54

TOB 54 ETHAN'S POV After a twenty-minute drive, I noticed a black van trailing me. Instead of heading to the rooftop where I was supposed to meet Fire, I stopped the car at the back of an abandoned warehouse.  Wires and industrial waste were scattered all over the site, giving the place an apocalyptic feel. Pretending this was my final destination, I leaned against the car and retrieved my phone. **Ethan:** I have company. Fire's reply came almost instantly. **Fire:** How could you let them follow you? What are you, an amateur? **Ethan:** I didn't let them. I stopped, didn't I? **Fire:** After they followed? Amateur. **Ethan:** Piss off. **Fire:** All the better. I can't be away from the dull club for too long. Let's reschedule. I was about to hide my phone when it lit up with another text from him. **Flame:** Don't taint my name by telling anyone I trained you, Amateur. That f-cker.  Though it was strange—I should have noticed it initially, but some of my inhibitions were muted. Slipping the phone into my pocket, I drew my gun and made sure the magazine was full. That's when the first guard emerged.  At first, I didn't recognize the face. They all wore black, like members of some secret society with a grim dress code. When the second man stepped beside him, my grip tightened on the gun even though it remained by my side. 'What the f-ck are you doing here, Hades?" Five more guards joined him, and the seven of them surrounded me in a circle, all armed. I knew Hades only moved with a well-thought-out plan.  He might seem like a stupid burly bear, but he was far from it. He knew exactly where and how to hit with the least amount of damage. The fact that he brought so many guards for me was alarming. 'Is this some sort of late welcome party?" I kept my tone light, almost joking.  'Please tell me you brought presents." I grinned at their faces, discreetly searching for an escape route. Since this warehouse wasn't where I intended to meet Fire, I needed to familiarize myself with the area, which limited my options.  What made matters worse were the guards Hades brought with him—his three senior soldiers, the ones he used for extreme torture, and two of Uncle merciless guards. If he went so far as to gather his strongest, this was more serious than I had initially anticipated. 'No presents? What happened to hospitality? Fine, whatever. Do I at least get something to drink at my late welcoming party? I'll even settle for your beloved vodka today. See? It's not so difficult." 'You're going to answer our questions, and you're going to answer them truthfully," Hades's no-nonsense tone boomed in the silence. 'I'll happily answer. What are your questions?" I maintained my smile, making sure it wasn't taunting or threatening.  I didn't want to kill them because hiding the bodies and coming up with excuses would be a hassle. But if they kept pushing my buttons, that's exactly what would happen. 'Come with us," Hades motioned towards the warehouse. 'I'd rather we talk here. I have a thing against rusty warehouses. Do you know how many germs are in places like these?" 'Cut the sarcastic attitude and follow us." 'I vote no." 'This is no democracy. You don't have a choice." 'I beg to differ. I do have a choice. In fact, I choose to walk away from here without answering any questions. You lost your chance, Hades." I attempted to leave, but the guards closed in, and I tightened my hold, calculating who to shoot first. Probably the bald one, one of Hades's closest soldiers and possibly the strongest. If he was gone, I'd have a better chance of finishing off the others. Hades shook his head, and the guards stopped in their tracks. What the fuck? They didn't even draw their guns, remaining frozen in place. "I said I'm leaving." I tried again, but my voice slurred at the end. I didn't drink to get drunk because it meant letting my guard down, signing my own death certificate.  Back at the restaurant, I only had two glasses of wine, which I could handle perfectly. So why was my speech slurring? 'The fuuuck are you doing?" I pointed my gun at the bald head. 'Get your weapon." The slur was getting worse, not better. 'Don't waste a bullet on him," said Hades—or the twin that had appeared by his side. 'Our work has already been done for us." The gun slipped from my hand and dropped to the ground. It was the first time I had lost control over my weapon. It felt like my arm had no strength to hold it.  "Our work has already been done for us." My vision blurred, and the seven men turned into fourteen. That's when the realization hit me. I had been poisoned. My body swayed, and I slammed against one of the guards before falling to my knees. As the world spun, the pieces came together. Only one person could have poisoned me today: the one who poured my second glass of wine. My wife had stabbed me in the back and thrown me to her pack of wolves.