8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Damyr
I tried so hard not to be impulsive, to make calculated moves and informed decisions, but occasionally my volatile nature broke the surface, and I ended up doing something completely reckless.
Like kidnap a twenty-five-year-old med-student and move him into my house. Even now, I still wasn’t sure why I’d taken him. Was it his connection to Charlie? Or was it because I wanted to sink my teeth into that plump bottom lip?
I kept telling myself that I needed to question Benjamin, that he was there purely because he had something to do with Charlie, however slight their interaction, but it didn’t seem to fully justify why I was still keeping him here.
The truth of the matter was, that I wanted him here. I wanted something from him I wasn’t quite ready to admit to myself, and until then, Benjamin would stay here. With me.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Benjamin Barrett was an innocent human, and I’d dragged him into my world of monsters. I wasn’t even sorry for it. Perhaps the blood loss from the bullet wound and the fact that I hadn’t fed had caused this impulsive decision.
Which was bullshit, but I was trying to cling onto any justification for my actions that I could.
The computer came to life in front of me and I slotted the flash drive into the side of the screen. Snapshots of my ledgers and files filled the screen but something was wrong. The information was incomplete. Why did Charlie only give me half back?
Wait. There was something else in the files. A video.
I reached out through my Coven Connection to Vlad and called him here. As leader of the coven, I was linked to every member by a telepathic connection. It was my responsibility to protect and care for them all, and with the connection, I knew where every member of the coven was at any given time. Usually, I just left it running in my subconscious. It was there, and I could feel the connection with everyone, but I wasn’t actively engaged in wherever they were or whatever they were doing. As much as I like stalking my prey, I didn’t like stalking my family.
There was a curt knock on the door and Vlad entered.
“What’s up, Damyr?” he asked, his voice a deep baritone. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, charcoal slacks and had a tie hanging loose around his neck.
“Am I interrupting something?”
He shook his head, a wry grin curving his mouth. “Not yet, but family comes first. What do you need?”
Right, back to business. It was one thing that I loved and hated about Vlad. He was loyal, to a fault, but sometimes it was at the expense of his own happiness. One day, I was sure there’d be someone he would make me wait for.
I pointed to the flash drive. “Found this on Benjamin.”
Vlad’s brows dipped over his chocolate-coloured eyes. “He still in the basement?”
“Yes.” What was he getting at?
“Hmm,” he mused with his lips pursed.
“What?”
He went to say something but stopped himself. “Nothing.”
Now I was getting twitchy. “Tell me, Vlad.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But don’t cut my head off.”
“When have I ever—”
“I could give you a list either alphabetically or historically of people with missing heads,” he cut in with an asinine smirk.
That was probably a fair remark. I was impulsive. Almost predictably so. “I don’t like to suffer fools.”
Vlad snorted but some of the tension left his broad shoulders. “There are murmurings in the ranks about you kidnapping a human. It’s made some of the men uncomfortable.”
“They aren’t paid to be comfortable,” I barked. Clearly, I was more on edge than I thought.
“I know,” Vlad said, his hands held out placatingly. “But you can’t fault them for being concerned. It’s not everyday a human is dragged into our world.”
“Well, you can tell them that his memory will be wiped, and he will be dealt with.” Just saying those words had my heart clenching uncomfortably in my chest.
“Even though my memory wipe didn’t hold?”
“Fuck,” I growled, my hand rubbing the spot on my chest over my heart.
“We already know you’ve moved his things in here. You’ve had Aleksey go for fucking cat litter.”
“I know, I know.” I rubbed my hand down my face. “What’s happening to me, Vlad?”
He opened his mouth to answer.
“Wait. Don’t answer that,” I snapped. I wasn’t ready to hear what he was going to say. I was doing my best to avoid it at all costs. The last time I got involved with a human ended in bloodshed, grief and a broken heart that took centuries to heal.
“Why don’t you show me what you found?” Vlad said softly, taking pity on the fact that my mind seemed to be fracturing.
I pointed at the screen and the images of the screenshots of my ledger.
“I don’t understand,” Vlad said. “It’s only half the data.”
“That’s what I thought.” I clicked on the file with the video. “This is what I brought you to see. Wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one who watched it. Just in case.”
