Dangerous Illusion [18+]

11: Manipulation

The penthouse was suffocating, and its opulence was mocking me. All the wealth in the world couldn't bring me the peace that I sought in Luna's laughter. It still echoed in the corners, haunting me like a ghost. I couldn't stay here knowing it was mere hours ago that I had her in my arms, happy, radiant, and full of love. The desperate cries of her moans stirred my hunger for her. She had a soft, gorgeous body that always drove me to my knees. Her smell marked me in the most primal ways possible and yet it was never enough.

She had been distraught over information that had come to light. For me looking after her was as natural as the next breath I took. Now she shut me out, her silence an abyss I couldn't seal.

I needed to escape. The city's heartbeat pulsed below, and I descended from my isolation. Work became my refuge as it always had been. The office buzzed with activity, a distraction from the ache in my chest. I buried myself in reports, emails, anything to forget her. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across my desk.

At six Manuel strode in as per his usual carefree self. I envied that. I used to have it back when I was only Ares and had no worries that came with the Rafaelli name. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto mine. He knew. Manuel always did. We'd been through hell together, our loyalty forged in blood. He asked me about my mood, but I brushed it off even though I could tell he didn't believe me. He was an aid in my mission to grab any information I could about Luna. Like a starved man I used to yearn for just the sight of her, just her voice, perhaps even seeing her from afar would quench my thirst but I didn't trust myself to not fuck it up and had settled for photographs and updates on her whereabouts instead. Over the years the dossier I compiled on her had grown extensively. She was never supposed to find out and now that she did, I struggled to accept her outburst. I understood her reaction and was more than prepared to make it up to her in any way I could. If only she'd come back to me.

Manuel iterated about the latest news on our ventures. My enemies were extensive and dangerous. There was always someone hiding in the shadows to have a pound of my flesh.

I nodded absently, my mind elsewhere. Luna's face swam before me, drowning out Manuel's words. I listened, but my heart wasn't in it even if I knew the Russian mob he spoke about was not to be treated lightly.

"You're oddly calm today. Is everything okay?" I nearly scoffed. I was disoriented. "I haven't seen a day of calm ever since I took over." My father's messes costed me everything included the woman I loved. Still, I had managed well, taking on the challenge and fighting back against those who held danger to my family. They had got to me before, stabbing me where it hurt the most and taking away the people who mattered the most to me. My hands were still drenched in the blood and their faces flashed across my eyes whenever I closed them. Too painful, too haunting.

"The Russians need to be dealt with. With Dominik and Ivor dead, our bases have weakened, and they have seen it as an opportunity to capture our bases. Thankfully there was none of our inventory there but who knows when and where they're planning a next attack on us."

I blinked, refocusing. The throbbing at the back of my head was dull now but I knew I had to deal with the problems at hand first before I could wallow in my misery by myself. "They won't be able to get to us. I don't believe they got to our bases on their own. Someone from the inside tipped them off." Once I got hold of whoever it was, I was going to make them wish they were dead.

Manuel's eyes widened, "Could it be Christopher?"

"I can't be sure, but he has probably something to do with it. He's must have aid from someone in our circles."

Manuel took in the information and nodded. "Keep a close eye on him. I want to know his every move. Find out what he did and where he went, who was with him in the past week. Have it here by morning."