Page 12 of Nemesync
“Get out; I’ll accompany you upstairs.”
“So pleasant to talk to you after such a pleasant journey,” I said with a fake smile.
“Follow me and drop the attitude.”
0/5 for the Uber…
“Okay, relax...”
I followed him as he headed towards a door leading to an elevator. He held the elevator door irritably, while I put my headphones in my bag, turned it off, and rearranged my hair behind me.
“I really don’t have time,” he breathed, annoyed.
“I didn’t ask you to escort me here. Nikolai could have just sent me the address or even sent someone else who would be less…psychotic.”
He moved to the back of the elevator after entering a code and positioned himself in the corner, casting a glance at me before saying with a smirk, “No, it had to be me.”
The elevator went up, and the seconds seemed endless with him behind me and the mirror in front showing how uncomfortable I was because of him.
He and Nikolai were completely different. Nikolai was more talkative, more open, if I may say so. He was more agreeable, and his eyes only amplified what I thought of him.
This one, on the other hand, looked at me harshly as if at any moment he would jump on me and finish me off. He was an over-thinker; it showed in his behavior, the way he leaned against the elevator’s wall, his vacant gaze.
Sometimes he focused on his thoughts, and then his gaze drifted towards me.
The elevator doors finally opened as we found ourselves directly in an office, and Nikolai was there on the phone in front of the large windows. Dressed in a shirt and classic pants, he had rolled up his sleeves. Just as clean as the last time I saw him.
He heard the elevator arriving and turned around, “I’ll call you back later,” he said into the phone. He then gave me a small smile as the man behind me headed towards a table next to Nikolai.
“Hello, I hope the journey wasn’t too long and that it was pleasant,” Nikolai greeted, gesturing for me to join them at the table.
“Thanks to your kind colleague, of course, the journey went well,” I replied.
Nikolai chuckled and remarked, “I’m sorry, I didn’t have a choice but to send him. Judging by your outfit, I suppose my dear colleague here interrupted one of your activities?”
I glanced towards the ‘dear colleague’ whose name I still didn’t know and sighed, “Indeed, but it’s hard to say no when you’re under threat,” I said, glaring at him.
For a brief moment, I thought I saw his lips move, and the side of his mouth lifted.
“Yes, I know he can be very authoritarian at times. Come, sit with us. Do you need anything?”
“No, thank you.”
I needed to eat, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it. With my diabetes, I have to keep an eye on my blood sugar levels. After my morning run, I hadn’t had a chance to grab a bite. I felt hesitant to speak up about it, especially in front of them. But it’s nothing I can’t handle; I just need to keep my sugar levels steady.
I positioned myself to face the psycho and be next to Nikolai. Both seemed oddly comfortable together.
Here I am again, analyzing them.
Were they brothers? I doubted it. But the man didn’t seem sociable enough to be friends with someone as outgoing as Nikolai. And that name too, ‘Nikolai’ is a Russian name, but he’s the Don. So many questions.
My curiosity grew about the man at the end of the table, nearly reclined in his chair, fingers idly toying with something pointed—perhaps a knife? He maintained the same posture as he had at the bar, hand grazing his beard or jaw, eyes fixed on me. Normal people would stop if they were caught looking at us.But not him. In his eyes, there was distrust, a lot of hatred, and a black veil that prevented me from seeing more than that.
I hated not being able to read people. It was the only talent I had, and it was so frustrating that someone could be as incredulous and as stoic as he was. He was impenetrable, and I could only see what he allowed me to see.
My reflections were interrupted by Nikolai’s voice, “As you already know, we need your help. We are looking for the men who were there that night.”
Talking about it made my stomach churn.
