Just a quick note guys and girls; in this chapter, Boris meets with the thuggish characters while Vasili is in the mansion. This is a very plot moving chapter so if anyone’s confused on the time span, just send me a message ; )

Chapter XVII: Cornered – Part II

The alleyway was a mess, littered with torn waste bags and broken crates. Graffiti lined the dirty walls of derelict apartments and neglected cats roamed the area, searching hungrily for any scraps of food.

Boris had lived in Moscow for the majority of his life. A few odd years had been spent travelling and staying at hotels abroad back in his days as a scientist and business man attending international conventions. All in all, he knew his home city like the back of his hand. He knew the upper class areas, and he knew the slum areas.

This was most definitely one of the dodgier districts in Moscow.

The smell of cigarettes and cheap vodka wafted through the air. The disguised Russian smiled a grim smile. This location was perfect for coming across lost, confused and desperate souls.

He stepped over a fallen cardboard box, and approached a group of four men who sat on empty crates. One of the men was short and relatively young, sporting a blond skinhead. He was very thin, and held a green vodka bottle in his left hand.

Next to him was an older man with messy, curly black hair that looked as though it hadn’t been washed in ages. He puffed on a Cuban-style cigar, his nails green and full of grime.

The third man was older still, looking to be in his early forties. He was dressed in many layers, making him appear deceptively burly in build. Stubble lined his jaw and his pale blue eyes looked washed out and tired. Like the youngest of the group, he held a vodka bottle in his hand, and now raised it to his chapped lips, gulping the liquid poison down.

The final man of the group had light brown hair, which was streaked with early greys. He appeared to be in his mid thirties. He looked grimy and homeless; Boris guessed all four men were penniless and had no place to call their own.

The young blond raised his head as he detected a new presence to their left.

‘Oi, oi, come to join us comrade?’ He slurred, raising his half-empty bottle. Boris noted various other, empty and cracked bottles littering the uneven ground.

‘Can’t you see the way he is dressed, Anton?’ The light brown haired man replied in a tired, hoarse voice. ‘He’s one of those elite.’

‘You mean the bastards who spit on us folk?’ The oldest man asked bitterly.

‘That’s it.’ The black haired man agreed. ‘He’s decided to humble us all with his presence.’

‘On the contrary.’ Boris replied smoothly. ‘The honour is entirely mine - if I may?’

The blond, Anton, snorted. ‘We don’t have enough vodka to share.’

‘We are not charity cases, so be gone.’ The oldest said rudely.

Boris was undeterred.

‘Now, gentlemen, I assure you that I am not here to intrude on your solitude.’

‘Well you damn well are intruding.’ The light brown haired man retorted.

‘Get out of here or I’ll make good use of these broken bottles on the ground.’ The oldest man threatened.

Boris remained unfazed.

‘I merely wish to talk; to offer you a proposition, if you would care to listen.’

‘Ah, Pavel, make him go away.’ The curly-haired man said to the oldest and most menacing member.

‘His voice is irritating me, too.’ The light brown haired man muttered.

‘I bet he’s another one of those rehab support workers.’ The youngest guessed in a muddled voice.

Realising his polite approach was getting him nowhere Boris decided to cut to the chase.

‘I assure you I am no such kind of person. Quite the opposite; you are free to drink as much as you like; but is it not the most satisfying when you have a great cause to celebrate?’

‘Hahahahahah!’ Anton cackled. ‘I haven’t had anything to celebrate – not since getting kicked out of school!’

The oldest man got up, looking like he had been pushed to the limits of his patience.

‘I’ll shut you up for good – then we can celebrate!’

‘Yeah!’ His friends agreed enthusiastically, raising their bottles.

Boris held up a hand, not in the slightest bit afraid. He was a master of manipulation and cunning, and he had been in similar situations many times before.

‘You have no homes, and no money – am I correct?’

They grew angry at that.

‘Are you laughing at us?’ Pavel demanded, picking up an alarmingly large shard of broken glass. ‘That is a big mistake!’

