The Strategist - Asher Carson
We had to move rather quickly, as the place was getting crowded by now. Not just because we arrived, but also because of the saved girls who really needed to get away from this horror place.
Volkov and Kyle were quick, professionals, as expected, when hurrying everyone into secure cars and hurrying everyone to drive off. Naturally none of the fathers and sons wanted to leave their daughters and girlfriends alone, so it was a cozy family trip driving outside of the city.
Everyone needed some fresh air to breathe, though a few amongst them didn’t have lungs to live anymore.
I looked at Killian through the mirror while driving.
King’s daughter was seated on his lap, head buried in his neck. She was asleep, or fainted from all the exhaustion.
The last days were sure a nightmare for her but the happenings from the last hours must’ve truly knocked her out.
It was Levi King’s voice that echoed from the other room when we just stepped into the playfield of the devil. Aiden was quick to interrupt his bickering with Kyle to rush to his cousin and nephew.
His nephew, a tall brunette copy of Levi King, was standing in the middle of the room and shot a man that was captured and beaten, right between his eyes.
He was breathing like an angry bull, his body tensed and his eyes… hollow.
Aiden rushed to his side with his cousin and they quickly took away the gun.
„Nothing, will bring her back“ I felt the hair on my neck standing up.. he sounded like..
He sounded like fucking Arianna.
Empty, soulless and ..gone
I heard about the King men and their lack of emotions and ..heart.. Aiden has been a long-life friend and I witnessed him and his son with my own eyes but this.. this was entirely different.
Aiden was a ruthless son-of-a-bitch but he still had humanity in him. He was maybe -okay most definitely - not sharing the same moral compass as the rest of the world, but he had some.
But Landon King ? He looked like the epitome of anarchy and doom at this very moment.
„What’s going on here?“, Kyle entered the room and looked at the dead man like it was another piece of trash in the hallway.
Volkov entered too, hands in his pocket. He looked around rather calculative and somewhat annoyed by the fact that he had to leave his daughter’s side to come here.
„Landon? King? What’s going on?“
Something was off, when Aiden pulled Landon away by his neck and Levi held his arms back when he tried to free himself from his uncle.
They both rushed out of the room but not before Landon was yelling at them to show the prove.
Glyndon stirred in her sleep, her fingers gripping into Killian’s chest. She was having a nightmare.
Killian’s jaw tensed and he pulled her even closer, whispering things into her ear I couldn’t decipher. It seemed to work.
„How long, Dad?“, my son sounded tired.
„We can’t be going too far away from these bastards. It will only give them the opportunity to flee!“
„I don’t think they want to run, son“
„They will.“ Our eyes met through the mirror for a split second and it was like I saw myself in his eyes. Like that time when Arianna died and I blamed the world for it and stupidly my own love. But especially like that time when I found out the truth and Reina was taken away from me. And I saw her beaten up in her own blood. The rage over what had happened and how I almost lost the love of my entire fucking being, was so fucking overwhelming, I would’ve burned the world for her. Including myself.
„They will“, I agreed and something flashed in Killian’s usually emotionless eyes.
I nodded towards the rode.
„I don’t need a break“, he cut me off, stroking Glyndon’s hair back while he continued gazing out of the window.
„No. You don’t“ I wasn’t being sarcastic. I knew that he couldn’t rest until justice was served.
„But Glyndon might when she wakes up. She needs water and something to eat until she gets the nutrition’s from the doctor“
Glyndon had been captive for what seemed like days without food or water. Killian did his best by nurturing her as much as he could when they rescued her. Naturally a doctor was supposed to see her and give her a nutrition boost but because of recent event’s we all needed to pack as quick as possible and change locations.
Some men stayed there, including Aiden, Kyle and Eli to go over everything.
They wanted to be sure that they had seen and found every clue possible, before joining us.
I halted at a gas station and got out, opening the door on Killian’s side.
„What are you doing?“, he looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.
„I’ll pump gas and check with the others. You go and wash your damn face, grab some snacks and water for Glyndon and come back“
„I won’t leave her“, he said with a final tone.
„Kill..“ I sighed and crouched down. I slowly lifted a finger and stroked a hair out Glyndon’s face, my son tensed visibly.
