Chapter 18 #2
“He’s a dead man walking, Seth. You are mine and I will rip apart anyone who makes you cry like this. I will mount his head as a trophy in my office if you ask me to.”
Seth lets out a wet laugh, nuzzling his cheek into my hand as he looks up at me. “Thanks, but I think that might be a bit excessive. It’s been like five years.”
As much as I would love to do exactly as I threatened, I have no interest in causing more distress to Seth. Which means I will have to make do with killing the son of a bitch slowly.
Leaning down, I trail my lips across the tear tracks on his cheeks before brushing my lips against his. “Let me feed you and then take you to bed again. I want to see how many orgasms I can pull out of you before you pass out from exhaustion.”
Seth groans, his head thumping against my chest. “Why did you say that? I can’t go into a restaurant with a boner!”
I laugh as I get us walking again. We aren’t far from a small eatery that I think Seth will appreciate. It specializes in soups and stews, and the only reason it’s not more popular is that it’s not in the best of locations, and I’m fairly certain the rats here are the size of small dogs.
Also, I don’t think the place even has a name. It’s just one of those hole-in-the-wall places that only stays open because the Health Department doesn’t know it exists, and the customers are loyal enough to keep their lips shut.
“So,” Seth says softly, and I glance over at him. He’s staring intently at the sidewalk, seemingly fascinated by the myriad of cracks. “What exactly do you do?”
I shake my head, my lips curling into a smile. “Not even going to wait for dinner?”
“Well, I mean, I didn’t think you’d want to talk about all that with a bunch of people around.”
“I don’t mind. Besides, I think it’s best if you are sitting before we have that particular conversation.”
Seth peers up at me, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Don’t tell me, your body count is in the double digits.”
“Well, one of them is,” I deadpan. Seth stumbles into me, those brown eyes flinging to mine, as I wrap an arm around his waist to keep him from falling.
“Are you. . . Did you just make a joke?”
I snort. Why am I not surprised he focused on that instead of asking for clarification on which body count I was referring to.
Though I can’t really poke fun of Seth. Not when the feel of his warm body against mine has me letting out a sigh of contentment. Even my wolf is pleased as it rubs its metaphorical body against my ribs.
I’m so caught up in the feel of him, that I almost lead him right past the little eatery. “Yes, I am capable of telling a joke. It’s just normally my humor isn’t funny to a lot of people.”
Seth gives me a look as I open the door for him, the smell of cooking meat and seasoning billowing out onto the sidewalk.
I lead him inside, watching as he looks around the dingy space.
Ok, even I admit, it’s not the greatest place for a date, if this is even considered a date, but it has the best damn soup in the state.
And I will only give my boy the best.
The elderly black man behind the counter grunts out a welcome as he shuffles out of the back room, wiping his hands on a faded yellow dish towel. The chalkboard hanging on the wall behind him lists the options; a menu that hasn’t changed in the ten years I’ve been coming here.
“Hello, Meryl, were you able to get the shipment of crawfish?” I ask pleasantly, guiding Seth to the counter with a hand on his lower back.
“Trye to swin-dle mwen,” Meryl grunts in his thick Haitian accent. I raise an eyebrow at him, but he just waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Wha’ kin I geh fuh yuh?”
I lean down to Seth, my lips next to his ear. “What sort of soup would you like, my love?” I smile as he shivers against me, before bumping his shoulder against me.
“Um…” He chews on his lower lip as he reads over the menu, one hand drumming against the counter. “How about minestrone? Is that one spicy?”
Meryl gives a short laugh, giving his gray head a little shake. “Non, non. Mo’ hah-tee flay-vuh.” With a wink at me, he puts together a small, steaming bowl of soup and tops it with a freshly baked biscuit.
I order myself a cup of gumbo with an extra helping of shrimp.
Just like the minestrone, the gumbo is more hearty than spicy, a blasphemy in some circles, I’ve heard.
Taking our bowls, we take a seat at one of the few tables.
The circular table itself is made of heavy wood with mismatched stools, and just enough room for the two of us.
It has a homey, intimate feel to it, despite the fact that there are cobwebs across the ceiling and our shoes stick to the tacky linoleum flooring.
