“I’m okay,” he reassured Cyril.
“I didn’t watch you fight the killer.I couldn’t,” Cyril informed him.
“I promise that everything went well.The guy didn’t expect me to pop up in front of him when Russell was running after him.I took him down with one punch.”
Cyril heard Russell snort from inside the van.“You make it sound like I didn’t do anything,” Russell complained.
“You helped me drag the guy to the van,” Vale offered.
“Don’t worry, Cyril,” Russell reassured.“I’ll show you what I can do.”
Cyril wasn’t sure he wanted to know.He let Vale guide him toward the back of the van, but they paused before stepping in.“Are you sure you want to do this?”Vale asked.
“Not really, but I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“You always have a choice.If you don’t want to talk to this guy, I can do it.I might not know exactly what questions to ask, but you can write them down, or maybe tell them to me in my earbud.You don’t actually have to talk to this guy.”
“Marcus and Diana deserve for me to do this.They didn’t have anyone to help them when they died.This is the least I can do, and before you say it’s not my responsibility, whose is it, then?Who’s going to do this for them if not me?”
Vale sighed.“One of the reasons I love you so much is your heart, but sometimes, I wish it was a little harder.You’re hurting yourself for people who are already gone.”
“You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“You’re not wrong.”Vale gently pushed Cyril toward the van.Cyril squared his shoulders and told himself not to hesitate.He didn’t want to do this, but he had to.
He climbed into the van, carefully not looking in the direction of the man slumped against the side of it.He was on the floor, but Vale guided Cyril toward one of the benches.Cyril sat down, then, because he was curious and because the killer hadn’t said anything yet, he finally looked at him.
Cyril half-expected the killer to be unconscious, but he wasn’t.He was watching Cyril with avid eyes that told Cyril that he recognized him as a powerful necromancer.Was this guy thinking about how he’d kill Cyril now?He would never get the opportunity to do it.
Vale closed the door and tapped Russell’s shoulder to let him know they could go.Cyril stayed seated as the van started moving and watched as Vale crouched next to the killer.
The man was tied up like a sausage and wasn’t saying anything because someone had stuffed a piece of fabric into his mouth.He didn’t look afraid, though.Cyril wasn’t sure how he was doing that because, in his place, Cyril would be terrified.
Vale took the fabric out of the man’s mouth.The man licked his lips, never looking away from Cyril.He didn’t do so until Vale tapped him on the cheek.He wasn’t gentle about it.
The killer blinked at Vale.Vale didn’t waste time.“What’s your name?”he asked.
Cyril didn’t actually expect the killer to answer.Why would he give them his name?He didn’t seem to be worried, though.
“Asher.”
“Well, Asher,” Vale said.“We need to have a chat.”
* * * *
VALE DIDN’T LIKE HOWcasual Asher sounded, as if he wasn’t afraid.He didn’tlookafraid, which told Vale there was something seriously wrong with the guy.He was nothing like Vale and Russell.They killed for money.This guy was killing because he thought it was the right thing, and that made him even more dangerous.It made him especially dangerous to be in this van with Cyril, but Vale hadn’t even considered not doing it.He wouldn’t take this away from his boyfriend, not when he knew how Cyril felt about Marcus and Diana’s deaths and the Threshold.
“You were going to kill Morgan, weren’t you?”Vale started.
Asher frowned at him.“I tried, and you stopped me twice.That’s not nice.”
“It wasn’t me the first time around, but I’m glad it was this time.You’re not going to be able to hurt anyone ever again.”
“I wasn’t hurting people.I was helping them.”
“You werekillingthem,” Cyril snapped.
He sucked in a breath and shook his head at Vale.He seemed to want Vale to take the lead for now, which was fine.Cyril was a little too emotional.
