Exclusively His

CHAPTER 5

The ogre who had been listening in our conversation finally spoke. “Don’t you dare trust this fucker, Hunter.”

I didn’t tear my gaze off him. The offer still stands as long as his group doesn’t make a move. One mistake and this whole ordeal would result in a disaster. I didn’t move from where I was standing, my attention remained on Hunter. He did the same, ignoring the ogre’s word as he decides what to do next with me.

If he had done his research, he’s bound to know what kind of man I was. And he’d be an i***t to decline an offer that will save him lots of money if he just gives this job to me. Maybe I’ll change my mind and even help him in the future…nah, just kidding.

“And what am I going to pay you?” Hunter asked.

He’s not dumb not to know what I wanted. But he needed to hear me say it loud and clear. That’s just the kind of person this bastard was.

And I love it.

But let’s play with him a little longer. I’m already in this s**t, might as well enjoy my time before everything hits me like a speeding truck. “Money,” I said, smirking at him. We both knew that’s not what I wanted, and the smile he cracked after hearing what I said made it even more obvious. Well, maybe not to the ogre and his posse, but it’s as if Hunter and I were in our own world. It’s exhilarating. 

“Only money? Come on, Miles. You’re not that cheap, aren’t you?”

I scoffed. So, he took the bait, huh? “Maybe we can talk about what I want after you get Tanya,” I dared. It’s been a while since a conversation like this thrilled me. I was beginning to get used to becoming a normal person that I forgot what’s it like to talk about this kind of business—the one that could potentially kill your life. 

I was ignoring the voice in my head that kept reminding me that this was a big mistake. Being involved with Hunter and this Tanya woman would cause nothing but trouble. But I couldn’t stop myself from delving into their world. Hunter was an interesting kid, and I wanted to know more about him. 

He shrugged his shoulders and said, “alright, you got the deal. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

I grinned. “Good. I’ll give Tanya back to you in about…” I checked my watch and counted in my head, “three hours.”

I heard some of Hunter’s men gasp. They probably think it’s a bluff but if Hunter really knew who I am, then he’d believe me. “Alright,” he declared, crossing his arms in front of him as he smiled at me shrewdly. “Don’t disappoint me, Miles.”

“Don’t worry. I know how to do my job.”

I wouldn’t have lasted this long if I didn’t.

--

Hopping in my motorcycle, I drove back to my apartment to get ready. It’s about time Jeralt call me with the information I wanted. Hunter and Tanya, huh? I’m so curious as to what that woman stole from Hunter that he’s hell-bound in chasing her.

Arriving at my place, I looked around to check if any of Hunter’s men were tracking me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. Even with everything I said, it’s still hard to believe that I’d be able to track down Tanya and get what she stole from Hunter in just three hours.

But I’m confident I could do it. As long as I have Jeralt’s information, I could do everything. The skills I gathered from all the years that I worked for Carter’s group were more than enough to track someone down, no matter who they were. 

Seeing that no suspicious vehicles or people were standing near my apartment, I walked inside and hurried upstairs. I had a lot of things I needed to do. I couldn’t wait to find Tanya and know who she was and why she’s being hunted by Hunter’s group. 

And…if there’s anything else she could tell me about the guy, she should tell me. Hunter acts like any other goons I had met but somehow, I knew there’s still more to him than just belonging to a gang. Those eyes had seen horror, it’s amazing he’s still sane.

Or maybe he’s not anymore.

Damn it. The more I think about Hunter, the more mysterious he becomes. I had to control myself. He’s not like Carter. Remember that, Miles.

I locked my door and went straight to my desk. Taking my phone out, I smiled as I saw an unknown number calling me. It’s definitely Jeralt. 

I answered the call and pressed the phone on my ear. “What took you so long?” I asked jokingly.

“Lay off, will you? Do you even know how hard it is to work when everyone’s spying on you?” Jeralt retorted, his voice hushed and annoyed. 

I’m confident he wouldn’t let anyone know this conversation happened—it’d be big trouble for the both of us if Carter realized he’s been in contact with me. After quitting the organization, I could still hear his words echoing in my head, over and over again. That kind of man would never allow anyone in his group to work with me, not after what I did. Yes, we parted peacefully. But I knew Carter held a grudge against me. He treated my retirement as abandoning him, like breaking up a long relationship just because I wanted to move on and pursue what I always wanted to be. 

