Each of Toby's points, valid as they were, just made Miko want to kill Bradley more. To punish him for everything he'd put Toby through, making him this scared, making him think these things. Miko couldn't let Bradley live. He wouldn't. And after all of Toby's protests, trembling in the face of Miko's violence against Emmett, Miko remembered what came next. It wasn't fear. It was closeness. Desire.
Pulling Toby to his feet, Miko roughly kissed him which seemed to have the same hypnotic effect as the alcohol on what Miko imagined was a very empty stomach. He hauled the bag up onto his shoulder from the bed. “We will figure it out.” Miko hadn't hurt Ophelia to free her. It just looked like he did.
By the time they got checked in the bottle of schnapps was half empty and Toby was unsteady on his feet, but he still insisted on taking a shower. He did not want company. Miko drank some himself and stood at the window overlooking the city while he called Nasir. He could hear yelling in the background. “You are questioning him?”
“I did earlier,” Nasir said. “Now he's just shouting commands at me. I think his family neglected to teach him manners.”
“I will teach him.” Miko smirked at his reflection in the glass.
“And what does Toby have to say about that?”
Watching his reflection twitch, Miko said, “He is upset. He will come around.”
“And what is it that 'coming around' entails, exactly? Or not coming around, as the case may be.”
“He does not want me to do what I must do.”
“You specifically or in general?”
“Both. But mostly me I think. He feels for the wife.”
“Well it does have to be done. After speaking with him, I believe Toby was very fortunate not to get hurt by this man.”
“He did get hurt.” Miko glanced up when Toby came out of the bathroom in a towel, and he pulled the curtains shut so he could have privacy. “You can stay there for while longer?” he asked Nasir as Toby watched him with sorrowful eyes.
“Yes, as long as you need. I can take care of it altogether if you'd like.”
“That will not be necessary.” He hung up, watching Toby get dressed. “You are okay?”
“No.” Toby wiped his face and started putting on his shoes.
“Where are you going?”
“I'm leaving,” he said, his voice catching in his throat.
Miko stood in front of him, only realizing he was holding the bottle like a weapon after Toby leaned back. He sat beside him. “Do you know what Nas said? That you were 'very fortunate not to get hurt' by him. He would have killed you. Shot you with your gun.”
Tears streaked down Toby's face and he quickly brushed them away with the back of his hand. His finger was dripping with blood, no longer bandaged. “Maybe he should have.”
Miko turned away from the sight, his stomach churning. “You do not mean that. You have drank too much. You are melancholy.”
In an attempt to make Toby look at him Miko reached to hold his face but Toby wrenched away and nearly fell off the bed with his lack of coordination. “I've meant every word I've said tonight. Have you heard any of it?”
What Miko heard was slurring. And an opportunity. “What if it was someone else? Someone not me?” Toby blinked drowsily, giving Miko his attention but not eye contact. “You still have the money in the suitcase?”
“For what?”
“For your business. To keep your business.”
“To kill him?”
“If it was not me, would you be okay with this?”
“Nasir?” Toby shook his head, the schnapps clearly slowing him down. “But you don't want him to kill anyone else.”
“Not Nasir.” Miko knew he should feel guilty for taking advantage of Toby's condition, the alcohol and all the emotion of the evening affecting his judgment, but fury was affecting Miko's judgment and he was the one with experience in these matters. Toby was too sweet. Trusting. Gullible. That's why this had happened in the first place. If he didn't have Miko to take care of him, he would be dead already.
“Your friends?”
“I can call them right now.”
“Do it,” Toby said with an assertiveness that would've turned Miko on if he was actually ordering Bradley's death rather than challenging Miko's lie.
Miko smiled, thinking himself quite clever as he dialed Frank's number that he knew by heart. Frank spoke German. Toby didn't. But like the last time he'd thought he was being clever in Frank's company, he was quickly and painfully corrected.
