The Nullifier

by Erin M. Leaf

  “He did.” Zero chuckled. “I was the client. I liked that one too much to let it fall into some grubby drug dealer’s ignorant hands.”

  Ignoring them, Felix headed towards the bar on the far wall.

  “Make yourself at home, Felix,” Zero said, watching Felix attack the glasses on the bar. “No need to be polite and wait for me to offer refreshments.”

  “We’ve known each other for decades, Zero. Give it a rest.” Felix poured himself a shot of something, then turned and lifted his glass in question. “Thirsty?”

  Zero sighed, clearly pushing away his annoyance. He shook his head. “Nothing for me, especially not if I’m to provide protection to this lovely lady.” He took Jenna’s hand and bowed over it. “Can I offer you a drink? Water? Vodka?”

  Jenna stared at him, visibly confused. “No, thank you.”

  “So polite.” Zero grinned at her. “This favor of yours I am doing…” He paused, turning to Felix. “After this, we will be even-steven, yes?”

  Felix laughed. “Not a chance, and you know it.”

  Zero frowned. “So dramatic, even after all this time.”

  “You know as well as I do that neither of us can keep track of who owes the other what anymore, Zero,” Felix said.

  Zero smirked. “True.”

  Nick slid his blade back into its sheath, feeling silly for walking around with it. He ran a hand over his face, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Felix and Zero knew each other, and knew each other quite well, at that. “How the hell do you two know each other?”

  “He handles my contracts,” Felix said, not really answering Nick’s question.

  “And I handle them very well, indeed,” Zero added, sitting on the sofa. “There is a great deal of money to be made in the business of killing people.” He ignored Jenna’s gasp, and continued. “However, I fear dear Felix is losing interest in his profession, yes?”

  Felix grimaced. “Perhaps.”

  “Retirement, then?” Zero cocked his head delicately. “That might be very challenging for you, Felix. You grow bored rather easily.”

  The man is at least two-hundred fifty pounds of pure muscle. How the hell does he manage to look feminine? Nick wondered, staring at Zero. The man wore black jeans, thick boots, and a tight t-shirt. Well, not exactly feminine. Refined, maybe. In another situation, he might have tried hitting on Zero, but after meeting Felix, he had no interest in it.

  Felix shrugged, but didn’t speak.

  “Wait. Felix kills people?” Jenna whispered, gaze darting from Felix to Nick.

  Nick sighed at the expression on her face. He’d worried she’d be upset about this. “Yeah.”

  “Oh my God.” Jenna tried to pull away from him, but Nick wouldn’t let her go.

  “Calm down. He’s not going to kill you,” Nick said, suddenly annoyed with the entire situation.

  “Listen to your brother, my dear. Felix is definitely not going to kill you,” Zero said, smiling. “He’s going to kill your boyfriend, Quincy Edwards.”

  ****

  Felix eyed the bottle of whiskey, tempted to knock back another shot. The first one still burned in his gut, and he sighed, knowing that he couldn’t afford the lack of focus. Not now, not ever, he mused, gaze drifting back to Nick. He’d had sex with a man, and that didn’t upset him nearly as much as finding out that Nick wasn’t some innocent bystander in the world. He robs people. And he’s very good at it, or I would’ve picked up on his choice of careers when I first met him. He ran a finger along the bar. “How long?” he asked, unable to stop himself. He had to know.

  Nick frowned at him. He’d just managed to get his sister to sit down next to Zero.

  Maybe she’s decided that Zero is the least dangerous of all of us, Felix thought, bitterly amused. If only she knew the truth.

  “What?” Nick asked him, settling down on the sofa’s arm. His sister looked like she didn’t know whether to lean into her brother, or away from him.

  “How long have you been in the business?” Felix asked, already knowing that it didn’t fucking matter. I should be relieved, not angry, he told himself. Nick’s easy acceptance of Felix’s profession made sense, now. Nick’s dishonesty … well. That could be what had Felix’s guts in such a fucking twist.

  “Five, almost six years,” Nick replied, rubbing his arm. Felix figured that his gunshot wound had started to itch, so he knew it was healing, but it annoyed him to see Nick fussing with it. He should never have been shot in the first place.

