Chapter 9 - Decoding the Clues

Sunday, February 21st. Magnus Mansion, 10:00 a.m.

After returning to the mansion the night before, Yaakov faced how terribly wrong the whole operation turned out to be. Yes, they managed to obtain the merchandise in perfect condition, but there were casualties, precisely what Alexei didn't wanted to happen.

Of the forty-three recruits who went to the mission that night, only fifteen returned, including the members of The Gang. And, as if it wasn't bad enough, they were injured. Superficially, easily treatable, but injuries, nonetheless. With the exception of Nikon, who had been shot in his right flank.

Fortunately, none of his vital organs were affected, although the loss of blood caused his condition to deteriorate because it took him so long to receive medical attention. Yaakov was walking in circles outside the room where Nikon was being treated, his nerves on edge as the update on his condition had not yet been provided.

He was on the verge of a collapse when Lev came out, removing his bloody gloves and looking grim. He could feel the tension in his body from miles away.

—How is he? — asks, approaching his Omega. Lev sighed deeply. His shoulders dropped.

—Stable, he lost a lot of blood. Keeping him alive was a challenge but I managed. Although hardly, I must admit — takes a little peek at the door behind him, softens his voice when he looks at Yaakov again —. Adrik didn't leave him during the whole process, no matter how much I insisted. The poor thing is very worried. Let's give them some privacy, for now, I'll keep an eye out if anything comes up.

—-Thank you very much, prince — hugs him, trying to hold him as tight as he can —. You have no idea how worried I was, this is all my fault.

—What are you talking about? — Lev asks, separating himself a little, taking his partner's face in his hands so he can look into his eyes —. Nothing is your fault, Yaak. You took the necessary measures to carry out the mission, you couldn't have known that the spy was going to do something like that again. No one was prepared for that, especially with someone like Reiji in control of our security and you know it — he ends up stroking the Alpha's cheekbones with his thumbs, circling his dimples.

—It would not stop Magnus from killing me as soon as he gets here. Many men have died.

—And many more lives would have been lost if you hadn't reacted the way you did — tightening the grip on his face —. Magnus will have to understand, no one expected that to happen, including him.

—Maybe you're right, but that won't stop his anger, you know how he is — gently kisses Lev's lips —. I'll go see Reiji. I got a lead this morning on one of our supposed allies, I want to confirm with him everything that happened so I can pass the report to Magnus as soon as he arrives.

Lev nods at the words, kisses again the lips of his partner, and as he separates, enters again the room where Nikon was.

Control Room, 10:45 a.m.

—Okay, Reiji. Explain to me as if I were five years old what the hell happened yesterday — Yaakov demands in a sharp tone while sitting in a chair next to the programmer.

He could feel the nervousness emanating from the Omega in waves, both he and Yaakov could not imagine running into this kind of circumstance, especially considering the reputation they have earned over the years. Now, however, there was nothing they could do but ensure that such a thing would never happen again.

The Alpha always thought there was no one more skilled with technology than Reiji, but he was very much mistaken.

—Well, boss. As I informed you through the call, I was in the middle of the routine of checking the recordings while the transaction was taking place at the port — he begins to nimbly maneuver his fingers on the keyboard —. Suddenly, the cameras began to have interference, completely blinding my vision. I thought it was due to the remote area where you were gathered and that it would be momentary, but almost at the instant of occurrence, they began to attack our database again.

He shows the footage to the Alpha and indeed all the video cameras that were installed that night around the dock were left static, making it impossible to get a picture of what was going on. Yaakov could feel his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles drained of color, with a shuddering inhalation of fury, he turned his attention back to Reiji.

—What happened after the communication was cut off?

—The spy or spies accessed the organization's records again. I could see him or her digging through the data folders while I tried to block the signal — says, turning on his chair to stare at him —. And then they just stopped — the Alpha looks at him strangely for a few seconds before responding.

—What do you mean, they stopped? — he scowls, leaning over his seat.

—Exactly that, boss. It just stopped. They went out of the system allowing me to regain control, by which time you were driving back to The Mansion.

—What the fuck? — mutters to himself, trying to process the whole thing —. But why? Were you able to determine something that led them to abandon the hack so suddenly?

—It could have been because you had already escaped and there was no point in continuing to block the signal — he says, looking for other information on the computer —. But they stopped just after they had entered into Mr. Magnus personal folder — reveals, pointing his finger at a log of activity, stunning the Alpha.

—What the...? — Yaakov interrupts himself before continuing —. Wait a minute, Reiji. You're telling me they were able to break through all the defenses and peek into Magnus data? — he asks, without trying to hide the astonishment that was eating him up inside.

