Chapter Fifty-Nine

Adrik

I couldn’t help but feel a huge relief once I knew Niko and Vito were in our custody and unable to escape the city once more. They had lost more underbosses in a few hours than the city had lost good people, so I was considering it a win. Boris was the help the people needed to defend their businesses and stand up to the bosses once and for all. Best of all, it looked like we weren’t involved.

Now our plan to return peace and order to the city would finally be set in motion.

After Sephie and the Wonder Twins restarted dinner, I made a call to the mayor, as well as Trino. I wanted both of them to know that our plans would be moving forward, hopefully at a quick pace. Doug was prepared to hold a press conference announcing the arrest of Dr. Moretti. After that, it would be revealed that he had ties to both Sal and Henry. Sal would quickly discover that coming back to the city was no longer an option for him.

Trino needed to be prepared for anything when it came to Martin. The Mexicans were still very much a wild card in all of this. They were unpredictable. They were savage. I detested working with them. Trino had sent a very strong message when he took over, but people like that only listen to violence. They’d grown bolder since they had Sal’s backing. We were hoping that boldness would die with Sal, but we were also prepared to send a message they would never forget.

“Jefe, are you going after Sal and Ricardo first?” Trino asked.

“That’s the plan so far. Unless you tell me there’s a better reason to go after Martin first,” I said.

“No, no. I think they need to fall first. I think without them, the Mexicans won’t be as big of an issue. I’ve got plenty of eyes within Martin’s circle that can get word to me of his plans. Same for the Mexicans. There’s talk, Jefe. You have time to meet before you leave?” he asked.

“Yeah, it won’t be for a few days. How urgent is this? Do you need to meet right away?”

“Tomorrow, Jefe. I think you’re going to be able to shed more light on the situation,” Trino said.

“Tomorrow night. Chen knows where. We’re being watched right now so I don’t want you at the building. We’re not there at the moment, but we’ve got a spot we can meet.”

Sephie noticed my clenched jaw when I walked back into the kitchen. She immediately freed up her hands and wrapped her arms around me. “That doesn’t look so good,” she said, resting her head against my chest.

I sighed. “I don’t know yet. I just know that now I feel better about it,” I said, running my hands over her back and through her hair.

She looked up at me, searching my eyes, looking for answers to questions she didn’t want to bother me with. She found what she was looking for and put her head back on my chest. We stood in silence for a few minutes when Misha said, “Boss, Trino knows about the Mexicans praying to the Saint of Death. He’s having trouble connecting that they know something about Martin and his deal.”

I put my hand on the back of Sephie’s neck, pulling her away from my chest. “You asked him to look?”

She smiled sweetly at me. “I would prefer you weren’t so stressed. Yes, I asked him to look. I know how much you hate surprises. I also know it’s not something Trino wanted to discuss over the phone.”

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. “I love you. More than I ever thought possible.” I could feel her smile against my lips.

“My adorable Russian guardian, do you think we can find out more details on the Mexicans? Like what they know about Martin that seems to have them so spooked?” she asked Misha.

“I can try, but I’m going to need your help to see if we can translate any of it. We’ve really got to hire a Spanish tutor,” he said, shaking his head.

Sephie giggled, but agreed. “After dinner though. I’m starving.”

I surprised them both by suggesting they try something new. “Why don’t you both use your demons to see how detailed we can get?”

She grinned at me. “Maybe my demon knows Spanish. This could really work in our favor.”

After dinner, the other guys worked on cleaning up the kitchen so Misha and Sephie could try to find answers. We’d discussed what we needed to find out as we ate, so those two set about trying to find the answers to our questions.

When Misha first started looking, both their eyes switched to black, but both of them inhaled sharply, eyes wide. “Whoa,” they both said at the same time. I could feel Sephie’s surprise at whatever she was seeing, but she stayed mostly calm. I could almost feel her trying to understand what was being said.

They watched the movie only they could see for a few minutes. We saw them look at each other, clearly surprised at whatever new thing they’d just discovered. “Well, that was different,” Sephie said as she looked at Misha with wide eyes.

“What was different this time, solnishko?” I asked, curious to find out what had happened.

