“Just because I have to stay here to be safe doesn’t mean I can’t be comfortable,” Viktor said.
The floor was all open plan, with a reception area just behind the doors, next to a kitchen and dining area to the right. Viktor led everyone to the right of those, under an archway into a massive living area, complete with oversized TV, and couch big enough to fit a football team comfortably. There was a bar, and pool table, and it looked more like the sort of place you’d go to hang out with friends than somewhere you’d go because something awful was happening and you wanted to be safe.
“The bedrooms and bathroom are just over there,” Viktor said, pointing through a second archway to a hall beyond.
“Have you ever used this before?” Diana asked.
“All the time,” Viktor told her. “Like I said, I like to feel safe. I also like to keep people guessing. I don’t bring guests down here very often, though.”
“Now I feel special,” Remy said.
Viktor ignored him and walked over to a computer on a desk at the far side of the room. He tapped the mouse, and the computer screen lit up. “I keep it on at all times,” Viktor said. “It’s not like I can’t afford the electricity.”
“I tell you what, I’m not sure how you’ve managed to stay single for so long,” Morgan said with as much sarcasm as she could manage. “Because dropping how much money you have into a conversation—that’s sexy.”
“I’m not ashamed of how much money I make,” Viktor said.
“How about how you make it?” Fiona asked.
“Not that, either. We all have to eat.”
“Yeah, this is barely getting by,” Fiona said.
Viktor sat at the computer and plugged the USB drive in. “You know, Elaine didn’t tell me you’d all be giving me so much shit for what I do for a living.”
“I imagine she thought you probably deserved it,” Remy said. “What’s on the drive?”
“That’s an excellent question,” Viktor said. “I don’t honestly know what’s on it. It’s encrypted and will take a while to open.”
“Why you?” Mordred asked. “Why did Elaine come to see you? There’s literally no reason I can think of that she would put a USB drive in a box in a cave instead of sending it to Tommy, Olivia, or anyone else she trusts. And she certainly wouldn’t have come to you to discuss things. Besides, you’re not smart enough to be a computer guy. You’re a gangster, through and through. Not a brave or smart one, but still, that’s the life you lead.”
“She trusted me,” Viktor said.
“Bullshit,” Mordred snapped. “I don’t trust you, and I’ve actually had dealings with you. You work with whoever will offer you the most of what you want. Money, power, influence . . . Whoever gives you what you need at that time, that’s who you work with. What did Elaine offer you? What do you get out of it? Money? Prestige? Please don’t say women and drugs, because I’d have to feel really disappointed if you do.”
Viktor turned in his chair to face everyone. “A new realm,” Viktor said. “I get to take my wealth and leave this realm and everyone in it. I get to move to a realm of my choosing and live like a damn king.”
“Why?” Remy asked.
“Because just maybe I backed the wrong horse,” Viktor snapped. “And just maybe some people won’t be that happy with it when it’s discovered.”
“Who did you back?” Nabu asked.
Viktor and Mordred held each other’s gaze for several seconds. “Elaine.”
“What are you talking about?” Fiona asked. “She never mentioned you at any point.”
“You remember when you ripped my arm off, left me for dead, and destroyed my life?”
“You want me to remind you why I did those things?” Mordred snapped.
“No. But Elaine found me. Offered me a job working for her in secret. She’d pay for my new arm, my new life, make it look like I’d earned it, and from there I was meant to ingratiate myself with people who might not have Avalon’s best interests at heart.”
“Like Hera, by chance?” Diana asked.
Viktor nodded. “I did a few things for her people, yes. I fed back what I could and made some profit where I needed to, but I never betrayed Elaine. Not once. A few months ago she shows up, tells me she wants me to keep some computer equipment here. That there’s software on it that’s been engineered to unlock encrypted data. Told me to leave it on at all times and keep it safe. In exchange she’d get me out of the realm. She said that Hera and her people were starting to move pieces around, that sooner or later I’d be discovered.”
“So, you sold Elaine to Hera or something?” Mordred asked.
“No, of course not. I did exactly what she asked.” He turned back to the computer. “Look.” He clicked on a few screens and opened some software, which immediately gave a satellite view of a building in Moscow. “That can’t be right,” he said.
“What is it?” Diana asked, her tone suggesting Viktor was exceptionally close to irritating her.
“Good news and bad news,” Viktor said, and Mordred thought there was far too much happiness in his voice for his liking.
“Just tell us,” Diana said.
“Part of the encryption was to stop anyone from seeing the tracking device she wore.”
“And the rest of it?” Mordred asked.
“I don’t know. It’s still going through the software. Anyway, this device needs contact with a living person to continue to function. So she’s either in that building right there”—he tapped an image on the screen—“or she’s placed it on someone who is there so we can find them.”
“What’s that building right there?” Remy asked.
“The nightclub the werewolves own.” Viktor almost tensed as if expecting someone to hit him, and when it didn’t happen he looked around the room to check where everyone was.
“You didn’t give Elaine up?” Mordred asked, his voice hard, the anger seeping out.
“No, I swear I didn’t. Elaine was going to keep me alive. I’m not a saint, and I did awful things for money, but no one knew I worked for Elaine. If they had, I’d have been killed years ago.”
“There’s always time,” Fiona said. “It has to be a trap. Someone could have easily removed the device and be using it to bring people in.”
“No one else knew,” Viktor said, almost shouting. “No one but me even knew she wore one. Not even her bodyguards knew—she told me that herself.”
“So why have it?” Fiona asked. “Why wear a tracking device that no one can find unless you get the USB stick, find Viktor, and use it here?”
“She was going to plant it on someone,” Viktor said, and then regretted it.
“Who?”
Viktor shook his head. “Don’t know. I just know she needed to get close to someone to do it, but she vanished before she could.”
“So, that building—it’s the same psychotic werewolf pack you mentioned earlier?” Remy asked.
Viktor smiled. “The very same, and if Elaine is in there, you’re going to need a mop and bucket.”