36. Bianca

Icock my pistol and shoot. One down. I move one meter to my left and repeat the movement. Two down. I do it again and again until I"ve finished the row.

Then, I head to the targets to check my results. Bull"s eye. Every single one of them.

I release a breath I didn"t know I was holding. My coke-free body can still hit the mark. My abilities haven"t been compromised.

I have to admit that one of my biggest concerns has been that without coke, I will suddenly stop being me… especially in the field.

Today is the first day I"ve picked up a gun since the withdrawal fiasco, and my fingers don"t tremble. No, in fact, my vision is sharper, my awareness has increased. Maybe being drug-free isn"t so bad.

"Guess who"s going to be here in about thirty minutes." Vlad"s voice takes me by surprise, and I look back to see him heading towards me.

"I told you it would work, didn"t I?" He winks at me.

"How did you even know?" Some of the things Vlad knows sometimes take me by surprise. It"s like you can"t hide any secret from him. Which is also how he"d devised his plan.

"I have my ways. Now, you might want to change into something else." I look down at myself and notice how sweaty I am. Ever since my head had cleared, I"d been using Vlad"s gym. I was now only wearing a pair of gym shorts and a sports bra.

"Fine, I"ll meet you in a few," I say and jog towards my room.

Thankfully, Vlad had brought some clothes from my apartment. I"m halfway across the lawn when a car pulls up in the driveway.

I stop and crane my neck. Getting out of the car, I see Marcel and Theo, both dressed in their immaculate suits. Vlad must have seen them too because he catches up with me and sniffs me.

"You don"t smell too bad."

"Thanks," I say drily. Both Vlad and I go over to the men and quietly greet them before heading to Vlad"s office. I just hope that Vlad"s prediction will be accurate. As we head to the room, I realize that Theo keeps avoiding my gaze. He"s bound to talk to me, though.

"So, gentlemen. Welcome to my humble abode." Vlad begins with his usual theatrics, and I see Marcel and Theo roll their eyes.

"Thanks for arranging this," Theo replies. I stand next to Vlad, keeping my face blank and waiting to be addressed.

"Well, now that you"re both here." Vlad stops to muse before adding, "Fancy seeing you too, Marcel." Marcel just gives an almost imperceptible nod. "Let"s get down to the meat of things. Hastings, you said it was urgent to talk to Bianca."

"We"ve been invited to Allegra Agosti"s birthday party, which is tomorrow. Enzo was hoping Bianca would be able to join when he extended the invitation," he says without even glancing at me once, all the while addressing Vlad.

"So, you came here to see whether Bianca was well enough to attend?" Vlad asks. I have to say, I"m particularly amused by how this exchange is taking place.

"Yes, and I see she"s looking much better." Theo finally swings his eyes to me but only briefly. I decide it"s time this stops.

"You really want me to accompany you?" I ask, my voice steady and devoid of emotion. He gives a strained nod but still avoids meeting my gaze.

"You could at least look me in the eye and ask," I feel compelled to add, seeing how he likes to pretend I"m not present and have no agency.

Theo"s practically fuming at my words, but he grits his teeth and turns to me to ask.

"Could you please come with me to Enzo"s party?"

"Fine." I shrug. I don"t care why he"s asking me, although Vlad did tell me some specifics. I only care that we"ll be forced to share a space. Then I can begin my seduction anew. Yes, that is indeed perfect.

"Good. I"ll pick you up tomorrow at eight p.m." Theo turns to leave, but Vlad tsks in his usual manner, making him draw to a halt.

"Really, Hastings, I didn"t take you to be so hypocritical. Not too long ago, you were bedeviling your wife, but now you need her help. Why don"t you tell her exactly why you have to attend?" Vlad"s manner is relaxed, but his words are cutting. I can see Theo"s shoulders tense before he simply answers.

"It"s for work. Bianca probably already knows I"ve been trying to get someone named Jimenez for a long time now. Enzo"s event might prove to be just the place."

"Good. Now try again, but without the lies," Vlad takes a few steps towards Theo and adds.

At this, I turn sharply towards Vlad. He"s never mentioned anything else when he"s outlined our plan of action. What is he talking about?

"I don"t know what you"re talking about," Theo replies, but his expression is closed off. Marcel, however, has been on the sidelines this whole time, observing. Odd.

Vlad takes one more step, now wholly within Theo"s personal space. I see his stance a second before he acts, throwing a punch at Theo.

