I looked at Simon for a few more seconds studying his features without saying a word to him. I noticed something. The red lips he once had darkened to bluish-black, thanks to his smoking habit. “As I said, once I get inside the compound, I will try to find the Alpha. If I am lucky then both of us will escape through the gate.”
“Main gate?”
“Yes,” I said. “The main gate.”
“You made it seem simple, Alpha. This could go sideways.”
“It won’t. You once told me that the guards at the gate don’t search outgoing vehicles. Isn’t it?” I inquired.
“They didn’t search the truck when I was driving away doesn’t mean they don’t inspect outgoing vehicles at all. It might be they didn’t search the truck because they already knew that I was inside. They all saw me when I drove in after all.”
Hmm!
“When I get there, I must surely find an alternative.” I sighed. “Do not worry.”
“Someone is coming,” Thelma whispered. “We have to hide.” Thelma started coming toward us quietly.
“I will see you around, Sim.” I forced myself inside the compartment. Seriously, if this was how all Ferrari luggage compartments were designed, then I am afraid, I would never get one of those for myself unless it is for free.
“Hold this if you ever want to come out from this car alive.” Sim made me hold an iron spring attached somewhere inside the compartment. It looked like the string would keep the boot from closing up on me forever. I wanted to close the boot but then Thelma held it with her right arm. She leaned down and kissed me.
“See you soon,” she said, her tone of voice sounding strong, comforting.
“See you too soon, pretty.” I kissed her back. “Do you have anything that belongs to your father here?”
“Something like what?” she said hurriedly.
“Hankie, chains, necklace, anything.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. She opened it and said, “I have a ring.” She quickly removed one from her index finger and gave it to me. “Got to go,” she said. She closed the boot. It became dark and quiet inside but not quiet outside. I heard footsteps withdrawing quickly. I didn’t need to guess before I know whose footsteps they were. Staying inside a luggage space like this in a car was not something I thought I would ever do. To cap it all, I have never done it before. I have only had the opportunity to see it in movies and cinemas. But here I had barely spent a few seconds but my legs already hurt like hell. I wished I had considered Simon’s warning. Maybe we would have found another way.
My heart thumped when the doors of the Ferrari opened, I managed to keep my breath steady. It was game on and it could either go right or go entirely wrong, I thought.
“I think we should wait for them to come out so we could go together.” I was sure this was Rudolph’s voice.
“Wouldn’t be necessary since he knows his way around.” The second voice must belong to the guard.
“So you are saying we should bounce?”
“We need to. We are all under the red radar here. We can’t afford to be seen working together when he had barely had something done. I think that stupid Alpha of the Blood moon already suspects that we are something.”
“He is not a problem,” Rudolph said.
“How would you be so sure?”
“Believe me, he isn’t. He will be contained.”
“Okay.”
“Alright,” Rudolph said. “We drive home then.”
The engine of the Ferrari roared to life. It was at this point I began to hover around the decision I made again. I made a husky decision which could rebound negatively- and I hoped it wouldn’t. But it was incredibly stupid of me to squeeze myself into a small compartment without expecting severe consequences. In fact, from the way my legs were already wobbling and hurting me, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to walk properly when I drop. But then, I think the worst thing that could happen to me was not hiding in the boot. The worst that could happen to me was getting caught while hiding. Once that happens, then boom, I would be sure as hell that I would become a walking corpse as soon as I am found. Anyway, I hope it wouldn’t happen.
I couldn’t exactly tell who was driving but I knew both men wasted half of their conversation talking about an Alpha whose name they either consciously or unconsciously failed to mention.
The car halted at a point. I wasn’t sure if I should come out or not. I think we had spent close to an hour or maybe more driving. I couldn’t get my phone out of my pocket to check what time it was. The Ferrari stopped entirely and the engine died. I waited until it seemed to me that both gentlemen had alighted from the vehicle. The string was very close, just fingers away. I grabbed it even though it was dark. I drew it inwardly until I heard a creaking sound. Luckily, the car had been parked inside a garage. When I peered out, I could only find a few more cars around but no manned security or in the worst-case scenario, no dog. I came out from my hiding, gently closed the boot, and hunkered down on the cold, cemented floor. I looked at my back, I saw a door. I wish I knew where that door would lead me to. I think it was the same door Rudolph and the guard must have followed though not sure.
My phone beeped. I almost snapped out. I didn’t remember to put it on silent mode. What if it rang when I was still on my way coming?
I looked at my phone, it was Thelma. I checked up her message and then I saw what looked like a hand-drawn map done a paper.
Good job, Thelma.
She told me she would like to help. I think she had just done that without setting a foot inside the fortress. That was smart of her.
There was a loose end according to what I was seeing from the drawing but the thing was, I had to move outside the garage before I could find the way that would take me inside the house. Oh no! I wasn’t sure who would see once I set my foot outside the garage. This was going to be hard but it was a decision I must take. I had to find Thelma’s father no matter what it may cost. And I was also pretty determined.
I leaned against a wall and moved out of the garage. The sun had gone down from its hotspot and would soon, probably in the next two hours go to sleep. Don’t mind my terms.
I remembered I had taken a ring from Thelma. This was to help me find the Alpha wherever he would be hidden in the fortress. Right? The only problem I knew I would face was the poor scent. Thelma had been wearing this ring when she gave it to me. Invariably, it meant that the scent of the former owner of the ring may not be active and this may add a little difficulty to the job. I was about to sniff this ring to know how far I could go with it when I saw an incoming vehicle roaring closer to my hiding haunch. I had to look at the car twice. It was as though I had seen it somewhere before. I ran back inside the garage and waited. If the car proved to be coming toward me and closer then I will have no other option than to hide under one of the vehicles packed around. Luckily the blue sedan stopped before the garage. It gave a long distance to the garage anyway but not far enough to conceal the identity of what the driver would look like. I watched as the fine gentleman on red from the top and something grey for his pants. His once blue hair had turned wine-red under the evening haze. Levi went around quickly and opened the passenger’s door. And then I saw the worst. I couldn’t believe it.