The Broker

15. When You Know

November 29th, 2019

Roanoke, Virginia

Golden Gull Electronics

A week passed following the accident that Zach got in. Kaden and Amaraya couldn't risk being seen together, and so they left as soon as possible. The traffic had mostly cleared up by the time the Broker finished talking to Zach, and Kaden got behind the wheel. Amaraya had asked what the Broker had said to him, but Zach looked so pale and shaken up that he didn't say anything, and she didn't press. It was the Broker after all.

Later that week they had agreed to meet in the bunker again to discuss how they could go about finding another lead to follow. Since they had fallen through with the house fire, and Randy couldn't link anything specific to the accelerants, the case had arrived at a stand still. Zach said that he could try to work up a profile, and Kaden promised to ask around. The week passed by in a hurry. Amaraya's brother had come back home, only to leave the following morning. James didn't even bother to say hello.

Friday arrived, and Amaraya headed off to meet Zach at the crossroad. But he wasn't there. Amaraya thought that maybe she was just early, so she waited a few minutes. And then a few more. By the time that Amaraya picked up the phone to call, Zach was already fifteen minutes late. She tried not to worry. Maybe she had mixed up the times, just like the first time that she had met with Kaden.

Amaraya dialed Zach, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She tried again, but it rendered the same result. Out of desperation, she dialed Kaden. He picked up immediately.

"What?" He snapped, and Amaraya cleared her throat. "Oh, it's you. I'm at the bunker, where are you guys?"

Amaraya shifted on her feet, looking around. "Zach was supposed to pick me up, but he's late. Like very late. And I tried his cell but he's not picking up." There was a silence on the other end, and then Kaden sighed.

"I don't know. Zachariah has kind of been weird lately. Stay put, I'm coming." He replied, and Amaraya sent him her location. All she had left to do was wait. Zach didn't arrive, and she doubted he would. But the bunker was almost a ten minute drive away, which meant that she had to occupy herself with something. Amaraya resorted to playing Candy Crush on her phone to pass the time. Three minutes passed, then five. Then seven. Just when Amaraya thought that Kaden was here, a black van pulled up right in front of her.

A bald, pale looking man leaned his head out of the window. "You lost, honey?" He grinned lazily, and his yellow teeth showed. Amaraya backed away. She shook her head. "Oh, don't be like that." He got out of the car. The man was short, his hands the size of buckets, faintly reeking of cheap alcohol and strong tar. A tremble went through her body. He had a nasty looking smirk on his face that made Amaraya want to hurl. "Come, I'll help you out." She cringed away. The man grabbed her arm, and she tried to wrench it out of his grip.

Oh God, Amaraya thought, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Why does this keep happening to me?

__________

Kaden whistled as he pulled out of the parking lot. Zachariah was a pain in the ass nowadays. Ever since the accident, and the call with the Broker, he had been distant. He didn't text unless he absolutely had to. And when Kaden asked him why he was being like this, Zachariah replied that he was afraid of losing his job, and the stress was getting to him. Kaden didn't believe it for a second.

Now Amaraya was on some street, where Zachariah had had to pick her up, alone. But he wasn't there, and instead, Kaden had to go. He felt it a waste of his time. They would have been halfway through the files by now.