𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲

Chapter 56

— Chapter 56 —
God Complex

=||=||=

J A M E S
A few nights earlier...

"Get up," I hissed to the man in the black suit. "We'll finish this conversation elsewhere."

Midas laughed.

"Alright, then," he said. Getting to his feet, he asked rhetorically, "After all... who am I to disagree with a Kato?"

It was my request that led us to a small, closed-off section not far from the stage. I realized that Midas wasn't alone—he had two bodyguards with him, both certainly concealing weapons beneath their jackets. They observed my movements just as much as I observed theirs.

Midas picked up a glass of neat whiskey lying on the glass table and passed me a conniving smirk.

"One-on-one time with you?" He teased, a gold tooth peeking out from his grin. "What have I done to be so fortunate, hm?"

Disgust rippled through my core, making me burn hot with annoyance.

"Enough of this," I said. Balling my fists in the pockets of my jacket, a deep scowl solidified on my face. "Whenever you show up in Boston, it's never for the right reasons. The faster you stop with the games and tell me what you're doing here, the faster I can have you leave."

He pouted, tracing his finger around the rim of his glass. "Such an icy reception. Am I not allowed to have fun here anymore?"

"Your definition of fun involves several felonies and the occasional murder, so no."

Midas laughed and shifted his weight.

"What a shame," he sighed. Holding the glass to his lips, he spoke in a beguiling murmur, "I thought you of all people would be the one to miss me most."

The look in his eyes combined with the suggestiveness of his tone made me cross my arms defensively. A sick feeling poisoned the pit of my stomach.

He offered a wry smile. "Your friend grew up quite handsome. Elliot, was it? You were so protective of him back in the day. Nice to see some things don't change."

I could feel the fury simmering in my veins. Elliot's name didn't deserve to be spoken through the cursed lips of a monster like Midas. And if it was, the monster didn't deserve to keep his teeth.

"He's a fragile thing, don't you think?" the gangster continued to provoke. "And rather beautiful. My, I almost thought he was a woman!" He laughed brazenly. "In all honesty, I wouldn't mind having hi—"

I snatched the lapel of his suit, seething with a fiery rage as a result of the sick implications that he'd laughed into the air. I could see my reflection in his shadowed eyes. My face was contorted into a venomous snarl, the look in my own eyes nothing short of wild and explosive. Every muscle in my body contracted—though I couldn't decipher whether it was from the adrenaline or the anger.

For a moment, I could've sworn my sudden outburst allowed fear to break through Midas's confident exterior. The warning I spoke to him was cold and calculated, spoken truthfully in hateful conviction.