Is this destiny?

Sarah tugged Aiden's hand and they went behind the nearby bush for cover. Within seconds, they saw three figures approaching the lake.

There were no lights, but the moonlight was bright enough to expose some of the facial features. Also, Sarah and Aiden have Eve-lens to help them to see in the dark.

Sarah perked up when she recognized the big guy. It was Igor. And the other two were also from Iskra's base, Dusan and Lazar. They were walking straight toward the lake, one behind the other; Dusan first, followed by Igor and then Lazar at the back.

"This is enough.", Dusan said and circled around Igor, to stand next to Lazar.

"Why are we here?", Igor asked.

Lazar bobbed his head. "Do you really not know? Ah, Iskra said that you are stupid and that your only worth is in muscles. Your ignorance proves that she was right."

"Don't waste your time on chatting.", Dusan reprimanded Lazar.

Lazar shrugged. "A minute here or there won't matter. Do you think that anyone will check on us? Since we arrived here, as long as we don't try to go into the middle circle, no one cares where we go or what we do."

"Fine. Tell him what you want so that we can finish with this and go back.", Dusan said in surrender.

Lazar looked at Igor with contempt. "Iskra told you to get rid of the pretty boy, you refused. She told you to back off, you refused. What did you think will happen after your repeated disobedience? Don't blame us for this."

Igor had a bad feeling about this. He knows the others don't like him, but now it seems they have something on their mind and it's more than just usual bullying. "What are you going to do?"

"I guess there is no harm in telling you…", Dusan said and reached for the gun that was tucked in the belt of his pants.

Igor took a step back, and the softer ground reminded him that there is a lake behind.

Dusan was still talking.

"With rules of the competition changing, the only way to make sure the right ones get to the top is to remove unwanted ones, so… you are out. Iskra didn't plan to keep you anyway, but with your shaky loyalty, you are the first to go…"

Dusan suddenly raised his hand and took aim.

'BANG!'

A gunshot sounded and Igor fell on his knees with a groan while clutching his thigh.

"You bastards!", Igor squeezed through his teeth. "She is just using you! You will be next! I will get you for this…"

"Keep your empty talks for someone who cares. What can you do?", Lazar asked mockingly. "Our orders are to make you disappear. It's late and no one cares about gunshots outside base so… no one will come to your help. We will push you into the lake, and maybe someone finds you in the morning. Don't take it personally."

Dusan raised his hand again, to take another shot, but he fell limply on the ground.

"Dusan? Dule? What happened? Are you OK?", Lazar asked nervously while approaching Dusan slowly. "Don't play like that…"

Just as Lazar hovered above Dusan to check what is going on, he fell on top of Dusan.

Igor blinked, unsure if he is seeing things. Probably, because his leg is hurting like crazy.

Igor was startled when Sarah approached him.

"Why didn't you use ear stud to call for help?"

"I thought that they only want to talk and maybe give me a warning. It would not be the first time. By the time I realized that something is off, there was no time to call for help.", Igor explained while grimacing.

"He is shot in the thigh and bleeding…" Sarah told Aiden as she injected Igor with the anesthetic that will numb the area around the wound.

Aiden approached Dusan and removed his belt that he tightened around Igor's thigh to slow down the bleeding.

Aiden also took the gun from Dusan, and patted Lazar before taking away his gun as well.

"And I thought that we were not supposed to have guns…", Aiden mumbled while holding two pistols victoriously.

"We should find a spot to hide those guns. Maybe they come handy.", Sarah mused.

Aiden agreed about keeping the guns. But what should they do with Lazar and Dusan? "Maybe we should shot them and dump them into the lake."

Sarah didn't agree. "Let's not make a bigger commotion than what it already is. They didn't see us, and they will be out until morning. It will be fun to hear their excuses on what happened with Igor and their guns."

"What now?", Aiden asked Sarah while looking at Igor.

Sarah scratched her head. "Igor, it's time for you to decide what you want to do. With this wound, you will be unable to compete, and you need medical help. Do you want to return to this base and seek a doctor? They will probably give you to Iskra when they finish taking care of the injury, and she already tried getting rid of you. Or do you want to join us? That will mean that you will abandon Iskra and join another organization."

"I have nothing else here.", Igor responded. "I am of no use to Iskra, and she sees me as a liability. From five minutes ago, I am a dead man and I am alive only thanks to you. I will follow your orders. But… My leg is shot, and I am useless."

Sarah waved, indicating that his injured leg is not a big deal. "You will heal… Do you remember our talk, when we gave you the ear stud?"

Igor confirmed. "The group where people get rewarded based on performance and loyalty?"

"That one. Do you still want to join?"

Igor nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I will not disappoint you."

"Welcome to our family.", Sarah said with a smile and glanced at Aiden. "We need to move back out of the range of jammers to make a call."

Aiden looked at Sarah with disapproval. "What are you planning to do?"

"We will call Aaron to come and pick Igor up. He is the closest compared to the other bases."

Aiden always thought that Sarah gives her trust too easily, and this was too fast for his comfort.

This incident reminded Aiden that his wife collects things and animals and people, and this is one huge guy with his history tied up to the Voronin family.

"Love, are you sure?"

"If Igor stays here, he is a sitting duck. He needs medical help. Aaron can get him up to speed and make sure he gets necessary training." Sarah paused and saw that Aiden is not happy about this so she decided to explain further: "Aaron will keep an eye on Igor, just how he does with every new recruit. When Igor reaches his destination, he will not know where he is, and he will not have access to any privileged information. That is the standard procedure for the first few months until he adjusts and passes all the training and until then, this mess will be over."

Aiden exhaled in defeat and looked at Igor. "Can you walk?"

Igor confirmed. "I don't feel any pain."

"That is because of the anesthetic. You need to take it easy…", Sarah told him.

Aiden supported Igor, and Sarah went ahead first to make the call.

It will take Aaron about one hour with the helicopter to reach their location from the base at the Ceresc Solutions.

Sarah also used this opportunity to tell Aaron that Igor defected from the Voronin family and that he needs to be scanned for any devices and put under constant surveillance. They don't want to take any risks, just in case if Igor changes his mind.

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