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Chelsea: Okay, I’m in. I’ll come to events and dinners with you when I can.
It doesn’t take long for the replies to start coming through.
Drew: That’s great, looking forward to it. x
Logan: Thanks.
Calvin: Thank you. I will message you tomorrow with a list of dates and see if you are available for any of them. I’m sure we will all have a great time. Xx
I place my phone on charge and lie in my bed as Luna dozes beside me. I think about moving her, but I’m too tired. One night in my bed won’t do any harm. I close my eyes and realise I feel good after making the decision to help the guys. This could be the change in my life that I need right now. Time to help me find myself without the pressure of being what someone else wants me to be.
13
Calvin
“Any luck?”
I turn to see Drew walking into the special obs hub. Shaking my head, I look back at the whiteboard before me. We have spent the last week trying to track down all of Taylor and Hudson’s drug smugglers. We plan on exhuming whatever’s buried under that flooring but have to be careful about it as we don’t know who has been continuing what Taylor started. The last thing we need is for people they were working with to realise we are on to them, from what we can gather. Taylor had his fingers in many big pies, and we could take down over half of the drug factories and distributions in the UK and possibly other countries by what's buried under that floor.
We have reviewed the camera footage on the days Hudson went down to the room, but we realised quickly that the route he would take was unwatchable due to all the dirty or broken cameras. That’s why so many were compromised, to hide who went in and out of the room. If I hadn’t known Hudson myself, I would have never recognised him through the cameras. He was careful to avoid anything that would have given him away. He was smart, that’s for sure.
“So far, we think we know who nine of their drug mules were, but there is no way of knowing for sure without either finding them or checking the files. The only reason we can guess who they are is because they were all last seen in Taylor’s bars regularly, walking into the back offices.”
“How didn’t the police make that connection with Taylor and drug dealers?” Drew asks, standing beside me with his arms crossed. I point to the whiteboard, where there is a map of the city.
“The red pins are where those nine people were last seen. If you were looking at this, would you put the connection together?”
Drew shakes his head. All of them look like random locations; they aren’t even all in Taylor’s name, so there’s no way the police could have linked them to him or Hudson.
“Who owns them all now?”
“The O’Reilly’s claimed them all when he died. Most were sold or knocked down. I think there were five that they transferred into their name. Two of which were gutted and turned into gyms and fight clubs.”
“They made a tidy sum out of it then,” Drew sighs as I nod. The O’Reilly’s didn’t need the extra money, but there are certain rules when it comes to the darker side of the business world. Sides that very few know about. The O’Reilly’s may do some illegal shit, but they always stay as clean as possible and ensure people benefit from what they do.
“Who do you think funded the equipment for this room?” I ask him, pointing out the high-tech hacking equipment and all that goes with it. Jason O’Reilly is the only one of the brothers in the know about this side of our company. After everything they went through trying to find Jasmine when she was abducted, he was willing to do anything to ensure others were kept safe. When I informed him of all that we were learning about Hudson, he started to blame himself.
Hudson and Jason had a history in which Jason should have taken out Hudson years ago. But he failed to because he always hoped there was a chance Hudson would turn his life around. We all know he didn’t, and, in the end, it was Jason who put a bullet through his head.
“What time are you going to the hotel where this function is tonight?” Drew asks. I look at my watch and sigh.
“I need to leave soon. I promised Chelsea we would have a drink beforehand to help calm her nerves so I could fill her in on a few things.”
Drew nods as he glances at the board again. The two of us have both been messaging Chelsea a lot over the last week. We have formed a good friendship with her, making this whole ‘fake dating’ thing a lot easier.
A week ago, I took her out for dinner and a few drinks, and we had a great time. Conversation flowed easily, as did the drinks, and before long, we were both singing at the karaoke at the top of our lungs. I can’t remember the last time I let my hair down like that and just enjoyed the moment. But with Chelsea, it’s easy to do as she brings out the playfulness in me.
“How was your dinner the other night?” I ask Drew as he picks up a newspaper clipping and reads it.
“We had a great time. She’s a blast, isn’t she?” he smiles as he flicks through some papers on his hand. “Did you get any info on her ex from her?”
I frown whilst shaking my head.
“Other than they are divorced, nothing,” I answer before walking over to the kettle and turning it on, needing a mug of coffee before I go. “Why do you ask?”
Drew shrugs as he leans back against a table.
“I’m not sure; I just wonder where he is. I mean, considering they have had a kid together, she never mentions him, even in passing comments. Just seems odd.”
