"There she is," Gabriel pointed at the screen showing Zoe running after Mr. Jones. Not that he knows of her name, yet, of course.
Just as they planned the previous day, he and Jackson returned to the airport to track her down and that was how they came about the airport's CCTV systems. Gabriel didn't know how Jackson did it, but the next minute, they were ushered into the control room where the clip from that day was played for them and that was how he came to identify her.
The security man slowed down the recording since he played them two times faster to save time. And just like that, Gabriel and Jackson stood in front of the screen, watching as the young women ran a marathon in the airport while chasing after the man. Although this case was serious, a laugh couldn't help but leave his lips when he stared at the hilarious scene. Gabriel of course, tactically stifled it with his palm else they hear it.
This was a serious case and he had to be serious no matter how hilarious the scene of her tiny legs chasing after the man looked! His identity was on the line, Gabriel reminded himself and that was enough motivation because the smile dissolved from his lips at once. Just like that, it got to the scene where she knocked him down and Gabriel's brows knitted together as he forced them into concentration. This was the part that he had to watch out for - it would determine whether the girl was a thief or not.
Even with the attention Gabriel paid to the screen, his heart couldn't help but miss a beat when he saw the way she knocked him down and the both of them fell to the ground. It seemed so romantic that he was tempted to record the scene with his phone. And perhaps in the years to come, he would tell his children, "And that is how I met your mother."
And what the hell is he thinking? Gabriel had to snap out of it instantly. He must have lost his mind. Or perhaps, it was because he hasn't gotten laid in a while. Just because Gabriel doesn't have a girlfriend doesn't mean he doesn't get his desire satisfied. Whenever he wanted, his second in command would get him a woman for the night who would be scanned meticulously to ensure that she was clean - and wasn't a bait from the mafioso.
The lady would sign a non-disclosure contract and would agree to the terms and conditions of their deal before they got started. Usually, the woman who came into his bed always had their eyes blindfolded when he was not wearing his mask. No wonder, they called him a creep. Thanks to the hassle and lack of luster in the bedroom, he lost interest until now.
Gabriel was determined to have sex until his d*ck peeled off now that he was in a safe place, at least until he got this ridiculous fixation out of his system.
"Oh…! '' Jackson exclaimed when he vividly saw the moment both phones slipped from their pockets without them noticing. No wonder, none of them suspected a thing, not to mention that it happened in a twinkle of an eye and the young woman picked up the phone and left in a hurry with the phone she assumed was hers since they were of the same model.
"So that is what happened…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, having remembered accusing the girl of being a thief.
"Is she the one?" The security man asked with a look in his eyes that Gabriel couldn't pinpoint. Perhaps he knows about her? How does he know about her though? His interest was piqued.
So he said, "Yes, she is the one. How do you know about her?"
The man laughed, "She and her group caused a scene in the airport that day."
"She and her group?" Gabriel was intrigued. This keeps getting interesting.
And just like that, the man forwarded the recording to another scene and there Gabriel saw her. She was with a group of people and though he couldn't hear what they were saying, somehow he could sense a hostile ambiance and that was evidenced when a slap landed on the girl's cheek drawing a small gasp from his lips.
What was happening? He was concerned about her.
Her face whipped to the side from the impact and Gabriel could see the look in her eyes from that position, it was almost as if she was staring right back at him through the camera and the murderous look in there told him that she was not going to take that lying down.
Just as he thought, she tackled the woman to the ground and laughter escaped from Gabriel's lips drawing Jackson's attention and he composed himself at once. When he couldn't find anything, Jackson turned back to the screen and Gabriel finally relaxed his expression. It was strange but Gabriel took great pride in knowing that she was able to protect herself.
She was his type of….. Alright, that is it! He was done with this unhealthy obsession with this woman! The faster he got his phone from her, the better it was for him. As tempting as it was, Gabriel couldn't form an attachment here. In the end, he would have to return to his former life and he couldn't risk the life of another. He wouldn't be able to live with the guilt.
Gabriel turned to the security man saying, "How do I find this woman? I need to get my phone back."
"She didn't board a flight hence I can't trace her record, however, you should report to the police, they should be the fastest in tracking her down," The man said to him but Gabriel's gaze connected with Jackson who slowly shook his head.
No police.
