him and makes him fuck up.” He turned to go but stopped and looked back at me. “Oh, and through the haze I see this is the beginning of the end. Do it justice.”

He left me there without another word, but I expected nothing less from him. That was just the kind of fucking nut job he was.

* * *

I steppedinto same room I’d been in when I’d seen my father the last time. He sat in the leather chair, a scotch in his hand.

“Dante. My boy.” He rose and reached for me.

Knowing better than to ignore him, I allowed him to hug me without me hugging him back.

He released me and gestured for me to sit. I did so and watched while he poured me a glass of alcohol before topping his off.

“Why are you here?” I asked, not lifting the glass from the table.

“You never change.” He smiled at me. “That’s fine. I have a busy night ahead of me anyway. I got word that one of mine, and ultimately yours, was harmed here on campus.”

“And who was that?”

“Adam Larson.”

I steadied myself before answering. “He pissed me off.”

Father laughed. “Truly? Adam means no harm. He’s a little unstable, but that’s what I look for in a special helper.”

“Is he one of your experiments?” I finally looked at him.

“In a sense. He’s more like the independent variable.”

I scoffed at that. “What do you need from me? I know you didn’t call me down here to gloat about some mentally ill fuck you have under your wing.”

He drank and smacked his lips. “I want you to leave Adam alone. It’s that simple. I think he’s exceptional and he’s being trained.”

“Fuck him. He was talking shit. He’s lucky I didn’t kill his ass.”

“Indeed. I told him that. He was more than willing to agree to keep his distance in the future, but he is one of mine, and by default, one of yours. So if you need anything, he’s at your disposal.”

“The onlydisposingof him will be in a fucking grave the next time he gets in my way.”

---