‘Get him, get him!’ Anton urged.

‘What if you could have both?’ The former Abbey coach continued. ‘What if I were to tell you that you could become very wealthy – very quickly?’

‘Stop your lies!’ The curly haired man snapped. ‘You have mocked us enough!’

‘This is no lie, neither is it a jest of any kind. I have come here to negotiate a deal that I believe will be beneficial to us all.’

‘I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you.’ Pavel snarled.

‘Then you are throwing away an excellent opportunity. If I walk away now, you will have squandered the chance to transform your miserable lives forever.’ The disguised Russian man replied.

‘Who says we’re gonna let you walk away, foolish man?’ The burly looking man enquired gruffly.

‘You tell him, Matysh.’ Anton agreed.

Boris smiled slightly.

‘I will be frank with you, gentlemen. Your current living conditions are...let us say, less than agreeable. I am offering you money, and a chance to escape this endless downward spiral in which you find yourselves trapped. Is this what you wish to do for the end of your days; to gather here and drown your sorrows with a numbing poison that is slowly but surely wasting you all away?’

The light brown haired man shifted uncomfortably.

‘You expect us to agree?’ Pavel, who was clearly the most intelligent of the group demanded. ‘You are a stranger, showing up out of nowhere. Who are you to come to us?’

‘Who I am is not of importance. What is of significance is what I can offer you.’ Boris replied.

‘Are you some kind of undercover agent for the government or police force?’ Matysh asked, looking at Boris suspiciously.

This earned a bitter laugh from the tall man.

‘You have my word, I am not – I am very much society’s throwaway – I suppose, as difficult as it is to believe, we are much the same in that sense.’

‘You sure don’t dress like one.’ Anton remarked.

‘Quiet.’ The light brown haired man snapped at him.

‘Tolya, are you actually listening to him?’ Anton drawled. ‘You’re stupid, man.’

The light brown haired man glared at him in response.

Tolya, Matysh, Anton and Pavel. Boris made a silent note of their names.

‘What do you want?’ Pavel demanded next. ‘Why have you come to us?’

‘I need certain tasks to be completed for me. In return, I will reward you handsomely.’

‘Tasks? What kind of tasks?’

‘Heh heh he’s asking us to be his dogs.’ Anton chuckled drunkenly.

‘I’m nobody’s dog.’ Pavel snarled, brandishing the glass threateningly. ‘This is your last warning!’

In response, Boris dug a gloved hand into his left pocket and produced a small brown pouch. He tossed it across to Matysh, who, in his surprise, barely caught it in time. The man felt the weight in his palm and looked at Boris, and then his comrades.

‘This...is...?’

‘Just a small welcoming token, should you wish to board the ship.’ The former scientist answered.

‘You want us to board a ship?’ Anton frowned confusedly.

Boris resisted the great urge to roll his eyes. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that the young blond had the intelligence quota of a fish.

‘It is a figure of speech.’ The Russian man replied matter-of-factly.

Matysh opened the pouch and his eyes widened at the solid coins within. Even Pavel’s attention had been caught as he regarded the shiny money that his friend held in his hand.

They were desperate men.

Boris produced another pouch and threw it at Pavel. The man’s anger had faltered and his aggressive body language disappeared completely as he opened the pouch to find jewellery and precious stones.

Anton had fallen silent, gaping at the treasures his friends held. He wanted some.

‘Now gentlemen,’ Boris said smoothly, ‘May we talk?’

Kenjiro frowned down at the paperwork, confused by the contradicting figures. Had this amount truly been billed from Kai’s account? How could it be so, when he hadn’t even been aware?

His conversation with the delivery man hadn’t shed much light on the situation. The man had seemed confused, merely offering him the papers and stating that it would be for the best if Kenjiro went to settle the matter directly with the bank.

The delivery man, Mr. Demidov, had since departed, and Kenjiro was left in a predicament. Was it indeed possible that Kai had ordered the item without consulting him first? The accountant found it unlikely; it was his task to keep track of all transactions, and if Kai acted without his knowledge, it only served to make his task more difficult.

