“Ah, yes!” Balian nodded. “I’ll tell you more if you protect me!”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll think about that.” She had no intention of making a deal without discussing it with the entire team. All of this had been a play to get Balian to slip, and if they needed him for more, he would be ready and willing to talk.
She turned on her heel and left the room, Elijah following her.
“Well played, little lady.” Elijah’s compliment made her feel good.
“Either of you could have done it. I could just do it faster,” she said, chuckling. “He’s not the sharpest tool in the box.”
“I’ll stay here and make sure no one goes after him. Can never be too careful.”
“Thanks, Zander. I’m going to get Vincent and Jasper. Maybe they’ve come up with something.” Or maybe even confirmed what she now had nagging in the back of her mind.
“Before you go, want to talk about what he said in there?” Elijah leaned on the wall, watching her carefully.
“Home. Axel only has one place he considers home.” She turned away from them before anything more could be said. The answer was obvious.
Italy.
Something about the idea of it made her heart race and her palms get sweaty as she walked down the hall towards the elevator. Once inside, she crossed her arms, trying to stop whatever strange adrenaline rush was making them shake.
Italy.
She hadn’t gone back in five years. After Henry died, she left and never went back.
When the elevator dinged for the floor she needed, she rushed off, ignoring the other passengers. She knew what she probably looked like. Anxious, and making the space around her just a little too cold for comfort. It only took her another hundred steps to find the room she wanted and barge in.
“Italy,” she said at the exact same time they did. The shock of that hit her first, then a steady realization they were right. That monster had gone home.
“The papers point to some place in Italy. We know. How did you get it from Balian?”
“He said…he said Axel ran home. Only one place fits that. Axel doesn’t consider any place a home except Italy.” She was breathing harder than she should have been. “Do you have any addresses? We could get this done right now, guys. If we know where he is…We could go tonight.”
“It all seems a bit obvious…” Vincent sighed. “I mean, he should know we’d find him there, arrogant or not.”
Sawyer felt like pieces fell into place. “This is the trap,” she whispered. “This is his trap.”
“Excuse me?” Vincent frowned.
“I’ve been considering an idea that he’ll try to trap us eventually. Pull us into a situation we can’t win. This is it.”
“We think we’ve treed the game so we rush in.” Jasper nodded. “I like that. Vin?”
“Fuck,” Vincent snapped. “Balian, he involved?”
“No, he’s just stupid. Axel probably left us all the clues we needed to find him on purpose, and Balian is just going to expedite the process because he’s a moron.” She grinned. “If we go in knowing it’s a trap, there’s a chance we don’t get caught in it.”
“Don’t get arrogant. He’s setting us up, obviously, and he’s probably got more tricks up his sleeves.” Vincent pointed a finger at her, pinning her with the point he made. “Remember, don’t rush.”
She held her hands up. “Not rushing. Just pointing out that we can prepare. We can be ready for anything he throws at us. We can win here.”
“We’re both in check, then.” Vincent hummed to himself. Sawyer waited as patiently as she could, trying not to pace and get antsy. “I wonder why he’s doing it now…”
“Does it matter?” Jasper asked.
“Yes. My brother does nothing without thinking it through. He always has multiple levels of reasoning.”
Sawyer considered that, closing the door behind her finally. She should have done that earlier, but caught in the moment, she might have exposed a lot of their plans. It would be something they just had to live with now.
“Vincent, do you think it might be a long-term thing?” She walked closer and sat down at the table. “Do you think maybe he’s tired of playing the game?”
“He loves the game…but I think you’re right. You have a point, at least. We’ll never stop. This is the last case we’ll ever do and the only one. We’re not quitting until it’s over. We wrecked major areas of his business in the span of a week, pushing him to deal with problems himself and try to distract us by attacking back. It was never something he had to do before.” Vincent sat next to her. “Sounds like him. He’s never been on the losing team, and yet…”
“He’s losing,” she murmured. “We’ve cornered him, so he’s going to use it to his advantage, or try.”
“He wants to end this because when we’re gone, everyone else has to start from square one.” Jasper motioned to all the papers on the table. “The next guys will get all of this and it’ll be defunct. Worthless. We hit fast enough and hard enough because of a lucky break that now no one else has. Missy is dead. If another team takes over, they’re ten steps behind.”
“While we’re only two. He doesn’t like how close we are.”
“This is his favorite move,” she reminded Vincent. “Pretend to be vulnerable, leave an opening, then attack the force you send into the gap. This is his move.”
“He’s never been driven to do it off the chess board.” Vincent considered her. “Can you get an address from Balian?”
“I think I can. He stuck around since he thought Axel running home was cowardly, so he disobeyed the orders. By doing that, he’s already a dead man. He might have also been trying to kill me and become a hero? That I’m not one hundred percent sure of; it might just be something he can say to Axel if they ever see each other. An attempt to get back in good graces. Doesn’t matter. He was asking me about a deal when I left. I told him I would think on it.”
