The Underworld Series, page 66
Adrik didn’t say a word, but he pulled his phone out and dialed Armando. “Get up here. Now.” He promptly hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket.
“Did Andy have an idea of how close Sal was to replacing the drug supply? Clearly, he’s already been successful in Vito’s area of the city, since they’re rioting. What about the other areas?” Ivan asked.
“He’s been kept out of the loop somewhat, since Sal was already beginning to suspect him, but he said he had to deliver a package to a warehouse for one of the other guys and he saw the brawn operation. It takes a specific setup to make and he remembered it from when they first started making it years ago. He said the warehouse was full of pallets. But they’re not just making it in pills. They’re shipping it out in powder form too, for those people that prefer snorting or injecting. He said he asked one of the guys at the warehouse why they had powder and the guy told him they’re packaging it to look like other drugs. The dealers are going to sell it like their normal product,” Viktor said. “Andy thinks that the rioting going on in Vito’s area right now is a bit of a test run. He hasn’t started to distribute the brawn, as far as Andy knows, yet.”
“Can you even inject that stuff and expect to live?” I asked. I knew my uncle had taken the pills, but I wasn’t sure if he had ever gotten it into his system via another route.
“It’s very dangerous when you do. You can overdose on it even when you take the pills, but it’s even easier to overdose on it when you try and inject it. He’s going to inevitably kill a lot of people with this plan,” Ivan said.
Armando walked into the penthouse with Giana. He had a worried look on his face. Adrik skipped the pleasantries, asking right away, “Who’s in charge of your water district?”
He thought for a moment. “A guy named Brian Tucker, if I’m not mistaken. Why? What’s wrong?” he asked.
Adrik looked at him seriously, saying, “Sal’s plan. It’s worse than we originally thought. He got to your water guy and he’s going to try to put the brawn into your water supply. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get to your dealers without you finding out, but he got to Brian somehow.”
“He’s going to do what?” Armando asked, running his hand through his hair.
Ivan said, “This is the chaos they’re trying to create to give cover for Anthony and Lorenzo to come back to the city. In every other area of the city, he’s going through the dealers, replacing their normal supply with his new formulation of brawn. He couldn’t do that in your area of the city without you finding out, so he went through Brian. How well do you know Brian?”
“Not that well, honestly. I hardly have reason to speak to him. I know I have a file on him at my house. I keep a file on all the city’s employees in my area at the house. I’m not sure I have it with me, though.” He looked to Giana like he was silently asking if she knew whether they had the information with them or not. She looked at him, then at all of us, somewhat bewildered.
Ivan, noticing her fear, did what he does best, saying, “That information is important. We need it as soon as possible.” He said it with an edge to his voice that was clearly meant to intimidate Giana.
She looked like she didn’t know what to say for a moment, but then she looked at Armando and squared her shoulders. “I’ll go check my computer. If we have it, it’s there. I’ll be right back,” she said as she quickly left the penthouse.
I caught Ivan’s eye, raising my eyebrow at him, knowing she had just passed that test. He just smirked at me, winking. Mike, who I was discovering was quite observant of me, noticed our exchange. He gave me a curious look, but said nothing.
“Did Andy have an idea of when they’re going to make this happen?” Armando asked. “If we don’t have the info with us, we can go to the house tonight to get it.”
Viktor shook his head. “No, he’s been kept mostly in the dark on what’s happening because Sal was already suspicious. He happened on the warehouse where they’re making the brawn somewhat by accident. He started asking questions after, to try and get as much information as possible and that’s when Sal really got suspicious of him. That’s when he called us. I’m not sure how much Sal thinks he knows, but he knows Andy knows enough to screw up his plans.”
We were all silent for a moment. “What happens if we can’t find Brian?” I asked no one in particular. They all thought about the question, but nobody could come up with an answer. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, which was impressive given that Armando was with us. “Why not expose Sal’s plan to the people of the city? Not just the people in Mando’s area, but the entire city. Let them know what’s coming, so they can be prepared. Chaos isn’t as chaotic when it’s expected,” I said, thinking out loud. “Like Trino said, the popular vote goes a long way. If you can expose Sal and the other bosses for what they’re trying to unleash, then the people can help us. It’s not as much of an insurmountable situation when we have the entire city against the few people that are with Sal.”
“Goddammit I love your brain,” Ivan said. “That could work. Hold a press conference outlining all of Sal’s plans, asking the community’s help in trying to find him. Same for Anthony and Lorenzo, if they’ve come back. Hell, same for the other bosses too. Might as well round them all up at once and be done with it.”
“I agree with rounding them all up at once, but I’m not sure I want the entire city to know I’m rounding them up because I’m going to put a bullet in each of their heads,” Adrik said. I could see the anger oozing out of him at this point. He stood up, to take his plate to the sink, and remained standing. I got up as well and walked to him, tucking myself in his side, knowing I could keep him calm. He immediately started to run his hand lightly up and down my back.