The accountant wondered if it was best to resolve the situation before the lord of the manor returned, or to await Kai’s return.

‘Move over, I’m gonna beat you all!’ Ian announced, as he joined Bryan and Spencer in the large storage room.

Bryan snorted at his younger friend. ‘You’re out of practice. I doubt it.’

Spencer was kinder, and made way for the shorter boy.

‘Give him a chance, Bryan.’

‘What’s the point? He’ll probably be put in reserve like he would’ve been last time around.’ The silver-haired teen muttered.

‘Hah, that’s where you’re wrong!’ Ian retorted triumphantly, pointing a gloved finger at the older youth. ‘See, Tala just told me that I’m blading in the first game of the preliminary qualifiers!’ He wrinkled his nose in distaste. ‘He said you’d be blading too, but I don’t need you, Bryan. You’d just slow me down!’

Bryan stared at him incredulously. ‘Tala said what?’

‘Yeah, that’s right! I’m in on the action this time too. Tala promised! So you better show some respect!’

Spencer was smiling, shaking his head. He was glad to have their youngest member back on board. Ian had waited a long time to blade in another professional tournament.

‘Where’s Tala?’ Bryan said. Their captain hadn’t informed him of any plans for the preliminaries yet.

‘Oh, outside with Kai.’ Ian waved a hand.

‘Kai?’

‘Yeah.’ Ian blinked, and then sniggered. ‘Boy, are you gonna blow a fuse when you find out.’

‘Find out what?’

‘Kai’s in.’ Tala’s smooth voice replied from the doorway. Behind him, said individual stood with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his trench coach. He looked as nonchalant as ever.

Bryan stared at the red-head, a shocked look on his usually unreadable face. Spencer was equally as silent, though his reservations about Kai were not as great as his life-long friend’s.

‘What...?’ Bryan managed at length. At the silence that greeted him, he cast an incredulous look at Kai.

‘Tala...’ Spencer coughed uncomfortably. ‘Uh...are you sure you’ve thought this through?’

‘Positive.’ Tala replied, and walked into the room, stopping by the beginning of the training course. Kai remained in the doorway, unmoving, silent.

Ian was looking from Bryan to Kai with an expectant look on his face. It was always good entertainment when the two clashed.

Sure enough, Bryan exploded.

‘After everything he pulled off last time?!’ He demanded. ‘Are you crazy, or just stupid, Tala?’

Tala shot him a sharp, warning look.

‘Things have changed, Bryan.’ He stated evenly.

‘Give me a break! He’ll never change! Isn’t it enough that he screwed us over twice in succession?!’

‘Bryan-’ Tala began, but the older boy was raging on.

‘When it comes to beyblading, we can’t trust him!’ Bryan didn’t trust Kai whatever the situation, but at least Voltaire’s grandson was significantly less likely to mess things up with his deviant behaviour away from the beydish.

‘Man, what’s the big deal anyway?’ Ian put in boredly. ‘If he screws up again, we’ll just kick him out! He can’t participate in the tournament without a team.’

Kai’s eyes rose and fixed on Ian. Nobody kicked him out. But he remained quiet.

‘Then let him go back to his precious Bladebreaker friends!’ Bryan spat.

Tala snorted. ‘Come on, Bryan. Everybody knows the Bladebreakers don’t exist anymore. Ray and Max will join their home teams again. That just leaves Tyson and Daichi.’

‘We didn’t win the last time he was on the team. We don’t need him, Tala!’

Kai’s eyes narrowed. He had absolutely no intention to abandon the team this time around. He had grown up, matured; he would blade honestly this time. Tala was right about things being different; most of all for the slate-haired teen.

He finally broke his silence.

‘You don’t stand a chance against Tyson without me.’ He stated bluntly.

Spencer shifted uncomfortably on his feet. As reluctant as he was to admit it, it was the truth. It always had been.

‘We’ll try our luck.’ Bryan snarled back at him. They locked gazes, the tension between them crackling in the air like invisible electricity.

