Simon subtly adjusted the chair and settled in. A round table draped with white silk sat between them, adorned with a few decorative flowers.
Julian didn't want to waste time.
Just moments before Simon had called, he received a message from the hospital. He considered grabbing a quick bite and eating later, perhaps at the hospital after filling Simon in.
As Julian watched Simon compose himself, he slid his phone across the table, saying with a serious tone, "Check this out."
"What can I get for you today, sirs?"
Julian paused, his hand still halfway across the table, and turned towards the voice.
A woman stood there, clad in a crisp white shirt, a short black skirt, and opaque black leggings tucked into black shoes. Her dark hair was styled in a neat bun.
She glanced briefly at Simon, offering him a gentle smile as his gaze met hers.
A waitress.
Simon looked to Julian, inquiring if he wanted to order.
Julian replied calmly, "Sure…"
He had asked Simon to meet here for dinner, after all; backing out now wasn't his style.
"Okay, me aswell," Simon responded, and gave his order.
After noting Julian's choice, she collected the menus. Taking a step back, she bowed slightly and headed towards the kitchen.
As Julian watched her go, he nudged the phone towards Simon. Earlier, Simon had noticed it too, but the waitress had interrupted him.
He reached for the phone, noting that a paused video was already on screen. Instantly, Simon recognized the scene. He tapped the screen, and the video began to play. It lasted about two minutes.
Simon watched intently, absorbing every detail; his mind was racing. He couldn't quite place the man in the video. He handed the device back to Julian after it finished playing.
Before Simon could speak, Julian said calmly, "I've seen that guy around a few times; pretty sure he's buying tablets from Baldy's associate."
"Where?" Simon asked, his curiosity piqued. He had asked Julian to keep an eye out, but so far he wasn't getting very far.
"Well…" Julian felt Simon's expectant gaze on him.
After a moment, he answered, "Black Palace." Before Simon could respond, Julian added quickly, "Don't ask what I was doing there, though. After Alex went overseas, someone had to stay in touch. So I swing by once a week to check in, just to gather info if I need it. And I've seen that guy three or four times. Always messed up on white powder, but last time I went, he was using tablets too. I don't know if it was by chance or not, but..."
Julian leaned in.
"Tablets are already off-limits, you know, right? Jimmy, one of the guys from Black Palace—you might know him, big black guy with a shaved head, all muscle, yeah? He is always talking about the God of Light and Dark and all that stuff. Anyway, that dude was not only taking tablets in the open, but someone else ratted that. Jimmy warned him to not come around for the next month or so. Even after searching, they couldn't track the source of the tablets. And they may or may not have told the higher-ups since it didn't happen again after that."
Julian's voice dropped.
"My guess? This guy was just into white powders before, always high when I saw him, so why the tablets? Maybe someone gave them to him, let him try, and that someone chose 'nigga' to be their guinea pig to test their product and sell to others, perhaps it was already working. The VIPs were quiet because it was a single case, but still…"
"'Nigga' is banned from Black Palace for a month, so, frustrated or whatever. He's getting tablets from that medical store."
He paused.
"Before I bring this up at Black Palace, I want to know… is this a matter from the higher-ups or strictly personal?"
Simon listened silently to Julian and, after a brief pause, responded, "Only at first."
The day before the alley incident unfolded, Philip Grayson, Simon's boss, instructed him to check on the transportation warehouse. It was also related to some High Table member's business, not directly theirs.
The situation was straightforward: someone had pilfered a package, and their task was simply to inspect the warehouse and, if possible, recover the package and apprehend the culprit.
Initially, Simon considered dispatching Paul and Sara to resolve the matter swiftly. However, Sara was occupied with other tasks, so Simon and Paul ventured to the warehouse the following day.
Later that evening, they tracked down the alleged thief, nicknamed "Baldy."
Simon interrogated Baldy about the package, but Baldy insisted on his innocence, claiming they had the wrong person. Despite Baldy's denials, Simon was convinced of his deceit.
Yet, before he could corner Baldy with further questioning, he received a call from the High Table member's secretary, or someone of that ilk. The caller informed Simon that they had double-checked the warehouse inventory, and nothing was missing.
