25. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
T he bedroom was suffocating . Even with the heat on, the old-ass windows carried a chill that seeped under Lex’s skin.
Spending a week in bed? Not exactly his idea of a vacation. Not at all. The sheets kept tangling around his legs and he’d end up restless and pissed off before he’d chuck them onto the floor, just to wrap himself up minutes later.
Between the pain meds Morgan kept doling out—because, apparently, Morgan was his full-time nurse now—and the cold that refused to even let him sit up sometimes, Lex didn’t have much of a choice. He was stuck.
Who knew burning a body would take forever? The hours spent out in the woods were a blur, suspended between the freezing temperatures and the pain in Lex’s entire body, but the smoke lingered. It clung to his hair and clothes, no matter how many times he showered or did laundry. That shit wasn’t quick or easy to forget.
He rolled his shoulder, fingers pressed into the line of stitches under his top. It still ached occasionally, especially if he forgot how he was moving and reached for something he shouldn’t.
But again—like every other time Morgan hurt him—it wasn’t life-threatening. It was just enough to remember it. To feel it for a while after.
There were other things he didn’t want to feel anymore. Other things that kept him up all hours of the night, staring at the ceiling until it blurred into shit that made even less sense.
The sniffles though? He hated those. The constant scratch in his throat, the mass of tissues piled by the bed… it was far worse than the bruising or knife wound.
Lex didn’t even need to check his phone when he heard it vibrate. It was probably Wendy, texting him like she usually did. He should’ve responded. Should’ve given her more than I’m sorry when she asked what the hell was going on.
Picking up the fluorescent orange medicine instead, all he could do was stare dumbly at the label, half-praying it would change and let him take more sooner when he heard the knock.
Not on his door.
The front door .
They never had visitors. Ever. Morgan was a recluse outside of work. Kate was… Kate. And Lex didn’t like mixing office friends with friend friends—that never ended well. He tried so hard not to invite trouble into his life.
So, who was coming by?
Slipping off the bed, he unlocked his door and cracked it open.
Kate, in all of her jump-to, pleasing glory, was already answering the front, the back of her blonde bun decorated with holly berries.
A woman’s voice floated up the stairs, her stiff, precise tone too close to Jake’s. She sounded exactly like he did—that faux, cheesy accent someone had picked up after hours of watching cheap British television.
“I’m looking for a… excuse me, a Morgan Dell-a-crocks?”
Oh, she butchered that name. The mangled attempt scraped at Lex’s nerves and he blanched.
Not how you pronounce that, but alright.
The sarcasm barely registered over the growing dread in his chest.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
“I think he’s working upstairs right now,” Kate chirped. “I can go get him. Would you all like to come in while you wait? I have a pot of coffee on, and the gingerbread cookies are fresh.”
Did she have a shred of common sense? She didn’t need to be so accommodating all of the time. Hell, Kate didn’t even ask who was knocking at the door. You don’t offer your home to a complete goddamn stranger .
Morgan’s dark head poked out of the office down the hall and caught Lex’s eye. He raised an eyebrow, and Lex just shrugged.
No. He had no idea what was going on either .
Lex’s stomach churned as he forced his feet out of the bedroom and onto the landing.
The door to the office shut quietly behind him, and the sound of Morgan’s steps followed. Then Morgan’s hand was at the back of his neck, fingers curled under the collar of his top, breath hot against his ear.
“Relax. They don’t know anything. We’ve done nothing wrong. Remember that.”
Lex barely turned his head. “And remember I won’t hesitate to throw you to the fucking wolves if it means saving my own skin.”
Morgan pulled back, his mouth twitching into that pleased little expression that Lex enjoyed, but rarely saw. His fingers smoothed over the smile like he was trying to wipe it away.
“We are two sides of the same coin, aren’t we?”
God, that was a tough pill to swallow, but it rang true, deeper than Lex could’ve expected. The longer he stayed around Morgan—the more Morgan pushed— Lex couldn’t deny it anymore.
He wasn’t wrong and Lex hated admitting that, even inside his head.
Pausing on the stairs, Morgan looked back at him. “Who’s winning our game anyway? I think I’ve lost track of the points.”
“Honestly?” Lex swallowed and it burned all the way down. He was going to be sick forever, wasn’t he? That knowledge was worse than anything else.
Worse than the rest of the thoughts.
“I don’t care, Morgan.”
Curled up in his chair—his favorite spot in the entire living room—Lex realized way too late that he’d totally misunderstood how many people were at the door. He’d heard the lady, but not the rest of her entourage standing outside.
