“That’s my choice, isn’t it? Not his or yours. I get to choose who is worth risking it over, and I say he is,” I snap. “Nobody gets to dictate his life or mine. I don’t care if I could lose everything for him. He’s worth it.”
“You love him,” he states.
“If I do, then you certainly won’t be the first person I admit it to. It will be him. Yes, I care for him a lot, and I’m willing to wait for him to be ready to love again. I know he’s still fucked up over his ex. I know he isn’t ready, but I don’t care. I’m not letting him go,” I say matter-of-factly, unsure why I’m telling him this.
A smile blooms on his face, his eyes softening as if I’ve passed some kind of test.
“Had to be sure. Good, you’ll need that fight if you want to win Zia’s heart,” he comments as he claps my shoulder. “I’ll help you.”
“Why?” I feel like that’s the only word I know how to say.
“Because I like you, Nikko, and I think you’re good for him. He needs someone to keep him chained to the ground, someone willing to do anything to keep him. He needs unwavering loyalty. I think you could be that person, but if I’m wrong and you hurt him, I’ll kill you and hide your body so well, no one will ever find it. We both know I can. Now, shall we get to work?”
The look in his eyes worries me a little, but I nod.
If anyone can get me to Zia, it’s this man.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Yuki was right. There are other ways to handle this—ones that won’t make me sell my soul and everything I’ve worked for. I’m still angry, but I calmed myself down so I can think clearly enough to handle this.
When Yuki comes to me with the location of the men in the folder, the ones who bought the guns, an idea comes to mind. I tell him what I need, and then we are off. Yuki said they wouldn’t be hard to find, but I know he had to pull some strings. When this is all over, I need to give him some time off. He usually refuses to take any, only vacationing when I do, but he needs it after all the shit he has put up with this year.
“A dry cleaner?” I ask as we pull up outside.
“A front. It helps them get into places. They also pose as electricians when they need to.” He nods at the vans to the side of the freestanding building. Nodding, I slip from the car and fasten my suit jacket before heading toward the front door. It’s unlocked, and the sign says it’s permanently closed. A bell tinkles overhead as I step inside and walk through the unused storefront to a door behind the counter. It’s shut, and when I step through it, I find a large room that’s been turned into their lodging. There are beds with curtains and even a whole TV setup.
It’s nice for merc housing, since they move around a lot, and there they are, the four men from the car who shot at us. They leap to their feet, their guns aimed my way. “Hello,” I say with a friendly smile. “I would introduce myself, but I have a feeling you already know my name. I know yours as well. Truji, legal name Sam West. Andre Duboi, AKA the Hammer. Lester, legal name Leeroy Tims. Axe, legal name Remi Smith. You are mercenaries under the umbrella name MFG, who also work as military contractors when you need to. Stop me when you get bored.”
“I can’t believe our luck. Our target just walked into our shop.” Sam, the leader, chuckles as he looks at the others. “I guess we don’t need all the schematics on your house layout.”
I glance over at their maps and notice they are surprisingly accurate. “Your sources are good.”
“You’re very calm for a man with a contract on his head,” Lee comments in confusion.
“I always have a contract on my head,” I retort. “It comes with the territory. Yuki, what’s the current price bar these gentlemen’s agreement?”
“One mil,” Yuki answers helpfully.
“One mil? It’s gone down. I’ll need to rectify that. The thing is, everybody knows that despite the price on my head, I have more money and power, so they don’t bother. It’s become a running joke. That’s why whoever hired you brought in outside help. They knew nobody here would take the contract.”
“Lucky us. We can collect all of them then,” Andre says.
“I like your boldness, but you’re stupid for coming here with just the two of you,” Sam drawls as he aims his gun at me and steps closer. “You’re doing our job for us.”
“My IQ is one hundred and forty-five. I’m a genius, not stupid. I also don’t need guards. I could kill all of you before you even get a shot off, but that’s not why I’m here. I have a proposition for you,” I offer, “the kind you are going to want to hear.”
“Why shouldn’t I just kill you now and take my money for a job well done?” he asks.
“Because then you’d miss out on even more money. The way I see it, if you listen to what I have to offer and you don’t like it, then you can kill me. All that would be wasted is a little bit of your time.” I move closer so the barrel of the gun presses against my forehead. “So what’s it going to be, Sam? Two minutes of your time or kill me now?”
His eyes narrow. “What’s your game?”
“No game. Like I said, I have a proposition.” His grip wavers, and I know I have him. I see his finger move away from the trigger, and it’s the chance I need. Smashing my hand up, I knock the gun from his hold and twist it until it’s aimed at him. “You should never aim so close. It leaves you open to this.” His face pales as he stares at me, but I just smile and turn the gun again, offering it back. “For you.”
He takes it with a frown as I straighten my suit. “For my proposition, I want you to bring the person who paid you to kill me.” I hold up my hand to stop his response. “I know how this works—they remain anonymous. I also know if you really wanted to, you have the skill to find out who is behind it. For one, they knew I would kill you, so they set you up to fail. I know that annoys you. Secondly, I will offer a nice little sum and guaranteed safety for just this short amount of legwork. Their contract plus the outstanding ones on me adds to three and a half mil, yes? I will give you six.”
“How did you know about their contract?” Sam asks with a frown.