“Okay, so don’t reveal who’s behind the plan, but you can still reveal the plan, right? Like warn everyone?” I asked, looking up at him.
He took a deep breath, pulling me into him. I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to at least help to keep him calm, so he could think clearly. “I think that’s a good last resort plan of action. I would still prefer to take care of this while the public is still as blissfully unaware as possible. I’ve worked hard to keep the dealings of my organization out of the public eye. I would like to keep it that way, if possible.”
Giana walked back into the kitchen. She still looked frightened, but she had a few printed pages with her. She handed them to Armando, who immediately began reading them. “This is all I have on Brian Tucker in my computer. I haven’t seen the file you have at your house, so I don’t know if that’s everything you have on him or not.”
Armando flipped through the few pages quickly. He looked to Mike as he said, “This isn’t nearly everything. It’s just the most basic information on him. I have much more on him at the house. We’re going to need to go get it.”
Mike nodded, but then suggested that Armando stay at the penthouse and send them instead. “They’re likely watching the building now, after we grabbed Andy. They might take advantage of you leaving tonight.”
“I appreciate the thought, but no one else can get into my safe at my house. It requires my fingerprint as well as my retinal scan,” Armando said.
“Holy Mission Impossible, Batman,” I said, which caused everyone to stop for a moment and laugh. I couldn’t help but enjoy the moment’s break as well. I felt Adrik pull me in front of him, holding me close to him. “I fucking love you,” he said quietly, as he pressed his lips to mine.
Once the moment was over, Adrik, looking serious again, said to Armando, “Go get that file. I’m going to call Trino. If they’ve been working on the dealers, he should’ve known. Many of those dealers belong to him, so either they know which dealers are his, or they aren’t working on as big of a scale as we’re thinking.”
Team America, Armando, and Giana promptly left the penthouse. The guys started to help me collect the dishes from around the kitchen. “We should get an actual table at some point. Especially if Team America is going to come over regularly,” I said, thinking out loud.
Misha, his wide smile across his face, said, “You’re becoming very domestic, gazelle. Are you nesting? Isn’t that what pregnant women do?”
I tried to give him my best smile, saying, “That is what pregnant women do, but I will never be a pregnant woman, so there’s that.” I felt Adrik’s arms around me, pulling me to him. Misha knew immediately that he had unknowingly said something he shouldn’t have. His smile faded quickly, looking nothing but apologetic. I said to Adrik as he held me tightly, “It’s okay. I’m okay. They’re going to find out eventually.”
Before I could tell them the story, Ivan said, “The reason Sephie hates doctors as much as me is that we both had things done to us against our will by doctors.”
“Sephie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Misha said, trying to smooth things over.
I genuinely smiled at him. “It’s okay, my adorable Russian guardian. I can’t be mad at you for something you didn’t know. Mark it down as another reason I’m not completely normal, I guess.”
Viktor looked at me. I could see the tears in his eyes, as he said, “I hate to be relieved about this, Sephie, but I am. My wife was pregnant when she was killed because of me. Ever since you came into our lives, I’ve been terrified of letting that happen again.”
Chapter Sixty-Three
Viktor
“That is what pregnant women do, but I will never be a pregnant woman, so there’s that,” Sephie said, in response to Misha’s comment about her being pregnant. As soon as she got the words out of her mouth, I felt a huge relief, then promptly felt guilty for feeling that way. Adrik pulled her closer to him, trying to comfort her, but she assured him that she was okay. “They’re going to find out eventually,” she said to him.
Ivan looked at all of us. He had gotten closer to Sephie since the day that Massimo’s men tried to grab her and he ended up in the hospital. He was always protective of her, but that had increased significantly since his time in the hospital. The rest of us weren’t sure what had happened between those two, but we could all plainly see that they shared something the rest of us likely couldn’t understand.
“The reason Sephie hates doctors as much as me is that we both had things done to us against our will by doctors,” he said.
Misha’s face immediately fell. This was going to eat at him for a while. Poor kid was sensitive. Andrei was too, to an extent, but I think he could turn it off better than Misha could. I had a feeling that’s part of the reason Misha enjoyed pissing Sephie off when they sparred. He needed the practice dealing with his emotions in tough situations just as much as she did.
“Sephie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Misha said to her. Yep, this one is going to stick with him for a while.
She gave him a big smile, trying to let him know that everything was okay. Clearly, Adrik and Ivan knew, but the rest of us had no idea. I suspected this is what happened that night at the house when she got upset and disappeared upstairs. It was obvious that was a rough day for both her and Ivan.
Before I knew I was saying it out loud, I said, “I hate to be relieved about this, Sephie, but I am. My wife was pregnant when she was killed because of me. Ever since you came into our lives, I’ve been terrified of letting that happen again.”
