The Devil's CrownPart Two - Monica James Page 0,96
Where have you been?”
“Long story,” I reply. “How’s Irina? And everyone?”
“We’re all fine. Worried about your sorry ass, but we’re okay. What happened?”
“We got caught in a storm. Lost signal to the GPS and phone.”
“Whose number is this?”
“Some asshole who I choked into submission,” I bluntly reply. “Any news on Santo?”
“He’s still looking. He’s closing in,” Saint reveals, which worries me.
“Closing in how?”
“He ransacked Pavel’s laundromat. Although he’s not admitted it, we know it’s him. He has worked it out, and it’s only a matter of time now.”
“скотина,” I curse, clenching my fist. “Well, the asshole whose yacht I stole, he was harboring three little kids. The drop-off—Tura.”
“What are you planning, Popov?”
“These kids look like Irina. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. I wish I could drop them off someplace safe—them and Ella—but such a place doesn’t exist. I’m not leaving them with anyone I don’t know, so staying with me is the safest thing for them at the moment,” I reveal, hating how corrupt this world can be.
“I need to get onto that island to find out who’s behind this. I wish it were a coincidence, but this is a select market. And you know, in our world there are rarely coincidences. There is only one person behind this, and I can’t shake the suspicion that they know what happened to Irina.
“Why else can’t I find anything on her? She didn’t just appear into thin air. She has a past, and after what Serg said about her—” I pause, needing to center myself before I explode. “I fear she may have been at Tura. Someone has gone to great lengths to ensure she can’t be traced back to them.
“I can’t let this go. I have to investigate this lead. I will never forgive myself if I don’t. Even if I’m completely wrong and Irina was never at Tura, at the very least, I can stop the sick asshole who is kidnapping and selling these kids to the depraved.
“I can’t turn my back on them, Saint. If I don’t strike now, I fear I’ll never get this opportunity again.”
“Jesus Christ,” Saint utters, just as disgusted as I am. “So what happens when you get to Tura?”
With a smirk, I reply, “I find out who is selling these kids, what they know about Irina, and then I kill them very fucking slowly.”
“You do that, and Santo will know where you are.”
“That’s the idea,” I say, hinting at my new plan. “Those men and women on Tura are the enemy. They are the people I want to eliminate to reform Russia with my underdogs. There is no room for them, and I cannot succeed with them alive.”
“You can’t kill them all,” Saint states, but the doubt in his voice has me grinning wider.
“I can try. But to those who are fortunate enough to survive, I will instill the fear of God into them. They’ll know not to fuck with me. I wish to rule with respect, but with people like these, I must rule with fear.
“The moment I step foot onto that island, anyone who is allied with Santo will alert him of my arrival. He will come with an army, but I have my own. Who’s on board with our plans?” I ask, hoping Pavel was able to convince the men I need to side with me.
“All of them,” Saint replies while I sigh in relief.
“Tell them it’s now their chance to rise to the top. This will blindside everyone as the elite believe the underdogs don’t know about Tura, and they don’t, until now. We ask whoever wants to enforce their power to come with us.
“They’re sitting ducks on Tura. This is their haven where they can indulge in their perversions and not be judged. But I’m judging, and I’m going to eliminate as many of them as I can.”
“This is a good plan,” Saint says, excited he’s able to spill some blood. “I’ll see how many people we have on board and call you back.”
“Excellent, but you must move soon. I’m about a couple of days away from reaching Tura. This will give us an advantage over Santo. He won’t expect my plans, which allows us to ambush him. I will make him believe I’m at Tura delivering the kids as it’s a lucrative deal for me.
“When I find the person responsible for subjecting these kids to such horrors, I will make their death look like we got into an argument, and as punishment, they got the