  “What does it matter how long I’ve been working?” Nick asked, narrowing his eyes.

  “Do you like it?” Felix wanted to take the question back as soon as they left his mouth. What did he care? He’d see Nick and his sister through their little problem, collect the money owed him for Edwards’s head, and disappear.

  Nick blinked. “Yeah,” he said roughly. “I do. There are worse ways to make a living.”

  “Oh God,” Jenna whispered, clearly distraught. She leaned away from her brother. Nick frowned at her.

  Felix shook his head. “Don’t judge, Jenna. It’s not nice.”

  Zero burst out laughing. “Not nice? You sound like my Aunt Millie, scolding her for stealing a cookie.”

  Felix scowled at Zero. “Nick busted his ass to help her. He disrupted his business to help her. He deserves her respect.”

  “Well, now. This situation becomes ever more interesting with every word you utter,” Zero said, still smiling. “This is the most animated I’ve seen you in years, Felix. Why is that, I wonder.”

  Ignoring Zero and his irritating speculations, Felix chanced a glance at Nick. The man was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. Heat seeped into Felix’s cheeks, but he ignored that, too. It didn’t matter what he thought. Ultimately, it was up to Jenna how she wanted to treat her brother, and it was up to Nick how he wanted to deal with it. Dammit. Get your mind back in the game, he told himself, exasperated. You can’t afford to get hung up on this shit right now.

  “Okay,” Zero said, clapping his hands together. “This is how it will go. You will leave sweet Jenna in my care. I will provide protection for several days.” He patted her hand. “Felix and Nick will hunt down the very, very stupid Quincy Edwards, and nullify his participation in Jenna’s life. I will collect my fee, and we will all live happily ever after, yes?”

  Jenna shrank back. “Nullify?”

  “Why, yes. That is what Felix does, my dear,” Zero said, still smiling. “Felix removes problems for our clients. He’s very good at it. And from what I’ve heard, Quincy Edwards is a problem for more than one person.”

  Jenna looked at her brother, but Nick didn’t offer any fake consolation. “The man beat you. He would’ve killed you. As far as I’m concerned, your ex doesn’t have a good reason to live anymore, sis,” Nick said.

  “We could call the police,” she offered tentatively. “Death seems a bit excessive.” She bit her lip and looked down. “I can’t believe we’re actually talking about this.”

  Felix was already shaking his head before she finished speaking. “Do you know what the statistics are for abused women getting help from the cops?”

  Jenna didn’t look up. “Yeah.”

  Felix sighed. “Look. Quincy Edwards is into some rough shit, and you know it. You may not have seen it firsthand, but you knew something wasn’t right with him. I’ve got a contract to take care of the situation. You’ll be free to live your life, and he will never bother you again. If you go to the cops, you’ll what? Maybe get a restraining order?” He rolled his shoulders, exasperated with her hesitation.

  “I know, but still, this is crazy.” Jenna frowned, eyes darting from him to her brother and back to the floor. “And I know that I let this happen to me, and it’s all my fault, but that should mean I get a say in how to handle it, right?”

  “No, you don’t. And you didn’t let any of this happen to you. You are not at fault for someone else’s stupid, evil life choices,” Ni
ck said, pulling her in for a hug.

  Felix watched the siblings, sensing that Nick was talking about far more than just Jenna’s ex-boyfriend.

  “Your ex is an abusive dick,” Nick continued to speak. “You had nothing to do with the way he chose to handle his business or personal life, and you didn’t provoke him. If anyone is to blame, it’s Mom and Dad for being such shitty parents that you thought moving in with Quincy was a better idea than staying with them.” Nick sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Hell, I’m more at fault than you. I should’ve let you move in with me the moment you graduated high school.”

  “Yeah, like that would’ve worked. You’re only four years older than me, Nick. You were living in a dorm. You say this isn’t my fault, but it’s not yours, either,” Jenna said.

  “It is no one’s fault, but you must deal with the fallout anyway,” Zero offered mildly. “It does no good to talk about blame.” He stood up. “Go. Rid the girl of her problem. I will keep her safe. We will watch a fun movie together, yes?” He smiled down at Jenna.