The guys all knew I was married when I first started working for Adrik. They also knew what happened to my wife. My revenge that landed me in a Syrian prison was for my wife. I hadn’t told Sephie yet. It simply hadn’t come up, but I had legitimately been worried about trying to protect her and any children they had in the future. I knew Adrik didn’t care for kids, really, but he was so different with Sephie that I could see him changing his mind easily if she wanted children.
It’s a difficult thing to admit that you’re relieved when someone isn’t able to have children. I felt guilty about admitting it out loud.
Sephie looked at me, not as surprised as I thought she would be, and said, “That’s what landed you in a Syrian prison, isn’t it?”
The other guys just looked at her with the surprise that I expected from her. I nodded my head. “I ended the cycle of vengeance, but I was so focused on ending it that I got sloppy and got caught.”
“And you’ve been struggling with the guilt ever since she was killed, which is why you pour yourself into making sure we’re all safe, as well as making sure we have everything we need always,” she said.
I could feel the tears welling even more in my eyes. I nodded as she walked toward me. She slid her arm around my shoulders, saying quietly, “Papa Bear, you’re the best security master there is. You take care of everything like no one else and if you decide in the future to give it another try, you’re going to make the most amazing father. In the meantime, you can keep practicing on us.”
I felt the tears fall as I thought about what could have been. My life would look very differently if my wife were still alive. I’m not sure I would be at the same place I’m at now. I’d come to terms with it years ago, but I still had moments where it was almost like I was missing the life that would’ve happened. Even though I didn’t know what it would’ve been like. Or if I still would have been with my wife. We were young and got married probably before either of us were really ready. There are so many what ifs that I used to obsess over. I’d finally come to a point where I put that almost life to rest, but occasionally, like now, I would remember the life that didn’t happen.
Sephie hugged my shoulders tighter, just offering her comfort for a moment. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her in for a hug as I tried to get control of myself. “I know you’re still going to worry sometimes, but you can feel confident in knowing that you’re doing a fantastic job of keeping us all safe,” she said.
I’m still not entirely sure how she knows exactly the thing that we all need to hear, at exactly the moment that we need to hear it, but she’s quite possibly psychic. I was so driven to constantly make sure every detail was always taken care of, for fear of something slipping through the cracks and someone getting hurt. Since Sephie had come into our lives, I had many sleepless nights trying to find the holes in my security that allowed the attacks to happen. I was constantly worried about it. Each attack on her was a blow to my confidence. I’d been mentally spiraling out of control because I thought the same thing that had happened to my wife was inevitably going to happen to Sephie and there would be nothing I could do about it.
I tried to hide it the best I could around everyone else, but Sephie notices everything. Of course, she would notice this too.
“I’m beginning to think you’re psychic, sestrichka,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. She kissed my cheek, squeezing my shoulders once more.
“Nah, I’m just that weirdo that notices everything,” she said, giving me her wide smile that always made the room a little brighter whenever I saw it.
“I’m still getting you a crystal ball for Christmas,” I said, smiling at her.
“YES! I can side-hustle the shit out of that. I’ll read your palms too,” she said, throwing her arms up in the air like she’d just won a prize.
She had impeccable timing with her silliness. She always knew when we needed a break from serious matters and she would always do or say something hilarious to make us all laugh, effectively making us forget for a moment the gravity of a situation.
She walked back to Adrik, who opened his arm for her to step into. It’s like she fit perfectly next to him, like they were made for each other. He kissed her temple, pulling her closer. He was so different around Sephie. For the better, really. In his younger days he was more of an asshole to the girls he would date. It always seemed like he was trying to get away from them. He was never outright mean to them, but he never thought about them the way he does Sephie. He’s consumed with Sephie.
I knew he was in love that very first night at the restaurant when we walked outside the restaurant to find her after Anthony had smacked her ass so hard. After Adrik ripped Anthony a new one in front of everyone, he got up and walked to the back of the restaurant. He walked through the kitchen, like he owned the place. One of the cooks tried to stop him, but Adrik just glared at him. He was imposing in his own right. He was just as tall as the rest of us and only slightly smaller. I think he stayed leaner because it was easier to find suits that fit him that way.
As soon as he told Sephie his name, I knew she was the one. He never told anyone his name. He’d had girlfriends that he dated for a year or more that still don’t know his name. He knew Sephie for under two hours and he told her his name.
I saw what he saw in her the next morning at her apartment. She was so funny, but so genuinely concerned that we were taken care of, even though her neck was a shade of purple that I’d never seen on a human and she was hoarse from Anthony trying to crush her windpipe. I knew she was special and that Adrik would do whatever it took to keep her around for a very long time. Once he made his mind up on something, there was usually no going back.
We were all grateful that she was in our lives and that he had seen her for who she is right away that night so many months ago. She’d changed him for the better, but she’d also changed all of us. There was no doubt that we would do whatever it took to make sure she was always safe and always looked after, no matter what happened.