„Stop that“, he threatened. I allowed myself a little proud smile at that, before cupping Killian’s head and forcing him to look at me.
„You are my son Killian. And no matter what happened between us in the past and how far we are in healing.. this.. all of that doesn’t fucking matter in this situation. Because I want you to be assured that you can always, fucking always trust me“
I leaned our foreheads together. „Trust me, son. Glyndon has become my daughter the moment you brought her home and I saw you -“
„Normal“, he looked at me calmly. He didn’t sound accusatory, merely like he was stating a fact.
„Being yourself!“, I corrected him. „I know I wasn’t the best father you deserved. But let me prove to you, that no one will love you like I do son. Trust me, okay? I’d protect my daughter-in-law with my life if necessary! “
Killian’s nostrils flared and I let him go so he could look down at Glyndon’s face for a second.
He didn’t answer nor reciprocate in any form. I didn’t expect him to because I knew he wasn’t doing emotions. But him putting Glyndon softly into a comfortable sleeping position and getting out of the car was already a big prove of trust.
I straightened so he could get out of the car. I locked the doors after closing them. He nodded once before he disappeared to grab the snacks.
While pumping the gas I dialed Aiden’s number.
„Almost.“ I heared painful groaning in the background
„Did you guys arrive at the location?“
„Almost“ I gave him back his answer. „Will you be there on time?“
„Don’t worry, honey, I know you can’t do shit without me“
„I pass“ He replied and hung up.
Being able to fight with Aiden gave me still a form of sanity in this whole damn mess. I texted with the others, apparently some of them already had arrived.
Killian came back a few minutes later, looking a bit fresher than before. Some water droplets were dripping down from his hair strands and gave him a much more awake look. He was carrying some snacks. Maybe a bit too many for the remaining hour. He looked into the car, checking if Glyndon was still asleep.
„No“, he answered calmly. „Not yet“
I nodded, knowing what he meant. I paid for the gas and sat into the driver’s seat and surprisingly, Killian joined me on the passenger side after covering Glyndon with his jacket and making sure that she rested well in the back.
I allowed myself a small smile.
„What did he mean?“, I asked into the 20min silence. From the corner of my eye I saw Killian’s muscles flexing.
„Her brother. What did he mean by -“
I furrowed my eyebrows and passed a large truck before answering.
„I don’t think there are any better moments, son“
He sighed and I watched his Adams apple bob in silent. Was.. Killian struggling to tell me something? No, that can’t be. My son would never struggle with the truth. He didn’t have that empathy level.
„But there are worse…“, he mumbled.
Normally I would argue with him, fight with him and blame him for how he was not responding and hiding important information from me. But just a moment ago I asked him to trust me and ..I needed to trust him too.
I needed to trust in his ability to know what was right now and what was .. just not necessary at this moment.
Levi King calls my son a few minutes after, and he assures him that Glyndon is save. They arrived and were waiting for us. I could see that King was not fond of leaving his little baby girl only after finding her again but he had his hands full with Landon and Nikolai, who was giving updates on his other son.
By all the information I got, he was poisoned.
And though I could see that the elder King wasn’t the greatest fan of my son, I knew that he trusted him in protecting his daughter.
“Tell me about Ilya”, I try this time. We still had 30min to go and there was nothing wrong with getting all the information’s I might’ve missed.
“He betrayed us, what else is there to tell?”
Ilya disappeared with Knight and his daughter, Jeremy’s girlfriend Cecily.
When they were rescuing Annika, Ilya used the opportunity when shit went down to free the men that had been captured and kidnap Knight and Cecily when realizing that the latter was remembering things she shouldn’t.
“What motive does he have?”
I tilt my head down, contemplating. “Why didn’t you tell Jeremy earlier.. maybe he would’ve been more careful-“
Killian looked back to Glyndon when she made a soft noise in her dreams. He reached back to stroke her hair back, not for her, but for himself.
Because he needed her touch just like a drug.
I waited for him to continue.
“Otherwise, it would be my fault, or rather my stupidity for not understanding it earlier but it’s not that”
Killian’s finger started drumming against the window.
“It’s about the fact that Ilya wasn’t so sure about what to do himself.”
