Devour || AU VegasPete Fanfic

Chapter 13: Good News and Bad News

The cellar was hot, and the air of it was thick with the smell of blood. The only source of light was the yellow bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Vegas could feel his back being drenched in sweat and his shirt sticking to his skin. It wasn't the best choice to wear a black velvet shirt today.

Oh, well.

"You have been a very hard man to find Oleg," Vegas said in English. His voice dripped with sweetness and a hint of something dangerous.

The man named Oleg had his hands suspended in the air, tied by a thick chain. Blood trickled down his temple and mixed with his sweat. Prominent bruises were visible on his chest and torso.

Oleg was ex-Russian military personnel working for one of the most influential Russian mafia families: The Volkovs.

The Volkovs and Theerapanyakuls had a neutral relationship. There was some discontent between them after Kan had died. But Vegas made sure to pull his strings to keep things mutual between them. He knew what war between families did. He had seen it happen between others.

People died. And Vegas already had a scarcity of people he deeply cared about. He didn't want to lose anyone. Therefore, he offered the family a peace treaty. He signed off one of his most beneficial casinos to them in exchange for their most secure route for smuggling deliveries.

It was all going well until Oleg snuck into Pete's apartment and destroyed it. Vegas had intel from his mole in the Bangkok PD that Pete had said in his statement that he was being stalked for a while. So naturally, Vegas wanted answers.

Vegas knew this move could start the war he had gone to such lengths to avoid. But right now, he didn't care. The Volkovs were ruthless. If they wanted something from Pete, they would take it from him over his corpse if necessary. And Vegas wasn't going to let that happen.

"I only have one question for you, Oleg." Vegas walked around the cell at a lazy pace, like he had all the time in the world. His voice sounded like he was having a casual conversation with one of his guards.

Oleg didn't say anything. He just gave Vegas a taunting smile. It said, go ahead, try.

Vegas saw this coming, though. So, he smiled back, equally taunting. "But that can wait. Let's talk about you, first," he said instead.

Oleg's smile faltered a little. Only for a millisecond. But Vegas saw it.

"It made me wonder why an ex-militant would choose this life. So, I let my men do some digging."

Vegas circled Oleg. He could feel the man visibly tense. That made him smirk. Oh, he was nearing the mark.

"What came to the surface was tragic," Vegas faked sadness in his tone. "Poor Inga."

And that was it. Oleg finally struggled in his chains trying to get out of the restraints. His muscles flexed and a low growl escaped his split lips. His eyes flashed anger and hatred.

Vegas smirked, satisfied with the reaction. "Heartwarming story, really. Your little daughter had a terminal illness. The Volkovs offered you money to treat it and you offered your loyalty to them."

Oleg was seething now. He could easily overpower Vegas and kill him if it weren't for the chains. Nobody was supposed to know this story. Well, clearly Oleg underestimated him.

"We wouldn't want something to happen to Inga now, would we?" Vegas' smile was like silk. "Especially when she has a child of her own and a husband."

That was it. The final card that flipped the game.

"Grebanyy ublyudok!" (fucking bastard!) Oleg spat with fury. His eyes were glassy with disdain. His flesh cut into the chains holding him when he tried to escape them and get to Vegas. But the man was out of his reach, smirking in a self-satisfied manner.