Sorry for the massive gap again pals! I've had a really tough few months and I've been trying to keep on top of things and failing. Here is a very delayed Chapter 51. Seven left!
Thanks for the reviews/favourites/alerts. You guys are the best!
Disclaimer- characters aren't mine. There's some violence in this chapter too!
oOo
Retaliation. Retribution. Revenge. The blessed act of returning to someone a payment for the unjust wrongs committed by their hands.
Kiku had been brought up to hate senseless violence, but he honestly believed that he could not allow some actions to pass him by unreprimanded. Honour and its moral code took precedence over that. A slight against you was a crime, but an offence on one of your own was just as personal, if not more so. It assumed that you, as the relative, were powerless in the face of their actions; cowards to the will of another who thought they could harm an extension of yourself. The West thought blood was thicker than water, and Kiku had been brought up with an equally strong sense of the value of this principle. Kiku's father after all was a man of honour and to him allegiances meant everything.
His thoughts were on his father as the clan he had taken on as his own filed into the meeting room. It was late, perhaps too late for a sensible meeting, but Kiku ignored that fact to focus on keeping his back straight and his face smooth and leeched of any emotion.
"What are we-?" Yong Soo started, second into the room following Niran. But he trailed off at the sight of Kiku's face. Mei came next, then Xien, and Lein entered last and looked around at those assembled with a dull glaze of boredom. Once the door had clicked shut behind them, each of them took a seat and Kiku took a moment to swallow the burning feeling in his throat before he spoke.
"Thank you all for coming here." The two papers he had placed in front of him were pulled ever so slightly closer. They were folded in any case, but Kiku wanted them near him, especially with the way all of their eyes were fixed on them. "I know it's late and not the ideal time to read a will, but with Yao at rest and the warehouse shut for the day, now is more suitable."
"Shouldn't you have an official reading with a lawyer present?" Xian's tone was accusatory but somehow Kiku held his tongue. It was beneath him to snap back.
"Due to our financial state we need to forgo a lawyer." He looked to their accountant but Niran did not or could not tear his gaze from the table. "We will have everything made official, but first there are a few point from the will I wish to discuss."
A beat and then- "You've already read it?!"
Xian's yell was disgraceful. Kiku chose to ignore it. Instead he waved a hand at the glasses he had set on the table, impressed at how his hand motion was smooth and unwavering.
"Please friends, before we begin everyone take a drink. Let us toast to Yao." Xian ground his teeth but swallowed any other outburst he may have been tempted to unleash.
It was a sweet wine he had taken from Yao's own cabinet, untouched throughout his illness. There were glasses with a small sample in front of all of them; all where he'd roughly expected them to sit: Yong Soo by his side, Niran on his other and Mei next to one of them (Yong Soo it transpired- unsurprising). Xian and Lein were next to Niran who was the more neutral and welcoming of the two men. Kiku had intentionally placed himself at the head of the table with enough cups for seats. They were a predictable bunch which worked well for him.
Yong Soo sniffed his glass and looked suddenly nostalgic. "This was Mr Wang's favourite."
"Then let's drink to him." It was a Western tradition but when in Rome- or America- it was good to adopt the local habits and behaviours. He sipped and everyone followed his lead. The burn of the alcohol was soothing.
To business then. "As you all know in light of Mr Wang's recent passing I have placed myself at the head of his affairs. It is an honour to live up to his name and work with you all. However, I have been looking into things and for this business to work properly there needs to be a few changes around here-"
Xian tutted, "Again with all this change, it is my father who is dead here-"
Kiku didn't need to reply; Yong Soo got there first.
"I'm sorry but Mr Wang meant a lot to all of us, Xian." His voice snapped, but his fingers fretted with his long sleeves even though his tone was stern. "Kiku has been the only one of us holding this place together since he became sick, and every change he has made has been for the better. Our profits are up and the workers are content, even with Mr Wang's death looming over them. Let the man speak. We owe him that."
Kiku did not like confrontation, but he couldn't help but watch Xian and Lein's reaction closely. As long as she had been in the warehouse he had not hear her speak much and now was no different. She grabbed Xian's shoulder as though to stop him from leaning forwards, her eyes concerned. Under her watch he did not move. Kiku hid his expression of disdain behind his grim mask- imagine submitting to the wills of a woman.
"As I was saying, there are things being brought to light in Yao's will I would like to discuss with the table." He turned lightly to face Niran. "You can vouch that we are in dire straits with our finances, correct?"
