Page 64 of His Favorite Color is Blood
Milk nodded and looked behind Grim to make sure they were alone. “I don’t care what Tooth and Priest say. I’ve got a kill for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” asked Grim and leaned against the wall, already sensing the buzz of a lead at the back of his mind. “Who is it?”
“There’s a guy who molested kids and got off on a technicality. Those kids were in the same class as my own daughter. It could have been my kids this sick fuck targeted.” Milk clenched his fists and rubbed the butt of his cigarette into the wall. “I want justice to be served, but I’ve got a family, man. If I go there and leave some evidence, I’m fucked.”
Grim smiled. “I like that,” he said, lighthearted for once. “Give me all I need to know, and I’ll be on his case. Should he just disappear?”
Milk pulled out a piece of paper and passed it to Grim. “It’s best if the body doesn’t resurface.”
Grim looked at the little card and smacked Milk’s back. “You’re a lifesaver. Thanks.”
Milk finally smiled. “No. Thankyou.” He put his hands in his pockets and quickly walked off.
Grim didn’t hesitate and rushed inside his and Misha’s room, with his heart drumming. “Success. I’ve got us a kill,” he said as he closed the door.
Misha was sitting on the bed with yet another book of sudoku. He gave Grim a faint smile. “Who is it?”
Grim laughed and rolled on the bed, spreading out on his stomach and playfully grabbing Misha’s stump. “A child molester.” The muscle in the stump twitched, and Grim glanced at the other one, where the fresh scar was healing nicely.
“That’s good. I suppose.”
Grim crawled closer, resting his cheek on the stump and lazily breathing in its clean scent. “Just don’t tell anyone. It’s off the books.”
Misha frowned. “I wouldn’t.”
“I mean, don’t tell anyone here,” explained Grim and pulled on the paperback, itching for Misha’s undivided attention. Why wasn’t he happier? Grim could relate to him being nervous during the ride here, but everything would be fine and dandy from now on.
“That’s fine. I get it.” Misha put away the book and looked into Grim’s eyes as if he were searching for an answer to a question he didn’t ask.
Grim brushed his fingers over Misha’s stomach, looking up into his tense face. “What is it? Aren’t you happy?”
“I don’t know. We’ll be just like those people who paid to watch me suffer. They won’t know it’s a bad person getting what he deserves. They’ll just have another horrific thing to fap over.”
“I can’t kill every single sicko on the planet. Better him than someone innocent. Don’t you think that was the merit behind public executions? Apparently, people loved that shit. Humans are bloodthirsty. Even now.”
“Sure, I’d want to see Zero’s brains all over the wall, but that’s not what I’m saying. We’re going to be another cog in Zero’s meat grinder. He does whatever the fuck he wants.”
Grim got to his knees and grabbed Misha’s hand. “I’m not gonna let him live after ... seeing what he did to you,” he said quietly, chasing away the memories of the film. “You know that, don’t you?”
But Misha looked away. “I don’t think we can stop him. I think he’ll get what he wants, suck even more out of me, and leave to hurt someone else. We’ll be lucky if we get Dennis in one piece.”
Anger simmered somewhere deep in Grim. “Why do you believe in him more than you believe in me?”
“It’s not about that.” Misha groaned and pulled his hand out of Grim’s. “I just want all of this to stop hurting, coming back over and over again. I want to forget it, and I can’t. He won’t let me. I want to help Dennis, because it’s my fault he’s now trapped, but I don’t really know anymore if I want you to go after Zero.”
“Really? What about the things I want?” hissed Grim, clenching his teeth.
“Whatdoyou want?” Misha crossed his arms on his chest.
“I want to bleed him and fuck his ass with his own cock.” Grim gave Misha a hard stare, unable to comprehend this backtracking. “If he lives, he can always come back. Death is the only permanent solution there is. Think of it as pest control.”
Misha didn’t object, but he didn’t look too happy either. “When do we go?” His eyes were like a wall, blocking Grim out.
Grim huffed, unsure what to do with this kind of rejection. Didn’t he prove to Misha already that he was more than capable of keeping him safe? Then again, he couldn’t keep him safe from that vile video. “I don’t know ... tomorrow?”
“Do you have a place to … film it?” Misha picked up the damn book again as if they were talking about getting lunch tomorrow, but Grim pulled it out of his grasp and tossed it farther down the mattress. That got Misha’s attention.
“I’ll think of somewhere.”
