Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,53

Lou had really become. He...he ripped through them. Some of them got shots off, but they didn’t know what they were shooting at, and it couldn’t hurt Lou anyway. It was over in seconds, but fuck, it felt like it took forever.”

He could still hear their screams, at first in surprise, then in pain, and then the screams of terror began. Blood had spilled, bones broken, and men ran for their lives, only to be cut down when Lou spotted them. Despite what Lou had told him, Levi had only been able to stand there, leaning against his car, and watch the storm that was his friend’s fury.

“They never stood a chance,” Levi said. “Lou took them down. I can’t even tell you all the ways. But there were fires, and blood, and bodies everywhere. I don’t even remember how long I stood there after it was over, unable to move, unable to think. Just...stood there. And he did it to protect me, to keep me safe. He killed all of those people because it was necessary to keep me alive. But now I’m thinking that maybe those weren’t government people, that they weren’t from the CIA or your DDI. Maybe they were just part of this 2218, who tried to kill me once upon a time, and when it failed, they sent more people after me than before. Now you’re stuck in what is probably my mess, in the mess Lou and I created.”

Stop being sorry. I’m not. I would do it again, and will do it again if I have to.

Levi closed his eyes. “No, Lou. We can’t...I can’t do that again.”

He might have been unflinching when Jacob took the men down in front of him, but that had been different. A fight turned fatal was one thing, he could process that, he could live with that. But what Lou had done that day had been nothing less than a massacre. None of those men had a chance. The only choice left to them was to scramble and flee for their lives, only to be cut down without hesitation or remorse. Self-defense he could handle, but not slaughter.

A warm hand wrapped around his, and Levi looked up quickly. He was shocked to find not a trace of horror or terror on the man’s face. Instead, Jacob’s handsome features held a smile, sad and understanding, but a smile all the same.

“Still think I’m just someone who’s a little different?” Levi asked weakly.

Jacob tugged on his hand. Gently at first and then more insistently. Levi hesitated but pushed himself up and allowed himself to be drawn closer to Jacob. Considering their positions, he had no choice but to place his knees on each side of Jacob’s legs. Kneeling over him, he gazed down into Jacob’s eyes as the man stared up at him.

Jacob placed one hand on his hip, and the other reached up to cup Levi’s face. “I think you’re someone who has had to endure so much but still managed to come out the other side a wonderful and compassionate person. You could have turned from the world, turned Lou into a weapon to punish anyone and everyone. And maybe, you might have done a lot of damage.

Instead, you choose each and every time to just be...you. And at the end of the day, you have someone at your side who’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You’re not a monster, Levi, and neither is Lou. You’re just two people, trying to do your best in a world that can be so cruel.”

He...thinks I’m a person.

“You are a person Lou,” Levi said softly, gazing down at Jacob in wonder.

And with that look on your face, I’m going to go busy myself keeping an eye on the building. The last thing I need is to see you two bumping uglies...again.

“Never refer to it as that again,” Levi told the spirit, huffing when he realized Lou had already backed away.

Jacob stared up at him, puzzled. “Call what, what again?”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Lou being Lou. And he was talking about this.”

He bent down, kissing Jacob before the conversation had a chance to continue. The strong fingers on his face slipped down to his neck and squeezed, pulling him in tighter. Jacob’s hard body pressed up against him as Levi allowed himself to settle down, sitting in the man’s lap.

The kiss was somehow even better than the first few they’d shared. Levi was conscious of Jacob’s injured