AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Percy waves that off. "No, man—are you trying to knock her up? I know you've gone a little off the deep end now and then over the last few years, and believe me, I'm all for it when it means we bust skulls, but don't you think this is a little too—"
"There's a contract."
He stares at me blankly.
"Therewillbe a contract," I amend, glaring at the room. Even now, I'm tempted to go in there. Whether I would comfort Sybil or start another fight with her, I don't know. Better not to strike that match again right now. "Once she starts thinking practically and lets go of her stubbornness."
He folds his arms, frowning as if he's doing complex calculations in his head. Then he squints. "Seemed like the two of you were arguing earlier. Look, Nico. If she's not interested, she's not interested."
"Sybil is interested. She's just too damn stubborn to accept it."
He snorts. "If you say so. So, you'll be thePadrinoand a papa, huh? What's your kid going to call me? Uncle Kid?" He laughs at his own joke. "No offense, Boss, but I can't picture you raising a little one. Unless—is that part of the contract, too? She raises the little hellion?"
"That hasn't been discussed yet."
"Hmm. Yeah, I guess you two were a little preoccupied to sort that out earlier."
I eye Percy. He's too mouthy right now. It's not good for my men to see how Sybil affects me. She gets under my skin in the best and the worst ways, and it detracts from the reputation I've carefully built over the last four years. I can't afford to appear soft, so I'm not going to start letting things slide. Not even from Percy.
The Kid notices my irritation, and his smile fizzles out. He nods at the door, leaning in and lowering his voice. "Want my advice?"
"No."
He goes on anyway. "You two like needling each other. Whatever's stopping her from agreeing to this batshit crazy idea of yours, it would probably be a lot easier for the both of you if you tried to…you know. Not rip each other's head off."
I scowl. "Easier said. That one likes to make life complicated. She's fucking impossible."
"I dunno, she seemed reasonable enough to me. She didn't fly off the handle when—" He catches himself and winces. "Oh, right. You won't like this, but I let her call her family earlier."
My irritation flares to life, and I gaze at my friend. He shuffles, scratching his beard uncomfortably. "Well?" I finally grit. "Explain."
"It was just so she could reassure them that she was alive. She worried they might be scared."
"Who fucking cares if they're scared."
"She does. That's the point, Nico. Once I let her talk to them, it sweetened her up a little, and she stopped trying to escape out the window."
I tense more, my fists clenching hard enough to pop. "Thewindow?Fottimi, Percy, why didn't you mention this earlier?"
He raises his hands as if in surrender. "I didn't want to interrupt you when it looked like a man on a mission. You sent me on break immediately so you could make your special little dinner, remember? But look, there was no harm in her calling. She just wanted to make sure they wouldn't contact the police, and she didn't try anything funny. And after that, she stayed put—which just goes to show that a little compromise goes a long way."
"I gave you strict instructions not to enter the unit," I growl.
"That's another thing," he adds, lifting an index finger and glossing over my exasperation. "If you want her to warm up to this idea and cause less trouble, you might want to move her to another safe house. A nicer one, not this shack. And maybe try not to bring up your history with each other—it just makes things worse. Start fresh, you know?
He's speaking as a friend, but it has a chastising familiarity. It's relationship advice, pure and simple. But I don't have the luxury of starting fresh with Sybil. Not when the sight of her takes me back to that day. Hearing her voice is like listening to a past I ache to return to. Not when she's the reason my heart is the cesspool it is now.
I open my mouth to say I don't need his lousy advice and then close it, changing my mind. "Percy."
"Yeah?"
"Mind your own fucking business from now on."
He shakes his head with a grin. "Aww, come on. If I did that, who would snitch and update your old man? And you know I'm right. If you both call a truce, this plan of yours stands a much better chance. Probably the only way it could actually work. You already wined and dined Sybil, but a little extra can't hurt."
I rub my face again. I'd intended to leave and let Percy stand guard tonight, then come back for her tomorrow and see if she'd seen reason by then. But irritatingly enough, my friend has a point.
I nod my chin at the stairs. "Go home. Rest. You'll pick up Ace in the morning."
