The Berserker

Chapter 19

'"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically, "I think it's best to ask what I haven't been telling you."

Nathaniel frowned at my attitude, wincing when I pricked him a little too forcefully.

I continued mockingly, "I haven't told you my favourite colour, my past, the foods I like, oh and..." I pierced his skin again, "the date that I'm going to kill you." I grinned darkly, stitching tighter.

Nathaniel grabbed my wrist, halting me from stitching. Tilting his head slightly, an unreadable expression on his face, he said, "I was actually thinking about an associate of yours. Peyton Lennon. He showed up on our list as a potential danger."

"Choose your next words carefully," I warned him, voice deathly quiet.

"He may become a target -"

I grabbed Nathaniel's neck squeezing it. "What did you do to my brother?" I roared.

He sucker punched me in the gut, and I lost air and my grip on him. Nathaniel steadied me, trapping my arms to my side.

"Nothing. He's on the list, and I needed to clarify the relationship between him and you."

I spat on his face snarling, writhing in his grip. "Your death day just moved up bastard!" Nailing his jaw with my knee, I followed by jabbing my finger in his bullet wound and strangling him.

"It has nothing to do with us!" Nathaniel choked out, "It may be a different team. I just wanted to warn you."

A different team.

Eyes widening, I let him go bolting for my phone in my jacket. I cursed when the phone told me wrong password, reentering the right one the next time. Dialing his number, their faces flashed in my mind, suddenly splattered in blood. It rang and each ring increased my fear.

Pick UP! Pick up! Damn it. He didn't. Would he? Send another team after them? Did he report it? Pick up...

"Pick up!" I yelled.

"Atla? What's wrong?" Peyton demanded. "You're blasting my ears!"

"Are you okay? Injured?" I spoke over him, fear giving way to relief and anger.

"No. I'm fine. What -"

"What about them?" I cut him off.

"We're okay. We're okay. What's going on? Atla?"

Stalking towards Nathaniel, fists at my side, I asked the one question that I needed to know more than anything to keep them safe from where I was.

"Do you know where they live?" I hissed, wishing to gouge those deplorable green eyes out.

"They live with you. Or they did and now they're off grid," he responded, and I ended the call. "It's staying that way."

"I'm trying to keep our agreement, Atla," Nathaniel pointed out. "I thought it would be better that you know."

Glaring at him did nothing to resolve my anger nor did his statement soothe it either. Turning to leave, I pocketed my phone, running a hand through my hair.

"Atla, could you finish?" and I turned to see him gesturing to his bullet wound.

"Do it yourself."

"You made it worse."

"And you dragged me into this hellhole," I retorted venomously. "What more do you want from me?"

He smirked. "Help closing my wound. I won't bother you for a while. That includes me not asking you to play video games with me." Nathaniel's grin remained, but his eyes flashed dark for a second.