The Lonely King

Thirty

It was weird watching him do these things to him, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the scene. Blood dripped down his face, and screams bounced off the walls as Nick didn't get an answer from him. Meanwhile, I was standing behind the one-way glass observing the scene, focusing on both the stone-cold look in Nick's eyes and the way my ex-coworker, Chris, reacted.

I decided that if he wasn't willing to talk with Nick's method of persuasion, I would try talking to him. I was hoping he wouldn't be too involved in this business that he wouldn't talk at all. From what I remember, he was a completely normal guy at the company. But then again, I see Nick as a normal guy even though he's the leader of all this. Sometimes I even forget he is even involved with the mafia.

Chris wasn't talking so Nick let his underling take over for a bit and came out of the room to meet me. I took a few seconds to scan over his figure. He was wearing one of his regular suits minus the jacket and tie. The sleeves of his white button up, which was stained with fresh blood, were rolled up to his elbows and the top few buttons were undone. His hair was messy, a few strands falling over his forehead.

Then, I met his gaze with my own. The once stone cold expression shifted to the warm one I'm used to. A small smile formed on his face, and I matched it with my own. He stopped in front of me without wrapping an arm around me, probably because he didn't want to get blood all over me, so I met him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm glad you haven't ran away yet," he whispered.

I pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Why would I?"

"Because you haven't seen me like this,"

I sighed. "I know you only hurt people who deserve it," I placed my hand on his cheek. "And, besides, I've always known what you do,"

"Knowing is different from seeing," he said.

"Either way I'm staying with you,"

He smiled again and kissed me. God, I could never get tired of his kisses.

Once we pulled apart, I decided to tell him my idea. "I was thinking I could talk to him,"

Suddenly, that smile turned into a straight line. "No,"

"Nick," I whined, giving him the best puppy dog eyes I could. "I just want to talk to him. I think since he sort of knows me, he might talk,"

He thought about it for a moment before he sighed. "I'm going to be in the room,"

"Yay!" I cheered before I hugged him tighter with a huge smile on my face.

"After all this is over, I'm taking you on a damn good date," he mumbled.

"Where did that come from?" I asked.

"It's another apology for getting you involved in all this. Plus, I need a break from worrying about you,"

I giggled while shaking my head. "I'm looking forward to that,"

~*~

I waited outside while Nick was making sure all the ropes and handcuffs that were holding Chris down were tight. Knowing him, he was probably going a bit overboard, but at least I know I'll be the safest person on the planet.

Once he was satisfied, he opened the door so I could come in. I made my way inside and the first thing I noticed was the way Chris's expression turned shocked. After looking at me, he glanced to Nick and then back to me a few times.

I decided to speak first. "Why my restaurant?"

He sighed. "I was told to destroy yours,"

"By who?" I questioned.

"I can't say,"

"But you can,"

"Nope,"

I sighed. That's not going to get anywhere. "Okay. What exactly were you hired to do?"

"I was first hired to test you,"

"Test me?"

"I was supposed to see if he came for you," he motioned to Nick. "I was supposed to see if he cares,"

"So, that day at the restaurant," I whispered.

"was to see if he would get jealous," he finished.

I turned back to look at Nick. He was leaning up against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Just say the word," he told me.

"Not yet," I replied.

"Why would whoever hired you want to know that?"

"All he said was his boss needed to know if you two knew each other,"

He.

"Why did you even agree to do it?"

"A favor for family," he shrugged.

"Family?"

"Yes," he stated.

"And he hired you again to destroy my restaurant?"

"No," he chuckled. "He couldn't,"

"Then, why did you do it the second time?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to,"

"Why? What did I ever do to you?" I decided to start provoking.

"You took away everything,"

"What is wrong with you! I worked so hard to make that restaurant perfect! What made you think it was fine to destroy something I loved?!" I started yelling, hoping he would take the bait.

"Did you ever think how many people would get hurt by you being with him?!" He started yelling. Perfect.

"No one has gotten hurt!" I defended.

"What about my cousin?! He just killed him to protect you! How could you be with a man that kills people for no reason?!"

Cousin.

"Because he doesn't. He always has a reason," I smirked.

"You're just as fucked up as he is," he shook his head.

"Nick," I turned back to him. "Did your men find out who his cousin is yet?"

He took out his phone, quickly checking for new messages. "Yeah, they found him,"

"Okay, good," I walked toward him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "What do you want for dinner? I'm thinking Thai food,"

"Thai food sounds good, baby," he quickly pecked my lips.

"Okay, Have fun!" I cheerfully walked out with a smirk on my face.

Who knew this would be so fun?