Page 49 of Diamond Don

Nik looks at me funny as if my question is preposterous. “Yeah, a doctor, Kat. Head injuries are no joke. You could have a concussion or something worse.”

I scoff. Men are such babies…

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine. It’s just a bruise. By tomorrow, I won’t even feel it. Just sit down so we can finish watching this thing.”

“I don’t think so, Kat. I’ll be right back.”

I have no choice but to watch impassively as he leaves the room. True to his word, he’s back in a moment, carrying an ice pack and a glass of water.

After handing me the drink, Nik reaches behind his back to pull something from his back pocket—a bottle of aspirin.

“Go on,” he says, placing the ice pack on my head.

I play along, shooting him a displeased look. It goes without saying that I don’t want my head to hurt or anything, but that doesn’t mean I appreciate his high-handed bossiness.

“Thank you,” I say before drinking the water he brought me.

Nik nods. “The doctor will be over this afternoon.”

I roll my eyes, sighing. “Nik?—”

With an outstretched hand, he stops my protests and plops back on the couch beside me. “Save your energy for a battle you can win, Kat. You will see a doctor today, and that’s the end of it.”

Exasperated, I glare at him for a second. Nik is completely unfazed by my reaction, as he gently holds the ice pack to my head. It’s cold, wet, and uncomfortable, and it soon becomes more than I can take. Before he has a chance to react, I grab it from his hand, intending to toss it across the room.

I’m not dumb enough to telegraph my movements before making them, but somehow, Nik divines my intentions. He calmly stops me, moving my hand away.

He sighs. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Take this wet thing off of my hair. Now. And give me the remote while you’re at it,” I snap.

“Just a little more, Kat.” While pressing the ice pack against my temple, Nik reaches behind his back to pull the remote out of his pants pocket. He offers it to me. I snatch it away before he changes his mind.

I press play, and the screen comes to life, still focused on Patrick McGuire. The man’s face wrinkles as he heartily laughs at something said by one of the men surrounding him.

“Do you know any of the guys talking to him?” I ask Nik, who isn’t even watching the video anymore. He’s staring at me instead—it’s unnerving.

Nik glances at the screen before shifting his focus to me. “Most of them. They’re McGuire’s soldiers. The one to his right is his enforcer, Connor Daniels.”

“What makes you think that Patrick McGuire is behind your friend’s death?”

Nik doesn’t respond right away. He remains silent for so long that I assume my question will go unanswered. After a long stretch of silence, however, he sighs. “It’s a long story. McGuire hated Maxim.”

Curious, I wait for him to continue, but he leaves it at that. “That’s it? Come on, you have to tell me more than that.”

“It’s enough for you to know that I have no doubts Patrick McGuire is behind Maxim’s murder.”

This time, I’m the one who pauses the video. I slap away his hand, still annoyingly holding the ice pack, and I turn to face him. “Ok, that’s not going to work for me. At all.”

Nik raises his eyebrows before dropping the ice pack on the coffee table. He sighs. “Kat?—”

“No, it’s your turn to listen, Nik. You can’t just keep me in the dark and expect me to follow you blindly. If you truly believe I can help you take down the man who killed your friend, then you have to tell me everything you know. Otherwise, you won’t be setting us up for success.”

“It’s not as simple as you think, Kat. There’s a lot you’re better off not knowing. You might claim you want to know everything I know, but you don’t. Not really. And I don’t blame you. You didn’t seem too eager to get involved in my business when you learned who I am. And you weren’t pleased when you discovered McGuire is our target. So, you can’t expect me to believe you really want to know everything. The less you know, the better. Trust me.”

“But that’s the thing, Nik. It’s a little too late for that now. I’m already involved. Do I wish I wasn’t? You bet. But I am. So I might as well know everything there is to know about what’s going on here. The last thing I need is to walk into this dangerous situation with a handicap. I’m not saying tell me every little sordid detail there is to know about the bratva. But you need to tell me everything I need to be aware of as far as Maxim and Patrick McGuire are concerned.”

Nik stares me down, not bothering to hide his dissatisfaction with my demands. But two can play this game, so I glare at him, too. After long moments of tense silence, he sighs, and I know I’ve won.

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