Bet Of Love

Chapter 7

Valen

I sort things out with that woman after Bria leaves. Then I return to my apartment, I pour myself a glass of whiskey and take a sip before facing the other two men already in the room, seated comfortably on my black-leather couches.

"It must be exhausting to be so popular." Rei conveys before sipping on his gin and tonic.

"I have a lot admirers. It can be difficult to deal with them all."

"Especially when they're all so serious about you. You're dealing with the DEA and CIA here." Eric adds without looking up from his phone.

"It sounds so unsexy when you put it that way." I playfully frown.

Eric reads out a headline on his screen, "'Valen Hayes, the lord of his own personal drug ring.' What a creative scenario, they've outdone themselves this time."

"Well, this particular drug ring has been especially active lately and evidently, they're looking to expand into London. That just so happens to coincide with my own expansion into London. There were all sorts said since the hotel opened in New York... I can see why eyebrows were raised." I received intel already on what both the CIA and this drug cartel are up to. "I've been instructed to be extremely careful."

"Your father is a blessing... or should I say your 'contact' is. Still, knowing you, you won't adjust your actions at all regardless of the information you received." Rei says.

"Of course not. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate him looking out for me. I mean, even I'd prefer to avoid dealing with all this if possible."

Eric puts his phone away and focuses on us, "I bet. The more they scrutinise you, the more dirt they'll find."

A playful smile appears on my lips, "Don't act like the same isn't just as true for both of you." Eric is right though, I'm far from innocent. "But I'm completely innocent, as far as these drug trafficking suspicions go. They can scrutinise me all they want, they won't anything incriminating." This situation doesn't scare me, instead I'm annoyed.

Rei plasters a cheerful beam, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Something innocent can be easily twisted into something incriminating. That's the way of world."

Eric sips his glass of bourbon before revealing, "In your case, the chances of evidence being manufactured are pretty high."

"I can't argue with that. What bothers me the most is that they think I'm the ringleader behind this mess. It's insulting that they think I'm clumsy enough to have attracted the attention of the DEA." My mood becomes sour at the thought of it.

"True. If you were going to deal with drugs, you'd be smarter about it. However this means the real culprit isn't skilled enough to cover his tracks."

"I'm afraid that's their problem, Eric." So close to the anniversary party and my name appears on the lists of suspects now... someone must be orchestrating this.

They're going to regret making an enemy out of me.

"So, are you really going have her go to London with you?" The instant Rei mentions Bria, my mood brightens up.

"Naturally, I've never been a man to go back on my word."

"Is this another one of your impeccably strategised games? You should be more careful around her..."

"It's strange to hear you give someone so much credit, Eric." I'm genuinely shocked at his words.

"It would be stranger for me to overlook her, considering the circumstances. I feel like she knows more than she looks." He's got a point. "You better start sleeping with one eye open."

"If there's a woman who could get the jump on Valen, I'd like to meet her." Rei couldn't relish more at the thought.

"You're desensitised Valen." Eric remarks.

I laugh at his comment, throwing my head back, "A normal life is boring."

"Are you sure you haven't just fought your way through one too many battles and forgotten about how good stability feels?"

"Rei, it's still too early to be yearning for stability. If I went on the defensive now, what would I have to show for it? No matter what I acquire, the hunger is never sated. I'm not going to stop running until that hunger is satisfied." The hunger always returns no matter what conquests I make. I'm never satisfied with my possessions or achievements, I'm constantly on the hunt for stimulation. Bria might just give that to me.

"Somehow I get the feeling you'll never be one to crave stability. I hope she doesn't give you anything negative other than victory."

Then Eric gets up and heads towards the door, and before he leaves he says his final words to me. "It's been exclusively negative so far. Do what you want Valen."

"Tides could change..." Bria is capable of hiding any emotion if she feels like it. So I want to see her lose control at my hands. "But I'm going to win this game."

"Unless the hunter becomes hunted, and you're the one who ends up getting exposed." Rei downs his drink then leans his head back against the couch with his eyes closed.

"I can't wait to see the outcome."

I've thought back on that moment in the hallway before more times than I can count. The more I recall it, the more motivated I am to win this bet. Those eyes of hers glared back at me without an ounce of hesitation. The emotions I saw in her must've just been a portion of what she was hiding behind that mask of hers. I get the idea that she'd go for my jugular the second I let my guard down. Animosity, disdain... the eyes of a predator regarding her prey, that's probably the way I look too, more often than not.

Even if she did believe that woman before was a spurned lover of mine, even though she wasn't. It doesn't explain the naked hostility I saw in her gaze. I only need one hand to count the number of people in this world who are brave enough to look me in the eye and tell me what they really think. With the exception of these two in my life, I don't meet people like that anymore nowadays.

What will happen in the future is an unknown variable. But I quite like that. This will definitely add spice to my life and be biggest stimulation ever.