Opening the garage door, I checked to see if there were any guards nearby. It was around lunchtime. They usually sat out back with only two patrolling. There was no one in front. This was my chance. Hopping into my car, I started it and pulled out.
As I reached the gate, I looked back. The coast was still clear. I pressed the button and waited for the gate to open. I breathed out heavily as I left the premises, and the gate closed behind me. I was out without being discovered.
I headed to the office as I knew Melody would most likely be there. Pulling into the parking lot, I looked for her car. I didn’t want to be seen. I would have to park where I could see her, but she couldn’t see me. Before I could kill the engine, I saw her coming out and getting into her car.
Melody drove out the furthest gate. I followed slowly, ensuring two to three cars were between us at all times. I feltconfident that my following distance was sufficient. I couldn’t afford for her to notice me.
We had gone halfway through town before she suddenly turned into a parking garage. Swallowing hard, I tried to calm my nerves. “You got this,” I mumbled to my reflection in the mirror.
I drove in, going even slower. She went up to the second last floor and parked in the far corner. Not wanting to be too close, I stopped on the opposite side. I got out and moved between the cars to stay hidden as I made my way towards her.
Before I saw the car, I heard it coming. Ducking down, I waited for the car to pass before moving again. The black SUV pulled in next to Melody’s car. She was standing behind her car with her arms folded across her chest.
Two men got out and joined her. I didn’t recognize the first man. The second one looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I knew I had seen him before, but where? I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
It looked like they were arguing. I was still too far to hear what was being said. Moving closer, I studied the second man. Where have I seen him? As I started hearing bits and pieces of their conversation, it hit me like a bomb. It was the man from the DOJ offices. The one who showed up at Kolya’s offices.
What was his name? Crouching, I moved around the truck and hid behind a blue SUV. “Martin something,” I mumbled, racking my brain for answers. Then it came to me as I heard his voice, Martin Knowles. He was the superior of Brain and James.
I was now within earshot, but making out what they were arguing about wasn’t clear. I could hear that Melody wasannoyed. It sounded like they were talking about a client. But who?
Taking a risk, I made myself smaller and moved around to the next row of cars. Peeking through the back window of the grey car, I knew this was as close as I would be able to get. Pulling out my phone, I turned on the recorder.
Sliding my phone around the back wheel of the car, I tried to focus the receiver on them. It was still unclear what exactly they were discussing, but the couple of words I caught made my stomach turn.
There was one word I did catch. ‘Blackmail’, they were busy with illegal things, I thought, swallowing hard. Had I been wrong about Melody? “We will get proof,” I heard Melody promise.
Their conversation didn’t sound kosher. “You promised I’d have it by now!” Martin hollered at her. “We need the proof to get the money!” he added.
They were surely into something illegal. I was still battling to hear everything. But only that was enough proof for me. It went quiet. Shifting to my side to see, I dropped my phone. It made a small clinking sound but attracted their attention.
I saw Martin heading in my direction. I froze for a split second before my flee response kicked in. Grabbing my phone, I kept low as I moved back between the rows of cars. I couldn’t get caught.
Scrambling left and right, I managed to get to my car. Looking back, I saw Martin standing where I was hiding. He shook his head and went back to Melody and the other man. It was time to go. I had the recording at least. I felt sure I would beable to hear more about their plans on it. I was glad there was no mention of Kolya. At least not that I could hear.
Getting into my car, I closed the door softly. I exhaled the breath I was holding without even knowing. My chest felt tight, and my heart was racing. But I was safe. I fired up the engine and drove off. I had made it out before they or anyone else had discovered my presence.
Driving home was stressful. What had I gotten myself into? I knew I would have to share this information with Kolya. But I first wanted to make sure what I heard.
Chapter 21 - Kolya
I was pleasantly surprised when my phone rang, and I saw it was Mikhel calling. “Hi, there,” I said, answering.
“Hey, Kolya, you got some time? We have to chat,” he replied.
“Yes, sure, you just name the place and time,” before I could say anything else, the doorbell rang. “Just a sec, someone’s here. I’ll call you back,” I added and hung up.
Opening the door, I was shocked to see Mikhel standing at my door. “We need to talk, Kolya,” he said as he stepped inside. His tone was a little concerning. It had an urgency to it that I have only heard twice in my life. It stated that the news he was about to share wasn’t pleasant.
“Well, this was quicker than I had thought,” I replied, grinning. “Come in, let’s have a drink, and we can talk.”
Moving to the side, I allowed Mikhel to enter. While he went to the small living area, I ordered two coffees before joining him. Mikhel sat down where Sophia usually sits. Taking my place across from him, I found his expression curious. “You look like you need to run to the bathroom,” I laughed. “Is everything okay?”
“Please, you need to stay calm and listen to all I have to say before reacting,” he huffed. He glanced around as if he was expecting someone else to suddenly show up.
It made me nervous. “Mikhel, what’s going on?” I insisted.
He sighed deeply, then met my gaze. “Please,” he begged. The expression on his face was one of seriousness.
