Specter's Gamble - 20. Chapter 20

Several days later, they came to realize that they were almost out of money. At first, Desmond just shrugged indifferently.

“I’ll make a trip to the bank,” he said, and Gabriel frowned at that. “What?” Desmond asked, seeing his reaction.

“Well,” Rayhe said slowly. “I am pretty sure the Salamanders know that we are still in the city... They also know that sooner or later, we’ll need money... There are only four banks around here... Methinks they will be watching every single one of them.”

Desmond blinked. That was so obvious, he thought with frustration. He got so caught up in trying to figure out his inner emotional mess that he failed to even consider something so ridiculously obvious. “Great,” he thought gloomily. “Soon enough I’ll manage to screw up something even simpler! Bloody hell on wheels...”

“I’ll go back to my house,” Rayhe was saying meanwhile. “I have some money in a safe there.”

Now it was Desmond’s turn to blink and frown.

“Right,” he said slowly. “Because there is no way in hell for anyone to even consider the possibility of you coming back there...”

Gabriel shrugged.

“It is a very stupid move to make,” he agreed. “So stupid that they won’t think I would actually do it.”

Desmond shook his head.

“This is ridiculous,” he said.

“I am not asking you to go with me,” Rayhe shrugged again, and Desmond snorted at that.

“I am not going to!” he replied. “Unlike you, I have some shreds of common sense left.”

“If I feel that something is off, I’ll leave immediately,” Gabriel said seriously, and Desmond nodded without even a hint of a smile.

“Yes,” he said energetically. “I am aware of your legendary intuition. I was aware of that ever since you started to look for an actual duck back in that house...”

Rayhe rolled his eyes.

“I’ll be fine,” he muttered. “Don’t worry...”

“Worry?” Desmond’s eyebrows flew up. “Who said anything about me worrying? I couldn't care less! Hell, if you get yourself killed, it’ll make things a hell of a lot easier for me!”

“Oh, Specter...” Gabriel sighed and pulled the assassin closer. He kissed him on the lips gently, almost carefully, and Desmond involuntarily wrapped both of his arms around Rayhe’s neck. “I’ll be fine...” Gabriel muttered into Desmond’s mouth several minutes later, and the assassin opened his eyes.

“I don’t care,” he almost said, but at the last second, he changed his mind and simply nodded instead.

Rayhe kissed him once more, this time more briefly, and pulled away. Soon enough he was getting into the car (it was Desmond’s car; it’s been sitting by the apartment building ever since Rayhe abducted the assassin) and driving away. He frowned when he noticed that the tank was almost empty. “Well,” he thought. “I’d better get that money...”

****

Gabriel sat in the car for almost half an hour, frowning thoughtfully, looking around, trying to figure out if anything looked even remotely suspicious. His fingers were absent-mindedly beating some bizarre rhythm on the steering wheel, and Rayhe didn’t even notice that. Finally, he took a deep breath, and got out of the car. He slowly walked towards the front door of the house, still trying to figure out if anything was out of order. Everything seemed fine and Gabriel quickly ran a check on the front door of the house. It seemed to be magic-free, no spells, not even a shadow of one, and Rayhe took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the doorknob. He half-expected to be knocked out by something he managed to miss, but nothing happened. “Just get out of here,” his inner voice whispered urgently. “This is too easy, too normal... Something isn’t right. Get out of here! Go back to him; you know you need him! Go!”

Gabriel stubbornly shook his head. He came here to get his money out of his own goddamn house and he was going to do it! He expected the door to be unlocked, and when it was indeed, he just nodded to himself. He walked inside, listening intently, even sniffing the air. Everything seemed to be fine; nothing was out of order; the only heartbeat in the house belonged to him. “I guess I was right,” Gabriel thought with amusement. “They did discard this move as an overly stupid one...”

He made his way into his bedroom where he kept the safe. He was dialing the combination on the lock when someone behind him said in a low, purring voice:

“Hello, master Rayhe...”

Gabriel froze. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around and stared at a blond man with the perfectly sculpted, almost delicate facial features. He seemed to be in his early thirties; his hair was rather long, falling around his face in silky waves of luminous beauty; his mouth was full and sensual, smiling slightly at Rayhe; his eyes big and almond-shaped; they were color of very soft lilac. They were also very calculating, cold, and unforgiving. The man kept smiling at Gabriel, his hands connected at the fingertips, his gaze steady and slightly amused, as if he couldn’t believe that Rayhe actually showed up, which was probably the case.

“Julian...” Gabriel said slowly, one of his fingers twitching ever so slightly.

