Page 13 of Obsession of the Egoist
Hearing Yugo’s name again felt weird. It stirred something in his stomach. For a short second, Kuon listened to the hissing knot of emotions but instantly shook his head. He didn’t want to think about Yugo. He had left him in the past and had no intention of bringing him into his present. The whole conversation was unpleasant and made him feel uneasy. Gray’s intrusion into his life added to his heightened anxiety and rage.
“Listen...” Kuon dropped his voice, making sure the man would take his words seriously. “Whatever I have with Yugo, it’s my and his business. You weren’t there two years ago, so don’t start playing a concerned brother now. I’m not a kid. Stop protecting me.”
“Hmm…” The painfully-familiar hum provided Kuon with a clear image of the handsome, young face, with unnaturally silver, old hair. Gray pulled back. “Don’t you want him dead? Don’t you want him to suffer?”
Kuon replied before he could think, “No… I don’t.”
“Huh… Rudolph told me he treated you well. I guess it was true, after all. Fine. What do you want then?”
“Rudolph Scarci? From the S-Syndicate? How are you connected to that sick fuck?”
“I’ll explain later. This can wait. Kuon, I need you to cooperate. Please, concentrate. I don’t have all the time in the world, neither does Stephan. What do you want?”
“Rick. He was arrested because of me. Fix it, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Kuon, he has already been convicted…”
“If my case is dismissed, you can appeal.” Kuon lowered his stubborn chin. “Fix it, or no deal.”
“Fine…”
THE PROCESS STARTED A WEEK LATER AND ENDEDthe same day, leaving Kuon with a filthy aftertaste of bribery and corruption. He didn’t know what kind of strings Gray pulled; he didn’t want to know. It didn’t matter as long as Gray kept his word.
Sitting in the car, Kuon opened the window. The warm breeze, breaking in, washed his face in the mixed scent of mown grass and heated dust. “What’s next?”
“We’ll spend a night in a hotel. I have some things to do tonight, so we’ll fly to Vienna tomorrow. You’ll stay with mom for a day or two, then you go to Switzerland.”
“What about Rick?”
“He will be free before you know it.”
“Fine…” Kuon leaned back against the backrest and clasped his arms around his shoulders. After long minutes of silence, Kuon yawned. He felt tired and wanted to sleep.
Gray sighed.
“Kuon, two years ago...” Gray’s quiet voice merged with the faint purr of the engine. The vestiges of sleep gone, Kuon became all attentive. “I knew you were working Yugo’s case. I wasn’t worried, at first. I knew he had lots of people bought, so you wouldn’t be able to get close enough to him to get hurt.”
“Tsk…”
“After your disappearance, it took me a month of investigating to find out what happened.”
“If you knew everything, why did you never help me?” Hand slapping the door, Kuon suppressed the wave of anger.
“I tried. What did you expect me to do? Hire an army and storm his house? Offer him money? Start a war? Have you ever thought what Yugo would have done if he knew we’re related?”
Under the bandages, Kuon’s eyes burned with frustration as he faced Gray. “What would he have done? What could he possibly ask for that is more important to you than your family? If I am… your family.”
“You know why. He would have used you against me. He would never have let you go. I had to play smart. I waited for the right moment. I recruited people. I got a deal with Rudolph. If not for that stupid boy, I would have gotten you. I knew he let you go, but no one knew which clinic had you. When you came home I wanted to visit, but the S-Syndicate had you under surveillance. I couldn’t risk exposing our connection.”
Why did Yugo put people on me? Was he scared I would talk? This is stupid. As if I could ever talk about him…Kuon rubbed his chest as the dull pain spread behind his ribcage.
“What deal?”
“Rudolph gets you, gives you to me. I make you disappear. He gets ten million.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
