AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turned away and enlightened her in a measured tone. “If the wrong person gets hold of it before I do, it could be really bad. I've to make sure it's safe, you understand?”
Grace's expression softened, and she sighed as if she was finally ready to release the secret she had held onto. “Fine, I’ll tell you where it is.”
We took a different route and after another half hour's drive, we arrived at Clooney’s. She led the way, following the path she had taken before with cautious steps.
The bar was dimly lit, and filled with more customers than the last time I was at Clooney’s. The place looked different, livelier. The soft hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses filled the air, but we ignored it. I followed her closely as she moved towards a hidden corner with a wooden table.
“It’s here,” she said and stomped the floorboards underneath the table, peering closely at something I couldn’t see.
“It’s where,” I asked, and she turned to me with a pout on her lips. Her forehead creased with worry lines, and she pointed at a crack in the wood.
“Here,” she mumbled, more to herself than to me. “It was right there, I swear. The crack was subtle and seemed discreet enough at the time. And there was no one here.”
“I know,” I said, with clenched teeth as I moved closer to where she stood. We both bent down, our eyes locked at the crack where the envelope should have been. But to our horror, it was gone.
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach, and I couldn't help but wonder if our efforts had been in vain if the envelope had been discovered by someone else. The thought hit me like a heavy blow, and we exchanged glances filled with a mix of shock, disbelief, and anger.
After we searched frantically and still found nothing, I folded my fingers into fists, determined to catch the thief. Then, I pulled out my phone from my pocket, ready to call Alexei to order my men to come over and tear this place apart, but Grace lifted a hand, stopping me.
She silently nudged her head to the side, urging me to look over her shoulder, and I did. I noticed a cleaning lady who discreetly observed our actions. Her eyes followed our every move, and it was clear she found our frustration entertaining.
“Have you seen her?” she whispered, and I nodded. “Okay, let's talk to her.”
She didn't even wait for my response before turning around on her heels and marching in the direction of the woman. I followed her and, when the woman saw us approaching, she tried to hide. Grace was smarter.
“Ma'am?” she called loudly and hastened her steps. “Excuse us, Ma'am, just a minute!”
she hollered, drawing the attention of a few customers, and that seemed to make the woman stop in her tracks.
“Who, me?”
Grace paused dramatically and looked around the bar. “Well, except I was talking to myself, which I wasn’t… I don't see any other lady around here. So, yes, you.”
The lady blinked, visibly taken aback by Grace's forwardness. She held her mop stick close to her chest and cleared her throat. “Alright then. What do you want?”
I decided not to say anything and let her do the talking.
“You're the cleaning lady?” Grace asked instead, and the lady and I stared at her. I groaned. What was it with her and answering questions with questions?
“Yes, I am,” the woman replied proudly.
“Hmm,” Grace shook her head and scanned the run-down bar, not saying a word. Then, she tucked her blonde locks behind her ears and folded her arms across her chest. “Please, don't take this the wrong way but my husband and I left something very important here about a month ago. It's an envelope but it contains a very important work document. Yeah… we'd love to know if you’ve seen it here somewhere.”
For a minute I couldn't get over the fact that she had proudly introduced me as her husband to a complete stranger. Then the woman's voice snapped me out of my reverie.
“An envelope?”
“Yes,” Grace nodded, and repeated, “have you found it? It's very important to us.”
Her voice carried a sense of urgency and the woman's expression revealed that she knew something. It was evident that she had picked up on our desperation.
Her brows furrowed when she asked, “Will I get money for returning it?”
My irritation returned with a vengeance, and I felt the last thread of patience threatening to snap. Instinctively, I wanted to react with anger, but Grace placed a calming hand on my arm and urged me to let her handle the situation.
With a friendly smile, she turned to the woman and said, “Yes, we're willing to pay you for the return. I wouldn't wish even my worst enemy to work in such a place, but I understand that times are hard, and we'd like to help.”
Her display of kindness stunned me, and I noticed it had the same effect on the woman.
