CHAPTER 146 Laughter
Xavier
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Because of Theodore Cohen’s wake, businesses and establishments throughout New Salem closed
early, Bo’s included..
After closing up the grocery store and having a quick dinner, I jumped into the shower, grateful for the
warm water cascading down my body, washing away the anxiety from this afternoon. I needed to rx
before heading up to Cohen Mansion.
I opted to wear dark pants and a white cored long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark gray knitted
cardigan to conceal my firearm and to keep me warm. Cohen Mansion was situated.
atop a hill and the air was much cooler there at night.
Satisfied with my appearance, I picked up the two small silicone cases off my desk and ced one in
each of the pockets of my pants. I inserted my earpiece, tucked my
microphone under my cor, then I tested the button camera of my cardigan.
I was nning to use the crowd as a distraction and see if I could find my way to Theodore Cohen’s
office. I needed information on the Angels of Darkness and judging by how
meticulous Liam’s father was when he was still alive, I knew he had records, maybe even
locations or addresses.
Maybe he even had an idea who this Nestor Villegas w
was.
“Dina, are you getting the feed?” I asked through mymunication device. Dina was in th warehouse
with Lou, getting ready to leave for the mansion.
“Yes, X, Dina answered.
“I will be cing CCTV cameras in the mansion, so you and Lou have more eyes. If you see anything
out of the ordinary, holler, I instructed. Without waiting for an answer, I switched.s to get a hold of
Sam..
“Location?” I asked Sam. After I raised a red alert at headquarters, Sam stayed behind with Max to
eliminate any threats.
“At New Salem, standing underneath Old Bertha he answered. Old Bertha was therge cottonwood
tree fronting theplex along Main Street. “Right now, I see Deputy Randall Evans driving by in
scrubs toward the general direction of Bismarck.” Earlier, Cristos had 1/5
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CHAPTER 146 Laughter
himself. He believed Dina was way more convincing than him.
“Right on schedule. Any word on Sebastian?” I asked.
“Before I left, Emma was asking the cooks to make her some chicken soup. I assumed Domenico
asked her for some food,” Sam replied. I nced at my watch, taking note of the time. If all ends well,
I’ll be seeing Sebastian at Cohen Mansion with Cristos in tow.
What I expected Cristos to do was apologize and agree that when it came to certain situations, I would
be in charge of strategy. What I didn’t expect was for him to back out.
To pacify our fathers, we made a blood pact and vowed that we would see this mission. through… ’til
the very end. This is why I was speechless when Cristos announced he had decided to go home.
He knew full well there would be a heavy price to pay if he abandoned us. Knowing our fathers, once
he set foot in California, he would be shunned and stripped of his title. But I -guess, between the two
evils, he was willing to face our fathers’ punishment rather than see
Joy die.
Whatever happened at the gas station must have given him extreme stress.
“You just wanted to yell at your sister.” Cristos’sugh was hollow. Clearly, he didn’t find it funny. “Is that
supposed to make me feel better? Because frankly, it isn’t.” He opened the door to the office, gesturing
for me to exit first.
“All three of you came back unscathed and you even set the gas station on fire. You guys did all of that
without calling for help. The way I see it, you did good. It’s quite obvious the thre Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.
of
you make a good team,” I replied as we both walked out of the office. “Unlike Sebastian. Of all the
people he could have brought with him, he had to bring De Luca. He should have. called me to do
recon with him or he could have at least told me he was heading to Huff Hills. Ugh! It really irks me
when I’m thest one to know about these things.
“Sorry, Xavier. We thought it would be an easy job. We weren’t expecting to lose cell service,” he said,
rolling his eyes, still mad at himself. “So what happens now? We’re suppose to deliver
gas station K iki just blew up.” at the
“That is a problem,” I murmured. “But this whole thing has got me thinking… If there isn’t
service in the you think they contact Pete? Did you see anything there that
area, how do remotely resembles a satellite dish? How far do you have to drive out to get cell service.
anyway?
mouth.
I don’t know what had gotten into me. The questions just came popping out of my
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“Well, I didn’t see anything remotely resembling a satellite dish, not even an antenna, and the hills
closest to the gas station are just too far away to even set up a dish. It’s simpler to just drive out and
get a signal which I estimate is about five miles away from the gas station. I did notice a motorcycle
conveniently hidden against the wall of the car shed beside the convenience store. I suspect that’s how
they send their messages through smartphone,” Cristos stated as we walked through the maze of
offices within the warehouse. “Just to let you know, K iki has the smartphone of the old man at the
counter and his CB radio.”
