by Jack Parker
"I'm fine." Kurt studied the table for a while with a furrowed brow. "How on earth did you find me?"
Victor snorted. "By accident. We didn't know you were going to be there. We were just running errands for Ludkov. See Emery had the bright idea of getting his stepfather's known criminal contact to help him interrogate said stepfather."
"About what?"
"About you."
Kurt looked out at the far wall. "He thought Eaton had something to do with my disappearance," he surmised.
"Yeah. And when it turned out he didn't, that left us in Ludkov's debt with no leads on you."
Kurt's face fell. "He spoke to his stepfather again?"
Victor nodded. "It wasn't pretty."
He could see one of Kurt's fists clenching hard. He quickly tried to assuage the anger he felt brimming.
"But he's okay. I think maybe he even got a little more closure out of it than he had."
Kurt let out a sharp breath. "He shouldn't have had to do that. It shouldn't have happened. You don't know the situation between them."
"Yeah, I do."
Kurt eyed him suspiciously.
"The guy was a kiddie-fucker…or…whatever. That sucks. All this time I've been feeling bad about what we did to that kid and it turns out the real crime is that someone didn't kidnap him earlier. Go figure."
"…He told you?"
Victor cleared his throat. "I just sort of…found out. I mean, fuck, I don't know. It explained a lot. Eaton was an obsessive basket case and man, he was one pathetic mess when we got to him. At least Emery got a good shot in. Hit the fucker right in the face. Not gonna lie—I kind of enjoyed that."
"It's less than he deserves," Kurt growled softly. "He ruined Emery's life. I see proof of it every day. The way he looks over his shoulder like he expects to be followed, how he blames himself for everything, the nightmares…I've dreamt about killing that bastard for years."
"Yeah, well you're too late. Eaton's dead."
Kurt's lips parted. "How?"
"Suicide. Guess he didn't enjoy their reunion any more than Emery did."
"So the Eaton estate…"
"Is Emery's. Guy never changed his will."
Kurt's face was momentarily blank and Victor could practically hear all of the thoughts linking together in his head. Sure enough he'd managed to absorb the entirety of the situation in a mere moment. "Ludkov will be unlikely to relinquish his grip. You shouldn't have let him do this."
"Hey, don't you think I tried to drive that point home a time or two? You know Em. He's stubborn. Determined. I assume you've tried to argue with him more times than I have. Have you ever won?"
Kurt hesitantly took a drink of his beer. "I suppose not."
Victor leaned his elbows onto the table. "The guy loves you. And you're all he's got. You can't blame him for going a little nuts."
Kurt stared at his beer label intently as he mulled something over before speaking the thought aloud. "No. Of course I don't blame him. This is my fault, every bit of it, and I'm going to set it right."
Victor didn't know what that was supposed to mean, and frankly he was afraid to ask. "Well look, I'm gonna be up for a while now. I can keep an eye on things. You should go in and get some sleep."
Kurt shook his head and picked up another gun to disassemble.
Great. This was gonna be a fun night.
Chapter 21
Emery was naturally nervous about returning to Ludkov's den. He had technically completed the job asked of him, but had most certainly not produced the desired result. The Dutchman would surely know him by description and have no reason to suspect that Hennessey was involved, but at the same time that clearly didn't matter, seeing how they were already preparing to wage war on one another without Ludkov's prompting. He didn't know how Ludkov was going to take this turn of events, especially considering that they were about to approach him with a man who was essentially his enemy's right hand. He'd only just gotten Kurt back—he couldn't stand the thought of putting him in danger again straight away. But there was simply nothing else to do.
The den was crawling with Ludkov's usual seedy crowd when they arrived. A few of them stared distrustfully at Kurt for his status as an unfamiliar newcomer, but with Georgie escorting them there was no contesting it. Emery stepped in first as he was ushered to see Ludkov seated in his chair and looking very perplexed as the four of them filed into the room. "Mr. Fletcher," he greeted.
"Hello Mr. Ludkov," Emery began. "Clearly there are matters to discuss."
