by Delmire Hart
Right now, Daniel had a far better security force than even the president. He was as safe as he could be.
It still didn’t stop the anger at the threats or the thread of worry niggling at the back of his mind.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at the time. Daniel must be up. He messaged him earlier to let him know once he was awake. William fished his phone out and sure enough it was a brief message from his soulmate to let him know he was up and awake. He would probably be grabbing a bite to eat before meeting up with his security force to go over the plan for the evening. Hitting speed dial, William didn’t have to wait long before it was picked up.
“Yo.”
Ah, it was confident Daniel today. He was usually a relatively confident person but every now and then he would answer phone sounding inexplicably shy. It was incredibly endearing, just a shame it didn’t happen more often.
“Did you have a good nap, kitten?”
“Don’t call me that,” he grumbled. “But yeah. Your bed is pretty comfy and three hours is more than enough to get me up and running again.”
“I believe your guards are hoping to avoid more running if at all possible.”
Daniel snorted at the almost joke. “It’s not my fault they can’t keep up.”
“I would like to point out that your security team is comprised of highly trained and specialised men; however, security guards are not normally required to have such an emphasis on speed or endurance. They have also all cut their course times in half since they were first recruited to be in your security team. Your speed is a marvel in itself.”
“Wait, specialised? Really?” Daniel replied, surprised.
“Of course, do you really think I would have just anyone protecting you?”
“But…they all seem so normal and, well, friendly. Especially compared to your guards. They’re so quiet and boring.”
William let his amusement show in his voice. “Mine are only required to guard me, yours are apparently required to go grocery shopping and attend cooking lessons.” Daniel gave an embarrassed splutter but William continued in a more serious tone. “For all that they are friendly, remember it is their job to protect you. You’ll have extra guards tonight as well, there will be four from your team and two from mine. If any of them tell you to do something, do not hesitate. Lawrence and his associates are dangerous on their own but Officer Mino wouldn’t have targeted you unless they were about to make a move. You need to be careful and listen to your guards.”
“Yes, yes. I’m not stupid you know?”
“I never said you were, but you’re not the most careful person either.”
There was a short silence before Daniel spoke quietly, “You’re worried.”
William didn’t reply right away, not wanting to admit to the feeling. He sighed in defeat before replying, “Yes.”
“I’ll be careful. It’ll be hard not to be with six babysitters.”
“Oh? Are you finally admitting to being a kid, Daniel?”
“As if.” He snorted inelegantly at the suggestion. “It’s just what it feels like sometimes. But… You be careful too okay? You’re a target too.”
“Of course.” William allowed a rare smile to grace his lips. “Ken and Demetrius aren’t about to let anything happen.”
“Right. Your mother and your babysitter.” His secretary walked into his office just in time to see William’s eyebrows jump. “Anyway, I gotta go and help plan tonight’s stakeout.”
“Be good, kitten.”
“Yeah, yeah. Later.”
The call disconnected and Ken approached with a curious look. William noticed that some of the tension in his shoulders had lessened while he was speaking with his soulmate. Sometimes he wondered if Daniel knew the effect he had on him. His secretary roused him from his thoughts.
“Mr Hunt?”
“Ever since Daniel learned that I didn’t know where the supermarket was, he’s been referring to you as my mother.” Ken actually looked speechless for once, it was almost worth the teasing for the look alone. “Apparently Demetrius is my babysitter.”
There was a moment of stunned silence before Ken cracked a smile. “I have to admit, Daniel is growing on me. And sometimes it does certainly feel like it.” William huffed in mock indignation as Ken chuckled. “Although, I’m surprised you are letting him go out tonight considering the danger.”
“It’ll be safer if he's on the move and few people know where they will be tonight. Have you tracked down his editor’s house?”
“Yes.” Ken pushed up his glasses as he immediately put back on his trademark secretary seriousness. “Two guards have already been dispatched and I spoke with Gil personally, he sounded relieved to have backup if the police try to force information from him.”
“And Parker?”
“Prosecutor Parker has reported that there have been no warrants issued for the organised crime unit in the past forty-eight hours. If they attempt to gain information from Miller’s editor, it will be using scare tactics with no legal backup. Parker advised that it would be too time consuming to get a warrant for such purposes and would most likely be rejected, anyway.”
“What of Sugita?” William pressed, a frown on his face as he mentally revised their plans for that evening.
“From observation made by those watching her, she is seemingly unaware of the proceedings. To be frank, any movement now speaks of another authority. There’s too many loose ends, Sugita is cautious and careful. I am astounded they would bother getting a mole in Synnite and then disregard her but that is what appears to be happening.”
“She is a very capable woman, it is possible she managed to get hold of information other than what we have been feeding her to pass back to headquarters.”
“Any information she could have found recently would not have been something critical enough to make such a hasty and frankly, sloppy move,” Ken replied curtly.
“Mino.”
