Chapter 20 #2
With whatever proof they found, they could go back to Prey and devise a plan on how to get the location of where the other head of the ring had squirreled himself away, and then finally destroy Azure.
Van would hide cameras around this house so they had eyes on Asahi Watanabe.
Once they found the address of the other head’s house, they could plan coordinated raids to take them both out at once.
Taking out only one wasn't an option, wasn't good enough, and wouldn't put an end to Azure. It had to be all or nothing. It was the only way to ensure that the ring was destroyed. Which was the only acceptable outcome given they’d put their filthy hands on Makayla.
Maintaining control should have been easy given the amount of practice he’d had, yet it felt almost impossible as he stepped out of the room he’d been shown to. At the same time he left his room, the door to the room beside his also opened, and Trigger stepped into the hall too.
They’d all been given their own rooms, but thankfully, they’d all been placed close to one another, so now they congregated in the wide, opulent hallway.
They’d devised a basic plan on the drive from the forest back to Asahi Watanabe’s estate, but now that they were actually inside, they could get a more detailed layout of the place, and they needed to adjust it.
“Brain, get the cameras shut down?” he asked.
“Not shut down, set in a loop replaying the hour of footage from before we got here. If anyone checks the camera feeds, they’ll see quiet, empty hallways,” Brain replied.
“What happens once that hour of footage runs out?” Van asked.
“Then the bug I put in the system will reset the footage to real time,” Brain answered.
“Can you restart it? Give us another hour?” An hour didn't sound anywhere near long enough to search this place and find what they needed.
“Wouldn't be much point. By that time, the staff will probably be getting up and starting on their work for the day. Word is, Asahi Watanabe is an early riser, too. Maybe we can buy some time because of the interruptions during the night, but I think an hour is about all we realistically have to do this anyway,” Brain explained.
Unfortunately, that was true, which meant they shouldn’t waste any more time.
Working undercover was his bread and butter, it was what he did and what he intended to continue doing with his life until he reached a point where he couldn’t any longer.
Now he had a team to work with, and it felt weird, and he wasn't sure he’d like it if it wasn't for Makayla.
Since she was at the center of this, the one taking the hits so they could search for the information they needed, he was grateful for the support.
“We’ll split up, search Asahi Watanabe’s office, and keep watch for anyone who might be up early and moving about. You focus on getting to Makayla,” Trigger said. “We need eyes on her, and we have no idea what Asahi Watanabe had planned for her when he took her.”
There was a small apology in the other man’s gray eyes, and Van knew that Trigger didn't want to make him think too hard about what might be happening to Makayla while they stood around and worked out a plan. But it was all he could think about anyway.
“She said she was kept in his bedroom in a glass cage, I’ll start there,” he said, ready to get moving. If they had limited time, he didn't want to waste it.
“Comms units are open, so let us know if you need help,” Trigger added.
Giving a single nod, Van took off. Because this was a stealth operation, he couldn’t go storming down the hall, throwing doors open as he searched for the room he wanted to find.
Instead, he had to move quietly, carefully.
Just because they had a bug in the system linking the supposedly live camera feed back a couple of hours didn't mean that there weren't people here who could be up and about.
As far as they were aware, Asahi Watanabe lived here alone.
While staff remained on site permanently, so they were available to cater to his every demand, they slept in a small dormitory-like building separate from the main house.
Breakfast would be served at seven, according to what they’d been told as they were shown to their rooms, so there shouldn’t be any chefs or maids about at this hour, and the daily housecleaning wouldn't start until much later either.
So even though he wasn't expecting to find anyone, he had to act as though he could. Which meant moving with painstaking care as he left this wing and headed for the other side of the house. Van was pretty sure that Asahi Watanabe would place guests as far away from his private rooms as possible, so while he’d come back and check these ones if he had to, he wasn't going to start there.
Once he reached the other wing of the mansion, he began listening through doors, seeking any signs that someone was inside.
What he’d do when he found Asahi Watanabe and Makayla, he wasn't sure yet, it depended on what the man was doing to her. It really was better for the case to leave here without alerting Asahi Watanabe that anything was wrong, but on the other hand, he was pretty sure he couldn’t stand by and watch the man abuse Makayla.
Getting her out without letting Asahi Watanabe catch on to who he really was would also be difficult.
But he’d promised not to leave her behind, and he wouldn't.
Empty room after empty room met him behind each door he opened, and he was starting to feel his panic rising.
Makayla had to be here somewhere. Brain was hacked into the security system, so he’d know if anyone left the property.
He’d been hoping that Asahi Watanabe would just return Makayla to the glass cage and leave it be for the night, wait until they left before punishing her for escaping.
Finally, after wasting way more time than he would have liked, he stood outside a door, and when he heard no sign of movement inside, cracked it open to find the room he’d been looking for.
Three times or more the size of a normal bedroom, a large portion of the space was taken up by the glass cage his girl had woken up in.
Rage bubbled up dangerously inside him as he stalked toward it.
The bed behind him was empty, but there was a lump in the bed inside the cage. Had Asahi Watanabe put Makayla there and then left to do something else despite the early hour?
When he got closer, he saw it wasn't his girl in the bed. It was the woman she’d killed.
The blood-soaked covers told him that the bed hadn't been touched since someone discovered that Makayla had killed the maid sent to feed her, then fled.
The tray of food still sat on the small table inside the cage, and the blood hadn't been cleaned up. It still pooled on the floor where Makayla had killed the woman, then trailed over to the bed where she’d placed her.
Had Asahi Watanabe intended to leave it as it was so that he could put Makayla back in there and make her live alongside the body of the woman she’d stabbed to escape?
Not only was that sick and twisted, evil, but all Van could think about was how traumatic that would have been for his girl.
Even though she knew she was just doing what she had to do to save herself, she’d felt guilt for what she’d done, and being forced to confront it in such a horrible way would have broken her in ways not much else could.
As furious as it made him, he couldn’t get distracted. Makayla wasn't in here, and neither was Asahi Watanabe, so where were they? Where had the man taken Makayla, and what was he planning to do to her?