“Is Carter…there?” I carefully asked, my heartbeat slightly raising as I mentioned his name.

“Nah, he’s on some mission in Peru. He’ll be gone for three months, no need to worry about the big guy. What we should worry about are the pestering idiots who think everything they report to the boss will help them rank up in the group. So damn pathetic,” Jeralt said followed by an exasperated sigh. “After you were gone, a lot of kids joined the group.” 

“At least business is booming, huh?” I teased.

He moaned. “Yeah, right. More people joining the group, more people you can’t trust. It’s exhausting to go through a background check every damn time someone joins.”

Jeralt’s right about that. It was never in my nature to trust others. The only person I trust was myself, and maybe a few who hadn’t failed me before. Like Jeralt. We had been close when I was still in the group and I knew for a fact he would never sell me out.

But still, there’s no guarantee that our friendship will prevail if ever Carter gets involve. Jeralt’s risking his life to help me, I had to something if ever the big guy discovers this. I’m not sure he’d forgive Jeralt for double-crossing him, especially if the involved party was me.

There’s no telling what that monster could do. 

“You asked me about this Tanya woman. Your drawing is s**t but I still found her.” 

Did he really have to insult me? I’m doing my best to become a proper artist, damn it. “Who is she?” I asked, ignoring the fact that he degraded my drawings. 

“For starters, her name is obviously not Tanya,” Jeralt said. “She goes by Lanie, sometimes Heidi, oh, this one’s my favorite, Hilda.”

If only he could see my eyes rolling, he’d laugh in glee. Jeralt loved teasing me, that would never change no matter how much time had passed. “Yeah, I get it. She has a lot of aliases. Let’s move on.”

“You’ll be surprised to hear this. She’s an assassin…a spy assassin,” he said as dramatically as he could just to piss me off even more. Thankfully, I’m used to his antics that I couldn’t get angry even if I wanted to. “And you’ll never know who she’s working for.”

“Who?” I asked in the most deadpanned voice that it made Jeralt scoff.

“The Laurier group.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What?” I quickly recognized the name. The Lauriers was one of the Mafia groups working in this city. They owned a quarter of the territories here and from what I know, they’re very influential and powerful. Their connection to the Viotto group, one of the old Mafia families that started businesses here in the country made the Lauriers even stronger. They’re new, but they’d been gaining popularity thanks to their multiple deals and businesses with other groups both inside and outside of the United States. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible if not for the Viotto group. I once met their leader when I was still working with Carter and he’s one dangerous old man. His family wouldn’t last decades if not for him. 

“Don’t tell me the Laurier hired this Tanya woman,” I murmured.

“Of course, they did. Why else is she working for them? She’s pretty famous in our world, you know? How come you don’t know her?”

“Do you?” I asked sarcastically.

“I would have if not for your s**t drawings, Miles.”

Ugh, I could never win against this bastard. “What does the Laurier want with Hunter?” I asked.

“That…I’m not sure. But I did find something that might be useful for whatever you’re trying to do,” Jeralt informed me.

My grip on the phone tightened. “What?”

“There’s been a missing intel for months now. Very important intel that holds very important information about the Viotto group. So important that it’s going to destroy lots of Mafia families all over the world.”

As much as I wanted to treat everything Jeralt said as a dramatic joke again, I knew for a fact that it wasn’t. Stealing rather private information from these people could cause an all-out war and obtaining that cost hundreds, no, even millions of dollars just to get it back.

“Is it safe to assume that that intel is with Tanya now?” I asked, slowly.

“Yes, you guess it right.”

I thought for a second. “Are the Lauriers going to betray the Viottos?” I’m not in the Mafia, but I knew a little about how they do their business. I worked with several mob groups in the past and all of them operate the same. They would kill traitors without second thoughts. I witnessed countless assassinations of these so-called traitors. It’s their way to teach their people to never deceived the family oath or everyone you love will suffer.

An exaggerating move to punish your people but understandable. If not for my close relationship with Carter, he would have done the same with me when I quit the organization. 

“I don’t know about that. It’s not like it’s Tanya who stole the intel from the Viottos.”

I froze. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“The Hunter guy, the one you’re asking about. He’s the one who stole it.”