“Yes, we'll do it,” Frank said before Miko got a chance to explain that he needed an alibi so he could fix the problem himself, rather than an assassin to fix it for him. “You do owe Vincent a job, after all.”
“But—”
“You need to go through Joe though. Make it official. Nasir's already briefed him. He's on his way.”
“But—”
“See you soon.”
Miko lowered the phone as the call disconnected, aware that Toby was staring at him expectantly. Aware that Joe did not speak German. “He said he will do but I have to go through Joe.”
“Well I could've told you that,” Toby said, proving once again that Miko would never have a career in espionage.
Taking another swig of schnapps, Miko begrudgingly called Joe. “Nasir is going to make a great associate,” Joe said in greeting.
“Yes,” Miko grumbled.
“Go ahead and say what you need to say. I'm assuming you're being watched?”
“I have problem that I cannot take care of myself.” The worry lines were starting to smooth out on Toby's forehead as he believed what he wanted to believe, and Miko continued, “Maybe you can have this go away?”
“Going away probably isn't the best route, but we'll meet tomorrow to discuss it. Considering the situation, I think I should prep your friend as well.”
“You want to meet Toby?” he asked with his own worry lines. Toby looked at him questioningly, but there was no more doubt on his face over Miko's ruse.
“Standard protocol, you're both involved as clients. I don't have to, but there's always a possibility that someone comes poking around and he should be ready for that.”
Miko smiled, imagining that Joe was doing everything in his power to help Miko convince Toby he wasn't lying when really Joe was just doing his job. “Okay, we see you tomorrow.”
“One o'clock? The entrance sign to Public Garden?”
“You are familiar with the city?”
“I've met clients there before. We'll find time to speak privately as well.”
“Yes. Very good.” Miko hung up and Toby threw his arms around his neck, no longer doubting him. Trusting him. Miko held him back, the guilt he should've been feeling all evening finally setting in. He stroked Toby's hair and said, “It will be okay.” It could've just been the light in the room, but Miko thought he saw a strand of white.
Miko's fatigue finally caught up with him and he slept late into the morning. Toby was just starting to stir himself, rolling over in Miko's arms and groaning. “Why did you let me drink so much?”
“You needed it,” Miko said. And Miko had needed Toby intoxicated to believe him. “Do you want water?”
“Fuck!” Toby sprang out of bed. “It's eleven thirty!”
“We have until one.”
Toby pulled on his pants while Miko was barely sitting up. “The bank closes at noon!”
Rubbing his face, Miko asked, “Bank?” not understanding the urgency until betrayal flashed on Toby's face. The suitcase was in the safe deposit box. The suitcase Miko had no intention of using. “Uh...it is okay. We do not have to get right away. Joe trusts me.”
“Does he,” Toby stated accusingly. A hangover was not nearly as useful in convincing Toby he was telling the truth.
“Of course, yes.” Miko went to get Toby some water, briefly considering how much schnapps he could get in it without having Toby notice. But Toby hardly needed alcohol to alter his mind, taking a handful of p
ills with the water and continuing to get dressed without a word. “Are you nervous to meet him?”
“Are we actually going to meet him?”
“At Public Garden. Entrance sign.” Miko kissed the top of Toby's head and gave him his best not-lying-to-you smile. “I am going to take quick shower. Okay?”
Toby looked away. “Yeah.”
Miko did his best to make himself presentable, deciding that glasses and a suit were not appropriate since he wasn't killing Bradley until that evening and it would only raise suspicion. Plus Toby was dressed casually, and looked hungover, and that was a far more inconspicuous fashion statement for a Saturday afternoon.
Toby was in the exact spot Miko had left him, gazing down at his hands. The blood was still there. Miko wondered whether Toby saw it too.
“You are doing her a favor,” Miko said. “The baby too. He is not good man.”
“He certainly has her fooled.”
“He is psychopath. They are good liars.”
“Lucky for me you're a terrible one.”
Somehow the implication was not lost on Miko. “I am not like him.”