The little minx… she didn’t even bother to tell me.
“Five miles isn’t far, but it’s far enough so people have difficulty calling for help,” I said, agreeing with
his theory. “It’s weird though, they didn’t target the both of you outside.”
*I know and I’m utterly grateful,” Cristos replied, “Just have Sam or Max ask Dous why they didn’t
even seem to care we were outside.”
“I forgot about that a sshole. On second thought, I’ll go and ask him. He’s probably hosed down by
now. Let me just grab a soda first. All that yelling has made my throat dry.”
“By the
way, I hacked into Lisa’s phone and herptop. One of the numbers on her call log is Pete’s. I
overheard Dan talking about it while he was on his phone,” Cristos said.
That was music to my ears.
“That’ll give us a chance to triangte his location. Let’s call him now-”
“Xavier, I’ll just send Dina and Lou the data. I’m done for now,” Cristos mumbled pitifully. I nodded my
head and decided it was best to leave him alone.
Cristos and I quietly walked the rest of the way to the rundown building beside the warehouse. As we
walked in, we saw Joy and K iki having a quick snack full of sweets. The adrenalin pumping into their
bodies earlier must have hit them hard making both of them. very hungry.
I saw Cristos pause, debating whether to talk to joy or not. But instead of walking to the
kitchen, he heaved a sigh and with his head hung low, proceeded up the stairs to Sebastian’s bedroom
without another word.
As he disappeared, I smiled. Cristos was taught a valuable lesson today just like Sebastian from the
night before. Neither of us couldn take down an organization alone. We needed each other. And if
Cristos only knew, his decision puts Sebastian in a bind which I had a
feeling Sebastian will exin once he was awake.
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146 Laughter
Unknown to
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Cristos, Sebastian was called to meet with our fathers before he and I flew to Bismarck. I wasn’t privy
to the details of the meet, but when he met me at the tarmac, I saw the steely glint in his eyes and I
instantly knew our operation carried grave consequences.
If I couldn’t sway Cristos from leaving, Sebastian most certainly could. I just had to console
Joy until Cristos shows upter tonight.
“Why are you smiling?” K iki asked gruffly, finding it odd.
“Why can’t you mind your own business, Ki ki?” I answered her question with one of mine. I
eyed the te she was carrying, noticing it had a mouth-watering chocte and banana crepe. “You
know, Ki ki, you shouldn’t get toofortable here. When Cristos is finally done
having a crisis of faith, I will make sure the first thing he does is send you home.”
“I don’t understand why you dislike having me here, X,” K iki scoffed, cing a forkful of crepe into her
mouth.
“Because you aren’t suppose to be here, K iki,” I muttered under my breath, noticing her blonde hair
and her barely there make-up for the first time. She actually looked nicepared to all that ck
gunk she usually had on her face. “On second thought… Since you look a little like Joy, I may have the
perfect job for you. Grab me a Coke and I’ll tell you all
about it.”
Her eyes widened with curiosity before scurrying back to the kitchen. When she came back. she was
holding two cans and quickly handed me one.
“I got you what you wanted, now spit it out,” she said impatiently as she opened her can of
soda.
“What’s Joy doing?” I asked. I saw herughing as she scrolled through her phone.
“She’s reading her messages,” K iki answered. “Now are you gonna tell me or what?”
“Liam has a pal named Jack, so I want you to-
“Seduce him. Got it,” K iki said, cutting me off to my surprise.
“That was quick,” I said, stunned.
“Isn’t that the reason why you wanted me toe as a girly-girl? To seduce someone? I’m ready. But
do you think I’m his type?”
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“As much
mumbled.
as 1
I don’t want to admit this, you’re prettier than most of the women there,” I
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“I kind of guessed that when I heard you’re cougar bait of New Salem,” she said,ughing loudly. I
red at her before turning to the door.
“Make sure you guys are ready when I get back. I’m going to go ask Dous a few questions,”
I grumbled, quickly leaving the building, annoyed at herughter.
“X, you there? Where should I proceed next?” Sam asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Cohen Mansion. Hitch a ride with Lou.”
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