"The real reason is...The FBI Art Theft can't get anything."
"And why would they think someone from the CIA would?"
It sounded ridiculous. Surprising too, as everyone knew what they did. That's when he felt his boss' heartbeat go slightly off rhythm. Which meant this wasn't everything. To confirm his thoughts, Benjamin said
"Michael, we gave a reason to suspect they trade with drugs, and Richard is the head of one of the biggest international drug and trafficking empires in the world."
“The…” Michael began and paused. “Right. “
It all kind of came together, Michael though amused. After all, you’d need a dog to catch the trace.
Okay, this was a bigger game than he’d initially thought. Perhaps the case wasn’t going to be that boring after all.
“What else?”
“There’s already an agent, who’s been infiltrated- you’ll meet him once you’re in and he’s going to get you in the group. So the agent- his name’s Flynn, will try to get you closer to at least Richard’s inner circle. They trust Flynn, so that isn’t impossible. Otherwise, it could get years for you to just be in a room with the guy. Richard doesn’t believe in recommendations, you see. “
“Of course. “
“Richard is surrounded by men who’d rather die, than sing to the police. You’ll be in his circle. However, it’s up to you to prove yourself worthy, even Flynn doesn’t know everything and he’s been there for over a year. “
“Yes, Sir. “
Michael said. He could feel he was slightly getting more and more interested in the task.
It was always like this- the more dangerous everything seemed, the more attracted he felt to the idea of digging deeper into the case.
“Money laundering, art thefts, blackmail of politicians. “ Benjamin went on, “Those people don’t play around. They’re not some street hooligans, Michael. “
“But why haven’t they been caught yet I mean, even with that little evidence, and the agent there, there must be...?”
“Because they have cops working with them. “
“Shit. “ Michael clenched his hand around the paper. He looked through the rest of the files and saw the last one didn’t have a picture, accompanying the information.
There was only a name on the top of the sheet.
“Killian O’Dwyer. “
He read and snorted, “Is that an actor’s name of something?”
Mike glanced at his superiors but the man didn’t share the joke.
“Apologies, he just sounds like…”
“They say he's Richard's…” you could see him struggling and trying to push the words out.
"He is?…"
"Killian is Richard's protege."
Michael sensed the man getting uncomfortable for some reason, so he asked.
“Protege, as in...?”
“As in he is not only his mentor. You know...“
The man made a sweeping gesture and Michael almost choked. The fact he was bisexual never had anything to do with his work, and absolutely no one from his surroundings, even his few close friends didn't know about his tastes. But hearing Benjamin say something like this, and above all - the way he'd said it, made Michael pause. He cleared his throat and said, trying to sound casual.
"I guess this is a good way to climb the ladder."
His superior made a disgusted sound and waved a dismissive hand.
"Anyway. They say he’s much smarter than he looks. Killian is also said to be most likely Richard's successor. And from when we know the guy wouldn’t hesitate to kill whoever stood on his way.”
Michael paused with the sheet of paper in his hand. If earlier his head was beginning to pound, all his brain cells were now jumping from one side of his skull to the other in mighty bounces.
“He’s a monster, Michael. All of them are.I want you to go there with that thought in your head. “
Benjamin said.
“Yeah. Yeah, he is. Everyone who does what they do is. “
“Despite the glamour, I’m sure you’ll notice, they are criminals, don’t get confused. “
They exchanged a look and his superior said
“There’s something else I’ve been meaning to tell you, especially now that I see how well you’ve been doing. “
Benjamin didn’t give Michael time to react to the change of mood in the room and continued
, “I know you are very close to your family, and your father would have been very proud to see you here, following his steps. “
“I’m sure he’d appreciate your words. “
“I hold very deep respect for him and his service and everyone in the Bureau misses him a lot. I am aware you lost a father, but his colleagues here lost a brother.”
“Yeah” Michael shifted uncomfortably, “Thank you, Sir. “
“I am sure you’ll continue his mission to change things and put the criminals where they belong.“
“You can count on me. “
Michael tried for a smile, but when that failed, he just put the sheet back he was holding into the folder and closed it. He was going to have enough time to get familiar with the contents before the FBI, CIA, or whoever he was going to work with came knocking on his door to pick him up and send him god knows where.
Michael was ready to bet on a god-forsaken Albakerky or New Mexico. It was probably where this Richard was conducting most of his deals, anyway. He was ready to head for the door when Benjamin said.
“Just do not lose your head, the way you never do. “
The remark felt kind of out of place, so Michael frowned.
