44. Bianca

According to the information Vlad"s IT guy provided, Wolfe is seventy-four years old, married for forty of those, and the proud father of three children. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida. I"m working on memorizing his personal details while Adrian is getting changed. We decide to come back to the penthouse before heading for our four a.m. flight to Tampa.

I haven"t been back here since our fight, and on the drive back, he"d felt compelled to add, "Don"t think any of this means I forgive you." I hadn"t said anything because I never expected him to… at least not this soon. I just have to work harder to prove to him that we belong together.

So far, our teamwork has been exemplary if one looks past Martin"s death and the vault"s explosion.

"Are you done?" I look up to see him button up a white shirt and fold his sleeves.

"Yes." He nods and drops a backpack next to me. "I packed some essentials."

"Good. Me too." I show him the small case luggage I"d prepared. "I"m checking this one in. It has everything we will need for the more unsavory parts of the journey." Unsavory being the code word for blood and gore. I"d packed some of my guns, ammo, and a couple knives. He frowns when he gets my meaning.

"How will it pass airport security?"

"They have my name flagged, so they never check it," I explain how it"s like a subscription you pay for if you know the right people. For someone who needs to travel with weapons nine times out of ten, it"s necessary.

He grunts in acknowledgment, but he doesn"t seem too thrilled about my reservation. It"s probably the lawman in him. Even though he"s seen some sides of the underground world, Adrian is still innocent of many of the dealings that happen around us.

We leave the apartment and drive to the airport. We"d already decided we wouldn"t stay there longer than a couple of days. Adrian had been quite vocal about that because he"s anxious to go to Atlantic City and find Jimenez. I hadn"t argued, mainly because where he goes, I go.

Once we get to the airport, we park the car, pay in advance for a few days, and head towards the check-in area.

"Are you sure it"s going to work?" Adrian keeps eyeing my luggage.

"Trust me, it will work," I assure him for the thousandth time.

"I don"t think I do…" he mutters under his breath but drops the issue.

Going through security is a piece of cake, and we soon take our seats in the flight.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"I still can"t believe you can just bribe airport security." He shakes his head, but I catch a glimpse of a grimace.

"How"s the pain?" I point at his chest, and he shrugs.

"I took some painkillers. It"s fine now."

"Don"t overdo it," I chastise him slightly.

The plane takes off, and I see Adrian close his eyes.

Okay… so he doesn"t want to talk. Not that I blame him too much, considering everything that happened this week. I still can"t believe the old man made his fortune through blackmail, although it"s not surprising.

I"d never concerned myself with his business. And he was never concerned with mine.

The only times we interacted was when he notified me of an event or a dinner I needed to attend with him to present the perfect family image to the world.

The more I think about my childhood, the more I regret I wasn"t the one to put a bullet between his eyes. It would have been so satisfying…

"What did Vlad mean?" My thoughts are interrupted when Adrian tilts his head and looks at me through hooded eyes.

"When?" I try to remember what instance he"s talking about but can"t.

"When he said he"s seen you naked."

"Ah! I"ve seen him naked, too. It"s not a big deal. We were often in such close quarters with each other, we didn"t have any privacy. Especially during missions in remote areas." I hope he doesn"t think there"s anything between Vlad and me. I mean, we"re basically siblings.

Adrian is silent for a moment.

"Was this before we were together?"

I try to think back, and maybe… I don"t really remember.

"Mostly," I reply.

After Vlad became Pakhan, we rarely went on missions together, so in a sense, I"m not lying.

"I see…" Adrian replies and purses his lips. What"s going on? Is that a good I see or a bad I see?

"You must understand that nothing ever happened." I try to placate him further.

"How would you feel if I told you I had this close female friend, and we"ve both seen each other naked?"

A red mist covers my sight. My hand clutches at the armrest when I say, "I"d kill her."

"See?" He lifts an eyebrow at me.

"But…" I start, not seeing how these two situations compare.

"If this," he points towards me and then towards himself, "is going to work in any way, you"ll have to try to put yourself in my shoes every now and then."

I grumble some type of acquiescence and drop the subject. How am I supposed to put myself in his shoes? I"ll probably have to make a list of all the things he dislikes and memorize it. Would it be too much to ask him to make a list? One furtive glance at his stern features discourages me from voicing aloud that particular thought. He already thinks I"m a monster; I shouldn"t add crazy to the mix.

