“I’ve got something that might be nothing,” he said slowly. “It was in the trash.”
“Go on,” I urged.
“It’s a note with a name on it. Dr Henry Singh and a number,” he explained.
“Singh was the name of the guy my dad worked for in the lab that developed the Hades Virus,” Tatum said urgently.
“Is it a phone number?” Blake asked.
“Naw. It’s like a reference number,” Kyan replied. “P247T9.”
My brain was firing on all cylinders but that meant less than nothing to me and my jaw tightened in frustration.
“Wait,” Tatum said suddenly. “There was a number like that on a file I found in the desk drawer. But the stuff inside it was to do with the next elections, so I discarded it.”
We were forced to wait while they moved around the office again and Monroe clawed a hand though his blonde hair as the tension built around us.
“The drawers here are locked, shall I force them?” Kyan suggested and I cursed beneath my breath. We needed to investigate this properly, but if they made it obvious someone had been in there then it would put them at risk of discovery.
"I can pick it with a hair pin," Tatum said confidently and I could have kissed her father for teaching her all of that prepper survivalist bullshit.
"Shit, baby, do you know how hot it is to see you going all spy girl on me?" Kyan purred.
"Focus on what you're there to do," Monroe snapped before I could and Kyan chuckled like an asshole.
"Got it!" Tatum announced in excitement and the sound of drawers rolling open followed her words.
I waited patiently as they rifled through more paperwork. Or perhaps it wasn't so patiently because my jaw was grinding and I was moving my fingers to the notes of the most complicated piano piece I could think of on my thigh beneath the table.
"I've got it - P247T9," Kyan said triumphantly and we were forced to wait while they read whatever was in that file.
"Okay, it looks like a breakdown of Singh’s research into the creation of the Hades Virus," Tatum explained. "There are some pretty fucked up photographs of test subjects and...nothing else."
"Fuck," Kyan cursed before I could.
"There's another reference number though. Y684E1," she said.
"On it, baby," Kyan replied and we waited again.
"This is taking too fucking long," Blake growled and I couldn't help but agree. They couldn't stay in there much longer. Every moment that passed was another second that could equal their discovery.
"Got it," Tatum said. "Okay, this one is a...it's a lot of test data which looks kinda like the things my dad used to work on..."
"It's about the Hades Virus," Kyan said. "Look."
"Oh yeah," she replied. "Shit, okay, there's a lot of negative results here, it’s kinda hard to decipher what..."
I forced myself to remain silent throughout their nonsensical ramblings, waiting for them to figure out what they were looking at and give me the proper information, but it felt like chewing on glass.
"Fuck," Tatum breathed.
"Shit, baby," Kyan said, the two of them sounding like they'd seen a fucking ghost.
"Tell us what you're looking at, or so help me-" I began and Blake slapped a hand down on my shoulder to try and keep me calm.
"Sorry," Tatum said. "My dad's name is on here. These are the results for the vaccine he stole alongside the Hades Virus. The ones he gave to Mortez."
"And?" Blake pressed.
"And it...failed. The vaccine didn't work. It seemed like it did at first but around a month after the Hades Virus had been released into the world some of the people who had been given it were infected and they died. It looks like their bodies couldn't produce the antibodies required to fight it off despite the supposed vaccine in their systems."
We fell silent as the sound of more pages turning came over the speakers.
"Serenity Pharmaceuticals," Kyan said. "Their name is in here on this research. They're the company who produced the vaccine. They're the ones who it ended up with after it was stolen from Singh."
"So they're the ones who stole it? They're responsible for putting the Hades Virus out into the world?" Blake asked.
"They're certainly involved," I muttered because all of this had the stench of a much bigger fish about it. "My guess is that they were just the engineers to the plan. But the man in charge of Royaume D’élite is the one who orchestrated it. That's why there's whispers of Serenity Pharmaceuticals stocks being ready to take a spike. Whoever has shares in the company who creates the vaccine for this will make millions. Fuck that actually, more like billions. I'm willing to bet that the whole thing was set up for that very purpose. Set the virus loose, let the world get desperate and then sweep in with a vaccine and make a fortune off the back of the desperate souls who need it."
