| |
Krakow, Poland
Friday, 29 January, 9:45 p.m.
––––––––
History had been one of my favourite subjects at school, when I absorbed what my teachers said as fact, unlike now. On paper the Steins appeared like any other royal family, but the truth was a different matter. As most royal families throughout the ages, they had waged wars, married their cousins, and whether the citizens thrived or withered away depended on who sat on the throne. Of all the Steins, Mikolaj had been the worst. The paper version of him wasn't much better. Szymon brought economic stability, and tourism flourished under his rule. Why people wanted to travel to Bergia was beyond my understanding. Except for one lake, it doesn't offer much in terms of sightseeing. Oh, and of course skiing in winter.
I spent hours learning as much as I could about the family; as far back as the internet allowed. Aidan filled the bedroom's door, but I kept my focus on the Stein's family tree.
"I admit, the extraction turned out not too boring. Still, not as exciting as my plan."
Aidan made himself comfortable on the bed, placing his hands behind his head, and studied me. "Now isn't the time to just be Aidan and Finley, is it?"
I shook my head. "No, dude, my brain's fried, and we need to take turns watching Ivana. Guess no one will sleep tonight."
"We can hog tie her and put her in the closet." Mischief played in Aidan's eyes.
"Commander Walker, you're stepping on my toes. Breaking prisoners is my job." I stood, climbed onto the bed, and snuggled into Aidan's arms.
Aidan pulled me closer and threw his leg over me, I struggled to breathe, but didn't complain. We both needed a moment to be nothing more than us. Safe in each other's arms, yet evil kept gaining ground in the world around us and across the globe. The battles will never be over.
"I love you, Wife."
The stubble on his chin pricked my lips, but the sting reminded me how lucky I am to call this man mine. "I love you more than there are stars in the sky, or sand and rocks on the earth. I love you more than all the drops of water in all the oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, swimming pools, hot tubs, dams, fountains, bird baths – all of it combined."
Aidan laughed. The sound filled my heart and forced the darkness to retreat into her corner. A never ending dual between the light and the dark and somehow, I had to let it clash to find the grey. The place where I can be who I am. The position I was destined to take since before I had even met Aidan. From a young age I knew war and protecting the innocent is my life's calling. In Aidan's arms I found something else, and so much more. Life. A home. A daughter.
"Do you think Ivana realises you called her bluff?" Aidan rolled me onto my back and settled between my thighs.
"Who?" His body on mine always makes me forget everything. Even my name.
He pressed his lips to the hollow of my throat. I wanted nothing more than the feel of his skin against mine, to make love to him, and forget about the faces of the children. I couldn't. The children's faces weren't the only images playing through my mind; twenty-five other faces joined them. I kissed Aidan hard and promised to make it up to him.
"Why didn't the Stein sons also get sent away to boarding school? The paedophiles didn't prefer girls, they destroyed any child they could get their hands on." This I said once Aidan returned to his former position and pulled me back into his arms.
"Tomorrow. All of your questions, and mine, will be answered. I can't believe Szymon is a serial killer."
I pressed up on my elbow and placed my other hand on Aidan's face. "Szymon might not be our killer. The Crown Prince of Bergia is at the top of my suspect list."
"Ragnar? He's a playboy who prefers spending his life partying all over the world rather than attend to any royal matters."
I smiled and waited for him to make the connection. Aidan's brain works with figures, variables, and other things I don't understand. Mine is fuelled by emotion; people's actions and reactions. The masks they wear don't hide their true nature from me. Although, my intuition had let me down in the past. Not the time to dwell on it. Lives were at stake. The dead waited for me to avenge them.
Aidan let out a deep breath. "I can see how you came to this conclusion, but we can't rule out Szymon."
"I haven't, my love. There's something else we need to discuss and I can't get the words out if you keep looking at me like that."
Aidan's smile anything but innocent. "I'm just looking at my wife. Not my fault if you're seeing things that aren't there."
I glanced down at his crotch and back at his face. "My friend tells no lies, Mr Walker. Unlike you."
Aidan grabbed a scatter cushion and covered the bulge in his pants. I sat up straight, crossed my legs and intertwined our fingers. "I promise to make it up to you, but tonight I can't make the mental switch. Not after seeing all of those photos and videos of Mikolaj with children at fundraisers and events. All the signs were there, but people didn't pay attention or they ignored the truth. In some videos you can see the fear in the children's eyes, as if they saw the monster behind the facade." Children and dogs are the best judges of character.
Aidan pushed himself up against the headboard. "I understand, but that's not what's troubling you most. Tell me."
I did. We hunted a serial killer; one we couldn't take out without the rest of the world noticing. There would be hell to pay if the King or Crown Prince of Bergia disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances. We needed an A, B, and C plan. And a contingency plan. Despite Bergia not being a big country, their military didn't consist of a bunch of tree-huggers. They meant business; Aidan had seen them in action during the war.
Rumour is Mikolaj had procured more than one atomic bomb during his reign; their location remained a mystery. Aidan suspected they weren't in Bergia, as all countries have to declare the number of bombs they have and routine checks are conducted by the IAEA. Whether the number countries put on paper is truthful, is another matter.
"I need eyes on all the people we have linked to the paedophile ring. We need to take them all out in a coordinated strike. This isn't something we can take to the media. The predators will lawyer up and bury all of their depravities faster than the media can orchestrate something else to draw people's attention away from this. So many high-profile people are involved. My head still spins every time I see the list. And these are the ones we know about."
Aidan grabbed his mobile phone and started executing my plan. For the time being, the operatives were to keep out of sight and await further instructions. He returned his phone to the bedside table and came to stand behind me as I stared out the window. "This is taking you all the way back to your days as the Hangwoman. Are you sure you want to do this?"
I turned and placed my hands against his chest. "I don't have a choice. The people involved are too powerful, court cases will be dragged out, and if they are arrested, they'll be murdered while awaiting trial. We know these people make it look like suicides. We've seen it before with other high-profile cases. The surviving victims deserve justice. I wish I can give them their day in court. A day where they can take back their power by facing the men and women who preyed on them. Nothing will come of it if we leave it up to official channels. More children will be abused for the sick pleasure of these horrid human predators. I can't allow it, Aidan, I won't."
I fell to my knees and cried. It didn't matter if Rowan, or Ivana, heard as torment, frustration, and anger tore through me.
None of the tortures or deaths brought me any joy. I'm not like those I hunt. In fact, I'm the complete opposite. Because there isn't a thing I won't do to protect the innocent, the victims, the ones who aren't in a position to fight back. For four excruciating months, even I hadn't been able to fight back.
Every day I face the reality of the choices I've made over the course of my life.
Do I regret it? No.
Do I lose sleep over it? No.
Will I ever stop fighting for the victims? Never.
Years ago, I decided to do whatever is necessary despite the personal cost. Now I had a daughter to think about; she needed me to be her mother and not only a huntress of evil.
Light and darkness swirled around me, and inside me they duelled. In all the chaos a simple truth remained – those in positions of power can make any charges, or people, disappear. They've done it for years. I've never been blind to the truth, unlike most people who choose to not see. In the process of them looking the other way, they belittle the horrors the victims endured.
A small number of people across the world refuse to sit on their hands while men, women, children, even babies, are raped and murdered every single day. I'm one of them. And I will be, for as long as there is breath in my lungs.