Chapter 3 #2
There’s as much sincerity in my behavior as he has hair on his head. None. Zero.
My words make this asshole burst out laughing, and when he finally stops cackling, he says, “There’s no point in addressing me that way. I’m still the Speaker of the House. I haven’t been sworn in as vice president yet. But thank you. I enjoy hearing it.”
It makes me want to pull out a gun and put a bullet between his eyes. Or two. Or the whole fucking magazine.
Maybe Eli’s right, and I should find a way to let off some steam.
“You’re deserving of such a prestigious role.”
My worthless words put him in an even better mood and lull him into a false sense of security. That’s good. The road to hell is paved with flattery. One day, we’ll meet there together.
“Thank you, Ryker. I know it’s all thanks to you. You’ve done a great job, son.”
The blood in my veins boils.
This bastard dares to call me “son”? He must be joking.
A burning urge to hurt him blooms beneath my skin. It crawls just below the surface.
Eli, sensing what’s going on, avoids me and congratulates Matthews with a handshake. He glances briefly at Aiden and heads for the couch by the window. Theo, in his usual insolent manner, sits down next to him in an aura of silence and composure.
Those few minutes allow me to control my emotions. I’m an icy bastard again.
“Forgive my son’s lack of manners, gentlemen. I’m afraid he may have inherited it from his late mother,” my father interjects, and I clench my jaw.
“There’s absolutely nothing to forgive here. After all, this is his home too. Ryker, you already know my son? Aiden?” Matthews looks at me and then at that asshole.
“Yes, we saw each other at the initiation. Although we didn’t talk,” he says, sizing me up like an opponent in the ring.
He’s definitely going to be a problem.
“You’ll have a chance to get to know each other better and talk,” Matthews continues, rising from his chair. “We won’t take up any more of your time, James; you have your hands full anyway.”
My father doesn’t even bother to contradict his own general.
He watches me the whole time like a hawk watching its next prey. If he thinks I’ll ever be that again, he’s in for a surprise.
A moment later, Matthews and his son leave, escorted to the door by one of his minions. His men are like trained dogs that come running as soon as he presses the magic button under his desk.
“Sit down, Ryker,” he orders as soon as we’re alone. His friendly face melts faster than snow in California, revealing his true colors.
“No, thank you, I’ll stand. Don’t have much time.”
“I said, sit the fuck down!”
His shouting doesn’t impress me in the slightest. All these years under his thumb have taught me better.
However, I decide to play along with his game. Perhaps I have nothing to lose, but I still have something to gain.
“Matthews is getting soft in his old age. You did what the Pact expected of you. Winston will no longer be a problem for him or the Pact.” He begins a conversation that I’m not in the least bit interested in.
“But that’s not why you wanted me to come here today,” I add.
My father puts his cigar in the ashtray and grabs the crystal glass. He pours the entire contents down his throat in one go and swallows. The glass lands on the counter with a clatter.
“There’s another task you need to take care of,” he says after a moment.
“I’m not your damn errand boy. Got a business to run and people to torture. I have no time for this shit.”
The blood rushes to his head, and he turns red. A warning in his voice. “Be careful, Ryker. You’re walking on thin ice. My patience with your tantrums is wearing thin. You only have your business because I allow it.”
He has no idea what’s going on right under his nose.
I shake my head. “What’s the job?”
“Charles Baker.”
“The former senator? Am I supposed to kill him?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Theo shifting on the couch.
“To kill him, all I’d have to do is send one of my men. This is a slightly more delicate matter. He has to be delivered in one piece.”
“Your men aren’t up to the task?”
He sighs as if dealing with an unruly child. “They know how to use their fists, but unfortunately not their brains.”
“So I’m supposed to kidnap him. Where should I deliver him?”
“You’ll find all the information in the folder.” He opens the drawer, pulls out a brown folder, and throws it on the desk in front of me.
I’ve seen so many of these folders that they could fill a small archive. There’s nothing special about this one.
“I’m not saying he has to be untouched, just alive. The transfer for this job has already been made, so you have no choice. Someone will pick him up from you in the red room,” he adds, leaning back in his chair.
