<>>< A couple of weeks later ><<> DECEMBER <><<><
Early in the morning, Tadeus asks one of his men to take him to the Singer mansion. He meets Gustaph at the entrance and gives him a look to signal that he should distract Edwin while he speaks with Yenedith.
— It's always a pleasure to see you here, Tadeus — Elena says when she sees them walk through the door — Gustaph, welcome.
— Thanks, Elena. Is my father here?
— If you'll allow me, I need to speak with him first about an important matter — says Gustaph. Elena nods in agreement.
— Sure — says Tadeus, heading toward his sister's room — Knock, knock.
— I don't want to see you — says Yenedith from inside the room.
— Do you expect me to apologize? — Tadeus asks after stepping through the door. He closes it behind him and sits on the edge of the bed. Yenedith keeps her eyes on a magazine, which Tadeus snatches from her — We're finally getting out of here — he whispers.
— Where's Charles?
— He can't go with you; I can't risk him telling Edwin about our plan.
Yenedith exhales sharply and reaches for her magazine again. — Listen to me carefully — says, taking his sister's arm — This weekend, you'll travel to Italy and then take a train from Milan to Zurich.
— What are you talking about?
— We've already earned his trust. He let you go to Greece and didn't mind that we were together, even though we could have run away.
— I went because Elena insisted I do her a favor.
— What kind of favor? — asks Tadeus. Yenedith explains to her brother the whole process she had to go through to wire the money — After I warned you! I told you not to get involved in any of their business, Yen!
— I'm sorry, I was desperate to get out of this house! All I do is go from the office here and back to the office. I didn't think it was that bad, but my conscience… I knew it wasn't just a simple transfer.
— Well, it won't matter anymore if we're not here — He strokes the side of her arms and kisses her on the cheek — Just stay calm. Say there's a problem with the models in Greece and you're traveling to Italy from there.
— What about Gem's case?
— My men are still pushing to speed up the process, but everything has its limits.
— Okay, thanks — she nods.
— If you'll excuse me…— Elena says, peeking through the door — Tadeus, your father needs you.
— Of course — He squeezes his sister's hand before leaving.
— Prodigal son — Edwin says — Take a seat.
Tadeus looks around before sitting down in front of the White Coyote's desk. The senator is nowhere to be seen — Gustaph tells me that the Turk hooked you up with the Scottish mafia. Is that true?
— It seems he can't keep anything for himself. It's nothing; I don't have anything guaranteed — says Tadeus, at which Edwin smiles.
— What do you gain by hiding things from me? You've made me proud; you've managed to increase profits by forty percent this year.
— Well, I'll talk to Mitchell; I'll push him if that's what you want.
— What do you think about the Frenchman?
— He can go to hell. I thought the worms would have eaten him by now.
— I see — says Edwin. He glances at one of his bodyguards and makes a gesture. After a few seconds, the man returns with a wooden box painted blue with gold rose details in relief, carved from the same wood. The man places it on the table. — It's just a gift, to make you reconsider.
Tadeus opens the wooden box and feels his heart wring as he meets his grandmother's blue eyes staring straight at him. The chill running through his whole body makes his eyes fill with tears in an instant, and he gently closes the box before looking up at his father — I figured she didn't need them because she was already blind. She couldn't tell colors apart anymore. Did you know that? — Tadeus' hand trembles as he tries to pick up the tickets lying next to the box. — I see you've made up your mind — says Edwin. Tadeus keeps his eyes down, fixed on the box — I wish you could stay for dinner.
He grimaces at the comment, unable to breathe. He gets up from the table and quickly turns toward the exit so he doesn't have to look anyone in the face.
— Where are you going? — the woman asks as she passes him.
– I'm not in the mood, Elena — Tadeus mutters.
— What's wrong with him? — she asks her husband — You said you were going to make an effort to be nice to him.
— Sometimes he doesn't want to listen, and I have to push him a little. Come on, sit down and eat.
— The money from the clubs has already been collected, my love. The mules are ready to take the merchandise — Elena says, to which Edwin nods — There are only two safe routes. When will we be able to expand into France?
— My son will take care of that. Let's just hope the cut we gave the DEA to get one of our guys released was enough.
— If you want, I can make sure some of them aren't a hindrance anymore, honey.
— No, let's just focus on the Greeks and the French for now — says Edwin, bringing the conversation to an end.
By the time Tadeus reaches the entrance, a van with a couple of men is waiting to take him to the airport. Next to his seat, he finds a suitcase containing false documents, a photo, and some new clothes.
Come nightfall, Tadeus finds himself in a luxurious hotel. When he checks in at the front desk, simply by showing the fake ID, he receives the key to room 609, to which he goes up in the elevator, escorted all the way to the door. Upon entering, the first thing he sees is a huge window with the curtains open, letting a cool breeze into the room. And the man is in the left corner pouring a drink. — Welcome — the man says. He looks younger than in the photo; he appears to be in his mid-forties — My name is…
— No names. I don't want to know — Tadeus says with the heart in his throat. He has a gun hidden in his ankle, but there's no way he can make a quick move if the man is watching him directly.
— I get it, but you can call me Jade — he says, taking off his glasses.
Tadeus stands there silently, not moving an inch — Come on, sit down — he says, pointing to the bed. The man follows him and gives him a gentle push on the chest to get him to sit down — I couldn't get close to you before — He kneels in front of Tadeus. He unties his shoelaces, takes off his shoes, and works his way down to his socks, where he spots the gun after pulling his pants up a little higher — Is it common for you to bring guns to your dates? — Jade asks — Well, I guess it's for safety…
He sets the gun on one of the nightstands and continues unbuttoning Tadeus' pants before sliding them off his legs — Just as I imagined, you're hairless — he remarks with a smile — Take off your shirt.
Tadeus watches him untie his tie and unbutton his shirt, then strip off the white undershirt covering his hairy chest. Before taking off his own, he notices that this man is well-built, with muscles surely honed through some sport or at the gym.
When Jade pulls down his pants, Tadeus can see that his member is already hard beneath his underwear, and he turns his face away just in time so as not to see him completely naked.
A strong sense of guilt tightens Tadeus' throat, and suddenly he remembers Alexander's face.
Jade moves closer to him and begins kissing his face — No kissing — Tadeus leans back a little further when Jade reaches the corner of his mouth.
— Got it — the man replies, biting his shoulder which makes Tadeus let out a moan — Let's get down to business — he says, pulling the underwear down to his ankles.
Jade steps back to the edge of the bed to grab his tie, and Tadeus uses that moment to turn around with the stomach down. The man proceeds to tie Tadeus' wrists together. Then, he covers the mouth with another piece of fabric he pulls from a nightstand. With a single movement, he flips Tadeus onto his back and pushes him further up the bed, causing his arms to drop slightly as his wrists hit the headboard. — Keep your hands up — Jade scolds, and Tadeus obeys. This time, he bites around his left nipple before licking it. Then, Jade takes some lubricant to apply to his member and inside his partner. Tadeus' eyes well up slightly with tears, but he manages to keep them from spilling over by breathing deeply.
After this, Jade inserts his penis and takes pleasure in it while Tadeo avoids looking him in the face.
"I want to be the only one you make love to," Alexander's voice echoes in his mind. "So is being with me still just a job?"
He snaps back to reality when the man decides to ejaculate on his chest. Jade grabs him by the arms to sit him down and unties his wrists. — I'll talk to your pimp first thing in the morning. You can go now — he tells him as he removes the gag from his mouth.