Page 60 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 13-16
Ellisandre glided up the aisle and sat in front of him, turning sideways to look over the back of the seat.
Damian chewed on a boba, hit approve on a digital signature, and swallowed. “Hey.”
“Sevastyan sends word. Sahyuk was broken out of prison yesterday.”
Damian paused. Grimaced. Took another drink. Well, fuck. “Any advice?”
Ellisandre shook their head. “It’s a warning to Jun. He mentioned Gyeong and Sahyuk as two pieces on his side when he spoke with them.”
Damian looked directly into Ellisandre’s gray eyes. “What now, then?”
Ellisandre’s eyes unfocused, clearly contemplating. Their hair was long and white for the week, streaks of gray layered in. They were wearing a matching pale gray pinstripe suit and an icy pale pink silk shirt with large knots at the throat and sleeves that billowed at the wrists and ended in buttoned cuffs. Their mascara was white, as were their lips.
“You know white is the color of mourning,” Damian said.
Ellisandre’s lips lifted in a smile. “All things must end.” They tilted their head. “I’ve alerted security of the potential threat. Holden is passing Sahyuk’s image around to those we trust. We can’t tip our hand to knowing. The Merchari left a replacement in Sahyuk’s place. The U.S. system still thinks he’s in custody.”
“Seems unlikely a replacement wouldn’t be recognized.”
“They have their ways.”
Damian nodded. He didn’t need to know.
Ellisandre held up an earring. It was identical to what Jun was wearing on stage at that very moment. Damian had ordered specialized tags to match Jun’s outfits for the show. “I know you tag your boy. Perhaps use this one instead. If you give me his others, I’ll add trackers to them as well.”
“You think they may take him.”
Ellisandre’s lips thinned. “Not them. Sahyuk. I’ve studied his dossier. Classic narcissist. Calm when in control and receiving adoration, even generous when feeling on top. Cruel and desperate when stripped, prone to irrational behavior and short-term satisfaction when suffering emotional injury. No one has stripped more from him than Jun.”
“You think he may defy the Merchari, after they broke him out.”
“He’s not stable. Not right now. The Merchari are motivated by profit. They’re eating out of Jun’s hand with these ticket sales.” Ellisandre motioned to the large venue around them. “They’re already calculating their cut of this event, and all the rest. Money for practically nothing. A famous figure in their pocket. Everything they live for. Sahyuk’s needs and the Merchari have diverged. They just don’t know it yet. They want him to take a lower level, quieter position for a few years, do the grunt work it takes to set up new networks, things he did in his late twenties that built his reputation. Sahyuk, now, sees that as below him. Since Jun started working he hasn’t needed to build up his base. He’s had Jun’s bank accounts to open doors. Standing on his own criminal merits without slave labor terrifies him. The fact he hasn’t sold his daughters or his wife already is only because Jun has stayed in the news, thus keeping them there. It’s good you moved them. It may not be enough.”
“They left for Ireland this morning.”
“He’ll likely focus on Jun for the moment, or work to manipulate someone close to him. His opinion of women is low.”
“We should put trackers on the entire team. Gigi and Mi Hi, too.”
“On it.” Ellisandre stood up. “Keep that one. Put it on him as soon as possible. Tell him. He should mentally prepare for facing that aberration.”
Damian nodded. “How are you?”
Ellisandre paused, fingers brushing the top of a chair. “I—we—have a mission.” They met Damian’s eyes, a firmness and a coldness that went beyond the icy sheen of the highlighter across their cheekbones. “We’ll find out the rest after.”
“You’re ours, too, you know that,” Damian said.
Ellisandre’s lips widened slightly. They lowered their eyes, then raised them again. “I’m not Residency.”
“No, you’re Linda’s Menagerie, sister duchy to the Residency and sworn allies in all things sacred and profane.”
Ellisandre laughed, surprise and amusement flitting over their face. “I’m going to tell her you said that.”
Damian ticked names off his fingers. “You, Linda, Ash, Alice, Dana, Maribel. Don’t tell me it’s not a menagerie.”
“I can think of no better term, other than family, though the Residency is within that circle. We accept. Her ladyship shall be informed.”
Damian smiled. “Perhaps you will add names to that list soon.”
