Edited by: Waning_Crescents
Cal swallowed nervously as they stood in front of the chief’s office.
Vince’s angered disposition, even though restrained, had echoed clearly through the phone when he called Sigal this morning. Cal could guess what had set him off. However, he found himself in a tight spot because Sigal withheld crucial information: that he had quit before he left. What was he supposed to say to Vince that would explain the situation?
“Don’t worry, it will be fine.” Sigal reassured him as he knocked at the door.
Easy for you to say. Cal glanced sideways at him, but he quickly straightened up when Vince called them inside.
As soon as they walked in, Cal immediately caught sight of two familiar figures who stood in front of Vince’s desk. Both stood straight and unmoving—neither of them spoke a single word. It appeared that if anyone dared to fall out of line, hell would break loose, and in this case, hell equaled Vince.
Why are they here?
Vince gazed past Asher and Nowe with an unusually intimidating aura surrounding him—something that made Cal feel more uneasy than he already had been. He had never seen Vince like this before. Serious? Yes, but not in that kind of way.
Vince waited until they joined the other two and stood in line in front of him. His brows sat deeply. “I guess you all know why I called you here. Right?”
Everyone nodded while avoiding direct eye contact with him. Only Sigal stared him in the eyes with a frown as deep as Vince’s.
“I know you are angry with me.” Vince said, reciprocating his glare. “But honestly, Sigal, who do you think you are?” His words were composed, but the tone of the chief’s voice sounded dangerous. “Do you really think you are so special that you can just ignore my orders and do as you please?” His voice rose with almost every word he spoke.
“This is all my fault! They—” Even with Vince glowering, Cal couldn’t just sit by and let Sigal take any blame, so he spoke up without thinking.
Vince shifted his gaze to him. “You stay quiet. I will come to you later.”
Cal bit back the rest of his words.
“No, I don’t think I am special,” Sigal said. “But under these circumstances, following your orders was not possible.”
“Circumstances? Do you even comprehend the circumstances?”
“You were—“
“I was what?” Vince got up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table. “Do you really think so low of me? Do you think I am so shallow to abandon one of us?”
When he received no answer, Vince continued. “I never said I would abandon him, did I? I merely said to regroup and work out a strategy, and you just ran off and did what you always do: act on impulse!”
“And you two.” Vince turned to Asher and Nowe. “I ordered you to bring him back, and what did you hear? Screw your boss and be part of his nonsense!”
Sigal looked through the corner of his eyes at the two of them, a hint of surprise hiding in his gaze.
Asher crossed his arms, turning his head away, while Nowe helplessly let Vince’s anger rain down on them.
Everyone stayed quiet; no one spoke a word as Vince told them off one after another, only leaving Cal for last.
Cal’s heart skipped a beat as he felt the raging eyes piercing through every fiber of his body when Vince turned his attention to him. “And that leaves you, Cal. What the hell was going through your mind as you decided to just leave like that? You haven’t even fully recovered yet but decided to do your own thing regardless. Did you even consider the consequences?”
“I didn’t—”
“I am not finished!” Vince instantly cut him off. “Do you have any idea what damage you could have caused with your actions? You did not only bring yourself into danger but also all your colleagues.” He let out a dragging sigh, before he plopped back into his chair. “Listen.” His voice calmed down a little. “I know you are impatient and desperate to get your memories back. I understand that, but you should also be aware that the situation is not that simple.”
“I know. I am sorry.”
“We are all targets right now. Our enemies lurk in the shadows, tracking every step we take. It is too dangerous for any of us to walk around alone at the moment.”
Cal nodded.
Vince kneaded the space between his brows. “In any case, I am glad you are fine and returned in one piece.”
Cal’s eyes swayed regretfully away from Vince. The chief’s outburst was more out of concern than anything else. He knew everything Vince said was true, but the frustration and helplessness got the better of him, and without thinking of any consequences, he left.
“I won’t tolerate such behavior from any of you again. Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
“You all are dismissed. Leave.”
After everyone left, Lucien walked inside. He glanced at Vince, who sat exhausted in his chair, his elbow propped on his desk, and his palm plastered to his forehead.
“Well, that was something. I haven’t heard you scream like that in a long time.”
“I might have gone a bit overboard, but the situation is too dire to be lenient.”
Lucien nodded. “Indeed.”
Vince dropped his hand and lifted his head. “Please tell me, you have good news.”
“Unfortunately, no.” Lucien crossed his arms in front of his chest, pursing his lips. “They had to let him go.”
“Are you serious? How is that even possible?”
“Turns out that Noin Keegan has ties with some big shots, and they pulled some strings.”
“They can’t overrule the evidence, no matter who they are.”
“The evidence…” Lucian frowned. “Is gone.”
***
“I am sorry; because of me, you all got into trouble.” Cal let out a sigh as all of them walked through the hallway.
“Don’t worry about it.” Nowe had his hands resting against the back of his head. “We made our own decisions and acted accordingly. If anything, we got ourselves in trouble and knew that.” He flashed a toothy smile his way.
