Intermix Nation by M.P. Attardo Read Free Book Online Page B

finds the small point in the ring that Nazirah had
thought was only for design.
    Without hesitating, he stabs himself in the
back of the hand with it. Nazirah’s jaw drops open and she doesn’t
even try to hide her shock. Adamek dips the point into the blood
that is now flowing from his small wound. With some difficulty,
because he is still handcuffed, he writes his name on the contract.
Nikolaus had not signed in red ink after all.
    Nazirah thinks she might
pass out. Niko should have warned her that this was going to
happen! He should have prepared her! Just
get him to sign his name , he said. That’s it, he said.
Nazirah is going to give Niko a well-deserved kick in the groin the
next time she sees him.
    Adamek finishes signing the contract and
slides it to her, the blood on his hand already coagulating. He
pulls the chain over his head and tucks it under his jumpsuit.
    Amnesty agreement sealed. Nazirah can leave
and return to headquarters. But she cannot move from her seat,
cannot stop staring at the bloody signatures. And even though she
tries to stop them, her thoughts return to that night. Finding her
parents dead on the floor. Screaming until she was hoarse. Rocking
her lifeless mother in her arms.
    He killed them in cold blood. Bargained for
his freedom in warm blood. And Nazirah wants to spill his life’s
blood.
    She wants to spill every last sticky
drop.
    Adamek tenses. He must know exactly what she
is thinking. Knows the visions that plague her thoughts every day
and haunt her dreams every night. He caused them, after all.
    Nazirah takes a deep breath, reaching for
the contract so she can leave. When he speaks again, his words drip
poison and purpose.
    “You look like her.”
    What the fuck did he just say?
    Nazirah’s head snaps up. Blinded by rage,
she lunges across the table, positive that Solomon is hopping off
his chair and screaming like a banshee down the corridor. Adamek
makes no move to stop her.
    Nazirah’s fingers are barely an inch away
from his throat before she pauses. She holds them there,
outstretched. They itch to close to gap, are dying to make the
spark fade from his eyes. But he said that deliberately to get a
rise out of her. And she refuses to be a pawn in his twisted
game.
    Nazirah pulls her hand away, slamming the
table with her fist, imagining it’s his face. She grabs the
contract, shoves it into her pocket. She walks quickly towards the
door then stops and turns around to face him. Adamek inclines his
head, listening closely.
    “Enjoy your freedom, Morgen,” she spits. “I
hope you choke on it.”
    #
    “What a fucking piece of shit.”
    Cato is livid. He is sitting at his desk,
face red, fuming. The unfinished essay he was writing lies
forgotten beside him. Cato cracks his knuckles menacingly, a habit
that Nazirah hates. Nazirah lies on his bed, staring at the
ceiling. She only returned to headquarters an hour ago. Her head
pounds from stress and lack of sleep. Cato’s angry outbursts every
couple of seconds aren’t helping matters.
    Nazirah sighs in annoyance and exhaustion,
looking out Cato’s window. His room is exactly like hers on the
inside – but at least his view faces the grounds, not a brick wall.
Nazirah went straight to Cato’s room after seeking out Nikolaus in
his office. When Nazirah initially showed up at Cato’s door, he was
irritated, since he thought she was ignoring him. But once she told
him the full story, Cato became outraged. Nazirah is relieved that
he isn’t upset with her anymore, but she would almost prefer him
annoyed. She can’t deal with his ranting right now.
    “We’ve established that my brother sucks,”
Nazirah says, exasperated. “Can we move on?”
    Unlike Nazirah, Cato took some of the
comforts of home with him. Several pictures of his former life in
Rafu are displayed throughout his room. Nazirah glances at a photo
of Cato smiling with his two siblings, before picking another one
up from his nightstand. It is one of Nazirah’s