"They did all of this - killed all of those people - for money?" Blake snarled, staring at me like he couldn't believe that that was the motivation, but of course it was. Money was the root of all evil. I should know, I'd been bathing in it since before I could walk and look at me.
"Obviously," I replied and he shoved out of his chair angrily, stalking away from the table as his grief bubbled up to the surface and rage consumed him.
I kept my focus on Kyan and Tatum, needing to keep my head clear to help them if required while Monroe moved away to comfort Blake.
"But this says they don't have the vaccine," Tatum protested. "So why the hell would they be so stupid as to release the virus anyway?"
"Greed, siren," I pointed out. "They believed they had it and they wanted to reap the rewards of that. The fact that they turned out to be wrong about all of it really just means they made a bad investment as far as they're concerned. No doubt they're working tirelessly to produce a vaccine that really does work so that they can still cash out though."
"Fuck," Kyan muttered and I had to agree with him there.
"You need to put everything back where you found it and get out of there," I instructed. "I have more than enough to go on now. I'll be able to figure out who's running that place and I know where to aim my research next. I want you back home as soon as possible."
"Okay," Tatum agreed and it was clear from the tone of her voice that though this information had shaken her, she wasn't going to be put off of her game by it.
"No more risks," I warned. "Just get out of there."
"Aye aye, captain," Kyan replied and I cursed beneath my breath.
Why did it sound like he intended to do the exact opposite of my commands? And why was I even surprised?
W e made sure everything was back in place and my heart thrashed against my chest as we closed the last drawer and shared an intense look.
"Heeeey buddy!" Niall shouted from outside, giving us a cue that someone was headed this way. "Which way to the bar? I'm totally fucking lost."
"Down the hall and to the right," a guy answered Niall.
A feminine laugh came from beyond the door and the handle twisted. I grabbed Kyan's hand, ducking down behind the desk and he dropped into place beside me just as the door flew open. Our masks were still on the desk where we’d left them and I shared an alarmed look with Kyan, praying they wouldn’t be spotted.
"Oh woops, I don't think we should be in here, master," a woman's voice sounded.
"Well they shouldn't have left the door open, should they?" an older man's voice sounded, a slur to his words telling me he was drunk.
“What’s happening?” Saint spoke in my ear, but I couldn’t answer him.
"You're right," she giggled. "Do it to me right here."
"Naughty girl," he laughed and I cringed, sharing a look with Kyan at the sound of the guy’s zipper rolling down. "We'll make a terrible mess."
"I love mess," she said breathily.
"Don't I know it," he chuckled then spluttered a cough that made my gut clench. I reached out to cover Kyan’s mouth and nose and his lips twitched beneath my palm. "Hurry then, on your kn
ees and open your mouth."
She giggled again and I frowned as I realised we were probably going to have to sit here listening to this old guy getting sucked off for however long it took.
"Take your mask off, " he instructed and she hummed anxiously before the sound of her mask hitting the floor reached me.
"Do it, master," she begged. "Soak me."
Soak? I grimaced then the distinctive sound of a guy pissing filled the room along with the tang of urine in the air. Oh fuck no.
“What’s that noise?” Saint demanded.
The girl cried out with her joy and the guy laughed while I tried not to throw up in my mouth.
"Make me dirty!" she cried.
"You're filthy," he grunted before the sound of his zipper thankfully did up again. "Let's go before someone comes and finds this mess. We wouldn't want to upset the Grand Master." He started coughing again and my heart began to hammer.
"But he encourages us to be free," she cooed before they stepped out of the room.
“Probably not in his private rooms though,” he laughed and the door clicked shut.
"Fucking hell," Kyan growled, getting up and pulling me after him.
