Chapter 7 : Suspicions

MARK'S POV

"Now, do you care to explain what you've been looking for in my territory before you lose your second ear?" I berated threateningly, signalling to my men to remove the cloth stuffed in his mouth.

He coughed out a huge amount of blood and choked hard. "You'll never find out who's behind this. He'll destroy you, regardless of how hard you fight. Trust me."

I was taken aback by his words. "Are you saying there's a bigger enemy?"

I waited for an answer, but the half-dead man kept his lips sealed. My patience was running out. If there was really a bigger enemy, that would explain how they got hold of the guns and ammunition worth billions. Cruz was rich, but compared to my wealth alone, he was just an average man.

"Cruz, let's negotiate" I offered, breaking the silence. He scoffed and looked away.

Regardless, I continued. "Let's make a deal, you tell me who the bigger boss is, and I'll give you a maximum of 48 hours to leave the country and never come back again."

He threw me a hard glare and gritted his teeth in suppressed rage. He was obviously weighing the options. Well, I had always been a man of my words. As long as the other party was honest, we wouldn't have problem till the deal is finalized.

"What do you say?" I questioned.

"Fine. I'll tell you" Cruz stated sharply, his forehead full of wrinkles. "But I need to see my travelling documents first, and we have to sign a contract."

"That's not a problem" I replied nonchalantly. I waved my hands, and Leo appeared with two files. I took it from him and waved it before Cruz's eyes.

I brought the papers out, saying,"Here is the one for the contract and the second file contains your travelling documents. I'm always prepared... One more thing, my men will be watching you till you board the plane in case you do something stupid."

"Huh... A deal is a deal. Besides, it's a matter of life and death. I'm not ready to die yet" Cruz fired back, breathing heavily. He had lost a lot of blood.

I turned to one of my men and gave an order.  "Get one of the nurses to come here and stop the bleeding. Tell her not to treat any infection. He won't be treated until he tells us the name of his boss."

My head snapped back to him. "Now, spill it out."

Cruz inhaled deeply. "His name is Daniel Flynn."

"What?!" I spat, finding his words hard to believe. "What are you saying? Flynn is a business partner mine, not a douchebag like you."

"Haha... The fool is worse than scum" Cruz snickered. "I really don't know how he managed to fool you, I'm surprised. He's been after your empire for months now."

I found his words difficult to believe, but then, memories of the time I had my suspicions flooded through my mind. Yes, I had seen a sign, but the money and plans he brought to the table made me push those signs aside.

Now, it seemed like I was going to have to think about our partnership again. I spared Leo a glance and he understood the situation immediately. As soon as he left, I signaled to my men to untie him.

"Don't forgot. 48 hours" I warned sternly. I turned and stepped out of the basement. I headed straight to my bedroom, and the fragile woman was still asleep on my bed. Well, I could focus on other things while waiting for her to wake up.

I headed straight to the living room. Ruiz was standing by the door, his hands trembling.

"What is it this time?" I queried.

Ruiz rubbed his sweaty palms together and sighed. "The plan didn't work. Miss. Victoria is still on her way, but in a different vehicle."

I frowned deeply. "How's that possible?"

"You're dad sent another car in replacement of the damaged one instead of summoning her back. I think he knows you tried to play him" Ruiz explained, scratching the back of his head.

I closed my eyes, tightening my eyelids and taking a deep breath. "It's alright. I'll sort things out myself" I declared, and walked towards the exit. I had other things to take care of.

I got straight to the garage, and as usual, the driver was on standby. We took the Maybach.

"To the Elite club" I declared, and Kyle started the ride.

Within 30 minutes, we got to the elite club. Guards were on standby to ensure my safety. They escorted me into the club and every occupants stood up to welcome me with respect.

Yes, the Elite club was my territory. I built solely for dealings in the underworld. Different gangs met here under the disguise of clubbing. Sometimes, only one party came out alive. The other party was either murdered or sold as slaves to other gangs. News never got out.

The Elite Club was the perfect place to deal with people like Flynn. I was sure Leo had everything under control, so I waited in my private room with guards everywhere.

An hour passed before the door creaked open, Leo walked in with another man behind him.

"Why is his assistant here?" I questioned, suppressing my anger.

Leo shook his head slowly and replied. "His assistant here claim he's on a business trip, and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Oh, I see...." I stated, smirking.

I gestured to the seat in front of me. "Make yourself comfortable, Mr...."

"Mr. Fedrick" He stated, and sat down.

I observed him for a moment before questioning, "When did your boss leave the country?"

"Last week" He replied, avoiding my gaze. That action of his fueled my suspicions.

I chuckled lowly. "How come I wasn't informed?"

"I don't know. It was an emergency, so he probably forgot" Fedrick shrugged. "You can call him and ask. I'm just an assistant."

"Oh, nice. Since you're his assistant, I'm sure you don't mind carrying his cross, do you?" I probed, giving him a knowing smile.