Page 34 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Fucking or fighting — you two aren’t exactly quiet,” Something in his gaze told me he knew more than he was letting on. So, like a dog with a bone, I about-faced and followed him as he skirted around me towards his office. Or — what did the guys call it? Oh right! His tech cave.

“Hey, wait a second! Can I talk to you?” I called afterhim. He began to close the door to his cave, but I quickly threw my hand in the way, grasping the door and pushing with all my might to stop him from shutting me out. I wasnotabout to be shut out by yet another one of these men. Not today.

He sighed heavily, his eyes meeting mine.

“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?” That smirk was back, and that was my moment.

“I work in tech, just like you. You tell me.” With one brow raised, I stared him down. After a solid ten seconds, he finally broke, laughing as he opened the door wide.

“Man, Niko is going to have his work cut out with you, isn’t he?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, following him into the room as he made his way towards the rear wall, where a huge, comfy chair sat behind a literal wall of monitors.

“Uh… well…” he sputtered, and I quickly picked up on the fact that he must have said something he should not have.

“No way, dude. Out with it.”

“Not going to happen, sweetheart,” he shot back, leveling me with a gaze that mirrored my own.

I growled at him, narrowing my eyes.

“Listen, you and Niko are cut from the same cloth. That’s all I can say,” he shrugged.

“No, you are physically capable of saying much more. And you should. Right now.” I pressed my finger down onto the table emphatically.

“Physically capable does not mean in my best interest,” he said with a smile.

“Why would telling me this not be in your best interest?”

“Have you ever thought about joining the police force? You’d be great at interrogation. You have a million questions.”

“Pfft. Like you don’t? Please, I picked up that you’re some kind of boy genius on my first day here. You don’t get to that kind of status without asking endless questions of your own. So cut the bullshit.”

“You’re right on that account, but it still doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you anything.”

“Why not? At least tell me that much.”

“Because I value my life, for one!” he cackled, shaking his head as he straightened a few things on his desk. Busy work, keeping his hands moving so he didn’t have to answer my questions. Or so he didn’t give away that he was lying. Yeah, I knew that move, too. I’d spent long enough with fucking Bryce-the-Cheater, I knew the move all too well.

“And who would come for you if you told me? Niko? Please, he’s just a softie underneath it all.”

“The hell he is! Niko can be terrifying. Trust me, I have seen him in action. Literally.” The smirk that lifted the corner of his lips as he pretended to read some of the papers on his desk gave him away.

“Seen him inaction? Something tells me you’re not just talking about your work in the military.” My brow furrowed, trying to read between the lines of context he had given and uncover the truth.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. “You’ve seen him inactionaction, haven’t you?”

His face gave away nothing.

“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t lie to me. You’re too smart for that shit and I know it. What is going on?”

“If you want answers, you’ll have to talk to Niko,” he said as if it were a script that he had recited so often it was second nature to him now.

“You and I both know that Niko isn’t saying shit to me, and that’s the motherfucking problem, now isn’t it?” I spewed my frustrations towards him like a torrent.

“My lips are sealed, Maddy.” He refused to look at me, busying himself with more fake work to dissuade me from my mission. But I was not one to back down from a challenge.

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