"God it stinks. Let's get out of here,” I hissed, grabbing our masks and handing Kyan his before I put mine on. “Keep your face covered.”
“What happened?” Saint pushed.
“You don’t wanna know,” I said, but his frustrated growl said that wasn’t good enough. Kyan put his mask on and I relaxed a little.
We hurried across the room, avoiding the large stain on the carpet before slipping out the door and shutting it again. We started walking down the corridor and I drew in slow breaths to calm my racing heart.
A group of people walked toward us in an arrowhead formation with a tall man at the front and the rest of them fanning out behind them in a triangle. He was particularly noticeable as his mask was purely gold and a shining crest on his lapel marked him as the Grand Master.
"Good evening," he said to us, nodding and his deep voice made me pause for a moment as I swear I knew it from somewhere.
"Good evening, Grand Master," Kyan supplied, tugging me out of his way and dragging me along as soon as the group passed us.
"That's the leader?" I whispered to Kyan, but Saint answered in my ear.
"You saw him?" Saint asked sharply.
"He wore a solid gold mask," I breathed.
"Big guy," Kyan muttered.
"Tall or broad? What precise height?" Saint demanded.
"I dunno man, I could’ve used my dick as a tape measure but figured it was inappropriate," Kyan said with a dark laugh.
“You fuckin-”
"He was as tall as Kyan," I told Saint before he burst a blood vessel. "Give or take an inch."
"An inch up or down?" Saint hissed.
"Down," I said.
"Good girl," Saint said and for some reason that made me smile. "Now get the fuck home."
"Not until I've had a smoke," Kyan said as we rounded the corner and Niall stepped forward from the shadows.
"Hey," he grunted. "You kids get what you need?"
"Maybe," Kyan answered. "Where's the nearest smoking room?"
"Do you really need to smoke right now?" I hissed. "Let's just leave."
"Naw, baby," Kyan murmured. "I really need a smoke." He gave me an intense look through his mask and I heard Saint cursing in my ear.
"Don't do anything stupid, asshole," Saint warned and I realised what Kyan was suggesting. He wanted to cause trouble, and after what I'd seen here, it was enough for me to want in on that too.
"Yeah, you know what, I fancy a smoke too," I said firmly. "Which way Niall?"
"This way, pretty lass." He turned on his heel and walked along with a swagger.
He led us to a smoking room that was decked out in a Moroccan theme, everyone sitting in groups on decorative cushions on the floor with large hookah vases between them. The group members took it in turns to toke on the pipe and clouds of scented smoke plumed up around them. The scent of fruits, drugs and tobacco all clouded in the room and made my throat burn.
Kyan took the lead through the darkened room to the bar at the back of it, swiping a box of matches out of a large bowl. Then he ordered a hookah and an attendant led us to a ring of cushions before setting up the vase at the middle of it.
"What flavours would you like?" she asked, handing us a menu and Kyan promptly passed it to me.
"Pick your poison, baby," he instructed and I glanced down at the menu, picking out a couple at random.
"Bubblegum and orange," I said.
"Oh, are you sure?" the attendant asked. I had zero intention of smoking this shit either way so I nodded, thrusting the menu at her.
"My girl has particular tastes – oh and I’ll have a shot of tequila," Kyan told her and she chuckled before heading away to fetch the flavourings before setting it up for us.
When the hookah was ready and Kyan had his shot in hand, Niall swiped up the pipe and sucked deeply on it, coughing heavily and making a show of pounding his fist on his chest.
"Holy Mary mother of god," he coughed. "That's fucking arsenic."
The attendant reached for it to take it away with profuse apologies and Niall waved a hand.
"I didn't say I didn't like it, missus," he laughed his booming laugh and it was hard not to join in as he sucked hard on the pipe again. Smoke plumed around us and the strong scent of orange and bubblegum made my nose wrinkle.
Kyan pulled me into his lap suddenly and arranged my legs so I was covering what he was doing. It was weird how I could practically see him smirking beneath his mask.
