Dimitri
I shoved him back.
Not too hard, but hard enough to make a point.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I said. I was breathing hard. "Don't do that shit again."
Kaius didn't even move. He just stared at me. His lips were still a little open. Like he didn't give a damn what I said.
"You didn't like it?" he asked. He moved his head to the side, feigning innocence.
"I didn't," I said. I was mad as hell. "I don't. That's not…" I stopped talking and stepped back. "This is not okay. I work for you."
He smiled. Not a nice smile. Not sorry. Just… like he thought it was funny. Like I was cracking a joke by voicing out how displeased I was by his actions.
The dismissiveness pissed me off even more.
"I'm leaving," I said. I turned to go to the door.
But before I could grab the handle, I felt him grab my hand and pulled me back. He stared at me with an intensity that made me speechless.
"You can't leave. We have to be somewhere."
I frowned.
"A party," he said. He was getting a jacket from the couch. "Important people will be there. Officials. Businessmen. And Ronald's not going with me."
I looked back at him. "After what you pulled just now, I don't think I want to be anywhere close to you:"
"You're coming with me," he said. It was more like a command. One I had to obey.
Despite the dynamic of our relationship. I stood resolute. "I don't want to."
He looked at me and shrugged. "Don't care."
I stared at him for a second. I wanted to walk out anyway.
"The party's in an hour," he said. He was fixing his sleeves. "Go get some air. I'll be down soon."
I tightened my jaw. The good thing about this was that I could keep an eye on him. "Fine. I'll wait outside."
I walked out of the room and closed the door. The hallway was quiet. I made my way downstairs, stepping into the cold night and letting the night wind calm down my nerves.
If I had to do this job, I had to keep my emotions at bay.
But my mind wouldn't shut the fuck up.
The kiss kept playing again and again in my head. It wasn't long. It wasn't even rough. Just… sure. Like he already knew I wouldn't stop him. His confidence rattled me.
I hated that part.
Did I like it?
I shook my head. No. I shouldn't. That's not the order of the day. That's not me.
Right?
I ran a hand through my hair.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Shit. What was taking him so long?
Just when I was about to go back inside and see why he was delaying, I saw him walking out.
And damn it…he looked good.
Dark pants, black shirt, jacket that fit too well. Hair slicked back just enough. His presence always had weight, which was ironic because there was something graceful about him, but tonight? It hit harder than usual.
I looked away fast before I stared too long.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes boss." If I had to stop what happened earlier from happening again, I had to establish that there was nothing familiar about us.
We got into the car and drove to the party. It was at some fancy hotel across town. The place was packed Expensive perfume wafted in the air, me and women dressed for the occasion.
Rich people everywhere.
Kaius fit in like he owned the place. But his appearance was enough for him to stand out.
He started shaking hands, smiling, nodding. Everyone seemed to know him. Businessmen. Officials. Investors.
I stood back and watched. I recognized a few of them. Many has been in scandals, they were quite popular in the precinct.
Then I noticed one man in a navy blue suit. He stood out.
A group of people surrounded him and I could understand the reason for that. He was Victor Frost. He was a rather influential politician running for president next year.
And of course Kaius went straight for him.
They shook hands and leaned in close to speak. I couldn't hear what they were saying. But they looked serious.
That's when Kaius turned back to me. "You don't need to hang around," he said. Like he didn't care. "Go get a drink. Or leave. Up to you."
I nodded once and walked off. I wanted to maintain a certain distance between us, enough for me to listen in on their conversation but I couldn't. There was a cacophony of laughter, glasses tinkling and music playing.
It was impossible.
But then I saw him. My captain. He was dressed in a blue suit. Fitting right into this world. He saw me too as he stood by a table filled with drink. He gestured his eyes to the restroom before walking in that direction.
Knowing what that meant. I waited a few minutes, walking around aimlessly, drinking before I made my way over there.
"Sir?"
He turned. His eyes got wide for a second, then he gave me a tight nod. "Dimitri."
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I should ask you the same," he said quietly. "You came with Kaius, right?"
"Yes."
He nodded his head. "Was Kaius talking to Victor Frost?"
"Yeah."
His eyes got narrow. "What the hell is that about?"
I stepped closer. "I don't know. He told me to leave them alone. That's all I got."
When I saw them talking, they had really stern looks on their faces like they were talking about something super serious.
"The politician's been saying he wants to wipe out crime," my captain said. "He's pushing an anti-drug and anti-weapons campaign. Said he's coming for every cartel and trafficker in the country. Kaius specifically."
My chest got tight. "So why the fuck is he talking to Kaius?"
"That's what I want to know," he said.
"You think they're working together?"
He looked at me. "Either that… or one of them is lying."
I rubbed my hand over my face frustratedly.
"This is fucked up," I said.
"Tell me about it," my captain said. "How close are you to getting something on him?"
"Not close enough."
"Well, get closer. Fast."
I looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean whatever you're doing, it's not working fast enough. We need something concrete. Soon."
"Sir, I'm trying…"
"Try harder."
I felt like shit. "Yes, sir."
He turned to walk away but then stopped. "And Dimitri?"
I glanced at him. "Yeah?"
"Be careful. If he's talking to politicians, this is bigger than we thought."