Chapter Fifteen

"Zliksay has arrived, sir," Rosia said with her usual elegant delivery. The only evidence of her unpleasant ordeal days earlier was a plaster on her left cheek.

When they had found her in the basement she had thankfully suffered only minor scrapes and bruises. In fact, when Vito had removed the tape that covered her mouth, her first words had been, "Two minutes later than expected, sir."

Vito had been slightly choked up at her belief in him coming to rescue her. It had taken him a second before he could mutter his apologies which she waved off airily. Rosia had been back to working the very next day, despite Vito assuring her she could get some rest.

"Thank you, Rosia," Vito said now. He had made it a habit to use her name ever since.

She gave him a bright smile and he returned one significantly lacking in comparison. As she disappeared from the doorway, Vito quickly hardened as a figure with a drooped back entered.

"I hope this is good news," Vito said.

"I believe so," Zliksay replied, walking until he was in front of Vito's desk, but opting to not sit. "As requested, I had my werewolves attempt to find Lafon's trail."

"I don't like the word attempt."

Zliksay nodded. "Perhaps it is misleading; their efforts were successful. They tracked him to the outskirts of District 34. He appears to have subjugated a village there, which I assume he uses as a base of operations. As you predicted, his full army doesn't seem to have arrived at the base yet."

"District 34 has villages within it?" Vito asked with a frown. He was realizing more and more how clueless he was about the operations of the other districts.

"Yes, their boss allows outsiders to set up camp as long as they stay on the outskirts. It isn't much different from your father allowing me to reside in the rogue lands."

"Which allows betrayal from a vulnerable location," Vito stated with a hard stare at him.

Zliksay dipped his head. "So it does."

Vito still hadn't let him off the hook, but he hadn't summoned the man to berate him either. "I want to task you with something the Crimson Tides should have done a long time ago: clearing out the rogue lands."

A look of pure shock surfaced on Zliksay's face. "Are you serious?" Vito didn't respond, but his expression filled the absence of his words. "There's an unknown amount of rogues in those lands. Numbers could range between fifty or a hundred more than that. Some will be crazed and ferocious beyond conscience. Not to mention, that's too much ground for us to reliably cover."

"Don't fret, Zliksay. I'll provide help for your conquest. Draven and his gang have already been notified of their role in assisting you."

Zliksay's expression changed. Suddenly, the task didn't seem as dangerous, yet his distress was replaced by a healthy heap of wariness. "Draven? I heard you recruited him, but you actually plan to let him out of your sight?"

"I've heard his mental state has improved."

The usually equanimous Zliksay scoffed. "Surely you don't believe rumors without proof," Vito gave him a look and he added on, "-boss."

"The rogue lands will be his proving grounds. If he can take care of some rogues while staying in control, I'll know he's capable of bearing some responsibility in the upcoming conflict."

"And what am I supposed to do if he does lose control?" Zliksay asked, his age evident in the sudden sharpening of his forehead creases.

Vito shrugged. "Defend yourself. If that means killing him, you won't be punished, don't worry." As Vito expected, his words did nothing to ease the worry lines on the older man's face. "Don't tell me you - with your experience and pack at your beck and call, is scared of a teenager."

Zliksay just stared without saying a word. He was much too experienced for the quip to hurt his ego, or to pretend fear wasn't warranted in some cases - as it was now.

Vito finally gave up on his game. "Given your trepidation, I'll also have Riza and her gang accompany you. If any circumstance does arise, I'm sure her gang of eighty will be serviceable."

Zliksay's expression remained pensive. Evidently he had realized that Vito always planned to involve Riza. Still, he gave a curt nod. "It should be."

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"That's all."

Vito watched as Zliksay shuffled toward the door. "And Zliksay?" he called. The man turned back slowly. "Given the situation with your pack...if you find any werewolves you deem worthy of joining your pack, feel free to act."

Zliksay smiled, whether only for show or not, Vito couldn't be sure. "Thank you."

Despite his words, he didn't blame Zliksay for his caution in dealing with Draven. If he was honest with himself, even his father had been prudent when it came to the mysterious teenager. He came to the district as a fourteen-year-old boy with twin swords at his side and quickly accumulated the reputation of a menace. He joined the Crayz Gang and quickly climbed the ladder until he was leader.

Vito's father, after hearing the rumors, went to see for himself and the boy had been oddly submissive, stating that he had no desire for trouble. He stayed true to his word, obeying the orders of the Crimson Tides over the years. Frankly, he seemed to act only out of a desire to have fun, rather than authority or respect.

