Chapter Four
James felt like heprobably didn’t want to know about this game.But he still had to ask, “What game?”Since he felt a bit horrified at where he was and who he was with in this unholy below ground lair...he decided to lighten the subject.“Wait...let me guess.”
Bane shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.He did not look surprised at Jame’s stunt.The man always tried to lighten the macabre that was Bane’s existence.
“It’s called Wheel of Misfortune, right?”James snarked.“Where the player gets strung up and has to buy a vowel.If he guesses wrong, he gets a slice of the scalpel...the one I KNOW is here in this room somewhere.Then he loses a part of his bowel.”He jiggled his brows for emphasis.“Get the rhyme?Vowel for a bowel?”
“Interesting concept and I kinda like it too,” Bane commented.“But no.”
“No?”James asked.“Ok, how about The Vice Is Right!”James chuckled with this one.“You get to spin the wheel and see just what limb you are gonna lose next.”He smiled overbrightly.
Bane almost smiled back now.“No, but I like that one too.”
“Ok, ok.Last guess.Jeopardy!Huh?Right?Like that one is so self-explanatory.”James laughed.
Bane actually smirked.“Very clever for a man who detests torture.But no, it is an oldy but a goody.Truth or Dare.We ask a question and if he can’t tell the truth then he has to take the dare.”Bane’s eyes actually lit up with some kind of feeling that would be hard to describe.
James shivered at the look in Bane’s eyes.Like he always does when that telltale bit of gold color stands out from the hazel very brightly.He didn’t like the thoughts running through his head now about the dare part.He mentally pushed them aside as he had no anti-nausea meds on him presently.“I can see that you really like thedareprocess.”
Bane raised a brow and didn’t deny or confirm this summation.
“When will the others get here?”James finally asked as he knew the kidding was only gonna go so far.
“They were going to fly down so they should be here anytime.”Bane shrugged.
“Do they know where to come and how to get inside?”James queried.
Bane nodded.“Yes, they know.I showed this place to Bastain already.He also knows what and who we’re up against as well.We can’t afford any mistakes here and I want Bastain to handle the truth or dare part of things.We need to break Dominic.And as you know, weunfortunatelycan’t kill him.”
“Yes, I get it.Sergi wants him to face the Council as well as LaDonna and Killian.But what about this Oleg guy?”James asked.“What is the Council going to do about him, you think?”
Bane just stared at him then said, “It’s best not to ask, because if I understand it right.The Russian operatives in Moscow make me look like a god damned choir boy.So if they catch him, I don’t think he’ll ever see home again.”
James was dumbfounded.“Can the Council really do that??I read some reports on him.Doesn’t this guy have some clout in his country?”
“Yes, but if Sergi is right and I’m betting he is, this Oleg guy also has a long list of crimes against the Russian State to deal with as well.”Bane took a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to James.“I need you to run down the numbers on here and tell me who they are and what they might mean to Dominic.So far, we know two names, Oleg Partross and Dominic Russo.What we need to find out is if there are any more names and people involved.We also need to connect the dots and figure out how LaDonna Rinc and Dominic are connected.I need to know without a doubt why Dominic thought he could come into Sergi’s world and demand that he release LaDonna.Also, I know Dominic set it up but who was behind that sign that threatened to drop a bomb on the Bratva.”
“Well, you aren’t asking for much, are ya?”James quipped dryly as he took the phone from Bane’s grasp.
