"Don't ever be the weakest link, they are always the first one to die. As everyone knows, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link."
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â™™Kai Hamiltonâ™™
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"So can you please tell me where else to find these?" Kai said as he leans on the counter.
The owner's face appeared sour, like eating something that didn't quite agree with him.
"I should have been more cautious seeing the Bloodhound suddenly showing up in my shop." He says with a sneer.
"So you do know who I am? Great.." Kai said a bit annoyed that his rep has a tendency to get him into more trouble than not.
"The name?"
The owner seems to weigh his options for a bit before letting out a sigh and answering.
"It's a club called The Solstice. It's an exclusive members-only club, catering only to -"
"Let me guess the top percent of Briagas? For example, prominent donors of BRF?" Kai interrupted with a raised eyebrow.
The owner just glares at him in response.
"Where is it?" Jaivon pipped in after being quiet for some long.
The owner just gives them a look that screams "Why should I tell you?"
"It either you tell us voluntarily or we get a warrant. Your choice?" Jaivon said with a gruff huff.
"....It's a few blocks down the street from here. It's inside a building called the King's Vault." He answers with a cold stare.
Jaivon gives him a bitter smirk and then taps his knuckles on the counter.
"And that's all?" He presses.
It was obvious by the face of the shop owner he probably knew more but this time he looked quite reluctant to let them know nothing further. Before Jaivon could press more, Kai taps his shoulder and shakes his head.
"No, that's enough information to go on. Thanks."
The shop owner doesn't reply back and just watches them as they exited the store. Jaivon lets out a sigh of relief as he looks down the street.
"Well, thank god this hasn't been a total waste of time." He says.
"Yeah, we at least have direction now." Kai replied in kind.
Kai goes to start walking down the street but is stopped by Jaivon with a rather suspicious look on his face.
"Hold up, you didn't honestly think I wasn't going to ask about what the hell you did back there right?" Jaivon questions.
"Does it really matter Jaivon? We have a lead." Refeeqa interject.
Kai expected this honestly of Jaivon, who never really like him and would never change that any time soon. He is also pretty sure Rafeeqa and Arthur are also curious about what he did and how he knew it would work.
"I get that but aren't you two curious about what he was talking about with the boss?" He said before glaring at Kai.
"Out with it asshole, you trying to pull some shit on Morris?"
Kai let out a sigh before answering.
"Obviously not, I highly doubt the boss has anything to do with this. Hell, I'm not even sure he know about this secret club. I just knew he also had a pack of these same cigarettes and took a chance."
"And if he did have something to do with it? What then, were you gonna rat him out or some shit?!" Jaivon responds angrily.
"Cut it out Jaivon, we don't have time for this!" Refeeqa says giving him a stern look.
"Tch, whatever."
Jaivon then turns and walks off. Clearly, this wasn't the end of this conversation but at least it was shelved for now. And if Kai were to answer honestly, even if the boss knew about this secret club and didn't tell them, he still doubts he had anything to do with what's going on currently in their case. It would make sense and he doubts for a minute that the powers to be would give away information so easily. Even after speaking with the shop owner and the info they have gotten felt off. He knew things weren't fully revealed to him and in most cases, he will be walking in blind. But what choice did he have?
He could only really trust himself.
Kai's eyes glance over to Rafeeqa who was busy talking to Arthur. Well, maybe he could also start to trust her. Everything is still new and untested.
He can't help but feel a looming guillotine over his head that just slowly inch down until it finally cuts clean.
But who's head is going to roll?
-
It didn't take long to find the place, the building itself wasn't over glamour outside. It merely had the sign of King's Valt on it along with the words, premier storage. A storage facility trying to throw off anyone looking for this supposed secret club? The representative that was manning the front desk gave them all a polite smile, after of course scanning them all from top to bottom. Kai could also tell there was going to be trouble.
"Oh, hello officers. How can I help you?" The rep, a young man, asks in a calm and polite tone.
"We need to enter Solstice. Ring us in." Jaivon says without even any hesitation.
The rest of his team looks at him in shock but what's even more surprising is that the rep doesn't even seem bothered. What's more his shock just seemed like genuine shock, nothing dubious in nature at all.
"Oh! Well, let me just ring the owner and make sure that's alright?" He says as he dials an old landline phone.
The phone itself was antique in appearance is looked relatively well used. In fact, nothing about the inside of the building appeared too weird. Behind the rep were an array of keys that went to many storage units. There was a waiting area and two hallways, one leading towards the bathrooms and the other an employee-only hallway. Lastly was the door that was just north of them that had a sign which read storage units and an arrow pointing up. Kai couldn't help but wonder where this club actually was located relative to the building itself.
The conversation the rep had was strangely quick. He then grabbed a single antique brass key and motioned for them to follow. They followed not before giving each other a look. All this felt way too easy. The rep took them through the door marked for the storage units, inside was a long hallway that led to many doors with unit numbers on them. Much more high-class storage than Kai was ever used to for sure. The walk later what felt like an hour, turns and twisted around so many times that they were almost certain the rep was leading them on. It wasn't until he stopped before a door that was unlike the rest. The door itself was uniquely crafted, oak with no number on it.
"Here you are, the Solstice." The rep said before opening the door with the key.
The door opened slowly with a creek and inside was completely unlike anything Kai was expecting. An elegant and expansive club interior with a low golden glow of lights. Dark-colored walls, a fully equipped bar, and an equally appealing design. Way too expensive for Kai's blood was the main thing that crossed his mind as he took in the room. It was relatively empty, except for a few employees given their uniforms. The rep then motioned to a woman who was actually walking in their direction. Her face instantly clicked in Kai's mind.
Katarina Calvin, owner of Calvin's Fine Art Gallery which is one of the more well-known museums. She is an art dealer, a brutal businesswoman who doesn't take no for an answer if she wants a particular piece. And from Kai's rather extensive research into the higher-ups in Briagas, her dealings don't always seem to be dealing with art.
Well, at least that is something to add to his knowledge.
She smiles at them as she reaches them. She's a beautiful woman, with dark alburn-colored hair which falls to her mid-back and stormy hazy colored eyes. Her skin was a painted peach with her lip coated in a lush dark purple lipstick. She looked from Jaivon through the rest of the team until her gaze landed on Kai. Her eyes seemed to rest on him for a few seconds which made an uncomfortable tingle go down his spine. But her gaze does rise back again to Jaivon as she opens her mouth.
"How can I help you, officers? Are you looking to possibly get a membership? It's quite expensive." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Jaivon gives her a polite smile, seeing and knowing exactly who she is. He knows just like the rest of them not to rock the boat too much.
"We are investigating the recent case of murders and found a link between our victims which is what brought us here." Jaivon said with that same smile on his face.
Her expression seemed to turn a bit curious as her eyebrows raised.
"Oh is that so..? Well, as you know this is an exclusive club so .....intimate information cannot before be exchanged here." She said, her smile growing ever so slightly.
Kai frowns as he understood much like he was sure to rest of his team got her underlying condition.
"...However I did receive notice that the police would be inquiring about a few select people and was said to lend a helping hand." She said with a shrug.
That raised many flags in Kai's mind. It is not that he was never expecting to have been watched but having the fact thrown so blatantly in his face makes him realize that this case is actually more than just a simple murder spree gone wrong. If the BRF is taking an active role in this case, it means that those in power want this resolved quickly.
"I see, well then if that is the case then we will have to trouble you then." Jaivon said respectfully, not letting her earlier statement show any changes on his face.
But Kai knew in the back of his and the rest of his team's heads that the understanding was clear.
This case was going to get messy, really messy...