SEDUCTIVE WHISPERS | THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME SERIES (BWBM)

THIRTY-THREE

D A K A R I

Days went by since I secured the deal with Don Gallo, who I'd be meeting again at a later date to work out the specifics as we weren't able to do it at our last meeting due to the tension the recent deaths brought especially since Kaya had a direct link to both of them. So while I waited for that later date to come, I was currently continuing my investigation about said murder with Don Kozlov.

"Do you have a lead?" Don Kozlov inquired, announcing his expectations for this meeting I arranged for us.

"Not at the moment." I admitted, putting his assumption to rest but this left room for more as I could see his curiosity and confusion growing within his eyes.

"Then why are we here?"

"Since you're leaving the country tonight I wanted to formally thank you for deciding to ally with Don Gallo before you left."

"Consider it an apology for assuming your wife was involved with Ivan's death." He expressed, brushing off my apology with a wave of his hand that he soon used to bring the menu on the table closer to his line of sight.

"Apology accepted then." I told him, and he didn't seem to expect a different response as his eyes stayed trained on the choices the thick menu harboured. "Do you have a lead?"

"A few."

"Can I hear them?"

"Don Anderson, Don Smith and Do..." He began, but his voice got weaker when it came time to list the last person which told me they were of some importance.

"Who else?" I questioned him, silently notifying him that I caught his moment of hesitation.

"You'll know soon enough if my suspicions are correct."

Even though this only watered my interest about the person, I decided not to force him to answer my query. Instead I gave him a nod to show him I understood and wasn't going to fight him on this.

"Fine, I'll have my people look into the names you have given."

"Maybe they can find something my people missed." He commented, observing the situation the same way I had.

"Exactly." I agreed while finally bringing my menu into my hands, "What are you ordering?"

"What do you recommend?"

-

TWO DAYS LATER

"Yo, wah gwan don. Everything good?" My friend, Tyrik, who came from my country, Jamaica, greeted me as I entered his restaurant whose menu only consisted of things you'd find back home at a tuck shop.

"Yeah man, yuh share out mi food already?" I asked him, using the code we had created for ourselves as his ears and eyes immediately picked up on what I was referring to.

"Affi ask?" He inquired while making a gesture for me to follow him round back, "Come greet Phil."

Moving away from the counter, I made my way around it and into the kitchen where Phil stood cutting up some meat. Him and I shared a wordless greeting with a simple nod as Tyrik removed an envelope from his pocket to hand me, but didn't let it touch my grasp until I handed him the envelope I hid in my jacket's inner pocket.

He quietly and carefully counted the money inside the envelope while I read the information in mine.

Despite the shock that came with reading the words on the paper and intaking the image with my eyes, I kept my expression neutral and slipped the paper back into its envelope and soon he did the same.