Chapter 26
SAMAEL
I paced the estate’s living room, the walls closing in after nearly a week of going stir crazy.
The chaos in Primrose had waned ever since Tyrone had arrested Chief Matthews and sent Runo for a psych evaluation.
Runo somehow passed that goddamn test and was out within a few hours with several pamphlets explaining where he could go to get help.
He played the traumatized kid all the way to my fucking house, falling out on the steps as he mourned my death.
He even ended up on the front of The Revival as a mourning boyfriend.
However, after that?
Crickets.
We weren’t privy to any of the interrogations and Tyrone wasn’t sharing the details.
He was, however, quite loud in all of the press conferences, crowing about Primrose returning to its former glory, the curfew lifted like a victory flag.
It was like he had convinced the entirety of this little city that the chief of police had manufactured the entire fucking thing.
It would never hold in court but the chief definitely wasn’t getting out.
I’d spent most of my time cooped up here, the estate gifted to my foster brothers, this fortress of secrets now feeling like a cage.
Primrose was in shock, the headlines focused on the Chief’s arrest, my “death” barely a footnote, the DNA scam with Dr. Harley’s body fading into the noise.
My men had been in and out, unable to stay over since I was supposedly dead, and the isolation was driving me up the fucking wall.
I couldn’t even run my other business effectively, most of my men not trustworthy enough to keep this secret.
They all thought I was truly well and gone but there had been a contingency plan for just this moment.
Several of my men were in charge of sections of my business and were to run it as such on their own should I ever die.
The only thing we had left to do was leaving this fucking city.
However, Runo kept saying to wait, my other men fully agreeing with him. I just hope that wait ended today.
My phone buzzed on the table, Runo’s name flashing on the screen. I opened the text, his words dripping with that unhinged spark.
Lover, I have a present for you, can you please make sure Lucy’s bowl is full and then come downstairs.
I snorted and showed the screen to Slash, who was sprawled on the couch beside me.
He grinned, his voice rough from just waking up. “Oh, goodie. I wonder if he wants sex or some shit.”
I frowned and shoved the phone back into my pocket, my chest tight with restless energy as I complained to no one in particular. I knew for a fact that Runo had done this to steal away my control. “When are we leaving Primrose? Because if I have to stay cooped up for one more fucking day in here…”
Runo’s voice came from the doorway, a chuckle hanging on the edge of his words. “Lover, trust me. I had to plan everything. We can leave after this, I promise. Bring Slash too. He’ll love this.”
Lover.
He had started calling me that, knowing I both hated and loved it. I was going to fuck his ass so hard if this present didn’t live up to what Runo was promising. I wouldn’t even let Runo come.
Runo disappeared down the hall, the man crouching down in front of Lucy’s bowls just outside the kitchen.
For as crazy as he was, he was oddly affectionate with his cat, ensuring that she was always fed and taken care of.
Lucy purred in between his legs before turning her attention to her bowl.
Only then was Runo satisfied to lead me down into my basement.
My confusion gave way to excitement as Runo plopped onto Aeron’s lap, Tyrone and Alex standing awkwardly at the other edge. They both looked groggy as hell, as if Runo had drugged them to bring them in here—through the back door no less as I hadn’t seen anyone come through the main hall.
Runo slid his fingers through Aeron’s newly dyed hair—the pink suited him—before explaining just what we were doing down here. “It’s been a little while since we’ve been on a date, but I thought maybe… dinner and a movie?”
I laughed, the tension easing for a moment as I finally caught onto what Runo had prepared. “What about dessert?”
Runo’s eyes gleamed, his grin turning unhinged. “That would be lovely, yes.”
Tyrone’s voice cut through the moment, ruining the joke. “What the fuck is going on?” His words slurred as he staggered to the right and then straightened up, his hand going to his belt only to find the absence of his holster.
I stepped closer, a new thrill moment pulsing through me. “It seems you really only caught one half of the equation, and while you were parading yourself around as the hero of Primrose, the real menaces of the city were lying in wait. I’m talking about me, Tyrone.”
Alex squealed, his voice high and panicked as he threw his hands up. “But why am I here? I didn’t even do anything!”
Runo cackled, leaning forward on Aeron’s lap. “I just don’t really like you, and you’ve been mean to all versions of me, so we took a vote, and unfortunately… they all said off with your head.”
I just shrugged, embracing this new version of the four of us. Slash didn’t even hesitate as he whipped out the scalpel Runo had gifted him. “Let me at the skinny one. I like when they squirm and fuck, they bleed so much better.”