“Let’s do it. If he can give us the place, we can start the final act.” Vincent stood back up and held out a hand. She accepted and noticed he didn’t let her go. He held her hand as they walked out of the room, Jasper on her other side. People stared at the PDA, but no one said anything. Others in the elevator, as she boarded with her lovers, moved away from them, and hushed work conversations quieted.
Feeling bold, she held Vincent’s hand tighter and leaned into Jasper, who slid an arm around her waist.
The elevator was empty by the time they reached the floor with the interrogation room. Zander and Elijah were still waiting patiently at the door.
“Well?” Elijah noticed them first.
“Let’s find out where my brother is hiding.” Vincent didn’t stop walking. He went straight into the interrogation room, letting the entire team follow him. They flooded the room and Sawyer watched Balian sit up straighter, trying for some dignity, she guessed. “I want an address or you get nothing.”
“Only an address?” Balian sounded surprised. “You don’t care who will probably be there? What might be waiting for you?”
“We know it’s a trap. I know my brother. It has to be a trap, if he made it this easy after staying off the grid as well as he has. So I can imagine there’s going to be trouble there. Just give me the address so we can go and do this.”
“I need a pen and paper. What do I get?”
“Parole,” she said before anyone else could offer something. “Serve some time and then parole out. You might get back into crime, sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Ah, that works. How much time would I serve?”
“Ten years,” Vincent answered this time. “Agreeable?”
“Yes, I agree.”
Jasper laid out a pen and a piece of paper for Balian. The Ghost wrote quickly and Jasper snatched it back the moment he was done then rushed out of the room.
“He’s going to check on the validity. Make sure the address is real and get satellite imaging started on it,” Vincent said i
n her head. Based on the small nod from Elijah behind their prisoner, he had said it to everyone.
They waited in dead silence. Sawyer checked her phone for the time when she began to start feeling the pain. Her feet were beginning to hurt. An hour had already passed.
Then another hour.
“What are we waiting on?” Balian demanded. “My ass hurts.”
“For you to be telling the truth,” Zander retorted.
It was ten minutes after that when Jasper walked back in.
“We’re good. I told Thompson of the deal with Balian as well and he’s working on making sure the paperwork is in order.”
The team nearly ran out of the room, everyone trying to talk at once until Vincent snapped.
“Quiet!” he demanded. Sawyer stopped trying to say whatever she’d been intending to him. “First - Elijah, tell Quinn. We’ll get a portal to the house to pick him up, then portal into Italy. Second - Jasper, I want to see exactly where that address is. Third, we need to prepare all day. We’re in for a long night.” He said that last bit to her, eyeing her.
She nodded. They were in for a long night. The final night. Beat Axel at his own game and…
She still didn’t know what came next, but if everything went well, tomorrow she would know.
“Sawyer, where did you live with him? It was near Rome, wasn’t it?” Vincent looked up at her after he reviewed the documents and photos Jasper has given him.
“Yeah, it was,” she answered.
“His new place? It’s only twenty minutes away from that property.” Vincent took a deep breath. “It’s only an hour from the old Castello summer home.”
“He went…home,” she repeated. “Literally.”
“It seems he did.” Vincent handed the papers to her. “Jasper…”
“I did run the satellite over to see surrounding landmarks and properties. I ran it against other known addresses we had that he once used. It was something I felt you both should know.”
Sawyer saw the simple picture the satellite took of the target and then went to the next picture. It was that damned mansion. Her hands began to shake. “Thank you.” She handed all of it back to Vincent, practically shoving it into his arms. “This might seem inappropriate, but-”
“We’ll make the side stop. If you want to see it one more time, we can make the side stop before hitting Axel.” Vincent was kind and gentle as he said it, encouraging. “We can go.”
“Good, because this is the last trip to Italy I’m ever taking.” She stepped around him and began to walk away. She didn’t move quickly, letting the team keep step. With them at her back, she felt ready to see the place where all her darkest nightmares came from.
28
Axel
“Sir, maybe this isn’t-”
“If you tell me this is a bad idea like the two who walked in here before you, I’m going to kill you and not particularly care,” Axel snapped. “The plan is set. They’re coming. It could take them a day or it could take them weeks, it doesn’t matter, but we’re not doing anything until I get them out of our way.”
He turned from his view over his vineyard, right next to his large olive operation, to glare at the Ghost. He didn’t even bother learning her name. He’d only promoted her in the last week, thanks to his brother and that stupid…He took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to get enraged over her.
The Ghost was shaking, obviously fearful of him. Good. He needed to instill more fear in them, it seemed. Sawyer had destroyed the best of his inner circle. These replacements were driving him insane. He needed the time to find who the best fit was, but he didn’t have that anymore.
Time.
That’s why Axel was doing this. He couldn’t have them running through his ranks, constantly taking out his most trusted generals, his confidants, and most loyal Magi. It left him constantly wasting resources to rebuild. If he didn’t do this now, early, while he still had some substantial power, then he knew he would be doing it in five years, and from a much weaker position.
He’d never expected his brother and Shadow to hunt so well. And it was Shadow coming for him. He’d heard the black mask he’d given her was making a reappearance, haunting those whose paths she crossed.