Reiji looks away, obviously embarrassed by the situation, for not having been able to stop him.

—Yes, boss — he finally admits in a whisper —. I really have no idea how they did it, but what seems even stranger to me is that they did absolutely nothing with it. As soon as they went into that folder, they came out. They didn't type any commands or check any of the sub-folders, they didn't copy any information... Nothing, they did absolutely nothing — he assures, twisting restlessly his fingers —. Maybe they were just trying to test their capabilities, leaving me in shame... — he finishes saying so quietly that the Alpha almost doesn't notice. Yaakov places his left hand on the Omega's right shoulder as a sign of support.

—We didn't count on something like this happening. For now, let's concentrate on solving this issue — he points to the screen before proceeding —. Look for all the information you have about Abelard Kirchner.

Reiji looks at him a bit puzzled and curious but proceeds to do as instructed. After a few seconds he finds a series of documents concerning the man and shows them to Yaakov on one of the monitors.

—Here it is, boss — moves aside so Yaakov can see better —. The organization has been meeting with Mr. Kirchner for the past four years, mostly in Germany, his home country. Although rumors say that he is establishing a base here in Russia, however, his exact location is unknown. Arms, transport vehicles and technological equipment have been exchanged with him — pauses for breath before moving on —. We are not on very friendly terms with him, after Mr. Magnus refused to collaborate on a human trafficking mission. Mr. Kirchner has refused to make further contact since — looks at the Alpha —. Claiming he wasn't willing to work with someone who thought was superior to everyone else.

Yaakov contemplates carefully the image reflected on the monitor. Abelard Kirchner was a tough old gangster. His crude and inflexible personality was recognized by many, and it was said in the streets that he was extremely envious of Alexei. Understandably, the Alpha had achieved much more in his thirty-eight years than the old man had at seventy-six.

—My informants have told me that hours before the embarkation, he left the country — and that was like a direct hit to his ribs. He didn't have much to go on, but his guts warned him he had something to do with the whole thing —. I think it's a rash gesture from him, he practically left his base here in Sochi in the skeleton. His followers vanished into thin air as well. No one from his clan was ever seen again.

He gets up from the chair, pulls out a cigarette from his jacket and lights it up, all under the watchful eye of Reiji, who is patient, because he knows well that Yaakov still has things planned for him.

—I want you to find out where and why the fuck he left, Reiji. And I need you to expose his dirty warehouse, with the filthiest secrets the fucker may have, as soon as possible — demands with severity.

—Yes, boss. Right away — he turns so fast in his chair that he almost falls to the floor while losing balance.

Yaakov leaves the control room with a sense of purpose wrapped around him from head to toe. He has nothing certain, but at least they had a specific direction with which they can work and that, sooner or later, will lead them to capture the very culprit of this mess.

He's about to go and check on Nikon again when he feels his phone vibrating in his trouser pocket. His whole body freezes, he hasn't heard from Alexei, but he does not doubt that by now the Alpha is aware of absolutely everything. With a deep and unstable breath, he checks the sender, but to his surprise, it was not who he feared.

—Boss, we've found one of Kirchner's gangsters — says Maxim on the other side of the line, one of the men he sent out to patrol the streets.

—Perfect, where are you? — he asks, picking up the pace.

—We're arriving at The Mansion right now. What shall we do with him, boss?

—Take him to the basement — hangs up and quickly heads for the underground level, where the facilities for interrogation and torture were located.

He smiles maliciously when he finally enters one of the rooms to discover Maxim, together with two men, holding a tied up fourth man by his arms, with his head wrapped in a black cloth to cover his visibility.

They put him in a chair, tie his hands behind his back and his legs to the base of the seat. Maxim checks Yaakov, which Yaakov acknowledges with an affirmative nod, and removes the cover from the son of a bitch so he can get the first look at what will be his home until he decides what to do with him after getting everything needed.

His eyelids are flapping, he's shaking, and a thin thread of blood is running down his nose. He was in a room with no furniture whatsoever, with a lamp over his head as the only source of light and the smell... That foul, disgusting stench of death.

When he noticed the Alpha standing in front of him, his eyes opened so wide in terror that he thought they were going to pop out of his sockets. Yaakov grins sideways.

—You seem to know who I am — not a question, more of a statement, but the guy nods anyway. Pleased, Yaakov puts his hands inside his trouser pockets.

He does not overlook the fact that he is still desperately trying to free himself from the bonds on his wrists and ankles, even though it is a useless effort. He had no escape, he was at the mercy of the men of the feared Alexei Magnus, his life was over.

He should run away like everyone else when he had the chance.

—Now, you and I are going to talk...