Page 35 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“Where on his face?”

Cristiano locked his phone and tucked it into his pocket as if locking a metaphorical door and throwing away the key. “I’m not sure you wanna know, it’s givingmea headache just thinkin’ about it—”

“Cristiano,”Mikko was stern, “you know I hate when you do this.”

A tense beat of silence passed as Cristiano knocked back the alcohol.

“His eyes,” he finally answered, voice tight. “His eyes were messed with, and let’s just say…they’re not there anymore.”

Something about the way Cristiano described the information from Devon made this death feel different. It was something fueled by anger. A personal vendetta.

“Does Devon know of anyone who could’ve done this?” Mikko mused. He knewhedid, but he wanted to see what the other man said.

Cristiano laughed, his momentary disgust vanishing. “I fear we may have a longer list of enemies than most.”

“True.”God, nowmyhead hurts.“I’ll start combing through people who’ve made moves against us in the past and create a list. Hopefully it leads us somewhere. I’ll also call in some favors that are owed.”

“I’ll do the same. I’ll probably drive out there tomorrow and talk with Devon personally. He said he’s handling the cops now along with any evidence they take.”

“Get a new phone since he shared that info with you. We can’t have people tracking this—tracking us. The less the public knows the better, and I’ll be sure to up the Portland’s Police Department budget to keep them happy.”

“And silent,” Cristiano tacked on.

“Exactly.”

Both men stood in silence for a bit longer, the weight of the world inching in with each breath. Finally Mikko spoke, “You’re more than welcome to stay here tonight, it’s getting late.”

His friend smiled, the planes of his face dull and tired. This job took so much from both of them. “I appreciate the offer, but my bed is a hell of a lot cozier than your expensive couch.”

“You can take the bed.”

“You snore I’m afraid.” Cristiano slipped his shoes on with a grin.

Mikko walked closer, ready to usher his friend out. “No, I don’t.”

“How would you know? You’re asleep.”

“Get out, I rescind my offer.”

A genuine laugh slipped past Cristiano’s lips and for a moment everything was normal. “Well, I’ll update you tomorrow,” he opened the door, “so until then, keep the doors locked.”

“Looking forward to it,” Mikko scoffed and waved at him as he closed the door behind his friend.

After he’d made sure the door was locked and his security system was armed, Mikko shucked off his shoes and threw his clothes in the hamper in his bedroom. The quiet of his penthouse surrounded him, and the thoughts in his head grew louder with each passing second.

There was never a dull moment.

And while Mikko hadn’t been lying when he said no one important had toured the warehouse, he still felt guilty for keeping his friend in the dark.

Soon. I’ll tell him soon,Mikko thought, but only after he had more answers to the questions Cristiano would surely ask. On top of that, he had his work cut out for him. Most of the time he only trusted his men as far as he could throw them, but this incidentreallyhad him questioning everything.

Especially Anika.

The occurrence happening in the same warehouse Levi showed her had a weird feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach.

Sighing, Mikko sat back down in front of his computer, the screen illuminating his features as he opened a new tab and prepared himself for what he might find as he sunk into the clutches of the dark web.

If there was a will, there was aprice.