The first thing he noticed was that there was no Victor. The chains and shackles which were supposed to hold him had been ripped off from the ceilings and floor. Where the hell was Dvorak? He looked around the room and that was when his eyes settled on a shrunken body which lay in a corner.
Caesar took a step forward and came over to where the body lay. It was Dvorak’s. Caesar stood there scarcely believing his eyes. Half of the big man’s head was gone. His throat was ripped open. His chest gaped at him wide and he went to see his guts and spleen. Caesar turned his face away, disgusted. At that moment, he understood what happened. This was the work of werewolves. They had killed Dvorak. Then took Victor away. That explained the broken chains and shackles on the floor. But how? How could they have found this place? His father had been using this place for years to torture werewolves before he had passed it onto him. The werewolves never knew this place existed. Even if they did, there was no way in hell they could have found it. But now they do.
Caesar felt a hot wave of murderous rage sweep through him. Somebody had talked! But who? There was no one that knew the existence and location of this place except him and his father. Well, let’s say Marianna knew too. But he had conveniently hidden his plans from her. There was no way in hell she could have known any of the things he was doing here. So how? How did they get here? Caesar heaved heavily.
He turned to look at Dvorak and he grimaced.
Caesar was a lonely and distrustful man and had no serious friendship with people. It was a terrible thing to not be liked by no one. No liked him; and anyone that pretended to, wanted something from him. Even his own blood sister did not like him. But Caesar had come to like Dvorak and he knew the other man admired him too. The way Dvorak had been overseeing his affairs and dealing with any issues had enormously impressed Caesar. Dvorak was a great guy and his little friendship with Dvorak means that much to him than anything. Dvorak’s death now left him viciously angry and in a brooding, forlorn mood.
Before he walked out of the room, he concluded in his mind to give Dvorak a befitting, grand style funeral. The big Fur Hunter deserved it.
**************************
By the time Caesar walked into his bedroom, he was in a cold, homicidal state of mind. He headed straight to the liquor cabinet.
“How did it go?” Safiaya said, noticing the dark scorn on his face.
“Bad! Really bad!” He said curtly. He fixed a drink and tossed it down. “The werewolves got Dvorak. He’s dead,”
Safiya's jaw dropped. There was a genuine expression of disbelief on her face.
“What do you mean dead?”
Caesar lashed at her.
“Don’t taunt me, woman! Is there another word for dead?”
She swallowed hard, holding her breath.
“What about Victor?”
“He’s gone! Those damned wolves took him away,”
Safiya stiffened, her body flooding with exploding excitement. She quickly controlled herself. Christ! This was what she wanted! This was the way she wanted things to turn out. This was the only way her revenge plan could have worked. But it had been a gamble. She had only gambled. But it worked! It actually worked!
“Was Victor dead before they took him away?” She said trying to act as normal as possible.
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Caesar seethed out. “Dvorak was supposed to kill him tonight. Now Dvorak’s dead. So go figure,”
“I warned you, Caesar . You should have killed him when you had the chance. I guess leaving till now was stupid,”
“Stupid?” Caesar snarled. “Why you…...” he broke off, sputtering.
“I mean why wait till now, Caesar . Why not kill him on that day you had him? Why are you always so threactical? You loved the suspense right? the thrill? the thought of holding a man’s life in your hand while he begs and claws for it? Does it tickle you? Give you a kind of orgasm?”
Caesar couldn’t answer her. He continues to console himself with the drink in his hand. Safiya stood there and there was a long moment of silence. Then she smiled to herself. It was time to go into the act.
“Someone snitched on you, Caesar.”
He looked at her frowning.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean someone must have talked. With what you told me about how discreet the torture house is, then the only way the werewolves could have gotten Victor out is if someone told them where he is”
Caesar had come to accept that Safiya had an uncanny mind and he was looking at her now, a serious expression on his face.
“So you mean someone led them there?” It wasn’t a question. It was a conclusion.
“Correct. I think I know who did it,”
“You do?” He glared at her.
She nodded her head.
“Who?”
“I can’t say, Caesar. You won’t believe me,”
“What are you trying to tell me?” Caesar snarled. “You telling me you have some info about this situation I found myself in and you can’t tell me who’s behind it?”
“You’ve got to understand, Caesar. I’m also finding it very difficult to tell you what you want to hear. It’s hard for me. You’ve got to consider me too,” if she didn’t make it out like this was for real, Caesar might have doubts when she eventually opens up. There was no room for doubt.
