Page 130 of Shrapnel

He stepped closer to Jamie, hand extending to trace along Jamie’s jaw. Dominic’s fingers were long and cold, elegant in the way his blunted nail dragged up his cheek. He traced his swollen nose, wiping through the tears on his lashes before sliding along his lips.

“You grew up so well. I’m proud of you.” He cupped Jamie’s face, thumb stroking over his cheek.

Jamie shook his head, struggling to get air into his lungs. The bag slipped off his shoulder with a thump. He closed his eyes. This was a nightmare. This wasn’t real. Another memory. He clenched his jaw and waited for the pain to wake him.

“I always knew you were special. Always so bright. I hate to see you suffering. Do you remember what I used to do when you cried?”

A high-pitched whine slipped past Jamie’s lips. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Pulling his knees to his chest he tried to keep the flood of images from invading his mind.

The fire raging around them both. A young Dominic standing between him and the open door.

“I love you! I won’t let you leave me! Not again!”

The gun seemed so light. His father used it to get his way. All Jamie wanted was to leave. To step out of that burning building and never look back. He pulled the trigger. Dominic collapsed, blood obscuring his face. Jamie hadn’t screamed. He hadn’t cried. Just stepped over his body to leave.

“You were dead…” he cried. His chest ached. He needed to breathe.

“No,” Dominic knelt beside him, rubbing his head. “You shot me in the face, but it didn’t kill me. Ian heard the shot and rescued me.” He nodded toward the mute behemoth leveling the Glock at Jamie. “You took my sight, but that’s ok. Because the last thing I got to see was your face.”

Jamie clawed at his hair. “Please—”

“Shh, no. Stop. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I’m not mad,” Dominic assured him. “All these years I’ve been trying to find you. To fulfill the promise I made to you back then.”

His words were fading in and out. What promise? Jamie couldn’t remember anything except that last night. The way Dominic’s hands gripped his wrists and the way he saidyou belong here with me.

“H-How did…” Jamie couldn’t speak.

Dominic exhaled through his nose. “It wasn’t easy. I almost died. Ian was a good nurse, though, and eventually I learned to survive with his help. But I needed to do more than survive to find you. I needed power. That took some time. Eventually I met Mateo. He’s a nasty piece of work, but he introduced me to Luther.” He tucked a strand of hair behind Jamie’s ear, pulling at the curl gently. “He was able to find you. Imagine my surprise to find you were still here. A Weaver. And not just any Weaver, but a lieutenant.” His voice was full of pride, like an older brother bragging about a gifted sibling.

Jamie’s hands fisted in his shirt. He was hyperventilating now. Tiny bursts of air sliding past his numb lips. It wasn’t enough. But he couldn’t stop. His panic was building. All his training was forgotten.

“I don’t understand. I don’t—why?”

He took Jamie’s hands, holding them against his chest to keep him from clawing at himself.

“Jamie—do you prefer Jamie now?”

He nodded numbly, unable to do anything else.

“Jamie. I like it.” He smiled, the glasses lifting with his cheeks. “I didn’t care much about Luther’s death. But I needed Mateo. He’s insane, but useful. As much as I was loathe to hurt you, Jamie, I needed to isolate you. I needed you away from the Weavers. I needed you to see that we belong together.”

His brain was foggy and heavy. Dominic wasn’t making any sense. Belong together? Jamie didn’t like to think about back then. Back to when Dominic was the one who protected him. He taught him to make games of the abuse, how to disassociate.

But the years he spent with Renard warped him. Twisted him into something ugly. Into thethingJamie thought he killed that night.

“How could you?” he croaked, his chest heaving. “How could you think that I would want anything to do with you after that night?”

Dominic’s smile faltered. He looked genuinely hurt when Jamie jerked his hands away from him, regaining his senses.

“I regret that night,” Dominic allowed. “I understand how bad it must have been for you. But that doesn’t change things, Jamie. We are all we have. I understand what loyalty to family means.”

Jamie dropped his chin to his chest. “We aren’t family. We never were.”

Dominic slapped him. His palm struck Jamie hard enough for sparks to explode behind his eyes. He slumped to the side, catching himself with the hand holding the keys. The metal dug into his palm.

He was jerked upright, Dominic dragging him back up by his shirt. Only inches from his face, he could see the scars hidden behind the thick glasses. Jamie could finally see it. In his mouth and high cheek bones. The delicate face of the boy he remembered.

“You killed Renard. I saw you. Without him, we’re finally free. Just the two of us, like it was always meant to be.”