𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞 | ✔

ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ sᴇᴠᴇɴ

Without further adieu, here is the next chapter...

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

DEVI BHATT

I'm getting up as fast as I can ignoring the way my head is pounding.

Demyan and Grisha fiddle with the identical brief case they brought in, locking it securely with whatever they've put in there. It has to be rigged in some way with something. The locks from the real briefcase are in pieces on the floor, so when I get up I make sure to avoid them.

"Guys," Sasha says. "Luca is in the arena–"

My back stiffens upon hearing his name.

"...and he's got someone else with him too, but he's facing the floor with a cap on so I can't get a proper look."

"His face looks fucked up," Nashwa whispers, scared. "Why does it look like that?"

"Long story," I say looking at Grisha.

He's stuffed cloth into the man's mouth so when he unlodges my knife from between his legs, Little D's cries are muffled. He wipes my blade using a handkerchief before returning it to me. I don't even realise this coat has a large hood until he pulls it up over my head– it's big enough to cover half of my face.

"Well this isn't inconspicuous," I tell him, jokingly.

He looks at me almost scrutinising me, before brushing his thumb over my collar bone, wiping away a spot of blood I didn't realise was there. There's blood on him too, on his hands and a small splatter on the side of his face.

That's gross because that might be dick blood.

He speaks in a low voice. "I want you to get out of here."

I frown. "I'm doing fine though."

"Which is still completely jarring to me," he replies. "But I don't care, you being in here with him was never supposed to be the plan."

"I know, but that doesn't mean everything's gone to shit."

"I'm trying to protect you," his gaze bores into mine.

"I don't need it," I flare my nostrils, annoyed.

"If I didn't come in here when I did, what would have happened?"

"I would've shoved that knife right through his dick, just like you did," I say calmly, hiding my anger.

Maybe I wouldn't have been punched too, but I leave that out. He relents, picking up on my annoyance and looking away. He once told me vulnerability would eat me alive if I showed it, now I'm starting to believe it's eating him alive because I'm becoming his.

His tone is one of adamance, it's cute. "Take Devi to the car, Demyan."

...

Standing next to Grisha, I hide my smirk of victory.

Santos sits on the sofa, shrouded in the ego and confidence of a drug lord, whatever that may be. This is probably the worst improvisation we could have done– but Santos is armed with two pistols right now, so if anything goes wrong he's got that and us watching his back.

Luca rolls his jaw, scratching the side of his neck examining Santos from head to toe. The figure next to him is blonde from what I can see, but I don't have my glasses to focus real hard on his facial features. The unnameable man sits next to Luca, head down with his hands resting between his legs which are spread comfortably.