Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 22:45:20 -0600
From: Katya_Dee <concertoind@gmail.com>
Subject: Specter's Gamble - chapter 28

This is a work of fiction; all the resemblances are completely accidental. I
am the one who owns all the ideas and characters in the story. Contains
violence and descriptive sexual scenes between two males. If you are not
supposed to read it, don't do so. Feel free to e-mail me with praises or
insults (former preferred).


- XXVIII -


            He sat in his car for almost two hours. Specter and the
kid went inside the apartment and they haven't left it yet. Alessandro
wondered briefly if Specter was entertaining himself with the kid in
his own twisted way, but he discarded that idea almost immediately.
Samuel seemed to be at extreme ease around the man, and Alessandro
knew that if Specter even touched the kid, the ease would be gone in a
heartbeat. No, he is not doing anything to him, Alessandro thought,
and for some reason, he felt some weird pulsating relief deep inside
his chest. Relief and something that suspiciously reminded him of weak
gratitude.

   He gritted his teeth. Gratitude? What the hell is wrong with him?
This bastard killed his brother; never mind the fact that Andreas
should have been more careful and less arrogant, and that he should
have called Julian immediately after he found out about Specter's
whereabouts... His brother was a smart man; but he was also the man
guided by his emotions. He hated Rayhe with burning passion, ever
since he got hit by Gabriel's very unpleasant spell back when they
tried ambushing both of them in Rayhe's house. He didn't even care
much about Specter, in spite of the fact that the assassin was
Julian's primary concern – Salamander didn't give a damn about Rayhe,
not even after finding out that Rayhe was the one who placed the hit
on his Uncle several years ago. Alessandro found it somewhat amusing
that Julian actually felt thankful to the man - in his own weird,
twisted, and sometimes demented way, but he was thankful.

   Andreas should have known better than going there alone; he should
have known that Specter got his reputation for a damn good reason; he
should have known... He went there anyway, and got killed as a result.
By Specter. Who was inside that apartment right now. Who was inside
that damn apartment with Samuel who apparently trusted that son of a
bitch more than he trusted anyone in his entire life.

   Alessandro gritted his teeth. His hand was absent-mindedly twisting
his phone for the last hour or so. He needs to call Julian; he needs
to let him know. Salamander is going to be furious when he finds out,
Alessandro thought. He is going to waste both of them now – Specter
*and* Rayhe. Crap, Alessandro thought. He'll have to make sure that
the kid is safely far away from here when that happens. Yeah, but
could he guarantee that Samuel is not going to come back unexpectedly
while Julian is in the midst of his slicing and dicing? Alessandro
knew that Salamander would definitely take his sweet time before
finally killing both of them.

   Considering the fact that those two are planning to leave tomorrow
night, there was an excellent chance of the kid coming back here,
Alessandro thought gloomily. To say his last good-bye because...
*"I'll miss you... Both of you..."*Goddammit, he growled softly.
God-bloody-dammit...

   "You know," a very thoughtful voice muttered in his head. "Julian
doesn't*have to* know about this... I mean, he is satisfied right now.
He has no idea, not a single shadow of a suspicion that Specter is
alive, and that he was fooled... He doesn't *need* to know; it will
only make him extremely unhappy... And we both know that unhappy
Julian is definitely not a good thing..."

   Yeah, Alessandro agreed with that wholeheartedly. But he also
didn't want to repeat his brother's mistake by trying to take Specter
out on his own. The result could be disastrous for Alessandro himself.

   "Well," the same thoughtful voice said again. "Andreas wasn't after
Specter; he was after Rayhe... He also underestimated Specter – a
mistake you are not going to make. You know what he is capable of,
don't you?"

   He certainly did.

   "Plus," the voice continued reasonably. "If you take care of this
on your own, you will finally be able to get your revenge. Julian got
his, now it's your turn. Killing him twice – how marvelous is that?"

   "Bloody marvelous," Alessandro muttered.

   He would also kill Specter and Specter alone. He wouldn't do
anything to Rayhe. The man who was willing to play such deadly game
with Julian, just to have a chance to save someone he loved, deserved
to be left alone in peace. Well, relative peace, Alessandro shrugged.
Rayhe is not going to be very peaceful after he loses Specter for
real, but that part didn't concern Alessandro.

