Page 80 of Five for Silver

me—”

“Why not?” Romeo tilted his head. “I’m apsychopath after all.”

Chad didn’t shy from the darkness in Romeo’seyes. He stared into it, undeterred. Those storm clouds werehisstorm clouds, and he knew the difference, he knew whenRomeo’s monstrous needs took over, and when he was just pissed.

“One who enjoys killing people,” Romeocontinued, “and I have everything I could ever want to besatisfied. A home. Money. Sex. And I get to kill people because myboyfriend is too naïve to realize I don’t love him. I make himthink I do to get what I want. This is my master plan. It only tookyou a few years to work it out.”

“Stop it,” Chad said firmly. “I know youlove me, Romeo.”

Romeo stiffened his jaw. His expressionremained emotionless.

“Or maybe I’m just good at being apsychopath.”

“Okay.” Chad rolled his eyes. “You keeptelling yourself that.” He brushed his hands up Romeo’s legs untilhe could grip his waist. “We both know it’s a lie.”

He leaned in, but Romeo swerved from thekiss, and spoke by Chad’s ear. “Why then, have you struggled tolook at me for the past hour?”

Chad swallowed. He retracted his arms fromsneaking around Romeo’s waist and flopped back against the sofa.“Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Romeo growled. “Fuck. You said youweren’t going to let him in your head, and one comment is all ittook?”

“He is in my head, but not for thatreason.”

“Why is he there then? Why say do instead ofcan?”

Chad scrubbed a hand over his mouth.“Because…”

“Because what?”

“I’ve repeated mine and Vincent’sconversation five times, and it was a slip up, an innocent slip ofa word. That’s all.”

“But subconsciously—”

“No, there is nosubconsciously. Iwas distracted, that’s all.” He pushed to his feet, and rested hishands on Romeo’s shoulders. He shook him. “That’s all it was. Ilove you, you love me—”

“Then why are you about to leave theroom?”

Chad glanced at the door. “Because I knowthe next questions will be ‘distracted with what’…”

“I already know. You told me. Vincent is inyour head, but not in the way I thought. Whatever the hell thatmeans.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Chad…”

“If I tell you, do you promise to lightenup?”

“No. But you should tell me anyway.”

“I was distracted with the thought of youkilling him,” Chad said to the door. “And the whole time I wasthinking about it and … I had a …reactionand then it wasdifficult to concentrate on recalling exactly what he said when Iwas imaging you strangling him.”

Romeo didn’t say anything. No inappropriatecomment, no pressing for more information, not even a laugh. Chadshifted from one foot to the other, still watching the door. Eventhat felt like it was judging him.

“So … are you good to take Merc out for histoilet? Because I’m exhausted.”

He side-stepped away from Romeo, expectingto be yanked back or bullied against the wall, but Romeo sat frozenon the coffee table, and Chad rushed out of the room, leaving thedoor open in his haste. His admission had stunned a serial killer.He’d left Romeo speechless, and as he paused on the stairs, waitingfor Romeo to come barreling after him, his breaths came in pants,and panic clawed at him.

He hadn’t been lying on the sofa rememberingRomeo killing people and their hot sex afterwards, and he hadn’tbeen thinking about erotic asphyxiation in porn. He’d beenfantasizing about Romeo killing Vincent, moving them both around inhis head like pawns and turning himself on while he lay on thesofa.

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