The Price Of Love

Chapter 8

Jay's POV

The guy's face whips to the side as I land another punch to the side of his face.

He groans, his head drooping forward while I take a step closer to him. Grabbing the back of his hair, I snap his head back and bend down, forcing him to look me in the eye.

"Give me the name" I whisper, and he lets out a small cry as he shakes his head.

I sigh, standing up and letting go of the guy's hair. He lets out a breath while I unbutton the cuffs on my shirt and roll them up to my elbow.

My white shirt is now mostly stained with blood from the group of four Atlas brought in.

I've accepted the fact there's no getting out of doing this job the day Atlas barged into my house and send me the mission reports. Since then, I've given it my full attention. It's a good distraction.

We're currently integrating a man who we believe works for the Robinson family organisation. I roughed him up a bit, but he still won't talk.

Time to move on to the proper stuff.

"It's simple really," I say, picking up a small knife from the table in the corner of the room. He watches me wearily as I walk back over, slowly. I stop in front of him. "Talk, or this goes in your eyes," I tell him, and his eyes widen.

"Wait- please I can't!-"

I grab his jaw, and he thrashes his body, no doubt trying to get free of the restraints. He's completely tied to the metal chair he sits on. He's not getting free unless I want him free.

He stills as I move the knife closer to his right eye. "Don't worry. I won't go far enough to kill you" I send him a small smile while my eyes watch as the knife gets closer.

He tries moving his head back but fails. "Fair warning-" I chuckle. "You might feel some discomfort-"

"Okay!" He screams, and I glance away from the knife currently two centimetres from his eyeball, and stare him in the eye.

"Aiden Hefferd" He whispers, his shoulders sagging with defeat. I hum, taking a step back and tossing the knife back onto the table. I glance at Atlas over my shoulder. "Keep working him," I tell him, and he nods his head.

All I needed was the name, but who knows, Atlas may find out something else useful. But I don't have time to waste on what-ifs.

I walk out the door, heading towards my office to go find this Aiden Hefferds guy.

***

It's just turned six when I park my car outside.

When I step inside, I immediately spot Talia.

I did mean it when I said I don't want her in my house when I'm not there. But I got a call from Atlas, informing me of the four guys they got, and how they won't talk. And Talia just started mopping the floor- I couldn't exactly tell her to come back later.

Figuring I'd be an hour at most, I left her here despite not wanting to. Four hours later, I'm home.

I'm not too worried, however. It's been just over a week since Talia showed up, and so far, she seems harmless and scared of me. So I doubt she'll do much. But I still must be wary. There are no doubt hundreds of people who have my name on the top of their hit lists. I can't be sure Talia isn't one of them after only a week.

As I think that, I look at Talia, who is currently cleaning my kitchen counter with a cloth while humming along to an ABBA song.

The likelihood of her being undercover is low.

Quietly closing the door behind me, I can't help but watch her. She seems to be in her own little world.

She jumps in fright when she finally spots me. "Shit- you scared me.. sorry, I was just finishing up" She mumbles, grabbing her phone and turning off the music immediately.

I hum, taking a slow step towards the kitchen when she suddenly snaps her attention to me. Her eyes widen in horror. "Are you okay? Is- Is that blood?" She mumbles, tossing her phone on the counter as she walks towards me. I glance down and realise I forgot to change my bloody shirt.

"I'm fine-" I freeze when her hands grab me, and I snap my head up, preparing to dodge the hit she sends my way.

But to my surprise, she doesn't have a hand raised. Her eyes are on my stomach while her hands grip my forearms. She's pushing me back in the direction of the living room.

"You need to sit down! I'll call an ambulance" She mumbles, and I realise she seriously thinks I'm injured.

I stand still, stopping her from pushing me back. I grab her arms and gently lower them to her sides. She looks up at me confused. "It's not mine," I tell her, and her eyes widen while her whole body seems to freeze.

"Oh" Is all she whispers, and I hum, staring at her. She glances down at my blood-stained shirt. "Apologies I-...I thought-"

"I understand," I say, and she nods, clearing her throat.

I only then realise I'm still holding her arms by her side.

Confused and surprised, I immediately let go, and she wraps her arms around herself while I take a step back, creating space between us.

"I'm finished so...I should go" Talia mumbles, and I hum.

With that, she turns and quickly walks back to the kitchen.

I stay standing still in my spot, still confused. How on earth did I not realise I was still touching her? Most importantly, why was I still touching her?

I watch her pick up her handbag and shove her phone inside. She steals a glance at me. "Have a nice evening" She whispers.

"Come at three tomorrow," I tell her, and she nods. She makes a beeline for the front door. She closes the door quietly behind her, leaving me alone once again.

I sigh, rubbing my eyes as I slowly walk in the direction of the kitchen.

I feel like this place is driving me crazy.