Page 36 of Eternal
I know it because I studied his company’s declarations. Everything is fake. The investor's names, the sponsors. Everything.
I found a recent photo of him with the wife of a prominent politician, who was found dead the night after they attended a gala together two months ago. His connection to her is suspicious, and the surveillance footage of him near the crime scene only raises more questions in my mind. A red stain on his shirt… could it be blood?
Why is this footage unknown to the police? Alexei found it while threatening the man at the gas station near the crime scene.
And this young girl disappearing just after she met him for work?
Something’s brewing in Vegas, and I have a sinking feeling that Donovan and his associates are at the heart of it.
When he caught my gaze tonight and waved, I realized he knew I was watching. And he was watching too.
But I refuse to back down, even if they’re watching me. Whoever they are. I’m doing this for my daughter, to shield her from the rot that festers in our world.
I only pray she’ll never need to walk this path. I need to find new threats closer to home.
-Amane
“Donovan, Donovan, Donovan,” I mutter, eyes narrowing as I study his face on the screen.
Why was my mom so sure you were dirty? And what had you done to make her so afraid? I’m getting answers soon, one way or another, I’m pretty sure I’ve got the right address this time.
“Look at this cunt,” I call, and Vik joins her, both staring down at the surveillance still of the Vegas hotel my informant sent over.
“This bastard’s older now,” Vik mutters, lips twisting.
“And ugly too,” Kat chimes in, squinting at the grainy image.
I study the footage, hoping he’s still holed up there, hiding like the rat he is, then I feel Vik’s hand on my neck, his thumb rubbing a bit at the nape.
“You sure you want to go at this alone,Kroshka?”
His voice is soft but with that big-brother protectiveness that would annoy anyone else but somehow makes sense with him. I smile, brushing off his worry. “Yeah, I’m sure. But I’ll call you if I need a pep talk while I... cut his dick off.”
Vik flinches, hand dropping instinctively to cover himself, eyes wide. “For god’s sake, Azra, I felt mine screaming and cursing the shit out of you! Don’t terrify it like that.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it, and I catch Kat rolling her eyes at her brother. “You’re disgusting, Vik,” she says with a shake of her head.
He looks genuinely offended, whispering, “Why?” But Kat ignores him, turning to me and wrapping my icy hands in hers.
Her expression softens, her voice firm as she traces a line down my arm. “Gosh,Visha, your hands are freezing.” She frowns but then continues with a nod. “Anyway, you’ve got this. Cut off whatever you want from him. Maybe it’ll bring you a little peace, and who knows, maybe some useful intel too.”
My hands are always cold. I forgot what it feels like to have someone worrying about something so small as this.
“Thanks, Kat.” My smile is genuine, the kind only she seems to pull out of me.
We hear Vik’s footsteps stall, followed by the sound of a chair scraping back. “I’m outta here,” he mutters, getting to his feet. “As a man with healthy balls and a healthy dick, I can’t stay here while the two women I’m closest to are casually talking about cutting shit out of bodies.”
He shakes his head, heading for the door like he’s escaping a horror show. “Don’t forget the party tonight, Kroshka. No knives allowed for you,” he says, pausing for a second to give me that smug look of his before he slams the door behind him.
Kat lets out a snort and rolls her eyes, leaning back against the sofa. “This man strangles people for a living, but the moment we talk about cutting off a dick, he freaks out.Men, I swear.” She shakes her head, taking my hand and pulling out her phone, probably firing off texts for the party she’s still organizing.
I settle down next to her, matching her position but not bothering with my phone. “I strangle people for fun every day, too,” I say.
She turns her head toward me and makes that disgusted face, “Ew!Visha, I don't want to know what happens in your bed!”
“No, that kind of strangling, you stupid fuck!” I smack her arm as she bursts into laughter, snuggling into my side like she doesn’t have a care in the world.
“Why not?”
