Accepting a Loving Heart

Chapter 20: Realization

Luc's POV

I looked at Kronos sitting infront of me in the van that was taking us to the spot where we have learned Mario was situated currently in Iskenderun, Turkey. It was the first time I saw Kronos in five days after we last saw each other in the cell. Kronos obviously looked like he suffered through a beating. Over the last five days, Seraphina had kept a very close eye on me. I was asked to help in the training drills where my commanders were expected to work with Seraphina's guards. Rei and Alex was also part of the team to capture Mario. For the most part, my job was to simulate the enemy's movements. I knew Pietro gang's usual fight techniques. So, it was easy to do that simulation. Unfortunately, even with Seraphina's best officers, me and my commanders, who were simulating the enemy, won every single time and that was honestly quite worrying. The only time my team didn't win was yesterday when Seraphina asked me to switch to their side while one of Blood Phoenix commanders was asked to take my place in the enemy simulation.

I don't know exactly what Seraphina intended to do tonight. Despite my insistence, she refused to divulge her plan to me or anyone else for the matter. Seraphina allowed Kronos to join tonight's fight on my insistence at the last minute. She was hesitant at first, stating that Kronos did not participate in the training drills. I insisted that I have worked too long with Kronos to require any drill for coordinating teamwork between us. I was glad she relented at the last minute. But on hindsight I should have given more thought into why she relented at the last minute when she didn't trust Kronos the least bit. I glanced at Seraphina seated on the opposite end from mine.

I could tell from her expression now that she was worried about tonight's mission. With help from me and the Blood Phoenix members who have not yet been captured, we had been able to get intelligence on Mario's whereabouts. I must say, combining the intelligence of both Blood Phoenix and government authorities was quite effective. Well, of course I mean it is effective if Inci wasn't deployed. If Inci was used, there'd be no need for government authorities because there's almost nothing the intelligence agencies owned that Inci couldn't hack into. Still, it's a nice feeling I guess to work with people who sincerely believed they were on the righteous side, I thought as I looked at Alex and Rei seated beside me.

I wasn't sure if the nice feeling was coming from working with people who sincerely believed they were on the righteous side or whether it was from being able to get along with some people from my father's side of the family.

Rei was still an ass but I guess we got along quite well in the trainings. Not all officials liked Alex and Rei's closeness with me but Alex and Rei seemed to ignore the judgmental stares at them when they talked to me like a comrade. Even now, while those two were seated beside me, I could feel some eyes drilling into me suspiciously.

To most people, I was of course the typical villain cooperating with the authorities after cutting a deal..or so..they think. Well, I guess they shouldn't be too relaxed around me. I was going to pull a stunt tonight. I had every intention of letting Kronos escape from their clutches tonight. The other Blood Phoenix commanders were too comfortable with the idea of working with the authorities and being subjugated to officials who didn't have half the skill as them. I don't get them but who said I should? I only know Kronos hated it here and judging from how intently he was staring at me and using our secret blinking code, he was thinking, I was being totally crazy.

I met Kronos's eyes and a small smirk curved my lips as I used our secret code to tell him to stop glaring a hole through my forehead. Kronos sighed as he sat back, averting his face for a while before turning back to meet my eyes again.

"You have to leave Kronos. I will find you a way." I told him using our blinking and facial gesturing code.

Kronos frowned as he glanced at all the officers around him but from the expression he made, he still believed me. "And you?" He asked.