'Oh shit!' Peter's brain screamed.
Now he was in some major trouble.
He walked with Flint to the company's garage where he parked his car.
He'd been so damn secretive about Eloise and the baby.
How the fuck did the cop find out? he wondered.
"the keys" Flint requested breaking into his thoughts when Peter was about to get into the driver's seat.
No way was he putting his life in the hands of a man who was scared shitless and couldn't think straight.
Peter threw his keys to Flint and turned to ride shotgun.
They rode around the town for a while, then Flint stopped at a restaurant that catered to lunch and breakfast needs of it's clientele.
A waitress greeted them as they entered.
She gestured to one of the vacant tables.
Flint took his seat and grabbed the menu.
"what can I get you sir" asked the waitress, a small notepad in hand.
Flint considered the options available on the menu, while eyeing Peter and watching his reaction.
The guy was scared shitless.
"I'll have Chicken vegetable salad and Rice" Flint said and nodded at Peter, then he raised his brows.
"What would you like sir" the waitress asked, turning to Peter.
"Just Water please" Peter said, though what he really needed was brandy to calm his nerves.
"oh come on Pete....the bill is on me...my treat"
Flint said, flashing a grin then he turned to the waitress and placed an order for Pete.
Oh great...Peter thought.
The arsehole even knew his favorite food.
Just fucking perfect.
The moment the waitress left the table to get their orders, Flint brought out a photo of Miguel.
"apparently, yesterday You seemed to be so much in a hurry, you couldn't get a good look....now you can take your time"
Peter cursed the devil that had pushed him into switching shifts with his friend.
He was on night duty for crying out loud!
Peter hesitantly took the photo and glanced at it for a while, then he dropped it.
"sorry I can't help you detective"
"ohkay...no problem" said Flint, standing up from his seat and fishing his pockets.
He dropped some bills on the table and as he folded his wallet, he said "I'll be sure your wife would want to meet Eloise for lunch... I'll ensure they have a swell time" Then he walked towards the entrance.
Peter bolted upright and ran after him.
"wait.. wait a minute..I remember him...I mean ..we work in the same building.. I've seen him come and go couple of times" Peter said, gushing out the words.
Flint turned to him and flashed that paparazzi smile.
"see...that wasn't so hard"
Peter glared at him. The kind of glare that could drill holes into a person's head.
They returned to their seats.
As if on cue, the waitress brought their orders.
Flint smiled a thank you.
"tell me about Miguel peter" Flint said, mixing a spoonful of vegetables with a portion of his rice.
Peter hadn't touched a thing.
He just took a gulp of water, then he asked" how did you find Eloise... how did you know about everything"
"oh pullease" Flint said, rolling his eyes.
"I'm a cop...I know things..."
'plus you had information I wanted and lied to me about it' he added, but he didn't tell Peter the second part.
Peter took another gulp of water.
Flint couldn't believe he'd been reduced to blackmail.
Well what could he do? It wasn't like he had a choice or could do anything about it.
Well everyone was apparently rotten in this damn city and hell, he didn't mind blending in for even a bit to get what he wanted.
"he used to be a guard.. worked top few years ago....I was just a green horn then..then he disappeared, the next time I saw him, he was up the big leagues"
"big leagues? how do you mean" Flint asked him, brows raised.
"I've said too much detective" Said peter, his glass now empty.
He called for the waitress and requested a full jug of water this time around. He still hadn't eaten anything.
"you'd better keep yapping Peter.... don't run dry on me now" Flint said, eating the last of his rice and veggies.
"I'm telling the truth...it's all I know" Peter replied.
"I need to get back to work... lunch break's almost over"
"call in sick or something..get someone to cover for you" Flint replied, dismissing his statement.
Flint eyed him for a few seconds, as though in deep thought, then he said
"tell me about Barth industries"
"about my work place? How does this have anything to do with Barth industries? you said you wanted to talk Miguel. Miguel only. This wasn't part of the deal detective"
"oh... did we cut a deal? I don't remember.... refresh my memory bud...when did we do that" Flint replied him brows raised.
Peter hung his head and let out a harsh breath.
"why did you pick me?"
"do you characteristically answer questions with questions?" Flint asked him.
"I don't know much...I just work security but I hear rumors....it's a big place, but gossip does tend to filter down from the top"
Flint got the gist about the rumor part...in companies like this, there were always crazy bosses who fucked secretaries, who in turn fucked guards and co-workers.
Tongues did tend to get loose in a place like that...just a little spicing of alcohol normally did the trick...they probably even have orgies..
Flint didn't even want to think about it.
"are you going to eat that?" Flint asked suddenly, pointing at Peter's order.
The man shook his head.. Flint grabbed the plate and dived in, gesturing at him to continue.
"Barth industries on the surface deals chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lots of charities, the likes... same as Barth group... but up the chain of command, The Boss Bartholomew Kings is something else...he isn't what he seems"
Flint raised his brows but said nothing.
"far as rumor goes, he's part of the Martel family.... bunch of blood craving blood sucking hounds that ruthlessly destroy everything that dared to defy them or stand in their way"
Flint looked at the man.
"few seconds ago, you were hesitant to say anything and you lied twice... what changed?" he asked eyeing Peter.
"he killed my cousin over some stupid missing shipment that he had nothing to do with..
propped his head like a fucking trophy and his body by the side right in his living room"
"Christ" Flint muttered.
"if I were you detective, whatever I'm hunting them down for, I'd drop it.
Almost everyone who'd dared them gets found face down in a ditch somewhere....not an exactly comfortable position... even for a dead body....That prime minister shit, reeks of em"
"if I wasn't asking you for info, I'd have said you are a part of the organization seeing as you know so much" Flint said, eyeing Peter.
"Like i told you detective...it's just rumors" peter said.
"your cousin a rumor too?" Flint asked
"no...a memory that just keeps on hurting"
"I've just put my life on the line by telling you all this... you have my family address... anything happens to me, I want you to deliver the news personally as you are the cause"peter replied.
"you put me between the devil and the deep blue sea and I had to choose"
Flint only nodded in response.
He didn't believe that one bit but he felt he'd kept the man long enough and it wouldn't do him any good to be missed.
"Fine.. thank you for your help" Flint said, handing over the man's keys, which the man forgot hadn't been returned to him.
"As if I had a choice" Peter muttered.
He grabbed his keys off Flint's palm and walked out the restaurant.
Flint waited for a while, then he left the restaurant and caught a bus home.
**********
"Boss.. That cop He's got to one of the guards at the company...been asking questions"
a man sat in a black sedan, few meters away from the restaurant.
"find out what he knows, what he leaked...then delete him... make him an example...after him, send the cop a message"
"yes boss" replied the man in the sedan.
click...the line went dead.
The sedan trailed the blue car from the restaurant and crossed him at the first traffic light.
Within minutes, Peter found himself in an abandoned warehouse somewhere on the outskirts of the city, hands hanging apart, held upwards by chains, his legs hanging mid air, his eyes blindfolded.
He heard footsteps and turned his head frantically, searching where the steps came from even when he couldn't see.
His heart beat frantically in his chest as the steps came to a halt and he felt a presence in front of him.
Then his blind fold came off, his eyes stung trying to adjust to the brightness of the lone bulb hanging above his head.
When his pupils finally got used to the light, he saw the devil's advocate himself.