CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"You're a very hard man to find, Vlad." 

Vlad didn't flinch. Didn't stop. But the fist on its way to the face of the man sitting tied up landed with less force than it should've. The man grunted. Vlad's men standing on either side of the tied man lowered their heads toward Harry. 

"I see you're still being a thug," Harry said again, leaned on the creaking side door he'd entered through, ignoring the bowed heads. He glanced outside, taking note of the men in the building across. 

*One. Two. Three. Four. Two or three more probably out of sight.*

The building sat at the far end of a deserted industrial zone. Cracked concrete walls stretched up beneath a crumbling tin roof, stained with soot and years of acid rain. Barbed wire lined the jagged edges of a broken fence that had long stopped keeping anyone out.

The space reeked of rot, of damp earth and something sourer—old chemicals, scorched powder, maybe blood. Plastic drums lay overturned in the dirt, their faded labels curling, unreadable. Crates were stacked haphazardly beside the rear entrance, some broken open, some sealed with fresh tape. Muffled voices drifted from inside, beyond the wide span of space they were in. 

*Two men here. A few more lurking inside. Worse-case scenario: A shootout. I doubt Vlad wants to openly declare war though. Yet.*

The weight of the pistol under his jacket grounded him. Vlad finally turned away from the man he was grilling. 

"Look what the cat dragged in," he said, the stretch of his lips more sinister than welcoming. 

Icy blue eyes clashed with steel gray and the air around them crackled. The silence wasn't the kind that came with peace. It was the kind that came after a decision had been made. And inside, something told Harry, Vlad was already two moves ahead.

*He knew I would come. Is that why he took it?*

Two years since he last stepped foot on this land. Two years since they last saw each other. Harry's eyes moved over him. He'd amassed more muscles and had more tattoos. The whole of his right arm was covered with ink while on the left, the snake coiled around a blade tattoo sat solo. His hair was longer, the upper part of it pulled up into a messy tie. 

Despite the circumstance that'd brought them face-to-face again, Harry felt a tug in his chest. Underneath the tension, the silence, there was an awkwardness. He felt it. Knew Vlad did. 

He sighed. "You eating at all or just feeding off rage and nicotine these days?"

Vlad scoffed. "Flew all the way here to check in on me? Should I be flattered?" He flopped into a seat to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "Still crawling through shadows, Danvers? Or is this you thriving?"

It registered. The deliberate use of his family name. Reminding him what he was — an outsider that crawled his way in. Harry strolled further into the space. "Pretty sure you know just how well I'm thriving, considering a rat of yours found it's way into my house."

"I doubt you've anything worth sending a rat of mine after." 

"A shipment." 

Harry's eyes stayed sharp on Vlad's face for any signs of recognition. There wasn't. 

"I see you got better at schooling your expressions," he pointed out. "Happens when you've got a damn good teacher." 

He saw it. A twitch in Vlad's jaw but he still said nothing. 

"Where is it, Vlad?" 

Vlad just arched an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. Harry stalked towards him and Vlad's men moved, trying to cut in front of him but Vlad raised a hand to stop them. Harry halted right in front of him, paying no mind to his men. 

"Félix Vegas," Harry gritted out, his impatience growing. His phone was in front of Vlad's face in seconds. "The rat you sent to my warehouse." 

Vlad stood from the chair. He had always hated it when Harry towered over him, the fact that he was taller made that an easy feat. He gestured to one of his men. 

"Get Félix."

The man hurried away into the inner room while Harry and Vlad stood toe to toe in a stare down. 

The man returned with Félix, who came to an abrupt halt the moment he laid eyes on Harry. His eyes went wide, gaze darting from Harry to Vlad and back.

His head lowered a fraction, fist against his chest. "Underboss."

Harry waved it off. Vlad clapped, gesturing for Félix to come over. Once he did, Vlad looped an arm around his shoulder and he tensed, his head lowered. 

Vlad tilted his head up. "I hear you stole from Danvers, huh?"

Félix glanced from him to Harry and back. Vlad cocked an eyebrow when he said nothing. "I asked you a *fucking* question." 

"No," Félix answered, his lower lip trembling. 

"No?" Vlad reiterated. "But Danvers here has evidence that you did and he seems to think you were operating on my orders." 

Félix's breath became labored and his legs shook. "I—I—no, you—"

Vlad's face hardened and he chuckled. "What's this fool rambling about?" His right hand snaked to his back, reappearing with a pistol that he slapped repeatedly on Félix's cheek. "Cat got your tongue, huh?" 

"What're you doing?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed. 

Vlad smirked. "Settling *your* score." 

Harry moved but it was too late. His hand barely touched Félix's arm before the gun went off. Blood splattered across his face as Félix crumpled to the floor. 

Harry's hand touched his face and came back with a bright red wetness. A glance at his white, crisp shirt told him that he would be leaving here in his singlet and slacks. His eyes turned to a cackling Vlad. 

"That was so easy," he was saying. "Expected him to dodge but I guess he has very poor reflexes." His eyes met Harry's and held it. "And very poor discretion."

He watched as fire seeped into Harry's gaze, his eyes turning stormy. His lips curved with satisfaction. 

"You weren't expecting it to be that easy, Danvers, were you?" He asked. "You walk in here and I hand it over because you asked, huh?"

"Tsk, tsk," he continued. "There goes your chance of ever finding it." 

Harry was in front of him in a flash, his teeth grinding against each other. "What the *fuck* is this about? Still holding a grudge over a damn position, huh? Grow the *fuck* up, Vlad!" 

