Page 44 of Sadistic Retribution

I jump out of my chair, sending it rolling backwards. “Wait, what? First, what deal did you make, Synn?”

He purses his lips. “I have to be her fiancé for real, give her ass a ring. Show her attention in public—and sex at her demand.”

“The fuck, Brother? Why would you agree to all that? You love Iskra, don’t you?”

He looks me right in the eyes. “I do. And she may never fucking know.”

Wow. The unshakeable Synn fell in love. “As far as what she told you, you think it’s real info, and not bullshit?”

“Yeah, man,” Razor answers. “It was too detailed not to be.”

I blow out a loud breath. “I need help with this shit...”

“We called Harris,” Synn says, shocking the shit out of me. “He won’t tell us where he is, but said he’d be looking into it too.”

“Honestly, the only way we’ll have a chance to find that place is by searching the tunnels. All the hacking in the world won’t uncover something there might be no record of.”

“We have searched them all—repeatedly. There has to be something we missed!” Synn yells.

“Maybe it’s somewhere else on the property? We searched the buildings, the forest- but not anywhere between. Feel me?” Razor muses.

Well, I'll be damned, he has a good point. “That’s a possibility, man. Let me try some dark web searching, I’ll dig deeper than I have already. Just know the deeper I go, the more chance I’ll get caught. But Iskra is worth it.”

They both nod.

“Let me get to work,” I say, dismissing them. I take my seat, settling in for a long search.

Hunter

I make eye contact with Thor and Bill as I walk into the computer room. “There’s news.”

“Yeah?” Thor says, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“That’s what he said, idiot,” Bill mutters.

I ignore their constant bickering. “We got intel that The Morgue does exist, and that's it’s somehow attached to the tunnels. There’s a strong chance that Phoenyxx is there. I was also informed that... experiments... are done there.”

“I don’t know, man. We've searched all over, and have come up empty,” Thor says, an apology written on his expression.

“Search harder,” I growl through gritted teeth. “Jax said this is top priority.”

“Then join us,” Bill suggests.

I roll my eyes. “No shit.”

I sit at the computer, thinking what we could possibly search for that we haven’t already. An idea forms. “What if we chase the Mafia/Bratva angle? There could be intel there we aren’t privy to yet.”

“Yeah!” Thor yells, fist pumping the air. “Of course! Let's do this, team!”

“Shut up, moron,” Bill tosses back.

“Shut up, BILL!”

“For the love of God—please stop,” I tell the bickering idiots. “Now, while we’re working and waiting, tell me more about you guys. You all single, married?” I try to make small talk with them to diffuse the environment.

“As if someone would marry me,” Thor quips. “Sure, I've had a ton of chicks, just haven’t met the one yet, you know?”

“Oh please. As if any women would willingly sleep with you,” Bill can’t help himself from yet another sarcastic dig.