Niran nodded in agreement but looked uncertain.
"We are... losing money fast." The clerk admitted, sounding unsure how much he should reveal before everyone. Kiku nodded discretely that he should go on. "Even with the changes and Yao's... needs... no longer in the picture, we are still facing a great period of uncertainty for the organisation."
"I have suggestions to make concerning this," Kiku continued as Niran's mumble was swallowed by silence. He kept his eyes around the table noting how Lein took another sip of the wine unsurely. "Whether ignorant or not, I don't know, but Yao has let you all down, and his business-"
Mei made a sound that was halfway between a sob and protest. "Kiku have a heart, think of Mr Wang- his memory-"
"His memory would only be tarnished further with lies." He shot her down, ignoring the wobble of her bottom lip. "Mr Wang was an upstanding citizen and a good friend but his business had lost its edge through poor investments and unsavoury deals. The simple fact is that for many years now our business has been under the influence of another."
His words had a profound effect on his gathered audience. Xian stared while Lien looked queasy, Yong Soo and Mei were surprised. Niran it seemed could not look him in the eye. If it wasn't for the slip of paper on the desk Kiku might have not known what to think at that moment.
This time Lien could not stop Xian, "Are you suggesting-?"
Kiku didn't let Xian finish, holding up his hand to stop his flow before he could go any further. "Let us read the will."
Kiku stood, picking up one of the documents with one hand and using the other to straighten his tie. He could not look dishevelled reading this, it would go again Yao's memory. It needed to be conducted properly, as he would have wished. After clearing his throat he started to read:
"I Wang Yao, founder and chief of operations at Wang Distribution Co., being of sound mind and body..." the irony was not lost on Kiku who started to walk around the table to rid the shaking from his legs, "do hereby detail my last will and testament."
"On the occasion of my death, I would firstly like to bestow my hardwood desk upon my loyal friend Im Yong Soo, who I know admired the piece so," There were other meaningless gifts, first to Mei and then Niran, even Lien was included in the deal. The clan practically held their breath during the reading, Kiku could have heard a pin drop. He skipped over the few names of people he didn't know or who were absent from the room. "... To my only son Xian Wang I give my collections of his mother's writings and the contents of my savings account to make the most of his skills as a businessman."
The young man's face contorted with an emotion Kiku struggled to read. Beside him Lien was sweating but watching Kiku intently as he walked around the table opposite to them.
"Most importantly to my business partner, Mr Ivan Braginski, I leave in his hands the contents of my warehouse and the men there within. As a trusted friend I remind him to look after me and mine. His advice and generosity over the years have been invaluable and I hope he takes on this business with the same passion and dedication I have."
Kiku paused in his reading. Mei, who had been looking at the floor and wiping her eyes on a tissue, looked up at him weakly.
"What about you Kiku?" He swore Xian was smirking at him as the question hung in the air between them. Kiku once again pushed down the heated feeling in his throat and contented himself with watching how Lien was discretely attempting to get her companion's attention.
"I was originally written in but then crossed out." He turned the document over to show the back and the different ink of the addition. "Yao made amendments when he fell sick though, isn't that right, Yong Soo?"
The dark haired man nodded looking mystified. Kiku continued, moving swiftly on to the final piece of writing.
"To my Godson, Kiku," The addition was small but powerful. "I leave you my body and knowledge and will, to protect my honour and reputation. Do with these as you will."
They all fell quiet as they took in this in this obscure sentence. Xian's laugh when it came was sharp and cut through their confusion. "Too bad, looks like the old man mugged you off worse than me."
"Indeed."
Kiku pulled out a lighter from his pocket, the same lighter he had used months ago to burn the address of this place, and in one swift movement he set the official paper alight. It was surprisingly flammable and went up much faster than expected, the glow of it briefly flashing in his eyes. He dropped the smouldering parchment to the table where it was reduced to ashes, much to everyone's horror.
"He left the will to me." Kiku's voice was steady because it was true. Xian spluttered in shock, Niran and Mei looked at him like he'd gone mad. Without a will, everything that had been given away was gone. "He left me the task of protecting his business."
Xian finally recovered enough to form words. "Are you insane?! What are you even talking about?!"
The way that Xian roared across the table made Kiku click his tongue in annoyance. Unsightly. He cast his eyes around the table meeting everyone's gaze one by one, finally fixing back to Xian as he raised the remaining piece of paper.