“It started with snapshots, then went to a movie that we were watching, then a movie that we were standing inside of. This time, it was like we had the remote and could pause the scene and walk through it, looking at every detail we wanted to,” Misha said.

“I could look in people’s heads,” Sephie said, her eyes still wide.

“Really?” Andrei asked, now just as surprised as she was. “You’ve never done it from that far away before, have you?”

“No. God, no. I threatened to try it once with Ivan, but I never actually did,” she said.

“What did you find?” I asked, walking to her side, finally unable to stay away from her any longer.

“They’re scared of Martin, which we already suspected. It’s hard to tell exactly how much they know. Language is still a very big barrier for us,” she said. I could feel her frustration.

“I think we should take a closer look at Martin, gazelle. Maybe we can figure out why they’re so scared of him that way,” Misha said.

I clicked my tongue, pulling her in front of me. “Is it going to zap either one of you? We can’t afford for anyone to get zapped right now.”

Her eyes flashed red as she grinned at me. “You, my King, have enough power to keep all of us going now. I think we’ll be okay.”

My breath caught looking at her red eyes. She felt the full effect it had on me as she pressed herself closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck for a moment. “Unexpectedly hot,” I told her as she stayed in front of me long enough for me to calm myself down. I heard her giggling in her head, but she never gave any indication of it outward.

Once she felt me mostly calm once again, she sighed, stepping away from me. She glanced at Misha, extending her hand to him. “Let’s see if we can find out what our dearest Martin has been up to,” she said.

They watched for several minutes once again. I could feel both Sephie’s and Misha’s demons getting angry while they watched Martin. Really angry. Everyone else could too. We were all somewhat nervous to see what they’d found.

Sephie immediately turned to look at me once the movie stopped. Her eyes were black, so were Misha’s. Everyone else’s eyes had turned black in response so she knew we were all very aware of her demon’s anger.

“You know this isn’t us, right?” she asked.

“Yeah. Your demons are pissed. Quite frankly, it’s making mine pissed as well,” I said, feeling the growing agitation inside.

“Same for mine,” Ivan said.

“Mine too,” Andrei said.

“Yeah, this is not going to end well for whomever you guys were watching. I know that much,” Stephen said. He took a step back from everyone, putting his hands in his pockets. It was his go-to move when he felt himself losing control. His reflexes were lightning fast when his bloodlust took over. He tried to contain it by keeping his hands out of the equation.

Sephie, of course, noticed. I felt her anger increase in response to him. “You good, Stephen?” she asked. Her tone had a slight edge to it. She wasn’t mad at him in the slightest. She was just ready to meet his anger with her own, if necessary.

“Good, Seph. Just explain what’s happening. It’ll help,” he said, through clenched teeth.

“Martin is going after innocent people,” Misha said. “Women, children, no one is safe from him at the moment. Right now, it’s directed at the people of Colombia, but it looks like he has the people of Mexico next on his list.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would he go after the people?” Andrei asked. Even his demon was livid. He still looked completely calm, however. He might’ve been the only one out of us, besides Viktor who did look calm. The rest of us were very clearly angry.

“Insurance,” Sephie said. “He knows the people helped Trino in his rise to power. If he terrorizes them, they’ll be less likely to help Trino overthrow him again because they’ll be exhausted trying to survive him.”

I could feel her nausea coming through her anger. “Come here,” I told her. She walked quickly to me, not meeting my gaze. She just put her head on my chest and held onto me as tightly as she could for a few minutes.

“That doesn’t exactly explain why the Mexicans are scared of him though. I would think that would piss them off and make them go after him,” Ivan said.

“That’s because you did not see the statements he’s making,” Misha said. He looked just as troubled as Sephie felt. I glanced at Stephen, who had gotten his anger under control. He nodded once, walking to Misha. He didn’t even ask; he just grabbed his hand to help him clear what he’d just witnessed.

Viktor walked over after Stephen was done. “We’re going to start being more proactive about this. This needs to happen before you guys go looking for anything pertaining to Martin or Ricardo. I think it will help,” he said, putting his hand on Misha’s shoulder, lighting his aura up for all of us to see. We could clearly see the dark spot as we saw Kostya float down and land in Viktor’s hand.

