Chapter 31 #2
“Interesting.” Thorne traced the rim of his mug with his finger.
“I’d have to agree with you. Our infiltration was far too easy, to the point where Matt and Lev even vocalized their concerns.
It was like Stefan didn’t care about a potential breach or that the location itself hadn’t mattered to him.
But maybe it was merely ego-based, and he isn’t as intelligently sound as we assumed he was. ”
Leaning against him, Oren ran his fingers over the blanket. “I, uh, I know who it is. I mean, the higher up.” Blowing out a lengthened exhale, he lifted his gaze. “Her name is Sasika Evania, and she’s… she’s worse than Stefan.”
Thorne craned his head to look at his other half. “How do you know her? What information do you have?”
“The last time I saw her, I was still pretty young, but Dad bent to her demands. She… She’s my half-sister’s mom.
Ruthless. Determined. She keeps a tight grip on the organization, but human trafficking is only the start.
The compounds aren’t really secure, because she doesn’t care.
It’s a ruse for… for these games. Mercenaries who fight to the death until a victor stands.
General Valens participated in them and won. ”
“Games?” I blurted, sitting straighter. “What… What do you mean?”
“It’s like training, but worse. Dad said each trial was different, testing a part of his skills. Well, whatever he mentioned to Sasika.”
“Wait…” Thorne set his mug on the side table as if holding it was far too much of a task with what he was about to share.
“During my research into the branches of the black market and Stefan’s influence, I came across a folder titled ‘Succession Games.’ It didn’t seem inherently important to what we’ve been working to dismantle, but I had a deep-seated feeling I should look into it, just in case. And, well.
“The file's owner coded its contents to flag any attempt at corruption by an outside source, but I combed through the scripting language and found rather basic information. I kept it in case it proved necessary, which it sounds like it might. If Sasika is the lead on this, she set up the organization as a purported training school in Moscow. It has been operating as an under-the-table operation, where families essentially throw their kids into an arena to compete for wealth and titles—just as you said, Oren.”
“That’s… That’s insane,” I breathed.
Liam’s throat bobbed, his swallow audible in the brief wave of silence. “That means this crime ring is far larger than we ever expected.”
“But it makes sense,” Thorne added. “Valens’ ties to the Serbians. The Serbians’ ties to the Russians. All the pieces fit.”
“It does, and that’s why… why I couldn’t say anything.” Oren’s hands trembled. “One wrong move and… and Yeseniya would be tossed in. W-Worse. Killed.”
“How do you know she hasn’t been corrupted?” Liam asked, though his question came as a mere whisper. “If she’s grown up around that level of… wretchedness… how do you know she isn’t like her mother?”
“She’s not!” He blurted, snapping his attention to him as Liam flinched.
“I-I mean, sorry, just… just like you called from inside, so does she. Growing up, she despised that place, and still does. She’s been severely abused for her disagreement.
My father made her punishment worse once he found out about my love for Thorne.
It was leverage, a means to keep me quiet because…
because our bond was the only light we had in childhood.
“If it helps, when she was seventeen she cleared out an entire compound before Sasika found out. She, uh, was very proud of that moment. Earned her physical torment and, um, she’s like Thorne, just… expressive.”
Like Thorne?
Prompted by the comment, Thorne lifted a brow. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Oren scratched his head, a light blush forming. “She’s a badass, but even more… colorful in language. She bit a guard one time cause they tried to touch me and smiled with her bloody teeth.”
Without offering a rebuttal, Thorne grabbed his drink and sank back into the cushions.
“She can be very overwhelming. Oh, but Thorne’s better with his aim. Superior with tracking, too.” Oren tapped his chin. “Well, also, he’s a lot better at hand-to-hand combat.”
I stifled my laughter. “You can just say Thorne’s better, you know. He is your…” Should I say fiancé? “Partner,” I settled on.
Resting his head against Thorne’s chest, Oren smiled. “Yes, he is. Much better.”
Devouring the latter half of Oren’s statement, Thorne spoke up. “That’s all beside the point. If these operations are truly this intertwined, we have an empire to dismantle.”
“How are we going to do that?” I breathed, flopping back against the couch. “This… This is impossible.”
“What about this Mafia head? Levander…?” Liam posed, the unease still prevalent in his timbre. “Does he have men that could assist?”
Shrugging, Thorne’s reply followed. “It’s worth asking him.”
“I could bake him some more cookies. Maybe… Maybe then he’d be more willing to agree?”
“You could do that,” Thorne hummed toward Oren, his lips slowly curling into a smirk. “But I believe we have the upper hand in negotiable influence now.”
“Negotiable influence?” Twisting my head to Thorne, I leaned against Liam.
“My dear best friend.” Taking a long swig from his mug, he chuckled. “Matt fucked Levander, not just once, but twice. Seems the two really hit it off.”
“Matt? Our Matt?” Blinking, the information almost seemed impossible to believe.
“Yes. Our Matt,” Thorne answered without hesitation. “Seems he found the redhead rather… dashing.”
“Well… then we get started on this, right? I mean, I’m not sure if Liam or I will participate, but we can help from the sidelines.”
“It won’t be an overnight task.” Grunting, Thorne pushed himself from the couch. “I fear what we have uncovered will be at least a six-month-long feat. And that’s being positive.”
“Six months?” Oren whispered, following Thorne’s movement. “I… She… She’s going to have to stay there six more months?”
“Unless you’d like one of us to die, most likely.” Thorne’s response came clipped as he walked into the kitchen, Liam tensing beside me with his words.
I pulled Liam closer as Oren slipped from beneath his blanket and followed after Thorne. His anxiety was apparent, and it made sense after recent events. Knowing him, he would focus on every little thing to a detriment, making sure he didn’t hurt Thorne again.
“No… No, I don’t want anyone to die. I just didn’t know it would take that long, but that’s okay.”
“With how things are structured?” Thorne dumped his empty mug into the sink before turning back around to face Oren. “If this woman is as powerful as you claim she is and her operations are corrupt, we are going to need all the time we can get.”
“I know. I-I want to do it right this time, so… so whatever information you need, I’ll tell you.”
Running my fingers through the back of his hair, I turned to Liam. “You… You wanna go?” I whispered, flicking my gaze to them before returning to the man I loved more than anything. “I think they could use the privacy.”
“But… We need to plan.” Liam’s browns found my hazels. “Like Thorne said, we need as much time as we can get, which includes devising up… something.”
“You… You sure you want to do this? After everything?”
“Yes.” He nodded, his throat bobbing. “I want… I want to end Stefan’s reign…”
Staring at him for a couple of seconds, the determination was clear in his eyes. “Okay. If you say you want to, we’ll do it.”
“Okay.”
Giving him a half-hearted smile, I turned to the men who’d inspired us to get together. This… This was the next step in determining our lives, our path, and as long as I had Liam by my side, anything was possible.