His suspicions of her deliberately hiding something from him made a deadly purposiveness appear on his face. He came over to her. His bloodshot, enraged eyes glared into hers.
“I want you to consider this. If you don’t start telling me what am about to hear I’m gonna break every fucking fingers on your hand,” he caught hold of Safiya’s hand and twisted it behind her. Then he grabbed three fingers on her hand tugging it, “Talk! Now!”
“I……can’t……say anything” she cried. “It’s hard….,” she broke off with a little scream as Caesar pulled tight on her finger, nearly dislocating it, “Damn you, talk,” Caesar said and pulled hard on her finger forcing Safiya onto her knees.
“Oh,Christ! You are hurting me, Caesar ” she whimpered.
“I will do more than that if you don’t start saying things I wanna hear. Will you talk?” When she hesitated, he pulled viciously on her fingers, twisting her arm up to her head.
“Alright, alright! It’s Marianna” she gasped out.
The shock of hearing Marianna’s name made Caesar let go of her arm. He stepped away from her.
Safiya strengthened, her face screwed up.
“It’s Marianna. She’s the one who snitched on you,”
“That’s a lie,” Caesar said breathlessly.
Safiaya’s face twisted into a scarlet of rage.
“You see, this is why I didn’t want to say anything. How could you believe it? I mean we are talking about your beautiful, blood sister here. Why would you believe it?”
“Marianna doesn’t have an inkling of everything I’m doing. I don’t even tell her anything. You even know more than her which makes you even more suspicious. So tell me, how could she have sold me out to the Blood River pack?”
Safiya pointed a finger at him, shaking her head pitifully.
“You stupid fool! You are so dumb. Well, I don’t expect you to believe anything I’m going to tell you but I will say it all the same. On the day of the attack I told you I went to Marianna’s room didn’t I?” When he nodded, she went on. “But I lied to you about me and her not saying anything. We actually talked. Remember you told me what Victor did to her? When he nodded again, she went on. “So I asked her about Victor just to get more from her. And boy, she said a lot. She told me all what Victor did. How he manipulated her and all. Then she told me she still loved him. And the only reason why she couldn’t go out to him was because of you! She’s scared shitless of you, Caesar. She told me if not for you, she would do anything to get Victor back because he was her first love. And you took Victor away from him. During all those times we were talking, we heard all the commotion outside. She asked me what was happening. And I told her about Victor coming here to fight you because of Selena. Marianna was green with envy. She said she was going to show herself to Victor. She believed if Victor sees her then he was going to forget all about Selena. '' she paused for breath and went on. “She left me alone in the room, Caesar. Look, this is what I believed happened and I know it to be true. Marianna must have seen you guys fighting outside. She must have waited patiently in the dark, waiting to see who won. you won, Caesar and that’s why somehow you were able to get Victor into the torture house. Marianna must have slicked back behind you all these times and followed you. I believe she must’ve heard you and Dvorak talking. That way, she knows your plan,”
Caesar looked at her, baffled. He couldn’t wrap his head around everything she was saying.
“Okay let’s say all these are true, then how the hell did she sell me out?” He asked, staring hard at her. “How the hell did she get the blood river pack to know Victor has been captured?”
She replied smoothly;
“That’s no brainer. She called the Blood River pack. You see, I believe she still had Victor’s phone number. Victor’s phone is with the pack. Any calls come in, they will pick it. Marianna called Victor’s phone. Someone in the pack picked and she told them everything. Well, I don’t even blame her. You know, how it is with women when they love a man. They can go any length to help that man. Marianna helped Victor and she did it because she loved him. it’s not hard too hard to understand,”
The way she was saying everything easily and convincingly reached out to Caesar . Safiya, seeing the way he was looking, smiled maliciously to herself. It was time to drive the final nail in.
“If you don’t believe me, Caesar . I will understand, honestly I would. I mean we are talking about your sister here. But I guess what I’m about to say right now would finally convince you that I am telling you the truth. And that Marianna never loved you like a blood sister should,”
The knowing glint in her eyes frightened him and he stood rooted there, a cold sick sensation developing in his stomach.
“She made me swear not to say this…………” Safiya went on, hesitatingly.
“Talk,” Caesar said in a low voice. “Just say it,”
Safiya drew in a long slow breath.
“It was about this incest stuff you both…..………”she didn’t get to finish her words as Caesar mechanically turned away from her his back broad and stiff.
Before he stepped out of the room, Safiya caught a glimpse of a sharp, evil-looking knife he had slid out from behind his cargo pants pocket.