Page 17 of The One

"I don't think I've ever seen you pissed off. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen you anything.” Nikolai leans against his car and pulls out his phone. Matteo should be calling soon. I also need to go downstairs and check on the senator.

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

“Truthfully?”

“No, I want you to fucking lie to me.” Nikolai actually laughs at that.

“Think that’s the closest thing to a joke I have ever heard you say.” He smirks. “That's kind of my point. Do you know what you’re doing here, Church, because I’m a bit worried.”

“Why?”

“We both grew up fucked up.” I nod. We did. That might be why we gravitate toward each other when working. There is an understanding between us. We know what it’s like to live in the gutter and steal to feed ourselves. To steel our emotions, to protect ourselves. We have seen some of the most fucked-up people and things. It leaves a mark on you. It changes who you are and what you’re capable of. “If something happens to her?—”

I’m moving before I realize it. My hand wraps around Nikolai’s throat. He doesn’t fight me. “What are you doing?” Does he want me to snap his neck? Is he trying to make me unalive him?

“Proving a point. You’ll become unhinged.” We stare at each other for a long moment.

“You wouldn’t?” I release my hold on him, stepping back. I squeeze the back of my neck, trying to calm down the rush of adrenaline pumping through me.

"Yes, I'd kill some fuckers and lose my damn mind if anything happened to Riley. But you’re different.”

“Sick in the head like her brother,” I mutter. He’s not wrong. I’m unhinged. I think I've started to realize why. Emotion. It’s been so long since I let myself feel anything. Now everything is rushing back, and I don’t know how to handle it.

“You don’t prey on innocent people. I also don’t think you get off on your kills.” Nikolai’s hand comes down on my shoulder. I shoot a glare at him. He smirks, lifting it. “You’re not her brother, but you got your own demons.”

“Are we getting to a point here?”

“Get your head on right.”

“My head has never been quite right.”

“Yeah, but you can’t be popping off. Don’t think your Angel up there would be too happy if you killed me.” I glare at him. “Maybe this won’t be so bad. You have something you have to check yourself against.”

“I could make it look like an accident.”

“I think you’d miss me.” He winks at me. I mutter a curse.

“I’d miss your shit mood.” There was a period of time when Nikolai behaved more like a prick than usual. He was working out his own demons. I'm confident that Riley played a role in helping with that.

“I’m still pissed. I want to snap that bitch's neck and gut the brother."

“Sounds like a normal Saturday night.” Nikolai barks a laugh.

“Don’t think your girl is going to enjoy those kinds of jokes.”

“It wasn’t a joke.” Nikolai shakes his head. Thankfully, the phone rings, so we can get this show on the road.

“We have a problem.” The moment Nikolai picks up the line, putting in on speaker, Matteo begins to speak.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” I know what he’s going to say. “How long?”

“A few hours. I have Zero going through some footage, but we lost them.” Matteo syas.

“Are you fucking shitting me!?” Nikolai booms.

“We’ll find them.” Matteo doesn’t sound fazed. At the moment, I don't care about the fate of the brother, the girlfriend, or the senator. I do wonder what my girl would want, though. Angel is by the book. She’d want them in prison, but life isn’t so cookie-cutter. Angel goes by the rules of the law. I never have. Those rules never worked in my favor, so I made and lived by my own.

“What do you need?” He didn’t just call to give us this update. Matteo needs something, and I have a good idea of what that is going to entail. I just need to know what information I am trying to get. Once I know that, I can get to work.

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