Erik stood by the entrance, watching as the guild members swarmed the shop, cataloging evidence and snapping photos of the hidden lab after he and Rebecca called Ms. Bannon.
His eyes were troubled, his mind racing with the possible consequences of this whole messy situation. Ms. Bannon had quickly arranged for the extraction of the unconscious shop owner, efficiently moving to lock down the premises, but Erik wasn't happy about what was happening.
This situation wasn't going to make him look good in front of Ms. Bannon, as being caught in such situations could mess up the whole operation.
Rebecca approached him, her expression thoughtful. "We've got what we came for; shouldn't we go studying these documents? "
Erik glanced at her, his eyes dark with a little bit of annoyance. "Yeah, but I'm worried Catrina will catch wind of what happened here. If that happens, we might lose our lead on her."
Rebecca nodded, understanding his sentiment. "We should hurry up, then."
Erik's jaw tightened. "Yeah…"
They watched silently as the guild members continued their work, the shop's once-secret operations laid bare for them to see.
Finally, Ms. Bannon approached them, but she sighed once she was in front of Erik. "You made a mess…" The woman said.
"I usually work alone, Ms. Bannon, did you forget that?" he said trying to shift the blame to Rebecca for the situation. That was partially true, even if the man came back to the shop he wouldn't have been found out if it wasn't for the woman since Erik was going to be almost impossible to see, but saying that in front of Rebecca wasn't really polite.
"I guess so… Try not to mess up from here on. We can manage this situation somehow, but if something like this happens again, things may become complicated."
"We'll try to be more careful…"
Ms. Bannon placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "I'll trust you this time."
Erik and Rebecca left the scene, the night heavy with tension. Rebecca's brow furrowed, leaving a trace of annoyance in her eyes. Even though she remained silent and kept her thoughts to herself, Erik could feel her irritation at what he had said.
As they reached the car, Erik handed some documents to Rebecca, trying to shift the focus from what happened. "We should start reading these. There might be a link we can exploit."
Rebecca took the documents, her eyes scanning the pages. She was still clearly bothered, but she kept her thoughts to herself, focusing instead on the task at hand.
The drive to Erik's guild's headquarters was quiet, the silence between them filled with unspoken thoughts and lingering doubts. Erik's mind was already on the next step, analyzing the information they had gathered and planning their next move. Rebecca, however, seemed lost in thought, her mind clearly on something else.
When they arrived at Erik's guild's headquarters, they headed straight to Erik's office.
...
...
...
Erik looked up from his papers, his eyes meeting Rebecca's. "Have you found anything useful?" he asked as they walked toward the office. Rebecca set down the document she was reading 5 minutes ago, her expression thoughtful. "Yes, it seems the shop owner was supplying Catrina with mind-numbing drugs. Clearly, they were being used to make someone obedient, but for what end, he didn't know."
Erik's brow furrowed, his mind racing. The connection between Catrina and the shop owner was a significant piece of the puzzle.
<That explains why the people Doran kidnapped were so obedient. I thought it was due to a brain crystal power.>
The drugs, the secret laboratory, the hidden agenda, the blackguards' involvement – it all pointed to something much larger, something that went beyond mere criminal enterprise.
As they walked through the halls, one of Erik's employees approached them, a polite smile on her face. "Sir, it's quite late. Would you and your guest like something to eat? We can prepare something and bring it to your office."
Erik glanced at Rebecca, noticing the tired look in her eyes. "Yes, please prepare something. Thank you."
As they continued to his office, Rebecca broke the silence; her voice edged with frustration. She had been really annoyed by what Erik said and wanted some clarification. "Erik, back at the shop, you seemed to shift the blame on me. As if it were my presence that caused the discovery."
Erik stopped, turning to face her, his expression serious. "It was kind of true. But it's not like you did something wrong."
"What do you mean? The man would have come back regardless I was there or not," the woman said with annoyance.
"Yes, but I'm an expert at this kind of operation; I could have simply concealed myself. I know my stuff."
"You are not the only one…" Rebecca sighed. "If hiding is the only problem, then I will take care of this," she said with a slightly enraged tone.
"Good, the sooner, the better."
After that, they arrived at Erik's office, settling in to analyze the documents. The tension between them had dissipated. They were professionals, and they couldn't let this situation ruin their temporary partnership.
As they settled into their chairs, they started studying the documents again. After some time, Erik leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Rebecca. "This is big, Rebecca."
"What?" She asked.
"This guy wasn't only supplying Catrina, but even people in Nokisi Point with the same drug."
"Really?" She asked in incredulity.
"Yeah… but the problem is that the amount sent there was at least ten times what he gave to Catrina. If this is true, I don't get the guild is focusing their search here when they should go to Nokisi Point."
Rebecca nodded, her eyes reflecting the same determination he felt. "Agreed. It's certainly weird. Do you think the guild knows something that we don't?"
"That is for sure, but I was told not to pry into this matter and we are already overstepping our boundaries making this research. Ms. Bannon told me to only search for Catrina, and that is what I intend to do, but without reading this stuff, there is little we can do."
Rebecca looked at Erik with a pensive look. It was clear that her mother gave her a serious quest. It was clear that it was to test her, but what if this mission was more dangerous than even she thought?
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