“Cecily was about to be kidnapped again. Shortly after she was rescued. Ilya checked the room. Now knowing what we know, it’s clear that he was in onto the plan. He knew the room was rigged and yet lied to Jeremy it being safe.”
He stopped drumming and for a moment it seemed like he was lost in his thoughts.
“We dissected the room and quickly found all the cameras and hidden traps. But I also saw something, that I didn’t understand at the beginning.”
I looked over to him intrigued.
“The window. Apparently, it was shut when the men came.”
“Are we not using our brain Carson?”
I smirked. “Watch it, punk!”
I could deal with big mouth and provoking Killian. He was much better than soulless Kill.
“So, we established that Ilya chose and prepared the room for Jeremy. Cecily woke up from the men entering the room because the window wasn’t open like it was supposed to be. They had to crash in, which woke up Cecily.”
I raised my eyebrows. It made sense.
“So, you think Ilya did it on purpose, so Jeremy had a chance to rescue her?”
Killian shrugged his shoulders.
“Why would you think that? Maybe the men were really just too dumb? Maybe they didn’t expect Jeremy to be close by or for Cecily to wake up.”
My son took a deep breath and rubbed his chest, right over his heart. The physical exhaustion was slowly eating him up.
“But I don’t think they planned everything so perfectly, only to fail at such simple tasks.”
“And why would Ilya kidnap Cecily and her father now, if he wanted them to have a chance?”
“Because his motive is Maya, Dad.” He turned his head to look at me and for the first time it seemed like an ounce of empathy was swimming in his cold blue eyes.
“Ilya didn’t betray Jeremy, just to betray him. He did it because of Maya.”
Killian looked at me when I stopped at a red light.
“No”, I interrupted him as flashbacks filled my mind.
“I would never not communicate and hide my problems ever again”
I felt my son’s eyes on me and though we had never told him about his aunt, he knew that a certain family member gave us the worst time of our lives.
She almost made me lose my one true love but she was only so strong because we allowed her to be. We never talked, never shared our pain with each other which is why we almost lost each other for good.
“Ilya should’ve talked to Jeremy.”
My son turned his head back and a silent filled the car until I slowly saw the airport trajectory.
“What is this?”, Kilian asked as we saw our friends and family standing in front of Volkov’s private Jet.
I parked next to the scattered cars and looked over to him.
“Would you betray your own to safe Glyndon?”
We looked at each other for a long moment, his icy blue eyes vibrating with intensity as he thought hard about his answer.
He looked over to Glyndon who was softly sighing in her sleep when he answered.
Though I didn’t suspect a different answer, I couldn’t help the sting in my chest.
“Because she is my empathy. Without her, I don’t own a different perspective.”
“So, with her being save here, I can rationalize what you are saying. It’s understandable and it’s…” He furrowed his eyebrows as if he was tasting his words “it’s probably the right thing to do. The moral-ethnical and socially acceptable way of seeing this.”
“But.. it’s not how I function Dad. Not how I will ever work. Glyndon is my only sanity so if she disappears-“
“You’d lure your cousin into a trap?”, I interrupted. I knew I had no right to feel attacked. I knew he was being brutally honest with me which I appreciated. Fuck, I appreciated it so much, even though the truth about my son would always hurt me.
But I was proud of how reflective he was and most of all, how he was trying for us all.
Even if he said it was only for Glyndon, it wasn’t true.
It was maybe because of Glyndon, which is why he learned perspective and patience, but he had always put on a mask in order to not hurt us, hurt his mother.
Even if he acted like he didn’t care and yes, yes because of how his brain worked he might not.
But he cared differently.
He adjusted to us to not make us feel sad even if he wasn’t aware that that was a form of empathy.
“Never. Mia… “ He broke eye contact as he looked out to the others, Adrian Volkov looked at me expectantly.
“I am not defending what Levitsky did” He spat his name like a curse.
“That motherfucker deserves a slow death for what he did to Mia”
He looked then at me again, a shadow darkened his eyes now. Making him look deathly. Ruthless.
“But if someone asked me to exchange Landon for Glyndon. I gladly would”
I allowed a low chuckle knowing how much my son hated his girlfriend’s brother.
The corner of his mouth twitched for a split second before he nodded towards the others.
“We are sending the girls off, right?”
