The Matters of Power

Chapter 50- The Crimson Group [2]

Exactly a week goes by, a week of extended espionage, planning, and even some trickery alongside the Swift Cross group as we spend every spare time we have figuring out the Crimson Group and their overall strength inside that entertainment center. Counting down the deadline that is the end of the month, we only have a free next week and then Final weeks, where any days after that seems like all bets are off for Quarter, Oscar, and I. Maybe for even his daughter too. "Alright, I think we got practically everything we could get without crossing into the illegal territory." "But everything we've done up to this point could be considered illegal." I remind Yan as he organizes everything on the whiteboard. "Yeah, I know, but they're just as guilty as us, and it looks like no one is gonna do anything about it. Just bear with me here, a'ight?" He grabs a red marker and makes all sorts of notes in what little space there is left for the rest of us to see.

"We gotta assume a lot in this. Assuming all of the employees there are a part of or paid off by the Crimson Group... Any secret stuff is hidden behind employee rooms... They have secrets hidden in plain sight... Dammit, what am I missing here?!" The air around the room is tense as me, Quarter, Yan, and the members of Swift Cross try to wrack their heads, but all I get from their thoughts is blanks or stuff we already checked. Suddenly, an idea hits me. "Hey, where do they even get the money to expand a group as big as them?" Everyone instantly turns to me in awe as if I just became Messiah. "Hey, he's right!" One of the members chimes in, "An entertainment center like that isn't gonna cover a whole lot of cash, considering that this is the only one of the franchises in the area, heck, even in the state." The room starts to liven up with chatter and Yan is furiously writing down notes in a notepad all the while.

He slams it on the center of the whiteboard. "Right! They couldn't have all that secretive stuff without having some sort of sponsorship or willing donators that gives them money off from the side. Thing is, who would be willing to go to them for something?" I look at Quarter and he looks like he had an answer. "Most likely... the rich or influential." "Huh? What, like one of those VIP spots that give extra stuff?" "Yeah, like that. If I had to guess..." he leans forward in his chair, "The Crimson Group offers some 'adult stuff' to the wealthy and those of high influence and probably uses them as a basis to grow their operation, all the while hiding behind a family-friendly establishment that conveniently has a portion of the building catered to adults. But..." All of what he has said so far makes complete sense considering who we are dealing with, even with the layers of secrecy that comes with it.

As he finishes his sentence, I end up saying the same thing out loud with, "But how would they able to label those they would consider worthy of their secret stuff?" I'm as just as surprised as Quarter when we realize of our synchronization. "Uh... yeah. Yan, got any ideas?" "I don't. Any of y'all got anything, we are so close to cracking this open!" Deep in my thoughts, as I try to drown out my surroundings, I try to focus on the past few days of espionage to figure out a clue of some sorts to work with. Nothing rings any bell, then I recall the first time we went inside Red Buster's and I got the attention of the manager of the bowling alley. He did say something about giving me VIP, probably because I was gaining so much attention from my bowling game... that's it! "I got it!" "Got? Got what, Marcus?" "What if they had used their VIP system to entice people they thought were good enough to sponsor them? Hear me out..." I spend the next few minutes recalling my experience days ago and my reasoning for my idea.

I admit, it was a stretch when I explained and even Quarter was skeptical. "That... doesn't seem like a bad theory, but that can't be it. Yan?" He's observing the board again, although this time with much more head-turning enthusiasm. He finally responds with, "No, no, he's right. Marcus is absolutely right." The rest of us are taken aback by his answer. "Yeah, yeah, I can see it. Because of Marcus's looks and popularity that time in bowling, they wanted to test the waters if he'll consider being a VIP that easily. This is it, we finally got an opening to the Crimson Group! We gotta strike this weekend while we got the initiative and time, which means we got tomorrow (Friday) to prepare the final game plan. Is this good, Quarter?" He looks at me and I look at him back, aware that this is the only good opportunity to finish this game as soon as possible. "We'll do it. This Saturday, we wipe out the thugs from San Anton and give them reason to fear Swift Cross. Everyone, get ready until then."