Page 24 of Headcase

“My dad cleared it with your mom. All parental units are in the loop. Let’s go get some food. I’m starving.”

Arlo glanced over his shoulder at Dimitri. “Are we really doing this?”

“What choice do we have?” Dimitri asked.

Asa nodded, happy at least one person tonight wasn’t going to give him shit about his excellent plan. “Exactly. Glad we’re all on the same page. We’ll take my car. It’s right over there.”

Asa snaked an arm around Zane’s waist. He didn’t fight him at least, but he didn’t look enthusiastic either. He could practically hear the other two wondering about their dynamic.

“What do you think their deal is?” Asa heard Arlo ask quietly.

“I think it’s none of our business,” Dimitri whispered back.

Dimitri was smart. He had good instincts. When he was a little older, it might be a good idea to bring him into the fold. If it turned out August’s daughters weren’t psychopaths, they could still be raised as killers, but it would be years before that happened. Jericho’s crew was young and deadly, but they lacked training and were very emotion driven. It would be nice to have Dimitri on the crew.

The crew.

Jesus.

Murder was the family business and business was good. Did his father think of the future? About what would happen to the next generation? Had he realized that being a psychopath wasn’t a prerequisite to being a good killer?

Asa snapped back to the present when he heard Arlo mutter, “So much for getting fucked tonight.”

Asa glanced back to see Dimitri wrap an arm around Arlo’s shoulders, their fingers still intertwined. “Oh, we might still get fucked tonight, but not in the way either of us was hoping.”

“Christ, you two are giving me a toothache with all the cuteness,” Asa said, giving Zane’s waist a squeeze.

“Then go kidnap two other people,” Arlo quipped.

“Oh, don’t tempt him. He loves holding people against their will,” Zane muttered, still pouting.

“Don’t be sassy, Lois Lane,” Asa said, dropping his hand and sliding it into Zane’s back pocket. “They might think you don’t like me.”

Zane wiggled out of Asa’s grip. “I don’t like you.”

Asa scoffed, giving him a look. “The scratches down my back say otherwise, sugar britches.”

“Gross,” Arlo groaned, earning a laugh from Asa.

When they reached the Rover, Asa gestured to the backseat. “Chop-chop, young lovers. There’s fuckery afoot.”

The two of them climbed up into the bench seat, squeezing together in the center. Up front, Asa walked Zane around and forcibly settled him into the passenger seat before buckling his seatbelt. When he glanced in the rearview mirror, Arlo looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Jesus, relax, you two. I just need some information. I’m not here to rip off your toenails with pliers.”

“Well, that adds a whole new layer of horror to this,” Arlo muttered.

“Don’t worry, baby. I will keep your toenails safely where they belong,” Dimitri promised.

“That is both gross and romantic,” Arlo said, a smile spreading across his face.

“That’s me. Grossly romantic,” Dimitri promised, leaning down to drop a kiss on his forehead. “And for the record, there’s nobody else I’d rather be kidnapped with.”

Arlo looked up at him with soft eyes. “Aw, me neither. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Dimitri promised.

“And I love noise canceling headphones,” Zane said around a groan, glaring at Asa. “Can you put some music on or something?”

Asa winked at him. “Anything for you, darling.”