The red room. That’s what this is all about. Baker’s to be a bloody toy for some player.
Most people think red rooms are just fairy tales spread on the internet, but only by those who don’t have enough money under their belts.
When you have all the money in the world and don’t know what to do with it, you get terribly bored.
And boredom can be like karma that bites you in the ass, except the ideas that arise from it can be gruesome.
Charles Baker must have really pissed someone off. This order didn’t come out of nowhere. Someone wants to torture him, play with him, strip him of his dignity, and drive him insane. Just to kill him in the end anyway.
There has never been a case where anyone left the red room other than in a body bag.
“What did Baker do?”
My father leans toward me. “What the fuck do you care? Don’t ask questions you don’t need to know the answers to. You’re here to do this job, and that’s all you should be interested in. Understood?”
I raise my head and stare at the old man, clenching my hands. “What’s the catch?”
“The bastard is elusive. He hid under a rock some time ago, and no one has seen him since.”
“How can we be sure he’s still alive?”
“He’s doing quite well; there’s no doubt about that.”
The first outline of a plan forms in my head. Before I catch Charles Baker, I’ll have to play cat and mouse with him.
“That’s going to take some time,” I snort, knowing I have little of it. “This is the last job you’re giving me. I’m not your dirty work mercenary.”
For a moment, there’s silence in the office. Time stands still. I stare him down, refusing to bow. I’m no longer the scared kid who feared his own shadow.
“You ungrateful son of a bitch!” My father slams his fist onto the desktop. In a flash, his right hand snakes under the desk and reappears, a gun aimed directly at my head. He’s fast, I have to admit.
But he’s not as fast as I am. My gun is aimed, unlocked, and ready to use.
Eli slowly gets up, not wanting to make any sudden movements. “Whoa, guys. It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Shut up,” my father spits out, glaring at me. “And you! I should’ve killed you a long time ago!”
“You should have, but it is what it is. You can be sure that when the day comes, and you’re at the end of my barrel, I won’t hesitate.”
“Yes, you will hesitate. You will obey if you ever want to see your sister alive again. Do we understand each other?”
My breath catches in my throat. Adrenaline rushes through my body. Fuck! He’s got me here.
“I don’t even know if she’s still alive. You’re just dangling this reward in front of me to keep me in line, nothing more.”
“Wouldn’t you at least like to hear her? Maybe it will change your mind. I’m the only person in this world who can let you hear her sweet voice. So what will it be, Ryker?”
“I don’t believe you! A man is only as good as his word. And yours is worth as much as yesterday’s weather forecast.”
“Exceptionally, however, you’ll have to trust me.” A devilish smile creeps onto his face, and he slowly lowers his weapon and puts it away.
But I’m not letting up. He’s in my sight now. I could kill him and dance in a pool of his blood. It would be a bitter victory, but a victory, nonetheless.
Aisling.
Her name and childish face flash through my mind. It’s the only thing stopping me from splitting his head in two. Every cell in my body hates him with incomprehensible force.
“Ry—” Theo’s words reach me. “It’s time for us to go.”
I exhale. I secure my weapon and put it back in my belt.
Getting up, I give my father another hateful look as his face lights up with a crooked smile. I pick up the files and leave.
It’s only when we return in tense silence that Theo speaks up. “It won’t be long now, Ry— Hang in there, brother. We have to play this smart.”
“We must outsmart him,” Eli chimes in. “We have to find his weakness. Any ideas?”
My head is still spinning. The adrenaline is dancing in my veins. It prevents me from thinking rationally. And that’s not good.
“I’ll take care of the underground,” Theo offers.
“That’s a good idea,” agrees Eli. “Just be careful not to let James find out, or one day you’ll find a target on your forehead. A lot of the Pact’s business goes through the dark web. That’s my turf. I’ll take care of it.”
Theo takes the underground; Eli takes the network. And me?
“In the meantime, you take care of Charles Baker,” Eli adds, accurately reading my gloomy thoughts.