Ludkov was staring with intrigue at Kurt. "Yes, I think so. I see that you have found your man."
Emery nodded. "Alive and well. You remember Mr. Gabler I'm sure."
"Indeed I do." Ludkov rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. "Was your mission successful?"
"Yes," Emery said quickly. "But there were…complications."
Ludkov's expression darkened, but he said nothing.
"When we got there the Dutchman had beat us to the punch. He was already pilfering Hennessey's goods. We lost Dabney and Holt in the ensuing altercation."
Ludkov sat back and thought for a very tense minute. Then he said something in Russian, to which Georgie replied, and he nodded. "…I see. And how is it you managed to come across your long lost friend?"
Emery opened his mouth to reply, but Kurt was stepping forward, nudging him aside to take over. "Because I was working under the Dutchman. I was at the warehouse when they arrived."
Emery tensed, ready to draw his gun if necessary and exchanging a worried look with Victor.
This answer seemed to annoy Ludkov, who narrowed his eyes. "You once again prove to be a man of dubious allegiance, Mr. Gabler."
"On the contrary. My allegiance has never wavered."
Ludkov looked between Kurt and Emery with a pregnant pause, but he seemed to get the idea. "No, perhaps not. But I am not interested in a love story. Touching though this reunion surely must be, it is outshined by his failure and your self-professed status as my enemy. If you have come to me with nothing but pretty words with which to defend yourself, you have come to me with nothing."
"It's every bit in your best interest to hear me out, Ludkov," Kurt stated primly. "Because if you're under the impression that you've been operating outside of the Dutchman's radar, you're mistaken."
After a moment of contemplation Ludkov gestured for him to go on.
Kurt continued. "I'd worked with this man—Thompson, as I knew him then—for years off and on. He was an investigator. People hired him when they needed to find information that was well-hidden, a man of knowledge but not a man of action. He frequently outsourced confrontation to men like me. At that time he was unheard of. A shadow, as a man of his profession should be. I saw him last several years ago and haven't thought of him since. Not until I was abducted from my home in Quebec six weeks ago. Now I've come to learn he's branched out. That he's got an empire on the horizon, and that he wanted me to help lay the foundation. In order to do so he held Mr. Fletcher's life over my head and gave me no choice but to oblige."
"And why should he go to so much trouble for just one man, mm?" Ludkov asked, giving Kurt an unimpressed once-over.
"I have an immaculate record of success and he knows it. But I'm only one of many skilled, savage brutes Thompson has absorbed over the course of the last few months. His intent is to wipe out Hennessey's organization completely, which is why I was ordered to take my crew and clear out his weapons supply. Little did I suspect that I would face competition."
Ludkov looked very curious, rubbing his chin with a thumb and tapping his foot slightly. "Then he is a fool. The Bratva would not allow this. They maintain connections with Hennessey, tenuous though they are, and they will not stand for this balance being upset."
"The Bratva has already sanctioned it."
Ludkov stared out at Kurt as though daring him to continue.
"Days ago you went to your superiors with some delicate information regarding several member
s of your sect doing business with a dealer by the name of Malcom. In response, I was given this." Kurt reached into his jacket and produced a red file folder, which Ludkov stared at intently.
Yuri stepped forward, holding out his hand in demand for the folder, which Kurt handed over. He returned it to Ludkov, who glared briefly at Kurt in distrust before flipping it open to browse its contents. Emery looked on with confusion. After a few moments Ludkov spoke, looking grave. "And who is meant to carry out this contract?"
"I am," Kurt replied.
Yuri drew his gun, but Ludkov motioned for him to stand down. "So I meet face to face with my assassin."
"Thompson has lost his leverage over me," Kurt said, glancing at Emery. "I have no obligation, and no desire, to complete this task."
"That is fortunate for everyone, is it not?" Ludkov sneered down at the folder. "However this does not frighten me. I have suspected that the Dutchman may want me dead."
Kurt shook his head. "The order was handed over to him, but it was not his decree. It came down directly from Beletski himself."
