Page 31 (1/2)

Nora looks up at the cahts I feel like she’s looking right at e to talk to her again I don’t knohy, but the need is strong and I find rins as if she knows so and I look away froazine A cigarette is tucked behind his ear A cup of coffee sits on the table next to his elbow

He still hasn’t spoken toto annoy er between the pages and flips one over casually "Yeah I do," he says cal up "Haven’t I always been?"

"Yeah, actually you’re a pro at being a dick," I say, "but I think I prefer the rude, mouthy you over this silent-treat you a choice" He flips another page

I sigh "Niklas, what happened to Claire isn’t my fault"

"Never said it was" He still hasn’t looked up, or raised his tone above I-don’t-really-give-a-shit

"But why do you hate me so much? Because she died? Can your brother not be happy?"

Finally he looks up and his eyes lock onto er

"Happy?" He smiles with mock disbelief "There are a handful of words that don’t really apply to this kind of life, Izabel"--it actually stings this time that he doesn’t call me Izzy--"and ‘happy’ is one of them That’s for people hite picket fences and bratty kids n’ shit"

He closes the azine and tosses it on the table; it lands on a keyboard Then he leans forward; the smile still present on his unshaven face now laced with mockery "What was it that Nora said to you when you were in there with her, before the audio was turned off? Inexperienced, overly confident and too far in over your head--it was soht"

I sn th to keep it froain and crosses his arht knee

"You never should’ve been brought here," he goes on "You never should’ve been allowed to knoe do,you could do it too You don’t just decide one day that you want to be a contract killer, or a professional spy And you never will be You may hold your own on some missions, you may ‘prove your worth’"--he ers--"but you’ll never be on my brother’s level, or on mine, no matter how much you train because you weren’t born into this life or started training young" He shakes his head, glances at the surveillance room door and then says, "Do you really think that Victor has ever once"--he points a finger upward--"trusted you to go on a mission without him or one of us to protect you? Think about it--have you been on a mission alone? Has Victor ever sent you out alone?" He shakes his head again, this tiue sreen eyes "And he never will Even when you think you’re alone you know his azine back up and opens it to the center "A solo mission will never happen At least not until he realizes that you need to die, then he’ll send you out on your own It’ll be easier for hi you hih h flesh and bone My sto tier for his cruel words, but out of shame because I believe them Deep down I think I’ve always believed the up "I’m a bastard in the technical sense, too, because my brother killed our father Can you kill soory die? Because it’s in all our best interests that she does, and you know it This never should’ve happened, Izabel Family members and ex-wives--ties to the outside are just weaknesses"