Chapter 10:
Ryan Evans did not query Bolton what had happened. There was no need. The expression carved on his handsome face and those bulging red eyes told him a fair deal of things. There was no need to rush to discover the truth behind his silent grief.
Bolton needed time and space.
Ryan Evans did not mind if Bolton told him nothing at all. He could have easily guessed what had happened. It was not that hard.
It must be Gabriella and his little girl Abigail.
Especially Abigail.
Ryan's long fingers struck the piano keys gently as he played to a tune in his head. It was only four in the morning and the dimly lit world outside his French doors was beautiful. A few more minutes and he had to hide his eyes beneath those shades.
It was tiring to hide in the dark and yearn for the light.
Did Lucifer felt the same after his fall from grace?
Ryan asked little in life. To be loved and accepted. Love him as who he was. Accept him for all his weakness.
"Ryan?"
Shocked, his fingers slammed on the keys. He picked his shades and hissed, "How long have you been standing there?" Anger flared his eyes.
Ryan felt nude. He had played his heart out. All his secrets, hopes and worries were carried by the piano notes. He felt weak. Vulnerable.
Troy flinched but he kept his cool. "I heard music and I decided to check it out."
"Yesterday I might have bled with sympathy. Today, I won't," Ryan said, shades covering his teary eyes. Those tears were the signs of his regrets and he made sure that no one, mainly Bolton, sees them. He stood up and walked to the door where Bolton stood still.
"Then why did you let me stay with you? Sympathy? Is that all?" Troy asked – his voice no louder than a whisper.
Ryan halted in his steps. He studied Bolton's eyes. Ryan Evans was not exactly sure why he had agreed to let Bolton stay with him. He was not sure. There was sympathy, and there was something else.
The two men stood close to one another, feeling the warmth radiating from the other's body. Silence dominated the space between them as the two men observed each other.
The moment was suffocating yet beautiful.
There was certainly more than sympathy…
Ryan saw the flicker of love and care from Troy's eyes. Maybe even lust in those blue-grey eyes. His heartbeat thundered in his ears and his lips dry. He felt his body inclined toward the delicious warmth of Bolton's body.
Ryan's eyes widened when Troy dipped his head. He could feel his lips drawn to Bolton's. His eyelids were heavy as he inhaled Troy's dark musky scent. It was intoxicating.
He had always wanted this…
He closed his eyes. "It's more than sympathy. Keeping you here allow me to gain some knowledge about the company's transactions, operations and personnel."
The spell was broken.
Bolton realized what he was about to do and quickly, he straightened himself. Ryan noticed that his ears were red but he was more worried of the warm sensation on his cheeks and neck.
"Have a good night rest. You need them," Ryan murmured. The usual sarcasm in his voice had vanished.
With that said, he walked out of the room.
Nothing had happened.
Devereux glanced at his Rolex – it was four forty in the morning. He still had some time to spare. His wavy black hair was a tousle. He raised his hand and slowly he brushed them with his fingers.
He was a complicated man.
To Devereux, his entire life was a gamble. He risked everything for something he was not even sure he could actually gain. But that was him. He loved the thrill and danger associated with it.
One operation after another, he was always successful. He had never failed. He had been trained when young that mistakes were costly. There was no safety net beneath the tightrope to break his fall. He had to complete his walk to the other end with his past experiences and the knowledge he had gained. It was risky but he must complete it.
The elevator door slid open and he was escorted down the hallway to a soundproof room.
The meeting was held at 0530 hours and he was more than a little too early. But the guards at the door had let him in. They knew him well enough not to question his authority.
He entered the spacious room and went to his seat. There were five seats around the long table – two on the left, the other two on the right and the main armchair facing the door with its back to the window. He gazed at the empty armchair.
He was an independent partner and had immediate power after the man who sat on the armchair. Devereux was the youngest among the five men that were about to meet. The chairman trusted him the most and had offered Devereux a form of protection and cooperation from the remaining members.
He walked to the window and gazed at the skylines. Dawn was here and she had coloured the horizon in shades of pale yellow and green.
Devereux frowned. He was worried. He knew the chairman planned on eliminating Evans, Bolton and Thornton. Evans posed the worst threat to their interest followed by Bolton. Bolton was just unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
He would settle Thornton personally. In his own ways.
He was against the method of operation of the other members. Violence and force were their preferred standards to solve a matter. The crash was a total failure. He had harshly ridiculed their actions but frankly, he did not give a damn to any of the errors they had done.
His eyes darkened with anger.
No. He was angry at the presence of those three in his plans. They were interfering with the plan. Everything was progressing smoothly. It was fine until the Evans had to make his explosive return, Thornton sniffing around like a bloodhound and Skylar for handing Bolton the key.
How foolish of them!
He turned his attention away from the window. He had never interfered with the organization's need to eliminate them. He made sure his hands were clean when it concerned that matter. He only needed to shut some mouths and cover some tracks. That was all.
He seated himself on his armchair, his brows furrowed.
What should he do?
Loki had not slept that night. He glanced out of the windows and then his watch. It was five in the morning, Saturday.
He cleaned the barrel of his gun while he studied the documents on the table. Another transaction would be held on the following Wednesday at the quay. He sipped his mug of coffee. The pay was impressive, 2.5 million US dollars for a safe courier from the seller to the buyer.
It would be an easy job for Loki. He could use the money to expand his personal armoury.
He lifted his gaze from the documents to Thornton's file.
Perhaps Thornton hypothesis was right? Well not entirely. There might be a few errors init but other than that, it was pretty accurate. But then again, what would he gain out of it?
Decline the handsome pay from his potential client for nothing?
Maybe this was what he had been searching for…
He wanted revenge and he had spent his life now searching for information of stolen weapons and technology from the military. He had to work with those men he despised. He needed to find the mole.
The traitor.
His hand clenched the necklace around his neck.
He would avenge Garrett's death.
Author: Welcome to Phase Two: Propagation. Phase one: Initiation ended in chp 9 and phase two started there as well...It sounds like the free radical subsitution phases/stages doesn't it? Ryan was being difficult isn't he? But you get to see how weak he is...Devereux part. Confusing fellow. Yep, there're five men in the organization that wants to eliminate Ryan, Troy and David (detective). Though devereux does not really count, but...and Loki kinda provide a vague outline to a certain thing...Ermm...I don't plan to update this chap so soon. Cause from here onwards, some chaps would be too long and they would be divided in subsections...so be prepare to see suddenly a chp 10 b and it is filled with romance or investigation..it all happens on a Saturday, early in the morning. And they are kinda like the main characters. There will be a few new characters - background characters like the badies but I think that's about it so no worries about the names. And yeah, what plan? It's rare to see Devy so uptight...