"Yao gifted me the truth."
This child had no right to wear Yao's eyes as he glowered at him with his teeth clenched. He was a boy in a man's body and Kiku almost couldn't control his contempt for him. Almost. He reined it in with a deep breath.
"Tell me," Kiku ordered to the room at large, very much the master of his own body and mind. "Why was Ivan Braginski so involved so deeply with this house?"
That made Xian sit back down at least; Kiku was surprised when it was Mei who answered.
"He was Yao's advisor." The way she said the word showed exactly what she thought of that. "And sometimes he was a partner. He shouldn't be in the will- not to that degree."
Xian wasn't a good actor and couldn't seem to decide what to do with his face; on the other hand, Kiku adamantly kept his features smooth. "Something to add?"
Yao's son sniffed loudly. "Braginski helped me out of a few tight spots and has been a useful advisor for my father." He scowled across at Mei. "You have no right to speak out against the man. What do you know?"
"Yao involved me in the business-"
"I'm sorry, but you are nothing but a charity case my father took on to look good." Xian snapped. "Don't flatter yourself into thinking he cared about you."
Mei let out a shriek of indignation that was washed out by Niran's sharp response and Lien's sudden cough. Kiku saw his chance to take control of the situation again, and play his final hand in the drama. He lifted the other piece of paper theatrically, pleased when everyone stopped speaking to fixate on it.
"Tell me, Xian, you're the man in the know- do you know anything about forensics?"
If it wasn't for Lien still coughing beside him and taking up his attention, the young man might have looked bemused. As it was he was too busy patting her on the back and trying to get her to drink, than to give Kiku a second glance. The rest of the table on the other hand looked in confusion at the paper.
"...What is this all about?" Yong Soo was pale and sounded exhausted by the whole ordeal. Kiku trudged on with his point, determined to bring this to its conclusion.
"Policing has come on leaps and bounds since the turn of the century." What was that feeling thrilling through his bones? Excitement? Rage? Perhaps anticipation. "Modern officers can find out nearly everything they need to know about a person, or at least how they were killed. How many bullets, exactly which weapon, the type of poison..."
Patience, patience, he had to remind himself as a little too much emotion swept into his words. Lien's coughs had taken on a more gasping quality and her eyes were full of panic; enough to cause a little wave of distress around the table as they looked on this with concern. It seemed to show no signs of stopping and it was unnerving. At the mention of 'killed' though, something seemed to click in Xian's mind and he span at Kiku, not unlike an animal unleashed.
"What nonsense is this? What are you talking about?" There was nothing he could do to stop the woman coughing and Kiku savoured the tension on the air.
"Murder." Kiku hissed viciously, throwing the word like the paper in his hand onto the table. The document slid and was taken up by Niran's hesitant hands as Kiku struggled to get himself back under control. "Yao was-"
"Mercury?" Niran gasped as the pressure of the room built, guided along by Lien's red faced gasps and Xian's frightened hovering. "But where- who-?"
"Don't worry." As the tension in the room grew, Kiku found it ever easier to maintain his command. There was something about knowing what was happening that took the edge off things. "I have already dealt with the who."
His timing was impeccable as always. With a restricted gasp around sudden, red tinged foam which frothed up her throat, Lien slammed face first down onto the table with a crash. The room went into uproar. Mei began to cry and attempted to run, grabbed and held by Yong Soo who had gone white. Xian might have launched himself at Kiku if it wasn't for the accountant leaping to grab him in a hold.
No one spoke as he screeched.
"No- NO! Lien! Let go of me- LIEN!" Niran had too much height on him for Xian to escape and he just writhed there screaming. "You sick fuck- what did you do?! What have you done?!"
"You better start explaining what on earth is going on Kiku, before I let him go." He had to admire Niran for his fairness even though his face was a mask of abject horror. Kiku took up the glass in front of Lien, stained slightly with her lipstick, as Yong Soo's shaking hand found the police report on the table.
Kiku shook the wine so that the fluid swirled around the glass. "Mercury is a deadly poison, though a useful element. I have read some enlightening texts as to its uses. Cyanide on the other hand is remarkably more common to get hold of and still an effective method to kill someone-"
The implication- the Lien was not merely unconscious but was in fact stone dead- made Xian fight and squirm even more to be free. Certain in his safety, Kiku replaced the glass with a dull thunk to the table beside the dead woman's head and her dark, splayed hair. At that moment Yong Soo started to read.
