Page 40 of Kortlek

“It’s one in the afternoon,’’ Cove grumbles. He puts the plate with food on the dining table and motions for me to take a seat. Once I’m seated, he pushes the plate right in front of me, sitting across from me at the other end of the table.

I take a bite, suppressing a moan. Oh, it’s delicious just as it looks. It’s a simple breakfast, but it’s absolutely amazing. It’s one of the things I never knew about Cove. He’s definitely a good cook. I take small bites of everything until the plate is clean.

He hands me a water bottle, and I drink the entire thing in four big gulps. With a deep sigh of content, I put the bottle on the table and lean back.

“How are you feeling?’’ Cove asks, his eyes not leaving my face even once.

A little blush creeps up my neck, and I fiddle with the ends of his shirt, trying to keep up eye contact. After what we did last night, I have no business being shy, yet here I am, struggling to look at him properly.

“I’m alright,’’ I say, voice lower than intended.

“Are you in any pain?’’

I shake my head.

“Good,’’ he nods. “I cleaned you up and put some ointment on the bruises; it should heal up soon.’’

My cheeks warm up, and I internally cuss myself. I look like a moron right now. I’m wearing his shirt that’s around four sizes too big on me, with my face blazing red. One wrong word from him and I’ll start sweating. How pathetic.

“So, uh,’’ I cleared my throat, finally gathering the courage to look him in the eye. “Where are we?”

“I bought this cottage last year.’’

I blink. “That’s it? I know you don’t like talking, but I need more than that, Cove.’’

His brows narrow. “What else do you need? The deed to the house to prove it’s mine?”

An involuntary laugh slips from me. “No, I meant, why are we here?”

“Circumstances.’’

“Which you have a minute to explain,’’ I warn. “I’m not in the mood.’’

He grinds his teeth together for a couple of seconds, contemplating what to tell me. With a curt nod, he leans back in his chair, folding his arms in front of my chest. The whore in me slowly starts waking up at the sight of his flexed muscles and that gorgeous chest.

“To cut a very long story short, the city isn’t safe for you right now.’’

“No, no,’’ I frown, “That’s not good enough. Tell me the long story; I’ve got time.’’

“Remember Jackson?”

I raise a brow. “The guy who stabbed you? Yeah, I remember him. What about him?”

“Apparently, he was a member of a newly rising gang. They call themselves the New York Vipers.’’

“What kind of gang are we talking about here? The kind that’s filled with barely legal kids who have seen The Godfather once and are now playing mafia, or the kind that’s actually a threat to other gangs with connections and a solid business?”

“I fear it’s a mix of the two.’’

My brows raise in confusion. “Elaborate.’’

Cove moves to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of whiskey and bringing me another bottle of water. I set it aside for later and watch as he returns to sit in his previous seat, eyes on me. He’s serious, and the intense gaze makes me squirm a little.

“They’ve tried getting under Pakhan, but that failed. They’re still relatively small for a gang for this kind of business. Their aim is to go into arms dealing.’’

I nod, absorbing the information. “How’s any of that connected to Jackson or me, for that matter?”

“The attack on me during the fight was planned. Jackson wanted to use me to get to you.’’

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