Page 12 of Unhinged
“It’s more like community service,” Adam said, his expression blank.
Noah blinked at him before shaking his head. “I can’t figure out what your deal is. I can never tell if you’re making fun of me or if you just have zero idea of what’s considered appropriate behavior.”
Adam reached out and took Noah’s hand, looking at him with a potency that made him swallow audibly. “I’m well versed in how to behave in polite society. My father made very sure of that. But…that’s for other people, not you.”
Noah tried to pull his hand away. “I don’t deserve politeness?”
Adam’s brow furrowed, seemingly growing frustrated. “No, you don’t deserve the fake version of me. You know who I am… What I am. I don’t have to be fake around you.”
Noah should have been terrified of the intensity of Adam’s words, the way he stared at Noah like he saw something…magical. Maybe Adam was high? “I know you murdered my father. I know you’ve killed people. I don’t know who you are. I just know what you’ve done. That can’t be who you are.”
Adam seemed almost hurt by Noah’s words. He definitely seemed confused. “But it is. I was raised for this. We all were.”
Noah pondered Adam’s words. “You were raised to kill?”
“We were raised to level the playing field. To right the wrongs of the justice system. There are a lot of bad people in this world and the law rarely makes the right call. We do our homework. We save lives. We keep people safe.”
Noah should tell Adam to go. He’d seen enough murder documentaries to know a sociopath when he saw one, knew anybody who looked at him the way Adam did was probably batshit crazy. But he wasn’t wrong. Killing Noah’s father, no matter how painful it had seemed at the time, had most definitely saved lives. It had saved Noah. He just hadn’t remembered that until he’d forced Adam’s hand and those memories had started floating to the surface.
His skin crawled just thinking of him. He had no idea how or why he’d turned his father into a saint after his death. He’d definitely been a monster. Now, his memories were the monster, lurking in the most unlikely of corners, popping up when Noah least expected and tearing him apart.
Sometimes, it was like it had happened to somebody else, but other days, it was like it was still going on. Sometimes, the only way to quiet the voices was to swallow some pills, drink some alcohol. Sometimes, the drugs were his only safe space.
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see you,” Adam said with such sincerity that Noah couldn’t help but smile.
“You just saw me a few hours ago.”
Adam flopped on his back, making himself at home on Noah’s bed, looking way better than he should there. “It wasn’t enough. I needed to see you more.”
“You know I’m not going to have sex with you, right?”
Adam’s gaze darted away from Noah and back again, his heavy black brows furrowing once more. “Okay.”
“So, if that’s why you’re here, you should go,” Noah prompted.
Adam’s brows raised. “But…that’s not why I’m here. So, I’m gonna stay. Okay?”
Noah could only stare at Adam, who was pulling his shoes off and then his jeans, tossing them over the edge of the mattress. “Why are you taking your clothes off?”
“Did you want me to sleep with my boots on?”
Noah’s hands gesticulated wildly. “Why did you take your pants off?”
“Chafing,” Adam said, deadpan.
“You’re certifiable. Like chasing butterflies, bats in the belfry, not all there.”
“That’s rude. I am a sociopath. Words hurt, you know.” Noah opened his mouth to apologize when Adam grinned. “I’m kidding. Do you have more questions or can we go to sleep now?”
Noah’s brain was turning a mile a minute. “Don’t you live in a mansion on the other side of town?”
Adam shook his head with a smile. “No, my dad does. I live in a studio apartment on the other side of town.”
“And why can’t you go sleep there?”
Adam shrugged. “Because you’re not there and I want to be with you.”
