Chapter 497


    497


    Adrik


    We spent several hours talking things through with Battista. There were so many different yers


    involved that it was going to be difficult to formte a solid n for all of them at once. We hadn’t even


    brought Martin into the picture yet. Or the Mexican cartels.


    “I have it on good authority that Niko and Vito are nning on returning to the city in the next two


    weeks. We don’t have a specific date yet, but the money supply is drying up, so they’reing back to


    find out what’s going on with the underbosses and their inability to collect taxes,” Battista said.


    Ivan was running his hand over his goatee, as he usually did when he was thinking though a problem.


    “What if we let theme back to the city to try and collect taxes? The people won’t stand for it. What


    if we let the people take care of Niko and to for us? They’re a big reason that the underbosses stopped


    collecting taxes in the first ce. Even with knowing what happened to Massimo and Lorenzo, they still


    likely would’ve kept trying to collect taxes if the people hadn’t fought back.”


    “I happen to be very good friends with a very talented arms dealer. He can make sure the people are


    protected against whatever Niko and Vito decide to try,” Battista


    said.


    1 felt Sephie starting to make the connections at the same time I did. “If the people of the city take care


    of Niko, Vito, and whatever underbosses object, then the mayor will need to appear like he’s being


    tough on crime to keep the favor of the pete,” she said.


    “Which will be the perfect opportunity to arrest Dr. Moretti. He can be the reason we connect Sal and


    Henry,” I said.


    “Henry connects the switch-hitting representative,” Ivan said.


    “The mayor and the DA look like they’re being very tough on crime and easily get re-elected,” Stephen


    said.


    “Not to mention the new wing on the hospital that’s happening out of all this,” Andre said.


    “Okay, so that takes care of everything here quite nicely. What about Ricardo and Sa Sephie asked.


    Misha’s eyes went wide. “I know why there were two scenarios for taking care of the bisses. Because


    we’re using both of them. Niko and Vito areing here, which is why I could see that oue. But


    we go after Ricardo and Sal and take care of then before they have a chance to return to the city.”


    Ivan chuckled, pointing to Sephie. “The princess agrees,” he said. They all looked at, smiling. She


    looked to me, silently asking what color her eyes had decided


    “Purple,” I said, kissing her cheek.


    “Oh. Well, then. Italy is once again in my future, apparently,” she said. She looked back at the rest of


    the guys, asking, “okay, so that takes care of them. Now, what about Martin?”


    “I admittedly don’t have as much information on Martin as I do on Ricardo and Sal. What about Trino?


    Does he still have people that are loyal to him down there?”


    Battista asked.


    “He does. He’s been keeping an eye on him since he’s been here. He said Martin has dit ties with the


    Mexican cartels, as well as Sal and Ricardo. Because he never got Giana as payment for whatever


    was supposed to happen when he came for her, he’s cut them off,” I said.


    “How much does Trino know about what else is going on with all of this?” Battista asked.


    “Everything,” we all said at once. Battista was surprised by our answer.


    “How did he take that?” he asked


    “Quite well, actually. He’d already seen a few things. He’d seen my eyes go ck, he knew I was able


    to somehow see things I shouldn’t be able to see. He just didn’t know it wasn’t just me until he got out


    of Colombia,” Seplie said.


    “We’d decided already that one stiption for his new security team was that they were going to have


    to be okay with everything weird that is happening, since hisst security team had a very big problem


    with Sephie,” I said.


    “We took two of Armando’s guys, the ones that helped us find Seple and Ivan when they were taken,


    and gave them to Trino. They know everything now too,” Stephen said.


    “How did they take it?” Battista asked.


    “They’re mostly okay with it. I think more shocked than anything.” I said. I nced at Andrei, Misha,Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    and Stephen, before looking back at Battista. “It doesn’t hurt that we all control our demons now,” I


    said. I knew right away that my eyes had switched to ck, without needing to see anyone else. I could


    feel it switch now. I could feel Sephie’s switch now. I knew if ours did, theirs would too.


    Battista looked around the room, somewhat shocked to see so many pairs of ck eyes staring back at


    him. Hepletely missed that Viktor’s eyes were still normal, which saved us from having that


    conversation with him. “When did this happen?” Battista asked.


    “Recently. It didn’t happen all at once. They’ve all figured it out in their own time,” Sephie said.


    “I was impressed when I first saw it on you, Sephie. I never would’ve thought I would fee it on so many


    others. You know this is virtually unheard of, right?” he said.


    She nodded her head. “You were right in that it’s a warning to other demons, but what you don’t know


    is that our demons are helping us. We’re basically using their powers for good now.”


    Battista looked at her for a few moments. “You’re actually using your demon’s powers?


    She nodded once more. “Each of our demonspliment us. Mine is very simr to me, for example.


    It’s like an added boost for our gifts, basically.”


    “Completely unheard of,” he said.


    “That’s because you’re looking at things in only ck and white. Good and evil aren’t ck and white.


    There’s a veryrge grey area that is more urate, Sephie said. “It’s hard to imagine that a demon


    would want to help, but you have to remember they haven’t always been demons. They were souls like


    us at one time. They just made bad choices and paid more attention to the evil than good. You can’t


    have one over the other all the time. Even only focusing on the good will get you in trouble. You can’t


    ignore that evil exists and expect it not to affect you or those around you,” Sephie said.


    Battista was quiet for a few moments. He finally looked at her and said, “light cannot exist without


    darkness, nor can darkness exist without light. The existence of one implies the existence of the other.


    This is something that people have known for centuries, but it has been altered and pe*verted by


    different religions to the point that people don’t understand the synergistic rtionship between the two


    any longer.”