Page 35 of Forever Midnight

“Talented?” He tilts his head. “What?”

“I assume it’s like a historical novel or something?”

Scoffing, Midnight takes the book from me and stomps off. I hustle after him, watching as he puts it back where it was. He swings around to face me, his gaze intense and serious.

“You may look at anything you wish in this house, but not that, please.”

Nodding, I take a step back. “I’m sorry, Midnight. I didn’t mean to offend you. I should probably go home anyway. I’ve obviously worn out my welcome.”

“No.” He blows out a breath, dragging a hand over his scruff. “You haven’t. That book is just very special and very old. I reacted strongly. My apologies.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. But yeah, I can go.”

“I have your burger.” He smiles, his whole demeanor shifting with the small gesture. “You should eat.”

I nod just as my stomach growls. “Sounds great.”

Midnight holds his hand out towards the door, indicating I should exit first, so I walk down the hallway like a punished child. Once we’re back in the living room, the scent of grilled meat and bacon hits me and I nearly pounce on the bag.

Midnight sits next to me, smiling as I kneel and dig into my meal. “Thorn said this place had the best burgers,” he says.

“I owe Thorn a beer then, ’cause he’s right.” I shove a fry in my mouth then lick ketchup off my finger.

Midnight watches me eat, a passive expression on his handsome features.

“Did everything go okay?” I ask between bites.

“Yeah. It was easy but worth it.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

His eyes narrow slightly, but not like he’s mad. More like he’s trying to figure me out. Good luck, man. I don’t even know what I’m about.

“The target had two men with him. Raphael could have handled it on his own, but it was helpful I showed up. I took out the other two.”

“What did they do?”

“Lots of terrible things. I doubt they’ll be missed.”

I think over his words as I chew. “How does a guy like you become an assassin? I mean, you guys don’t exactly look like thugs.”

“We’re not thugs,” Midnight answers. “We’re skilled at what we do.”

“No offense meant.”

“None taken.” He exhales slowly, glancing out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to me. “It was Yves’s idea. We’re all a bunch of misfits in different ways. He saw our potential as a family and so he created it. As time went on, he had a vision of how we could contribute to the world. Some would see us as monsters. Others would see us as heroes. It depends on the lens.”

“Right.” I chew on a few more fries.

“How do you see us, Tru?”

“Badasses.”

Midnight chuckles. “I’ll accept that.”

I smile, thankful the earlier tension seems to have dissipated. “Any news on Vinni?”

“None yet, but we’ll find him. It’s what we do.”

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