"As requested from our telephone conversation please see the attached toxicology report; you can see that your Godfather was found to have a deadly amount of mercury in his blood. It's not a commonly found poison, but potent if managed correctly. It can kill in days or months depending on the dosage size. We estimate he had probably been infected with it in tiny doses throughout this illness you spoke of. I cannot give you a profile for who might have done this to him," Yong Soo's voice cracked and he swallowed his emotions visibly. "But I would suggest you look to who might have had contact to Mr Wang's food and medicine on a daily basis. In my experience of similar cases the culprit is often in plain sight- Yours, Inspector Arthur Kirkland."
There was a pregnant pause filled with Xian's wheezing. Yong Soo was a young man, but he looked much older and harsher as he gazed up at Kiku. "You went to the police?"
With Lien dead and the evening playing out as he intended Kiku was happy to elaborate, albeit briefly. "My contacts from the latest Vargas deal had a link there. Yao had wanted me to find out who had done this to him, I see that now. I went to the police for answers-"
Xian was a lot closer than he had thought and he was therefore surprised when a wet feeling landed on his face. Mei gasped loudly. The boy had spat at him.
"My friend is dead and now you say it is on the word of an officer?!" Kiku wiped off the affront with a handkerchief and a shaking hand, his mouth a hard line of disgust. "Any one of us could have done this on this pig's reckoning! We all helped with his medicine and food! You're insane!"
Kiku had to resist the urge to do something he would regret. It was unsportsmanlike to hit an opponent being held still by another man, and if anything, he agreed with his father when he said if he fought it should be like a man. Besides, as much as it pained him to see Xian go unpunished it was beneath him to raise his hands to another, especially when he still had his words in his arsenal.
"Which is why I had to look further than mere interactions. Do not take me for a fool." His tone was sharp and direct. "Yao left behind more than enough evidence for me to piece this together. And Lien is not the only one at fault."
Mei muttered a terrified little gasp behind her hand.
"He's gone mad," she whispered openly. Yong Soo however was watching Kiku with renewed interest.
"You're saying this was the work of more than one?" Precisely.
"She wasn't the brains, merely a very unlucky pawn." Kiku swivelled his head owlishly to Yao's son, who for all his previous shouting and noise had gone abruptly quiet and limp. "Isn't that right, Xian?"
Xian had always been paler than Yao, in fact Kiku was certain his blood wasn't entirely pure on his mother's side, but all of the colour had left him now. His large eyes were stark and suspicious under his large brows.
"What are you even talking about?"
"What was her price? A cut of the business?" His tone was bordering on aggressive and with everyone watching Kiku was forced to rein it back in. "Or was she allowed to wrap her legs around you while you told her you loved her-?"
Xian spluttered. "What- how dare you!? I don't know what you're talking about! You know nothing about-"
"Tell me," It wasn't a demand, it was an order. "How did it feel to knowingly slowly kill your own father?"
Mei again made a breathless noise, only this time she stood up, her eyes wide and darting between Xian and the cooling corpse slumped over the table. "He couldn't-!"
"Mercury is a tricky element to get hold of, and can only readily be bought and sold for business purposes. One of its primary uses is in dye. Particularly the dye used to make hats." Kiku knew this because he had researched it. He had spent hours in the library piecing all of the information together like a macabre jigsaw. "How it could possibly end up in my Godfather's medicine is beyond my knowledge though, perhaps you would know, Xian? Considering you have easy access to both industries."
He let the information wash over them all, enjoying the way in which Yong Soo narrowed his eyes in Xian's direction while the other man visibly squirmed.
"... this is all very convenient for you, isn't it?"
Kiku resented his tone and the accusation behind it. "On the contrary, I don't know what made you do it. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten me. How exactly did Ivan Braginski persuade you to kill Mr Wang?"
Xian opened his mouth, but instead of speaking there was a desperate flash in his eye. He swung out; Niran had been taking in the conversation and his grip was lax. Xian easily shook him off. There was a frozen moment where it looked like he might charge Kiku, but the next he bolted like a rat to the door. Kiku almost sighed- predictable.
He didn't need to give the order for the others to follow. Kiku was out of the door in pursuit with them on his heels, wordlessly making their way back into the workhouse apartment. Xian was making his bid for freedom up ahead; he couldn't let him escape.
