Is this destiny?

Mila and Jasha met with Aiden and Kolya in the hallway, in front of the door that leads to the narrow and long room which looks like an abandoned broom closet.

"There is a hatch that provides access to the basement.", Jasha said victoriously while pointing at the square-shaped metallic door on the floor. "It's too heavy for me to open it on my own, and Mila is not much of help."

Mila rolled her eyes. She is a girl, specializing in firearms, not a muscle freak like many others.

"What happened to you?", Mila asked Kolya when she noticed that he is limping. His leg is bandaged, but unless he pulls his pants higher, it's hidden.

Kolya waved that it's not important. "I made a mistake. I can walk, and I will not drag you down."

"But you are not much help in lifting heavy stuff…", Jasha said to Kolya derisively.

"Never mind him.", Aiden said to Jasha. "Let's see if the two of us can open this thing."

On their second attempt, the hatch flipped completely, revealing stairs that lead into the darkness.

"What makes you sure it's down there?", Jasha asked Aiden.

Aiden can't tell them about what he saw with Eve-lens, but he has another explanation that sounds reasonable. "It's a hunch, backed by what I observed so far. We have two hours to deal with this, and if it's a simple sweep of the main and upper floor, it should not take that much time, so it must be hidden. We found out about the basement by accident and if we didn't, we would end up checking these two upper floors and trying to figure out what we missed."

Mila nodded in agreement with Aiden. "True. If you didn't tell us to look for a way to reach down, we would not pay attention to this hatch. It even had things on top of it."

Kolya rolled his eyes. "You would support the pretty boy no matter what he says."

Mila sneered. "As long as he says reasonable things, I will support him. And I already told you that being handsome is a bonus which your looks don't grant you. Are you jealous? If you dress up better, it might improve your image…"

Kolya was outraged. "You…"

Aiden pinched the roof of his nose. "Can the two of you stop bickering? Let's finish this mission and move on."

Kolya directed his displeasure to Aiden. "Who made you the boss?"

Aiden was on the verge of smacking Kolya into obedience. Is it possible that he forgot how only ten minutes ago he almost became a cripple because he didn't listen to Aiden? But Aiden knew that if he says that, it will only fan the flames and they will end up fighting.

Aiden took a deep breath and adjusted his mood before answering. "No one made me the boss. But I hope we all agree that having our target hidden in the basement makes sense and that we should finish this as soon as possible, so… let's go down, retrieve the contents of the safe and then we don't need to look at each other anymore."

"I agree. Let's go…", Jasha said as he descended downstairs first.

"Watch for the traps.", Aiden warned Jasha.

Jasha paused his steps. "Did you see something?"

"No.", Aiden responded. "But Maksim warned us about traps and enemies, and other than the flimsy structure of the house, we didn't find anything dangerous."

"Well, it will be dangerous if the building collapses and we end up trapped under it.", Mila said sarcastically.

Kolya was about to go down when he heard Maksim in his earpiece: "Why are you going down before checking the house?"

Kolya stepped on the side, tapped his earpiece, and responded in a whisper so that he is not overheard: "The other team members agree that we should go down. Do you expect me to separate from them?"

"Are you going to follow orders from the pretty boy?", Maksim asked mockingly.

Kolya groaned. "I went against him, how you told me, and it almost cost me a leg. Are you telling me to put myself in danger only because you want to test him? Or are you testing me? Besides, everyone else is going. What do you want me to do? I am not suicidal."

Outside, Maksim pursed his lips and watched as Kolya descended to the basement after Mila, leaving Aiden the last one standing on the main floor.

"Are you sure that is the right way, pretty boy?"

Aiden paused when he heard Maksim through his earpiece.

"You didn't give me any instructions before the mission, saying that you want to see how I will perform on my own. I am aware that you have a grudge against me, so I suggest that you stop wasting your breath and keep on watching. Maybe you will learn how a real leader behaves."

"You will teach me, pretty boy?"

Aiden smirked. He can hear that Maksim is angry.

Aiden knows that he should not go against the team leader in the middle of a mission, especially because the guy is associated with the Voronin family, but Maksim is already against Aiden, and being docile will only create more opportunities for Maksim to attack.

"Yup. A great leader is focused on the mission and does not allow personal issues to impact his performance, or to jeopardize teammates.", Aiden responded smugly.

Maksim snorted and didn't respond. He can't do anything drastic, not with all the cameras. It's not that anyone can scold him, or punish him, but he is aware that the Grand Master and the Elders of the Voronin family have hopes that these recruits will turn the luck of this organization for the better.

No one expects newcomers to be loyal, that is a luxury that not many in this organization have, but with the right rewards, the services of people will be secured. After all, it is only a matter of the right amount; everyone has a price. It is difficult to find the right people because there is no public job market for people with skills in infiltration and killing.

Maksim knows that Aiden caught the eye of the Elders, and Maksim should support him. But Maksim's ego is hurt, and he can't stop himself from despising Aiden.

How can his Divna ignore Maksim and be so loyal to this pretty boy? She is perfect, other than the fact that she is stuck to the wrong man.

Maksim wondered, doesn't she know who he is? Probably not. He will make sure to tell her about his status over dinner. Tonight.

Maksim remembered how fiercely Sarah stood up for Aiden, and he wonders if it's possible that it's only part of the mission that Natalia gave her. There is a chance that Sarah fell in love with Aiden, but still… she easily said (twice) to Maksim that she will kill him, and Maksim saw in her mesmerizing green eyes that she meant it. Maksim admires Sarah's spirit, and he wishes that one day she stands up like that for him.

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