I'll Help You Hide From Them

Organised Crime

I fake taking my sleeping pills, putting up an act of being knocked out and asleep while Kier and the two security guards take longer to secure my safety, completely oblivious to the fact that I've learnt their blind spots and am looking to sneak out tonight.

When Kier joins me in the room, sleeping on the other bed, I wait patiently for his breaths to gain a steady yet slow rhythm before I know he's asleep. I silently slip out of bed, being careful not to make a sound to alert the Security guards who are listening in to the room.

I slip on the clothes I was hiding in my pillow to make sure that I can sneak there and back unnoticed, covering most of my face with a bandana to make sure I'm not recognised on the journey. Crawling underneath the camera's view, to the window Kier had opened earlier, I carefully exit the room.

As I lower myself to the first floor's balcony, I know that I can drop myself from this height with minimal injuries. I roll on landing to minimise the injuries, biting my lip to keep quiet the pain from the stitches on the stab wound being pulled. Knowing that I can't lie down here all night and be found, I slowly force myself onto my feet, struggling to get my breath back from the pain.

I was reckless thinking I could do this as easily as I used to be able to.

The information on Ralph's USB stick helps me gather my thoughts, wiping of the soil on my jacket.

I have to know.

I look up at the safehouse one last time before making my way hastily towards the gang's headquarters.

Once I arrive, I check to find that I don't have a gun on me or even my phone. As I enter the building, I see that they've now got heavy security on the door. A large, tough looking guy who I know I've sent to prison demands that I remove my hat and bandana so that he knows who I am.

His eyes widen for only a second when he sees my face before he grins. "What are you doing here cop?"

Every head in the room turns to stare at me, combined with a nervous silence.

"I'm only here to talk, I hope that you can understand that I don't even have cuffs or my gun. Arresting any of you is not my aim here. I just have a few questions that only your boss can answer." I calmly tell him.

He grins proudly. "Do you want us to help protect you from that cannibal?"

I give him a sorry look. "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. I know that you're certainly capable but my partner's shooter and the cannibal are out of your league, just like they're out of mine." I calmly, inoffensively decline.

He doesn't look pleased but gets two oversized men to pat me down. They lift up my shirt to be sure that I'm not wearing a wire. All of them look slightly awkward at the recently stitched scar on my stomach but keep up their tough façade.

I hold steady eye contact with their head of security, not giving him any signal of doubts which he'd associate with being cheated.

When they're satisfied that I've got nothing on me harmful to them, I'm escorted to the top floor. The fact that nearly all of them are above six foot in height while I'm barely scraping a 5'8" means that they trust that I won't try to pick a fight with them so they feel no need to restrain me.

I bow to remain respectful when I'm brought into the same room as their boss, Leonardo.

"You know, I was always hoping that you could make a brilliant part of us if you didn't become a cop. How are you doing?" The old man politely asks me, pouring a glass from a bottle I know I could never afford.

"I could be a lot worse, thanks. There's something rather private I feel I should ask you." I reply respectfully, knowing that it's the best way to communicate with this man rather than starting to make demands.