Dark Captor (Dark Syndicate 2)

“Alright, be careful. Please,” Already says and I give him a nod.

* * *

Dominic arrives a few minutes before we’re scheduled to board the plane. It’s not as early as I wanted him to be but since he came carrying two cups of coffee I can’t exactly argue.

I hope the sight means we’re past this flux of shit that’s come to get us.

I’m standing just by the jet smoking a cigar. I put it out when he approaches and take the cup he hands me.

“Thank you,” I say.

“No worries. Couldn’t trust you to get coffee, you get the cheap stuff.” He smirks and he looks like he’s on board again.

I pull him in for a one shouldered hug. I can’t help myself, I might look like a pussy but he’s worried the shit out of me.

“You do what you think for coffee, I don’t care, just as long as you turn up.”

He nods. “Okay… Tristan, thanks for having my back yesterday. Didn’t get to say much after. Saying thanks for my life was hard when the others lost theirs.”

“No worries, you don’t have to thank me for that. You would have done the same thing. That’s why we have each other’s backs.”

He nods agreement.

“It’s getting dangerous. Real dangerous, Tristan. If we can be attacked just like that in broad daylight who knows what else can happen. I’m eager to get Mortimer out of the picture and whoever else we can take down with him.”

“I know. Me too. It feels like we’ve been on this journey for several lifetimes.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what it feels like. Like this one life has been stretched to capacity. There’s only so much we can take. It won’t just stop with Mortimer. There were four others and this Italian family. We don’t even know where to start looking for them. There’s no clues anywhere.”

“Except for our anonymous friend,” I impart. Again I wonder who the hell it is.

“I don’t think that guy is going to show his face until he’s ready. If at all. I doubt we can rely on him more than we have with the letter. It was that letter that got us in motion. We wouldn’t have known things were being plotted under wraps.”

“I don’t know, it seems like the war he warned started when we read the letter. Think about it. Things have been quiet for over eighteen months and then there’s an attack when we get together to reform the Syndicate. It’s suspect Dominic. That guy—assuming it’s a guy— who wrote the letter, wrote it because they knew we wouldn’t read something like that and do fuck all. War will come? Nah, war has been brewing. That’s what.”

“Christ…”

“Well… if we get Mortimer then that’s a big enemy down.”

Big enemy… I hope so. I hope he’s the worst of the bunch, but I can’t assume. If this goes well and we can get to him then I have to be aware that there might be bigger fish in the sea. People who don’t want the Syndicate to reform and definitely not with the kind of mafia bosses Massimo wants to include.

* * *

It’s night by the time we arrive on the Island.

It’s close to ten and all I want to do is see Isabella.

I pushed the desire to the back burner when Dominic insists on us making dinner. I wanted to watch him. I didn’t ask him anything more about the drugs because I didn’t want to ruin what we seemed to reconnect.

He went up to bed around an hour later and I made my way to Isabella’s room to check on her. Much as I wanted to see her, I didn’t have any intention of waking her.

I never expected to see her light on or find her sitting on the terrace watching the sea crash against the rocks.

She stands when she sees me and I can see her trying not to look too happy but failing.

“You’re back,” she says with a little smile.

“Yeah, I got back an hour ago. Thought you might be asleep.”