Chapter 2
A Fitting Punishment
Jordan
I didn’t want to wash it.
I’d been staring at the bloodied shirt in my hands ever since I came home and plopped on the sofa, feeling desperate. My behavior bordered on insane, but after I sniffed Adam’s shirt, I couldn’t force myself to wash the darn thing.
“Just do it!” I said out loud, talking to myself like a proper loony, but I wasn’t bothered by that. I had a bigger fish to fry. Other irons in the fire. Other things on my plate. One of those things was heavenly blue, made of cotton, and it smelled like Adam Markland.
Pull yourself together.
I rushed to the bathroom, only to falter once I reached the washer.
Just one more time.
I brought the shirt to my nose, inhaling deeply, and just like that, my dick swelled.
His shirt smelled like a million things at once, while remaining ultimately indescribable.
I could discern the washing detergent, cologne, and icing sugar from the doughnut Adam had eaten earlier.
A myriad of other things, too. Rain. Coconut.
Freshly cut grass. The ocean. Rejection. Loneliness.
It’s just pheromones.
I kept telling myself that, but my dick didn’t care.
It got hard, anyway. I palmed it, willing it down, but the pressure made it even worse.
I squeezed it, slapped it, and threatened with retribution, but the pervy fucker liked all that.
It was when I said, “Fuck it,” unbuttoned my pants, and pumped both my cum and my confusion out.
I came all over the washer like a goddamn animal, cursing God for making me feel this way.
Yes, I was that pathetic, and yes, I made a fucking mess, but at least my dick didn’t hurt anymore.
When I finished, my knees gave out, and I ended up on the floor, feeling defeated.
At that point, I gave up. I headed to the bedroom and opened the cabinet drawer that was a proverbial altar to my obsession.
It was proof of my addiction to the human-sized drug I craved day and night.
It was a tribute to my insanity and the reason I felt so ashamed all the time.
The said drawer contained:
The pillowcase Adam Markland slept on after he got wasted at my party and fell asleep in my bed
The towel I used to wipe blood from my lip after Adam punched me, because he found me asleep in my bed next to him
The cologne I stole from his locker because he pissed me off after calling me a weirdo for the umpteenth fucking time
The birthday card he’d left on my desk, and I knew it came from him because it said: Happy birthday, and drop dead!
I was putting his shirt in the drawer when my phone rang.
“Hey, you,” I answered, smiling. “I thought you had forgotten all about me.”
“Pfft. As if, although I do have a wedding to plan. Sex toys to order. Fiancée to take care of. Et cetera.”
Lucius Luz Zablonsky was my best friend.
I met him after he’d gotten himself involved in the Butcher of Smitsville case way back when, and I liked him from the get-go.
Luz had a way of infiltrating himself into the lives of the people he liked, so we started hanging out.
Initially, I thought he was using me to get Bazooka’s phone number, but in time, we became friends.
Luz could be vexing at times, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, and he was loyal to a fault.
Levi “The Bazooka” Bradley was his fiancé now, so you could say that Luz’s relentless chasing had paid off.
Since Bazooka had been his obsession for a long time, Luz was the only one who could understand mine.
Still, I hesitated confiding in him because he didn’t like Adam, along with the rest of the population.
“How are the wedding preparations going?” I asked him.
“Oh, just a bunch of things going wrong because the universe hates me. The venue I wanted got stolen from me, the photographer cancelled on me, and I couldn’t choose a cake if my life depended on it.
I swear, I gained a few pounds because Dotty keeps coming up with new recipes.
I hope I can still count on you as my best man, Jordie, or I will go mad, I swear. ”
“Pfft. Duh.” I joked.
“Not funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you can count on me, you ridiculous person. How is Bazooka?”
“He’s good. Working too much, as always.
On the bright side, it gives me plenty of time to redecorate his flat in New Mesa, and trust me, it needs redecorating.
That man didn’t know curtains existed before he met me.
Oh, and between the two of us, Baz has the stamina of a stallion.
There are days when I can’t walk after he’s finished with me, and if someone knows how to take a dick, it’s me. ”
“God, Luz,” I groaned, pouring myself a shot of tequila. “Too much info. Jesus.”
“Speaking of dicks, how is asshole Adam? Are you still obsessing over his undeserving, sadistic ass?”
“Of course not. I barely see him these days.”
“Why are you drinking then?”
“Because I’m thirsty.”
“And you’re drinking what?”
Lying took too much effort, so I decided against it.
“Tequila.”
