Den of Mercenaries

by London Miller

  But that was the pair of them.

  Two halves of a whole.

  Whereas Thanatos would drink to excess, was jovial and laughed louder than all the others, Invictus was very careful with what he ate, with the actions he took, and even the way he spoke.

  They balanced each other out.

  The television was still on, a game paused, the controllers tossed down on the floor in front of the massive sofa.

  Even that told a story.

  Everything had paused, and whatever easy joy had been felt earlier when things hadn’t fallen to shit, and death didn’t leave a hole in the room, was gone.

  Nothing would be the same now.

  They couldn’t just pick back up where they had left off—it wasn’t that simple.

  “Where is he?” Kit asked, his voice sounding impossibly loud in the silence of the room.

  Thanatos nodded his blond head toward the shadowed hallway. “Last door on your left,” he further explained, but neither he nor Invictus made any move to follow him.

  It was in the hallway, sitting in front of the very door he meant to enter that Kit found Tăcut.

  Outside of the men in this place, no one else knew how much Tăcut despised, not just silence, but darkness as well.

  He hated the shadows and what could hide in them.

  Despite his fears—despite the way Kit could see the panic in the man’s eyes—he stayed dutiful in front of Fang’s door.

  Despite his fears, he would have rather protected Fang from himself.

  “I have him,” Kit said, extending a hand to help the man to his feet.

  Tăcut didn’t express his relief, not that Kit would have wanted him to, as he allowed him to pull him up. He merely glanced back at the door one last time before heading back down the hall.

  Kit waited until he disappeared out of sight then turned the doorknob, only vaguely surprised to find it unlocked, before he let himself inside.

  He didn’t mean to flinch at the smell, didn’t mean to react at all, but even as seasoned as he was, there was nothing that could have adequately prepared him for the stench of death.

  Fang didn’t move from his spot on the floor. Not when the door opened, or when Kit came in and closed it behind him.

  The window was open, a soft wind rustling the curtains and blowing in cool air.

  Kit could only imagine what the smell would be like should it have been closed.

  Not that Fang seemed to mind.

  He seemed oblivious to it all.

  “I wasn’t just going to leave her there,” Fang said, still staring up at the ceiling, bringing the cigarette he had pinched between two fingers to his lips. The cherry at the end burned brighter for several seconds before he finally pulled the tobacco away and exhaled.

  “I understand.” And he did.

  If it were Luna …

  “They—whoever the fuck it was—fucked off before Than or Invictus could catch them.”

  “They won’t be able to hide for long,” Kit promised.

  Not Elias.

  Not the men he had kidnap Luna and Aidra.

  Not even the fucking driver.

  A lot of blood would be spilled by the time they finished.

  “We fought,” Fang whispered, as though he didn’t want to make the confession, but the words were burning to get out. “Right before she was taken.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Kit said.

  “I said you’d get her killed,” Fang went on as though Kit hadn’t spoken—or maybe he just needed to get the weight of his guilt off his chest. “But … what if we hadn’t argued? What if I would have caught her sooner? There’s a lot of fucking what-ifs.”

  “Regardless of your actions, she would have been taken—you know this.”

  Fang offered a shrug, grinding out his cigarette on the concrete floor beside him. “Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been easy.”

  For the first time since Kit had entered the room, Fang turned to his right, looking at the tightly wrapped bundle beside him, the white sheets stark against the darkness of the floor.

  It was still, so fucking still that he couldn’t ignore the ache resonating in his chest.

  He should have done better by her—provided her with the same level of security he provided Luna.

  Maybe he should have gone after her instead. Luna could handle herself. How many years had it been since Aidra was in the field, using the specific set of skills he’d taught her?

  But even as Kit felt his own guilt over Aidra’s death, there was one way to make it right.

  “We’ll find them,” Kit said, “we always do.”

  Fang gave a humorless chuckle. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

  “I’ll call a friend,” Kit said, not having to explain what this particular friend could do for them.

  Turning to leave, he was almost out the door when Fang spoke, his words making him pause.

  “I’m done once the last body hits its grave.”

  Kit thought of questioning that, or making him understand that losing loved ones was part of the job, that he had to swallow his grief and continue forward.

  That was what the Lotus Society had taught him.

  Duty before everything else.

  But despite the strenuous regimen he had lived under, he didn’t want him, or any of the others, to live under the same rules if they didn’t want to.

  It was why they had opted out of the Lotus Society the moment Kit had walked away.

  “You never had a contract with me,” Kit reminded him, his acceptance of what Fang was saying left unspoken.

  But Fang wasn’t finished. “I owe you my life.”

  If you force me to stay, I will.

  If you want me to be the soldier, I will.

  Kit knew what Fang said without him having to say it.

  “But you don’t owe me your soul, Christophe.”

  Fang flinched at the name, but didn’t say anything more as Kit slipped out of the room, then out of the loft entirely.

  Tonight, the only thing he wanted was to hold onto his wife as tight as he could because the thought of losing her still weighed on his chest.

