CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 86: GIFT

The pen came in the mail just in time and the recording device just barely fit inside. I had tested out the device beforehand to make sure it worked. I had to press a button on it to get it to record and then plug it into my laptop to hear the recording. I realized that when the pen clicked, it pressed the button. That wasn't ideal, but I set it up so that when the pen was clicked, it would stop the recording while the pen was in use, and when it was clicked again, the recording would turn back on while the pen wasn't in use. I wrapped the pen in a box and headed to the nightclub.

When I arrived, the music was blasted so loud that I couldn't even hear myself think. Someone waved me over and I followed him through the crowd of dancing animals and blinding flashing lights. He brought me over to a bouncer standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs. He patted me down and took my phone and present. He started to rip the wrapping paper off.

"Hey!" I said, but he probably didn't hear me over the deafening music.

The bouncer opened the box and picked up the pen. He closely inspected it and then pressed the button at the top. He shrugged, put it back into the box, and handed it back to me. He removed the red velvet rope blocking the stairs and let me through. He held onto my phone. I assumed I would get it back before I left the nightclub.

I climbed the stairs and entered through the door at the top. Spiney was sitting at a table with two bodyguards standing beside him. Gavin was perched on the back of one of the chairs. I was startled when the door closed behind me. I turned to see two more bodyguards behind me. One of them had closed the door. I suddenly felt very trapped.

"Have a seat, Crypto," the Boss said, gesturing to a chair.

I sat down. "I, uh," I said, looking at the box I was holding, "I brought you a gift." I slid it over to him.

"For me? What is it, my birthday?" Spiney said. "You shouldn't have." He opened the box and picked up the pen. "Oh my..." He turned it to see all the way around it. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Crypto."

"I'm glad you like it," I said. "I-"

"Diesel, will you throw this away for me?" the Boss asked.

Diesel appeared on his left. He had a cast over his left paw, going up his leg. "Thanks for giving away my cover, Boss." He took the pen from him.

"Wait, but I thought you liked it," I said.

"Oh, I do, but I don't receive gifts. I only give them," the Boss told me.

Diesel limped to the door with the pen.

"But I paid a lot of money for that gift," I said.

"How much? I can repay you," Spiney said.

I sighed in frustration. "No. It's fine." All that work for nothing. I needed a new plan.

"So for your special assignment," the Boss said, "you're gonna need that special power of yours. I hope you've been practicing because this time, you're gonna need to blow up something a little bigger than a train."

Diesel came back into the room, but I didn't pay him any mind.

"A building?" I guessed.

"The police department to be exact," the Boss said.

I was taken aback. "...But-"

Diesel interrupted. "Please say no so I can torture you."

"Let him speak, Diesel," the Boss said.

"Why the police department?" I asked. "Don't we need the police?"

The bodyguards laughed.

"The police only get in the way," the Boss told me. "They've been on a roll lately, arresting my soldiers. It won't be long until they figure you out too."

"But I work for the police department."

"No. You work for me. And don't worry. I know we can't get rid of the police department for good. If we did that, all the regular civilians would eventually leave, and we don't want that. They're a source of our money. I just want to temporarily wipe the police out so we can then replace them with more... suitable police officers."

His bodyguards smiled.

"You're asking a lot of me," I said.

"If you complete the task, you will get a raise."

"How much of a raise?"

"Fifty thousand more than you're making now per year."

My eyebrows shot up. That was a lot of money.

The sound of an automatic rifle went off and the bodyguards hit the floor. My head spun around to see where it was coming from, but the door was still shut.