King of the Underworld (RJ Kane)

Chapter 310

Chapter Three Hundred Ten Sophie

Once all the needles were removed, Ivan was talking quietly with the acupuncturist while Adrik helped

me get dressed again. He had brought one of the shirts and a pair of insulated leggings that the guys

had picked up while they were out. “We modified the shirt,” he said, holding it up so I could see they cut

the sleeve off. “I think it will work.” He slid it over my cast and helped me get it the rest of the way on,

then helped with the leggings.

“Do you guys need anything from me this afternoon? Because you have approximately 20 minutes

before I’m asleep again. I’m about to be so warm,” I said as he helped me put his sweatshirt back on.

He chuckled, leaning over to kiss my forehead. “You can sleep as long as you need to, solnishko.”

We set the meeting with the journalist a few days after he suggested it to give the guys time to watch

him. Better to be extra safe right now. “I was correct. Recluses are quite possibly the best people to

have to watch. He has the same routine every day. He’s only out of his apartment for precisely 95

minutes each day. He spends the rest of the time inside,” Stephen said.

“Seems boring. Oh wait, that’s me. That’s what I do every day,” I said, laughing.

Adrik clicked his tongue. “You’ll be able to go more places again once this is all over,” he said.

“I wasn’t complaining,” I said. “Although I do miss the gardens and the lake at the house, now that I

think of it.”

“Soon, love,” Adrik said.

Viktor’s phone beeped to let him know that Chen was in the lobby. While he left to go fetch him, the rest

of us moved down to Adrik’s office. The bruises on my face were much lighter now, so I didn’t feel so

self-conscious being seen in public. The bruises on my body were still quite colorful, but they were

much easier to hide. I still got a few curious looks from people here and there, but the guys were quick

to pick up on it. They just moved in closer around me so people had a harder time seeing me.

“Sephie, you’re looking much better, my girl,” Chen said as he walked in the office.

“Not so colorful anymore,” I said, smiling at him.

“How’s your arm? Still hurts like a sumbitch, huh?”

“Mostly only when it’s out of the sling right now. I can’t tell if it’s getting better or I’m just used to the

pain now, but I don’t notice it all the time anymore. The ribs are worse, if I’m being honest. Do not

recommend.”

Chen laughed. “Noted.”

We filled Chen in on everything he needed to know to make this meeting believable. I went over the

email exchanges with him, so he would be familiar with the conversation we’d had with the journalist so

far. We gave him details on Ricardo and Lorenzo that we’d found, so he’d have a working knowledge of

the information and

could respond quickly.

“If you’re ever not sure of how to answer, just pause like you’re thinking of how to phrase your answer.

Look down at your coffee thoughtfully, or watch a person walk by before responding. You’ll be able to

hear us in your earpiece, so we can give you the answer you need. Try not to stare at him while you’re

listening to us. It’ll make it more obvious you’re being coached on what to say. You want it to come

across as a normal conversation. People maintain eye contact, but they also look away periodically in

normal conversation. People who are nervous tend to try to maintain too much eye contact. It’s a dead

giveaway every time,” Stephen said.

“If he says anything in Italian, I’ll be able to translate, but I told him in the last email that I used

translating software so he had to speak English. He might try to speak Italian to gauge whether that

was a lie or not,” I

said.

“Stephen will have you covered the whole time. We’ll be watching from down the street as well. And

you’ll be able to hear us the entire time,” Viktor said.

“Okay. I think I can do this,” Chen said.

“You’ll be fine, Chen. Just try to stay relaxed. And if you feel like something is really off, say the word

and we’ll make sure you get out of there as quickly as possible,” Andrei said.

“Yeah, uh, I meant to ask before, who’s idea was it to use mayonnaise as the safe word?” Chen asked,

trying not to laugh.

“You really have to ask that question?” I said, laughing.

“I should’ve known,” he said.

“Technically, it was Max that came up with the idea for ridiculous words. I just stole it. Made it my own,”

I said, smiling at him as we walked to the elevator to leave.

“Yeah, you know I stopped by the restaurant a day or two ago. He hasn’t figured it out yet, but I know

you guys saved that dude’s a*s in the parking lot after work. I don’t know how many times I’ve told him

to be more aware of his surroundings, but he’s the dumbest motherf**ker I’ve ever met when it comes

to that. No idea how you guys knew what was happening and I’m positive I don’t want to know. I just

know it had to be you,” he said.

“You’ll have to let us know if he does ever figure it out. We have a bet pool going on whether it’ll ever

happen or not,” I said. I caught Andrei’s eye, smiling widely at him. He seemed like he was doing better

after our little talk. I was curious to see what else he was capable of, after my talk with the

acupuncturist as well.

We made sure that Chen was the first one to the café so he would be waiting on the journalist to arrive.

I gave a description of Chen to the journalist so he would know what to look for. Chen looked relaxed

while he waited for the journalist to arrive.

Right on time, the journalist appeared, walking from the direction of his apartment. “Got a visual. He’s

on his way, Chen.” The streets around the café were mostly quiet. It was an older part of town, quiet,

not as many people to contend with, which worked to our advantage. It gave us a clear view of Chen,

which helped put his

mind at ease.

The journalist was carrying a briefcase. He walked right to Chen, asking him the question we’d given

him. Chen answered with the correct phrase, so each knew the other was the person they were

meeting. It was all very much like a spy movie..

The journalist set the briefcase down on the table as he sat down across from Chen. He opened it,

getting right to business. He talked quietly, but his English was good. Chen should have no problems

understanding him.

“Like I told you in the emails, I’ve been watching this man for years. He’s very connected to very

powerful people. But what I’ve recently discovered makes me believe he’s behind all those powerful

people he’s connected to.” He paused, looking directly at Chen. “They say this city is run by one man. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

No one knows who he is or what his name is. I think I do.” He pulled a stack of documents out of his

briefcase, pushing them toward Chen.

I glanced nervously at Adrik, gauging his reaction to this guy potentially uncovering who he was. He

simply smirked at me and pulled me tighter against him.

The journalist started showing Chen the evidence he’d collected. “All of this, these business deals,”

he’d flip through a few more pages, “these bank transactions…they all prove that Ricardo is the man

who runs this city,” he said very quietly.

I felt Adrik squeeze me tighter, almost like an “I told you so.”

“The entire city? You think it’s this guy? Like he’s over all the other bosses as well? From what I’ve

seen, he’s not even a lower-level boss,” Chen said.

“That’s because that’s what he wants you to think,” the journalist said. “This is why I had to go into

hiding. If he knows I found out about this, I would be dead. He’s worked very carefully for years to

make it seem like he’s not the one in charge, but I believe he is. We need to get this information to the

police. Or the politicians of the city. I know the police commissioner isn’t on the take, but I can’t speak

to the rest of the police force. I know there’s at least one politician that might be trustworthy.”

“Tell him you know Henry personally. The police commissioner. You can take the information straight to

him,”

Adrik said to Chen.

“Henry? The police commissioner? He’s a family friend, actually. He’s like an uncle to me. I can take

this information straight to him. I don’t know about the politicians, though. I think by definition, being a

politician means you’re on the take,” Chen said.