Page 93 of Morally Corrupt

"I'll help you. I'll help you win that husband of yours back. But I need a favor for that."

"Anything," I readily agree, and he nods.

"Good. I will exact a promise from you," I frown at his request, shaking my head.

"What promise?" I ask, trying to see why he'd go to such an extent.

"You'll know when the moment comes." His head turns toward the window. "Do I have your word?"

"Of course," I say, maybe too fast. Who knows what Vlad will ask me. But at this point, I'd be willing to give him anything.

"Great!" His face immediately changes to accommodate a smile. "Now, on to more serious concerns."

I drag myself in a sitting position. While my mind is no longer as clouded as before, I can't say I'm in top shape. I'm also in dire need of a shower. But if Vlad says it's serious… chances are it's serious.

He takes out his phone and plays a recording. I listen attentively and ask.

"Is that…?"

"Yes. It's your arms dealer."

"Not my arms dealer," I have to correct it with a scowl.

"You were the one who almost fell into a trap. You don't get a say."

"I could have handled myself."

"I have no doubt, you would have also attracted unwanted attention to yourself." I don't reply, knowing he is right.

"Okay, somyarms dealer."

"As you see, I managed to get some information out of him. He was looking specifically for Artemis."

"Yeah, to get to you and what was that… Chimera? Who's that?"

"That's what I am most concerned about. Chimera was my previous partner."

"I didn't know you had another partner before me."

"It's not common knowledge. Chimera just disappeared one day. "

"So, why would they want you or Chimera? From what I understand from that confession, I was just the means to an end."

"That's my question as well." He shuffles some files and gives me a dossier full of pictures.

"What's this?" I ask, and he just nods for me to open it. When I do, I immediately frown. I turn page after page, and I am greeted by massacre after massacre, one worse than the other. One, in particular, is almost something unlike anything I'd ever seen. A torso riddled with small, clean-cut holes is propped on a chair in a dark room. The ribs look to have been removed beforehand. And the holes? They look meticulous, hand-carved ones. Instead of arms, human legs had been sown at the torso's sockets, making it a monstrous amalgamation. And instead of toes, human fingers had been added. It's a massacre, but it's also a work of art.

"That is Chimera." Vlad points at the pictures in my hands. "He wasn't just an assassin. He was the boogie man. His job wasn't just to kill, but to send a message. Look at the next page."

I do, and I notice teeth—human teeth arranged in the form of a C.

"That's his mark."

"Shit," I whisper. Even to my eyes, which have seen countless sick shit… this is something different.

"You were partnered withthis?" Vlad purses his lips.

"Things were different back then. But the issue is that Chimera disappeared over ten years ago."

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