The Crown | myg

twenty-seven

"I just have a few questions," he reaches for his bandana, I assume he is going to take it off and reveal his face to me, but he only adjusts it so it doesn't slide down. "I have photos of you here entering the piercing shop next door, we have reasonable suspicion that you may be involved in what they do behind the scenes."

I feel my face get hot. Today really was a good day for the air conditioning to break. "I'm sorry, sir, what do you mean behind the scenes?"

"The staff at that shop aren't who they seem to be," he grabs a file from the inside of his coat and hands it to me. I take it reluctantly and open it, his eyes not once leaving me as I flip through its contents.

Inside the folder, I see photos of everyone I work with; Yoongi, Seojoon, everyone is here. Their names, faces, aliases, criminal records, personal information. I continue to flip through the folder until I come across a page that is almost completely blank.

"I'm sorry," I say as I look up at the man. "But this page is blank."

"The group we're after has one person they work with that has never been seen by anyone I know, a female," my breath catches in my throat at his words. "She's been working with them since high school, she would be in her mid-to-late twenties by now. We have no other information other than who she works for. No name, no face, just what you see on that page."

"Group of people..?"

"They're mobsters," he says, his voice lowering, not knowing who else could be in the building with me. "Please, if you know anything about the men next door, it is in your best interest to tell me everything you know right now. It could save your life."

I've been through this situation before, except I was the one asking an innocent person questions about people they may or may not have known. I can't say anything about the fact that I know them, the fact that I work with them, the fact that I'm the unknown girl that this man is looking for. I could die if I did, I know I would be killed on the spot if I said anything. Besides, I know this man knows what I'm capable of, I could tell by the way he spoke of me. Knowing so little about me, other than that I'm a major threat, scares him. It terrifies him.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I truly know nothing about the men next door," I say as I hand the folder back to him. "I wish I could be of more help."

"There's photo and video evidence of you entering the shop and then leaving, only to enter the shop the very next day. You stayed in there for a good amount of time before leaving again," he says as he hands me the photos that he spoke of.

I push the photos away. "I made an appointment for a piercing the next day, it's a piercing and tattoo shop."

"What was in this box that you brought in the day prior?" He points to the box in my hand in one of the photos, the first day I ever entered the shop. The first day I met Yoongi.

"Sir, I don't know if you've noticed, but I run a bakery," I gesture to the room around me. "What was in the box was nothing more than a few samples as a welcoming gift for the new people next door. Forgive me for being hospitable."

The man falls silent. I've made him nervous, uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, ma'am," he pulls a card from his pocket and slides it across the counter to me. "Please, if you hear anything or learn anything, please call me or come visit."

Rookie mistake.

"I don't know why the mob would be interested in the bakery I own, but I'll be sure to call you if they hold me at gunpoint over the prices of my scones," I smile slyly before taking the card off the table and putting it into my pocket. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."