Mannequins | completed

Twelve

"WHAT TOOK YOU so long?" Callum asked, looking more than a little angry. He was out of breathe. "I've been running around in circles for nearly an hour. Do you know how tiring that is, especially when you're being chased by a bunch of guards?"

I grimaced. I completely understood where Callum was coming from. I knew it had taken me quite some time to get the records we needed, mostly because I had spent loads of time talking to Wyatt.

After I exited the motel with the records still in my sweatpants, I immediately went to where Callum and I agreed to meet up near where the car was parked. The first thing I noticed when I approached Callum was that he was wearing a hoodie, humungous shades that covered more than half of his face, and a baseball cap. He probably brought the outfit and I hadn't noticed. I guess he wore that outfit so the guards wouldn't easily recognize him. It was safe to say that Callum came prepared.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "Like I said, I got caught up." Talking to Wyatt, I added in my head.

"With what?"

"Can we get in the car first before any of the guards see you again? I'll explain to you what happened when we're in the car," I said.

We entered the car before I gunned the engine and drove out of the parking lot. "It's kind of a long story," I explained. "I managed to get in the record room—our plan was a success thus far—but then I stupidly tripped on my shoelace, so the only guard left in the room while the others were chasing you, caught me. Turns out that that guard was my best friend's brother.

"My best friend's brother is really trusting and he didn't really probe into what I was doing. I simply had to converse with him and distract him in order to get those records. Talking to Wyatt, my best friend's brother, took time and I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be that long."

Callum pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. I just got tired from all that running and when I'm tired, I'm cranky." He paused. "What a weird turn of events, though, seeing your best friend's brother while in the middle of this whole scheme."

I chuckled. "I didn't expect Wyatt to be there either, so I sort of panicked," I admitted.

"I can imagine." Callum laughed. "You were probably stammering, saying things that don't really make sense."

I laughed. Callum knew me too well. Even though Callum and I hadn't actually known each other for a really long time, we seemed to have come to know each other quite well. In between all the conspiring, we managed to get closer. Simply as friends, of course.

"Anyway," I said, lowering down my voice as my face turned serious, "I got the records. I didn't get the chance to grab CCTV tapes, but I managed to at least get the written records that are in these folders. I hope they're sufficient enough to give us some sort of helpful information."

"Can I see them?"

I turned beet red. Callum's question causes my knee jerk forward, hitting the dashboard and almost making us crash. Jesus. I hissed in pain before incoherently mumbling that the records were in my sweatpants.

"What?" Callum asked, not being able to hear me.

I gritted my teeth. Did I really have to say it? It was too embarrassing for me to say out loud. "They're in my sweatpants," I repeated, louder and clearer this time. "The records—they're in my sweatpants. I had to shove them down my sweatpants so Wyatt couldn't see them."

I could see Callum blink from the corner of my eye. "Oh...um, maybe I can see them later," he replied awkwardly. "I don't want you to remove them from your sweatpants right now, in front of me you know."