Vlad's eyes took on a predatory-like focus and he grabbed Harry's collar, getting into his face. "A grudge? Far from it. I'm going to *bury* you, Danvers. Remind you that you were a poor, struggling boy with *nothing* but his fat-ass ego when I picked you out of Juvie."

Harry didn't waver. "A poor, struggling boy that literally worshipped you! A poor, struggling boy that wanted nothing more than to be Rich *enough*. Powerful *enough* to protect his family. *You* of all people should've understood why I grabbed that rope."

Vlad sneered. "Yeah. You wanted it *enough* to betray our brotherhood." 

"*No one* turns down an offer from your father and fucking lives," Harry shot back. "I did right by my family. Or would you've preferred I ended up dead?"

 "And you didn't think I would've protected you?"

Harry scoffed. "Like you had the guts to go up against your father. You still don't."

Vlad's gun-clenched hand smashed into his cheek, the force pushing his head to the side. That familiar metallic taste burst in his mouth and his hands clenched into fists. Vlad pulled back his arm going for another hit. His hand met Harry's palm this time, at the same moment that Harry's fist slammed into his face squarely, sending him back a few steps, the gun in his hand clattering to the floor. 

Harry followed after him and his fist smashed into his nose with a sickening crunch. A grunt of pain spilled from his lips as blood trickled onto his lips. His men stepped forward. 

"Back off!" They both growled simultaneously. 

Vlad's men froze after the bark, glancing between the two agitated Alphas.

"But, boss—"

Vlad doesn't even look at him. "I said back off."

And they obeyed. 

"I don't have time for your psychotic games, Vlad," Harry said. "What do you want?"

Vlad shifted his nose back into place with a grunt and spat out blood. "Same thing I've always wanted, Danvers. To remind you who the fuck you really are."

"Too bad I already know." Harry sighed heavily. "You might not have known that Félix was exposed but you knew I was coming. You wouldn't have let me find you this easily if you didn't have eyes on something. I'll ask for the last time, Vlad: what do *you* want?"

"At the next sit-down, you'll speak for me. Praise me to the Don. Reinstate my seat at the high table."

Vlad smirked when Harry's gaze hardened. 

"The only way you get your shipment… is if you put me back in the game."

"Why the *fuck* would I do that?" 

"Don't want to?" Vlad shrugged. "Shipment disappears. Poof. No product. No supply chain. Just a disappointed Alonso Marquez...and a very angry Don."

*He doesn't just want the shipment as leverage; he wants recognition and to make me crawl. Humiliate me politically. It's also smart, a move only a cunning second-generation mobster would make. This is not just about revenge, it's survival, long game power-play.*

Harry's jaw tightened. 

"Ah. There's another option: you could try to find the shipment," Vlad taunted. "You're Danvers after all. Smart. Strategic. Controlled. Quick. Far above your mates," he spat. 

Harry's eyes narrowed. 

*His father's words. Maybe it's really revenge masked as a power-play. He's confident I won't be able to find the shipment. Where is he hiding it? When is the sit-down?*

"The next sit-down is in three days, if you were wondering. Enough time to make a decision," Vlad supplied with a grin. 

*Enough time to find the shipment.*

"How do you know that?" Harry asked, an eyebrow cocked. "Messages have not been sent out, yet." 

Vlad laughed. "Danvers. Danvers. Have you ever wondered why father made you leave Venezuela under the guise of securing international control?" He leaned in, a gleeful look on his face. Harry gave no reaction. "Don't worry, I'll tell you. It means you're a long long long way from home. From the heart of it all. Expendable."

*That's what y'all think. What I'll let y'all think. Until you try to uproot it.*

"I'm sure that thought makes you sleep better at night." 

For whatever reason, Vlad's smile dropped. "Definitely doesn't keep me up. See yourself to the door, Danvers."

Harry turned to leave and Vlad's voice rang out behind him. "Three days, Danvers."

He didn't stop. Didn't acknowledge his words. He came to an abrupt stop at the side door but didn't turn. 

"You claim I betrayed our brotherhood," he suddenly said, his back still to Vlad and his men. "In a true brotherhood, it wouldn't have mattered who got that position first, as long as it was one of us. A brotherhood that doesn't see you is no brotherhood."

And with that, he walked through the door, shrugging off his bloodstained shirt as he did. 

*Leave. Walk away. That's all you ever do.*

Harry fished out his phone, using his shirt to clean off his face as he turned it back on. It'd been off since he touched down. Cowardice? Maybe. Or maybe survival came first.

*Red. Wonder how she's holding up. Mateo's video should be viral now. She would be so confused.*

He'd been unable to talk to her before he left. He didn't want to lie and telling her the truth would pull her deeper into a world he wasn't so proud of. A world he was going to shield her from. But he also knew not telling her risked losing the fragile trust he'd barely earned. 

He sighed.

*Maybe this is for the best. I'll leave once this passes. Once she's back on her feet and not fighting off monsters, I'll leave then.*

His fingers flew across his keypad even as his kept his eyes on his environment from the corner of his eyes. He wasn't out of Vlad's turf, yet.

Harry: Xan. I need you to take a trunk load of OUR stuff to Marquez, explain that I was suddenly summoned to a sit-down and the truck will unfortunately arrive later than promised. Use it as a token of apology. 

Xan: A sit-down? Did you find it? Did something happen? 

Harry: Nothing I can't handle. Just do what I said and find Atlas for me. I need her help. 

Xan: 👌

Harry hesitated. His finger hovered over her text sent a few hours ago... and then he clicked on Xander's chat instead.

Harry: Keep an eye on Ms. Montez. Maybe explain a little of what's going on with Mateo. Keep my name off your lips while you're at it. Got it?