Taboo: Bittersweet Revenge (Sequel)

Deadly Vices

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Noah's P.O.V.

I chug down yet another large gulp straight from the bottle to numb that aching feeling I had, not just in my knee but also in my heart. Why? Because I knew something no one in this room did. Everyone stared at me like they were expecting a reaction out of me.

"If I knew you'd grace us with your presence sooner, I would've brought a bottle of Grey Goose as peace offering. Did you take a wrong turn to alcoholic's anonymous?", she speaks up. Ahh yes. The bitch from high school who I wish I strangled when I had the chance, many many times

"The only person that seems lost in here is you. Working corners out that way", I replied nonchalantly, pointing over my shoulder and out the window without sparing her even the slightest of glances. The flustered looks on everyone's faces that very telling.

"Evidently I'm here to give you a Breathalyzer. Tell me, just out of curiosity, can you spell the alphabet backwards?", she mocks in a degrading tone.

Shrugging my shoulder and with the bottle between my fingers, I wittily replied, "I can whip your ass backwards", a dough eyed expression plastered on my face. That witty remark was followed by a series of quiet chuckles. "You're welcome to stick that piece offering where the sun don't shine".

"Gotta hand it you. Came in cocked and loaded with your words", she mentioned, standing her ground at the opposite end of the table. As she does I reach towards the back of my jeans, pulling out something no one expected.

I slowly pull out the machine handgun and lay it flat onto the table, pointing towards her. Choose your words very carefully, Karen.

"That's not the thing I got cocked and loaded. Guess I know now what blonde Ivana was talking about", I countered, looking her dead in the eyes before my eyes travel back to Christian.

"See, I have more of a beige undertone..." She replied sarcastically, obviously going along with it.

"Your eyes will have black undertones real soon", I cut her off before taking another sip down the old hatch.

She laughs off my threats and shrugs. She turns back to Christian. "Yeah? With what? A bottle opener? You're nothing more than a reclusive drunk.".

"A drunk? Me? No. Never! I mean, kicking your teeth in again? Maybe. Popping those fake tits". Tapping my finger on top of my nose sarcastically as I sip through half of the bottle before dropping it on the table. "I'll leave that one up in the air. So before I do that, did you want to explain how the hell you managed to leave behind the very research that could possibly decrypt the codes to setting off those weapons?".

My tone completely shifts. I wasn't drunk at all. I just wanted to get her warmed up. Again, my shift in attitude catches everybody off guard. See, I knew Christian was back with the scientist. What I didn't know was who he picked up along the way, up until a couple hours ago. How? Pay very close attention as to how not to pull the wool over my eyes.....

"Argent's men got to her before I did. I didn't stand a chance against the Russian Mafia and couldn't risk my cover being blown", she protests, with solitude in her voice. She may have had everyone in here fooled. But she wasn't fooling me.

"Ivana?", I called out to her. A timid looking woman, her soft brown eyes and blonde hair are dull and lifeless, almost like the expression in her eyes. The other was pure fright.

Turning on my sweet, innocent Russian that was buried somewhere, I asked her what kind research she was forced to leave abandon when she was found. Keeping my gaze set straight on Karen I await Ivana's shy response.