Still, it was public knowledge that he had an inhumane temper on him. Witnesses referred to these moments as blackouts where every person or object was liable to be sliced in half. Vito had never seen one such instance, but he had seen the boy's swordsmanship a few times and he scarce hoped to ever witness such skill combined with fury.

It was also worth noting that his two swords were legendary weapons of unknown origin, even to the Crimson Tides.

An equipped maniac.

One who Vito now had the privilege of attempting to control. Still, he trusted the boy of uncertain sanity much more than he did the slimey Riza. He was eager to keep her occupied as much as possible.

Vito picked up the landline phone which was only capable of ringing Rosia's own landline. She picked up on the first ring. "Send for Valko."

It didn't take long for Valko to arrive. He entered smelling of morning alcohol, but his eyes were sharp as he observed Vito's expression. He smiled. "You called for me?"

Vito nodded, opting not to return his smile. "I wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

Valko paused, suddenly unsure of Vito's mood. "Understood, boss."

"I don't like relationships built on lies," Vito said.

Valko frowned. "Aye, I figure you wouldn't. Can't imagine many who would."

"I did some research into your background," Vito stated as a way of prompting the man's memory.

Ever since the shapeshifter incident, Valko had made it a habit of looking out for Bekah, and she had certainly made herself more accessible to him. Her expressions didn't expose her thoughts, but her eyes couldn't bear the weight of deceit, and Vito had seen how she looked at him now.

Since childhood, Jekah and Vito had been very critical of who hung around their sister. Their father had commanded it. She had plenty of intelligence to spare, but her love for romance books and movies had the ability to alter her perception of character in her quest for fictional camaraderie. There were plenty of suitors scared away in their youth that she had never even had knowledge of.

There was still a note of confusion in Valko's face before cold realization dawned a second later. He met Vito's probing eyes, then hung his head. "I had forgotten about my past deception."

"I wonder if this deception has been the norm."

"No!" Valko shouted before catching himself. "Sorry. It pained me to tell that one lie, all those years ago, but it was not without reason. I knew there was no chance of me being accepting from another district unless there were family ties. Thankfully, I knew someone who could create some false identification for a pretty penny. I just wanted to be apart of the Crimson Tides, boss. From the moment I heard of this gang, I thought it was my destiny."

"Destiny is a funny thing," Vito said quietly, thinking of his own. From a young age it was decided he would be the next boss, despite being the youngest, and the reality was he didn't have a say in it.

"Boss-" Valko began, but Vito held up a hand.

"You may not be some distant cousin, but it's clear you're apart of the Crimson Tides family, and that's all that matters." Relief washed over Valko's face at Vito's words. "I'll ignore this - think of it as an acknowledgement for being there for Bekah when she needed you. However, expect no further special treatment."

Valko didn't waste a beat. "I didn't expect any in the first place, boss. Was just doing my job. Would've done the same for any of us, be it you or your siblings or one of the boys down at the Tide."

A smile breached Vito's guard. It was refreshing to feel the sincerity in Valko's words after going so long speaking with those guarding their words as it were a battle.

"Very well, Valko. Very well."

Later at dinner, Vito relayed the location of Lafon's base of operations with his siblings and Hades.

Jekio's eye twitched slightly and he flashed his gold teeth.. "No more waiting, brother. You promised. That bastard pretty-boy needs to get his payment in full."

Vito smiled with a hint of bloodlust. "He'll get his dues. Very soon. With Zliksay, Draven and Riza clearing the forest of rogues, we'll have free rein to launch a sneak attack." Jekio's mouth opened and Vito made sure to cut him off. "Yes, a sneak attack. We are District 35, we don't play by the rules - why would we start now? To play into his hands? Our objective is victory," he glanced at Bekah, "his death. Not to be viewed as straight lined saints."

"I was going to say make sure Lafon falls at the hands of us."

Vito chuckled humorlessly. "I have a feeling that's what it will take."

"What do you think, Bekah?" Vito asked her.

She had a plaster on the bridge of her nose, which had indeed been broken. Ever since the incident, she had been more alert - perhaps a bit too much. She was jumpy and on edge. Vito imagined having someone catch you by surprise and almost succeed in capturing you didn't do well for your nerves, even days later.

"Do whatever you believe puts you three least at risk," Bekah said with a grim expression. She had been very on board with bringing the three extra gangs into the fray.

"I believe it's wise to consider that we don't know how far away Lafon's remaining army is," Hades commented. "It would be unwise to end up trapped in the middle of two forces after this sneak attack."

"Already took into consideration, Hades." A hungry grin creased Vito's face. "Let's just say, there will be two phases to this sneak attack."