I couldn't look away from the clock as it ticked and it tocked. The noise was almost therapy to my ears as I focused on the movement of the hand with every passing second, proving that time never stops. Even when it felt like it did, the hand was forever going... tick... tock.

The clock was the only thing I ever kept from my parents. It was always the perfect distraction for me throughout my childhood when there were a lot of things I wanted to ignore. From the screaming, crying, punching, and killing... all I had to do was look at the clock and peace would cover me like a warm blanket on a cold evening.

That's what I needed more than anything right now—peace.

There was a knock coming from my office door, but even that couldn't pull me away from whatever trance I was in.

"Saint," Rosalinda's voice called from the other side. When she got no response, she reluctantly opened the door. I could smell something tasty on whatever tray she brought in, but my full stomach didn't bother to care.

"I made lunch for both you and Reyna," she said, setting the tray down on the table in the center of my office. After a few minutes of silence, Rosalinda sighed.

"Adriano stopped by..." she stated, grasping my attention. My brows came together as I looked at the old woman. I didn't see it before, but there was a note in her hand. She walked over to my desk and sat it down in front of me. "...he told me to give this to you."

"I'll go check up on Reyna now. Did you need anything?" she questioned.

"No, but tell Reyna I need to speak with her immediately," I demanded.

Rosalinda nodded her head. I couldn't help but notice the judgment in her eyes as she looked at the glass on my desk. It was a shot of rum that I hadn't drunk. If it weren't for the clock, I would have downed it back along with three more shots by now.

"You seem stressed out a lot more than normal. How are things going with finding Viktor? Reyna has been of help, right?" Rosalinda asked. I raised a brow as I looked at her. It wasn't like her to be so interested in my business. If I hadn't known her since birth, I probably would have been suspicious of her behavior. However, she had gotten close to Reyna, so maybe she is concerned for her wellbeing.

"We still have some things to figure out," I said dismissively. She seemed to have taken the hint because she nodded her head and walked out of my office.

The moment she was gone, I opened the note and took in the familiarity of Adriano's writing.

Saint,

Even though I have left the field, I am still in this war. I have been gathering information to help you. Some of the things I have to say may be hard to believe, but I promise I have no reason to lie to you. Don't forget what Viktor has done to me. I want revenge just as much as you do. This is the only reason why I am still bothering to assist you, but just from afar.

I was at a bar, having a couple of drinks with people from the other mafia families, trying to get what I could out of them. It was only then that I stumbled upon Lily, our only link to Viktor, my ex-wife. My first reaction was to grab her and get some kind of confession out of her, but the man that walked up to her and kissed her on her cheek was the only thing that stopped me. He was wearing a hoodie for most of the night, so I couldn't really see him. They shared a few drinks and laughs before leaving, and I made sure to follow them.

I followed them to some small, worn-out house... just as he was about to take his hoodie off, they seemed to notice my car, so I had to leave before I was caught. However, I have the address in case you wanted to check the place out.

I am still keeping an eye on Lily. I will reach you if I discover more information on this.

Sincerely,

Your brother

I balled the note into my fist before throwing the paper away. It wouldn't hurt to bring Leo and a few other soldiers with me to search the place unless it was a setup. However, I doubt Adriano would do that.

Without a single knock, my door swung open and Reyna walked in with a stride I had never seen before. Usually, she would try to hide the natural sway of her hips, but now she flaunted it without the worry of judgment. She wasn't dressed like a supermodel, but I would definitely give her a second glance if I hadn't known her. Just by the way she holds her chin up and her unique beauty that couldn't help but grasp the attention of onlookers.

"Are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to tell me your plan on finding Giovanni?" she asked, raising a brow. I pretended to look disgusted, but the moment she turned away, I couldn't hide the smile that crept onto my face.

She sat down on the couch and reached for her laptop. I followed her with my eyes as she immediately began to go to work.