As Viktor and Kostya fixed Misha, Stephen walked to Sephie. He didn’t bother making her move from my arms. He just took one of her hands, quietly helping her release the bad she’d just witnessed. I could feel her instant relief as Stephen helped her open everything back up. It wasn’t as bad as when we helped Battista with his associate, but I could still feel her struggling with what to do with everything she’d just seen.

She sighed, her body relaxing as Stephen finished and Viktor took his place. He didn’t make her move either, he just held the same hand that Stephen had. She had a dark spot almost in the same spot as Misha when Viktor lit her up. Kostya fixed it quickly, once again making her feel lighter.

She inhaled deeply. She didn’t move from my chest, but she said, “Martin is using religion as a weapon right now. His demon is making a mockery of every religious symbol Spanish people hold dear. I think that’s why the Mexicans are scared of him. They likely don’t know he’s legit possessed by a demon, but they probably suspect it given his actions.” She glanced at Misha, who looked lighter again as well, but both were still troubled with what they’d witnessed. “I do find it ironic that the Mexicans, who are known for being some of the cruelest cartels in the world, are scared of Martin right now.”

Misha looked at Ivan. “That should tell you all you need to know about why the Mexicans are scared of him.”

“Maybe we need to adjust our plans and take care of Martin first,” Andrei said. “If innocent people are dying, we shouldn’t leave him for last.”

“Agreed,” Ivan said.

“I also agree. I want to find out what Trino knows. We’ll meet him tomorrow night. I’m not sure he knows the extent of what’s happening. He didn’t seem to think it was as urgent as it is,” I said. “That could turn out to be a bigger problem, if the people he has keeping an eye on Martin aren’t giving him the full truth.”

We moved to the back room to the couches to finish our discussion of what to do about our plans. I pulled Sephie into my lap, leaning her back against me. She felt better, but she was still quiet after she and Misha had found Martin.

“Is the mayor ready for Dr. Moretti?” Ivan asked.

“Yeah. He said he’s ready to hold a press conference announcing his arrest. He’s the first domino. He can be linked to Sal, who can be linked to Henry, who can be linked to the switch-hitting representative. The only thing I’m uncertain of is how Sal and Ricardo are going to react to finding out he’s in police custody. I’m hoping that most of the underbosses have been taken care of today, which will be a very obvious sign that Sal and Ricardo are no longer welcome in the city. By anyone,” I said.

“Has Battista gotten the information on what kind of demon Sal made a deal with? Do we know how to deal with him?” Stephen asked.

I shook my head. “I haven’t heard anything on it yet. It sounded like his psychic that he’s been using gets information sporadically from whatever she’s using.”

“I kind of want to know what she’s using to get information. Not that we don’t have alternative means of getting information, but it seems weird,” Sephie said. “I also understand that I have no grounds to call anyone else weird.”

Viktor’s deep laugh filled the room. “Kostya said you are a little weird, but it’s part of your charm.” I could feel Sephie’s happiness at hearing his laugh. The more things returned to normal between Viktor and the rest of us, the happier she got about it. I didn’t even have to ask him to help Misha and Sephie tonight. He just stepped up and did it. It was nice to see.

“He’s not allowed to use words like that. He’s grounded,” Sephie said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Viktor laughed once more, adding, “You might feel better once you know that the deal Sal made is not to the same level as Ricardo or Martin. Stephen will be effective with Niko, Vito, and Sal. Boss will be needed for Ricardo and Martin. He also says we need to be prepared for what will happen when Boss takes care of Ricardo and Martin, but it’s not time yet.” He looked at all of our puzzled faces with a sympathetic, knowing look of his own. “Yeah, trust me. I hate the cryptic messages as much as anyone. Little shit won’t budge though. Doesn’t matter how I try to get more info out of him.”

“He apparently takes after his old man,” Ivan said seriously, causing Viktor’s deep belly laugh to fill the room once more.

“I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about what is going to happen when Boss sends Ricardo and Martin to Hell. I have questions,” Stephen said.

“I think we all do. The main one being, how the fuck do I even do it,” I said, trying not to laugh.

Sephie wrapped my arms around her waist tighter, hugging my arms to her. She could feel my frustration over everything. “I think like most things that have happened with us, it’s going to be something that likely just happens exactly when we need it to happen. Or else you get a visit from someone who explains it to you before it happens. We seem to have enough extra help around us that everything falls into place exactly when it’s meant to.”