“Why are you looking so smug?” Asher grumbled.
“So, you defied orders for my sake. Aren’t we kind?” Sigal curled his lip, rubbing it in as much as he could.
“Shut up, you nasty piece of work,” Asher hissed. “I already regret it.”
“You are getting soft.”
“You are one to talk.” Asher glanced briefly behind him, where Cal and Nowe chatted away. “It’s been a while since I have seen you so worked up over someone.”
Sigal clicked his tongue. “None of your business.”
Asher raised one eyebrow as he scrutinized his colleague’s expression, but in the end, he let it be and instead changed the subject. “Haven’t seen Vince like that in a long time. We really pissed him off this time.”
“It’s not only that.” Sigal put his hands in his pockets. “He is under a lot of pressure right now. We get nowhere in the case, and problems keep piling up. His hands are tied. I just hope we get some useful information out of that Noin when he gets transferred to us.”
Asher nodded. “I also have a score to settle with that bastard.”
“Haven’t you heard?” A woman’s voice came from behind. “The CIB had to let him go.”
With documents in hands, Claire came to a halt beside the group, while everyone turned around.
“What did you just say?” Sigal asked.
“The CIB had to let Noin Keegan go.” She adjusted her glasses, which for a change sat on her nose instead of laying around somewhere in her messy office. “Apparently, he has some connections, and they bailed him out.”
Sigal gritted his teeth and slammed a fist against the wall. “Dammit! That’s how he must have gotten out last time as well.”
“Last time?” Cal glanced worryingly at Sigal.
“Yeah, he has a record,” Claire answered. “But he also avoided jail time because the charges were dropped.”
“I see…” Cal leaned against the wall, thinking it over for a minute. “Didn’t you two catch him red handed? Shouldn’t there be enough evidence to keep him detained?”
Nowe nodded. “Yes.”
“Yeah, what the hell happened to the evidence? What is the fucking CIB doing?” Asher bellowed.
“There should be, yes, but.” Claire bit her lip. “There has been a system breach. All evidence is gone.”
“Even in our system?” Knowing all the precautions Section 1 had put in place to avoid any hacking attacks, Cal couldn’t believe that someone had found a way to bypass their security system.
“Yes, also ours. Section 1 is working nonstop to trace them back and recover the lost data, but it seems that a real professional had been at work.” Claire clenched the documents in her hands. “They really play us like a fiddle.”
“What about the other criminal, Leuvar, was it? Shouldn’t his statement suffice?” Nowe asked.
“That’s what I thought as well, but apparently, it’s not. In this case, it’s more likely believed that Leuvar is trying to save his own skin by putting the blame on the other. It is basically his word against Keegan’s. Doesn’t help that he lied in the past and never followed up with proper paperwork for his business. In the eyes of the law, he is not convincing enough.”
“To hell with the system.” Sigal roared. “They never did anything right. That’s why our organization exists, and we will end this the way it’s supposed to be.” His eyes flared up with rage, almost unable to contain himself.
A warm hand touched his, squeezing it just enough to snap him out of his irritable state. Cal stood beside him, giving him a meaningful look.
Sigal closed his eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath. “I know.”
“This was our only lead.” Nowe frowned.
“Not our only lead.” Asher glanced over to Cal as if he had more to say, but Nowe stepped in. “Asher.” He shook his head.
Asher clicked his tongue. “I know, whatever.” Then he turned around and walked off.
Nowe let out a sigh, excused himself, and followed after him.
“What was that about?” Cal asked as he watched them walk away.
Sigal narrowed his eyes, glancing after them. “Nothing. Forget it.”
Dropping the matter for now, Cal turned back to Claire. “Thanks for filling us in, but is it really okay that you told us?”
“Why?” She shifted her glasses down a bit and peered over them. “Because you ran away and pissed Vince off?”
Cal glared at Sigal through the corner of his eyes, who in response avoided his gaze as if it had nothing to do with this.
“I bet you already got an earful from Vince, but let me tell you something as well.” Claire knitted her brows. “I told you from the beginning that if you had any issues, you could talk to me anytime, right? But you always keep everything to yourself and then recklessly jump into danger.”
Cal’s expression changed, giving Sigal a look that said, ‘Please, help me out here.’
Sigal, however, had no intention to do so and only said, “Good luck.”
“Huh?” Cal stared at him in disbelief.
“Hey, are you listening?” Claire clapped her hands together. “Do you even know how worried everyone was?”
Cal let out an exasperated sigh, dropping his head in regret. “I am sorry, Claire.”
“You better be,” she declared. “Next time, if anything bothers you, come to me first before making stupid choices.”
“Alright, alright.”
“I think he got it.” Sigal stepped in before she extended her lecture.
“I hope so.” Her brows relaxed again, and she switched back to the topic at hand. “I will let Vince know that I filled you all in on the situation. He won’t be mad about this, don’t worry.”
“Thanks,” Cal said, and Claire hurried away.