“I believe so, sir. Parker advised he has heard rumours of possible transfer or demotion for Mino. He has made no headway on any cases recently and has been becoming rash, to the point of recklessness. There have also been murmurs of discontent from his underlings.”
“How did we not hear of this earlier?” William questioned as he leaned back in his chair, itching for a hard drink. It wouldn’t do to cloud his head tonight, though.
“We do not have a contact in the organised crime unit itself so rumours can take some time to reach our sources. Especially from that department. They are usually an exceedingly tight-lipped bunch.”
“If anything happens, I want Sugita under guard and escorted here. Regardless of her loyalties, I do not want her caught in the crossfire. Make sure everyone is notified that she is under my protection.”
“Of course, sir.”
“At most, what we should expect is a possible raid here or at the penthouse. Perhaps even Daniel’s apartment. But I’m not about to ignore my gut feeling on this, something is going to happen. I want security at all locations and information as soon as we get it. I doubt anyone is in need of reminding just how important Daniel is?”
“Not at all, sir. I’ll see that everything is organised.”
William settled down at his desk as Ken bowed before slipping out of his office to follow his orders. Mino was in for a surprise if he tried to storm Synnite headquarters. It was also almost impossible for him to know where Daniel was but William wasn’t taking any chances.
***
“Mr Hunt.”
Ken bowed formally as he entered his office once again. He had been back and forward periodically this evening keeping him up-to-date with all the proceedings.
“Stefan has lost his tail,” he informed him, his voice clipped as he spoke quickly to convey his message.
“How?” William snarled, his emotions briefly breaking through his appearance of calm.
“The two tracking him had not reported in on time and two men were dispatched to follow up. The
y discovered one of the club’s waitresses, Suzuki Siena, in the process of moving their drugged bodies.”
“Were they able to get any information from her?”
“No. She has refused to say a word; however, the drug she gave the two men is similar to that which was supposed to have been slipped to Daniel, only stronger in potency. Both men have been rushed to hospital to have their stomachs pumped. The doses were such that it might have killed them had the entire dose been able to make it into their systems. I believe that is the link we were looking for between Stefan and Miller. However, we are unsure if there are others in the club working exclusively for Stefan at this stage.”
“It’s likely that he is heading for the meeting with Lawrence. Send four more men as backup to Daniel and I want the entire remainder of Daniel’s security team along with my own personal team on standby at Synnite, ready to be dispatched at a moment’s notice.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The investigation is off for Stefan, he is to be captured and brought in for questioning as soon as he is found,” William ordered.
It was time to bring this farce of a manager to an end.
***
“Sir, Stefan has been confirmed at the stakeout location and all ten men are in position around the perimeter of the premises. Daniel is inside the building with multiple guards close to his person. So far it is playing out much like the previous meeting.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
Ken all but threw open his office door and came striding in.
“Sir, we have a guest.”
“Mino?” he questioned, already knowing the answer.
“Yes. He has an escort of two others with him. It doesn’t appear to be a raid but the timing is too coincidental.”
“Send him up. Bring Sugita as well.”
Ken made a few quick phone calls then took his place beside William’s desk. Through the open door, the businessman could see two guards flanking his office and more movement beyond. It wasn’t long before Demetrius escorted a smug-looking Mino into his office. The officer’s two escorts were flanked by two of William’s own. The guards stood at the back of the office while Demetrius escorted Mino to stand in front of his desk.
“To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of your visit?” William drawled, refusing to stand.
“Ah, you won’t be taking such a high-handed stance with me soon, William,” the man sneered. “We have a nice little surprise for you. I’ve come to personally make sure the favour is returned from five years ago.”
William arched an eyebrow at the man’s tone but did not rise to the bait. Demetrius growled out a warning to be more respectful but they were interrupted by the arrival of a confused Sugita flanked by two more of William’s men. He had to give her credit, she didn’t panic or show any outward sign of recognition upon seeing Mino and any of the tension she was displaying could easily be attributed to being escorted suddenly into his office. It was clear why she was given the task of attempting to infiltrate his business. Sadly for the organised crime unit, it was no easy task. He gave a small gesture for her to sit in one of the visitor seats to the side before focusing his gaze back on the man before him.
“Do not mind Sugita, her being here is just a precaution.”
There was a small gasp and she stared at him wide eyed. He had used her real name and not the alias by which Synnite employed her. She knew that he knew. Unfortunately it seemed that Mino would force his hand and it was better that she be aware of where she stood before anything happened.
“What is she, your lawyer? That’s not going to help you now, William,” Mino sneered.
“She is none of your concern right now. What I would like to know is why you are barging into my office late at night and taking such a tone with me.”
“I told you, I’m just returning a favour to the great William Hunt from five years ago. I think it’s been a long time coming.”
William’s phone rang before he had a chance to reply and Mino’s grin widened. Ken answered and froze on the spot.