‘Think about it.’ Tala said to the fuming youth. ‘If we face Tyson’s team early on in the competition like we did last time – wouldn’t you rather we had someone on the team who’s familiar with his strategies?’

‘A shit load of good that did for us the last time around!’ Bryan snapped at the red-head. ‘He threw his match against Daichi!’

‘That’s not going to happen again.’ Tala replied, glancing back at Kai. ‘Right, Kai?’

Kai merely closed his eyes and grunted.

‘Hn.’

Spencer sighed. Things sure became more interesting when Kai was on the team, but they also became significantly more dangerous and unpredictable. He never confronted the slate-haired teenager for Tala’s sake, because he knew Tala preferred to deal with Kai in his own way. Still, he was wary of Kai for betraying them by joining Boris’s team during the BEGA tournament, even after all the noble things he had done to make up for it.

‘Geez.’ Ian remarked. ‘Just accept it Bryan. Tala said we’re all going to take turns when it comes to bey battles, so it’s not like Kai’s going to be blading every match. No way will he get all the glory this time.’

‘You weren’t there!’ Bryan snapped at the shorter boy. ‘You didn’t see him walk right by us after Garland knocked Tala unconscious! He’s never truly been one of us!’

Kai felt a sharp twinge of regret deep within his chest; his actions had been stupid and selfish, and he never liked to remember them. In front of him, Tala was feeling the same discomfort at the unpleasant memory.

‘Yeah, but didn’t he like sacrifice Dranzer to make it alright again?’ Ian put in, very unhelpfully for Bryan. ‘It was all over the papers here. You guys should’ve seen it.’

‘Whatever! The end didn’t justify the means!’

‘Bryan, I don’t think Tala’s going to change his mind.’ Spencer told his friend. ‘If Kai pulls anything, we’ll hold him responsible.’

‘Right.’ Tala nodded. ‘So enough already, Bryan.’

‘If he’s in, I’m out!’ Bryan barked, and made to move toward the door. A hurtling beyblade stopped him, forcing him to dive out of its path. Spencer glanced at Kai, who had launched Dranzer and was glaring very openly at Bryan.

Ian wished he had popcorn. Things were getting interesting.

Kai moved forward, and Dranzer continued to circle around Bryan in a vicious circle. The faster it travelled, the more sparks it produced.

Ian, Spencer and Tala watched, impressed, as the sparks gave way to a blaze of glorious flame that trail blazed around where the silver-haired young man stood. At Kai’s command, the fire did not spread, instead remaining concentrated along its rotating path.

‘You’re a coward.’ Kai dead-panned. He had grown sick of Bryan’s confrontations. A tinge of amber was visible in his amethyst depths as he glared at Bryan.

Bryan was furious. Dranzer spun too quickly for him to step over the circle of flame, so he was forced to stand in place.

‘What did you call me?’ He challenged.

‘You heard.’

Tala rolled his eyes. Here they went again. This time, he decided to leave it to Kai to justify his place on the team.

‘You have some nerve.’ Bryan snarled, whipping out Falborg and aiming it right at Kai. ‘You’re the one who doesn’t have the guts to admit that you’re a traitor!’

Kai gritted his teeth, knowing he had to do something uncharacteristic to swing the advantage away from Bryan.

So with great difficultly, he uttered something that he swore he would never again repeat out loud.

‘I was.’

He could feel Tala’s shocked eyes on him. Kai, admitting it out loud? The Hiwatari heir guessed it had to sound pretty remarkable.

Spencer and Ian’s expressions reflected equal measures of surprise.

‘Would you look at that.’ Ian commented at length, sniggering. ‘Mr. Ego isn’t so faultless after all. Can’t ask for more than that, Bry.’

Before Bryan could open his mouth and throw out a response, Kai was following up his words.

‘Nearly two years on and you’re still living in the past. If I hadn’t defected in Moscow four years ago, where would you be now, Bryan? What would you be?’

