Page 6 of Kill Shot

Savior

Nico

Fucking idiots!

The fat guy with the stupid mouth was the only one of the three that was armed. He was also presently threatening to kill Nico’s target.

That was unacceptable.

Nobody but Nico was allowed to touch Sebastian Altamirano. The boy’s life was his alone to determine if he lived or died.

While all three were fidgeting and staring at his hand, waiting to see if he would draw his weapon, Nico lashed out with his free hand, wrenching his opponent’s gun aside.

It thankfully didn’t go off, so the loudest sound from the scuffle was the ear-piercing scream as Nico shattered the punk’s wrist.

That was all it took for the other two to sprint away, leaving their friend alone to die.

But Nico had no intention of killing him. That would draw far too much attention to his affairs.

“Go on, get the fuck out of here.” He ripped the gun out of the boy’s useless hand and watched as he obeyed his better.

Nico turned, expecting to find Sebastian a trembling mess, but instead he was just staring at Nico in a daze, his eyes wide and his body swaying.

“You alright?” Nico asked cautiously. “They hurt you?”

The hell did that come from? It wasn’t like he gave a damn if the kid was okay or not.

The boy shook his head, and Nico was struck by just how handsome the kid was.

Blond hair and gray eyes that looked blue when caught in the light, a combination that he’d never particularly considered before, now seemed the most fitting pairing that he’d ever seen.

Sebastian looked so innocent and breakable, having not quite grown into his chin’s promise of a hard, unyielding jawline.

“I knew it,” Sebastian muttered under his breath. “I knew not everyone here was terrible.”

Nico stifled a laugh. Pendejo . What a dumbass. That was what the brat was fixated on? Still, Nico knew just how terrifying a boy’s first brush with real danger could be. It wasn’t his fault he was a little dazed by it all.

“Good thing I got here in time,” Nico remarked. “You shouldn’t be out here so late alone.”

And it really was a stroke of incredible luck. Nico had just been finalizing some of the details for Bolero’s drug deal in the tenement a few floors above the one that Sebastian liked to visit.

If he hadn’t arrived in time…

How odd. Nico’s first instinct wasn’t to mourn that he would’ve lost his chance to make the loss truly painful for Pablo Altamirano. If Sebastian had died on the street here, then it would have been a senseless act of violence, and it would have lost all greater meaning for his vengeance.

But no, his first instinct had been that Sebastian’s death would have been tragic and unnecessary.

Now that was a dangerous thought, the likes of which he shouldn’t entertain if he wanted to achieve his objective.

But here he was, doing exactly that.

Maybe it was just because he’d been caught off guard.

He hadn’t expected the boy to be here at this hour.

That was all. Not that he cared a fuck about the brat’s safety.

But if anyone was going to end Sebastian Altamirano, it was going to be him.

And Nico sure as hell wasn’t about to let the kid screw that up by pulling some reckless shit like this before Nico had the chance to put him in the ground himself.

He clenched his jaw, dragging himself out of his thoughts as his eyes locked on his target.

If Sebastian heard Nico’s warning, he showed no sign of it. He was just staring at the older man, completely in a trance.

“You know what those guys might’ve done to a piece of ass like you, right?” Nico asked, trying to snap him out of it.

And it worked like a charm. Sebastian’s eyes shot open, wide enough to compete with the moon.

“No, they wouldn’t…”

“They fucking would,” Nico said without hesitation.

He knew the streets, knew how fast things could get ugly.

He was trained to read behavior. This spoiled little shit had no idea how close he’d come to real danger.

If he had any proper sense, he’d know Nico wasn’t the savior he seemed to think he was.

Nico chuckled under his breath.

Sebastian Altamirano had no fucking clue.

“I’ve seen men do worse for less,” Nico continued. “Didn’t you see how they were looking at you? At least one of them was thinking of dragging you down that alley and sticking his dick inside your ass.”

Sebastian swallowed, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch away.

What an interesting boy.

Nico knew he should just take him on the spot. He could easily make Sebastian pass out with one strike, then drag him back to his safehouse across the street. After that, it would be a simple matter of contacting his father and getting the ball rolling.

But Nico hesitated. That could wait a little bit. He could toy with his prey before sinking his teeth in, no?

And if Nico was being honest, he found it amusing. It’d been a long time since he’d met someone so completely unaware of their circumstances. He’d been watching the kid for a while now, but seeing that naive stupidity play out up close was as entertaining as it was annoying.