“Mr Hunt, we have lost contact with half of Daniel’s security team. There has been gun fire heard through the channel as well has loud crashes. Multiple men are not responding but their lines of communication are open. Those that are, are pinned down by gunfire and unable to confirm the status of the others.” Ken’s voice was tightly controlled but the flash of panic in his eyes gave him away.
William stood, looming over his desk when Mino laughed. Ken was still talking rapidly into the phone and the officer looked almost gleeful.
“Such a shame for a police raid to take a turn for the worst and end up in a shootout but what can you expect when dealing with such shady individuals? Slave traders, no less. I found out where your little fuck toy was off to tonight and—” He was cut off with a wheeze when Demetrius punched him in the stomach.
“You do not speak about Daniel with such disrespect,” the giant guard growled.
“Mr Hunt, Daniel has been confirmed wounded but is currently missing. His earpiece has potentially been removed and broken as his line has gone dead. His GPS marker has also dropped off our radar. Ueda and Kareem are unresponsive, presumed badly wounded or worse. Both were in close proximity to Daniel. There are multiple injuries to the men that will require hospital treatment and there a number of reported civilian casualties. They cannot discern who started the gunfire or who is being targeted. Stefan also cannot be located and it is possible he is responsible for Daniel’s unknown location.”
William slowly stalked around his desk. Each step felt thunderingly loud. Demetrius quickly knocked Mino to his knees and forced his hands behind his back. Mino’s escort was treated similarly when they tried to step forward. He could feel the rage building again, far greater than before. There was no room left for worry or panic.
Every step felt like it tolled out Mino’s sentence.
‘Daniel has been confirmed wounded but is currently missing.’
William pulled his gun from its holster, revelling in the feel of the heavy metal. He wasn’t seeing red just yet, but oh, he would be soon. The red of Mino’s blood dripping onto the carpet in exchange for Daniel’s wounds.
He stopped in front of Mino and lifted his gun. There was complete silence and the officer finally lost his smug sneer. He stared down the barrel of the gun with wide eyes and his smile slipping off his face. The small click broke the silence as William removed the safety lock and watched the last of the colour drain from the man’s face at the sound.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow your fucking brains out right here, right now.”
Mino stared, mouth opening and closing but no words made it past his lips. Impatient, William refocused his aim on the man’s shoulder and fired.
The agonised scream was like music to his ears, a sound to soothe the fire of his rage.
“Not so full of words, now are we?”
“P-please…” The man sobbed and one of his escort peed themselves, much to the disgust of the guard forcing him down.
“Begging already? How pitiful. You came in here all high and mighty. Full of talk. Yet the tables turn and suddenly all that backbone is gone. I heard what you said when you walked in here. Pay back. Revenge. My soulmate in retaliation for your partner, is that right?” he sneered, his tone ice cold with his channelled rage.
“S-s-soul—?”
“Oh? Didn’t even do your homework right. You think I’m about to let you get your filthy hands on my soulmate? You underestimated me and overestimated yourself. Even if he was just my lover, do you really think I would let you waltz in here like that and let you leave once you were done gloating? Are you truly so desperate?”
“I-I didn’tt…p-plea-ase,” Mino sobbed, hands clutching at the fabric of his clothing.
“I know who you seek revenge for. Rian Patton, hired by Synnite under the alias Ramsey Allen. Labelled missing in action after he never reported i
n. Interestingly enough, I had nothing to do with his death. The only thing I did was not place him under my protection. Unlike Sugita here, he was rash and overconfident. He thought far too highly of himself. All of his undercover success must have gone to his head because he decided he could pull off a one-man drug bust. He caused the deaths of two of my men and put three others in hospital. I ordered nothing but my men look after each other. I find it rather amusing how similar you both are; rash, arrogant, and idiotic.”
He raised the gun back to point at Mino’s forehead while the man sobbed uncontrollably. The other men behind him cried quietly.
He looked over at Sugita who stared at Mino with wide eyes.
“Unfortunately, your time at Synnite has come to an end, Sugita. You will be escorted to collect your things and then be driven home. You are a highly capable and resourceful woman, I admire your loyalty to your department and cause. If you ever decide to change those loyalties, Synnite will always welcome you.”
She stood and gave a small, trembling bow. “Thank you, Mr Hunt.”
They waited in silence as she was escorted out.
Ken stepped forward with a small bow. “I apologise for my interruption, sir, but Miller has just resurfaced on our GPS tracking. His current location is an abandoned building in the commercial district. It is highly likely that whatever vehicle he was transported in was somehow interfering with the signal.”
“I want all units on standby to be deployed to that location and bring a car around, I’ll be going myself. And you,” he growled out to Mino whose mouth opened and closed soundlessly, unable to find any words in the face of his wrath. “You have earned your ticket to hell, as recompense for Daniel’s injuries.”
William pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The sticky splatter of red-painted gory artwork across the lush carpet did nothing to soothe his burning anger.
New York would burn if anything happened to Daniel.
Chapter Twenty-eight: Insane