A heavy sigh coming from the other end of the line told me he disapproved. Shocker.
“Jordie—”
“Look,” I cut in. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. I don’t look at Adam that way, and even if I did, he’s straight, remember? Whatever you were about to say, don’t.”
Luz scoffed. “First, Adam would need to pull his head out of his ass to get in touch with reality. He’s too busy assholing to think about dicking or who he wants to dick.
Second, you like him, Jordie. I know it.
Everyone in the LD knows it. Even Adam knows it, and it’s why he’s provoking you all the time.
Incidentally, Bazooka was also straight before he met me, but things changed. ”
“Yeah, but it’s not like that with Adam and me. I can’t explain it. It’s like an obsession. I’m obsessed with him because I’m a masochistic loser with no self-respect. He’s a sadistic loner who gets off on torturing me. In a way, it’s a perfect relationship.”
“A-ha!” Luz exclaimed victoriously. “You said get off.”
I poured myself another shot.
“It’s a figure of speech, Zablonsky. Regardless of what you think, I don’t want to have sex with a guy. I can’t imagine it, let alone do it.”
“How about sex with Adam?”
I choked, splattering tequila all over my shirt. It didn’t stop my dick from twitching in interest, though.
“I rest my case,” Luz said, yawning. “Are you still alive?”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, wiping my chin. “It went down the wrong pipe, that’s all.”
“If I were in your shoes, I would talk to the guy,” Luz mused. “Flirt with him a little and shock his arrogant ass. Then, when he lets his guard down, fuck him. That’s how you should do it. Flirt, shock, fuck.”
“Jesus,” I said with a sigh. “Don’t talk to me about fucking.”
Another twitch of my dick told me he was interested in our conversation, even if I wasn’t.
“Oh, I have to dash!” Luz exclaimed, sounding excited. “My fiancé just came home.”
I opened my mouth to reply when I heard a sound of kissing, which made me feel even worse.
“Tell Jordan I said hi.” I heard Bazooka saying to Luz as I refilled my glass. “After that, say goodbye to Jordan and get your ass in my bed. Now!”
“Sure thing, boss,” Luz breathed before speaking into the phone. “Like hell I’m doing what he told me. If he wants my ass, he’ll have to chase me.”
“Please, say hello to Bazo—” I paused mid-sentence because Luz had already hung up.
After that, I finished my drink, showered, and went to bed. If I’d known what the following day would bring, I would have returned to the kitchen and drunk the entire bottle.
Adam
When I entered Chief Bibb’s office, he was smiling, and it immediately put me on high alert since he seldom smiled. Jordan was there too, which made the entire situation even worse. Jordan’s confused expression told me he didn’t know what was happening either.
“So, gentlemen. Here we are,” Chief Bibb said, smirking.
I glanced at Jordan, who looked alarmed now, and I shared the sentiment. I didn’t like Chief Bibb’s smile, the sound of his voice, or his choice of words. Clearly, he had something in mind, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it.
“Do you remember how, over the years, I urged you two to get along?” Chief Bibb said, cocking his eyebrow.
“Or how I kept telling you to be civil to each other instead of bickering like two three-year-olds? How you kept testing my patience, making me want to fire you every time things between you two got physical?”
I cringed at the expression. Jordan gulped audibly.
“Well, I finally found a solution to my problem,” Chief Bibb announced. “I figured out how to make you two resolve your issues while also contributing to the LD, which brings me to Dorian ‘The Bull’ Dimitriou.”
I frowned in confusion. Bull was the head of a cartel that operated west of Grangetown. What did he have to do with us, since we had no jurisdiction there?
“Bull, the drug lord?” I repeated.
Instead of replying, Chief Bibb put on his eyeglasses and opened the folder in front of him.
“Dimitriou’s right-hand man, Louis Santiago, was captured six months ago while crossing the border with a shipment of heroin. The drugs were seized, Santiago was arrested, and the entire operation was a success. After a prompt trial, Santiago was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.”
“It sounds like a case closed to me, sir,” Jordan said.
I nodded in rare agreement, eager to get this weird conversation out of the way.
“Indeed,” Chief Bibb agreed. “Except that Santiago knows where his boss is hiding, and everyone wants to know where his boss is hiding, including us. That is where you two losers come in.”
“I don’t understand,” Jordan said, sounding confused. “How can we get to Santiago if he’s in prison?”
“By joining him, of course,” Chief Bibb said matter-of-factly.
I blinked. What?
“What?” Jordan voiced my question.