I just gasped my most dramatic gasp. I was expecting that it was Hunter who might have stolen it, he definitely had the guts to do a suicidal job like that. But still…for it to be true that’s still…unbelievable.

I heard Jeralt sigh. “That’s the only info I have about the guy. He’s clean, just like you. The only intel I have was that he’s involved in stealing that intel from the Viottos. How he did it? I have no idea. He might be a god damn ninja if he’s able to steal from the Viottos. Those people are ruthless. You know that, right?” 

I bit my lip. “I know.” 

He was quiet for a second before finally speaking. “It’s not my business to tell you what to do with your life but this Hunter guy is serious trouble. You quit the organization because you want a normal life, didn’t you? Are you going to throw everything away?”

Jeralt was right. Now that I know what’s really happening, I still had a choice to back out.

But…

“Thanks, Jeralt,” I said. “I’ll wire the payment later to your account. Don’t let Carter know.”

“Ha! If he knows, I’ll be dead then. You? Maybe not. He’s very fond of you, it’s annoying.” I could almost see Jeralt crossing his arms as he said those words. “Anyway, don’t forget what I told you, Miles.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, smiling a little. Not a lot of people in this world care about me but I’m glad Jeralt was one of them. “I’ll treat you too. If…you’re not so afraid of seeing me again.”

“I’d rather not risk my life. Good luck.”

--

I sat in front of my desk, staring at the paper in front of me. I had written everything I needed to know about Hunter and Tanya as well as the Mafia families involved in this. That intel Hunter stole definitely contains valuable information that will sell like hotcakes. The amount he’d get if he ever succeeds in selling it will be more than enough to sustain him for a lifetime. 

But how did he steal it from the Viottos? 

Considering how infamous that family was, Hunter’s putting his life in the line by doing this. Yes, it’d cost millions of dollars, but still…was it worth it? 

I guess it was. He already did it the impossible. If he gets the intel back, the only problem he had to face was the Viottos. I might be an outsider, but I know how the Mafia moves. They would make sure Hunter and his group feel the pain of what they did to the Viottos. They wouldn’t simply kill them in an instant—it’d be a painful death, an experience that I’m very familiar with.

I recalled Jeralt’s words. Being involved with Hunter will only bring me trouble. But the curiosity couldn’t stop me from wanting to know more about the kid. How in the hell did he manage to steal such valuable and protected information, what Mafia family was he affiliated with, and were there other people who helped him get what he wanted? Who put this idea in his head? Why did he let Tanya steal it from him? 

Ugh, all these questions that had no answers were killing me.

Standing up, I received a text message from another unknown number. It was Jeralt telling me where Tanya was. 

At Mount Silas? What in the world was she doing in a mountain? Unless that’s where the Lauriers planned on meeting her to avoid eyes. 

I glanced at the wall clock. It’s already three in the afternoon. It’d take me an hour to drive to Mount Silas. 

Before leaving the house, I made sure I had my guns tucked safely in the gun holster wrapped around my chest. I didn’t want to think that carrying weapons will be necessary for this job, but it’s going to be a bloody encounter if I don’t bring anything to this party. 

I’m not planning on getting myself killed.

I still had lots of questions to ask Hunter.

--

As expected, it took me an hour to arrive at Mount Silas. This place wasn’t really a tourist-friendly spot as there have been rumors about how easy it was to get lost in the mountain. But it’s all just a hoax to keep people away from whatever demonic s**t the Mafia had been doing in this place. From what I know, there’s a lot of shady things happening around the area as it’s owned by none other than the Viotto group itself. They’re so close to buying the whole country with all the money that they have, and still would have more than enough to stay as one of the wealthiest tycoons in the world—it’s both amazing and scary how one group have that much power in the world. 

I parked my motorcycle on the side of the dirt road, staring at the ominous sight of the mountain. This place does have that dangerous kind of vibe, it’s perfect to hide whatever suspicious things the mob were doing in the dark.

I walked while looking around, hoping I’d spot someone to follow. Jeralt wouldn’t have made a mistake in Tanya’s location. She’s here. She better be or else, we’d all be dead.

I perked up after hearing the rustling of leaves as if someone was walking close by. I was quick to hide behind a tree, heightening every sense I need to use to know where that person was. Finally, I saw a shadow walking down the trail. I listened carefully—small yet elegant footsteps, they didn’t care even if someone follows them—a woman wearing high heels. Bold choice of footwear, huh? 

