A single bullet // M.C ✔️

25

"Nicky, are you okay? You've been staring at that wall for the last ten minutes," Luke said. I finally let my eyes slide over to him, seeing him grasp a wine shade cup.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to pry it out of you?" I placed my matching cup on the glass tabletop with a small clatter as I linked my hands together so I stopped fidgeting with them.

"Kensie told me this would happen,"

"Are you?" I simply said, needing an answer. The fucking question had kept me up all night running around, taunting me. I knew he was; Kensie knows he is but won't say it. I needed someone to prove what I thought. To calm my mind down.

"If I were, I can't tell you that for your safety," he said, bullshit.

"I know Calum is," I may as well reveal that to him.

"You do?"

"I was informed by someone,"

"Was it Amy? She's such a gossip like her aunt was." He scoffed, taking a sip of the scorching liquid in his cup. "Always was in Calum's business, anything for a fuck,"

"Luke!" I couldn't believe my ears, and I was so glad no one else was in the office.

After not being able to sleep, I left the house and came to the office, forgetting about the alarm that announced my arrival to the bottom floor. However, I was shocked when it got turned off and a sleepy-looking Luke walked out the back room, not looking very happy.

"I was working and fell asleep," he had told me when I quizzed him why he was at the building. It was weird.

"Your office is on the top floor," I had responded, making him breathe out a tired laugh.

"Was grabbing something out reception, out the back room. Fell asleep in there," he had quickly ushered me upstairs, claiming he needed a cup of coffee since I looked like I wanted to talk, get my mind off the demons crawling thoughts in there.

"Just tell me, you owe me that,"

"I don't owe you jackshit, Nicky. Never have, probably never will," I took a breath, Nicky. He's going into the mood where he won't speak if you keep going.

"Luke, please," I begged, picking my cup back up and taking a gulp of the hot coffee, letting it cost my throat as it slid down. "I need to know if he'll hurt me."

"He would never do that," he looked disgusted as I voiced my concerns and the reason I needed to know if he was who I was scared he was.

"How would you possibly know?" I scoffed, taking another sip of my drink.

"Because we only kill the people the bossman wants us to kill. And Nicky, you're definitely not on that list."

"It's been a while, Nicky," Mom muttered as she shut the door after I stepped into the familiar building.

"Been busy, Mom," I shrugged, walking past her and into the living room, making myself at home on the sofa.

"Too busy to contact your own mum?" She sat down opposite me, grabbing the book she was previously reading, sliding a bookmark between the pages, and shutting the hard covers, sandwiching the plastic sheet.

"Sorry," I felt guilty as I looked at her expression, as she stared me down. Emptiness, that's all that was buried in the eye shadow that matches my own (I was always glad I got her eyes and not Dad's). "Mom-," I stopped myself. I didn't know what I was even thinking of saying.

"It's fine, Alex hasn't been around either. It's odd for him." Mommy's boy hadn't been around, that was alarming.

"I haven't heard from him since he didn't arrive at work the other day," I swear if Calum's done something to him, I will kill him myself.

"Oh, don't worry about that, he's calling still. I finally decided..." she closed her eyes and tightly sealed her lips shut as I just stared at her.

"Dad's funeral?" It was the only thing it could possibly be.

"End of next month. It was the soonest I could get, and it'll give plenty of time to arrange everything." Wait, wait, Calum!

He was there. I can ask what happened to Dad.

"I just wish I had some closure, you know, for me, you, and Alex," Mom kept speaking as I found myself zoning in and out of the conversation. Calum could bring the closure. But she'll ask how I know if I just randomly say something.

"Maybe you can invite that guy friend of yours. What's his name? Kian? Carrington,"

"Calum," I finished as she would have been guessing for ages. "He wouldn't want to come to see the results of the kill he assisted in. Come and see my family's broken heart in person. He never even saw mine. I need to tell him I know.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Of course, he would. I decided not to do a full ceremony. Just a talk with the family, telling stories. Well, watch a body get buried and go out for drinks afterward. Dad never wanted a big funeral." She looked to the side, locking eyes with a new addition picture frame. It wasn't there before Dad died. "Could give Calum a chance to get to know us,"

"We aren't dating, Mom," I couldn't help the disgust in my voice as I recoiled backwards slightly. "Just friends..." That's it, and it's all we will be.

"I still want to know your friend, Nicky. Don't be stupid. He still has to meet the family Kensie did."

"The family didn't think me and Kensie were dating, like it seems you think me and Calum are. It's weird. I don't see him like that." Not anymore, not after the truth I found out about him.

Butterflies turned to moths in my stomach whenever I thought of him. I couldn't picture anything coupley between us anymore. All feelings are evaporated, and I hope they never come back.

For my sake, that is.

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