“Why are you here?” he asked instead. “Meeting someone?”

Sebastian nodded jerkily, then looked up the brick wall to the windows above. He was so easy to read.

“Well, I suppose I should escort you up to see them, then. Can’t have you stumbling into another bunch of wannabe killers.”

The foolish boy looked relieved at the suggestion, smiling brightly and leading the way to the stairs. Didn’t he have any self-preservation instincts at all?

The ascent was short, and they arrived at their destination before Nico even had a chance to rethink his plans.

“Say, do you want to come in with me?” Sebastian suddenly asked. “We can just pretend that you’re my friend. I’d feel bad about you standing out here in the cold.”

Nico blinked, unsure if he’d heard correctly. The boy couldn’t be that stupid, could he?

But as Nico thought about it, he realized that it wasn’t quite as inane as he’d first thought.

Caroline would be furious with Sebastian for trekking out to visit her alone, and Nico’s presence would satisfy her a little.

By the same token, Caroline’s presence would stop Nico from doing anything truly dangerous, plus it meant that Nico couldn’t hide somewhere on the way down and ambush Sebastian when he left.

Perhaps he wasn’t stupid at all.

“You don’t even know my name,” Nico pointed out. “Do you move this fast with everyone you meet?”

Sebastian flushed, but he didn’t back down. If anything, he just stuck his chin out and doubled down, looking like the most adorable little ball of indignation. “You are right, of course. I’m Sebastian. Nice to meet you…?”

“Nico.”

“Nice to meet you, Nico.”

His words were completely at odds with his expression. How bizarrely charming. And he was even sticking his hand out for a handshake.

Intrigued, Nico grabbed it. He fought back the urge to use a strong, commanding grip, almost as if he was afraid of breaking Sebastian. Instead, the shake was soft and polite.

Nico quickly pulled his hand away, deeply uncomfortable with the sensations that he had just been forced to experience. Fortunately, Sebastian didn’t notice because he was too busy knocking on the door.

“Who’s out there?” a grouchy woman called out. “Alex, is that you?”

Sebastian cleared his throat, his expression turning sheepish. “It’s Seb, ma’am. I was just… I was just in the neighborhood and—”

The door swung open, and a birdlike woman with more gray in her hair than black came into view.

She scowled between the two men with harsh suspicion.

Or rather, she looked at Sebastian for half a second before deciding that she recognized and approved of him, then she turned the entirety of her scrutiny on Nico.

“Hi, Caroline, this is my friend, Nico. I was visiting him, and he happened to be in the neighborhood, so I thought that I might as well visit you too. I hope that’s alright.”

Oof . The brat did know how to spin a lie sweetly.

“Of course, of course,” Caroline said, waving his words away, her eyes never leaving Nico’s face. “In the neighborhood, are you? Well, come on in then, everyone else is either out for their night shifts or gone to bed.”

She turned around and retreated into her apartment. Sebastian followed with Nico close behind.

It was not a luxurious living arrangement.

That much was immediately clear, and Nico had spent enough time in squalid hellholes to know.

However, it wasn’t a soulless place, and it hadn’t fallen into disrepair.

It was actually quite beloved, and holes in the wallpaper were covered up with the art of young children.

Tattered couches were draped with garish blankets that looked impossibly comfortable, laundry was haphazardly sorted into a dozen different baskets for folding, and the television was playing reruns older than Sebastian.

Caroline gestured for them to take their seats on the couch while she sat down in a worn chair that clearly belonged to her and her alone.

“I’m terribly sorry for showing up on such short notice,” Sebastian said.

“Oh, never mind that.” The old woman groped about on the table next to the chair for something, then patted her own collar and realized that her glasses were hanging there already.

With a huff, she put them on. “Disobedient little things, never staying where I put them. Now let’s have a look at you. ”

And look she did. She squinted, peered, and scowled at Nico, making him feel like a prom date getting cross-examined.

“Uh huh, I see what you mean when you said you were into men,” she said at last. “I thought you meant the preppy ones, but I see you like the ruffian-looking types.” Caroline gave Nico another raking look up and down. “I should’ve been trying to introduce you to one of my nephews, Seb.”

Nico managed to keep a straight face, but only barely.

“Caroline!” Sebastian choked out, covering his mouth in horror. “That’s not… we’re not…”