Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

55 His Wrath

Colton~~

"Absolutely not." Seong-ho paces back and forth in front of my desk, his hands moving about to express his feelings on my request. "Why would I risk his wrath?"

I lean back in my seat, scratching at my forehead. "For one thing, I need you."

"You're quite a capable person."

"I know. But it's a long drive, and I can't take one of the planes." Jonas will be alerted if one of them take off.

"I'm not your personal driver."

"We'll split it up."

He barks out a laugh. "Jonas will find out."

"The idea is that he won't."

"Look how it went for me when we went behind his back just last night."

"He didn't even yell at you," I say.

"No. No. No." For every no, he takes a step forward. "No." He points his finger at me. "I just became Zeta. I don't want to tick Jonas off and have a whole reign to look forward to his payback."

I steeple my fingers, resting my elbows on my desk. "You worry too much."

"Because you ask too much."

Even knowing I shouldn't, I still feel insulted he fears Jonas more than me. Especially when Jonas is the one that's grown soft in a matter of days. A matter of days, for Heaven's sake. "I was rather hoping you wouldn't be difficult."

"What did you expect?"

"A willingness to do whatever I say?"

He sends a glare my way.

"If you're going to be difficult then I know about the twins."

Seong-ho's face pales. He grips the back of one of the two chairs on the other side of my desk, and by the amount of strain he sends down his arms, it seems it's the thing keeping him upright. "You couldn't possibly . . ."

"Really? You insult me."

"Have—have you seen them?"

I grin, knowing I've got him. "They're quite beautiful; though, I don't think Jonas would be of the same mind."

"Colton, please, you can't tell him."

"Don't want to get on my brother's bad side for your lack of discretion?" Almost two years ago, Seong-ho had a one-night stand with a girl he met in a club. A big no for the Society. He got her pregnant, and now, my dear cousin has two one-year-old daughters he's never met, and it would be a shame if the wrong people found out about any of this.

"How do you know?"

"Do you think you were alone in that club?"

"What?"

I shake my head. "When you kept disappearing, I had to have someone keep tabs on you. Make sure you were okay."

"Like you cared."

"I do. You are my family, Seong-ho. Do you think I wanted you to wind up passed out in a ditch covered in your own vomit?"

"You just didn't want the public to see that."

"After you came back from your mission you were hardly around." When he returned from Iris's orphanage, he kept going off on his own. Not like Erik, because Seong-ho was never gone for more than a day. He's never spoken much of his time at the orphanages. No one knew what it was that was bothering him. We didn't know if he had grown attached to those traitors or something else. Maybe we still don't know. "Come with me or I tell Jonas."

"You're blackmailing me?"

I wonder if he knows the twins' mother is only days away from Expiring.

"Yes. It's up to you to decide which scenario Jonas would be angrier about."

"I think killing the girl he seems to obviously care about would be the winner."

"I'll do the killing. You'll just be there."

"Jonas will hate you."

"No. No, he won't." I lay my palms flat against the table. "When she's gone, I'll get the brother I know back."

Seong-ho runs his hand through his hair. "I can't believe you're making me do this."

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