Page 65 of Murder & Mayhem
Jamie snorted, but I couldn’t be happier. Things weren’t perfect, but that chasm that had been growing between us was maybe closing now? At least enough that Jamie took my hand and let me bring him down to the basement, where Flame and what was left of O’Malley remained.
Maybe I should be worried about Jamie’s reaction to O’Malley. Or at least warn him. He might’ve been his abuser and the fuck who’d kidnapped Bailey, but Jamie wasn’t a violent person. He wasn’t used to this lifestyle, and it might be a shock. I stiffened, prepared for anything as he stilled on the bottom step, eyes locked on the destroyed fleshbag.
“Th-that’s him? I don’t even recognize him.”
“Yeah, it’s him. I might’ve lost control.”
From the corner, Flame made some kind of sound that was somewhere between a laugh and choking. Jamie’s eyes snapped to him, his body tensing.
“You called him?” He sounded surprised. I gave his hand a squeeze.
“I did. You don’t want me beholden to the Wraiths, remember?”
“He won’t be,” Flame said, brushing crumbs off his pants, “and neither are you or Bailey. If I never have to see his grumpy ass again, I’ll be happy.”
Of course Jamie fucking laughed at that, looking less stressed for the first time.
“Do you have any requests, beautiful? I haven’t touched his dick yet.”
“Yeah? You’d cut it off like you did Joey’s? For me?”
I didn’t care who was watching us or the tension that was still brewing between us, that tone, hopeful and a little turned on, had me reacting despite my best efforts. With a gentle hand, I tipped his chin and kissed him.
I was extra careful, not wanting to hurt him, but Jamie deepened the kiss all on his own. I pulled back. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m fine, Nicky. Please. I-I need you.”
Flame made a strangled sound, pulling us out of our moment. “This is sweet and all, but can you wait till after you kill this fucker? Please.”
I glared at the bastard as Jamie stepped back, cheeks red. “Sorry.”
I walked Jamie over to the cart then. O’Malley hadn’t moved at all, and I didn’t want us to miss our chance. I could tell he was barely breathing at this point.
“What do you want to use?” I asked Jamie, who stared at the cart with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I don’t know what half this stuff is. What kind of knife did you use on Joey?”
I picked it up and showed him. “Okay, that works then.”
Smiling, I pulled Jamie close. “You don’t have much bloodlust, do you?”
He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think I’d ever participate, and all that torture might not be for me, but I really, really want to see this. And I need to see him dead. Like Joey. I don’t think it’ll feel real till I see it with my own eyes. I know Bailey doesn’t believe it. He asked me like five times already.”
That had me thinking. I typically wouldn’t involve a minor in this type of shit, but I’d been younger than Bailey when we’d set Mitchell on fire, and he deserved closure. “Does hewant to come?”
Jamie shook his head. “I asked, but no. He’s locked himself in his room and is blasting a video game. Skye said he’s processing.”
“Okay, well, when he’s ready, if he needs something, you let me know, alright?”
“Okay.”
I flipped the hilt in my hand a few times. “Let’s end this.”
Jamie didn’t look away from O’Malley until his pulse stopped. Even then, he stayed stock still, eyes locked on the mutilated husk as Flame confirmed his death and shook both of our hands, announcing that our business was complete. I came and stood next to Jamie and waited. I didn’t know what to say, but it felt like that was okay. Just being here, letting Jamie come to terms with everything was enough.
“He’s really dead,” he said, voice rough, about twenty minutes later.
“Yes, sweetheart, he is.”
