Page 72 of The Chemist

“I don’t know. I didn’t see,” Zero responded a little more aggressively than he intended to. He wasn’t about to throw Diesel under the bus. Chase could hold his horses and wait until he was done reviewing the footage to get his friggin’ report.

“You guys fell asleep, didn’t you?” Chase asked, placing his hands on his waist and planting his feet firmly on the floor. “Fuck. I knew I shouldn’t have sent you guys.”

“Hey!” Diesel shouted, startling all three of them. “It’s not his fault.”

“Diesel, don’t,” Zero began.

“No, Zero,” Diesel said, eyes glaring at him. “It was my fault.”

A huff escaped Chase’s lips, sending murderous rage coursing through Zero’s veins. Who the fuck was this guy to huff about Diesel?

“Of course it is. What fuckup did you do this time?” Chase growled, turning his angry eyes toward his future brother-in-law.

“He didn’t fuck up. He got sick,” Zero interjected. There was no way he was letting Chase make the poor guy feel bad for getting food poisoning.

“You got sick?” Chase asked, his voice suddenly showing a hint of concern.

“Yeah, I got food poisoning from that damn gas station sandwich I ate.”

Jesus Christ, D, keep your friggin’ mouth shut.Zero ground his teeth. It’s like he enjoyed throwing himself in front of flying bullets.

“You got sick from a gas station sandwich?”

Oh, here comes the lecture.

“Who the fuck eats deli meat from a gas station?” Chase shouted, raising his arms in disbelief.

Diesel just stood there, eyes fixed on the floor in front of him. He knew he fucked up. But either way, he didn’t deserve to get reamed out for something he couldn’t control.

“That’s enough,” Zero shouted, stepping in front of Diesel and throwing his own hands on his hips. Two could play at that game. “I set up a camera to surveil his room, so I am going to go watch the footage now. I’ll let you know when I have something.”

He turned and grabbed Diesel by the arm.

“Come, you’re helping me go through the footage.”

Zero stormed up the stairs, not bothering to look back over his shoulder. His boss could go suck a dick until he was done.

28

DIESEL

After placing his gift down on his bed, Diesel stared at the stained glass picture and wondered whether the artist created the scene on sight or created it from memory. To be able to witness such beauty must have been such an exhilarating experience.

Getting high was like that sometimes, as well. Depending on the drug one took, they could hallucinate—witnessing colors and images never before seen in real life or become witness to eye-bending sensory manipulation that allowed the mind to see whatever sort of phenomenon it wanted or craved.

He had watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel once that talked about how many famous artists took mind-altering drugs or alcohol to allow them to tap into that imaginative subconscious that others rarely got a chance to experience. It was through those hallucinations that artists were able to create some of the most mind-blowing works of art that the world has ever seen.

Staring at the way the colors of the sunset were placed strategically together behind the church made the painting appear to come to life. Kind of like how people swore theywitnessed Bruno’s eyes move as they stared at his tattoo. The mind is a powerful thing, able to convince us of just about anything. Our sight, our senses, our emotions, all that information being fed into our brains only to be spit out and interpreted by our minds. It was incredible if you really thought about it.

Turning his head, Diesel glanced at his open bedroom door. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Zero buying him this gift. Yes, he loved the picture. Yes, he couldn’t wait to hang it up and admire it each and every day. But he wasn’t sure what this meant for their relationship.

Yes, Zero was a hot guy, and they had some hot-ass fucking times together, but did this mean that Zero wanted more than just orgasms?

He did take care of you while you were sick. He did cuddle you and make you feel safe and protected while you struggled to stay alive.

Okay, that last part was an exaggeration, but he did feel like he was dying and about to puke himself into oblivion.

Perhaps Zero really was a nice guy. Maybe it was time for him to stop being such a fucking asshole around him and give the guy a bit of leeway.

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