  She smiled tentatively back at him. “You’re sure it’s safe here?”

  “I set the security system up myself. I am the best.” Zero waved a hand at the open space. “We are half underground; the walls are soundproof and lined with steel. I have cameras everywhere. You will be safe here,” he said.

  Jenna looked at Nick questioningly. He nodded at her. “I trust him.”

  “As do I,” Felix added, not that she’d believe a word he said.

  Jenna inhaled, then let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”

  “Excellent. It is time for lunch. I am making sourdough and ham sandwiches. You will help me, Jenna.” Zero put out his hand to her. When Jenna put hers in it, he hauled her up and towed her to the kitchen area. When he reached the counter, he frowned, staring at Nick and Felix. “You are still here? Go, go.” He flapped his hands at them. “I am not feeding the two of you, too.”

  Felix snorted. “I will check in later tonight.”

  Zero nodded. “Of course.”

  Nick walked over to his sister and gave her another hug. “Take care, sis. You know I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She held onto him tightly for a moment. “Don’t get killed.”

  Nick smiled. “Not a chance. I’m very, very careful.”

  “Let’s go,” Felix said, itching to get away. Too much affection on display made him cranky. He’d led a solitary life for a reason.

  “I’ll text Zero tonight, too, to see how you’re doing,” Nick told his sister.

  “Okay.” Jenna smiled at him, then looked at Felix. “Don’t let my brother die.”

  Felix raised his eyebrows. “You’re asking me to protect him?”

  She frowned. “Yes.”

  “I can take care of myself, Jenna,” Nick said, heading for the door. He opened it and waited, clearly expecting Felix to follow him.

  Jenna rolled her eyes, then fixed her gaze back on Felix. “Promise me.”

  Felix regarded her fierce expression and had to smile. He didn’t often make promises, especially ones he couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to keep, but in this case, he’d make an exception. He wanted to keep Nick alive, too, as strange as the sentiment felt. He didn’t form attachments. He didn’t need them, but after last night, he couldn’t deny the curiosity that had him wishing for another night with Nick, and maybe even more than one night.

  “I will do my best,” he said to Jenna, and then, contrary to everything he’d ever done in his solitary life as a killer, he followed Nick out to help him hunt.

  Chapter Eight

  Nick sat in the passenger seat of the truck, wondering when the hell he’d grown so attached to Felix’s continued survival. “You don’t have to come with me,” he said, angling his body towards Felix. “I can take Quincy down by myself.” He still couldn’t believe his sister had asked Felix to protect him. I can take care of myself, but she doesn’t really know that, does she? He wondered if he should’ve told her about his nonstandard career sooner.

  Felix didn’t respond immediately, instead smoothly passing a slower vehicle to their right. Just when Nick was about to repeat himself, Felix shook his head. “I have a contract on him, remember?”

  “Wait? You were serious about that?” Nick asked, struggling to make sense of Felix’s words.

  Felix shrugged. “Didn’t you hear Zero mention his fee?”

  I thought he was talking more generally. Shit. Nick stared at Felix as a chilling thought came to him. “Is that all it is to you? A contract?”

  “Yes.” Felix glanced at him, then shifted into the leftmost lane of the interstate. “No.” He exhaled roughly, hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Fuck. I don’t know what you’re asking me.”

  Nick waited for more, but when Felix remained silent, he sighed. “Talking to you is like pulling teeth.” He couldn’t really blame Felix for being so uncommunicative. It wasn’t like he enjoyed talking about his feelings. He sighed again, wondering what the fuck he thought he was doing. After Quincy was dealt with, what then? Were he and Felix going to date? Hook up? Go their separate ways? Shit. I’ve got to get it together.

  Felix suddenly spoke, interrupting Nick’s thoughts. “What more do you need to know? I’m going to kill Quincy Edwards. You can help. I’ll split the payment with you if you want. The end.”

  “Jesus, Felix.” Nick ran a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I mean,” he said, exasperated with himself and Felix. “And I don’t want your damned money. I don’t need your fucking money. I’m just trying to figure out what the fuck we think we’re doing.” He inhaled. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I had a great time fooling around with you. But what’s next? I don’t know the first thing about you, and that sure as shit didn’t feel like a simple hookup to me.” Nick’s face heated as he ran through what he’d just said. I sound like a girl begging her boyfriend to pay attention to her. Jesus.

