Chapter Twenty-Eight

Zach

Early in the morning, even before breakfast, Zach walked the distance to the clinic with a little bag in his hand. He wanted to get the residue in the whiskey bottle examined.

Also, there might be fingerprints on it, so he wanted to get that checked out as well. He wanted to know exactly who was poisoning him.

As he returned from dropping off the bottle at the lab, he enjoyed the quiet morning. He decided to take a detour and followed a trail that led him further up the mountain.

There was somewhere he wanted to go; somewhere he hadn’t been in a while. It was a little farther up on the mountain, but not too far away from the compound.

The air was damp, and patches of mist hung between the trees like thin threads of candy floss. It was quiet around him; just one or two birds had already started their morning song.

He loved this weather; it matched his mood perfectly. He searched his pockets for his cigarettes and his lighter. It was the perfect moment to smoke.

Once his cigarette was lit and he had put everything away again, he enjoyed the peace, inhaling deeply and blowing out big clouds of smoke. It felt like the quiet before a storm.

He arrived at an open clearing. You could see that the building of a house was started here. The first floor was already there, but it wasn’t nearly finished.

The house had its back to the mountain, surrounded by trees, but the front had a clearing in front of it, providing a lot of light and an amazing view.

Someday, he’d finish it. Someday, this house would be filled with the sounds of kids running around, of children laughing and playing. Someday, he’d be happy, right here.

But before he could start the life he dreamed about, he had to make sure this place was safe. He threw his cigarette down and put it out with his boot. Time to go back.

Coming closer to the compound, Zach could see a tall person sitting on the steps. He would recognize the dark shoulder-length hair anywhere.

It was the signature hair color and style of the Hunters. Almost all male Hunters had the same hair, Zachary and his brothers included. “Adrian, good morning.” He sat next to his brother.

“Morning, Zach, you’re up early.” He looked at Zach.

“Yeah, had to get something to the lab quickly.” He put his hand in his pocket and brought out his cigarettes again. He offered one to Adrian who gladly accepted.

“What for?” Adrian held his cigarette in the flame Zach held up for him and inhaled deeply.

“I think I’m still being poisoned.” Zach lit up his cigarette and put the lighter away.

“Really?” Adrian looked surprised, blowing a cloud of smoke out at the same time. “Why do you think so?”

“My whiskey had a bad aftertaste last night. When I smelled it, it smelled like poison.”

“What? Someone put poison in your whiskey? Someone must really have something against you then.” Adrian’s face showed the outrage he felt inside.

“Yep.” Zach shrugged.

“Who knows how long they’ve been doing that without you noticing it.”

“I think this has nothing to do with the poison the thugs injected during the fight. But it does explain a lot of things that have happened lately. It was probably a low dose every time, but enough to weaken my senses.”

“Who would want to do this to you?”

“Do you think the person who’s doing this would still be alive if I knew who it was?”

“Nah, that’s out of the question.” Adrian shook his head.

“Oh, before I forget to tell you, I contacted my boss after our talk yesterday. He is going to think about coming over here. He isn’t against it, but he is careful with what he does.”

“I understand.” Zach nodded. “I would do the same, I suppose.”

The front door behind them opened, and someone stepped out and closed the door again.

“Good morning, guys. This looks like a family meeting.” Jackson took the steps and sat down next to Zach. Now the Hunter brothers were complete.

“What are you doing up this early?” Adrian asked Jackson.

“Well, I was looking for Zach. I have some news for him.”

“Spill it. Something about your investigation?” Zach looked at him expectantly.

“Actually, yes.” Jackson smiled. “I immediately took action, and my men did a great job.”

“Then tell me—don’t keep me waiting.” Zach was getting impatient.

“Last night, Lara snuck out again, this time without permission. She went to the city to meet up with some guy with green eyes. He’s mafia, but I don’t know if he’s affiliated. I don’t know if he’s a part of a legitimate family.

“He seems to be either a lover or her destined because they were very intimate with each other. They went to a cafe. Once there, the guy got into some trouble with a girl, and got a good whack on his face.

“After that, the couple left. My men followed them to the outskirts of town. They met up with a lot of other thugs in an abandoned warehouse. My men had to make sure not to be noticed.”

“A guy with green eyes? That could only be one person. Angelo. Do you think you can point out exactly where that warehouse is on a map?”

“I think I can.”

“Perfect. This is the best news I have gotten in quite some time. Well done, Jackson.” Zach got up and walked a few steps away to think.

“Looks like this Angelo guy is not just a normal business partner for Mr. Mercer. Now it looks like Lara is a mole. She gathers information and she passes it on to either Angelo or Mr. Mercer himself.”

Adrian got up as well and stood beside Zach. “You know what to do...capture her.”

Zach rubbed his stubble, deep in thought. “No, not right now. We need to follow her, see what she does in a day. When she leaves the family again, I’ll come with. I need to see the warehouse for myself.

“When your boss comes, we’ll have all the information we need to be able to leap into action.”

“We could act as if we’re discussing something important,” Jackson suggested.

“Make sure she overhears us and that way, we can lead them astray, giving them false information. If she leaves right away, we’ll be sure that’s what’s going on with her.”

“That is actually not a bad idea. We just need to figure out what kind of information we want to give her and how we can make sure she’s heard us.” Zach frowned, thinking hard.

“Talk to Ethan. He doesn’t know what’s going on, so you’ll get a genuine reaction. Maybe tell him that my boss isn’t going to support you after all. That’s quite important news for them,” Adrian suggested, smiling.

Zach nodded in agreement. “That’s it. That’s what we’re going to do. I’ll call him when Lara is nearby. Or maybe tell him at breakfast when Lara is always nearby.”

“That last idea is a good one. She knows we’re discussing important things when we’re eating,” Jackson pointed out. “Adrian can even tell the news himself, with you, me, and Ethan reacting.”

“That’s what we’ll do. For the rest, I want soldiers following her. As soon as she’s about to leave the family grounds, inform me. I’m coming with you.”

“Alright.” Jackson nodded.

“Adrian, can I count on you when I’m gone?” Zach looked at his brother.

“Of course, you can.” Adrian nodded, then smiled. “You always can, you know that.”