It didn't take long for another sneezing crisis to start. But I wouldn't leave there until I was sure that the next meeting would have already ended. Suzane already knew of all my placements for the project "I would demand a lot of money and labor, we would need hiring urgently, both for the company and for the other factories that it extended throughout the country", and I did not need to be there to relocate everything on the agenda. The people who followed the first meeting could do that for me. I didn't want to think about work that day. And if it was my choice, I wouldn't even have left home to attend.Probably, if Suzane hadn't insisted so much for me to attend her, I wouldn't even have remembered any meeting. And I would certainly have ignored that blessed letter she stuck in my door in the five days off I took. I was missing more than working. At some very distant time "basically in my first years of work" I would have worried about losing my position on the board, and I would
Colton shook his head, and very slowly put himself down to lower it towards me, one of his hands rose to my face, and he slid his fingers along the contour of my mouth. He opened my lips, and I thanked him mentally for not vomiting before. His breath was fresh, but hot, an almost wild mixture of pepper and mint. I wanted to try it. I wondered why the hell I had never tasted it, if he seemed so willing to give me a dose of it so easily. I got up on my toes, getting so close to his face that our noses touched. I closed my eyes."So, how is this going to work, Lope? "He asked, his breath touching my mouth and ringing my senses. "What do you want from me?”"Nothing," I replied mechanically, but I wanted to say everything."Are you sure? "He questioned, sliding that hand on my waist to the base of my spine, just to pull me to meet him. The roughest touch woke me up. It was as if opening the gates of a very old and secret desire. It was as if the whole hell trembled when we realized the dam
My friends could be anything but un stylish. Hunter had his hair fastened by an elastic band, with the brown and silky locks well combed. He wore a smocking and a black dress shirt. And as much as the color was from his shoulders to his feet by the glossy shoes, he exuded an incredible kind of shine of his own. Suzane wore a dress also black, but black was definitely his color. The heavy and long hair was drooping in thick curls by the short and around the arms. And she looked like a queen without a crown. My friend didn't wear strong makeup, but not even the brown lipstick could erase all her grandeur and power. Together, Suzane and Hunter were heartbreakers, and I loved them deeply."You look beautiful, Suzy," I spoke in a malicious tone. Hunter snorted with a laugh. He kept saying that he should pay good dollars for Suzy and I to catch each other. (Of course he just joked; I would never have any kind of attraction to my best friend. I knew too many of Suzane's defects for that). An
"What's going on? "I read it in a low voice."It seems that some members of the Brotherhood who were infiltrated in the country were captured very close to the place of their father's arrest," Hunter reported, lowering his voice. "No one knows how they might have found the trail. Nobody really knows where Jon is. Even so, they were arrested and were also sent to different and distant prisons. Some say they can't even be in the country.”"And do the police have any suspects of revealing the place to the Brotherhood? “I screwed up.Suzane and Hunter looked at each other. They didn't have to tell the answer. I giggled softly, rolling my eyes. Anthony had followed this part of the conversation, and very surreptitiously watched me. For the first time, he seemed a little doubtful of my nature. And I couldn't blame him.The person who would have the most reason to make my father take over the Brotherhood again, could be me. I didn't want to carry the weight of that on my shoulders. Everythin
"Where did I overestimate myself? "Questioned Colton."I don't know, maybe the moment you thought I might be jealous of you," I went in a whispered voice. Colton giggled low, and didn't answer. He just raised the cup against his mouth, demonstrating an arrogance and arrogance that I doubted were natural reactions of his face. "And don't keep giving those stupid little smiles. You know very well that nothing could ever happen between us.”"So, if you like Mikaela, why let her marry me? "He replied, arching an eyebrow. "Why don't you just go to her and tell her to stop all this? Why do you try to make me feel bad about the way you two connect? Why do you think I'm going to feel bad, to start the conversation?”"I never knew if you would be affected or not so "I spoke in an innocent tone, Colton rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Colton. As far as I knew, you were fake boyfriends. It's not my fault if they decided that from one moment to the next they would become more than friends.”"You kn
I hugged myself at some point that night, I woke up feeling the presence of the only person who never abandoned me, myself. I got up, took a shower, chose a beautiful outfit and took advantage of the fact that it was a Sunday to visit Suzane. Or rather, to visit your husband and find out what my brother's notebook meant.Hunter was at least ten minutes away checking the spine, the cover, the lines, and the gritty handwriting that contained the middle of the notebook. Suzane was playing with the babies stuck in strollers, pushing them gently as she sat by the pool. Her husband didn't watch me with worries or fear when I handed the notebook and asked if he knew what it meant. At least Hunter never believed that I could become the new head of the Brotherhood. And I still didn't know if I considered it an affront or an insult.The night before, he was very willing to tell me what the police insisted on hiding me, and that seemed like a vote of confidence. Of course, he understood all kind
