LOGIN"I wanted him to come with us in case the files were still inaccessible, like the first time," Belduu said, expecting appraisal from the old man. The men would do anything to get on his good side. But Belduu received a reprimand instead."How many times have I warned you not to take rash actions without my command?" The old man asked casually, as if it wasn't a problem. Then he took his gun from the table and cocked it."This is not the first time, and it won't be the last. You never listen. If you had done your job properly by checking the tablet when it was handed to you, you would have known it was still locked, moron." The old man's crackly voice rose to a roar before he aimed at Belduu's leg and shot him."Ahhh!" Belduu cried as he fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding leg."Each time you act so foolishly, you put us at risk. He could be a member of any of the forbidden gangs," the old man said, throwing his hands in the air. He sounded casual, as if he hadn't just shot someo
They arrived at a location unknown to Ralph. They all stepped out and walked into the place. It was still afternoon, but inside looked dark, with only a few streaks of red and blue light illuminating the space.Ralph wasn't sure what to call it. It had several tables and chairs, and the men all looked like gang members, having a drink and cracking jokes about things he didn't understand. Of course, he didn't know the language.The men's noise toned down the moment Ralph and the others walked in. All eyes turned to the newcomer – Ralph. His heart thundered at the thought of what he had gotten himself into, and he felt he might die at any moment.He felt relieved as they approached the door. Belduu stepped inside, and Ralph was getting away from the many eyes and countless questions the men had directed at him.Inside, an older man sat at a massive ebony table. He was smoking a cigar, and surprisingly, the smell didn't irritate Ralph – it reminded him of apples. It was the one time he d
He meant it. And it seemed no one was going to question him for killing a nobody.Ralph's eyes widened at the sight of the gun.Is this how I finally get to die? he thought. His insides shuddered at the thought of dying."No, no," Nurlan quickly stepped in. "Belduu, it hasn't come to that. Besides, you haven't been able to find anyone to open it all this time." Nurlan spoke in a warm tone, trying to calm the grouchy man down.But Belduu seemed adamant, still pointing the gun at Ralph.Hasn't he been able to find someone to decrypt that? Ralph thought. He had done it within forty-five minutes – less, even – because he had taken more time going through the contents before encrypting it again. What surprised him was that Nurlan already knew what the tablet was about, and that they had been looking for someone to decrypt it but couldn't find anyone to successfully do it.At this point, Ralph told himself he was finally going to give them access to the information the tablet contained. He
Ralph watched as they left the shop, cursing them in his mind. He hoped they never came back. Their visit had unsettled him – the information he had found in that tablet, the thought of the Black Triad. He didn't see them as any different. *** Ralph felt it was time to see the world again, after almost a year of hiding away in his cabin. He needed a job to keep busy and didn't know where to look, but he had Yakov – who was going to do the looking for him. Yakov talked to his friend Nurlan, who owned a repair shop in Bokonbayevo and could use Ralph's help.Ralph wasn't in it for the money – though he was being paid a decent amount, but it was a chance for him to leave his space each day, meet people, and get familiar with the place.Yakov was glad Nurlan didn't object to it. It had been three months since then. Ralph loved the new routine. He would leave his cabin and only return on weekends, working the entire day until late, and crashing at bedtime in an empty storeroom at the wo
“You don't look like you are from here,” he said, scrutinising Ralph with his eyes.“Yes.” Ralph agreed. “But do you just sneak up on people and assume they're not from around here?”The man scoffed. A small smile formed around his lips. Ralph looked him over, observing his frail frame, and he was confident he could give him a good beating if it came to that.“Not always,” he said, extending a hand to Ralph.“I am Yakov. I no bite.”Ralph hesitated for a second before taking his hand. He was glad he had a glove on.“Cross.” He went with the last part of his new name. Michael Cross sounded too formal for a man he had just met.“Cross,” Yakov repeated, as if confirming it was actually correct. Ralph gave a slight nod.“Cross my friend,” he said, arching his brow as if he needed permission to call him that. “We are friends now, right?” He didn't wait for an answer.“I will warn you. This place is not very safe, so it's good you not wander very far. They're wild animals, and they won't p
The bell hanging above the door announced the entrance of a customer. Ralph didn't look up. He was far too used to the sound after working here for more than three months. He had lived in isolation for almost a year, surviving on bread and canned food. Sometimes he would hunt; the deep forest had plenty of meat. Ralph felt the need to go out again – to mingle with people, to do something other than hide away in his cabin in the middle of nowhere. Or so he thought. So far, he had made only one friend – Yakov. He met him sometime when he went hunting, and Yakov noticed he wasn't from there after a closer look. He told Ralph what he needed to know about the place – where he could hunt and which areas had boundaries. Of course, Ralph had done his own research, but Yakov’s warnings were a big bonus. He was grateful to the kind stranger. The tight-lipped team that had transformed his appearance into being unrecognisable to anyone who had known him before had given him two contacts – pe
“He knows,” I said the moment Ralph answered his phone.“What do you mean he knows?”“He knows, Ralph. He has proof. I don't know how, but he was able to find out.”There was a brief silence on the other end, it felt more like Ralph was processing what I had just said.“What did you tell him exact
Aldwin's words still hung in the dining hall as he left me there and headed back to his room. He picked up his phone and called Lizzy. “Notify the board. I want everyone in the boardroom by nine,” he said in an urgent tone, completely ignoring Lizzy's greeting she had barely finished when she pi
“I will.” I played dumb, like I didn't know what that meant. Especially when it was coming from Aldwin. “Now.” His deep voice echoed. “Aldwin, I'm tired. I'm not in the mood for…” “It doesn't matter. Just do as you're told.” He was pulling down his pants now. “Can I pass on this…” “No you f
Aldwin was in a tuxedo. He had clearly been home earlier. I walked into the dining room quietly, trying to read him. “Have a seat.” A smile perched on his face. I took the seat closest to him, hoping to sense what he was up to.“Why are you home at this hour? It's clearly not to have dinner with







