Page 131 of Shrapnel

Jamie’s head rolled, tasting blood from where he bit his tongue. “Just kill me.”

Dominic made a strangled noise. “No!” he shook Jamie. “I don’t want you dead, little fox, you mean everything to me. I love you.”

“No, you don’t!” Jamie spat, shoving him. “You don’t know how to love!”

His fingers dug into Jamie’s chin, hard enough that blood dribbled from his split tongue down his chin. Dominic leaned in, pausing as if he could see the blood. Like he was watching it drain from Jamie’s mouth.

“I won’t force you, little fox—Jamie. You’ll come back to me. By choice. Because we’re all we have.”

Jamie bared his bloody teeth. “I won’t.”

Dominic smiled sadly. “You will. You will because you won’t have a choice. You’ll come to me willingly, or I’ll kill everyone that stands in our way.”

He released Jamie’s face, standing lithely. His head tipped down at Jamie’s crumpled form.

“You left me twice. I won’t let it happen again.”

It sounded so much better when Grant said it.

Then he was gone, disappearing with the mute Ian. Jamie fell to the floor. The pain in his face was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. The walls were crumbling. They couldn’t withstand the onslaught of emotions. Jamie thought his past was done. That he was finally free. But it snatched him back.

And he remembered.

He was inundated with memories of the young Dominic, his eyes bright and smile wide. He had been so fiercely protective, holding Jamie when the nights were cold. Protecting him. Stealing him snacks and washing bugs from his hair. He taught him to count change, enough to buy food at the vending machine at the shitty motel Renard had them stashed in.

That was the Dominic he mourned. The one that Renard warped with abuse until he was unrecognizable. That was the one that held Jamie down, pushed drugs into his veins so he would be malleable. So he would stay.

Never leave me.

Jamie curled up, knees to his chin. He didn’t know which one was the real Dominic.

And did that mean he wasn’t the real Jamie?

Was he even Jamie at all?

Did he deserve to be?

24

Tell Me Pretty Lies

The bag was heavierthan he thought. How Jamie just lugged this thing around like it weighed nothing, Owen wasn’t sure. Dropping it beside his car, he unzipped it and started going through the contents.

Jamie had these bags stashed everywhere. This one was behind a trash can at Weaver Syndicate. He offhandedly told Owen about them once, stating he could disappear in a matter of minutes if he needed to. Looking at the stuff in the bag, Owen was 100% sure that was true.

He ignored the baggy of cash. That wasn’t his. But he did rummage around until he found what he needed. The grappling hook was smaller than they looked on TV, but he figured he wasn’t too heavy. It was probably fine. Owen wasn’t sure how much rope he would need. Was there a standard grappling hook to rope length ratio? He figured the rope in the bag was enough.

“What are you doing?”

Owen yelped, slamming his head on his cars bumper. Swearing, he rubbed his head and peeked up at a scowling Noah. He had showered and changed since the last time Owen had seen him.

“Uh…” Owen swallowed and glanced at the bag. “I’m…spring cleaning?”

“It’s fall.”

“I think spring cleaning is generally more of a suggestion? Can things ever really be too clean?”

Noah frowned. “You’re going to rescue Jackson, aren’t you?”