Toby finally raised his eyes to him, bloodshot and swollen from crying, and he had that same look of longing that he'd had when they first parted at the airport three years ago. When Toby had said, “Goodbye, little spoon” and let him go. “I believe you,” Toby said.
Miko was starting to wish he didn't.
Even though they were early, Joe was already waiting for them. “Is that him?” Toby asked, his grip on Miko's hand getting a little tighter.
“Yes.”
“He looks nice.”
“He is nice.” Miko was glad he'd dressed casually since Joe was too, and Joe nodded towards a bench before heading in that direction. Joe was seated by the time they caught up with him and Miko wondered if that was to put Toby at ease or Miko. Until Joe had spotted them Miko hadn't realized just how much he needed Joe to approve of Toby. To accept him as Hector couldn't. “I forgot to go to the bank,” Miko admitted even though he hadn't intended to.
Joe snickered. “I know you're good for it. Have a seat.” Miko sat beside him, bringing Toby along as an extension of his arm. He could feel Toby shaking. “So you're what all the fuss is about,” Joe said. Toby blushed severely but he managed an embarrassed smile. “All right, what I've gathered thus far is there's a high profile threat that needs to be handled with some delicacy.”
Miko resisted the urge to tell Joe how cool he sounded. “He needs to disappear.”
Whether or not Joe noticed Toby tense, he quickly countered Miko's request. “No, for something like this you need a touch of scandal. It's the wife we're worried about, right?” Toby nodded, Joe's strategic use of the word “we” making them allies. “Here is what I propose: he's found at an hourly motel, alcohol, cocaine, leave little to the imagination on what he was doing there and with whom. Things got out of hand with a lady of the night, her pimp comes along, and the wife misses him just a teeny bit less when he's gone.”
Toby gaped at him in disbelief, then slowly nodded again. “You are good at this!” Miko interjected, trying not to sound so enthusiastic about someone's death in Toby's presence.
Joe continued, “You catered events for him?”
“Yes,” Toby said. He wasn't shaking anymore.
“But you weren't at the last one. Have you missed any others?”
Lowering his head a bit like he felt guilty over missing work, Toby said, “Yes.”
“Good. Then it's not unusual. Did you tell anyone why you weren't there?”
“No, um, Shan—my general manager covers for me. Usually when I'm with Miko.”
“Okay, you're not likely to be questioned but here's the story: Miko was getting home that night from Spain and you wanted to be there. You baked him something nice, burned it...” Toby flinched and looked away. Miko tried not to smirk. “And the apartment still smelled like smoke so you got a hotel room. Don't offer any information about being away from the apartment when he got home. If they catch you in a lie, admit that you went to work to finish baking but you were worried about getting in trouble for using business resources for personal purposes.”
“What was he doing in Spain?” Toby asked without missing a beat.
“He and his friend were meeting a prospective buyer for the factory Nasir owns.”
“Why not fly into Portugal?”
“Madrid was cheaper. If a buyer needs to be arranged we've got it covered. Any questions?”
Looking around, Toby took a deep breath and asked, “Will it be...bad?”
“It will be authentic. The nice thing about politicians is they're good at keeping things out of the news, so you probably won't hear much about it.”
Toby closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”
Joe stood, his knees creaky like Hector's were. “Pleasure meeting you, despite circumstances. Miko, why don't you walk me to my car and we can finalize this.”
Miko stood too, giving Toby an encouraging smile as he followed Joe. “You like him?” he asked hopefully.
“He's smart. Too smart for what you're trying to get past him.”
Miko twitched, pleased and offended over what Joe said. “I have to do this.”
“Whatever you have planned for him, however bad you want to hurt him for what he's done, know that Frank and Vincent would do that and worse without any sort of grudge against the man. Much less taking into consideration that we look out for our own.”
“I am your own?” Miko bounced a bit. Joe politely pretended not to notice.