His jaw tensed and he looked back at Glyndon again. Desperation and reluctance were written in his face.
“She will be safe”, I assured him.
“She will be safe”, he said, emphasizing the last words when he met my eyes.
He wasn’t assuring himself or me.
It was a dark promise.. almost like a threat.
Astor’s boy and Aiden’s younger boy decided to stay with the girls.
Nash’s youngest daughter was clearly a mess and her boyfriend would’ve rather chewed his own leg then to let go of her in any circumstances.
Her father clearly approved, though I knew that Cole would never admit that out loud. But he needed to focus on his still lost daughter and I could tell that he was relieved that she didn’t need to stand alone through whatever she’s been through.
Aiden’s youngest son, Creighton, wasn’t as easy to convince.
But he wasn’t happy with neither staying nor leaving with Annika.
He knew that she needed to head back home, that she needed to leave this hell hole and he wanted to stay with her and protect her but at the same time the need to kill was also there. Present.
It was a back and forth until Adrian grabbed him by his shoulder and looked down on him though they were almost the same height and told him to choose himself just like Annika did too before.
I didn’t know what they meant by that.
Without using the words for it, Adrian basically told him, that he wanted him to stay with his daughter.
Creighton looked back before they entered.
“I want the one who took her”
And then he disappeared into the plane. It was clear as day what he meant by that.
He wouldn’t be here to find those men and punish them for what they did but he wanted to have at least one to torture which would be the one who took Annika in the first place.
I didn’t look when Killian hugged Glyndon to his chest and I didn’t listen when he whispered her that he loved her and that he would come back as soon as the fuckers who did that to her would be bleeding.
Levi approached his daughter shortly after and helped her inside.
His son was nowhere to be seen.
The girls would be sent back to one of Adrian’s hidden houses and would have the best security to protect them.
We watched the plane start from afar when Jeremy’s phone went off. He had been quite the whole time, watching in silence when I knew that his soul was shattering.
We all looked at him tensed when he yelled into the phone. His eyes met Levi’s who stepped closer.
In return he held his phone out and put it on speakerphone so everyone could hear my nephew talk.
“Like I said. Levitsky is here. Knight and Cecily are here too.”
We looked at each other in disbelief. Why the hell is Ilya back?
“Is Knight alright?”, Astor asked, stepping closer.
“He lost a lot of blood and is unconscious at the moment.” He waited a beat. “Cecily is with him and my men are with her”
This information was clearly for Jeremy who was now basically killing his phone with his death grip and laser eyes.
Nikolai growled like he was trying to control his beast.
“He also brought the antidote”
“Are you sure it’s the correct one?” Levi asked now taking Jeremy’s phone. The latter’s muscles ticked but he didn’t stop him.
“It’s the only one we have Mr. King... we need to hurry”
“Nikolai! What if it’s a trick-?”
“It’s not”, Killian cut in, looking at the phone with an empty look.
“How do you know, Carson?”
“Brandon was already dying. What difference would a few hours make?”
Levi bit down on his teeth at the image of his son slowly losing his life.
“Don’t let him out of your eyes Niko!”, Jeremy barked in before they could continue to argue about Ilya’s intentions.
There was a moment of silence on the other line. Nikolai didn’t sound like himself. I knew his boyfriend was fighting for his life at this moment but knowing that he received the antidote should actually make him sound. -maybe not happy.. but more alive?
So why did he still sound like he was trying to make Brandon breathe again.
“He’ll stay. He.. is waiting for you”
Jeremy hissed, his jaw ticking with unleashed anger when he grabbed his phone back.
“Send me the fucking location of the hospital Nikolai and so help me God when I see him because he wished he’d run away”
“You’d be surprised”, Nikolai echoed with an almost hollow voice and hung up.
What was that supposed to mean?
Jeremy didn’t wait to find it out as he rushed to his car, his father following. I knew that Adrian also had a vendetta against Ilya for betraying his son like that.
“How are we sure this is not a trap?”, Astor asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“I don’t think so”, Killian threw in.
“What? Do you think he suddenly had a change of heart?”, Levi spat. His tone towards my son was pure poison and I was about to punch his fucking face for that.
“Not a change but maybe a loss..”