  Felix gave no indication that Nick’s outburst bothered him in any way. He shifted back into the slow lane, and then he took the next exit onto a smaller highway dotted with houses and businesses before he spoke. “I grew up in an abusive household. My father killed my mother when I was eighteen. It wasn’t a surprise. He’d been heading that way for a while, and since he was a cop, no one did anything. It was ruled accidental. She fell down the stairs, with help in the form of my dear old man’s hand between her shoulder blades.” Felix laughed bitterly.

  “God, Felix,” Nick muttered, shocked.

  Felix ignored him and kept talking. “I knew if I didn’t keep my mouth shut, he’d kill me, too. The moment I graduated high school I signed up for the Marines. I didn’t set foot anywhere near my father again until he managed to kill himself with booze and a particularly violent gang confrontation in the Bronx. He died a fucking hero, or so everyone thought. I paid for his funeral, retired from the service, and went into business for myself right after, a little over fifteen years ago.”

  Fuck. That’s grim, Nick thought, not sure what to say. “You were a sniper, weren’t you?” he finally asked, still struggling with what Felix had just told him. He thought he’d had it bad when his parents disowned him, but at least his parents were still alive. And my father never hit my mother, let alone killed her. And they weren’t abusive, not really. Not like that.

  “Yeah.” He glanced at Nick. “I’m a lot older than you. I’ve had time to learn how to forget about all that shit.”

  I don’t think he’s forgotten as much as he thinks he has. Nick rubbed his face, but didn’t point that out. “My parents disowned me during my senior year of college, when I told them I was gay.” He didn’t feel all that much younger than Felix, though he knew the man had at least twenty years on him. Getting kicked out and living on the street tends to age you.

  “I know,” Felix said, glancing at him. “I assumed that was the case, after what you said to your sister back at Zero’s.”

  Nick wasn’t sure if he was hearing sympat
hy in Felix’s voice, or just indifference. “Yeah,” he said, tiredly. “It sucked, but at least they weren’t violent. They’re just crazy conservatives.”

  “Kicking a kid out of the house isn’t violent?” Felix asked, sounding surprised. “You were homeless. I never had to deal with that.”

  “I was twenty. Older than you were when you signed up,” Nick pointed out. “I did fine.”

  After a long pause, Felix spoke again. “So, we both had a shit situation to deal with when we were young. We survived.” Felix put on his turn signal and turned right onto a residential street. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. It was a long time ago for me. Decades.”

  “It wasn’t that long ago for me,” Nick muttered, thinking about his sister and his parents. It’d been six years, and he still hated them. He wasn’t sure that would ever change.

  Felix gave him a look. Nick supposed Felix was right to try to repress everything. God knew he didn’t really need all the fucking bitterness littering up his skull. It wasn’t like he kept in touch with his parents. They were out of his life, and he had no intention of ever letting them back inside.

  “Why didn’t you stay in the Marines?” he asked, instead of dwelling on his past. He wanted to know more about Felix.

  “Boredom. And I was tired of dumping sand out of my fucking boots.” Felix slowed, then parked the truck under the canopy of three enormous trees. “We’re here.”

  Nick glanced around. “This is the street where Quincy lives. You really think he’ll still be here? Seems like a stretch, to me.”

  “Dunno, but it’s worth casing his place.” Felix leaned down and pulled a folder out from under his seat. He tossed it onto Nick’s lap.

  “What’s this?”

  “Take a look,” Felix said.

  Nick paged through the papers, then whistled. “Fuck. He’s Robert Edwards’s nephew? How did I not know this?” Robert Edwards was into real estate scams, arms dealing, and a dozen other shady activities. Everyone in the business knew who he was, but not so many people knew he had a nephew. Nick hadn’t. He knew Zero sold a few of his goods to the older man, but Nick had made sure to stay far away from that side of things. The best thief was the one no one knew existed. “Shit. My sister was dating his nephew and I had no clue.” He kept reading. “Quincy was thirty-three? Jesus, he was eleven years older than Jenna.”