Ian was gawking over the fact that Kai seemingly possessed the ability to utter a full two sentences spanning more than four words maximum after all.

‘Don’t give me that!’ Bryan hissed, but the response held less ground than his previous arguments. The flames receded as Kai recalled his beyblade, but Bryan remained in his place.

‘He’s right, Bryan.’ Tala finally put in. ‘Think past your prejudice and accept the facts. In both cases, Kai’s defection resulted in more benefits than drawbacks.’

‘Do you call you being in a coma a mere drawback?!’ Bryan exclaimed.

Tala frowned, and then glanced at Kai. He thought, a moment, before looking back to Bryan.

‘His actions inspired Tyson to victory, and Boris got what he deserved. What else matters?’

Bryan was seething.

‘I know you all dislike him-’

Ian snorted. ‘Yeah, he’s an asshole alright.’

Tala, who agreed with the remark wholeheartedly, continued, ‘-but at least call a truce for the sake of the tournament. A bickering team is a losing one. We can’t afford to lose again. Like it or not – we need to reclaim our previous ranking as number one team, and we need Kai to do it.’

Spencer sighed. ‘If this is what you really want Tala, I’ll go along with it.’ He glanced at Kai and a threatening look surfaced. He was not the confrontational kind unless he needed to be, but now he felt it necessary to let Kai know where he stood.

‘Kai, if you do anything to jeopardise any of us again, I won’t stand back and just allow it this time.’ He said pointedly.

Kai gave no response, other than brief eye-contact that silently conveyed that he had heard the statement.

Ian was impressed by Spencer’s uncharacteristic display of assertiveness. Inspired, he addressed Kai also.

‘Sure, I’ll give you a third chance, but if we don’t win this time around it’s your royal ass that’ll be on the line!’ He then turned away, preparing to train.

Bryan was still visibly furious. But instead of following up his argument, he simply lowered his bey launcher and abruptly turned his back to Kai, joining Ian in training. His silence indicated that he would let the matter go – if only for now.

Tala let out a silent breath of relief. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but he was determined to make the team-formation work.

‘Alright.’ He said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. ‘We’ll train for an hour then we can discuss strategy. Ian, you run Wyborg through the obstacle course first.’

‘Ah. So this is the elusive little financial aide.’ Boris exclaimed, chuckling to himself as he regarded the photograph captured on the mobile phone before him.

Vasili had sent him the photograph by SMS and was now stationed outside the Hiwatari mansion, keeping watch until the financial advisor emerged to check on Kai’s accounts.

Boris’s eyes lowered to the caption beneath the photo.

Kenjiro Nakamura.

A smug smile graced his lips. Vasili had proved to be quite the useful underling.

Grabbing his coat, Boris rose from the bed and exited his hotel room. He had to move quickly if he wanted his plan to work without a hitch.

Vasili peered around the tree. Still nothing.

After leaving the mansion, he had walked down the street until he had found a big, sheltering tree in an area which the security cameras did not monitor. It was quite a distance away from the front gates of the resplendent property but still afforded a view of anybody entering or exiting.

He had been waiting for half an hour now. Silently he prayed that the financial aide would appear and make his expected journey to Russia’s central bank.

The advisor had made the mistake of muttering the identity of the bank in his confusion. Vasili had picked up on it, and had hurried out of the mansion, feeling horribly guilty and terribly relieved all at once. He had been afraid that Kai would return home at any second, but his luck had somehow held out.

It had been a struggle to capture the shot of the aide without the man realising and he had nearly been caught on several attempts. Finally, he had managed to snap a picture while the aide, who Vasili had discovered was named Kenjiro Nakamura, had looked over the false and confusing paperwork that had been handed to him.

On his exit, he had reported all the details of his visit to the Hiwatari mansion to Boris, who had listened intently, interrupting only when he had questions that required answers.

Boris had then instructed him to wait until Mr. Nakamura left the grounds, and to notify him the moment he did. After doing this, he would be free to return home until the former BEGA director contacted him again.

