Page 85 of Don't Quit the Day Job

Ty bites his plump bottom lip, his blue-and-brown stare darkening. He places one foot on the porch and pushes off, rocking himself. “What if I did?”

Before I can stop myself, I’m in front of him, grabbing his hand, squeezing it between mine. “Did someone hurt you? Who is it? I’ll rip their fucking heart out.”

Ty grins, shaking his head as he stops pushing against the porch to rock his chair. “No. But I’ll admit it’s fucking hot how angry you just got. Your eyes went all fiery, and your usual happy demeanor dropped.”

I rub a hand down my face. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t. Not really. It made me think of what June just told me. That you wouldn’t hurt me, but you would hurt people for me.”

“That’s right.” I sit on the porch at his feet, still holding his hand. I’m thankful he hasn’t pulled away. “Who is it you want killed?”

Ty faces closes off, and his jaw ticks. His eyes burn with rage, a look I didn’t think he was capable of. Ty seems so friendly, so happy, that the expression is out of place on his face, and I want to gut the motherfucker that caused it.

“His name is Michael Kerry. He …” he pauses, swallowing thickly before he looks at me with tear-brimmed eyes. “He raped my best friend. She went to the police, got the kit done, did all the things they tell victims to do. She was brave and strong when she gave her statement. But that didn’t matter. The fucker was only sentenced to three months in prison. When Juliette heard the verdict, she couldn’t live with it. She feared he would come after her when he was released.” Two fat tears drop down Ty’s cheeks, and I wipe them gently, still not letting go of his hand. He leans into my touch, looking at me with a vulnerability that makes my heart clench. “She killed herself the day after he was sentenced. He got out less than ninety days after because of time served and went on to live a normal life.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Ty shakes his head. “He moved from Corpin when he got out. I tried an internet search of him a few years back, but there are so many Michael Kerrys that popped up and not all of them had photos. I didn’t have money at the time to pay for an in-depth search.”

“If you want him dead, I can find him, and I’ll do it for free. Anyone that fucks with you deserves death.”

He nods vigorously. “I do. And I want to watch.” I open my mouth to advise against it, but Ty grips my hands. “Please, Leo. I need to watch him die for what he did to her. He is one of the people that doesn’t deserve to live. I’m willing to bet Juliette wasn’t his only victim. There’s no way he stopped after her.”

“Ty, you saw what I do. My scenes get … messy. Can you handle that?”

His pupils dilate and his breathing picks up as he sinks into himself. I’m never careful with my kills, especially when they’re in abandoned buildings like the one I took Ralph to. I’m great at cleanup, as Ivan taught me how to ensure I leave nothing behind. With that in mind, I kill as I want when it comes to a torture and kill session. Ty sounds like he wants a torture and kill session.

His darkened eyes meet mine, and he nods. “I can. For Juliette, I can handle it.”

I grin at his conviction. Ty might have been frightened earlier, but he’s tough. I could tell by how he snatched my phone from me when June called. If he were as afraid as he should have been, he would have done anything to keep me from getting angry. Instead, he let his irritation show, not lying down for any bullshit.

If I could fall in love, that would have been the moment.

“Then we can do it. Let me figure out where he is, then we can get started planning. Know this,” I tell him, pegging him with serious eyes, “there will be no going in half-cocked. I plan all my kills to minimize any chance of fucking up. I don’t fuck up. I’ve never had a partner before, so you’ll have to follow my lead, even if you don’t like it. I don’t have emotions to cloud my actions. You do. Bury that shit while we’re killing, got it?”

He nods slowly. “I got it. I can do that. I promise.”

“Let’s get started.”

I wince when I push to my feet, the slice across my belly stinging. When I got Ty changed and in bed, I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself up. It’s not deep, but the cut hurts like a motherfucker.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, looking up at me without taking my proffered hand.

Smiling, I lift my shirt, showing him the bandage. “You sliced me good, kotenok. I can show you how to hold your knife better to get a deeper cut if you’d like.”

Sliding down to the edge of the rocking chair, Ty lifts shaky hands to the bandage and drags his fingers over the nearly white cloth. It only bled through a little, but it’s time for me to either change it or take it off completely. “I’m sorry,” he mutters.

“Don’t be. It was well-placed. You did well for being so scared.”

Ty looks up at me, his gaze burning with resolve and heat. Heat? Fuck yes, there’s definitely heat there. His lips pucker as he plants a soft kiss over my lower belly. I bite back a groan. I want his lips on me, but I don’t want to scare him away.

I watch with rapt attention, chest rising and falling rapidly as he kisses the wound better for me.

My cock takes notice too, growing as I eye those sexy lips on my skin. I try to cant my body away, my dick basically in his face, but Ty places a hand on my hips, holding me steady.

“Does that feel good?” he asks in a sex-drenched voice.

“Better than you could imagine. Ty, I’ve never been with a man before. I’m out of my depth here.” It’s the first time I’ve been uncertain about anything. I wouldn’t normally care, but I don’t want to disappoint Ty. I don’t want to fuck it up and make anything bad for him.