We were all quiet for a few moments, contemplating the unknown that we were facing. It was Andrei who broke the silence. “Can someone explain what the difference is between when Stephen is needed and when Boss is needed? I’m still really fuzzy on that detail.”

Sephie snapped her fingers, pointing at him. “Same, Bubba. Same.”

They all looked to me like I should have this answer. “Bold of you all to assume I’d have that answer,” I said, smirking at them. Sephie laughed softly, leaning her head back against my shoulder so she could look at me.

“Did my dad offer any insight into it when he leveled you up?” she asked.

I sighed, thinking back to the conversation I had with Sephie’s dad. “Not really. He just told me I’d be able to do it. We talked more about other things, including you,” I said, kissing her neck.

“Okay, so what do we know already?” Stephen asked. “Armando’s demon was running the show, but apparently not strong enough that Boss’s skillset was needed to take care of him. It seems to be the same for the other bosses. What’s the difference with Ricardo and Martin?”

“Maybe they needed to agree to more, which the other bosses wouldn’t agree to. Maybe Armando’s demon didn’t own his soul, per se, but had still taken over in this body. Ricardo’s and Martin’s demons own their souls?” Ivan theorized.

“That makes sense to me,” Sephie said. “I’m also curious whether Ricardo and Martin are the ones who initiated the deal. It feels more like Armando just gave in to his demon. Like as much as I hate him, he didn’t have an easy childhood. Feels like he just gave in to evil and accepted that’s how life was supposed to go. His demon saw an opportunity and took it. Ricardo and Martin are next level somehow.”

She had been fidgeting with my hands while she thought through the situation out loud with all of us. I could feel the goosebumps rising over my arms the more she talked. “Look at me,” I said when she was finished. She turned toward me, her deep purple eyes making it obvious she was on the right track.

“Purple?” she asked when she saw my familiar smirk that meant her eyes had changed. I nodded.

“Your dad did tell me that the deals Ricardo and Martin made were such that their souls would be tied to those demons for eternity. Armando is now separated from his demon, so his soul gets a fresh start in the next life. For whatever reason, Ricardo and Martin can’t be separated from their demons now, so they both go to Hell,” I said.

“I realize we don’t have specifics on why that is, but I would like to know why that is, at some point,” Stephen said. “Not just because I’m having performance anxiety knowing my particular set of skills are ineffective against those two either.”

I could feel Sephie’s irritation at Stephen’s words. I knew he was about to get reprimanded.

“Don’t do that, Stephen. Your soul isn’t as old as ours. Your demon likely isn’t either. You’ve already come up with your own level up that nobody saw coming. Who’s to say that won’t continue? Who’s to say that both of you won’t be needed at some point so you also learn how to do it? Demon crushing is still, and will always be on the table, for you. Stop comparing yourself to others.”

He had a sly grin that was turning up one side of his mouth as he tried not to laugh at her being miffed with him. He looked at her for a moment, then said, “You know that feeling that I imagine kids have when their parents admonish them for any kind of negative self-talk? Yeah, that’s me right now. I just got scolded. Why am I so happy about it though?” He finally let a quiet laugh out.

“You’re happy about it because you know she loves you. We all do. Your gift is pretty badass on its own, man. I don’t know that I’d want the responsibility of having to condemn people for eternity,” Misha said.

“It’s not something I plan to use often. Assuming I ever figure out how to use it in the first place,” I said.

“We’re a team. We’ve always been a team. We’ll always be a team. Just like before we met Sephie, we each have unique talents that we bring to the table and the team is stronger because of it. Just because we can do weird shit now doesn’t mean that changes,” Ivan said. I could feel his irritation that Stephen would even doubt himself.

“You’re so eloquent, Squish,” Sephie said, giggling.

“One other point that Sephie’s dad brought up was that it had to be all of us for this to work. No one is more important than anyone else. It’s all or nothing. We’re all here, together, in this lifetime for a reason. We all found each other for this. Just like Ivan said, we’ll always be a team. Each member is just as important as the next,” I said.

Stephen was looking at the floor, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as we talked. His sly grin spread across his face once more as he looked up at all of us. “So this is what having a real family is like.”