Chapter 20: Chapter 20

I took Kade's car while he followed on his Harley at a safe distance. We were connected through the call, checking at every signal for a possible tail.

'Any prospect?', I asked while steering through another lane. My mind on the possibility of who might be following me? Right now, all I draw is a blank.

'Take left. Don't speed up'.

'What? You spotted one and didn’t tell me?', I shout at my phone.

'Tone down. Just making sure before telling you. Lead up to Brooklyn bridge. And the kid takes as many turns as you can. We want him to be busy following you to check his mirror'

'Roger that captain'

Let's dance, shall we?

What followed next is me spinning my wheel at every turn taking time twice as long as it would normally take to reach the bridge.

'Shit. He caught what's going on. Quick. Turn back. Black SUV. You are closer than me. Follow that car but kid, don't do anything. I'm serious. I'll be right behind you.'

'Got it. No naughty business. You know, you are taking the fun out of this. Spoilsport.'

Making an illegal U-turn I quickly caught up to him.

'I saw him. Oh, no-no. He is getting away. He is getting away.'

Not so fast buddy

I pushed the speed, not caring about the rules I would be breaking. I didn't see the traffic nor the passing roads as my vision zeroed in that car. The SUV is just two steps away, I can almost touch its bumper. I was concentrating so much on catching him I didn't see anything until,

'E! Watch out!', Kade shouted as a loaded truck came from my left, blowing the horn and blocking my view. I whirled my wheel, screeching the tires, pushing the brake at the same time, which in turn made my car turn in the reverse direction before stopping just an inch from the truck.

My heart was still beating fast when Kade tapped on my window. I unlocked the door letting him in.

'You alright?'

'Yup, I think so. Need time to adjust to the thought of still breathing. That's all'

He didn’t say anything. No reassurance. Just took my hand in his big one. I can't remember when the last time was, he voluntarily touched me and taught me how to fight. This is new territory. I didn't forget him shouting 'E' either. He never called me that before. I was always a kid or Erica when stern. All these thoughts churning inside helped me regulate my adrenaline.

'K. I'm good'

He withdrew his hand as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Great, Erica. A hot guy holds your hand and you must ruin it by opening your trap.

'We lost the car', he said, breaching the silence.

'Oh shit! How could I let it happen? First, I didn't notice someone following me, now can't even catch what someone said. He or she is probably laughing at how easy it is to fool me.'

'Don't. I don't say it's easy to catch. Remember, Rome is not built in one day. We will have our ups and downs. And believe me, kid, there would be more downs than ups. You need to accept both as they come.'

I gave a Long sigh. ' ya, you are right. It's just so hard not to get emotionally involved.'

' it's not a bad thing. Try channelling your emotions into anger, determination, focus.'

'Hmm. Enough about emotional talk. What shall we do now?'

'Let's hit some restaurant first'

I didn’t follow the time during our chase. Wow, it's past 2. Who knows chasing someone makes you hungry?

We ate in silence each lost in our own thoughts.

'Do you know any of her friends?'

'No'

'Does she have any friends? ', he asked as a matter of fact. For some, it may sound harsh. But not for me. It's Kade. For him, it's just information.

'I don't know. We... we were really not on speaking terms except for the last meeting. I don't know anything about what she did in the last 6 years.'

'Let's check her residence'

'I already did. Nothing there. It's pristine clean.'

'Humour me'

We went to her flat only to get a locked door.

'Wait, let me check with her landlord'

'It's no use. He already rented it to someone', I said cancelling the call to the landlord.

He checked the floor as if there is some hidden evidence.

'Did you check with the neighbour?'

'About?'

'The boyfriend '

'No. I didn't think of it', I gave him a sheepish smile.

He nodded as he strolled towards said neighbor's door. We were greeted by an old lady who is as rude as they come. She literally threatened us with her cane when asked about 'jack' or 'Sophie'. Her response was, 'young people these days. Why should I bother with them', which didn't help us much?

'Well, that worked well', I gave a defeated sigh. What a day. No leads.

'We will find something. Until then I will try to track the money in some of the police force's accounts to its source.'

'Just check deputy police commissioners. I have a strong feeling he is in lead with Mr. X.'

'Ok. '

Somewhere in the building unaware of the young couple who left just then, an old woman locked the door and called a number.

'I did as you said. When do I get my cash?'

She listened to the other end's voice with excitement.

'If you need any more help I can', the line went dead even as she was speaking.

Well, young people these days, no manners at all, she thought. At least she got lots of money just for croaking a bunch of lies.

I left Kade's place after returning his keys knowing he must go to a club. I can't monopolize all his time, I tried to justify. Justification, the shield the righteous used to excuse their actions, my sarcastic inner self said to me. I returned home without encountering anyone (you can read it as Richard there), thanks for small mercies.

Monday when I reached the office, it's in an uproar. Everyone was looking busy more than they normally do. Now, what happened?