He tipped up his tequila shot onto the end of a curtain that was hanging down the wall beside us so it soaked into it. I held my breath as he struck a match beneath my legs then held it against the material. It went up in flames with a whoosh and I gasped. Kyan dragged me to my feet and I kicked over the hookah as we went, knocking the burning charcoals out of it so it set another fire. I stifled a laugh as we pretended to run away with the rest of the crowd, leaping over cushions while Kyan ‘accidentally’ knocked people over.
I spotted the asshole, number 84 who had hit that girl earlier amongst the runners and pointed him out to Kyan. With a dark laugh, my man slammed into him hard enough to send the guy crashing to the floor and I not so accidentally stepped on him as we kept running, kicking him in the ribs with my heel as hard as I could.
Niall cackled with glee, less than subtly slamming his boot down on the asshole’s hand and grinding it down, breaking fingers as the guy screamed in pain beneath him.
Before anyone else could notice what we’d done, the three of us raced for the door, Kyan’s hand firmly locked around mine as a savage grin lifted my lips beneath my mask.
Niall ran behind us, laughing wildly as screams rang out and the whole wall went up in flames. Panic filled the air and my heart swelled at the sound as we all ran away. They deserved to be afraid just like the prisoners in this place were afraid. And we weren't done setting fires yet.
T he screams of the people closest to the fire chased us away as I dragged Tatum out into the corridor bellowing, "Fire!" at the top of my lungs to cause more panic.
Three of the black-masked workers ran past us in the opposite direction with fire extinguishers in their arms though, so I guessed our little party trick wouldn't be out of hand for long. Still, it felt good to strike back at these twisted motherfuckers in some small way.
"You've had your fun, now get the fuck out of there," Saint demanded over the earpiece and I chuckled.
"All in good time," I muttered.
I’d suffered too long in this monstrous place to let them off easy now I was back. I wanted to strike at them, needed to. Just a little to show they hadn’t broken me and to prove to myself and my girl that I was dedicated to making this whole fucked up club and every single member of it burn, no matter what it took.
Niall caught my elbow and tugged me out of the corri
dor we were moving down, through another veiled doorway and onto a raised mezzanine level that looked over the death game taking place on the lower floor.
I tugged Tatum close as we slowed our pace, the screams of the people running from the fire quickly drowned out by the agony laced screams of a man in the maze of death beneath us.
I didn't want to look, didn't want to be forced to think about what it had been like to take part in the carnage of that twisted game, but I wasn't going to allow something as irrelevant as fear hold me back in any way. It was just an emotion designed to cripple. And I refused to let anything like that take root in me.
My hand gripped the railing as I looked down at the game taking place below, watching as the screaming man fought a losing battle for his life against a girl who was stabbing him with all the fury and injustice that I'd felt when I'd been put in that cage.
Tatum stayed close to me, tucking herself beneath my arm and looking out over the carnage too, taking in what I'd lived through in silent disgust. Niall kept walking, but I knew he wouldn't go far so I didn't pay too much attention. No doubt he was up to something, wreaking a little havoc of his own, and I certainly wasn’t going to stop him.
It was dark up here, the spectators little more than shadows where we stood above the game. I remembered looking up from within that maze and seeing the glint of black and gold masks peering down at me, knowing not a single one of the people hidden behind them cared if I lived or died and wishing I could drag them down there with me to feel the kiss of my blade themselves.
"My money is on the girl," a man said as he came and took up position to my left and it took me a moment to realise he was speaking to me.
"Oh yeah?" I grunted, watching as the girl in question stood, covered in the blood of the guy she'd just killed and turned to run further into the maze with the bloody knife in her hand.
She was probably a year or two older than me, her long, black hair sticking to her tanned shoulders as the heat of this place made her sweat. She ducked into a shadowy corner just before another guy rounded the other end of the tunnel she was in and I watched with a sneer on my face which was thankfully hidden beneath my mask.
Kings of Anarchy Page 36