“Oh,” Julian said in a soft, warning voice. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, master Rayhe... See, I am aware of the fact that you only need to move your finger to cast a spell. Impressive, really,” he nodded. “But I have a couple of Aces of my own up my sleeve... And I regret to inform you, but...” he let out a small sigh. “There is something I will be able to do before you finish your spell...” he smiled again without baring his teeth. “You look doubtful,” he murmured. “And your hand didn’t quite relax yet... Allow me to demonstrate...”

His eyes narrowed just a little while he was talking, and suddenly, a bolt of pain erupted in Gabriel’s body. It felt like he was being stretched on the rack even though he stood completely still. In fact, he couldn’t move even when he tried; nor was he able to produce a single sound. It felt as if he was frozen in one particular moment of pain. Julian cocked his head slightly to the right.

“This is just the beginning,” he said with mild interest, watching Rayhe’s eyes darken from the pain he couldn’t even scream about. “See, I can turn it up a notch...” He didn’t move, nor did he make any sound, but the pain increased dramatically. “Yes,” Julian nodded after an involuntary tear crawled down Gabriel’s cheek. “I am not really into magic,” he looked at his fingernails, his expression bored. “This is the only spell I know. But it is quite handy, no?” He glanced at Rayhe. “I can make it even stronger... I am not going to, however. Not yet,” he added and closed his eyes for a second.

The pain was gone immediately and Gabriel could move again. He swayed on his feet and grabbed the top of the metal safe to keep himself from collapsing. His breathing was coming out in short, raspy gasps.

“Now,” Julian said after Rayhe seemed to be coherent again. “Sit down, would you? Please,” he added with the same gentle smile. “There is something I need to discuss with you.”

Gabriel slowly walked towards one of the armchairs and sat (or rather fell) down in it. He believed Julian when the man said he could make the pain even worse -- when it came to threats, the Salamander family always fulfilled their promises.

Julian thoughtfully looked at him above his fingertips for almost a full minute. Finally, he let out a small sigh.

“I will be honest with you, master Rayhe,” he said in the same low, purring voice. “I am not interested in you a single bit. However, I am aware of the fact that you and Specter have become quite close during the past month or so... Now, Specter...” he briefly closed his eyes. “I am quite interested in him,” he finished. “So here is the deal...” he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket in a slow, almost lazy gesture. “I want Specter. I want him dead. And I want you to deliver him to me.”

Gabriel let out short laughter.

“I am sorry,” he said in a low voice. “This...” he glanced around the room. “Just doesn’t make sense... What is all this cloak-and-dagger crap? You are waiting for me here without even knowing if I am going to show up... Then you tell me that you want Specter?” he narrowed his eyes. “Why wouldn’t you simply follow me and see where I go? This way, you could get both of us...”

Julian leisurely dragged on his cigarette.

“I knew you would show up eventually,” he said with a small smile. “I anticipated it. The idea of following you had occurred to me, yes,” he nodded. “I discarded it almost immediately. See...” he waved his hand in the air, trying to dissolve a small cloud of smoke above his head. “I know all about Specter’s famous intuition. That intuition of his cost me one of my best men...” his eyes slightly darkened. “It was his mistake entirely, of course... He shouldn’t have been so foolish to go there by himself without even telling me... What’s done is done, however...” he dragged on his cigarette again. “I do not have any intention or desire to lose any more of my men to him. Therefore, I want you to deliver him to me,” he smiled. “Because from what I’ve gathered, Specter has managed to make a crucial mistake...” he fell silent, as if waiting for Gabriel to ask an inevitable question.

Gabriel gritted his teeth.

“What mistake would that be?” he asked tightly, and Julian gave him a small nod, as if letting him know that he appreciated Gabriel’s effort to support the conversation.

“He became attached to you,” he murmured.

Rayhe let out a disbelieving laughter.

“You are out of your mind,” he said finally.

“I don’t think so,” Julian smiled again. “See, if Specter was really worrying just about being captured by us...” He shrugged. “...he would simply disappear. He had done it before on numerous occasions. This time, however, he stuck around. That means there was a reason to make him stay...” he silently looked at Rayhe, and this time, Gabriel didn’t say anything. Julian let out a small sigh. “You,” he finished. “See, Specter is not one of those who’d stick around just for good sex... There had to be another reason, a reason that would outweigh his common sense and self-preservation... The only explanation is...” he shrugged. “He let himself to get attached to you. That...” he said pointedly. “...was his crucial mistake. Trust doesn’t get you too far if you do what he does for a living. I have been trying to get my hands on him for a long time...” Julian said thoughtfully. “And right now, I have a perfect shot...”