“Sir?”
“I’m just saying. Those are not the typical criminals you are used to. Meaning- don’t expect Jimmy Cheng and his buddies that launder money from small casinos here in Chinatown, or Don Hose, who grew up in the Mexican slums and got in the gang when he was seventeen, all right? These men are educated, they speak at least three languages and dine with politicians, or date their daughters. They’ve graduated from Eton, not the Brooklyn middle-grade school, Michael, “ Benjamin said, “Do you understand that?“
He did. Very much so. Okay, maybe not New Mexico, he was guessing they were going to use him as a bodyguard somewhere in San Jose. But he only said,
“Yes, Sir. “
‘Good. Now Ellie will give you the details about the flight and everything. “
“Flight?”
“Yes, oh, did I forget to mention?”
Benjamin came closer and put a hand on Michael’s shoulder.
“The agency we’re working on this case is MI6.”
“The MI6?”
Yeah, you bet you forgot to mention it, Michael thought.
“You’re flying to London first thing on Monday. “
“On Monday? This Monday?”
“That’s right. “
“But today’s Friday. “
The compassionate smile was back on Benjamin's face, but this time Michael knew it was fake.
“You’ll be fine. “
His superior patted him lightly and led him out of his study. Michael followed blindly.
“Good luck, son. And don’t get yourself killed. “
“Yeah, “ he said, still thinking of what he’d just agreed to, “I’ll try not to. “
***
One month later
“Try not to break anyone’s limbs, or at least don’t get in an argument with the guys, all right?”
Flynn was saying, his voice hushed as they were walking towards the heavy wooden door in the manor.
“Yeah, I know the rules, Flynn. No talking, unless asked to.“
“And no fighting. “
“What was I supposed to do?” Michael protested, “The guy was just asking for it.”
Flynn shook his head.
“You were supposed to scare him off a bit, not send him to the doctor’s. “
“He’ll be okay, I didn’t inflict any permanent damage.“
Flynn clicked his tongue.
“I have to say you’ve been adapting much faster here than I ever thought. Half of the guys here are already scared of you.“
“Must be the size. “
Flynn glanced back at him to see if Michael was following and said,
“Yeah, it must be that. “
Michael had arrived last April exactly as planned, and just as discussed Flynn had been the one to introduce him to the group. There was just one very serious detail, no one had mentioned to him.
Flynn hadn’t been here for a year.
It had been two and a half and he still had very little on them.
And in that time Michael had spent here, he hadn’t seen Richard even once. It wasn’t that the leader of the group was constantly surrounded by bodyguards or anything. The guy was simply a ghost. Others rarely dared talk about him and Michael was beginning to think of the guy as more of an imaginary figure, rather than a real man. But it had been exactly as Flynn had said. Michael had adapted much faster than expected. He’d just been with other mafia members before- he knew what these men were looking for.
To be more specific- they needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate to beat the shit out of anyone if that helped the business or got the job done.
And if Michael was good for one thing- that would be beating guys senseless. His military training was always a plus. His wolf added up to that twice, even though no one knew what he was except for his superiors back in the US.
“He said he wanted to meet you, that’s a one in a million- times chance, you know?”
Flynn said quietly, but Michael noticed the man still glanced around to see if anyone had been too close to overhear. They were alone, but Michael couldn’t just tell him he could sense or hear if anyone approached, so he only said. “Yeah, I know,” “Okay. So whatever he asks, you do it, yeah?” “Noted.” Flynn paused before opening the door and straightened his shirt- Michael could swear the guy seemed nervous if he didn’t know better. “Right. Let’s do it. “ Flynn pressed the handle and they got in. The first thing he noticed was that the bureau opposite the door was surprisingly empty. He scanned the room and saw three men standing up. There was also someone in the armchair, nearest to the door, but the men were blocking his view. The men seemed to be discussing something very eagerly, Michael had heard them even before entering, and they continued talking, not caring about the newcomers in the least. The men we
"Are you kidding me, what the hell was that?" Flynn was pacing around, throwing his hands in the air. Michael lived in a small apartment in the worst possible part of London, but it was something that in a very weird way reminded him of the places he was used to back in NY, that’s why he’d chosen it. Flynn had warned him he’d eventually have to move out from there and somewhere closer to the group, but for now, this worked well. Michael lived alone- he always had, and he and Flynn had agreed to avoid meeting just the two of them unless something really big was going on. Judging by the tantrums Flynn was throwing, the big thing had happened. “I can’t believe you told them your actual name and ...and the cop thing, I mean…” Flynn ran a hand absently through his hair and immediately pulled it back, probably scraping the burn Killian had made earlier. Now that he saw it better, Michael noticed it was quite deep. The man wasn’t kidding.