Without a thought about the consequences, and with practised ease Kiku pulled out the pistol he had taken from Yao's personal effects, aimed it like his father had taught him and pulled the trigger. The bang of the weapon was followed by the wet phut of the bullet hitting its target which was only audible a second before the agonised scream as Xian as he fell to the floor in a spray of red. Ignoring the other's jabbered insistence for him to stop, to explain himself, Kiku strode forward weapon aloft.
Xian was on his front, legs unmoving as he howled and clawed awkwardly near the bullet hole at his back. There was not much blood, internal injuries had not been Kiku's target afterall, he had just needed him to stop running.
"You bastard!" Xian screeched, eyes feral and teeth bared in agony. "You can't- my legs- fuck!"
Kiku readied the weapon again, this time aiming its barrel at his face in the hope that he would take the hint to Shut. Up. They were next to the mural outside Yao's room, and the dark glisten of his son's blood over the golden surface seemed almost fitting in that moment.
"Kiku-!"
"Tell me!" Xian had stopped speaking but he was making a horrid groaning sound. "Why did you do it?"
"Kiku, wait-!"
"Go to hell." Xian moaned at him through clattering teeth as he tried to move again and failed. "Oh god, my legs- I can't move my legs-!"
Answer the question. Kiku wanted so much to fire, because this was all becoming so drawn out and unnecessary. He knew what the answer would be, he just wanted to hear it from Xian's own lips. The others were crowding beside him; Niran grave, Mei teary, and a rather stoic Yong Soo. It was they who deserved the truth; Yao deserved the truth. He tapped his foot impatiently.
"Tell me why."
"Fuck. You." How regrettable.
The second bullet went clean through Xian's hand and cracked into the floor. He almost didn't hear the fresh screams over the sound of the gun and the smell of the burning flesh. Kiku would have kicked him if the idea of touching him, even to harm, didn't repulse him.
"Answer me."
Xian cried, holding his hand under him and wailing into the floor like a dog. Mei went to move forward but Yong Soo threw an arm out to stop her, watching the conversation closely.
"You... you don't get it." Xian's voice was hoarse and small, but rose rapidly in pitch like a kettle. "How would you?! He didn't- he never liked me! He wanted to see me fail so badly- and -and Ivan-"
Kiku bit the inside of his lip so hard he tasted blood.
"Ivan promised to help me. He appreciated me! It was more than my father had ever done- he hated me- you wouldn't understand!"
There it was. It was petty, it was inexcusable, but it had the desired effect. The betrayal on Yong Soo and the others faces as they realised was payment enough for the hardship Kiku had to endure to reach this point.
One final piece remained. Kiku's voice was intimate, like a whisper to a lover. "How did you do it?"
Xian met his eyes with resolve in their brown depths. He was covered in blood and physically shaking but the madness was foul on his tongue.
"In the same way he killed me, little. By. Little. He was meant to help me; the medicine was meant to help him." He put his hands beneath him, cradling one and trying, failing, to push up with the other. "That idiot Feliks gave him the tablets Ivan and I cooked up. Lien- she co-ordinated the transactions. That's all there was to it."
"It was easy, and he deserved it," Xian whimpered, or perhaps it was a laugh. "Every last moment of suffering. And I'm not sorry. He was no father of mine- he can rot in hell-"
Kiku watched as Xian pulled his hand, the undamaged one, from the inside of his jacket and aimed the gun at him.
"-and so can you."
With a disjointed, muted feeling he registered the barrel and without a moment to react. That could have been it for him, but Kiku didn't need to. Out of nowhere Yong Soo sprang and kicked the weapon right off the other man's hand. The gun flew across the corridor and the ever faithful warehouse staff descended on the transgressor like hounds. The sounds coming out of Xian were inhuman.
"Kiku, sir," Yong Soo spoke over the howls, his dark eyes like coals as he pinned Xian's arm to the floor, his knee locking one of his legs. "We've heard enough. What do you want to do with him now?"
Yong Soo's face was resolute, and even Niran and Mei from their positions holding Xian still on his other limbs were hard under a layer of shock. They were looking to Kiku for direction and the thought of this made him shiver with pride. They had accepted his authority over whatever Xian's blood had afforded him.
"Tie his hands and legs." Kiku instructed. This was for Yao and the revenge was sweet enough to mask the bitter stink of blood. Xian's eyes darted like a horse to slaughter, it might have been pitiful if it wasn't deserved. "And find something heavy."
