Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Oliver’s hand shot immediately to the knife lying next to the letters. He grabbed it and jammed it into the wooden table.

"What next time?"

Nathaniel didn't even flinch and Oliver hissed, tightening his hold around the handle.

“You know perfectly well what I mean.” The man said, hit tone borderline sympathetic. That made Oliver’s blood boil even more and he said, all emotion gone from his voice.

"You said this will be my last mission,"

"What did you exactly think- that you'd leave everything and start a normal life?"

Oliver’s mind went blank.

“No…”

“Oliver, look...”

"No…You were never actually planning on letting me go, did you?" He said, surrendering whatever plans he’d been holding on to. Nathaniel placed his palms on the table and began speaking.

Oliver knew what was following, his boss always did that when he was about to tell him something. Nathaniel had already decided, but he was still going to talk Oliver into something else, he'd still give his dog the false sense that it had a choice.

"God, I'm so stupid. "

He loosened his hold from around the handle and dropped his hand "No, I'm not doing this anymore. This is the last time you use me for something. "

"You know this is not how it works, boy."

"And you said it would be the end. After everything that happened in Liverpool. "

"This has nothing to do with it."

"It does. It's has everything to do with it!"

Oliver almost shouted and Nathaniel continued evenly.

"I picked you up from the slums. Don't forget that."

"I can't.  You make sure you remind me about it every damn time."

" You need to know where you stand and face reality. It’s that simple and makes things easier for all of us. “

Oliver hated all of this.

“After your father died, “ Nathaniel continued, “you were out on the streets, robbing people Oliver. I helped you join the army, then you began working for me.I got you out from the High Rip gang, you will be forever indebted to me."

Oliver got up, almost flipping the table as he raised up.

"And you got me back there a few years later!"

"To investigate one of them."

He bent over the table and tried to make himself sound like he was back in control.

"Do you have any idea what it was like there? Mission? Investigation? I was one of them for a whole year because of this. No, it was more than a year and you didn’t care! "

He'd raised his voice again, despite trying not to and Nathaniel said slowly. "But we caught their leader. The one we'd been trying to catch for more than that  year you're talking about. "

"Not we. I did. I served him to you on a silver platter. "

Nathaniel spread his arms open "Fine. You did. "

"You can't even imagine how much it cost me. "

"Believe me, I can. "

"No, no you can't. “ He hissed “Because you left me there and I couldn't get in touch with you. "

"I couldn't just meet you, or send someone. It was too dangerous to involve more people."

"It was dangerous?" Oliver laughed incredulously.”How do you know?”

"Oliver, I knew you were the only one who could do it and get out there alive. Seeing you here now proves I've been right. "

"And now you're telling me that after I'm done with this, I have to go somewhere else again? "

Oliver ran his hand through his hair. "It's over. After this, it's over. "

"You don't understand ."

"No, you don't understand." He picked the knife out of the table and pointed it at Nathaniel. The man only laughed.

"Everything you have you owe to me. If it wasn't for me, your sister would've been whoring herself, just like all other women coming from where you are. "

"Don't. you. dare bring my sister into this." Oliver said slowly.

"I only remind you who you are. You can put that knife down, you can't do anything, anyway. "

They locked their eyes and Oliver lowered his hand.

Nathaniel was right.He couldn’t do anything, not now. The man continued, his tone and expression completely transformed.

"I am more concerned with something else."

"Oh, really? What?"

" I honestly don't know where all this comes from. When you were paying for Emma's education with the money you got from working for me, everything seemed fine. "

Oliver clenched his hand again, helplessly. Nathaniel tilted his head "What's changed, Noll? "

"Don't call me that. And nothing's changed, we had a deal. "

"It has. Get rid of whatever you have hopes for. This isn't like you.” He paused, “Or it’s something else. Did you really believe you could put a clean shirt on and kiss a few ladies' hands and what? Become someone else? Life isn't fair Oliver. You know that better than anyone.  It is that beautiful lover we had for a short while who slips away and we can't do anything about it. We think the reason behind it was because we couldn't understand it. It's much simpler than that. We just weren't fit for it."

Oliver didn't speak a word and the officer continued "Tell me what were you thinking, going on holiday trips with the youngest one? "

"I had to. It was necessary "

"To what? The investigation? Or for you to learn how to hold a silver knife or a fork?"

Oliver gathered himself and looked at the police department's head. He'd gotten older since they first met, but the man was still as intimidating as he'd been ten years ago. He was as ruthless as he had been years ago too. If not more.

"Do you realize what's on stake, Oliver? Don't let...a few afternoons spent in the countryside cloud your mind."

"They aren't."

"I should really hope so.Attachments are a weakness, you have one already, but she’s your family."

Nathaniel eyed him and Oliver tried not to think or try to guess how much the man knew. He was perfectly aware they probably had people everywhere.

"You've always been among our best-trusted men. My best-trusted man." his boss continued, "And don't forget I'm one of the few people who know who you really are. "

"What are you telling me?"

"I'll say it one last time -you can't just quit. "Nathaniel made a wide gesture around the place "or something very bad might happen to your sister. "

"You ..."

"Keep your head clear, boy. The way you've done so far."

Nathaniel shook his head said "Do you know what's one of the first things I learned when I became the head of the Police?"

"That it's corrupted too?"

"I will pretend I didn't hear you. You sound like Jonh. But no." He leaned closer " What I learned is that justice is subjective. And it lays in the hands of the stronger party. You've already made a choice, or it was pre-made for you. We don't get to choose where we were born. But don't make me show you what happens to those who disagree with me. Besides, you're like my son."

"Oh, don't give me that. "

" A secret one, but a son." Nathaniel continued as if he hadn't heard Oliver's remark. " I want you to get safe out of this,"

"Hah, of course you do."

Nathaniel looked at him, his frown deepening and he said.

“Oliver, I’ve never spared the truth for you. I don’t know what’s happening in your head, but you need to understand the Lord is just someone who considers himself another misunderstood, unfitting royal. It’s a temporary understanding for him. “

Oliver dug his fingers in his palm

“While you, “ his superior continued, “are a stray dog with a confused sense of loyalty. You’re not honest even in your own mind, so I don’t expect you to say anything. I just sincerely hope that loyalty of yours hasn’t become misplaced by now. And if you disagree with everything I just said, then you, and him, are surprisingly naïve. “

After olvier didn’t object, Nathanile said , “I want this to be over as quickly as possible too, believe me. “

Oliver finally said “It's almost over."

He had to admit Nathaniel had been right about one thing- people like him couldn't escape their past. They didn't belong elsewhere.

He'd always known that.

What was different now was he wished it wasn't so.