"Wait," Julian interjected, slightly puzzled, "this doesn't quite add up, does it?"
"Yeah... we're getting there," Simon replied calmly, continuing his account.
Still harboring suspicions about Baldy, Simon felt constrained by the High Table member's apparent resolution of the matter.
He contemplated discussing it with his boss later or addressing it if Baldy's guilt was later proven—concluding it wasn't their immediate concern.
As Simon mulled this over and prepared to dismiss Baldy, Baldy's phone rang, stopping him in his tracks.
Simon instructed Baldy to answer the call on speakerphone, his suspicions still piqued.
Throughout this exchange, Paul remained his usual stoic self, speaking only when necessary.
At first, Baldy hesitated but eventually answered the call and activated the speaker. However, he kept the phone close to his ear, obscuring the screen from view.
Moments later, Baldy swallowed hard and hesitantly said, "Hello."
As a rapid response echoed from the other end, Paul swiftly demanded that Baldy increase the volume and reveal the phone's screen.
Baldy resisted at first, but when Paul silently pointed his gun, aiming it at his head, he gave up. There's nothing he can do against a god of death.
Simon, sensing the shift in the mood but not intervening to stop Paul's reaction, warily waited for Baldy, without protesting.
Helpless, Baldy slowly placed the phone on the floor and turned the screen upwards.
The contact was saved as "BOSS," accompanied by a profile picture of a man in his mid forties.
Simon didn't recognize the face, but Paul carefully picked up the phone, setting his gun aside. His eyes and senses lasered on the profile picture.
After a moment, he spoke, his voice laced with cold fury: "You killed them, didn't you?"
The reply from the other end was, "Who is this? Hey... Baldy! Liam! What's happening there? Answer me, you son of a..."
Paul severed the call before Baldy could cry for help and re-aimed the gun at Baldy's head.
"Tell me, where can I find him?"
His voice was low and cold, his gaze piercing Baldy's soul. Terror seized Baldy as he stammered, "I... I don't know! I've never met him before, I swear. He only told me to deliver some packages, and I did. That... that's all."
"Lie!" Paul snapped, his tone sharp with irritation and fury.
"Stop this..." Simon urgently seized the gun pointed at Baldy's head and looked at Paul, seeing an unfamiliar intensity in his eyes.
"Stop what?! You don't understand. This motherfucker is clearly lying. How could he not recognize the man he's working for?" Paul shouted, turning to Simon. "You don't know how I feel. How much it hurts!"
Simon's thoughts raced: he didn't recognize the voice on the call, the profile picture, or the connection between these elements and Paul's sudden transformation.
Calmly, he said, "First, put down your gun. He won't answer if he's dead."
"Don't always try to tell me what to do. I know what I'm doing. You have no idea how long it's been. He... He took everything from—"
"I said, put down your gun and think first!" Simon interrupted, raising his voice.
'Yeah... Maybe I'm overreacting,' Paul mused, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them.
Exhaling deeply, Simon fixed his focus on Paul, attempting to recall any detail he might have missed.
'Killed them? Killed who? Am I missing something? Took everything? Is it—'
Observing Paul's slight calming, Simon gradually loosened his grip on the gun, turning his gaze to Baldy, huddled on the floor.
'What?' resonated in both their thoughts.
Baldy vanished from their sight, disappearing in mere seconds while their attention wavered.
A quick glance passed between them, a silent understanding. Time to leave this house, QUICK.
Out on the street, they spotted Baldy sprinting like his life depended on it.
Simon yanked open the car door and slid in, Paul right behind him.
Thus began their chase through the winding alleys, leading to a fateful night. Baldy met his end, along with the poor kid he'd been holding hostage, the victim of some unknown assailant.
Back in the car, Paul laid it all out. He explained the thoughts that flooded his mind upon hearing the man's voice and seeing the picture.
He was a hundred percent certain.
A surge of anger had washed over him then, and he offered a heartfelt apology.
Simon listened intently, not interrupting, and couldn't help but think, "Maybe, just maybe, I would've done the same."