Vasili rubbed his cold hands together in a miserable attempt to warm them. He peered around the great tree trunk again.

Still no sign.

[One and a half hours later]

‘What if that weirdo doesn’t pay up?’ Anton asked, having sobered slightly since their previous encounter with the strange man one and a half hours earlier. The sun had set and the temperature had dropped.

‘He gave us these pouches to keep. He’ll pay up.’ Pavlev replied.

‘If anybody has any doubts, now’s the time to walk away.’ Tolya stated. ‘No cowards are permitted on this mission!’

‘Walk away then.’ Anton taunted.

‘I’ll slice off that tongue of yours one of these days.’ Tolya threatened the young man.

‘Quiet.’ Palev snapped.

Matysh glanced at their self-appointed leader. ‘So we just wait here for him to give us the photograph of the man?’

‘That was the agreed plan.’ Pavlev replied.

‘So we’re going to split the money four ways aren’t we?’ Anton asked. ‘I mean – equal amounts and all?’

‘No.’ Tolya retorted. ‘You’ll get least for being the most stupid.’

‘You bastard-’

‘Quiet! If we mess up because of you two, I’ll kill you with my own hands!’ Pavlev snarled.

Both men quietened, having no qualms that the oldest of their group would follow up on his threat. They returned to waiting in silence.

[Forty minutes later]

Boris glanced at his watch as he hurried along the street. It was almost 6:30pm, and he needed to hurry. Rounding a familiar corner, he continued to walk for a further five minutes before he reached his destination.

Sure enough, four figures stood in wait. Boris silently chuckled. They were all like lambs to the slaughter.

‘About fucking time.’ Pavel snapped. ‘Ten more minutes and we would’ve walked!’

Boris doubted it, but decided to play along.

‘I assure you, you will be rewarded handsomely for your patience.’ He produced his cell phone and held it up to the men.

‘That him?’ Matysh asked, squinting.

‘Yes. Memorise this face, gentlemen. Any moment now, I will receive a call from an accomplice who is waiting for this individual to make his trip to Moscow’s central bank.’

‘That’s more than half an hour away from here.’ Tolya stated.

‘You should get there with time to spare.’ The disguised Russian responded.

‘Where’s the van?’ Pavel demanded.

In response, Boris raised his left hand, brandishing car keys.

Vasili stifled a yawn. How much longer would he have to wait? It had surely been almost an hour.

Rubbing at his eyes, he wished he had a warm mug of tea to sip on. Swallowing on a dry throat, he shifted and glanced around the tree again.

Nothing.

What if the aide decided not to leave the mansion? It was dark now. What if he had decided to await Kai’s return? It was after all, the sensible option.

Panic began to settle in. What if the plan didn’t work? Vasili knew he would be blamed.

He considered calling Boris and notifying him of the possibility, but knew realistically that he could not. Boris had made it explicitly clear that he would not tolerate any failure.

Vasili was now so close to freedom. He could not afford to ruin everything.

It was then that a bright floodlight illuminated in the direction of the mighty front gates. He heard the faint sound of a smooth car engine, and sure enough, a few seconds later, a sleek black executive car rolled out of the front drive.

Vasili almost dropped his cell phone as he stumbled to dial Boris’s number.

The manipulative man picked up on the second dial.

‘Well?’

Vasili knew he was condemning another innocent man with his words. But it was the only way to guarantee his safety, and more importantly, that of his family.

‘He’s leaving now.’

‘Gentlemen, there is your cue.’ Boris announced, snapping the cover of the mobile phone shut. ‘I have been informed that the individual is travelling alone. He will be dressed in a black suit, and he will be carrying a red manila folder under an arm.’

The four other men exchanged glances.

‘And you said all we have to do is corner him and make sure he gets this phone?’ Tolya asked, holding up the extra mobile phone that Boris had given to them earlier.

‘Yes. Leave the rest to me.’

‘What if someone sees us?’ Anton wondered, scratching his head.

‘I trust you will be discreet. Remember, a great reward awaits you. Do this for me, and in three more days, you shall receive what has been promised to you.’ Boris replied.