   Finally, after almost another hour, the door of the apartment
opened, and both – Samuel and Specter – walked out. Alessandro rolled
his window down just slightly. He saw them talking and he was
wondering what Specter was saying to the kid. The assassin didn't even
bother to keep his voice down, so the sounds reached Alessandro's
eager ears quite easily.

   "Just go home," he was saying with small laughter. "He won't be
back until later..."

   Alessandro immediately knew he was talking about Rayhe.

   "You are coming back tomorrow, right?" Specter finished.

   "You bet I am," the kid laughed. "Take me with you!" he said, and
Alessandro's heart skipped a beat.

   "We talked about it already," Specter said and tussled kid's hair
again, just like he did when Samuel came to the apartment.

   "I know," the kid nodded. "It's just..." he shrugged. "I have
nothing here... Nothing and no one... Just think about it, okay?"

   "Yeah, yeah," Specter grumbled and shoved him towards the car
slightly. "Just go already... I'll talk to Rayhe," he finished
suddenly, and the kid whirled around.

   "You mean, you actually considering it?!" the insane hope in his
voice made Alessandro grit his teeth.

   "Go away already," Specter grinned. He tussled kid's hair one last
time and went back inside the apartment.

   The kid stood by his car for several minutes, wide grin stretching
his mouth. Finally, he got inside the car and drove away.

   "If I take him out now," Alessandro thought. "It would be the
perfect timing... He seemed to be relaxed enough, even though I know
it's not a good reason... But he is alone, at least for a while. He is
not aware of me being here. If I wait much longer, Rayhe might come
back... Go there, ring the doorbell, since that would be the better
alternative than trying to climb through the window... If someone
wants to kill you, they don't ring the doorbell first, right? The
minute he opens the door, knock his teeth out, and then break his damn
neck. Simple."

   Right. Except, when it came to Specter, nothing was simple,
Alessandro was perfectly aware of that. He debated with himself for
the next fifteen minutes. Finally, he made his decision. What Julian
doesn't know, can't hurt him. Alessandro was even willing to go as far
as not to torture the bastard. He wanted to at first, he imagined that
it would feel magnificent, but now he changed his mind. He'll break
his neck, clean and simple. The kid, he thought gloomily. The damn kid
was the reason he didn't want to hurt the assassin more than necessary
right now. Somehow, Specter was able to reach out to that kid;
somehow, he was able to make him smile the way he did, and that alone
was worth a hell of a lot to Alessandro.

   Ring the bell, keep your arm ready (the guy's intuition was bloody
legendary; if he feels that something is off, Alessandro won't stand a
chance), knock him out the minute the door opens, kill him. That was
the plan.

   Alessandro glanced around briefly, making sure that nobody was
around, and quickly walked towards the apartment building. He stood
still for several minutes, looking intently at the door with number
fifteen on it, and finally, he rang the bell.

   "Yeah, yeah," he heard a voice from behind the door. "What is it
now? What did you forget this time...?"

   Good, Alessandro thought. He thinks the kid forgot something and
came back. He heard the sound of the door chain sliding off, and then
the door started to open. "You let yourself to relax, Specter," he
thought with dark satisfaction. "You wouldn't make such a mistake
three months ago... You've gone soft, and it is about to kill you..."

   The door finally swung open and Alessandro's arm immediately shot
forward. He knew exactly how tall Specter was, therefore, he aimed for
that one spot between his eyes. Alessandro knew that if executed
correctly, this move could knock out a horse. His move was executed
perfectly. The precision was envious. Specter would be knocked out the
minute Alessandro's fist collided with his face if Specter was the one
who opened the door, which wasn't the case. Alessandro's fist hit
nothing but air and the bigger man almost lost his balance due to that
fact. He regained it rather quickly and then stared at whoever opened
the door with disbelief.

   "Samuel?" he said incredulously, and when kid's dark-blue eyes
darted behind his shoulder, he knew he was screwed.

   He tried to whirl around and throw his arm up, but even before he
started to move, he knew he was too late. Before he could even move a
muscle, he felt a very unpleasant sharp prick on his neck, and then
everything became black.