"Could you tell me if the other names also belong to my brother's inner circle? "I questioned, reopening the pages. "I did some research on the internet. I heard that most of these people are still alive. Others died of mysterious and natural causes. But I wonder why my brother would have this kind of thing without a greater reason than just a future blackmail. Because there's nothing written here. Nothing that can catch the attention of the police if the notebook fell into the wrong hands. No real proof, other than his writing, that these people may have had anything to do with the kidnapped boys. Why write their names in a notebook if you couldn't deliver them in the future?”"Because he never intended to deliver anyone, Penelope," Hunter said in a whining tone. "The night I met Suzane, your brother sent men to kill me. I should be on this list because I know too much information about the location of the Brotherhood. Today the police also know. And that was Saltuk's fear. He knew t
Hunter didn't notice the lie. He still kept for a long time talking about how the Brotherhood worked and what their motto was. Hunter only changed the subject when Suzane approached, because he didn't want to spoil that peace either. And it wouldn't be fair for me to do it.At least three times during the week, I should go to the gym where my physiotherapy sessions would take place. It was a place far from the city center, so I spent good minutes on the wheel until I got there. On the outside, it was just an ordinary gym, and it was necessary to open at least two doors at the end of the room to have access to the medical rooms I attended. My physiotherapist was a blonde and very tall woman, who could carry me with an ease that was almost absurd. I never knew if she had muscles below the white coat, I couldn't even feel it when she took me in her arms, but I thought it was funny how she could lift me up without effort.The activities were, in general, to regain my balance and strength
The nightclub was crowded that night.It wasn't difficult for that to happen, though. Everyone knew that that place was only filled with regulars by the numerous illicit activities that occurred between the parts illuminated only by the lights that flashed from time to time with colored kaleidoscopes. All the regulars ended their night with good debts in their pockets, enriching the owner of the place, who almost never mingled with those who used their establishment to hide their atrocities for money from the police and the rest of the world.That night, however, the owner of the establishment had left his room on the upper floor of the nightclub, and had taken the trouble to join two other men as arrogant and unnecessary in appearance as this first. All of them were being pampered by the women who worked at the nightclub, because the men allowed there were only the security guards and those who prepared the drinks.Women of all colors and ages walked back and forth in a few clothes.
"I would never sanctify my brother," I guaranteed in a cold tone, although I smiled. "I never told you exactly who Jonathan was, did I? “Osman shook his head, so I sighed. "Jonathan has always been very temperamental. Complicated to deal with. He never introduced us to girlfriends. At least, as far as I can remember. Then he came up dating Suzane Johnson, and at the time of dating, he was aggressive and abusive. He almost killed her, and when he couldn't, he made everyone go against her. The few who supported her made my father and brother pay. But those people had no idea that they ran an entire country. So, even when my brother was presumed dead, and even when my father lost his fortune, they continued to have power over each of us.”"We knew about Suzane Johnson," Osman confessed, watching the sun set on the horizon. "But we didn't know what she could have represented in Saltuk's life. As far as we understood, he was only connected to a woman from his past, and we all knew that he
"When that happens, and if it happens, I'll be ready "I spoke in a tone of triumph, opening a smile without showing my teeth. Aslan's hatred flashed in his eyes and he looked at me as if he were really looking into the eyes of a venomous snake. "You can come after me, because I will always be waiting for you or anyone from the Red Brotherhood. I don't need the police on my way, Aslan. I don't need to work for someone specific, I can take care of myself. I'm more than you think. I became something much bigger that night when you decided to take one of the best people in my life. That night, you determined that I would be your worst enemy. And here I am. I'm not a God. I'm not a ruler. I'm not a person who rose from the dead, as my brother claimed to be. I'm just the one who ended up with a Brotherhood that survived for decades. I am the one who goes after each one of you to condemn you. You will remember my name. You will know what I became that night. And when the day comes, you will
