One month later
“Try not to break anyone’s limbs, or at least don’t get in an argument with the guys, all right?”
Flynn was saying, his voice hushed as they were walking towards the heavy wooden door in the manor.
“Yeah, I know the rules, Flynn. No talking, unless asked to.“
“And no fighting. “
“What was I supposed to do?” Michael protested, “The guy was just asking for it.”
Flynn shook his head.
“You were supposed to scare him off a bit, not send him to the doctor’s. “
“He’ll be okay, I didn’t inflict any permanent damage.“
Flynn clicked his tongue.
“I have to say you’ve been adapting much faster here than I ever thought. Half of the guys here are already scared of you.“
“Must be the size. “
Flynn glanced back at him to see if Michael was following and said,
“Yeah, it must be that. “
Michael had arrived last April exactly as planned, and just as discussed Flynn had been the one to introduce him to the group. There was just one very serious detail, no one had mentioned to him.
Flynn hadn’t been here for a year.
It had been two and a half and he still had very little on them.
And in that time Michael had spent here, he hadn’t seen Richard even once. It wasn’t that the leader of the group was constantly surrounded by bodyguards or anything. The guy was simply a ghost. Others rarely dared talk about him and Michael was beginning to think of the guy as more of an imaginary figure, rather than a real man. But it had been exactly as Flynn had said. Michael had adapted much faster than expected. He’d just been with other mafia members before- he knew what these men were looking for.
To be more specific- they needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate to beat the shit out of anyone if that helped the business or got the job done.
And if Michael was good for one thing- that would be beating guys senseless. His military training was always a plus. His wolf added up to that twice, even though no one knew what he was except for his superiors back in the US.
“He said he wanted to meet you, that’s a one in a million- times chance, you know?”
Flynn said quietly, but Michael noticed the man still glanced around to see if anyone had been too close to overhear. They were alone, but Michael couldn’t just tell him he could sense or hear if anyone approached, so he only said.
“Yeah, I know,”
“Okay. So whatever he asks, you do it, yeah?”
“Noted.”
Flynn paused before opening the door and straightened his shirt- Michael could swear the guy seemed nervous if he didn’t know better.
“Right. Let’s do it. “
Flynn pressed the handle and they got in. The first thing he noticed was that the bureau opposite the door was surprisingly empty. He scanned the room and saw three men standing up. There was also someone in the armchair, nearest to the door, but the men were blocking his view. The men seemed to be discussing something very eagerly, Michael had heard them even before entering, and they continued talking, not caring about the newcomers in the least.
The men were wearing suits - the usual dark colors and even though they were criminals, everyone who was close to the higher-ups was always perfectly dressed. With the way, they looked no one would ever think they were involved in anything illegal. At all.
Michael was an exception, naturally, but then again he wasn’t one of them. Besides, he was posing as the new efficient debt collector and muscle man, no one would look at him twice.
At least not yet. Flynn closed the door behind them and one of the men turned to face them and took a step to the side.
And that’s when Michael’s whole world tilted.
***