Trying to salvage the time left on the flight, I change the topic and bring up something I"d been wondering for a long time.

"I"ve been meaning to ask you," I start, almost testing the waters. He turns ever so slightly towards me, so I continue, "How come Marcel is so involved in this Jimenez hunt?"

"He"s my best friend," Adrian says automatically. "But to answer your question, Marcel found out that I was Adrian Barnett incredibly early in our friendship. I ended up telling him the entire history and why I was chasing after Jimenez. He"s been helping me since, especially with his connections in the D.A. office."

"How does he know Vlad, then?" I ask, another mystery I haven"t been able to crack.

"I don"t know exactly. He said they"re old friends."

"And you don"t find that odd? I didn"t know about their acquaintance until very recently." And I know mostly everyone in Vlad"s life, not that there are that many people.

"Marcel has his secrets, but he"s always been loyal to me," he adds with confidence.

"Hmm…" Adrian"s trust in Marcel is ironclad. And yet, I have this nagging feeling that I"m missing something. Why is he so dedicated to finding Jimenez? Just for his best friend? It seems like a perilous task to undertake just to be of help to someone… I realize I can"t voice my doubts anymore because I"d be doing so in vain.

But I"d have to monitor Marcel.

* * *

We land and after getting the luggage, we go to rent a car. After signing the agreement, we start on the road.

I input the coordinates for Wolfe"s home, and then we head to Palm Harbor. A quick glance at the community shows it"s mainly retired people, so we have to keep that in mind to blend in.

"I guess Martin sucked him dry," I say as Wolfe"s house comes in sight. It"s very modest, especially considering the other neighboring houses.

"The first attempt is friendly, all right?" Adrian gives me a look while trying to find a parking spot, making sure I"m on the same page. We"d argued a little on the drive here, but we"d resolved to do it his way at first, and if it doesn"t work, then we"ll do it my way.

We get out of the car and knock on the door. After a few knocks, an old lady opens the door and greets us.

"Mrs. Wolfe?" Adrian inquires, and she nods. "I"m Theodore Hastings, and this is my wife Bianca Ashby. We"d like to talk with your husband. Is he at home?"

"Yes, yes, just a second. Please come in." She shows us to the living room and tells us to make ourselves comfortable.

We sit, and I take in my surroundings. Everything looks typical of a suburban home. There are family photos everywhere.

By all intents and purposes, it seems as if Senator Wolfe is a family man. There"s also an unusual amount of religious paraphernalia, lots of crosses and the Bible in at least a dozen editions.

The sound of coughing brings my gaze towards the doorway, where an elderly man is holding onto the wall, seemingly walking with difficulty.

"Senator Wolfe." Adrian stands to shake the man"s hand. Wolfe doesn"t seem to be in top shape, but maybe this will be to our advantage.

"Hastings, right? Good to see you again, boy." He then looks at me and narrows his eyes. "Ashby… I heard about Martin. My condolences." I just give him a nod and watch him position himself on the opposite couch.

"What brings you here?" he asks, and I look at Adrian, keeping my mouth shut and giving him the stage.

"We"ve discovered a list among Martin"s belongings," Adrian starts, and the effect is immediate. Wolfe"s face pales, and there"s a slight trembling to the hand resting on his knee.

"And?"

"Your name, along with other high-profile people, was on said list. We were wondering if you could provide us with some information…" Wolfe immediately stands, faster than he should have been capable of.

"Out!" he says. "Get out of my house! Now!" His hand points towards the door, and Adrian purses his lips, not yet moving.

"I don"t think I made myself clear, Senator. We already know you were paying off Martin. What was it, quarter a million a year? How could a mere public officer have that much money to spare?" I know he"s bluffing right now, but damn if it"s not working.

If before we only theorized that Martin was the one blackmailing these people, now we know for sure. Wolfe promptly retakes his seat with a defeated look.

"What do you want?"

"The truth. Starting with why you were on the list in the first place."

"I… I can"t," Wolfe stutters.

"Can"t or won"t?" Adrian rises to his feet and casually walks to the fireplace, above which are many family pictures. He takes one of the frames.

