Page 80 of Arseni

“It’s for the best, son.”Nikita sets the weights back.“She was becoming too much of a distraction anyway.”

No, she wasn’t.I left Margot in the middle of the fucking night to do what he wanted.She hasn’t distracted me from anything.

Nausea flips my stomach while I just stare at my boss.At my lunatic, psychopathic boss.The one who stalks people just to make sure they’re in line.The one who wouldn’t hesitate to kill a person out of boredom.

The one who wouldn’t hesitate to killme… if he could.

“Where did she go, Nikita?”

Wiping a hand over his face, he shrugs again.“I don’t know.I did have her followed, of course.Just to make sure she didn’t go to the police station.But I haven’t heard?—”

“She wouldnevergo to the police.”I walk toward him, my steps feeling heavy.“She doesn’t need followed.”

He tips his head to the side.“For both of your sakes, I hope that’s true.”

“Why would you not let me be the one to follow her?”My eyes narrow as my stomach rolls.“Why would you let her go?You wanted her dead.You told me it wasn’t safe to have any way for Vitaly to connect us to that job.Why would you just let her go?”

“Because you asked me to.”

“No.”I shake my head.“No, that…” Closing my eyes, I press my hands to my spinning head.“This doesn’t make any sense.”

“She wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye,” I go on, speaking to myself now.

She wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.

I know she wouldn’t.

She… She cares for me.She’s afraid of the outside world.

She wouldn’t have just left.

“What did you do?”I ask, my soft voice full of foreboding as I meet Nikita’s eyes.They’re blank pools of darkness, two black holes situated between his nose.

He doesn’t answer me.I wait for pity to show or maybe confusion, but he just remains blank.When his phone goes off by his towel, he goes to retrieve it.Turning to me, he tosses the phone.

I barely catch it.My reaction time is slow.My head is muddled.It isn’t until I look down at the message that anything starts to make sense.

You were right.She’s going to the police.Intercepting now.

I don’t recognize the number, but I know who they’re talking about.

“I’m sorry, son…”

I look between the phone and him, my eyes wide, my heart panicked.“You did this.”

Nikita shakes his head.

“Call them off,” I demand, shucking the phone at him.It falls at his feet.He doesn’t move to pick it up.“Call them the fuck off!”

“If you hurry, you might be able to catch them… Just be careful with friendly fire.”His voice is neutral, but I can feel his meaning.His intentions.All of it.

This is how I’m supposed to die.How, finally, he’ll get rid of the kid who knows his secrets.

He’s the fucking scorpion to my frog.

“You son of a bitch,” I say, my hands shaking with rage.If I wasn’t certain he had a knife in his pocket just waiting for me to attack, I might kill him.I wish I had the time.

I turn and run from the room.