Page 6 of A Past Too Broken

Min must not be convinced because he gestures to his building and turns his head as he does so, taking his eyes off the younger man just long enough to give Molly the opportunity to attack.

Taken off guard by the person he just helped, Min tries to fight Molly off, but it’s futile. Molly’s a slippery bastard when he wants to be, and whatever’s in that needle of his has Min stumbling as Molly holds onto him.

Leaving the alley, I make sure to look both ways before crossing the street and helping Molly with Min. Putting him between us, the three of us stumble down the sidewalk, the drugs making Min seem drunk and like Molly and I are just his two good buddies helping him.

Molly’s car is parked at the corner of the block, and we manage to get Min into it. I climb into the backseat, and Molly tosses some zip ties and rope at me before getting into the driver’s seat.

Min is fading in and out of consciousness as I tie him up, and I try to ignore how pretty his dark eyes are even hazed over as they blink long and slow a few times.

When his eyes close all the way and he succumbs to the drugs, I breathe a sigh of relief and lean against the seat.

“Thanks, Molly.”

“Don’t mention it. Got a plan?”

I huff a laugh. “Not really. Let’s just hope he gives us what we need quickly. Reggie will be pissed if I’m gone for too long.”

He snorts. “Good luck with that.”

Waking up with my head pounding, mouth dry, and arms secured to a chair after being drugged by some fucking twink isn’t my idea of a good time.

The room I’m being held in is dim, which my head is thankful for. Ignoring the pain, I turn my head and scan my surroundings, hoping for some indication of where I am—or who grabbed me.

Locking eyes with the person in the corner of the space, I try to pretend I’m not affected, even as my breath catches and my heart begins to pound. Zay watches me silently as he brings a cigarette to his lips.

I wrinkle my nose as I watch him. “Those things will kill you,” I rasp through my dry throat.

He takes another drag of his cigarette and smirks as he blows smoke out. “I’ll take my chances.”

Clearing my throat, I try to get my thoughts in order. “Having kids do your dirty work now? Clever.”

Zay lets out a short bark of laughter. “I’ll have to tell Molly you called him a kid. I’m sure he’ll love that.” He extinguishes his cigarette on the cement wall behind him before pocketing the butt. Making his way over, he stands directly in front of me. His golden brown eyes meet mine, and every instinct in me is screaming to look away, but I can’t. Aside from the fact that looking away would show weakness, I find myself sucked into his gaze, hypnotized by the intense look in them.

“What do you want?” I ask, ignoring the tingly feelings his proximity creates in me.

“Oh, so many things, but for now, you can tell me whether it’s a coincidence that you keep showing up on the same jobs or if you’ve been stalking me.”

I smirk, though it feels false. “You’d like it if my answer was the latter, wouldn’t you? Want me to say you’re important enough to waste my time on?”

The pain of his fist to my face is expected, though my already aching head protests being hit. Pain is easier to absorb and deal with than talking, especially since I can’t—won’t—give Zay the answers he wants.

“You knew I was there both times,” he says. “What I want to know is if that was deliberate or not.”

I give him a bloody smile before spitting at him. He doesn’t react. He just waits for an answer, face impassive.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” I concede, hoping to move this along. “Though you should up your situational awareness. I saw you, yet you didn’t know I was there. I know I’m good, but for someone of your reputation, you should be better.”

He frowns, and his golden eyes seem to glow with frustration. “You should know better than to take someone else’s kill.” He pulls out a knife and taps it against my already aching face. “You don’t want to gain a reputation as a kill stealer, Min,” he says quietly. “In this business, our reputations are everything, and having a negative one… Well, I’d hate to see you end up dead.”

“Good thing I’m not easy to kill, then,” I reply.

He taps his knife against my cheek. “You sure about that?”

“Kill me then.”

“I should,” he mutters. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

Glaring at him, I bite out, “You had me fucking kidnapped, and I’m tied to a fucking chair. If you don’t kill me, you’re wasting both our time. I’m too tired and my head hurts too fucking much to play these games with you.”

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