The hard lines of their mouths were at conflict with the open mouthed scream Xian let out. "You can't do this! No- YOU CAN'T! Don't listen to him! No!"
Yong Soo shoved a handkerchief from his pocket inside his mouth so only panicked mumbles came out through the material.
"You did this to yourself," Yong Soo hissed into his face, tears in his eyes but these were blinked back as he turned back to Kiku. "We can use some of the excess stock, that should be heavy enough. And then what?"
"The river," It was very Western, in the East they might have chosen a different method, but a watery grave seemed fitting for a spineless murderer. Xian did not deserve an honourable death, he had denied his own father that right. Clawing, screaming, bleeding and pleading, it was pitiful but it was revenge and Kiku had never felt so righteous.
oOo
Gilbert was not General Winter's biggest fan. In fact, he would have argued that if he was any less awesome, he might actually hate the guy. As it was he was above that sort of thing. It was just hard to like someone when they reeked of body odour, had a face like a sea lion, and smoked that god awful cigars into someone's face.
"Hey, Gregory." And got his name wrong.
"Gilbert." He corrected through clenched teeth. Gott, what had Mutti always said: be good to your brother, treat women with respect, and mind your elders. Surely two out of three wasn't that bad, especially with this monstrosity of a man billowing that heady smoke into his mouth. Surely his Mutti would forgive him for planting a bullet right into his ugly-
Oh right, Ivan wouldn't be so pleased with that... Back to the false smiles, Gilbert.
"What sort of name is that?" Winter coughed, and a bit of spittle flinging into Gilbert's face. He felt his eye twitch in response, and bit down on his tongue hard. "Whatever, I wanted to talk to you about that boy of yours."
Winter had cornered him in the office where he had been tidying as per Ivan's request. It was morning and Gilbert would have preferred to be taking it easy in bed, but an early start usually meant an early finish. He did think himself above base grunt work like this but he enjoyed keeping things in order, learning a little extra from the scraps, and besides he was smart enough not to mess with any of Ivan's documents. The last time Ravis had cleaned in the room he'd almost got his neck snapped, the little idiot.
At the mention of Birdie, Gilbert had to force himself to sound nonchalant and not defensive. Over the years he'd mastered it, but with Winter asking there was a distinct colder edge to Gilbert's tone that wasn't usually there. The mere presence of the man put his hackles up, it was an unavoidable fact of life, that he could never really conceal his distaste for him.
"What about him?" Gilbert asked, hands still shuffling papers together into a pile.
Winter hacked and spat a wad of brown into the nearest waste bin. Gilbert had to resist the urge to pull a face, because verdammit this man was gross. Did he ever wash his beard? Or brush his teeth? What grave had Ivan dug this man out of?
"He looks a bit... delicate for this type of work." He wasn't sure, had Winter just licked his lips?! This old fart better not be- "You sure he's up to working like this for Ivan?"
"Ja, danke." He spoke in German because he knew Winter hated anything but Russian or English. Anything that could make the General leave Gilbert the fuck alone this morning was good enough for him.
Winter's flabby face practically quivered like a bitter grey jelly.
"What's a man like you got business with a boy his age for?" They had stuck to the story that Birdie was younger because her feminine features would never pass for a man in his late 20s. "You some kind of pooft, eh German? Disgusting-"
Gilbert couldn't take it anymore. It was so hard to feign respect for a man who did not deserve it, no matter how much of a hold he had over Ivan. No more smiles anymore. He felt the skin across his face tighten, and his mouth curled up into the beginning of snarl. "Why don't you-?"
The heavy weight of a hand fell on his shoulder and a sweet voice filled his ear. "If you finish that sentence I will cut off your tongue and feed it back to you, Gilbert. Winter is here as my special guest, now play nicely, or I will be unhappy with you."
Ivan had returned, his hair damp and almost translucent after a bath, although he still wore his trademark scarf wrapped around his neck. Toris and Eduard had quietly speculated many times what lay beneath the mass of cloth, but out of all of them it was only Gilbert who knew it was an ugly looking scar. A scar which had been given to Ivan by the man he was currently defending.
Because that made so much sense...These people were weird, and the longer he stayed with them, the more difficult things were getting. It was like walking a tightrope, with the ground slowly sinking further and further away.
"Ivan, there you are. I have been looking at your plans and I wanted to discuss them with you." Winter spoke gruffly as Ivan cheerfully hummed his way past Gilbert, leaving him to continue tidying.