He refused to admit the feeling in his stomach was fear. Sawyer had always been an emotional girl - too easy to fall for someone and trust them. Shadow was all of that put away and deadly. He’d made the best assassin in the world by chaining Sawyer with her own emotions and then unleashing her cold rage on everything else. It was the only way he’d given her power, her kills. They would be the focus of all the pain he inflicted on her.
“Get out,” he demanded. The Ghost turned and hurried away. “Felix!”
His favorite Magi ran in, glaring at the Ghost as she left. He stopped in front of Axel, looking somewhat concerned. “Yes sir?”
“Are you ready for this?” he asked. “If anything happens, I’m relying on you.”
“I ran in Atlanta so that I could continue doing this duty for you, Axel. I won’t abandon you now.”
“Why couldn’t she ever be as loyal as you?” Axel didn’t know why he was asking, but if there was anyone who might have an answer, it was Felix. A bit cowardly, but loyal to the bitter end. He didn’t care if his master was dead, he would work and weasel his way to do his job without putting himself in danger. He also knew how to figure out other people.
“Sir…if I may be so bold to answer that honestly?”
Axel raised an eyebrow. “Of course.” He valued the honesty from Felix, his last original Ghost.
“You never gave her what she needed. Well, you did in the beginning, but something changed in you, which changed something in her. In the end, that ruined everything.”
“You mean I should have continued to indulge her, made her feel loved and secure.”
“If you had kept her as a thief, I think none of this would have happened.”
“But I needed an assassin,” Axel reminded him. “And she was perfect.”
Perfect.
If there was one thing he was willing to admit, she was perfection. Deadly and beautiful, a Magi meant to kill. It was why he had pushed her so hard, not realizing how close he was taking her to the breaking point. And himself.
“And yet, you had to do a lot to make her stay in line. You expect obedience, as you should. Once you made her your assassin, she didn’t give you that. She fought you in private, where none of us knew she was such a troublemaker. You had to blackmail her, you had to put her in her place, remind her where she belonged, and it ate away at your control. Until one day you snapped.”
Axel looked away after that. Snapped. Yes. It took years and a short time in prison to realize his own mistakes, his own lack of control over that entire situation. He had shoved both of them past ever repairing the situation. Then, while he was trying to regroup and figure it out so he could keep her in the end, she had already taken steps to betray him. The mess he had to make to resolve that had been disastrous and gave others a chance to step in. His own brother and that little bastard misfit team of his.
If she had just been obedient, none of it would have happened.
“I lost my heir because of her.” He was still enraged. He wasn’t a good father by any means, but Henry had been a chance for the next generation. He would have given that boy an empire to rule. A legacy that would have been unmatched. His son would have been great. Even better than him or his brother or anyone else in his family.
And there she had been, believing he would actually hurt the boy. Something about that always made him upset as well, even though he had used it against her.
“Sir, I’m still sorry that-”
“No, it’s not you, Felix. I should have kept you closer.” Axel didn’t blame his necromancer Magi. He’d put the man with Colt in Africa. Axel’d had to portal into the right country, then hunt his men down while they were doing a deal. By the time he’d gotten Henry to Felix, it was too late for the magic to wor
k properly. Reviving Henry at that point would have made him a decaying vegetable, too long dead. “That wasn’t your fault.”
Axel had never considered he would lash out while angry at Sawyer and hurt his son. That had never been something he planned for. It was her fault. If she had just been obedient and followed orders. If only she hadn’t had such a damned moral compass telling her everything he wanted was wrong. If only she could crave power like he did.
He would have made her a queen, and yet, in the end, she was only his nightmare. She could have been, and for a short period was, the best he had, the strongest, the deadliest. He could always rely on her ability to kill, and he enjoyed her in bed more than other women.
And yet she just couldn’t fall in line.
Then he lost the only leash he had, the last leash.
“I should have never killed the damned cat,” he said to himself. “That was a bad move on my part. It left me with only Henry to control her, thinking nothing would ever happen to him. The cat was just taking up space, or so I thought.”
“Yes sir,” Felix agreed. “And now she’s coming for you again.”
“Which is why we’re here. She’s never going to stop, Felix. Even if I try to reason with her, let her live her own life and live my own, she’s never going to stop.”
“You should have let it lie when we discovered she was active and alive earlier this year, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. We had no idea or reason to believe we would fail.”
He nearly smiled at Felix’s ability to reason and understand where his head was at. No, there had been no reason to believe they would fail trying to kill her not once, not twice, but three times.
“I warned Naseem and Councilman Suarez that she refuses to die. They should have listened more carefully.” Axel began to chuckle, remembering how easy it was to bend the Councilman just enough to cause a mess in New York. Axel hadn’t particularly cared what the outcome would be, just that it was big enough for him to quietly rebuild with no one paying attention. It had done just that, only helped by some vengeful IMPO agent outing her to the world. None of them had even considered there was anything else going on until Vincent’s team got involved.
A Night of Redemption (The Redemption Saga Book 5) Page 29
