Page 66 of The Killer Who Kept Me

After another hour,I went back upstairs. Frazee had questions to answer, and I’d seen enough to know he was no different than Ramsey. It was the reason Saros was at the top and they both could never climb so high.

Saros had the respect of those around him, was smarter and had humility. His power grew greatly because he had a moral compass. Sure he walked a path in the underworld, but even beautiful things thrive in the dark. The moonflower, for example. I chuckled, wondering what Saros would say if I called him my moonflower.

When I woke the next morning, Saros wasn’t in bed. I’d heard him enter the bedroom at some hour and take a shower. His arms had held me, but he must’ve woken early and left. I got ready for the day and headed downstairs.

“The detachable penis spider is way better than a stupid male octopus,” one of the teenage boys was shouting at another.

“No way! The octopus is all, fuck yourself, and throws it at her.”

“Brandon, language!” Lorelie yelled and rolled her eyes.

I didn’t know who was married to whom, but I was learning names.

“Then tell Evan he’s a moron.”

“Brandon, for the love of God!” Lorelie put her hands on her hips. “You’re both right. They both lose their penises—how are either of them winners with those losses?”

I chuckled. “Well, I mean, the octopus dies afterward. And technically throws a modified arm that contains sperm. The spider, on the other hand, goes to fight, detaching his penis inside of the female spider and doesn’t necessarily die. He fights to protect the female so it can impregnate her. But the octopus always dies.”

All three of them stared at me as if I were nuts.

“But, like, both lose their dicks,” Evan finally said.

“Yeah.”

Lorelie snorts. “See? No winners. Now, the two of you go outside and throw a football or something. You can do it in the back.”

The boys sighed dramatically but did as instructed.

“Sorry if I made it weird?” I winced.

She came over and patted my arm. “They’re teenage boys. Everything they say is weird; you’re just fine.”

I decided to stay out of trouble and find Martha. I was sure there was something innocent I could help with that didn’t involve penises.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“The quickest way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

~ Alice Walker

Saros

“Guesswho I just got off the phone with.” Cosmo strutted into my study, appearing no less exhausted than I was.

“Who?”

“Fernando.”

That surprised me. He didn’t tend to call me, especially after his debt was paid. “And what did he want?”

“He said that last night the governor and his son were having dinner at his restaurant—not unusual, but the governor left to use the bathroom and a man approached Dre. A minute later, the two of them left. When the gov came out, he asked where his son went.”

“So Fernando called you because Dre left with someone? How was that an odd thing to see?”

“Because of this.” He clicked the remote, and the multi-screen showed all the news stations reporting the kidnapping of Andre Hopper. “That’s why Fernando called. He didn’t think much of the encounter until he saw this.”

“Why is he kidnapping him now, with everything we have going on?”

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