  After Celt and Skorpion had slipped out, Luna curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, waiting for Kit to return.

  Numbness had swept through her the moment he had told her about Aidra, but even as she anticipated the moment Kit came home, her mind was working.

  She refused to sit idly by and do nothing after everything that had happened. She didn’t want Kit trying to protect her and keeping her locked away safe while he handled everything.

  Even with everything that had happened between her and Kit, and even with the time she spent away from them all, Aidra had still been her friend.

  “Kit—”

  She didn’t get a chance to get another word out before he was taking her face in his hands and kissing her. It was a desperate sort of kiss that made her ache for him and the obvious pain he was in.

  It was a long time before he released her, drawing in a breath as he rested his forehead against hers.

  “How is he?” Luna asked.

  Kit hesitated, and that was all she needed to know that Fang wasn’t handling it well. It only made her feel worse.

  “It will be sorted,” he promised, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry.”

  She knew it would, even if Kit had to tear the entire city apart to make sure of it, but she didn’t want to sit around as he did it.

  “Elias may be behind this,” she said, “but Carmen, or even Ariana, knows something about it.”

  He nodded once.

  “Let me handle them.”

  “Luna—”

  “She was my friend too,” she whispered. “It’s the least I can do.”

  And more than anything, it was about time she confronted the pair of them.

  Kit was still sleeping when Luna slipped out of their bed, careful not to wake him. Slipping into a pair of jeans, her boots, an
d a tank top, she glanced back at Kit one last time before exiting the bedroom, then the bungalow altogether.

  Skorpion was waiting for her, arms folded across his massive chest. As she approached, he tipped his head at her. “Are you ready for this?”

  As much as she would ever be. “Where’s she being held?”

  “She’s not,” Skorpion said as he opened the door for her. “Insufficient evidence as to her involvement in the trafficking. She was let go late last night.”

  Luna frowned. “Then where is she?”

  “Seeking refuge,” he responded with an amused smile.

  She didn’t ask with who—her sister would turn to only one person to keep her safe.

  “Then let’s pay them both a visit.”

  The compound they drove to was located on the outskirts of the city where miles and miles of land separated the properties.

  Twenty acres of land kept anyone from venturing too close to the mansion that was also surrounded by ten-foot-high walls—not to mention the army that ensured no one entered without approval.

  Guards stood around the property, AKs strapped across their backs. Luna only had to give her name before they were allowed entry.

  Waiting for them outside the massive front doors with a cigar between his lips, Agustín blew out a stream of thick smoke as they exited the car.

  “Luna, beautiful as always.” He glanced over at Skorpion, his brow arching up—most people’s reactions at seeing him—before he turned back to his house.

  Despite the place feeling like a bit of a prison, the inside of the mansion was opulent with white walls and dark trim in rich brown shades. Even the floors, an expensive looking tile were stunning, but considering Agustín was a drug lord, it made sense.

  If there was a tiger in the backyard, she wouldn’t have been surprised.

  As they turned down a hallway leading to the East wing, Luna centered her thoughts, focusing on why she was there—for Fang and nothing more.

  And maybe if she told herself that enough times, she would believe it.

  Agustín stopped in front of the last door, only sparing Luna the barest of glances before twisting the knob and pushing the door open.

  Pacing the length of the room, Ariana spun around in a flurry, ready to lay into her fiancé, but before she could, she caught sight of Skorpion first—her throat working as she swallowed—and when her gaze darted to Luna, she froze.

  A myriad of emotions crossed her face—disbelief, fear, and even a touch of guilt—but she settled on outrage.

  “You’re dead,” she said between gritted teeth.

  “Afraid not,” Luna responded, hoping the quiver in her voice wasn’t heard by the others.

  She was no longer that little girl desperately wanting her sister’s approval. She no longer thought Ariana was everything she wanted to be once she got older.

  While she might not have felt completely detached from her sister, there was no love either.

  And maybe later, that would sadden her, but for now, she had a job to do.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’ve come to make you a deal,” Luna said as she ventured further into the room, going over to one of the wingback chairs in the room and taking a seat. “Depending on what you say, I may leave you alive.”

  “What is this?” Ariana demanded, gaze cutting to Agustín who was now cutting into a polished green apple with a pocket knife. “Are you going to let her talk to me like this?”

  “Trust me,” Luna said before he could, “he can’t save you from me. So unless you want to end up in an undisclosed prison like our mother, I’d suggest you cooperate.”

  At the mention of prison, Ariana’s gaze narrowed on Luna as she tilted her head up, looking down her nose at her.

  Had she not had plenty of time to work through the varying emotions she felt at just the thought of her mother and sister, Luna might have been offended.

  “There’s nothing you could ever offer me that I would want.”

  “Take a look around,” Luna said with a gesture of her hand. “I’m pretty sure there’s plenty I can offer you, but understand that the price of freedom is high.”

  Ariana didn’t respond for a long time, just stared across the short space that separated them with an unreadable expression—not just annoyance colored her face.

