Page 17 of Kill Shot

Pressure

Nico

Nico returned to his safehouse in an exceptionally good mood.

Everything was going according to plan, including Seb going home of his own volition.

If he had insisted on getting into Nico’s car, then there was absolutely no way that he’d have been able to hold back.

At this very moment, all his plans would be up in smoke, and Seb would be down on his floor, naked and sweating.

But Seb had gone home like the good little boy he was, and so the entire scheme had not been undone by Nico’s insatiable lust. Good for his lifelong mission of vengeance, not so good for his raging erection.

“Nico?”

With a snarl, Nico ducked and drew his gun, mortified that anyone had managed to get the drop on him. Where the hell was his head at to not check every corner of his apartment the very instant that he got home?

“It’s just me, relax,” Lucas said from the next room, knowing far better than to actually poke his head out.

Begrudgingly, Nico did just that and holstered his pistol once more.

“Don’t fucking surprise me like that,” he muttered, not trying particularly hard to make it audible. If anything, the fault was his, and he definitely didn’t want to argue about that.

Knowing that his expression looked as stormy as could be, Nico stalked into the small room that Lucas used. The man in question was typing out a report on his laptop, and he made Nico wait a moment for him to finish.

That did not improve his mood any bit.

“That was a report to Bolero,” Lucas said as he hit send and turned his full attention to Nico.

“He wanted an update on how the Altamirano mission is going, and I told him it was proceeding according to plan.” He paused, levelling Nico with a stare that made Nico’s stomach clench.

“It is proceeding according to plan, right?”

“Very. Much. So.”

“That’s not what it looks like from where I’m sitting. I was covering your ass, but you haven’t reported any progress to me in days.”

Nico huffed. “Did you get promoted above me while I wasn’t looking?”

Lucas gave him an exasperated look. “Bolero ordered you to work closely with me on this operation. That’s impossible if you’re cutting me out like this, and I will eventually have to tell him the truth. Just give me something, anything, to satisfy him for now.”

“This is my operation.” Nico jammed his finger into the table so hard that it turned white. “And we’re going to do things how I say.”

The two men stared at one another, years of tension and shared memories coursing between them.

“You’re the boss,” Lucas said at last. “You always have been.”

“Oh fuck off,” Nico snarled. “In fact, get the hell out.”

But Lucas was already rising to his feet. He didn’t need to be told twice.

Nico said nothing at all as his comrade and former lover slipped past him and headed to leave the safehouse, maybe for good.

Part of him knew that he was being unreasonable, but not nearly enough to make Nico open his mouth and apologize. Yeah, he’d been shutting Lucas out and keeping him in the dark on the Altamirano job. But so what?

This was his war. His blood. His kill.

Nobody else got to touch it. Not even Bolero.

“You know,” Lucas began, pausing before the door, “if you don’t get this handled quickly, Bolero is going to get more involved.”

“I just dealt with another of his messes tonight. He has no room to complain,” Nico snapped.

“Suit yourself.”

And with that, Lucas was gone, leaving Nico alone with his unpleasant thoughts.

If nothing else, Lucas was right. Bolero would just become more and more of a problem as time went on.

Doing his bidding tonight likely hadn’t bought Nico any time, but had rather just convinced Bolero that he could still make Nico do whatever he pleased.

Thank God Seb hadn’t asked to come back with him.