Chapter Four
James felt like he probably didn’t want to know about this game. But he still had to ask, “What game?” Since he felt a bit horrified at where he was and who he was with in this unholy below ground lair...he decided to lighten the subject. “Wait... let me guess.”
Bane shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He did not look surprised at Jame’s stunt. The man always tried to lighten the macabre that was Bane’s existence.
“It’s called Wheel of Misfortune, right?
” James snarked. “Where the player gets strung up and has to buy a vowel. If he guesses wrong, he gets a slice of the scalpel...the one I KNOW is here in this room somewhere. Then he loses a part of his bowel.” He jiggled his brows for emphasis. “Get the rhyme? Vowel for a bowel?”
“Interesting concept and I kinda like it too,” Bane commented. “But no.”
“No?” James asked. “Ok, how about The Vice Is Right!” James chuckled with this one. “You get to spin the wheel and see just what limb you are gonna lose next.” He smiled overbrightly.
Bane almost smiled back now. “No, but I like that one too.”
“Ok, ok. Last guess. Jeopardy! Huh? Right? Like that one is so self-explanatory.” James laughed.
Bane actually smirked. “Very clever for a man who detests torture. But no, it is an oldy but a goody. Truth or Dare. We ask a question and if he can’t tell the truth then he has to take the dare.” Bane’s eyes actually lit up with some kind of feeling that would be hard to describe.
James shivered at the look in Bane’s eyes.
Like he always does when that telltale bit of gold color stands out from the hazel very brightly.
He didn’t like the thoughts running through his head now about the dare part.
He mentally pushed them aside as he had no anti-nausea meds on him presently.
“I can see that you really like the dare process.”
Bane raised a brow and didn’t deny or confirm this summation.
“When will the others get here?” James finally asked as he knew the kidding was only gonna go so far.
“They were going to fly down so they should be here anytime.” Bane shrugged.
“Do they know where to come and how to get inside?” James queried.
Bane nodded. “Yes, they know. I showed this place to Bastain already. He also knows what and who we’re up against as well. We can’t afford any mistakes here and I want Bastain to handle the truth or dare part of things. We need to break Dominic. And as you know, we unfortunately can’t kill him.”
“Yes, I get it. Sergi wants him to face the Council as well as LaDonna and Killian. But what about this Oleg guy?” James asked. “What is the Council going to do about him, you think?”
Bane just stared at him then said, “It’s best not to ask, because if I understand it right. The Russian operatives in Moscow make me look like a god damned choir boy. So if they catch him, I don’t think he’ll ever see home again.”
James was dumbfounded. “Can the Council really do that?? I read some reports on him. Doesn’t this guy have some clout in his country?”
“Yes, but if Sergi is right and I’m betting he is, this Oleg guy also has a long list of crimes against the Russian State to deal with as well.
” Bane took a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to James.
“I need you to run down the numbers on here and tell me who they are and what they might mean to Dominic. So far, we know two names, Oleg Partross and Dominic Russo. What we need to find out is if there are any more names and people involved. We also need to connect the dots and figure out how LaDonna Rinc and Dominic are connected. I need to know without a doubt why Dominic thought he could come into Sergi’s world and demand that he release LaDonna.
Also, I know Dominic set it up but who was behind that sign that threatened to drop a bomb on the Bratva. ”
“Well, you aren’t asking for much, are ya?” James quipped dryly as he took the phone from Bane’s grasp.
“But look at who I’m asking,” Bane quipped back. “A monumental genius in his own right. A brave soul, fighting for good against evil. A superhero in his own mind—”
James raised his hand up to halt the smartass list. “Ok, ok. I get it. Although I am all of those things and I am a superhero for sure. But we do not have time to list all of my wonderful qualities.” He laughed.
“Oh, good. I mean I do love fiction but we do not have time for all that fantasy really.” Bane smirked.
“Ha-freakin-Ha,” James retorted dryly.
They left the playroom and went back to the living area.
James went over to the computer area and set up his laptop. Then he sat down to type in commands.
Bane headed to the kitchen area and started a pot of coffee. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night. When the coffee was done he took a cup to James.
James murmured his thanks.
Bane just shook his head. He realized that James wasn’t even thinking about the coffee, he was busy digging.
There had been countless times when he’d seen the man disappear like the Ghoster name entailed.
His presence would leave the room so to speak as he hunted for whatever they needed to use as a weapon against some bad guy or crime organization.
Then as to Bane’s comments to the genius part...That wasn’t a joke. James bordered on being the best in the world at research.
Bane drank his coffee then went back to the torture room to check all the implements over. It had been months since he’d been here. He looked in drawers and cabinets.
The man he hired to watch over the place, Jack, was a certified specialist in the military at one time.
He was in his 70’s now so he played onsite security for Bane.
He had scared off a few intruders over the years.
Mostly homeless people. At first, Bane had instructed him to set these few homeless men up in their own places.
Most didn’t know that Bane spent about one million a year on resettling people that could be helped.
He also secretly worked through Cassie Tory, Faith and Dante along with Trudy-Babygirl to help abused women and kids.
They all had been sworn to secrecy about the project.
It would not do for Bane to be known as a do-gooder.
He also had men like Jack in about eight warehouse districts in several cities. They all did security for him and helped the homeless in each area. Especially veterans. These men Bane had hired as caretakers were more than glad to help ex-soldiers to get a better life.
Bane knew he would be going to hell in the afterlife.
He didn’t feel like any amount of do-gooding would excuse him from the blaze of burning eternity.
However, he had a few dreams a couple of years back.
Grace appeared in them and she asked him to take this path.
Help others. She said it would help his soul.
Bane wasn’t sure if that was true, but he promised Grace, so he had built a whole network on the side, unbeknownst to anyone else.
Being credited as a philanthropist or getting praise was not what he desired.
He actually thought of it as washing the dirty hit money – he’d collected over the years – clean of the blood it was so hopelessly drenched in.