Is this destiny?

Sarah flashed a confident smile at Igor.

She had this talk many times before and she is skilled in poaching talent. Numerous capable people want to join the Army of Chaos because of its rising status and a stellar reputation. But Sarah is aware that their success is only because she puts the priority on loyalty and that without it, they would be no different than regular thugs.

From day one, Sarah has the same principles: figure out what they want, and they will be loyal. One look at this huge man and she knew that inside he is a softie who is looking for a place where he will belong, a place where people will support each other and where he does not need to worry that others will use him as a steppingstone. Don't we all crave for such a place?

"In our group, people get rewarded based on their merits. If we pillage a place, you are entitled to the part of the spoils. If you perform well, we will urge you to continue training; if you underperform, we will provide you with resources to improve; if you show leadership skills and the right motivation, you will be promoted. We are a family, and no one is left behind because we believe that everyone has a value, even if that value is checking emails… someone has to do it. If you want us to take care of you, you need to do the same in return, since we prosper when we support each other. We value loyalty and as long as you know how to treat the hand that feeds you, anything is possible…"

Igor's eyes widened as Sarah spoke. He did his best to follow what Sarah was saying and so far everything sounded wonderful.

When she finished her little speech, Sarah paused, allowing Igor to absorb all that information.

"Do you understand?", Sarah asked after some time.

Igor nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

Sarah liked the determination in Igor's eyes. He understood that in order to get those benefits, he needs to do something for them first. After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

"How long are you with Iskra?", Sarah asked.

"I was a child when I joined. I changed a few bases before settling with Iskra about six years ago.", Igor responded.

"Then, you should understand that on the surface, this is a big happy family under the Voronin umbrella, but everyday life is filled with ugly infighting and backstabbing. After all, the person in power gets to enjoy life and make rules, others are destined to serve and obey." Sarah saw that Igor nodded, and she continued: "You want to prove yourself and earn our trust. For that, we need you to stay with Iskra. Let us know if she tries something against us."

"I showed disobedience. She will not talk openly in front of me again."

Sarah shrugged. "That is fine. We are not asking you to act out of your character and to snoop around. Don't try anything risky that would put you in danger. If you find out something, let us know. Another thing… you are still in the competition. Try to keep it that way. We need people who can watch our backs and if you are eliminated, you won't be able to do it."

"There is a chance that Iskra will keep an eye on me. How can I let you know I found something without alerting her?"

Sarah moved her chin toward the armoire and Aiden understood her nonverbal signals.

A few seconds later, Aiden got an ear stud from his backpack and used his phone to activate it.

Sarah approached Igor and observed his earlobes. "You don't have holes… this might sting a bit."

Igor hissed when Sarah jabbed the ear stud into his ear. Did she pierce his ear? And she did it without an antiseptic! What if it gets infected?

Sarah ignored Igor's obvious disapproval. "Tap it quickly twice and we will hear everything you do. To stop the transmission, tap once. Try it…"

Igor did what she said and confirmed that it's working.

Aiden was pleased that Igor was so obedient, and that made him lower his guard a bit.

Aiden added: "We can contact you through it, so don't freak out if you hear our voices in your head. If you tap it trice, that will send us a signal that you are in trouble and we will come to your rescue. Use that only in case of emergencies."

Igor vas visibly surprised. "You will come to my rescue?"

This was a strange concept for Igor. No one ever came to his rescue, he always had to fend for himself, like everyone else. He saw numerous companions being kicked out for a mistake or abandoned if they can jeopardize a mission… or treated as pawns, just how Iskra wanted to sacrifice him in order to get Alex (aka Aiden) out of her way. For some reason, he felt warm and fuzzy… he felt that they care.

Igor was reluctant to come here, and he initially came because he was angry at Iskra and he wanted to expose her plans in order to make it more difficult for her. After all, what can two youngsters and an old man from Natalia's camp do against more than twenty fighters and five bases? But now, Igor believes that he is not the only one and that maybe, just maybe, this might work and that joining forces with Sarah and Aiden is the right decision.

Aiden saw that Igor is dazed and he gestured toward the door, reminding Igor that he should make his exit. "Leave before someone notices that you are here."

Igor stood up and paused.

"Anything else?", Sarah asked.

"Uhm… how should I call you?"

"Olga…" Sarah was happy that she finally got to introduce herself. Everyone so far only spoke to Aiden (aka Alex), and treated her like a vase.

"Are you sure that this was the right thing to do?", Aiden asked Sarah when Igor left.

Sarah shrugged. "He came to us. We should give him a chance to prove his loyalty… and with the ear stud on him, we can listen in to their conversations. Even with the signal-jammers in place, as long as he is nearby, it will work."

Sarah laid back on the bed and patted a spot next to her. "Now come here… I need more cuddles before your next fight."

Aiden chuckled. "Shouldn't we tell Hong about Igor's visit?"

Sarah frowned. "We can tell him later." She patted the bed again, this time with more force. "My time for cuddles is running out. And I still didn't hear anything about the massive cake you will make for our wedding."

Aiden smiled helplessly and scooted on the bed next to Sarah. "Do you really expect me to bake a cake for our wedding?"

"Either that or you find bakers who can make something comparable. But if someone else makes it, it will miss the main ingredient…", Sarah pouted and snuggled into his embrace. "I know it's a lot of work. How about we make a cake together?"

As much as he wants to make her a cake, the days before the wedding should be relaxing with parties, spas, and everything else luxurious that does not include being stuck in the kitchen.

Aiden had an idea... "How about… for our wedding, we hire bakers. And then on our honeymoon we make a cake just for the two of us?"

"Three of us…", Sarah corrected Aiden.

He smiled. "For the three of us…"

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