Page 60 of Secret
"What happened to your arm?" Noam nodded to the bulky sleeve on Kasey's arm.
He'd hoped by wearing a long sleeve shirt that Noam wouldn't notice it, but he should have known better.
"How'd you know I hurt it?"
"I've seen my share of bandages under clothes." Noam sat down in a chair across from the couch.
"I got a good gash on something. It's fine. The doctor gave me some antibiotics and told me to keep an eye on it. It's nothing." He shrugged.
"Let me see it," Noam asked.
"What?" Kasey rubbed his arm. "I'm fine, I promise."
Noam sighed. "Let me see it, Kase. It's important."
Kasey nodded. "Okay, if you insist." He lifted his shirt over his head, biting back the pain. Hopefully, Noam would be happy just seeing the bandage.
Noam moved, coming over to sit beside him. He reached over and started to work the bandage loose from Kasey's arm.
Kasey held his breath, unsure how to handle the situation. Noam was acting funny, and his mood was all but welcoming. "What's going on, Noam? Is something wrong?"
"I'll tell you in a second." Noam pulled the bandage off Kasey's arm. "Jesus Christ." Noam threw the bandage on the coffee table as he stood. "It's a fucking bullet wound, Kase."
Kasey bit his lip. "I was caught in the crossfire when—"
"Stop right there. Don't you dare fucking tell me another lie." Noam pulled out his cell, hit several buttons and thrust the phone at Kasey. "Tell me this isn't you."
Kasey's blood seemed to turn cold as he took the phone and watched a video playing of him getting out of his car and walking across the street to the last solo sting he did. He didn't dare look up as he tried to think what to say. He stared at the video as it replayed three times.
"Then there is this…" Noam reached for a printed sheet of paper off the coffee table. "Police say vigilantes tortured the men before calling the authorities and alerting them to the women. One witness said that one of the vigilantes was shot in the arm during a brief scuffle." Noam narrowed his eyes as he stared at Kasey's arm. "There's more. I've got several articles. Would you like me to read them all?"
Kasey swallowed hard. "I wanted to tell you but—"
"But you knew how I'd react? You knew what I'd have to do if I knew?" Noam tossed the paper back on the table, the pulse in his neck visually beating. "God damn it, Kase, I'm in love with the fucking 'Castrator'?
"In love?" His pulse seemed to skip as he stood up. "I love you too, Noam."
"Great, glad to hear it, but that's not going to make all this go away." Noam waved his hand at his phone and the papers on the table. "Fuck, Kasey, what did you think? Did you really doubt I'd ever find out?"
"I was going to quit. Honestly, I just wanted to be sure about us first. I know it sounds like a lame excuse now, but it's the truth. I never wanted to put you in this position, Noam. You have to believe that."
"Oh, I do believe that. I don't think you ever wanted me to find out. It was just lucky there was a camera you didn't know about and couldn't hack for once." Noam turned away. "Who are the others? They said there were several of you in Nevada."
Kasey shook his head. "It's just me." There was no way he would ever give away the rest of the team members. He'd die before giving them up.
"Still lying to me." Noam turned and glared at him.
"Do what you have to do, Noam, but I'm not getting anyone else in trouble for this. It's all on me. I was the one who did it all. I'm the one in that video. I'm the one with the bullet wound. You've got your man."
"I thought he was mine until I found out he had a whole other side to him. It's like a real-life case of Jekyll and Hyde. Do I even know who the fuck you are?"
Kasey stood. "You've always had the real me. I've never lied to you until today when I told you the wound on my arm was a gash. I might not have told you everything. I might have held information back, but I never lied."
"It's the same thing." Noam kicked a chair, causing it to wobble but not tip over. "Why, Kase? Why do you do all of it?"
Kasey rubbed his hand over his bare chest. "You know why. I told you about my sister. I told you what happened to her. Maybe it's wrong, but once I started and saw how many kids I was saving, I couldn't stop. Each time I'd go into a house and hear children crying in a room down the hall, I knew I was doing the right thing. I could have killed the men. It's what I want to do to every last one of them, but it's too easy that way. I want them to suffer. They deserve to suffer just like the kids are forced to do."
Noam blew out a long breath. "I can't argue with you. You've saved hundreds of children, maybe more with the ones who never got abused because of what you do, but damn it, it's illegal. It's against the law. Do you know what kind of charges you face now?"