He was here with a fake identity. Aside from that, the police force was corrupted and messy, involving them might end up making things worse for him as they serve him on a platter of gold to the mafioso. He couldn't trust them. He had to do this on his own.
Nonetheless, Gabriel smiled at him,
"I would take it to the police then," He lied through his teeth.
In the next minute, he was leaving the airport with Jackson by his side who said to him, "While the both of you were conversing, I had the chance to do some little searching here and there, and guess what, the video of the fight went viral. Luckily for me, I was able to find the address of the other woman she fought with on the internet."
Gabriel turned to him with a frown,
"What about her?"
"Zero internet presence," Jackson disclosed and he tilted his head to the side, unsure.
"That is weird." He muttered under his breath.
"The woman's place isn't that far, we should get going if we hope to catch onto her before the day is over," Jackson told him and the both of them got into the car and drove off.
Arriving at the woman's place, Jackson was the one who rang the doorbell and the door was opened the next minute. A middle-aged woman stepped out with a scowl on her face, scanning Jackson from his head to her feet, and asked seriously, "Who are you and what do you want…" She trailed off when she saw Gabriel stepping into view and her mouth hung upon.
Wow, so handsome, her expression said it all.
And just like that, her expression changed and she asked with a much kinder tone and smile,
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
"My name is Jackson and we need your help identifying someone, ma," He said, pulling out his phone. Although Jackson introduced himself, the woman's gaze stayed on Gabriel the entire time and he didn't even say anything to her.
"Do you know this lady?" Jackson pushed the phone in her face, blocking her view of Gabriel and showing her a screenshot of Zoe from the fight and one should have seen the way her face shifted at once.
"Zoe!" She said with so much agitation, her teeth ground.
"Zoe?" That was the first word Gabriel said, tasting the name on his lips. He glanced up at the woman, "Do you know how we can find where she lives?"
Her expression darkened, "Why do you ask? What's your business with her?" There was no way that the likes of him could be involved with her. Zoe must have gotten herself into trouble, she hoped so.
"Forget about it then," Gabriel turned to leave only for her to shout,
"Wait!"
She giggled nervously, saying, "Zoe was part of our group so I should have her records somewhere. Give me a minute." The woman disappeared into the house and appeared minutes later with a short note.
"This is the address she inputted in our record," She handed the note to Gabriel who took it and looked it over.
"But if I may ask…." The woman said, "What's your business with Zoe? She got into some sort of trouble, right?" she waited for Gabriel to affirm her thoughts.
Gabriel told her coldly, "None of your business," and left her dumbfounded.
"Let's go," He said to Jackson.
Again, they followed the address and landed in another neighborhood thanks to their GPS and directions from locals since it was their first time here.
"I think this is the place?" Gabriel was unsure as he stared at the villa in front of him. Zoe didn't hit him as a wealthy person. What kind of socialite would get into an embarrassing fight in the airport without fearing for her reputation? It just didn't make sense.
Nonetheless, they had to give it a try and so he rang the bell, and minutes later, a voice responded through the intercom, "Who are you?"
Gabriel asked this time instead of Jackson,
"Excuse me, Is this Zoe's home?"
And there was no response.
Gabriel thought that Zoe had recognized him through the camera outside and left to get his phone knowing that was what he was here for. So when an unfamiliar face stepped out to see him, he assumed the woman was a staff member and asked,
"When is your young miss Zoe coming out to see me? She has something that belongs to me. "
But to his surprise, the woman gave him a blank look before bursting into hysterical laughter that left him confused.
"What is so funny? Why are you laughing about what I said?" It didn't sound funny to him.
The woman scoffed, "Young miss? What lie did Zoe feed you this time?"
Gabriel blinked, panic slowly rising inside of him, "What are you talking about?"
"Zoe Clark doesn't live here, although she did, that was in the past. Their property became mine after her parents sold it to me. And I'm sick and tired of feuding off whom she deceived into thinking that she lives here. So if you eventually find Zoe, send her this message, I'm done covering her ass." The woman said to him and left, leaving his feet stuck to the ground.
What just happened, Gabriel had a hard time comprehending what he heard. However, his hands balled into a fist, he was going to give Zoe Clark a piece of his mind for putting him through his embarrassment when he finally gets his hands on her.