Page 51 of Morally Corrupt

I sigh… We'd had these conversations before. Vlad's always of the opinion that in our profession, you cannot risk any attachments. He's also never approved of Theo, thinking he was too weak for me.

"Theo has a great capacity for kindness," I say. "He has something I completely lack."

"So, that's it? Just because he's normal?" He says normal as if it's the plague. Understandable, though, since we'd both been told we're abnormal our entire lives. We'd both learned to pretend, though.

"No, not just that. I don't know if I ever told you how I met him for the first time. It was at my father's house, and he was hosting a business dinner. As any dutiful daughter, I had to keep up appearances and attend.

"You know how I was with my father's associates. I would always keep my mouth shut and plan their deaths slowly in my head. Well… one of his guests got a little too drunk and insulted me, calling me a doormat, a decoration, and asked how much to buy me."

"Did you kill him?" he suddenly interrupts me.

"A year after, I couldn't risk suspicion."

"Yesss!" I imagine him bumping a fist in the air based on his excited tone.

"Back to the story. He was also getting into my personal space. Theo was the only one who told the man off, defended me, and was on the brink of punching him."

"Oh, so he has some balls?"

"Shut it. He was being kind to someone he didn't know. More importantly, he stood to lose the most, given that he was looking for support from those people."

"Fine, so he's a principled asshole. Still don't know why you bother so much," he mumbles.

"You wouldn't understand. You've never loved someone like I love Theo."

He's quiet for a minute.

"Is it love, though? Are you even capable of love?"

I contemplate his question.

"I don't know. I don't know how regular people love. I only know that what I feel for him is strong enough that I'd kill anything and anyone attempting to harm him. So, whatever I am capable of feeling is all for him. "

"I'm jealous, little goddess." His voice is dreamy. "I wish I could feel… anything, really. The only semblance of feeling I can muster is when I kill, and even then, it's like a high that wears off almost as soon as it starts. Fight for your wimp then, B. You know I'll always have your back."

"I know, Vlad. Same here."

"Now, though, the real reason why I called you."

"You didn't call to ask for the state of my marriage? I'm disappointed."

"As you can see, I'm very invested in your marriage, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"The arms dealer you said you were meeting on Monday. I got some intel that it might not be legit."

"What do you mean?"

"Several organizations have been trying to acquire those new weapons from them. All of them have been busts."

"Fuck! I was looking forward to a new rifle."

"I want in on the guy you're meeting, though. There have been rumors of rats that target specific people for these purchases."

"And you think because of my connection to you, it might be someone on the inside?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't want any loose ends. If there's a rat in my midst, I have to exterminate."

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