Vlad stood behind my chair, arms folded across his chest, stance resolute. “Click play, and let’s find out what’s going on.”
An image of a hooded figure filled the screen. It was nothing more than a silhouette. There was no face. Nothing recognisable in the image, just a vague shape of a hood and shoulders. Nothing more.
“Hello, Mr Morozov. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” The voice was low and rough. I was surprised he hadn’t tried to disguise it, not that it mattered. I didn’t recognise it. “I’m sure you’re wondering who I am and why I’ve disguised myself, but that’s not important. What’s important is that I have something of yours, thanks to your employee, Charlie Kent. Don’t feel too bad for him, he didn’t know he was working for me. I like to keep to the shadows and I’m patient, but I’m finally ready to put my plan into action. I won’t bore you with all the details but, suffice to say, the world will change and I’m starting with you and all your other leeches.” The guy spat the word out like it was poison on his tongue. “Don’t bother looking for Charlie, you won’t find him. There’s something I want you to do for me Damyr. I’ve sent you a gift. Deal with it, and I will give you back your ledgers. Fail to do so, and there will be consequences.”
I gritted my teeth. My entire world was contained in those ledgers.
Money runs.
Port details.
Contacts.
Safe houses.
Drug routes.
It wasn’t just money Charlie had stole for whoever the fuck this was. It was my entire world.
“This guy’s got some balls,” Vlad mumbled from behind me.
I ran my finger along my top lip and looked at the shadowed figure who was threatening to tear my world apart. I’d spent too long building the Morozov name until it stood for something more than the dirt my father had left it to wallow in. I wasn’t about to let this asshole drag it back into the mud.
The hooded figure leant closer to the camera, and I could almost feel the person smiling.
“I think you’ll like my gift, Damyr. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
The video ended and left my screen in darkness. I sat back in my chair, an uncomfortable sense of foreboding unfurling under my skin.
“I don’t like this,” Vlad grumbled.
Neither did I. “Put an extra team on the house and send Aleksey to all the locations to see if there’s anything unusual going on.”
“Sure thing, Damyr. I’ll go with him.”
I shook my head. “No. You have plans. Let’s keep to business as usual for now. I don’t know who this guy is, but he knows enough that he chose Charlie to manipulate. Means he’s got eyes on us somehow.”
“Understood. Continue as normal.” Vlad tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “And our guest?”
I pursed my lips. “I will deal with him.”
“You can’t kill him, Damyr.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” I said, a burst of rage burning in my gut.
“Okay,” Vlad replied softly, his hands held out placatingly. “Just don’t do anything stupid. Well, more stupid than moving him into your mansion with his fucking cat.”
“Not a fan of cats?” I asked, amused by the pinched frown over Vlad’s eyes.
“No,” he snarled. “They hiss and throw up furballs.”
I snorted. The thought of Vlad, who was built like a brick shithouse, running from a tiny cat was ridiculous. “I’m sure the cat will grow on you.”
Vlad growled. “I don’t fucking think so.”
“Alright, be off with you. Tell Aleksey to let me know if anything crops up.”
“Yes, Boss.” Vlad nodded his head sharply and then left my office, his large frame making no sound.
I stared at the black screen. Who could this possibly be? I racked my brain but beyond the usual culprits, I couldn’t think of anyone who had the power to pull off this kind of stunt. The three ruling families had always had a good alliance and we ran this city relatively peacefully, keeping our trades outside the city walls. There were always threats to our rule, but they were low level and sporadic at best. This felt calculated. Purposeful.
Personal .
I dug my phone out and fired a message to the Council.
ME
I have a problem. Need to meet.
MARCELLE
Need someone to help you hide the human?
Fucking Lavaeux. How did that guy always know everything? Fucking shifters and their network of secrets.
ME
Don’t know what you’re talking about.
DARA
Stop teasing the poor boy. The Julian. 11pm.
MARCELLE
Fine. Your time to buy the drinks, Damyr.
ME
You drinking already, Marcelle?
The guy was a maniac which, paired with a ruthless streak as bold as my own, always made for chaos. There was no way I was adding fuel to that fire by way of alcohol.
ME
See you all later.
I had a human tied up in my basement to deal with. A human that was quickly becoming my entire focus.
Poor Benjamin.