Page 127 of The Payback

Nik sways on his feet, his pallor turning a worrying shade of green. I shove him over, bending him at the waist so he can vomit off to the side. Surely he must be almost out by now?

He looks worse for wear, but if Zach says he’ll be fine, then he’ll be fine. I trust him with my daughter, so I trust him with Nik. We just need to get him to a place where he can get treatment, whatever that entails. Fuck if I know.

This all feels like a nineties spy movie, but shit, that’s partly why I wanted this job in the first place.

Dimitri points upwards, answering my question, then dusts off his jacket. Like that’s going to help the filth we’ll accrue down here. There’s a scraping sound and hurried steps down the ladder. Zach leaps the last few feet and yanks us to the side as a group.

The floor is worse down here than expected, but my attention is pulled from that when there’s an unexpected boom from above.

“What was that?” I ask frantically.

“Olivia’s toys. She sends her regards.”

“You blew up the ambulance, didn’t you?” I ask. Zach looks... well, not remorseful—he doesn’t seem to have that emotion. “That was a loaner! They made me promise not to ruin it!”

“You already scratched it,” Dimitri points out unhelpfully.

“You shush,” I say before turning back to Zach. “Why? Why did you kaboom it?”

“The guards will need to see bodies. They were too close not to open the bags and discover it’s not you, so charring them was the best option.”

“What about the other people? The surrounding cars?”

He shrugs. “It should have been relatively contained. I took the bodies out of the bags, so the idiots following us would have to touch the remains. Do you know how long it takes to get the charred flesh stink out of clothing?”

Dimitri eyes Zach like he’s seeing him for the first time, and he nods. “It’s a bitch, that’s for sure.”

Christ Almighty, thiscannotbe what they bond over.

Zach studies Dimitri for a second and nods. Fuck, that was their bonding moment. “Now, you do what you need to do. I’ve got the tattooed one. He needs fluids and a full workup. I’ve got some contacts here that owe me. Meet you in paradise?” he asks.

“His name is Nik,” I say.

Zach rolls his eyes. “Eleanor, focus.”

“Yeah, fine. Text me the details, and we’ll be there after we deal with all of this,” I say, waving my hand above us to encapsulate the red-tape clusterfuck Zach has just sunk me in.

Nik looks even worse now that we’re safe, and he slumps over, grabbing Dimitri’s arm on his way down.

His face has turned a sickly white, and he’s shivering while sweating profusely.

“Nik!” I cry, dropping to my knees with him and touching his face. His skin is clammy, and he’s shivering.

“He won’t kill me, right?” Nik asks, looking from me to Zach and back again after he swallows a few times.

I nod. “He’s a doctor, truly.”

“Paediatrician. You’re a bit out of my usual age range,” Zach supplies. “But it’s mostly the same.”

“Ellie,” Nik says quietly. “If I don’t make it, because fuck, it feels like I’m dying, tell Bella—”

“Nope! I’m stopping you right there. Tell her yourself.”

“Just... Listen, would you?” He sighs. “I am a fuckup, but she is perfect. She results from hearts wanting what they couldn’t have but daring to reach out and take it anyway. I love her, Ellie. And I love you. And Dimitri will be a good father to her.”

I turn, looking at my husband, finding his jaw slack and his eyes boring a hole into Nik’s skull from the side.

“He’ll be firm but indulge her every whim. I can feel it. So, no matter what, love the bastard. Let him help protect you and our girl.”

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