Again, his eyes swam into a further nothing when I could practically hear his brain working.
“What are you saying, Kill?”, I asked.
“I said I would betray my people for Glyndon, Dad. Now empathize with me. When would I come back?”
He looked at me – no, past me. Like he was chasing a long-gone shadow.
I furrowed my eyebrows thinking about his question.
When would Killian come back?
Especially like Ilya. Why would he all of a sudden try to help? Seemingly?
If he wanted to safe Maya then-
My eyes widened when realization slapped me.
I felt like someone poured cold water over my head, freezing me to my bones.
“Mr King. Please show me the picture of Mia”
Levi looked at me for a second before he looked back at my son.
He just reached out his hand, waiting for him to give him the phone.
After three heartbeats Levi reluctantly handed him his photo after opening something and –
Was this my heart breaking?
My lungs that were shuttering?
The corners of my eyes blackened for a moment when I blinked, my eyes desperately trying to focus on the picture in front of me but my body was revolting to even witness what I was seeing.
No, no, no. Not my little princess. Not my beautiful, innocent niece!
Killian’s voice came out like the reapers.
“It’s a lie. Only to pitch Landon against us. This is Maya.. ..I ..recognize my cousin”
A heavy and dark blanket laid upon us as we all stared down to the picture. No, not everyone. Astor, Nash and King were avoiding it.
So they knew before.
And.. I looked at Killian.
He knew too. He didn’t see the picture, obviously a mix up happened between the twins, but he knew that his cousin died. That’s why he wouldn’t tell me.
“That’s why Ilya came back”, I whispered.
That’s the only reason Killian would come back too. If it was too late. If he had lost Glyndon. Only then he’d help for a last time.
Maybe him not because of guilt but because of revenge. To stop them from plotting and pull them all to hell with him.
“What about my daughter?”
The voice belonged to my brother-in-law. Kyle Hunter who stepped out of Aiden’s car together with him and his son Eli.
He had stayed with them behind to clean any mess they might’ve left with their last snooping and got rid of unnecessary attention.
We were so indulged that we didn’t even hear them approaching, yet alone getting out of the car.
Levi snatched the phone back from Killian and everyone kind of stepped away from the circle we all built.
Killian announced to his uncle. “We are heading to the hospital; Brandon is being treated.”
I refused to look into Kyle’s eyes as I followed my son back to the car, but a strong arm stopped me.
The familiarity broke me for a second and my eyes met with Aiden’s who was looking at us from a few feet away with a calculative look.
“What did you guys talk about? What happened to my daughter?”
I felt like needles were piercing my skin and a heavy stone was setting in my throat.
Sudden gun shots interrupted me when we found ourselves in the middle of an attack.
Kyle pulled my head down and we ran to the next car, jumping in.
I checked if my son got in safely but gladly there was nobody left on the open field as we raced out of danger. How the fuck did they find us so quickly?
I dialed Aiden’s number, and he picked up after the first ring.
“Yeah” I heard him driving over a man.
“Everyone’s safe.” He sounded too calm.
“Put it on loudspeaker”, Kyle grunted next to me.
“How many can you see King?”
“A few. Your little trap worked.”
“We were on a hunt remember? Time to catch the prey.”
I looked back and saw Aiden behind us, both him and his son looking almost bored as multiple cars were chasing them.
“By putting everyone in danger?”
“We didn’t. We knew they would come, obviously” Aiden stated through the phone. “Why chase them when we can let them follow us.”
“Work smarter not harder” I smirked, and I knew Aiden was doing the same. It was his motto since I could remember.
“How did you lure them in?”
I asked, not quite understanding yet why they were suddenly so open with their attacks.
“Simple”, Aiden said with and obvious undertone. “Find out that Adam is not the only one behind this shit and kidnap their accomplice who most definitely would spill his whereabouts with a tiny bit of torture”
“What a pussy”, Kyle grunted, obviously speaking about a session they both had when we left.
How long were they gone exactly?
But wait? Accomplice? As in-
“It’s not Adam Herran behind this?”
“But he apparently wasn’t alone”, Kyle commented while he made a sharp left turn, the car chase getting more difficult as we snaked through the traffic.
“An old high school friend”
“Christopher Vans”, he spoke darkly.
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