Chapter Ten #3
VALE WISHED THAT CYRIL would let him kill Asher, or at least maim him a little.
He was convinced that if Asher had the chance, he would go after Cyril, which wasn’t something he could tolerate.
He knew Cyril understood that, just like he knew that his boyfriend’s heart was soft.
He wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt because of him, not even a serial killer who would come after him at the first opportunity.
But luckily, Vale wasn’t in this on his own.
He and Russell hadn’t talked about it, but Vale was sure his best friend would ensure that Asher would never get anywhere close to Cyril again.
He didn’t even have to ask. Russell cared about Cyril, so he’d do whatever he could to protect him.
That meant that if Asher even hinted at escaping and coming after Cyril, Russell would take care of him.
Cyril would be sad if something like that happened, but he’d be safe, and that was all Vale cared about.
“I already sent everything to Vale’s phone,” Rachel answered, looking up from her screen. “And you don’t have to worry about Asher. Russell and I will make sure the police get him and that he stays locked up.”
Cyril nodded. His expression was serious, but Vale knew him well enough to see the fear lurking in his eyes.
He wished he could do more about it. Unfortunately, this was the one thing he couldn’t protect Cyril from.
The Threshold and everything that came with it was out of his reach.
If it wasn’t, he would already have found a way to solve this mess.
“We’ll focus on Meridian, then,” Cyril said. “Thank you. And please, don’t hurt him. I know he’s a killer, but I truly believe he thought he was doing something good.”
“He may have, but if he as much as threatens you, he’ll get what he deserves,” Rachel said, her tone uncompromising. “You can feel sorry for him and also not want him to hurt anyone ever again.”
“I do want that. We just don’t know exactly what happened to him. We don’t know what the Threshold did to his parents. As wrong as he was, I feel sorry for him.”
“You won’t have to worry about him ever again.
That, I can promise.” Rachel got out of the car to hug Cyril.
Vale gave them a few minutes and turned his attention back to the van, but he couldn’t hear anything.
He trusted Russell with his life and with Cyril’s, though.
He knew he wouldn’t have to worry about Asher while he focused on Meridian.
“Take my car,” Rachel said. “And be careful. I looked into Meridian as much as I could, and there’s not much to find. I don’t know what you’ll be walking into. I don’t want to believe Asher is right about Meridian, but he might be.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Cyril told her. “Vale will have my back.”
He always would, and everyone here knew it.
“Wait, does this mean I have to ride in the murder van?” Robbie asked from where he was sprawled in the backseat.
Vale rolled his eyes. Trust him to be dramatic. “Yes, unless you want Rachel and Russell to leave you here?”
Robbie grumbled as he extracted himself from Rachel’s car. “You’re lucky that I love you,” he said as he hugged Cyril. “Because I wouldn’t climb into the murder van for anyone else.”
Vale was pretty sure that Robbie would climb into it for the promise of ice cream and puppies, but he didn’t say it. He didn’t have time to bicker with the man.
Vale and Cyril had things to do. Now that they more or less knew where to find Meridian, they needed to get there.
Vale took his phone out of his pocket to check the address.
It was several hours away, and since he wanted to be prepared for whatever they’d find when they got there, he’d need a little time before they headed there.
He was sure that Cyril would want to go home for Oscar, too.
Vale wanted to bring the pet with them, just in case.
He’d saved Cyril’s life recently, and it was always good to have backup, although Vale hoped Oscar wouldn’t have to do the same again.
God only knew what would happen if he sacrificed himself a second time.
Vale stood there for a moment after Cyril moved toward the car, watching the tree line at the edge of the road.
He thought about what Rachel had said—there wasn’t much to find on Meridian, and she didn’t know what they would be walking into.
Vale was used to that. Most of his work had involved walking into the unknown with nothing but the willingness to be faster and harder than whatever was on the other side.
But this wasn’t a job. This was Cyril, and that changed everything.
Vale could handle not knowing what Meridian was.
What he couldn’t handle was anything happening to Cyril because Vale hadn’t been careful enough, hadn’t thought far enough ahead, or hadn’t positioned himself between Cyril and whatever came at him.
He sucked in a breath, squared his shoulders, and walked to the car.
“Stay safe and find answers,” Rachel said, staring at Vale. “And if you allow anything to happen to Cyril, you’ll have to deal with me.”
Vale snorted. “I’d have to deal with myself first. Don’t worry about Cyril. He’s in good hands.”