Chapter hundred and thirty three

Oliver

I flicked the knife in my hand and watched as it hit the wooden target.

Two hours. It's been two hours since that phone call with Alberto. A whole one hundred and twenty minutes and he still hadn't shown up.

I was extremely tempted to flick the knife in between his precious sons eyes and send him a picture if that would make him show up faster.

His last word before he hung up had been ringing in my head for the past two hours. I've tried to dissect the meaning and try to connect it to the file Tabitha sent me, but I couldn't find any connections.

Also, the other meaning currently forming in my head was unacceptable. Not after everything Dallas just went through these past weeks. She would be really hurt if she finds out that–

“Got anything?” Xavier's voice echoes through the warehouse, interrupting my trail of thoughts.

I turned to where Ethan was sitting, his gaze transfixed on his laptop and a deep frown between his eyebrows.

“Yeah, but… Just come check it out.” He said.

Whatever he found out, it couldn't be good. Xavier and I strolled towards him. I shot a glance at Sean, towering over Mason.

Sean was one of the men that does my dirty work for me. I'd called them here after the phone call with Alberto.

If Alberto does show up with his men,the three of us alone couldn't take him. We were going to need back up. So I called Sean and some three other men. The other three were stationed outside.

“Sean, give us a minute.” I said.

“Sure, boss.” He nodded and walked out, probably to be with the rest.

“So while you were on the phone with Alberto. I tracked his location and found it.” Ethan said but his voice was void of the usual excitement in it when he discovers something. There was only confusion in it.

“And you waited two hours to tell us that?” Xavier said. He probably hadn't noticed Ethan's mood yet.

“It doesn't make sense.” Ethan muttered.

“What doesn't make sense?” I asked.

That seems to get Xavier's attention as his face hardened.

“He's in his house. The Castillo's mansion uptown. He's been there the entire time.” Ethan said, sounding even more confused.

“But that doesn't make sense. The house was empty. The entire land was even up for sale. I wanted to purchase it but–” Xavier paused as if realizing something.

“But the agent said someone already purchased the property.” He mumbled to himself.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Mason began mumbling something but his words were all muffled by the duct tape. He's been quiet ever since the phone call with his father. He was probably mumbling to distract us from whatever Xavier was about to say.

I pulled my gun out and pointed it at him. God knows I didn't like resulting to threats, but that boy was testing my patience.

“Quiet, Castillo. Or I swear to God, I'm going to pull this trigger and put an end to your fucking miserable life.” I growled.

Mason's eyes widened in fear. He nodded frantically and wisely kept shut. I lowered the gun but didn't put it away.

“Continue.” I said to Xavier.

“Remember the time we discussed about purchasing the property after we thought he had gone into hiding but you guys refused?”

Ethan and I nodded in unison.

“Well, I went ahead and met with the agent anyway. He said the property was already purchased by someone else. I didn't think much of it because the property was out for cheap. I thought maybe someone also got the same idea as me and bought it. But I overheard it at a gathering that it was still up for sale and thought it was weird. I didn't think much of it at the time so I didn't think it was worth mentioning.” Xavier explained.

“Well, that sums everything up. He must have been hiding there and put the house up for sale so no one would suspect it. The sale was a ruse.” Ethan said.

“Wow, that was clever. If he wasn't the big bad villian, I would have been really impressed by his plan, and maybe even ask him for pointers.” He added with a chuckle.

He was probably trying to lighten the palpable atmosphere. Neither Xavier nor I acknowledged his efforts. We were both really lost in our thoughts.

My mind wandered back to the email Tabitha sent. The more I think of it, the more farther the connection seems. If Alberto was trying so hard to hide then the possibility of him being the one in that video was really low.

My head throbbed just thinking about it. What was he hiding from, really?

“What are you thinking about?” Xavier asked.

I had to tell them at some point. It's not like there's anyone who could help me aside from them. No one I could trust.

“I asked Tabitha to do something for me a few days back.” I paused when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Looks like the anticipated guest is here. I'll explain everything later.” I said quietly.

Sure enough, Alberto walked into the warehouse like he owned the place, but I could see the obvious lines of exhaustion marring his perfect features. His face sagged, his composure dissolving immediately his eyes landed on his face.

I hadn't touched the boy, neither had Xavier, but I couldn't control my feral cousin. He might have given the Castillo boy a few punches here and there.

Alberto drew a sigh and lifted his eyes to me. His expression hardened as he said,

“I can't tell if it's your sheer arrogance or stupidity that made you give me the address of your hideout. I could have brought men and ambushed you instead of walking in here nicely.” his eyebrows shot up.

He probably thought it was intimidating but I only found it amusing. Ethan seem to think the same thing as he chuckled loudly. Alberto glared at him but didn't say anything.

“I've been told that I'm quite arrogant.” I shrugged, cocking my gun. “And I think I need to remind you that you couldn't have brought any man even if you wanted to. They would be dead the minute that set foot inside this place.”

He smirked at me, but I could see the fear in his eyes. He was trying to mask it with cockiness but I could see right through it.

“And yet I'm still alive. Maybe you're just words and no action, Oliver.” He smacked his tongue.

My lips stretched into a creepy grin that I was sure he would find unnerving. It seem to be working as he shifted slightly to the left.

“What makes you think you're leaving here alive?”

His eyes darted around, probably looking for ways to escape. He drew an audible sigh when he didn't find one.

“I didn't come here to fight, I came to talk.” He said in a resigned voice.

“Great. Now sit and let's talk.” I pointed to a chair across his son. He strolled towards it and sat gently.

“Tell me, Park Seung. Who are you really hiding from?” I asked.

His eyes widened as he heard the name.

“How did you know that? No one has called me that in ages.” He asked in shock.

“That your mother was Korean and she named you that? A quick dive into your background after I thought you were harbouring someone I wanted. No one knows about that except your parents and a few of your trusted friends. You were ashamed of your Korean heritage because your mother died of drug overdose. Which is ironic because your son is going down the same path.” I smacked my tongue but continued,

“So to everyone else, you were a full Columbian. It also helped that you look more like your father than your mother, making it easy to hide your Asian heritage. Am I wrong?”

His mouth fell open as he stared at me. He blinked severally, regaining control of himself.

“If you know all that, then you should have figured out who I was hiding from.” he sighed.

I went still as the thought finally settled in me. No, it can't be. But I'd seen so many clear evidence and this was the confirmation I needed. If Dallas finds out–

I would figure that out later. I couldn't let Alberto figure out he had gotten under my skin.

“The question is why were you hiding?”

He burst into laughter, though it was void of any humor.

“I think what you should be worried about is who he's working with. Remember your old nanny?”

Ethan shot up from his seat immediately, Xavier following suit.

“Mention Mandy one more time and I swear Oliver's threat would seem like a sweet talk.” Ethan said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, but I have to. How else would you know the entire truth?” Alberto smirked.

He knew he had gotten the upper hand now. But I wasn't going to give him the reaction he wanted. I needed answers. And so far, he's the only lead I've ever gotten.

I opened my mouth to say something but my phone started ringing. I wanted to ignore it at first but I couldn't when I saw the caller ID. It was Tabitha calling.

Tabitha never calls unless there's an emergency. So I swiped the answer button.

“What?” I said my voice full irritation.

“Hey, Ollie. It's been a while. Did you miss me?”

I went stiff at the sound of the voice. The voice that had tormented me for years. The main reason my whole life flipped upside down two decades ago. The voice from my nightmares.

“Mandy,” I whispered the name that had once ruined me.