Ludkov's eyes snapped to Kurt, and for a moment Emery could see the terrifying sort of danger building up behind them that this man was reputed to demonstrate. The Russian looked back down at the folder in his lap, skimming through it again.
"Your people are prepared to silence you, Ludkov. They passed the job onto Thompson so that it didn't look like an internal hit."
Ludkov gripped the side of the folder hard in silence. Then he stood suddenly, throwing it aside in a shower of papers. "Svoloch!" he snarled, beginning to pace. He turned on Yuri, letting out some string of furious Russian that made the man pale and back away. It was all nonsense to Emery, but he noticed that Georgie was looking on at the ranting man with impossibly wide eyes. It ended when Ludkov picked up his chair with a single hand and hurled it across the room, where smashed into pieces against a wall. Afterwards he stood, chest heaving slightly, hands at his hips as he paced another short line. Then he wiped a hand over his face and let out a chuckle. "Why have you come to me with this?"
Kurt was undeterred by the outburst. "Because we may well be one another's only hope for survival."
Ludkov gave him a wild gaze, but said nothing.
"I know more about Thompson's operation than most. I know where his eyes and ears are. I know what he wants. I know what he's doing to get it. If you want to be rid of him then you've just met the means to do so and I suggest you take the opportunity while you can."
Ludkov raised his head. "And what is in it for you?"
"My participation has only one condition," Kurt said. "Whatever arrangement exists between you and Mr. Fletcher is to be immediately dissolved."
Emery blinked in shock. "Now hold on a momen—" Kurt's hand on his chest pushing him back silenced him.
"Mr. Fletcher's role is integral to my operation," Ludkov refused.
"His estate can be transferred to a third party of your choosing, but he is no longer to be involved in this. He's to be sent away."
Ludkov raised a brow thoughtfully, but Emery pushed Kurt's hand away and broke back in. "I don't consent to that."
"You bloody well do," Kurt replied. He looked back to Ludkov. "Do we have an agreement?"
Emery's jaw clenched and he turned to Ludkov. "Agree with him on whatever you like, but don't let him trick you into promising you something he can't deliver. The Eaton estate is not his to give away."
"Emery," Kurt bit.
Emery puffed out his chest and glared back at him challengingly. "I'm as much a part of this as you are. I'm not sitting on the fucking sidelines hoping you'll emerge the victor, and after what I've been through you won't dare ask it of me."
Ludkov looked between them with the inklings of irritation. "It seems we are at odds, then."
Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Ludkov was already turning away.
"Come back to me tomorrow when you have reached a consensus. There is much work to be done."
"Aleksei," Georgie called.
He turned to looked at her.
She paused for a moment with uncharacteristic timidity before gathering herself. "Bud' ostorozhen."
Ludkov gave her a dismissive grunt and went to fix himself a drink.
Emery surveyed his crew for a moment before leading them out.
He wasn't sure what to say to Kurt afterwards, but the man didn't seem too keen on speaking. This wasn't unusual for him, what with two other people around, but Emery knew that Kurt was displeased by the way that had played out. When they all arrived back at the safe house Kurt took off his jacket and glanced at Emery briefly before heading towards the bathroom. He frowned, hanging back and turning to see Georgie standing by him.
"I wasn't expecting that," she said.
"No," Emery agreed. "He might have mentioned that he had that ace up his sleeve."
Georgie frowned and sank down at the table. "I have to admit I wondered how far up the chain Aleksei would have to go in order to be sure he wasn't speaking to a traitor, but Beletski…that's a hefty blow."
Emery sighed and pulled out his spider box from his nearby bag. He set it on the table and opened up the lid, staring down at his pet. "How many men does Ludkov have under him?"
"That he can trust? A few dozen. Thirty, perhaps. It's not much and they're almost exclusively brainless grunts."
Emery nodded. "How many would you reckon the Dutchman has at his disposal?"
"I'm not sure how many your man killed, but apart from them, I'd wager he's got close to two-hundred bodies with the Russians on his side."