“Screw yourself,” Gabriel said tightly and was about to get up when Julian spoke again.

“Maybe another time. Think about this, however... You don’t really expect me to let you go after you decline my offer, do you? If you say ‘no’...” Julian dragged on his diminishing cigarette once more. “I will be forced to make you stay...” he gave Rayhe yet another small smile. “And please believe me...” he looked at Gabriel seriously. “You are not going to enjoy it if I, in fact, do make you stay... If you choose a ‘Yes’ option, however...” Another shrug. “I will make sure you get your clean slate. Nobody,” he said heavily. “Nobody in my family, no matter how much they hate you right now... Nobody in my family would do anything to you. You would have my word.”

Rayhe stared at his hands for a long while.

“Why don’t you want me?” he asked finally in a low voice. “I am the one who placed the hit on your Uncle...”

Here he was interrupted by Julian’s soft laughter.

“I see...” he said finally. “You think that this has something to do with my Uncle...” he looked at Rayhe steadily. “I don’t give a damn about my Uncle...” he said slowly, and Gabriel blinked. “ In fact,” Julian shrugged. “I was quite surprised the old bastard stayed alive for as long as he did...” He dropped his almost-finished cigarette on the carpet and immediately smashed the heel of his boot onto it. “I mean...” Another shrug. “I was seriously considering wasting the son of a bitch myself, before he died, thanks to you... Inheritance and other things...” Julian looked at his hands. “You did me a favor, really. This is why I am willing to give you a clean slate and make sure that nobody from my family bothers you ever again. I am quite good when it comes to persuading people,” he smiled gently. “Even my relatives,” he added.

He got up and slowly walked towards the bookcase, studying the volumes on the shelves, his arms behind his back.

“I want Specter for entirely different reasons,” he muttered, looking at the books. “Those reasons have nothing to do with family affairs.”

“What reasons would that be?” Gabriel asked dryly, and Julian glanced at him thoughtfully, as if considering whether to tell him something or not.

“He killed my mate,” he said finally with the same gentle smile as before, and Rayhe blinked in disbelief. Julian nodded. “Yes, I know it is difficult to believe but I did have a mate. Vivienne...” he said in a softer voice. “Ever since that happened, I am a different man, so to speak... Of course,” he hemmed. “Specter was merely a tool, he didn’t do it because of his own wish, but it doesn’t matter...”

“Do you know who ordered the hit?” Rayhe asked quietly.

“Yes,” Julian answered absent-mindedly. “She is long gone. I took care of that... She told me that she hired Specter,” he added. “And yes,” he answered Rayhe’s unasked question. “She was telling the truth. Certain levels of pain can turn even a pathological liar into a blatantly honest person. For the past five years, I wanted nothing more than to get my hands on Specter... This is what I want you to do...”

Rayhe interrupted him with laughter.

“I don’t care about your motives,” he said in a low voice. “This conversation is over,” he started getting up when Julian shoved him back into the chair.

“Sit,” he said shortly, his voice far from gentle now. “I understand your hesitation...”

“Hesitation?” Rayhe repeated incredulously. “That was not...”

“Do not interrupt me,” Julian said quietly, his eyes slightly narrowed. “As I was saying, I understand your hesitation. This is far from a noble act, and you are a noble person, master Rayhe. Noble and proud. However, right now, you have to put that aside for your own survival's sake. Survival and well-being. Noble acts of self-sacrificing are great when it comes to selling tear-squeezing romance novels; however, it is nothing but fiction. When it comes to reality, the survival instinct is stronger than pride... Stronger by far, master Rayhe. Believe me, if I start persuading you in my own way, you will be begging me to let you give me Specter in less than an hour. You will be begging me to let you kill him yourself... When I’ll let you beg, that is.”

Julian paused ant took another cigarette out of the pack.

“See,” he continued after he lit it up. “I am one of those individuals who enjoy pain. Different kinds of pain. I enjoy inflicting it, and I enjoy receiving it...” he pressed the burning tip of his cigarette on the inside of his own wrist.

Rayhe winced when the blond closed his eyes and threw his head back.

“Mmm...” Julian said finally and opened his eyes. “Feels exquisite,” he took a drag on the cigarette. “Feel free to tell me to go screw myself again, master Rayhe. I have to warn you however, that if you do, in fact, say so, I’ll take it as a ‘No.’ In that case...” he shrugged. “The next hour is going to be quite unpleasant for you, and the next week is going to be a lot worse. I would love to give you time to think, but I am afraid I cannot afford such luxury; therefore, I need an answer now. Yes or no, master Rayhe?”

