Redress (gxg)

Chapter 43 "Ruse"

After staying at the lobby for a while, constantly glancing at our surrounding, while pretending to read some magazines, Lauren and I had agreed it was time to start moving as no one was paying attention. Putting back the magazine on the table in front, I slowly stood up, and started walking towards the elevator casually as Lauren was trailing behind, keeping a safe distance.

I entered the elevator quietly, and waited for Lauren to get in, before pressing the button to the floor where the criminal's room was at. It was just the two of us inside, and we were able to talk freely about what we had planned. Lauren's mind had always worked wonder, and she proved it when the plan she came up with earlier never had crossed my mind. After laying out the details, we eventually did what was needed for it to work, and talked to certain people concerned in the matter.

"Did I already tell you how brilliant your plan is?" I asked, taking her hand, and curling my fingers to hers. I was feeling a bit confident this was going to end well, and if this would be successful, then we were a step closer to finding Clifford.

She smiled, "Yes, and you're lucky you have me," she mumbled proudly, making me snort in response, although she was right.

"You're the best," I affirmed, and she smiled. "You know, I'm feeling good about this..."

She nodded, "Me too...We're gonna nail it, we make a pretty good team."

"But don't forget, safety first, okay? Never let your guard down."

"Got it love," she said, "don't worry, I know what to do," she added, kissing the back of my hand and all I could do was smile at her, while staring at her side profile. Even if she knew what to do, and no matter how she tried to reassure me, it wouldn't take away the worry I was feeling. Yes, I was confident about this plan, but there was this slight possibility that something may happen, something that would catch us off guard, and that alone was worrisome. I wanted her to be safe, away from anything that could endanger her, but then again, nowhere was safe as long as Clifford was out there. Having her near meant I could protect her eventually, and I guess that was something.

As soon as the metal door opened, we immediately stepped out and headed to the guy's room, where we saw no one was guarding it. The floor was almost empty, and from where we were standing, it looked suspicious, though it wasn't enough to stop us from proceeding with our plan.

With a firm resolve, I took my first step towards his room, Lauren following behind me, until we reached the door. Slowly, I turned the knob open, and quietly slipped myself inside. There I saw, in the middle of the room, was the guy I shot earlier, sleeping peacefully, while being handcuffed to the bed.

Silently, I led the way and cautiously approached him, keeping my every step light. Only the sound of the beeping machine and his faint snore was all we could hear, and by the time I reached to his side, I gazed down at his unconscious state, and waited for Lauren to get to the other side. Once we were face to face, we nodded to each other for signal, and with a swift motion, my hand immediately covered the guy's mouth, causing his eyes to snap open in alarm. He tried to reach for my hand, but Lauren had already pinned down his free hand, leaving him staring at me, wide-eyed. He started squirming, but his wound prevented him from going further on with it.

"Shh easy there," I cooed, "we're not gonna hurt you...not yet. We just want to ask you some questions..." I plainly said, earning me a muffled reply, "And, I'll tell you what...I'll remove my hand so you could talk, and you better not make any noise, or it'll get very nasty for you..." I stared down at him, and not long after, he slowly nodded.

As said, I slowly removed my hand covering his mouth, and as soon as I did, he suddenly shouted for help, immediately bringing my hand back to his mouth.