Seth inspects his soup before blowing on a spoonful and taking a hesitant taste. His eyes widen, and he shoves the whole spoon into his mouth, his eyes fluttering closed as the sexiest moan I’ve ever heard falls from his lips.
He devours half the soup before he seems to remember where he is and slows down, his cheeks flushing a pretty pink in embarrassment.
“How did you even find this place?” Seth asks around a mouthful of soup.
“Meryl’s an old friend of the family. He called, saying he was getting harassed by some punk demanding protection money. Been coming here ever since.”
Seth nods his head, tearing off pieces of the biscuit to sop up the last of his soup. “You never did answer my question,” he points out, glancing up at me.
I take another mouthful of my gumbo, relishing in the explosion of flavor.
I know it’s only a matter of time before Seth figures out exactly what I do within the organization.
The fact he hasn’t freaked out already is good, but there’s no guarantee that won’t change.
I know I need to be careful with what I tell him, but I also don’t want to lie to him.
He might have asked me to kill his ex, but he asked that in the heat of the moment. He hasn’t said anything about the request or tried to brush it off as a joke, so I can only assume he was serious, but that doesn’t mean he will be fine once he learns the details of exactly what I do.
“I honestly don’t know. I stopped counting a long time ago,” I finally reply. Seth pushes his empty bowl away, propping his chin on his hands as he stares at me.
“You do realize I’m going to have to ask which body count you’re referring to, right?” He grins at me, seemingly fine with the fact that we could be talking about sexual partners or murders.
“The answer would probably be the same either way, honestly. I never did relationships.”
The unspoken until you seems to reverberate between us. “I’m not a good man, Seth. I have more blood on my hands…”
I swallow, my heartbeat thundering in my ears as I stare into the depths of his light brown eyes. The fact I’m so nervous about telling him is proof enough that I’ve completely fallen for him. “I’ve been a killer for longer than you’ve been alive, Seth. I need you to understand that.”
“I know. Kind of figured it out when you literally ripped that one guy’s arm off.”
He gives me an assessing look, and even knowing he’s human doesn’t stop the feeling that washes over me, as if I’m coming undone beneath his gaze. Flayed open and laid bare before him, it’s both an unnerving and exhilarating feeling.
“Answer me this. Have you ever killed a kid?” Seth’s brown eyes bore into me, and I can’t look away. I won’t. He deserves to know the truth to the questions he asks. I don’t regret the things I’ve done in my past.
“No. Some organizations don’t see a problem with getting kids involved in things, but Vincent has never allowed it.
Everything we do and sell is between consenting adults.
That means I’ve never been sent out to dispatch minors.
That doesn’t mean kids haven’t gotten the short end of the stick, but none have died by my hand. ”
“So, you really get sent out like some assassin? Thought all that was just an exaggeration for the movies. Now all I envision is you doing some martial arts routine as you monologue about why you’re about to whack someone.”
I laugh as I push my empty bowl to the side, reaching across the small table to grab one of his hands and thread my fingers with his. “I’m a wolf, little minx. Flying kicks and flipping off walls isn’t exactly the way I do things.”
Seth snorts, a smile pulling his lips upward.
“Okay, so very high body count for…bodies.” His smile drops as he stares at me, those brown eyes of his darkening, and apprehension has my gut clenching.
Is he finally realizing how bad I am for him?
Is he realizing just how stained my hands are?
If he decides my past is too much for him, that being mated to me is something that he just can’t do, I’m done for.
There is no future for me without him by my side. That certainty has my heart beating triple time, and I have to let go of his hand to rub my suddenly sweaty palms against my legs.
Seth’s brows crease in the middle as he chews on the side of his lip as if he’s trying to solve an important problem.
“Does it make me a bad person that I don’t care how high your body count is?
I feel like that knowledge should mean something, but all I feel is relief.
Am I bad for just being happy you can protect me? ”
My anxiety disappears at the look of despair on his face, and I mentally kick myself for being so selfish that I’m more concerned with what I will do if he rejects me, rather than how he feels about the fact that his romantic interest is a killer.
I grasp his hands in mine, waiting until he meets my gaze. “It doesn’t make you a bad person, Seth. But if what I do causes you more discomfort than you are comfortable with, I can walk away. You don’t have to get into a serious relationship with me.”