Pavel nodded. ‘You had better deliver, or it means trouble for you!’

Boris fought back the incredible urge to sneer. The foolish man was underestimating him. But that gave him a great advantage; the advantage of being unpredictable.

‘You have my assurances that I will deliver on my part. Now let us see if you can deliver on yours.’

The luxurious car rolled to a stop before the set of red traffic lights. Kenjiro peered out of the black, tinted window, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited.

There were definitely some perks to his job. For one thing, he had his very own executive car. It was not as big or as grand as the chauffeur driven one that ferried Kai to and fro, but it was certainly a significant upgrade to what he had previously driven. He also had been allocated a large room in the Hiwatari residence, and he could choose to stay the night whenever he wished, or whenever he didn’t feel like making the journey back to his own apartment. He was starting to get the hang of some basic Russian, and best of all, his employer had the utmost trust in him. Kai would check that everything was in order every now and then, but overall, Kenjiro was left to do his job in peace.

Besides, the rate of pay was brilliant. His young supervisor was certainly generous. It wasn’t easy being fully responsible for the management of Kai’s newly inherited fortune, or the many properties his grandfather had purchased abroad. It was a challenging job, and to Kenjiro, a very fulfilling one.

Still, there were some drawbacks. The weather wasn’t as pleasant as it was in Japan, and Kenjiro missed his family. He had left his wife and two daughters back in Tokyo, and sent money to them every month. Getting by was easier with the knowledge that his job was greatly helping to improve his family’s quality of life.

He smiled at the thought of his wife and children. Maybe in the summer, Kai would grant him some holiday leave. It gave him something to look forward to; for now, he had a small issue to deal with.

Glancing at the time, he hoped he could resolve the confusion and make it back to the mansion before Kai returned. With any luck, the young Hiwatari heir would never have to know about the little financial hiccup.

The light changed to green, and Kenjiro continued on toward his destination.

‘Where should we stop?’ Matysh asked.

‘I think we should go round the corner.’ Tolya suggested.

Pavel drove on at a snail’s pace, looking for the ideal place to park. Moscow’s central bank was located just behind them, and although the wide street was relatively quiet, security cameras were fitted on many lamp posts.

‘Ah, they’re never gonna catch us.’ Anton sniggered.

Tolya gave him a disgusted look, wondering what his role in the plan was.

‘Does the road around the corner have cameras too?’ Matysh asked.

‘The cameras on the main road are going to pick us up anyway.’ Pavel replied. ‘But as long as we do not act aggressively when we intercept this in individual, it should not be a problem.’

‘Then how are we going to corner him?’ Anton asked.

A smirk formed on the oldest man’s lips. It was a sinister, perfectly complementing by the dark look in his eyes, as he replied mysteriously,

‘Watch and learn, my friends. Watch and learn.’

Author’s Note

Jeez, what a tedious chapter! I’ve still got some plot to tie up before I can get to the real action! Anyway, here’s how things are shaping up. The next chapter will be another direct continuation of this. I’m so sorry that I’m breaking it up again but this one really ended up too long. Considering the conclusion would be another 3,000 or so, I really thought it’d be best to just split up the final section. In the chapter after that, we’ll be seeing Boris furthering his plans to get Voltaire out. And in the chapter after that one (so in 3 more chapters XD) Voltaire will (hopefully) be out! And then the real fun begins, whee!

I realise that I’ve been plodding along at a fairly steady but slow pace. I’m sorry if I’m exasperating any of you hungry for action lol. It’s coming, I promise you! But I think it’s very important to work on the plot and not rush into things. It’d be pretty unbelievable if I just let Voltaire escape out of nowhere XD There’re a few more loose ends I need to string together before I can get him out, and fingers crossed I’ll be able to address all of those in the next two chapters. So the wait is almost over! Thanks for being so patient, dearest readers! : )

And a HUGE thanks to each and every one of you who reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate it guys! I’ll begin working on the next one as soon as I can.