Winter pushed his way over to the other side of the desk and started chattering away in their common tongue. He did it to force Gilbert out; he had never been bothered to learn any Russian and only understood some of the words and nouns because of how often Ivan said them. He caught the name 'Vargas' and the word for 'car', or at least he thought.
Ivan was watching Gilbert, rather than Winter, with his head cocked to the side and that slight smile on his lips. His cold eyes were on him, taking the measure of him. His pupils were always that bit too small. It was unnerving. It made him feel like they were talking about him, and the paranoia had him catch himself. They were plotting about Vargas, and the new affronts the old man had decided to wreak on the Russian's business. Nothing else.
Gilbert returned to his tidying, hating them both and cursing them silently, when he saw Ravis hovering near the open doorway from out of the corner of his eye. The boy seemed unsure whether to knock or not, so Gilbert did it for him, knocking the bookshelf as if the boy had done it to the door. Otherwise Ivan would have been mad for the delay in news, good mood or not.
"Da?"
"Erm, Mr Ivan. Sir." Ravis jumped and squeaked at the same time, looking like the mouse that had just crapped its pants after the cat had spotted it. "We've had a message from Toris- um, no actually what I mean to say is, Sir, that Toris has received a message from our watcher on Xian Wang-"
Despite the fumbling of the message Ivan held up his hand to stop Winter who was still blubbering endless battle strategies in his ear.
"Go on." Ivan invited the boy in with a gentle wave of his hand, turning his full attention and steely gaze onto the young boy.
Ravis flinched as though he hadn't expected to be asked to continue speaking, and looking as if he would have given all the money in the world to anyone able to aide his escape from his current spot the inside of the doorway. "Well, um, ah yes. Sir. Xian, that is his watcher said he went out..."
The words seemed to stick in his throat and then he was just left gaping like a fish. Gilbert was used to it now, but it didn't stop him cringing on the boy's behalf. He wasn't like Toris who died inside every time Ravis and Ivan were mentioned in the same sentence. But it was hard not to feel sorry for the kid. Because that's what he was, only a kid. Ivan had forced Ravis into this line of work and it was already proving too much for his disposition.
Ivan smiled a deathly sweet smile, and the boy's face whitened. "Ravis, you're wasting my timeee."
"He didn't come back!" The words which had evaporated, came in a sudden rush, flooding up out of his mouth. "He and that woman of his went to Wang's- the warehouse- for a meeting but they didn't come back."
The implications of this were overwhelming. Gilbert tried to understand them; if Xian wasn't back from meeting Kiku, and clearly wasn't staying at the warehouse, then where was he? Or rather what had happened to him? They had known Honda was working with the police, but even Gilbert hadn't thought the short guy had it in him to go that far.
Then again, those dark eyes...
Everything was becoming difficult around Gilbert, and it was harder to predict who had a hand in what. The Xian boy had even turned on his own father, and for what, Ivan's praise?
Ivan seemed to mull this news over, watched closely by Winter and Ravis.
"This is Vargas' fault." Ivan said eventually, his thin lips tightened and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Gilbert's mind churned over the logic, which one exactly? Or did that not matter anymore?
"The eldest is becoming almost as unfair as his Grandfather. Perhaps we could push our plan forward Winter? Let us cause some fireworks in our missing comrades' honour."
Gilbert shifted from the side of the desk, piling papers neatly on the edge and turning to the side to face the bookcase. It looked like Ivan was taking this quite well, but that probably had something to do with it causing people more discomfort. He hadn't truly been fond of the little Wang boy, and Gilbert had a distinct feeling that Ivan had considered him lost as soon as he had found out that the police were involved.
Yet, Ivan would never sacrifice a pawn unless it was part of the game. It was his way of keeping complete control of the board. All of the pieces moved according to his will, sent to each square with casual, but calculated actions. Gilbert didn't like the idea of having to take part in more potential ventures that might hurt Antonio or Lovino, but if he had to do it to keep himself and Birdie safe he would. He had his own priorities in this twisted game.
Even if he was starting to feel that being a gangster sucked.
oOo
This was one of Those Chapters that I had all planned out but couldn't manage to get the tone right. This was actually the last chapter from Kiku's point of view which my beta can tell you I hate writing. He is being intentionally dramatic by the way!
The next chapter returns to our favourite boys Antonio and Lovino.
As always your reviews and comments are appreciated. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