He was instructed to wait for Killian at the main manor of the group. Michael was pretty sure Killian lived somewhere else, however, he had no idea with who, where, or why he was to meet him here. Most likely it was because half the time the group members spent time here, and most of the meetings happened here. It was a safe bet- Richard had the advantage in any case since after all -well, this was his territory. As far as the information he was given was saying, Richard always got what he wanted. Always, and there were never exceptions. Michael’s thoughts inevitably drifted towards Killian. The fact Killian could be his mate was absurd. Perhaps he was mistaken, and most likely he was just attracted to the guy. After all, Killian was exactly Michael’s type. With or without that ridiculous feeling that Killian was his, Michael would have been attracted to him anyway. No, not his, he shook his head. No one was anyone’s an
The place was way bigger than what he’d initially thought. Enormous, and it felt bigger the more he was walking on the long corridors, following the servant. How many servants did Richard have, anyway? Thirty? As he was walking with the servant, they passed by at least five more. Two of the maids they passed by eyed him and cast their eyes downwards when Michael tipped his head to greet them. As soon as they were out of earshot (or at least they thought they were) Michael heard one of them saying: "He is SO hot, I wonder if he's the new bodyguard Mary told me about."
Michael paused and listened.He clenched his teeth even harder when he imagined Richard touching Killian and he resisted the urge to break the door in.No, he couldn’t do it.For some reason, Michael couldn’t get any sense of what Killian was feeling, but he could very well tell what Richard was - and that was a pleasure.Blinding anger filled his vision.They were really together.He knew that. Always had known it, but now it was happening on the other side of the door and only a few feet were separating him from his mate.His mate who was with another person right now.Michael tried not to imagine Kilian on his knees, or naked, or anything like that.Killian is Richard’s lover.He repeated in his head.And obviously Killian wasn’t resisting whatever it was they were doing.Michael felt more pleasure coming from Richard and that was it for him.That’s why Michael too
Michael didn't recognize the trace and couldn't put the scent to a face in in his head. It was totally new. Yet... The scent was getting stronger as Michael moved closer to the door of his flat. Michael’s senses were instantly alert and he moved even closer, almost touching the metal grid protecting his front door.In neighbourhoods like that one a metal door wasn’t enough to save you from thieves, but there also wasn't anything much to steal.Another thing was Michael could rip them all apart if he decided.Michael listened and heard rustling from the inside.The only person who knew where Mike lived was Flynn.And the man inside was definitely not Flynn.Michael's hand was on his gun in an instant, and although he wouldn't need it, it was a gesture, a kind of human reaction he'd trained himself into when he had become a secret agent.It was mostly for the sake of people - doing human things the way they would.Michael c
The blond guy was still smiling, looking up at Michael.The gang had another werewolf working for them and no one had said anything about it. Michael was well aware he was far from having all the information he needed on the gang. Yet, something like this was mojer.And he hadn’t had any idea about it.“What?”Jess asked, the smile dropping from his face.He really was cute.“You are their dog?” Michael asked eventually, lifting an eyebrow.“Why do you want to put a leash on me?”Jesse moved to sit on the table. He acted as if he was home, or owned the place. Jesse had a very light air around him, and it was like he brightened the whole place simply by being there. He definitely didn’t look like someone who worked for a criminal gang. Especially not for someone like Richard. And that got on Michael's nerves even more for some reason.“Just shut up and eat your...whatever. “ Michael growled, “I’m serious enough with the clowning.““Yeah, okay.”Jesse
"Isn't Richard married or anything? ““Where did that come from?”Flynn asked bewildered and Michael waved a hand.“Just a random thought. ““Uhh... No. At least not that I know of. He might have been before, but you know how it is with those people. He can't really have a nice, little wife waiting for him at home. ““Of course.”Keeping a woman, or a mistress would mean unnecessary trouble. No one wanted that. Women wanted children, and security and family. They wanted someone they could wait for who was Actually going to come home after work.It wasn't that men didn't want that with their partner either. It was just easier for men to say they didn't need it."Kids?""I guess not. Kids are another vulnerability. Besides, he has someone to succeed him and the empire, right?""Right."Michael tossed the remainder of whiskey in his glass and waved at the bartender for another one. Flynn gave him a confused look, but didn’t ask any questions about the f