“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 to 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,” 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 sh*t 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 f*ck 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 that 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 that 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 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 that 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 b*dass 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 ’cause we can do weird sh*t now doesn’t mean that changes,” Ivan said. I could feel his irritation that Stephen would doubt himself, even.
“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, leaned 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 “So this is what having a real family is like.”
Sephie
We decided to stay at the house until it was time to meet with Trino the following evening. It meant we had one more day to relax and not worry quite so much about everything else going on.
Because of Stephen’s admission about his wavering confidence in his abilities now that Adrik had been leveled up, I decided that today was the day that he was finally going to the lake. Because he and Viktor were almost always the ones that went with Adrik to his office anytime we were at the house, it meant Stephen hadn’t been dragged to the lake by me like the others had. And it was starting to show. “Get your coat, Yoden. We’re going on an adventure,” I said once everyone had cleaned up from our morning workouts.
“Well, this sounds like a fun addition to my day. Is it like a side quest kind of mission? Multi-day mission? Do I need to find someone to feed my bearded dragon?” he asked.
I laughed. “I didn’t know you had a bearded dragon, Yoden. I’ve been to your apartment, even. I never saw it.”
“I don’t. It just sounded like something someone would need to feed when gone for multiple days,” he said, laughing as he walked back toward his room to grab his coat.
I looked at Ivan, who was in kitchen with me and having a hard time not laughing at our exchange. “I don’t know how you can both love someone so much and hate them just as much all at once,” I said. “Want company, princess? Or this side quest needs to be a solo venture?” Ivan asked.
“The more the merrier, Squish. I’ve never dragged Stephen to the lake before. Today’s the big day for him. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Oh, I’m getting in on that. I’ve been wanting to see this for months now,” he said as he quickly left the kitchen to also go grab his coat.
Adrik walked in as Ivan walked out. He knew my plans already, as we’d discussed it before falling asleep the night before. “I’m stealing Squish, too,” I told him as he walked to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. I felt the immediate relaxation of my body as soon as his hands were on me once more.
“You can steal whoever you like, solnishko. It’s to their benefit to go there with you. I’m surprised they don’t all want to go,” he said, pressing his lips to mine gently.
“I don’t think the others know yet,” I said, giving him my most innocent grin.
He kissed me one more time, then pushed me toward the back of the house when he heard Stephen and Ivan coming back from grabbing their coats. “Go. I’ll keep the others busy,” he said, a mischievous grin on his face.
“This. This is why I love you,” I said, walking quickly to the back doors.
Once outside, the weather was beginning to warm up, but the air still had a bite to it. Enough that I was happy for a warm coat and Ivan’s almost as warm as Andrei’s but not as perfect as Adrik’s body temperature. He wrapped a giant arm around my shoulders as we set off on our mini adventure.
As we walked into the woods, Ivan looked down at me. “I think seeing the stress melt off you helps the stress melt off me when we come here, princess.”
I chuckled. “It is noticeable how much it affects everyone when we’re here. I do find myself wondering if Adrik will ever even tell Vitaliy about this place. I think we all love our little sanctuary a little too much.” “Ten bucks says if he does tell Vitaliy, he’ll threaten him and his guys to within an inch of their lives like he’s done everyone who works here,” Stephen said. laughed. “Always wondered why no one ever ratted the location of this place out. Now I know.”
“You should not be surprised, princess. You know how intimidating he can be on a good day. He sat every single person down and explained, in horrifying detail, what he would do to them should they ever reveal the location of the house or that it belonged to him,” Ivan said. He was definitely proud of Adrik in that moment.
Not gonna lie, I was too.
I thought for a minute, then started laughing. “What do you want to bet that’s the moment that Tori fell madly in love with Adrik?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.