My first instinct is to grab the first weapon I see from Vlad"s desk, so I take one of his pencils, ready to draw blood. Just as I"m about to move, I see Marcel showing me a stop sign with his raised palm, followed by a hand motion towards the ensuing fight. I finally focus on what"s happening and see Theo entirely holding his own against Vlad. They"re both approximately the same size, but Vlad is the one with a lifetime of experience.

But what I see leaves me cold. Theo dodges almost every single attack, even the more complicated ones. At the same time, he gives as good as he gets. The only reason they"re not entirely bloody and wounded is because they seem to be evenly matched in skills.

After what seems like an eternity of seeing one of the best fighting matches I"ve ever seen, they stop, both panting.

"Anything left to say, Adrian?" Vlad retreats to his desk, where he procures a handkerchief and proceeds to gracefully wipe the sweat from his face.

I see Theo"s eyes widen a little, and I frown.

"Adrian?" I finally speak. It feels like everyone is onto something, and I"m the only one not knowing what"s happening.

"Why don"t you tell her, Hastings. Or wait, that"s not really your name, is it?" Vlad turns to me with an expression of fake concern. "I fear you"ve married him under false pretense, little goddess."

I"m… intrigued.

"What do you mean?"

"Shall I, or shall you?" Vlad nods towards Theo, and I can see the tension radiating from him.

He doesn"t speak, so Vlad does the honors.

"Let"s see from the beginning. Tragic tale. Michael and Paulina Barnett. Killed in their home after a supposed robbery gone wrong. Left behind one son. Adrian Barnett. After some foster homes, he found himself fighting to the death for the Irish. Andrew Gallagher if I"m not mistaken. I met him a time or two, not the most pleasant fellow." Vlad scrunches his face in annoyance before continuing.

"Where was I… oh yes. This Adrian fought for Andrew for four years. Apparently, he had almost weekly matches. Can you imagine the body count?" Vlad turns to me when he asks that, and I"m mentally already doing the math, and it"s around two hundred ish. Not bad. Not bad at all. I"m almost impressed.

"Then he just disappeared. Poof." Vlad makes a sound, and I raise an eyebrow. Get to the point already. "Around the same time, Theodore Hastings enrolled into Harvard."

"Pretty tale, but I don"t see the point," Theo finally says, but Vlad isn"t done.

"The point is that Michael Barnett was involved in a project to take Jimenez down. Allegedly, he compiled a list of high-level officials and wealthy patrons investing with Jimenez."

"So what, you"re saying I"m this Barnett guy?"

"I"m not saying. You are. That little physical exertion was my proof. But if you want more…" Vlad says before heading to his safe and opening it, withdrawing a folder. Within the folder are a few photographs that he hands directly to me. All of them depict the same man, in various injury stages, and within a fighting ring. While the man in the pictures is bulkier and more massive than Theo, there"s no doubt they"re the same.

"So, you"re Adrian Barnett?" I cock my head and study my husband, suddenly seeing him with new eyes.

He"s… perfect.

My eyes eat him up as I realize just how similar we are. He"s killed before too. I instinctively lick my lips. He knows what it"s like to take someone"s life.

Not all is lost.

We can be together.

And we can kill together.

Oh, my God!

I"m already lost in a fantasy scenario, imagining what it would be like to have Theo… no, Adrian at my side on a mission. I"m deep in when I vaguely hear him speak.

"How do you know that?" He looks at Vlad, who just shrugs.

"Maybe you haven"t noticed until now, but there are no secrets I don"t have access to."

More words are exchanged, but I"m still within my own fantasy, so I don"t register what"s being spoken. Instead, I act on instinct and fling myself at Theo… erm, Adrian. I wrap my arms around him. I feel him tense for a second before untangling himself from my grasp.

I only pout, Pink style, and plaster myself to his side. He turns and frowns at me.

"Why are you doing this? Have you not heard a word until now? I"m not Theodore Hastings."

"I know. Now we can be together." I hug his arm tighter.

"What?" he exclaims and shoves me away. I cock my head and frown.

"We"re not that different. You kill. I kill. We"re the same."

"We"re not the same, Bianca. I killed out of necessity. You kill because you like it."

"Was it really a necessity? Who pointed a gun at you and forced you to kill? And don"t tell me there wasn"t a moment when you felt human life seep through your hands, and you didn"t enjoy it. "

Theo"s about to respond when Vlad intervenes.

"Enough of that. I think we have more important things to discuss. Don"t worry, Hastings, your secret is safe here. Now, let me put things this way. You want to get Jimenez. I want information on Enzo. I think we can help each other."