  “Our mama wanted to get an abortion when she learned she was pregnant with you. Papa talked her out of it. Considering he’s dead now because of you, I wonder if he regrets that decision.”

  “I don’t think he can feel anything anymore,” Luna said. “He’s dead.”

  “How easier our lives would have been had you not been a part of them.”

  “Or rather, had Carmen not tried to have me killed … we wouldn’t have ended up here had she not done what she did. I’d wondered whether you would express any guilt over what she’d done, maybe even act sorry, but I know better now, don’t I?”

  “Sorry? Sorry? I should feel sorry for you?”

  Ariana scoffed, starting across the room as though she meant to attack her, but before she could make it an inch, Skorpion cleared his throat, making her freeze.

  Luna didn’t have to move.

  “Everything you’ve done—your fucking existence ruined my life!” Ariana spat at her, unable to conceal the rage brewing inside her.

  “How, exactly? When Carmen hired The Kingmaker to kill me?”

  “Oh, as if you’ve had it so hard. You’re not dead, are you? How did you manage that, exactly? Did you become The Kingmaker’s whore?”

  She could have told her about Lawrence Kendall, about the horrors she had faced in his home, but she knew there was no point.

  Ariana wouldn’t care about that.

  Her opinions had already formed, and there was no talking someone out of what they truly believed.

  “I’m not here about me. I want to know the name of the men Elias hired to kidnap me and my friend.”

  “How should I know, and why should I care?”

  “In the next hour, I’m going to make the same offer to Carmen. If she agrees to give me the names, I’ll make sure she escapes the cell she’s sitting in, but we both know what that means for you, don’t we? Do you really think she has any plans of taking you from here? Tell me, has she tried to contact you at all?”

  That was a lie, but Ariana didn’t have to know that.

  There was no way Luna, or any other, would take Carmen away from there if Kit had his way—he had plans for her.

  Ariana’s expression told her all she needed to know. “I don’t know their names.”

  “Then you’re of no use to me.”

  “But I know who Elias might have gone through.”

  “Speak,” Skorpion said, “or forever hold your peace.”

  “Jonathan Winston.” Ariana flicked her hair over her shoulder. “They talked about him when they thought I wasn’t paying attention. Whenever Elias needed someone to do something for him, that was the name he always gave.

  While Luna might not have ever heard the name before, Winter could definitely find something.

  “Thank you,” Luna said, standing, “for your cooperation.”

  Ariana glared at her. “You should have stayed dead.”

  “You shouldn’t have tried to sleep with my husband.”

  Ariana’s head jerked back. “I’ve never … Nix is yours?”

  Luna drummed her fingers along the chair, drawing attention to the ring on her finger. “I can see you’re putting the pieces together. You understand now why he was so annoyed with you that night you went to him.”

  “Well, this is the first I’m hearing of this,” Agustín said, and while he was smiling as he said it, there was no humor in his voice. “I asked you for one thing, did I not? Do you remember what that one thing was?” He came over, brushing his hand along her jaw, then cupping the nape of her neck.

  When Kit did it, Luna felt comfort, but judging from the expression on Ariana’s face,
she wasn’t feeling comfort.

  The meaning behind his words went right over Luna’s head, but it was clear that Ariana knew, and whatever it was had her swallowing, fear renewed.

  But Luna couldn’t bring herself to be upset on her behalf. “I think we’re done here.”

  She didn’t know why, but as she and Skorpion left, Luna didn’t think Ariana would ever leave that room again.

  “What are you doing?” Kit asked, his voice gentle, but curious.

  His call was a welcome distraction as she did her best to put Ariana out of her mind.

  “I’m finding a name for Fang.”

  He was silent for so long that she was afraid he wouldn’t say anything at all. “You know you don’t have to do this. You know I’ll have an answer soon enough.”

  “I can handle this,” she murmured for only him to hear.

  “Undoubtedly, but you don’t have to handle it alone. You don’t have to face her alone.”

  Luna hadn’t mentioned her visit with Ariana, but she wasn’t surprised he knew she hadn’t gone to Carmen yet. “But I do. It’s something I should have done a long time ago.”

  In almost eight years, she hadn’t gone back to try to find her family, nor did she particularly want to after the truth came out.

  The desire had always been there to go back to them—she had wanted nothing more at the time.

  But, something had always held her back from asking to go to them. It wasn’t fear of not finding them—Kit could find anyone—yet, she couldn’t identify what had held her back.

  Was it this?

  Had a part of her known all along?

  She had never voiced her doubts because even she hadn’t believed it was possible, but a part of her had wondered about the day she had been left behind when her parents and sister had gone off.

  It might have been because Fang and the others had been teaching her how to survive in the world she was training to be a part of, but something had made her uneasy about everything that had happened.

  “I won’t stand in your way,” Kit said, drawing her back to the present. “But while you’re there, have Skorpion stay with you. Where you’re going … I don’t want to take any chances.”