The night was cold, like always.
But today was a little different.
“Madame, we’re here.”
My eyes flap open at the sound of the familiar male voice. “Well, that was faster than expected.”
Damien simply nodded. “We took a few shortcuts here and there.”
I raised my arms above my head to stretch. “Good job. Grab my coat, the breeze is exceptionally cold tonight.”, I get out of the car and look around. “Is it winter already?”
Damien obliged and grabbed my long coat from the front seat, “It’s the middle of November, the weather ought to start getting cold now.”, he said as he helped me put on the coat.
“November huh?”, I smack my lips in disgust. “Whatever, I can’t change the weather.”, my hands slither into my warm coat pockets. “Where’s the new warehouse we got?”
“It’s barely 10 minutes down the trail from here.”, another voice spoke up from behind me. I look behind and of course, it’s the one and only jackass, Farabi.
I roll my eyes, “Didn’t I order you to stay back at the headquarters, Farabi?”
He smiled dumbly and scratched the back of his head. “How could I not come when I heard that you’ll be teaching that bastard a lesson today?”
Damien scoffed. After knowing this man for over 10 years now, I know for sure he is calling Farabi all kinds of names in his head.
“Fifteen laps around the training ground when we return for disobeying my orders.”, I announce. Farabi chuckles, “If that’s the price I have to pay to watch that bastard getting beat up, I will happily pay it.”
“Mind your language, Farabi. Mr. Burton was literally like a father to you and the rest of us here.”, a smirk creeps up my face immediately after recognizing that voice.
“Glad you could make it, Kuro.”, I greeted the man who now stood beside Damien, towering over everyone. “It’s a pleasure to be at your service, Madame.”
Farabi mocked Kuro’s voice, earning himself a hard smack on the back of his head from Kuro himself. “We got no time to waste, Madame. Let’s get going.”
I nod. “Lead the way, Damien.”
We peacefully make our way following the trail through the thick forest. Damien held a flashlight in his hand scanning the path as we walked. Farabi and Kuro both walked behind me side by side, bickering every now and then, only stopping after I glared at them.
Soon, we were standing in front of the big old warehouse.
Damien hit the metal gate of the warehouse with his fist four times. After a brief wait, the gate rolled out of the way revealing the huge open space inside lit up nicely with hanging lights.
All the people working inside the warehouse dropped the task in their hands almost immediately realizing the presence of their boss. I cross my arms as I watch all my minions scurry and form a line on either side, everyone with their heads hung low.
“All hail, Madame Achlys!”, they said in a monotonous tone. I smirked. Everyone here…they fear me. Ah, I will never get enough of this feeling.
“Where’s the traitor?”, I ask. One of the soldiers, I suppose the leader speaks up, “He’s tied up at the back of the warehouse.”
“You, follow us.”, I order making the soldier jolt his head up. He immediately runs over and stands beside me. “Did he spill anything?”, I ask and make my way towards the back of this big space, my trusted men following behind.
The soldier replied with his eyes still glued to the ground, “Yes, we managed to get a few leads on his whereabouts. I have compiled everything in a file and sent it to Sir Farabi this morning. I suppose he has informed you of everything?”
My brows scrunch up. I stop in my tracks and look at Farabi right in his eyes. “You were caught up in your gaming shit again, weren’t you?”
Farabi squeals and hides behind Kuro. “I am so sorry I forgot.”, he blurted out quickly and peeked over Kuro’s shoulder. I can see Kuro visibly trying to hold in his laugh. “I told him to attend his duties this morning, Madame. But we all know Farabi refuses to listen to anyone.”
I sigh, “You’ll be running fifteen laps around the training ground and mowing the whole area when we return.”
I hear Farabi groan out loud and then get smacked on the back of his head possibly by Kuro as I start walking again. “I guess I will have to hear what Mr. Burton said with my own ears now.”
The room was dark unlike the rest of the warehouse. It was barely lit up with a single light bulb in the center of the room and right under it sat the star of today's show, Mr. Ford Burton.
“We meet again, Mr. Burton!”, I clasp my hands in front of me. “How are you doing today? Did my pawns treat you well?”
Mr. Burton looks up straight into my eyes with a disgusted look, “You’re crazy, Achlys! You’re crazy!”
