Page 19 of Seducer

Yet I did laugh and so did he.

“Hold on here. The last run-in you had with law enforcement was the night you stole a police cruiser.”

“Wait. Wait. Wait. You broke into the cop’s car and technically stole the vehicle. I just drove.” The corners of Mack’s eyes crinkled, the action showing his age. We’d grown older and wiser.

To a point.

“Semantics,” I argued.

“At least my father had pull with the police chief.”

Only after the powerful man had required the two of us to spend a night in a small jail cell, our two companions named Bruno and Tiny. And Tiny had been a six foot six gargantuan of a man. It was the single night I’d allowed my buddy to understand I had two sides, the darker of the two appearing after Tiny made the mistake of touching me.

Given the look Mack was giving me, I sensed he remembered the fact he’d been required to remain quiet about the fact I’d broken the asshole’s arm in four places. My guess was that Tiny found it difficult to use his appendage for months after his misguided attack.

“Yeah, you’re right.” I scanned the club again. Any member of law enforcement presented a possible difficulty in my life.

“The good ole days,” he mused and lifted his glass. “Thankfully, the arrest was expunged from our records. The only reason I was accepted into the police academy.”

His father had more pull than God. At least that’s what I’d believed in my youth.

“I’m surprised you turned out all right. Good for you.” Not that I needed any member of law enforcement breathing down my neck, but I’d always managed to manipulate the man when needed. He’d been an unwilling and unaware accomplice to several disturbing acts during our time together in college. My disregard for members of law enforcement was because of very personal reasons that he wouldn’t be privy to in his lifetime.

Even if he’d learned early on that I favored the dark aspects of life.

“I know. I had a mind-altering experience right after college. A little positive reinforcement by the local police. I liked what I saw.”

“Positive reinforcement?”

“Yeah. A cop saved my then girlfriend from burning to death in our overturned vehicle. It was as if a light went off.” He was smiling, but I sensed a story behind the fake smile.

“You with the girl today?”

Mack threw back most of his drink. “Hell, no. I heard she married the cop. Go figure. Anyway, I did my time walking the streets, working up the ranks. Grueling shit, but I love it,” he admitted. “I know you’re doing well. I’ve kept up with your work. You were always the dreamer, designing shit on napkins, my notebook. Whatever you could get your hands on. I always knew you’d make something of yourself.”

“Yeah, well, it took a few years. But I can’t complain. Have you played any of the virtual reality games yet? You might enjoy Dark Nights,” I asked, more curious than I normally was.

His eyes twinkled as he looked at me. “The truth is I get enough blood and gore in my line of work that I don’t need a game to fill in the blanks.”

“What about hot sex?”

“Now, that’s why I’m here.” The darkness I’d seen in his eyes had disappeared.

“See?” I said as I raised my glass for a toast. “Same guy I remember from college.”

“I wish I could say that, but my muscles ache. But you have brothers. Almost like a found family. That’s crazy shit, man, but I know how much you wished you had some decent family members in your life.”

He’d heard enough of my whining over the years, my wishful thinking to live the Hallmark life. As if that could ever happen. I’d given myself over to the dark side at age ten. There was no coming back.

“Yes, crazy shit,” I admitted because that was the truth. Three foster brothers reconnecting, each one of us sharing violent pasts. What were the odds?

And what were the odds we’d been born killers?

That was the last bit of information I’d share with my buddy.

“Remember what I told you? Everything has a reason.” He’d always been way too philosophical.

“You were right. About that only!” I pointed my finger at him, my attention once again grabbed away from the moment. My beautiful kitten was being harassed. The man doing so was either a stupid son of bitch or believed himself to have balls the size of watermelons.

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