Emery slipped his hand into the enclosure of his spider and watched as it languidly rested two legs up onto his knuckles. "And how many men does Hennessey control?"
Georgie hesitated for a long moment. "Enough."
That was all he needed to know. He met her eyes and fixed his expression into determination. "He'll have to be convinced, then."
"It won't be easy. Hennessey is a prideful man, and he despises Ludkov."
"We'll find a way."
Georgie looked on at him for a while before smiling warmly. "Perhaps you're every bit the boy hero I remember."
"Only this is a much bigger playground and a much bigger bully." Emery noted. "And me, well, I haven't gotten much bigger at all by comparison."
Georgie set her hand on his forearm. "I'm with you until the end, Emery. I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'm…sorry that I didn't tell you the truth, I…"
"It's alright. All that matters now is making it through this whole. And we will."
Emery turned slightly to look over his shoulder as Kurt approached. Kurt's eyes lingered for a moment on Georgie's hand resting at Emery's arm and she withdrew it before standing and walking away to give them a bit of space. Kurt watched her go with guarded eyes before coming to Emery's side and looking down curiously. "Fidget," he said simply.
Emery looked up. "Yes, well I couldn't just leave her home alone with no one to watch over her."
Kurt's hand gripped at the side of the glass dish. "Her?" He asked.
"Oh, uh, Georgie had spiders, you see. She was able to sex it. Turns out we've been living with a lady all along." Emery smiled up at him.
Kurt scowled at Georgie before drawing his hand back and straightening up. "We don't know what Fidget is."
Emery's smile faded.
Kurt looked back down at him. "A word?"
With an obedient nod Emery carefully closed the spider up and stood to make his way to one of the bedrooms. Kurt lingered behind a moment when he realized Emery was leaving Fidget there and grabbed the cage himself with one more petulant glare at Georgie. He then followed Emery into the room and shut the door, turning to him. Emery looked down at the spider in his hands with a skeptical eyebrow and folded his arms. "Oh good thinking dearest, now no one will make off with our bloody arachnid."
Kurt gave him an exasperated look before setting the cage down onto a nightstand. "Must you be such a stubborn ass abo
ut everything?"
"Excuse me?" Emery balked.
"I've done absolutely everything I could think of to keep you out of harm's way but you're dedicated to the idea of staying in danger."
"I won't be spoken to that way," Emery replied heatedly. "The only reason you're even here right now is because I took the initiative to track you down—this isn't your show. Don't treat me like some bumbling damsel in distress for daring to participate in my own affairs."
"You can't make these sorts of decisions, Emery. You don't have all the details."
"Whose fault is that?" Emery demanded. "You didn't even bother mentioning to me anything about being assigned to kill Ludkov. In fact you've hardly told me anything at all. Instead you just expect that I should shut up and trust you."
Kurt paced further into the room in frustration. "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you, but it's rather fucking helpful to have all the facts before one goes about making plans all on his own. Does my opinion matter at all to you? Does what I've been through, what I've learned, what I've done, mean anything?"
Kurt thrust a hand into his own chest. "I just want you safe. Is that so difficult a concept to process?"
"Well that's just selfish."
Kurt gave him a funny look. "Is it?"
Emery waved a hand. "You know what I mean. You're no more entitled to my safety than I am to yours. We're in this together. We've always been in it together, so snap out of your little lone wolf pity party and bloody remind yourself that I'm your equal before I get truly offended."
"My equal?" Kurt huffed. "Since I've been gone you've managed to enslave yourself to the Russian mob, sabotage Hennessey's armory, and make nice with a conniving little spy who you somehow deem it appropriate to keep within our midst. Am I supposed to be impressed?"
Indignation burned in Emery's chest. "I couldn't impress you if I sprouted wings. I'm so terribly sorry that I deigned to plan a rescue mission after you were kidnapped. What was I thinking? I should have just assumed you had it all under control."
"I could have."
Emery curled a lip. "You arrogant prick. I went through hell for you!"