Heart of the Beast

Chapter 1

Burak

He silently calculated every breath the man took. The pumping organ that was his heart continued to beat at the same pace, unnerved by the adrenaline that coursed through his body. He watched his target from across the dinner table, waiting patiently for the man to finish chewing his bite. His mother had taught him it was rude to talk with a full mouth, so he offered the courtesy of tolerance to his prey before he took what he was owed.

"Burak," Alexander Solanki sputtered. There was fear in the man's eyes as he faced his impending doom. "Burak, please forgive me. I did not mean to betray you."

Burak watched his mouth instead of him. "Are you done eating, Alexander?" he questioned. "I have places to be."

"Burak," Alexander pleaded again. "Spare me. I have little children. I have a wife. Don't kill me while my wife puts my son to sleep. What has she done to you?"

"And what did I do to you? What did I do for you, rather? I gave you a home. I gave you wealth, and I gave you trust. You broke my trust, Alexander. There is no forgiveness for that."

"What will happen to my wife?" Alexander whispered, refusing to swallow the moist salmon in his mouth. Once the food finished, so did his life. "She is innocent!"

"No one is innocent in this world of sins, Alexander. You owe me your life for breaking my trust, and I am here to collect."

Alexander's expression fell in defeat. "You will love one day, Burak. You will have a family one day, and when someone takes it all from you, you will remember this day." Bracing himself, Alexander swallowed.

The bullet landed in the center of his forehead. His head slapped onto his dinner plate, blood mixing with hot sauce.

"Alexander!" his wife's terrified scream filled the air as she ran inside, stumbling to her husband. "You evil bastard! How could you! All he did was speak to the authorities! You cannot blame him for wanting a happy life with his family, you monster!"

Burak rose from the dining table. He was wearing a neatly tailored suit, and he knew he resembled the perfect image of an elite businessman, disguising well the beast that he truly was. He ignored her, walking out of the room as calmly as he had entered.

"Burak Sezin!" she screamed after him. He stopped at his name without turning around. "May God bring this moment before you, and may you be cursed for all of eternity! You are a beast, an animal!"

His lips turned into a callous smile as he turned to address the dead man's wife. "I never professed to be anything else," he finally said. He walked out of their house, faintly aware of the crying of a child from upstairs.

***

Burak focused on the photo of the man before him. His two closest men, Altan Aga and Ed Burke, paced the room while disclosing their intel about the photographed man. Burak Sezin did not have any friends; but if he had to choose, these two men would come closest to such a title.

"His name is Victor Noakes. Claims to work for the American government, but we have information to believe he is part of the CIA. He's not a spy, but he was in Turkey quite a few times," Altan spoke. "He is the man Alexander leaked the information to."

Burak memorized Noakes's face.

"What Alexander did not know, though, is that this man is not as honest as he pretends to be. We discovered—through our American contact, Blackstone—that he is involved in sex trafficking. He has trafficked Turkish women to Europe, where he runs an underground sex-slave trade in Germany. He has been working with a few Turkish nationals to make a profit," Ed revealed.

"Is he responsible for interrupting our arms deal with the European nations?" Burak questioned, keeping his eyes on the photograph. Noakes was laughing in the picture, his eyes looking behind the lens of the camera instead of at them.

"Yes. Alexander blabbering about our business helped him seize the truck. Two of our men were arrested but never seen again. We asked around, and it does not seem that the government is aware of any joint investigation with the Americans," Altan said.

"So Victor Noakes is only using his badge to steal from us for personal profit," Burak realized. He placed the photograph down, addressing Altan and Ed. "I want details on his personal life."

"Already done, boss." Ed grinned. "He has a fiancée that lives in New York. He works in Washington, D.C., but is attempting reassignment close to her. Anytime he is back in the States after his assignments, she is where he goes."

Burak shook his head in disappointment. "How naïve they are when they trade slaves but go home to one woman. I wonder how he would feel if his fiancée were thrown into the pits of hell he creates in Germany?"

Altan paused, eyeing his boss in surprise. Burak was notorious for having no heart, except when it came to his sister, Ruya. Even then, he was immune to emotion and empathy, operating as nothing more than a demanding, robotic beast. But if there was one sin Burak did not commit, it was selling women.

"I thought we don't participate in that, Burak," Altan pointed out.

"Who said I was going to?" Burak mocked. "We can kill her, though, can't we? We can cut her bone by bone in front of him, right before sending him with her."

Altan cringed. "She is a woman."

"I only spare children," Burak reminded him.

"But you actually haven't killed any women yet. You don't admit it, but you have always let them go."

Burak watched Altan closely, well aware that Altan was the only man in his organization with a conscience. Altan was a homeless teenager when they met, begging on the streets of Istanbul. Burak, a teenager himself at the time, protected him from the harsh winter by opening his doors for him. In return, Altan vowed to protect Burak as he had protected him. Little did the innocent teenager know that Burak came with enemies much stronger than the winter is cold.

"Don't start analyzing my actions, Aga," Burak finally spoke. "You may be disappointed with all that you learn."

Ed smirked, nodding in agreement. Altan shot his friend an irritated glance before looking back at Burak. "You are better than what you think about yourself."

"To believe so, I'd need a heart, Altan. I only have an organ in my chest with the same name, nothing more."

Altan threw his hands up in defeat. "You are so fucking complex, Sezin!" he snapped, making Ed chuckle at their banter. "What is the plan?"

Burak tapped the photograph of his next target. "Ruya always asks me to visit her in New York. Let's arrange a trip."

"I will call Ruya and tell her the good news, then," Altan replied. "Ed, let's go take care of the logistics."

"His fiancée's name?" Burak called out behind them.

Ed looked back at the envelope in his hands. "Ayla Milano."