Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 2024
~~~~
I glare at the screen of the GPS where the dot that's Chelsea's phone has stopped moving. Things are about to get tight. "I told you not to keep that far of a distance."
Anton huffs. "Marcel isn't an amateur. If I had kept on his ass, he'd notice we were following them."
Marcel is probably shooting Chelsea right now.
We are gaining on the dot; one more turn and my breath hitches.
The fuck!
I stare at the surreal scene. The hood of Chelsea's car kissing the metal divider, windshield busted, glass scattered everywhere.
What the hell happened?
I jump out of the van before Anton has a chance to fully break. Legging it around the crashed Toyota, I freeze. Marcel lies in a pool of blood on the ground, Chelsea standing over him, the gun she has trained on him trembling. I approach slowly so as not to spook her. The situation is unstable as it is; the last thing I need is for her to swing around and fire a bullet at me because she feels threatened.
Sobs shake her body; if Marcel weren't hurt, he would've long disarmed her. I step behind her and reach around to steady her hand. "It's okay. I'll take this."
When I twist the weapon out of her grip, she doesn't resist. Gazing at me with tearful eyes from under her lashes, she lets out a low wail. "Why can't I do it? Why can't I shoot him?"
"'Cause you're not a killer."
She leans her forehead against my shoulder, her body quivering. I rub her back, whispering "shh, shh" under my breath.
The racking of a gun behind me foils the little strides I made to calm her. Turning around, I ensure that I'm shielding Chelsea from Anton's Glock. "Wo-ho, hold up. Now it's not the time."
"Now is the perfect time. Cleaner doesn't care if he has to get rid of one body or two."
The moment to pull rank. "Stand down, Anton, I mean it."
"Why are you protecting her? She has been playing us. You said so yourself."
"We don't have time to get into this right now."
"A bullet takes a second."
"Anton, I said stand down." I lock his gaze and hold it without blinking. "In case you forgot, I run this crew and what I say goes. There are still too many questions she needs to answer and tonight, our focus should only be on Marcel."
Anton's nostrils flare, but he lowers the gun. I bought Chelsea some time.
I clutch her shoulders and shake her gently to get through to her. "The transit station is less than half a mile from here. Can you make it there on foot?"
"I think so."
"Then walk away and don't look back. Go straight to the station and find a cab that can take you to a hospital. Get checked out and then return to Ireland. I promise I'll contact you in a few days."
She glances at Marcel. His breath is shallow, but the thirst for survival has taken hold. For now, he's hanging in there. Her gaze travels to the car.
I squeeze her shoulders harder. "I'll take care of Marcel and make sure the car will disappear without a trace. Now go or I won't be able to guarantee your safety."
She nods in a daze. When I let go of her, she sways but keeps her footing. I make sure her purse is secure on her shoulder. Can't have her walk off without money and her passport. She takes a deep breath and then leaves without giving me any further hassle. As her figure blends with the darkness of the night, I turn to Anton.
He pops a piece of gum in his mouth, a sign that he's on edge. "I still think you're making a mistake letting her go."
"Well, it's my mistake to make. Now take the van and secure the road. It's a one-way, so the only threat could come from this side." I point in the opposite direction of Chelsea's path.
"You sure you can handle Marcel on your own?"
I gaze at the piece of shit lying in the grass and snort. "Yep, I'm sure."
Anton doesn't argue further and gets in the van. As the taillights disappear, I'm left alone with Marcel. A half-broken streetlamp that flickers on and off is the only light source.
I squat and find his eyes. "Don't think we ever formally met. I'm Bastian Artino."
Marcel's lips twitch. "I know who you are. You were Konstantin and Olivia's little bitch."
I slam my elbow into his mouth; he gags and turns his head to spit blood into the grass. His body quivers and when our gazes meet again, tears of pain found their way down his cheeks.
"Fucking shoot me already," he growls.
A mercy kill would be a wasted bullet. "Tsk, I'm not done with you yet. As a matter of fact, we are just getting started. First off, let me show you what's going on at your house." I pull my cell from my pocket; not even a minute later, I have access to the secure video feed streaming right from his kitchen. I turn the screen around to show him I'm not bluffing. "My associates have orders to kill your family unless you cooperate."
Marcel closes his eyes. "The intel I stole is worthless by now, so what do you want?"
"After we restructured and you realized there was no more money in the data, you took it a step further. You sold someone insider information on Konstantin that got him killed. I need to know who that was?"
Marcel frowns. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Konstantin would visit his mom every other week for Sunday dinner. Only a handful of people knew about it. You were one of them."
"Konstantin was like a brother to me. I'd never sell him out." A cough shakes Marcel's body, leaving blood on his lips.
I need to hurry or risk him taking a turn for the worse. "Nico, put on the screws."
With the phone screen turned toward Marcel, I only hear the sounds of Nico's handiwork.
Cries of a woman.
Pleads.
Claims that she has no idea about Marcel's shady past.
Sad thing, I believe her.
For a moment, I let Nico do his thing before lowering the screen. "Who did you sell the information to?"
A muscle in Marcel's jaw jumps. "I swear I didn't. Call off your man. My family knows nothing."
I scoff. "Seriously? You pretend to care? In Hong Kong, you didn't give a rat's ass about Chelsea and Sean when you left them there to rot."
"I'm sorry Sean died."
"You are not a very convincing liar, Marcel." I grab his hair to force eye contact. "Who did you tell where Konstantin would be that day?"
"I never told anyone."
"I don't believe you, so you better start talking. For right now, your kid is oblivious to what is happening. He is just in his room, playing with his toys, but I can tell Nico to go and get him."
Marcel shakes his head. "Please, Bastian, don't do this." More tears run down his face; I find the same type of distress in his eyes that I see in Chelsea whenever she talks about Sean.
"Last chance, Marcel."
"Please, I have no idea who killed Konstantin."
I lean so close to his ear that my lips touch his skin. "That's how Chelsea felt when Nico put a gun to Sean's head. She was totally helpless. You fucking abandoned her and your son, so whatever happens here today is on you."
"I swear I don't know anything." Fear and despair tremble in his voice. When his breath catches, he coughs up more blood.
"Stand down, Nico. I got the information." I kill the video feed. Point made, and there's no need to put his family through more trauma.
Marcel's eyes narrow. "But I didn't tell you anything."
I chuckle.
He catches on remarkably fast. "It was you. You sold the information."
Instead of a response, I pull the silencer out of my suit pocket.
"But why?" Marcel's gaze is drilling. "When you ran away from home, Konstantin took you in. Olivia was your fucking wife."
Standing up, I finish attaching the silencer to the barrel of the gun. He'd never understand. I raise the Glock and take aim at his forehead.
Pulling the trigger is easy.
Liberating.
The last loose end to tidy up.
The bullet finds its mark, leaving Marcel lying lifeless in the grass. I hunker down and force his eyelids shut.
He was the perfect fall guy.
He still is.
And now my secret died with him.
WP total word count: 31,516
So Bastian's secret has been revealed: he got his tormentors killed and blamed Marcel for the info leak. For now, Chelsea is safe but with Anton in the picture, let's see how long that will last. Seven chapters to go with more action planned; in the next chapter, we will return to Nicosia and see if Icarus's is pleased with the news of Marcel's death.
Many of you were waiting for Marcel's demise and I hope the chapter didn't disappoint. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and click the little Star if you found the chapter deserving. Thanks for reading and keep your eye out for the next update.