Gabriel stared at him without blinking. His first instinct was to tell Salamander exactly that – “Go screw yourself.” He restrained himself, however. He knew that if he said that, he’d end up enduring a hell of a lot of pain. “No,” he almost said, but bit his tongue at the last minute. He was not a traitor, he thought furiously when he caught himself actually considering Salamander’s deal. What is wrong with him? He was actually thinking of succumbing and delivering Desmond to Salamander? What the hell is wrong with him?!

Julian waited patiently, his expression indifferent. “A clean slate,” Rayhe thought in spite of himself. A clean slate would mean no more hiding, no more worrying about someone finding out about his deal with Specter, no more being afraid... Gabriel closed his eyes, hating himself more and more with each second. He shouldn’t even think about it; he shouldn’t come anywhere near considering it; he shouldn’t... Yet, here he was, doing exactly that. Considering.

“No. Go screw yourself until you choke on your own dick. My answer is no and I will see you in hell...”

“What do you want me to do?” he asked instead and closed his eyes, hatred and disgust with himself overwhelming him.

Julian looked at him intently.

“Do not even think about trying to trick me,” he said quietly, and Gabriel opened his eyes. “It will never work, believe me.”

“What do you want me to do?” Rayhe repeated through his clenched teeth.

Salamander thoughtfully looked at him for one long minute, and finally, he slowly nodded.

“I want you to get him to your father’s old house in three days,” he said. “The same house you brought LeVoughn-Senior to...”

Rayhe’s eyes widened at that. Julian gave him a small smile.

“The minute I found out about his demise, I knew it had something to do with you,” he nodded. “I checked out all of the estate that used to belong to your farther. The house behind the old Plaza turned out to be the one.”

He shrugged.

“LeVoughn was a self-centered, arrogant idiot,” he continued. “If he had any brain in that thick skull of his, he would know that it was a trap the minute you offered it to him. He should’ve let me know... If he had, we wouldn’t have this conversation right now...” He let out a small sigh. “The fat moron should’ve stuck to the plan, but he did not...” he shrugged once more and smiled at Rayhe’s expression. “Yes, master Rayhe. The plan. You didn’t think that LeVoughn would actually come up with something like that on his own, did you? I knew about the money transfer for a long time, master Rayhe. I was trying to figure out how to put this information to good use, and I did,” he smiled again. “Anyway, back to what I need you to do...”

Gabriel dug his fingernails into his own palms. It hurt but he didn’t care.

“He came back for you... If not for him, you’d be dead right now... He avenged Sheila! He means something to you! More than something, you traitorous fuck! If Salamander is right, and if he really let himself to get attached to you... Goddammit, Rayhe! It took Salamander less than an hour to turn you into a traitorous, cowardly piece of shit! And why? Because you are afraid of pain? Or because you want your ‘clean slate’? Or both? You are pathetic...”

“Bring him to that house in three days,” Julian was saying meanwhile. “I don’t care what excuse you are going to use, but it had better be a good one, and he’d better believe you. Once he is inside, give him this...”

He handed Gabriel a small vial that contained clear liquid inside.

“Mix it into his drink. He’ll be out in less than ten minutes. I will take care of the rest...”

Rayhe slowly took the vial and stared at it blindly.

“Since he apparently means something to you,” Salamander said in a soft voice. “I will go as far as giving you my word that I am not going to lay a finger on him to make him suffer. I simply want to kill him, that’s all. After everything is taken care of, you will get your clean slate and never hear from me or any other member of my family for as long as you shall live. I would also offer you money, but...” he shrugged. “I have a feeling you won’t accept it.”

Gabriel looked at him with dark, restrained hatred, and Julian nodded, as if confirming something he already knew.

“If he is not at that house at eight o’clock on Friday night, you will be very sorry, master Rayhe,” Salamander said and walked out of the room.

Rayhe sat in that chair for the next hour, staring at the vial that he still held in his hand. Finally, he slowly got up and walked towards the safe. He took all the money that was inside, and soon enough, he was driving back to Desmond’s apartment.

“I don’t believe it,” the assassin said seriously when Rayhe walked through the front door. “It worked?!”

Gabriel grinned.

“Told you so,” he nodded. “I even refilled your tank; it was almost empty.”

“Huh,” Desmond said thoughtfully. “I can’t believe it actually worked...” he muttered.

Rayhe shrugged.

“As I said, this move was beyond stupid,” he said. “They never even considered it.”

“It’s a miracle,” Desmond said as seriously as before. “Let’s go eat something, I am hungry.”

They went outside and Rayhe felt as if he had a lead bar in his left pocket; that vial was getting heavier and heavier with every step that he took.