Page 133
Story: Retribution
It takes me a moment to register he hasn’t said anything that’ll lead to my murder. “In pain?” I take a bite of my toast and chew.
Maybe I should have gone straight to Lorcan. Every time I look at him, all I can think about is Chad, dead, blood leaking out of him and onto me. When that happens, part of me becomes so angry it’s hard to see straight, let alone think straight.
“I got drugs for that.” He shakes his head and runs a hand down his face. “My dreams. Or, I don’t know, maybe nightmares. I’m waking up to the thwump of the helicopter blades.” With a huff, his brow furrows. “Someone calling your name. I don’t recognize the voice. He calls you Kimmy.”
I pause before I take another bite. His back is turned, but his posture isn’t tense. He’s on the cusp of remembering, but he knows nothing yet.
“That’s weird,” I say. “You used to call me Kimmy, though. You haven’t since you woke up.”
He frowns and glances at me. “No?”
“Nope.” I pop out the p. “I gotta go see Lorcan.”
Finn nods. “You know why I’d hear someone calling your name?”
“Not a clue.” A brief smile crosses my face. “Maybe it’s your subconscious telling you to call me Kimmy again, even if I hated it. Or maybe you’re taking too many drugs.”
He smirks and rubs the back of his head as the coffee finishes brewing. Glancing at me, he says, “That’s not it. It’s a memory. I can’t quite catch it.”
“I’m sure it’ll come.” I dust off my hands. There’s a sinking sensation in my stomach. Although my tone is casual, inside, a riot brews.
Before Finn says anything else, I leave the kitchen and head for Lorcan’s bedroom. The door unlatches before I key in the code. He must have been watching for me.
“All sorted?” He eyes me from the kitchenette. There’s a wariness to his posture I’m not used to seeing anymore. We’re not back on even ground yet.
“He did it.” I move closer to Lorcan. “I know Finn had a hand in your father’s death.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Lorcan stares at me for a moment. “You went to see Semyon.”
“I did.”
He closes his eyes and bangs his fist on the counter. With a swipe of his hand, the glass beside him flies against the wall. His stormy gaze lands on me. “He could have killed you. You shouldn’t have gone, and you certainly shouldn’t have gone alone.”
“I’ve been working for the FBI for quite a few years. You think this is the first time I’ve gone into a dangerous situation? Coming here, working for you and Finn is as dangerous as what I did today.” I examine his tense, coiled rage. “If you love me, you have to love all of me. This is who I am. This is what I do.”
“And if you gave a shit about how I felt, you wouldn’t be lying to me still.”
“I—I knew you wouldn’t want me to go. That you’d either come with me or stop me from going. I wouldn’t have been able to get the information.”
“He came out and told you? Denied me the other day but spilled it to you.”
“No,” I say evenly. “His son Hagen couldn’t resist rubbing his knowledge in my face. Guys like him love having little nuggets of truth to lord over others.” I cross my arms. “He said Finn figured I’d be knocking on his door at some point.”
Lorcan presses his hands into the counter and doesn’t look at me.
“He said, and I quote, ‘I’ll have to let Finn know the jig is up.’”
“I saw him this morning. He was complaining of headaches and bad dreams.” Lorcan focuses on me. “What happened out by the shed that night?”
For a moment, I consider lying. Protecting myself is so ingrained, even though I understand I can trust him, my instinct is to hold back.
“I found Finn leaning against the shed, already injured. It’s true. The FBI planted an agent in Zhang’s organization. It’s also true you rounded him up. Finn saw the helicopter, heard the agent call my name. He was already suspicious of me. Then he added the pieces together.”
“I knew he was suspicious of you.”
“You weren’t?”
Maybe I should have gone straight to Lorcan. Every time I look at him, all I can think about is Chad, dead, blood leaking out of him and onto me. When that happens, part of me becomes so angry it’s hard to see straight, let alone think straight.
“I got drugs for that.” He shakes his head and runs a hand down his face. “My dreams. Or, I don’t know, maybe nightmares. I’m waking up to the thwump of the helicopter blades.” With a huff, his brow furrows. “Someone calling your name. I don’t recognize the voice. He calls you Kimmy.”
I pause before I take another bite. His back is turned, but his posture isn’t tense. He’s on the cusp of remembering, but he knows nothing yet.
“That’s weird,” I say. “You used to call me Kimmy, though. You haven’t since you woke up.”
He frowns and glances at me. “No?”
“Nope.” I pop out the p. “I gotta go see Lorcan.”
Finn nods. “You know why I’d hear someone calling your name?”
“Not a clue.” A brief smile crosses my face. “Maybe it’s your subconscious telling you to call me Kimmy again, even if I hated it. Or maybe you’re taking too many drugs.”
He smirks and rubs the back of his head as the coffee finishes brewing. Glancing at me, he says, “That’s not it. It’s a memory. I can’t quite catch it.”
“I’m sure it’ll come.” I dust off my hands. There’s a sinking sensation in my stomach. Although my tone is casual, inside, a riot brews.
Before Finn says anything else, I leave the kitchen and head for Lorcan’s bedroom. The door unlatches before I key in the code. He must have been watching for me.
“All sorted?” He eyes me from the kitchenette. There’s a wariness to his posture I’m not used to seeing anymore. We’re not back on even ground yet.
“He did it.” I move closer to Lorcan. “I know Finn had a hand in your father’s death.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Lorcan stares at me for a moment. “You went to see Semyon.”
“I did.”
He closes his eyes and bangs his fist on the counter. With a swipe of his hand, the glass beside him flies against the wall. His stormy gaze lands on me. “He could have killed you. You shouldn’t have gone, and you certainly shouldn’t have gone alone.”
“I’ve been working for the FBI for quite a few years. You think this is the first time I’ve gone into a dangerous situation? Coming here, working for you and Finn is as dangerous as what I did today.” I examine his tense, coiled rage. “If you love me, you have to love all of me. This is who I am. This is what I do.”
“And if you gave a shit about how I felt, you wouldn’t be lying to me still.”
“I—I knew you wouldn’t want me to go. That you’d either come with me or stop me from going. I wouldn’t have been able to get the information.”
“He came out and told you? Denied me the other day but spilled it to you.”
“No,” I say evenly. “His son Hagen couldn’t resist rubbing his knowledge in my face. Guys like him love having little nuggets of truth to lord over others.” I cross my arms. “He said Finn figured I’d be knocking on his door at some point.”
Lorcan presses his hands into the counter and doesn’t look at me.
“He said, and I quote, ‘I’ll have to let Finn know the jig is up.’”
“I saw him this morning. He was complaining of headaches and bad dreams.” Lorcan focuses on me. “What happened out by the shed that night?”
For a moment, I consider lying. Protecting myself is so ingrained, even though I understand I can trust him, my instinct is to hold back.
“I found Finn leaning against the shed, already injured. It’s true. The FBI planted an agent in Zhang’s organization. It’s also true you rounded him up. Finn saw the helicopter, heard the agent call my name. He was already suspicious of me. Then he added the pieces together.”
“I knew he was suspicious of you.”
“You weren’t?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140