“There’s documentation showing this prick is part of the ring with Ahriman. There’s also evidence someone in Nashville is going to sell an nineteen-year-old virgin to him. And her sister will be sold to Ahriman personally. It says she’s perfect for him. The women work at a strip club in your fucking backyard. We need to stop this. How am I supposed to make this shit go away for the confirmation committee if we could use it to bring them all down? I won’t do it. I’ve hidden a bunch of shit for you in the past. I’ve done things I regret, but I won’t do this. Put my ass in prison. I won’t let two girls get trafficked.” I spill the words without taking a breath. I have to stand up for myself. I won’t do it.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa now, Titan. Stop talking. Take a breath and start over.”
“No, fuck that. I’m walking.”
“Atlas, enough.” He uses my real name, and it stops me. We don’t use each other’s real names.
“Fuck.” The word bursts from my lips, and Hermes’s door slams shut as he moves through the condo. Normally, he’s silent for as big as he is.
“What’s going on?” He’s shirtless, and I see for the first time the ink he keeps hidden. Hermes and his brother, Typhon, were both in the military before they were recruited by Cronus. But I know that ink. We’ve all dealt with enough mafia and bratva organizations to recognize it. I don’t acknowledge it because we all have our secrets.
“This.” I point at the file containing the documents and conversations I found.
“Oh fuck.”
“I want you here by morning. Figure out the location in Nashville,” Cronus says.
“What about the contract?” I drop my ass into my chair and bury my head in my hands. This is awful. A ping sounds from the speakers, and I look up as a new message appears in the senator’s direct messages.
Exhibitor
I’ll take a partridge in a pear tree. Would you like a maiden milking?
The message goes to both the senator and another contact, Culler, who responds immediately.
Culler
I’ll acquire the wares by the 1st of the month. You’ll have them for the celebration.
“Son of a bitch. Cronus, we only have a couple of weeks to figure this out. He just promised the girls would be available by December first.”
“Get here tomorrow. We need to use a secure network for you to find the information.”
“What about the contract?” I remind him.
Another ping goes off before he can respond.
Lawmaker
I have my hearing and won’t be able to get there if they’re still investigating me.
Exhibitor
I’ve been told you have help. Make sure they don’t find this chat, or I’ll have to end them too. I have a joker in the deck. Another congressman. The one named the same as a grandmaster.
“Cronus?” I pause, worry itching through my body.
“What?” he asks, but I can’t answer him. It’s too much. I screenshot everything and save it to my file.
“Cronus, we have major problems. Titan’s life is being threatened, and it looks like there might be a conflict of interest for you,” Hermes answers for me.
“Pack up and get out of there. Now! Blast everything, Hermes.”
“On it.” Hermes walks over to the wall and lifts the box covering a switch that will decimate my gear. “You know what to do.” He looks at me.
I make sure everything is remotely saved, then nod. He flips the switch. A hiss sounds, followed by sparks. I grab my go bag and the picture of Stormy from my bedside table, throwing on a shirt as I go. Hermes steps out of the room, and I know he’s getting his gear.
The computers and monitors fry before my eyes. As I leave the room, I hit another switch that will obscure my fingerprints and destroy any DNA left behind. We can never leave a trace of who we are. From the message, I know our covers could have been blown. The name they suggested hits too close to home.