Dorin stabbed him with some numbing agent.
“Fuck—” Cezar whipped his head around to look at him. “Damn, man, could be gentler.”
“Don’t be such a little bitch.” Dorin didn’t say much most of the time, especially in these situations. He was very serious when it came to treating a patient. Whether they deserved it or not.
The look on Cezar’s face amused me. Dorin had hurt his feelings. “You know it’s not just a phone, I got a lot of cat pictures on there.”
I rolled my eyes and shifted a little in my chair, annoyed at his damn phone, damn smirk, and the entire situation.
“Wonder if it was your enemies or mine?” Cezar was trying to get information out of me, to see if we knew anything yet. He wasn’t looking at me, focused on the shrapnel stuck in his arm that Dorin was working on pulling out.
It felt like forever when Dorin managed to get Cezar cleaned up. He gave a little bit of a weird look when he was tending to something on Cezar’s back. I was not even going to ask.
“Well, what is the verdict, doc?” Cezar made himself more comfortable on the bed now that he was all patched up, looking at Dorin with no care in the world in those eyes of his.
“You won’t die from these wounds.” Dorin sounded disappointed as he picked up his stuff. I know he just wanted to get away from Cezar. He talked too much for Dorin’s liking.
“Hm, what a boring death that would be.” Now he was looking at me. Like a challenge. I was a little intimidated by the lack of fucks he gave for the situation he was in. How does he not have more questions, or maybe he really doesn’t give a shit?
Why the hell did I save him?
I could tell what he was thinking. I fucked up. He knew I wanted something from him. Then the phone rang, pulling us both out of our thoughts. It was his phone. What a stupid ringtone. Really… “Barbie Girl”…
“It was a good movie. Sue me.” He was being honest…
The name that popped up was Codrin’s. I knew that name. He was the middle son of Viktor. I could either have Cezar answer it and risk him saying something stupid or ignore it and risk another unexpected ambush.
“You should probably let me get that.” The seriousness on his face was not something I had seen yet. Oddly enough, I wasn’t that worried he would say anything that would cause more problems. If needed, I could slit his throat and move on with my life. After all, he was the only one who knew what the Nycto Reaper looked like.
Chapter 7
CEZAR
An unspoken threat lingered beneath the surface every time she looked at me. The dagger in her hand was itching for relief, tracing sinister lines in the air. I needed to compose myself before I talked to Codrin. The fuck was I going to tell him?
She extended the phone toward me. After taking a deep breath, I answered in a hushed, low tone. I perched on the edge of the bed, trying to ease the tension. “Hey.”
“What’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?” Codrin replied.
I looked over at Petal, and she was smiling. Fuck, I sounded so dumb right now.
I cleared my throat. “No, no, I am not sick, what do you want?”
“Fuck, were you out whoring around again? Is that how you got taken?” Codrin’s accusation stung, and I gathered he was aware of my recent abduction. Panic gripped me—do they know who took me? Petal’s demeanor changed, realization passing between us before her attention landed on Dorin.
Ignoring Codrin’s question, I pressed on, “Does it matter? I am fine now. How did you know anyway?” The anxiety was killing me.
“Darius thinks you’re an idiot, incapable of taking care of yourself. He had some of his men follow you,” he replied.
Shit, I thought I lost them before her men took me. “Were they instructed to try and kill me? One of the smoke bombs landed right where I was.”
“Well, you can blame Darius’s dumbass guys for that one. Darius would never tell them to kill you, Cezar…” Codrin said.
I wouldn’t be too sure about that.
“Right… well, I am fine. I was able to get out. Just lying low for a bit. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” I ended the call abruptly. I didn’t want him to ask more questions. Not that she didn’t already know who I was. Still, less information was better. I must keep her safe.
A text came from Codrin telling me that I was an ass for hanging up like that. Contrary to what they all believed, I did not go whoring about the town. I liked to have fun in all different ways. Occasionally, my amusement extended to dismantling my father’s business ventures from within.
