I reach out and pat his bloody shoulder almost gently. “Instead… I’ll simply make it quick.”
The man hangs his head. “Tell Finn… Jamie saidfuck you.”
I grin, pull the gun from my belt, cup the back of his head with my free hand, and press the barrel to his temple. One clean shot. The crack echoes through the basement. His body jerks once, then goes limp in the chains.
Armen claps once and rubs his hands together like we just finished a productive meeting. “I’m starved.”
I raise one brow at him and laugh despite myself. “You’re fucking insane, is what you are.”
Armen shrugs, still grinning. “So… now we wait for the brothers to get home?”
I nod. “Pathetic rats… I’m going to squash their tiny,stupidbrains under my boots.”
Armen’s grin turns wicked. Then, as casually as if we’d been discussing the weather, he asks, “Dinner?”
I almost laugh again at how easily he weaves normalcy into the blood-soaked work we do. “Tell Lorraine to bring it to my study.”
Armen frowns. “Again?”
I just nod and turn away, already heading for the stairs. I’ve been eating alone for the past three days. I’m not in the mood for company or questions. Not whenI’m dealing with childish jealousy from a lowlife gang thatsomehowmanaged to steal from me.
I’ll have to change the guard rotation now. I still don’t know how those scrawny rats evenreachedthe shipment… unless it was compromised before it ever reached the docks. That thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now; it sits heavy and unpleasant in my gut.
I push into my study, close the door behind me, and drop into the chair behind my desk. I squirt hand sanitiser into my palm and rub my hands together thoroughly before grabbing a pen and scrawling a quick note on a fresh sheet of paper:
Have Sam and Luke investigate the shipment’s entire journey.
A couple of minutes later, there’s a soft knock. Lorraine enters with a tray, her usual calm smile in place. “Here you go, boss.”
I nod at her. “Thanks, Lor.”
She sighs quietly, the same sigh Armen gave me earlier, clearly wondering why I’m hiding up here again, but she doesn’t push. She simply sets the tray down and leaves, closing the door softly behind her.
The silence that follows feels heavier than usual. I stare at the plate in front of me, but my mind keeps drifting. I clench my jaw and pick up my fork.
???
I’m halfway through a bite of steak, eyes half-focused on the news playing across the room, when a soft knock sounds on the study door.
I frown and grab the remote, muting the television. “Who is it?”
The door opens slowly…Kitsteps inside.
I exhale sharply and set my cutlery down, the steak suddenly forgotten. He never comes to me,never, not unless I demand it. The fact that he’s here on his own sends a strange thrill through my chest.
He closes the door behind him with a quiet click and immediately starts fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Have I… um… am I in trouble?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper.
I stare at him. “What?”
He inhales sharply, gaze darting around the room like he’s searching for an escape route. “Have I done something wrong?”
I lick my teeth, jaw tight. This is the last conversation I expected to have tonight. I don’t want to address the real reason I’ve been avoiding him… that humiliating moment on the pool table when I almost kissed him… so I keep my answer short. “No.”
Kit nods once, meeting my eyes for the briefest second before looking away again. His gaze lands on my half-eaten plate. “How come you’re eating up here?”
“I’m busy.”