The little boy gave a wide smile, nodding with energy. I walked away from your house, feeling the looks of those poor and desperate people. Watching the children walking freely on dirty puddles and the countless elderly people who sneaked through the open doors of their wooden houses to see that group of foreigners marching away. An entire population that was hidden by the tyrants and dictators who thought they were the owners of their lives.At that moment I really understood my purpose to stay alive.The Red Brotherhood was like the barracks in which I was staying with the American army. The place was located in an open and isolated area, with no houses around, no factories or any impression that people could easily access. In fact, it was necessary for a small boat to travel through the waters of the river that crossed the city to reach that islet on which the barracks remained erected. While the boat in which Osman and I were cleared the waters of that river, with small droplets r
My brother got involved in it because of his thirst for revenge. He made Suzane and I get involved up to the neck in that whole story. I judged and condemned him for being part of a terrorist mafia. I never noticed that I did that to other people myself. And I had just repeated the story by dragging that family to the same bottom of the pit where I was. Not all the excuses in the world would be enough to explain what I was putting them in.“What does your necklace mean? "Asked the little boy named Can. I took a look down. Lately I only remembered the pendant when I imagined that the police would be aware of each of my steps by the little tracker they arrested there. I almost didn't remember that I got it exactly on the last night of Mikaela Johnson's life. I divated for so long that the little boy even thought I wouldn't answer anymore. "I don't want to sound uneducate. I thought you knew about altın yılan's tale.”"The tale of what? "I questioned in a low voice. The boy's father was
The little boy translated, and at this point one of the young people on the couch became more rigid, as if the mention of the police aroused some peculiar kind of interest among them. Perhaps the word in its translation was something that demonstrated authority, and not a specific position. And that they could be understanding that people of a very special and powerful nature could have taken me to their country. The chance for them to think that I could be something worse than the Brotherhood was very great. I took a deep breath to avoid stuttering when I needed to talk again. The little boy finished translating and was silent. It was the lady closest to the arm of the couch who said a few words to him."They want to know what our people need," said the little boy, so he interrupted, because his grandmother kept talking and pointing to the space on the roof. Would they really be so bothered just because I fell? I wonder if they didn't understand that for that, I would have to have a
"Do you think you can reach the next window? "Murmured Osman, his voice sounding no more than a warm breeze against the cold wind. I nodded, but I hesitated. “Great. Remember the training on the climbing wall. Imagine that you are still using the safety equipment. Imagine that there is a mattress down there, waiting for the moment when you will fall. Everything will be fine, Penelope. Just jump. I'll be here if something goes wrong. I promise to pull you.”“Miss Maxwell? "He called Aslan once again, with a note of laughter in his voice. He knocked on the door, with such a slow movement that I knew very well that he was having fun with the situation. Of course he loved that game. I had learned from my father and my brother. The only one who seemed less aware of how to play like that was myself. "I need to say that it doesn't matter where you are. We'll be there. Everyone in this city respects us. Everyone knows that the Brotherhood rewards its allies and torments its enemies. Even if y
"I had to learn everything again after my accident," I said in a low voice. "I had to learn to breathe, walk, talk, and move. So that must have been why the training with the police was better to do. I'm still learning, but the difference is huge. I really feel like a person prepared for any situation. From an extreme cold to an endless race. Even though I have to depend on the firecracker for almost everything, I'm still better than I was in basic activities. Not to mention that my reflexes are much better now. So he was right. It's easier to learn everything when you've forgotten how to do it. That must be why they considered my brother as a God. It was not because he came back from the dead, but because he reached a level of lethality that no one alive has achieved. But I did it. And I think that's exactly what they expected me to do.”"Perhaps, but in relation to the children and his brother, it's all true," Osman said, nodding absent-mindedly. He let out another heavy sigh. "Ther
The arrogance of the leader name of the Brotherhood would be his downfall. He never thought that the police would appear, even more so in large quantities. He never thought that a simple auction "which always took place on days of the week known to people" would cause the police to invade the place. Of course, it would not take long for his sources to inform him of what happened, but, by then, hopefully we would have released the kidnapped children. Aslan had no chance. And worst of all, he left his soldiers and friends, or brothers as they were called, alone. He didn't set up an escort outside to see if they would be okay. He didn't send people to watch the sales and make sure nothing went wrong. He left the people who trusted him the most without any protection. And the strangest thing about all this is that they still remained faithful to that rotten Brotherhood.The police easily surrendered the members of the Brotherhood in that hall, and managed to arrest all the rich who were w