Syndicates //

xxvi h

The peak of the night had passed and the club slowly became less and less crowded, although even at midnight, the night was still young.

Mia and I kept dancing even after the awkward rejection. It was slower; our energy was fading. I just thought how much of an idiot I am to have rejected her. I had to keep telling myself that I wasn't an idiot. I used my brain. She can't consent when she's under the influence. Who's to say she's even interested in me? Maybe she was just infatuated with the moment. I'm just not happy with the truth and I'd rather live in the delusion that I should have kissed her.

I've never been in this kind of situation before. Was I reading it all wrong? Did my personal interest in her create this illusion in my mind that she reciprocated the feelings I did?

Her feistiness instantly drew me in. I knew I had to keep her close and that's why I brought her in to meet Cobalt. It was a sacrifice, a risk, a gamble. I never purposely meant for us to maybe fall in love but I hoped miraculously that it would happen.

Her sharing the blanket with me on the couch, watching Friends almost every night, comforting me when I had an anxiety attack before the heist... all those instances. Was she just being nice?

These were some of the millions of thoughts electrifying my brain and we danced. We totally lose the engagement with each other and it became more like us just leaning on each other and rocking ourselves to sleep. I had no idea how to recover from rejecting her kiss.

Eventually we admitted we were tired and I brought her back to the table. She laid down across the seat, not really dozing off but just relaxing and winding down. Niall and Ava came back, the faintest smell of marijuana on them, and watched over her while I went to the restroom.

I washed my hands, drying them with a paper towel, and kicked the door open to head back into the club. In the dim hallway, two shadows stand rested against the wall.

"You seem familiar." The low voice is taunting.

"It's a bit dark in here," I say, eyes down at the ground with a look of sternness, "Your voice doesn't ring a bell."

"You're one of Cobalt's boys aren't you?" The same voice speaks.

"We saw the ring," the other shadow booms. "Not many know, but we do."

"Who the hell are you two?" I ask, finally looking up and staring daggers into them.

They ignore my question. "Your boss just hired someone who screwed us over. A hacker by the name of Cipher."

"Look, I'm no hot-shot in the Legion," I lie. "I have no idea what Cobalt does or who he hires. I'm just his arms."

"You're gonna tell us," they grow closer, and their shadow engulfs me further. Thank goodness I'm hardly buzzed. "Who is he? What does he know?"

Fuckin' amateurs. Cipher is a woman.

"Fuck that," I scoff, acting fast and grabbing one of their necks, pressing my thumbs into a pressure point that will knock him out cold, a time in which my skill comes in handy. Instantly, he drops to the floor.

The other guy bolts out into the club before I have the chance to lay my fingers on him.

Adrenaline kicks in high gear and I race to the VIP table, my eyes staying on the moving target as he draws attention through the club.

I have two options: find Liam and hope the guy is still here, or chase after him alone.

Niall rushes over and I go with him, "there's some dudes here that are after Cipher. They don't know much but they know we're Cobalt's men."