"Giovanni isn't in any immediate danger as of now, so we're holding off on getting him. Especially since he's helping you by pretending to be Red. Instead, I want you to look up everything you can on a house--4239 Woodpark. Find out who owns it, who wants the property, who lives currently lives on it, wh--"

"Done," she said unenthusiastically. She turned her screen over to me as she began to inform me about the property. "It was built in 1969 and sold to Alexius Popov who later died in 2008, leaving the home in his grandchildren's name... Lucille and Viktor Popov Jr."

I froze at the mention of Viktor's name. Is it possible that the man Adriano witnessed meeting with Lucy could possibly have been Viktor himself?

"Angel, look into Viktor Popov Jr and Sr. I want anything on either of them. Then, I want you to look into Alexius Popov as well as Lucille. I will be back very shortly, but I want information on all of them," I told her just before grabbing my suit jacket and walking out of the door without waiting for a reply.

Just as I walked out of my office, I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Leo's number. He answered almost immediately.

"Saint," he greeted.

"Where are you?" I asked immediately. Rosalinda watched me as I speed-walked past her and over to my car garage where I grabbed my keys. Hurriedly, I got into my vehicle and sped off.

"I just finished taking care of our Columbium shipment as you asked," he said. "Now, we're about to head to the bar to have a few drinks."

"I need you and whoever you are with to come to 4239 Woodpark as soon as possible. Don't ask questions just know that I need you there," I told him. Without waiting for a response, I hung up the phone and threw it somewhere on the passenger side so I could focus on the road.

My fingertips were tingling, and my brain was producing more dopamine than it ever had with alcohol. I was finally going to get Viktor Popov junior. I was going to know who his grandfather was, who his father was, and his sister. For once, I would be ahead of the man who stole everything from me. Not only that, but I had the person everyone wanted—Red. I win. Viktor loses.

*

After a thirty minute drive, I finally made it to the residence. It was small, and my guess white, but it must've turned brown over the years from collecting dirt, mold, and dust. I wondered what compelled Viktor to keep this place. It must mean something, or it must be hiding something.

After scanning the area, I took a step out of my vehicle, shutting my car door behind me. Sliding a pair of sunglasses on, I made my way up the walkway and to the front entrance. Just as expected, it was locked.

Luckily for me, the house was made out of old, fragile wood. I felt around for a certain spot and once I found it, I kicked the door, forcing it open. The sour smell of death and gasoline infiltrated my nostrils. Just as I took another step, a flame engulfed the entire front entrance. When I looked back, I could see a figure standing far away, and before I could make it out, thick smoke forced oxygen out of my lungs.

I had to get out.

The house had a window that wasn't too far. As I ran over to it, I couldn't help but pass by a picture frame. It was of a family. Despite the fire that was growing rapidly, I grabbed the picture frame and stuffed it into my pants.

There wasn't much time. I rushed over to the window where I tried to pull it open but it was locked. I looked around for everything—anything to break the window. When I looked behind me, I saw the flames growing closer and closer.

"Fuck!" I yelled.

Just as I was about to give up, the window was broken from the outside. When I glanced up, I saw Leo with his arm stretched out, ready for me to grab onto. I quickly latched onto him as he dragged me outside and away from the fire. The clean air was too much for me and I immediately hunched over and began to cough up a lung.

"Are you okay boss?" Leo asked.

I glanced up at him to see a few of my other men watching in worry.

"Go- go-," I tried to get out but my throat was dry. "Viktor... I saw... go over there!"

They nodded their heads in understanding and dispersed to look for the figure I could have sworn I saw. Leo placed his hand on my back before I harshly pushed it away.

Fuck this shit.

Either Adriano set me up—which I still doubt, or someone was definitely a rat. How could Viktor have known I was here at this specific time?

Viktor would never tell a soul about this house. It seems like the place he'd go to bury his deepest, darkest secrets. It could also be the only thing to reveal his true identity, so no one that works for him must know the location of this home. If I'm sure Adriano didn't set me up, the only person that knew about this house was Adriano, Lucille, Viktor, and me.

Maybe someone else read Adriano's letter before I could. The one person that had it was... Rosalinda...

And like a dumbass, I left her with Reyna.

—

Go check out my tiktok, I'm going to get a lot more active on there haha (amarieauthor).

Question: a lot happened this chapter, but what has surprised you the most?