𝐌𝐢 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐚

𝟏𝟓

"Yes, boss," I retort, throwing the duffel at him.

He barely manages to catch it, no doubt cursing me in his head. I know Talon's undoubtedly running the situation through his head a thousand times, trying to think of every possible outcome so we can prevent it. Despite his actions, he's safe—cautious when we're doing things that's out of the ordinary. He likes to be in the known, so it's no doubt he's a little pissed when I spring the idea of murder and fail to add all of the details.

I ignore the ones that try to come up to me, but they can handle being alone for a couple hours. They're not babies, and I'm not a fucking babysitter. They need to get right, and start acting like they're part of a gang; this infant shit is not going to fly. I'm not a protector, and I've never cared about what happens to them. I'll happily move on, and do what I have to. What's done will be done, and they'll have no one to rely on. I don't care how they feel about it, because that's how its been since day one.

Everyone backs off as I push through them, realizing that I'm not in the mood to confirm or deny their actions. Talon meets up with me once we're outside, flinging extra clothes in the back. I don't ask where he got them from, and get in.

"Can't believe we're doing this," he mumbles, sliding into the car.

"Can't believe you didn't shut the fuck up yet," I reply, not letting my car warm up before pulling off.

"Because you don't do this," he groans, "I understand you fuck her on the regular, but why do you need to kill someone she handled?"

"Because it's not enough, Talon!" I shout, gripping the steering wheel tight enough for my knuckles to turn white. "He will die for putting his hands on her, and I won't be satisfied until then."

"Malik...you like this girl, don't you?"

"We don't have that type of relationship," I reply.

"That's not what I asked," he gets excited, "you like her!"

I ignore him for the rest of the ride, completely tuning out every question and comment that comes my way. Ziya and I don't have that type of relationship. We're each other's in every sense of the word, but not romantically. We're each other's pleasures, and I'd go to the ends of the earth to ensure her safety now that I have her in this way, but I know her mind is different. She knows she's mine, and I'm hers. She knows that no one else could have us in the way we have each other, but she isn't looking for a relationship. I don't think I can have her in a relationship. No matter what I desire when I'm alone in the middle of the night.

It's cliché as fuck, but I can't have someone in the way that I want when I'm in this business. They see anything as a weakness, and I know Ziya is a strong, independent woman—but she can't handle this. I don't need her handling this. At least, that's what I should think. There's a small part of me that doesn't care about the moral of it all, when there's a woman like her in my grasp. A part of me wishes that Ziya found out about what I did, and she'll continue this arrangement despite everything. She's tough, and guarded, for sure, but she isn't like the people I associate myself with.

"You're hard."

I glance down at my lap to see nothing.

"Just fucking with you," Talon smirks, "but you do like her. What're you gonna do bout it?"

"Silence you, so I can think."

"Why do you have to be so brutal? Are you like this with Ziya?"

***
"I should let you do this by yourself?" Talon grumbles.

He made ten too many jokes, which resulted in me punching him in the chest. I refused to pull over, and that got me complaints instead. I was close to shoving him out of the car, but he'd find his way back, and give me shit all week if he wanted to. I ignore his whining as I pull into a secluded part of the prison. Talon grabs the clothes from the back, flinging a hat into my lap.