“Yes,” I heard the woman say. She’s talking on the phone. “I’m already here. I have what you need.”

“Good.” 

What? There was another person? I carefully peeked out from the tree I was hiding but saw no one in front of the woman who I’m sure was Tanya. I knew her body frame, I wouldn’t mistake anyone else. That was Tanya. Even from a distance, I could see the thick trench coat she was wearing, her hair tied up in a bun while she wore dark sunglasses even when the sun was already setting down—if I were an assassin, I wouldn’t dress up that suspiciously, but then again, I don’t know how they do things. Times have changed since I worked in the same industry.

“Do we really need to meet up like this?” Tanya asked, her voice irritated. 

“Of course,” the invisible man said. I could hear the jeering in his tone, he’s making fun of her for meeting him in a place like this. They could have easily met up at a café, hell, even a rundown apartment or basement would do. “We need to verify that what you’ve stolen is the real thing.”

“Of course, it’s the real thing. I got it from that Hunter guy.”

“Ah, but you don’t know him,” the man said. I could picture an impish smile on a blank face, I couldn’t help but yearn to see who this man she’s talking to. “Hunter is a very smart guy. I’m sure he had already seen through your disguise before you even approach him.”

Tanya scoffed. “And yet I got the intel. He’s not as smart as you say he is.”

“Really?” The man was quiet for a second. “I believed you got some help from someone, isn’t it? A pizza delivery kind of guy?”

“How did you—?”

“We have verified the content. Good work, Tanya. You never cease to amaze your clients.”

“Ha! I’m the best in the field. Now, where’s my payment?”

I gasped when I heard a bullet shot echoing followed by birds suddenly flying away. Oh, f**k. Did he just…

“Clean up the place. We’re going to visit the young master.”

“Yes, sir.”

I climbed up the tree as fast as I could after hearing engines roaring from the distance. What in the world was happening? Why did they kill Tanya? Wait, of course, I know why they killed her! Why am I even asking? She’s a loose end. She’s always bound to die after fulfilling her job. 

fuck!

“Put a perimeter around the area. Let’s clean up the place.”

I saw more shadows approaching where Tanya stood a moment ago. I need to see her belongings to find more clues about this s**t.

I couldn’t let them touch her corpse. 

Here goes nothing.

I jumped from trees to trees, as carefully and quietly as I could. I had trained in an environment like this—jungle warfare had never been my favorite. Careful planning, memorizing every terrain that could be used as an advantage, different kinds of diseases that we could get when dealing with the jungle, and only small units could operate in places like this—it’s a tiring war but I managed to survive a few of them thanks to Carter’s leadership.

Ugh, even at a time like this, I’m still thinking about everything that man had done for me. 

Forget about him, Miles. Focus on what’s in front of you.

Hopping on the closest tree where the trail was, I caught a glimpse of three men about to come near Tanya’s corpse. She lay on the ground, her eyes wide open as the shock of her death still fresh.

To think that I saved her from another close death only to end up like this…shit. 

I jumped to tackle the man, his gasp muffled as I pressed my hand against his mouth to stop him from alerting the others. By the time I managed to knock him out by cutting his airflow, the other two had already turned around to find me subduing their colleague. 

“What the—who are you?!”

I didn’t give them time to wield their weapons as I already got up to charge towards them. I had to be quick, or else the man giving them orders would get away. 

After punching the man on the jaw who fell on the ground with a loud thud, I turned to the last one. He was shaking to get his gun out, but I was much quicker than him. I kicked his hand to make him drop his weapon before using my other leg to kick him on the face, as firm as I could to knock him out in seconds. 

They’re going to wake up with a concussion, but hey, at least they’re not dead.

It was hard to breathe through the mask I wore before attacking them, but I didn’t take it off as I walk walked to where Tanya lays. With my glove-clad hand, I closed her eyes. “So sorry,” I murmured at her. 

I searched for any bags or wallets she had and smiled in relief when I saw her phone in her trench coat pocket. I looked it up, unlocking her phone with her fingerprint. There were several text messages exchanged between her and an unknown number. 

The last message caught my attention.

From Unknown Number:

Make sure not to hurt him. He’s still valuable to the family.

I’ll be the one to teach the kid a lesson.

Kid?

They’re talking about Hunter.

--