DEADLY DECEPTION

CHAPTER 23

(Avery's POV)

I blinked, still processing Bryce's words.

"A brutal murder??"

All three of them nodded in unison, their faces unusually serious. The light atmosphere in the room shifted, like a cloud had passed over the sun.

George was the first to speak, leaning back as he crossed his arms.

"Rumour has it Rick used his FBI power to track down a high-profile businessman and killed him in a very..."

He paused to lift his hands, air quoting the next word with his fingers, "brutal way."

Fred chimed in quickly, "It's not like the businessman was a saint or anything. The guy had serious connections to the Russian Mafia."

The moment Fred mentioned the Russian Mafia, a cold shiver ran down my spine. My mind raced to connect the dots.

"You mean Sergei?"

The name slipped from my lips before I even realized it, my voice barely above a whisper.

Bryce's eyes met mine, and he nodded.

"Yes. Exactly."

My breath caught in my throat, a gasp escaping before I could stop it. The air seemed to thicken with the weight of Bryce's next words.

"Rick have a deep hatred for the Sergei guy. But yeah, the murder was..." He hesitated, his voice dropping lower, "It was too brutal. Rick tortured the businessman for three days before finally killing him."

Torture for three days? The thought of it sent chills through me. George jumped in again, his voice eerily calm.

"And unlike your run-of-the-mill murderer, Rick didn't try to hide it. He surrendered himself. Walked straight into a police station and confessed everything. They locked him up."

My mind was reeling, but George's next words yanked me back into the conversation.

"His uncle's got connections with some real big shots. That's how Rick got out. Pulled strings, made deals. But here's the thing—Rick didn't want out."

Fred nodded, looking at me like he was sharing some dark secret.

"Yeah. He was stubborn as hell. Refused to accept his uncle's help. Even insisted on staying in prison."

"Why?"

The question slipped out before I could stop myself.

"Why would he—"

"That's when the previous director of our agency showed up," Fred continued, leaning in like this was the punchline to some sick joke. "Offered Rick a deal to join the agency. And Rick took it."

I could barely wrap my head around it.

"But... he killed someone. He tortured that person. Why would anyone want him in the agency?"

Bryce's lips curled into a dark smirk.

"That, my dear, is because no one could get close to that businessman. Many agents tried. Sergei's connections made the guy untouchable. But Rick? He didn't just get close... he dragged that bastard straight to hell."

Bryce's voice was dripping with something almost like admiration. The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating.

His eyes gleamed with something unreadable as he added, "And beyond that, Rick's one of the best. He's lethal when he's on a case, but when he loses his temper, and he can go... well, let's just say you don't want to be on the receiving end."