"You have a lovely family…"

"Please! It"s over, just leave me alone," he pleads before turning towards me with venom in his eyes. "And you? I should have expected that any offspring of Martin"s would be as vile." I"m slightly taken aback at this. Adrian interjects.

"You"ll address my wife with respect, Wolfe, or you will find that you won"t like the consequences." Adrian"s voice suddenly booms, and my cheeks warm at his defense.

"Y-Y-You…" Wolfe sputters. Adrian moves in front of him, pointing to the family photo.

"Now, let"s try again. Why was your name on the list?" I casually slip a gun from my back and play with a silencer. Wolfe"s eyes go wide like saucers while Adrian looks resigned. He gives me a silent sign to not act.

"I… You can"t tell anyone this, please. You can"t tell my family. I"ll be ruined."

"We don"t care about that, Wolfe. Come on."

"I used to go to this club… it was a club that auctioned people for… sex." His cheeks go red at the admission.

"And?"

"I…" His eyes go back and forth from Adrian to my gun, and he swallows deeply. "I bought boys." His head drops at this.

"Boys? Define boys."

"T-T-Teenage boys." My hand immediately tightens on the gun, and it takes all my self-control to not shoot the fucker at once.

"Who was providing the boys?" Adrian continues to calmly ask, but I can see how much this bothers him.

"Jimenez… He has sex rings all over the East Coast. He arranges auctions, but…"

"But Martin got that list somehow." Wolfe nods.

"I see." Adrian stands and puts the picture back in its place.

"You won"t say anything, right?" Wolfe looks at both of us. Adrian motions me towards the door, so I stand as well.

"Goodbye, Senator," Adrian says, and we leave.

In the car, the atmosphere is tense. And I simply have to ask,"Can I kill him?"

Adrian"s hands splay on the wheel, and he sighs deeply, his eyes determined.

"Yes." Well, that"s surprising. Giddiness overcomes me.

"Thank you!" I grab his arm and hug it to my chest in an impulsive gesture. Adrian spares me half a glance before focusing on the road, but his mouth has the slightest hint of a smile.

We check into a hotel, and I outline the plan.

"This lasted less than a day. You were great," I praise him. Honestly, I was impressed by how he handled the situation. Not so impressed with how I hadn"t been able to kill him, but there"s always tonight.

"You think you"ll be fine on your own?" he asks after I tell him what I intend.

"I"d rather you didn"t witness me… doing that," I add ruefully. I know that our working together on this case implies coming face to face with a lot of violence. At the same time, I"d rather he didn"t have a picture of me killing this old man.

"If you"re sure…" He doesn"t look entirely sure himself, but I wave him off. I know what I"m doing, and now that I"m clean, I"m also much more aware of my surroundings. I can be in and out with no one finding out.

Later at night, I leave the hotel room, taking a long-winded way back to the senator"s house to avoid detection. Once I"m there, it"s easy to get inside the house.

I go to the second floor where the senator"s bedroom is and see him in bed with his wife. He"s lying face up and snoring loudly.

My right hand goes to my small pouch, and I withdraw a small syringe. I"d read up the senator"s file and had noticed he had a heart problem. Then I"d realized what the best way to end him would be—a shot of potassium.A natural death for a foul human being.

Pity…

I put my left hand over his mouth and watch his eyes jolt open and widen at my presence. I give him a smile as I push the syringe into his neck.

As I watch, it doesn"t take long for him to fade. I check his pulse with two fingers, satisfied with myself when I find none.

This wasn"t a rewarding kill. He got what he deserved for purchasing underage boys for sex, but he was already old and decrepit. Even if I could inflict more pain on him, his body wouldn"t have taken it, so it would have been in vain. Pity… that he was punished decades too late.

I get back to the hotel room and see Adrian already in bed, resting on his side.

Is he asleep?

I slip inside and tentatively wrap my arms around him from behind, putting my head on his back.

"Done?" His voice surprises me. So, he is awake.

"Yes," I whisper.

His hand comes on top of mine, and I steel myself for the rejection, thinking he"ll push me away.

But he doesn"t.

His hand just rests over mine, giving me warmth I"d never genuinely appreciated before.