I take a seat on the chair Damien has set up for me. “Oh Mr. Burton, you don’t change, do you?”
“First, you abandon your duties and disappear without a trace. Second, you come after a month, lie to me, and steal my money. Third and your most heinous crime, you betray me.”, I cross my legs and lean back on my seat. “Do you know what happens to people who break their code of honor, Mr. Burton?”
Mr. Burton let out a low chuckle, “You wouldn’t do that to me, Achlys, would you?”, his eyes looked at me with unsurety and fear.
“Of course not, Mr. Burton. We’ve known each other for years now. It wouldn’t be so nice of me to just kill you off over a silly matter, would it?”, I say with sarcasm dripping from my voice. “Let’s make a deal here. You tell me your intentions behind your betrayal and I will let you live to see another sunrise.”
Mr. Burton stares at me with a puzzled look for a while before opening his mouth, “Are you playing with me right now, Achlys?”
My lips curve up to a friendly smile, “You know I don’t play around with deals, Mr. Burton. Do I have myself a deal?”
He pondered for a moment. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. I looked around the room out of boredom. Maybe I should transform this place into a secret meetup? No, it should become our secret hideout considering how secluded it is from the city. You know what, let’s just keep it as a warehouse.
My train of thoughts is broken when Mr. Burton suddenly starts sniffling, “I-I didn’t want to do it.”
“Do what, Mr. Burton? Tell me everything.”, I lean forward, ready to soak up every piece of information about to leave his mouth.
“He threatened me. He told me that he would have my daughter if I didn’t follow his orders. She’s the only one I got. To save her life, I went to Islydena as told.”
“Islydena…the crime district. Who is this person you’re talking about?”
“He never told me his name nor did I ever get to see him.”
“So how did you guys communicate?”
“Through messenger pigeons.”
“Through messenger pigeons?”, Farabi exclaims. “A guy who communicates through messenger pigeons in Islydena? That sounds like a scene out of a 1800s crime movie.”
“Let’s hear the full story first before piecing all the details together.”, Kuro placed his hand on Farabi's shoulder to shut him up. “Mr. Burton, what did this person make you do in Islydena?”
He bit his lips nervously, "...He wanted to know about you."
"Know about Madame Achlys?", Farabi exclaimed once more. "The audacity of this mystery man-"
Kuro smacked the back of his head before he could continue, "Please don't mind his interruption."
I roll my eyes. This is why I told Farabi to stay back at the headquarters. "What did he exactly want to know about me, Mr. Burton?"
"Well, he didn't ask for all the information at once. One day, he asked how you look. The next day he asked how you speak and so on."
"How much did you tell him about me?"
"How much is ‘too much’?”
“Hmm…I don't know. If you told him about my extreme obsession with sparkly things, I would consider it too much.”
Mr. Burton gulped. “...I told him too much about you and I gravely apologize.”
A deep sigh leaves my mouth. "Where did you stay in Islydena?"
"No idea. They picked me up from this shabby alley in Chinatown. The car had tinted black windows so I couldn't see anything. Then they made me stay in a shabby hotel there.", he described.
"So how did you know it was Islydena?", Kuro asked,one of his eyebrows arching up in confusion.
Mr. Burton looked up at Kuro. "I know the Miwori City inch by inch. I figured it out by mapping out the directions the car took from the point of pickup."
Kuro looked at me with a knowing look. Ah, Mr. Glasses has already figured out something, hasn't he?
"Alright, I'll ask you one last question. Is your daughter safe now?", I sit up straight and cross my legs. "Have you heard from her recently?"
"Yes, she wrote me a letter on how her university was going well. Her university apparently doesn't allow phones for some reason so she writes letters to me every week.", a slight smile appeared on his face as he spoke about his one and only daughter.
"It's been 4 years since I've seen her. She told me that she's getting her degree next year and after that we can meet! Ironically, that's also when my contract with you ends, so I'll be finally able to leave behind his life and retire.", his eyes lit up with joy at the thought of meeting his daughter soon.
I nod and stand up, "Kuro, Damien, Farabi, come talk to me outside."
They follow me out as I step out of the room. Once we're a perfect distance away from all the guards, I stop and turn around to meet their eyes. "Kuro, what did you figure out?"
"He's lying, Madame."