“If you want my advice, let them handle it. Have dinner with them tonight, and if you still want to do it that's okay too, but I will say that bringing Vincent cookies would soften the blow of having this job dangled in front of him and taken away.”
Miko knew the feeling. And there was an entire apartment filled with cookies at home.
But Toby started throwing everything in the garbage the minute they got there.
“What are you doing?” Miko gasped.
“He could've touched any of this.”
“But I was going to bring some for Blondie.”
Toby paused in his path of destruction. “You're meeting with them?”
“Yes?” Miko had the strangest feeling his lie was revealing itself.
“For what?”
“Just to see them since they are here. My friends. For dinner.”
Toby gave him a wounded look. “You're planning to do this with them?”
“No,” Miko said truthfully.
“No,” Toby repeated. “Because if they were doing the job you would need to pay them.” He sighed and started writing down a list “You're all liars, I don't know why I thought Joe would be any different.”
“Toby—”
“Here,” Toby handed him the list. “Go shopping. I'll bake him his fucking cookies. I have to scrub this place first.”
“I can help you clean,” he tried.
“I think you've helped me enough, Miko.”
Miko nodded and accepted his dismissal, hoping that flowers would cheer Toby up but all of the flowers at the store were red and made him feel sick, and Miko was too embarrassed to ask the clerk what color they really were. Cleaning was wise at least. They needed to remove any traces that Bradley had been there, and Toby was very good at cleaning up messes. Miko's mess just kept getting worse.
There was barely enough time for baking when Miko got home, and he sat at the kitchen table watching Toby cook. He didn't have the heart, or the courage, to tell him that it smelled horrible. Miko was fairly certain it was all in his mind anyway until Toby dropped the plate in front of him. Miko flinched back with revulsion at the steak, the blood overflowing on the plate. “For you.” He set down a nice bag of cookies tied with a ribbon beside it. “And for your friend.” Miko swallowed down the bile that threatened its way up, closing his eyes and putting a candy in his mouth. It had been in the freezer for so long it was
a wonder that Toby would even deign to serve it, but perhaps he was not as enthusiastic about using a gun again to make his point after Bradley had stolen it. “I...I do not need that.”
“I really want that to be true,” Toby said tearfully.
Miko picked up the cookies and stood, just wanting to be away from that plate. “It is,” he said, and he kissed Toby's cheek with his eyes closed because he was covered in blood too. “I will be home soon. Just...dinner.” He rushed out of the apartment, nearly making it to the car before throwing up.
Unlike Joe, Frank and Vincent were not already there when Miko arrived. He was glad for it, taking the time to steady himself and rinse his face in the bathroom. “He can come to terms with this,” Miko said to himself. “Given enough time, he can come to terms with anything.”
Miko didn't think he'd ever come to terms with Toby cooking steak.
He went and got a table, wanting to order cinnamon schnapps but they didn't have any so he just got water instead. He set the cookies on the table, and they were promptly snatched up as Blondie hopped into the booth across from him. “For me?” Blondie asked, already untying the ribbon.
Frank smiled and sat beside his husband. “That was very nice of you.”
Miko nodded. He wasn't feeling very nice.
None of them looked at a menu. Blondie ordered the special, Frank got a cup of coffee, and Miko automatically ordered a steak even though he had no intention of doing so. Frank gave him a curious glance but Blondie didn't seem fazed at all. “I thought you were a vegetarian,” Frank said in German after the waitress returned with his coffee.
“It is...ritual before job.”
“You are planning to do it yourself then?”
Miko twitched. The Mako Shark would never let this go. “What would you do? If someone hurt him?” He nodded towards Vincent, who had not wasted any time with the cookies.
Taking a sip of his coffee, Frank nonchalantly said, “Cut off his dick and feed it to him.”
“Oh.” Miko set his hands in his lap. Maybe Joe had a point about Frank's brutality. Miko hadn't questioned Blondie's.
The Mercy of the Mako Shark Page 23
