The Order

13

He looked at me for a moment as he pressed against my neck and sat up. My legs were still straddling him as I clawed at his hands.

"Papaya." I hissed through my teeth once more as I began to get light headed.

I watched as the bloody Liam tilted his head and loosened his grip enough for me to catch my breath. He removed one hand from my neck and placed it beside him, using it to help keep him upright. His face was covered in dirt and blood, so much so that I could barely make out his features. His muscular body was defined underneath the dim light in the basement, and his black hair was nappy and messy. His beard was grown in a bit and was untamed and thick. His lips formed a deep scowl as he examined me. It was quiet for a moment, and for a split second, I saw his brown eyes soften.

"When will my father learn that I don't need a bodyguard." He said under his breath as he narrowed his eyes. The momentary softness I saw vanishing immediately. His voice was deep and intimidating, each word sharp with annoyance.

"You weren't even helpful." He said as he tilted his head and stared at me with an unamused expression plastered across his face. He continued to stare down at me, and his unamused look morphed into one of disgust.

"It looked like you had it somewhat handled." I said as I scowled at him. His piercing brown eyes narrowed as he scoffed.

"Of course I could handle this." He said cockily. I looked down at his bloodied body and ripped clothes before I shook my head.

"But if you could really take care of yourself, then you wouldn't have gotten captured in the first place." I said as I tilted my head.

"Excuse me?" He said as his face inched closer to mine, anger dripping off his every word.

"You heard me." I said as I narrowed my eyes. We stayed there for a moment, staring at each other as the tension grew thick between us. His hand still gripped my neck firmly as he examined me with his eyes.

"You're fired." He said as he let go of my neck and pushed me off him. I rolled to the side before landing on my feet and standing up.

"You can't fire me." I said as I raised my eyebrow.

"Really?" He said, anger lacing his tone as he walked towards me. He bent down slightly so he was closer to my face before he tilted his head. "And why's that?" Liam asked.

"Because I work for your father, not for you." I said as I looked at him and crossed my arms.

"You work for the Knight family, so you work for me." He said as his jaw clenched.

"Yes, I do work for the Knight family. James Knight. Your father. Not you." I said as I emphasized every word. If there's one thing I hated, it was repeating myself.

"My job is to bring you and Mario Esposito back to him. Alive. Now," I said as I walked past him and grabbed my gun from my waistband. "You stay here while I find Mario."

"I don't do well being told what to do." He scoffed as he walked towards me once more.

"Yes, it's quite apparent that you have an attitude problem." I said as I shot him a deadly look. "So why don't you just sit down and stay the fuck out of my way while I finish this job."

"Once this is over, I'll make sure you never work in this industry again." He said as he looked over at me, his demeanor was tense and deadly as his hands clenched into fists. Little did he know that the largest organization for assassins and killers already wants me dead. I couldn't work anywhere else even if I wanted to.

"Oh, really?" I said as I chuckled and watched him bend down and grab a gun off of a dead body near him. "You must not know who I am." I said as I tilted my head.