Page 72 of Murder & Mayhem
I glared. “What the fuck is wrong with you? No, it’s not a dick pic. Stop thinking about Nicky’s dick.”
Bailey made a face. “Eww. He’s old. Trust me, I’m not thinking about that.”
I snorted and started typing.
Me:
Bailey said you’re old.
Dominic came back with the shocked Pikachu face.
Nicky:
Rude! I’m not old. I’m mature.
Yeah, I wasn’t saying that to Bailey. He’d have a field day.
“So . . . are you gonna tell him you’re out?”
I collapsed onto the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable. “I don’t know. I want to, but I’m scared.”
Bailey sat next to me. “What’re you scared about?”
“What if it’s different now? We barely knew each other when everything went down. It was this whirlwind romance fueled by an extremely stressful situation and forced proximity.”
“Fuck, you sound like Dr. Darling. It’s weirding me out.”
I gave Bailey serious side-eye. “He’s right though. What we had, it was like fire and gasoline. It would’ve never lasted. But what if now, I’m too different? Nicky’s been going to therapy too. What if we’re too stable and we’re no longer compatible?”
“First off, that’s some dumb fucking shit. Neither of you will ever be the poster child of stability. That kinda trauma we all went through, it sticks with you. Neither you nor Nicky will ever be what the world calls normal, and that’s okay. You know that. We spent hours getting that drilled in our heads.” He wasn’t wrong, “Second, it’s not like you haven’t spoken tothe guy since then. You talk every fucking day. It’s disgustingly sweet. Just ‘cause you haven’t seen him in person doesn’t mean you’re starting completely from scratch. You have chemistry. You have compatibility. You’ve already proven that. And thirdly,” Bailey continued to ramble on, using his fingers to help count, “you’ll never know for sure if you sit on your ass in your apartment and don’t risk it. You and Dominic have a chance at something special. You put in the fucking work, Jamie. You deserve to reap the rewards. You deserve to try. And if it doesn’t work out? Well then, at least you know you did everything you could. That you got to live your life. It’ll be your first mistake as a real human being and not a traumatized husk slopped together by duct tape and super glue.”
I stared at my brother, my mouth gaping. Bailey had always been so quiet growing up. He’d started to come out of his shell in those six months before he’d been taken, but nothing like this. We’d always had that guillotine over our heads that we were worried would crash down at any second. This Bailey? Well, he was kind of a little asshole. He was blunt as fuck and never held back. Ever. But he was also the first one there when the nightmares got too bad. He was the one who would volunteer to stay with the new kid all night when they were too terrified to sleep in the room by themselves. He was the one who volunteered to go to court with one of the other patients when he had to testify against his abusers. This Bailey was finally getting to come into his own and experience all the turmoil and growing pains most teenagers did, and I was so fucking delighted.
Now though, he was glaring at me. “Well, are you gonna tell him or do I need to?”
“Fuck off.” But I picked up my phone because I was terrified at whatBailey would say.
Me:
Hey, so . . . I’m not at the facility anymore. They do this thing, and Bails and I have an apartment. So, surprise? Maybe you’d like to see it?
I hit send and closed my eyes before I could change my mind.
My phone buzzed so quickly I had to wonder if he had been staring at his, waiting for my response.
Nicky:
I’m so fucking proud of you, baby boy. I’m on my way.
I sank back onto the couch, unable to hide my grin.
CHAPTER 28
DOMINIC
My fingers drummed a nervous pattern on my thigh as I waited in front of Jamie’s apartment door. The place was cute and well secured. An anonymous donor had given the program the funding to provide safe and clean housing for the kids who needed somewhere to stay when they got out. They paid a fraction of the regular rent for the area, and only 25% of all other utilities. They could only live there for two years, but it helped the kids get on their feet and gave them a chance most of them wouldn’t have had.
Before Jamie and Bailey had even left the program, I had scouted out the building and tested all their security features, and I’d been impressed. More importantly, so had Ari.