Now, they were all seated together, perched on the edge of the couch like they could leap up and dash out any second. Cups of coffee and decorated cookies sat in their hands, but none of it masked the tension clogging the air, the concern and unease etched into their faces.
Angelica—the first intruder—had introduced them all, one by one.
Sebastian, her husband.
Benji, her other son.
And Benji’s friend, Kyran.
Other son. That phrase didn’t escape Lex.
Of course, Jake’s family would come looking. He shouldn’t have expected anything else.
Morgan stayed still as a statue on the opposite chair, the crackle of the fireplace the only sound when Angelica stopped speaking. His expression looked easy, relaxed—fake as hell.
“It’s Delacroix,” Morgan corrected, his laugh so forced it made Lex wince. “How can I help?”
Dell-la-craw. Like croissant . Not crocks .
“It’s about Jacob. You’re one of his contacts who happened to be in our area,” Angelica said, placing her cup down on the saucer with a dainty little shake of her head. “He had texted my husband Tuesday to say he was meeting someone, but… we haven’t heard from him since.”
Shit.
“I haven’t seen Jake in… well, how long has it been? We ran into each other at the charity gala, but that was at least a month ago.” Morgan’s voice was smooth enough to cut through butter, not missing a beat.
“Really?” Benji—chubby, with the latest, popular haircut—glanced over at Morgan, pushing his glasses back up his nose. His bored expression shifted into something just enough to be a problem. “Are you sure?”
Oh no.
Morgan didn’t even blink. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“We tracked his phone to a bar,” Kyran said. His face full of piercings and split-dyed hair essentially screamed fruitier than a bowl of cereal. He picked up another one of the gingerbread men. “He was on the security footage. So were you.” Biting off the head, his heavily lined eyes slid over to Lex. “And you.”
The silence that followed was too much to bear.
Every time someone moved—setting a cup down, picking one up, shifting on the cushions—it slammed into Lex’s ears. His heartbeat pounded louder than the crackling flames.
Couldn’t Morgan have used something closer to the truth? The best lies were just that: 99% true, 1% not .
Lex wrapped his hands tighter around the mug, brain chugging through slush and grime before it settled on an answer that gave him a little wriggle room if things went the way he thought they might.
“Does Jake frequent gay bars a lot? ”
The question hung in the air for half a second before the room broke into noise. Jake’s family started talking over each other all at once.
“Why he’d never—”
“That kind of insinuation—”
“You owe me ten bucks, Ben-Ben.”
Bingo.
“Look,” Lex raised his voice, pushing through the soreness, “I don’t mean to explode anyone’s life. But facts are facts. If he was on the security footage, then he was there. I saw him, but I can’t tell you where he went after he left.”
He watched the reactions—the stunned silence from the parents, the way Kyran’s smirk traveled over to Benji, and then the two of them were punching each other in the leg, whispering things too quiet to pick up.
“And now he’s gone,” Sebastian muttered after another minute, hands steepled under his chin. “What are we supposed to think? I don’t know what your types get up to at night.”
Your types.
Like they were trapped in the 1500's and people were still being persecuted for being left-handed and everyone was a witch.
Honestly? Lex expected the topic to sidetrack them more.
Their town wasn’t the most gay-friendly place in the world. Especially if you were rich. And looking at Jake’s family? Definitely fucking rich.
Morgan leaned into the arm of the chair, folding one elegant leg over the other. “What are you asking, exactly? ”
“Our son doesn’t just run off,” Sebastian continued. “He’s responsible. He’s not some… some…”
“Some what , Mr. Hampton?” Morgan’s tone dipped into dangerous territory, his eyes focused.
Let him dig his own grave, Morgan.
Angelica’s hand fumbled at her necklace, fingers tangling in the pearls like some overused soap opera. Her other hand rested on Sebastian’s knee, pale against the dark pants.
“Please. We’re just trying to find Jake. This doesn’t need to come to this.”
The wobble in her voice was real—the most real thing Lex had heard from her since she got there—and when she turned her eyes to him, they were glassy.
Lex almost felt bad for her.
“He didn’t tell you where he was going?” Her voice cracked enough to seem vulnerable. Human.
“No.” Lex shook his head. “I’m sorry. If he reaches out to me before you, I’ll be sure to let him know you’re looking for him.” He forced his hands to unclench from the mug. “Can I get your number?”
“Y-yes. Yes. Of course. Thank you.”
The wind howling against the glass seemed louder as she reached into her bag and pulled out a business card. Lex steadied the panic spinning inside as he flipped it over to read the information on the back.
He had to ignore how the room was closing in on him.
Jesus , he needed to fix this.
All of this.
Immediately.