âDo you know about the missing accomplice, then? Their gender, perhaps?â asked Imogen, staring at Shirley nervously.
Shirley pursed her lips. âIâm not sure, but I did hear something. They left a laptop at the coffee shop. Iâm sure I can find their accompliceâs name there, so Iâm going over today.â
Imogen held Shirleyâs hand tightly. âIâm coming with you, Shirley. I canât let you risk your life alone.â
âSure. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes,â said Shirley.
Imogen said, âJust make it the two of us. If too many of us head over, weâll be alerting the enemy.â
âSure. Just the two of us.â Shirley nodded.
Imogen saw Shirley off. She was getting nervous as she bit her lip and clenched her fists. I canât believe those idiots left a laptop around. Whatâs more, Shirley heard them. I have to find that laptop before she does and delete all of its files. Then, Iâll destroy it. I cannot let anyone see my chat history with those guys, or my life will be ruined.
Shirley came back to the suite. Zacharias was on the veranda, making a call. When he saw her, he quickly hung up and approached Shirley. âWhere did you go?â
âI went to set Imogen up, of course. Iâm going to expose her today. Tell Freddie to leave a laptop in the coffee shop where we got kidnapped. Hide it in the room behind the wine cellar.â
âAre you going with Imogen?â Zacharias understood what the trap was.
âYeah. I lied to her and said the kidnappers left a laptop in the coffee shop. If we go now, Iâm sure Imogenâs going to search for the laptop and delete all the files in it.â
Zacharias nodded. Once Imogen left, he would ask his men to search her room for any evidence.
Shirley changed into a set of new clothes and came back out. Zacharias suddenly took out a pistol and handed it to her. âTake this, just in case.â
Shirley thought it was unnecessary, but she took it anyway. After seeing through Imogenâs true colors, she knew she couldnât be careless. That woman was a dangerous individual now. After Shirley hid the pistol, Zacharias held her hand.
âBe careful. Iâll be there to assist you.â
âDonât come. Tell Roy to come instead.â Shirley stopped him. I canât let him run around.
âFine, Roy will go with you guys.â Zacharias nodded. He lied a little. He would still go anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, Shirley returned to the hotelâs lobby. Imogen eased up a little. She was worried Shirley might bring someone along, but she was alone, and it made things easier.
âLetâs go. I got a car. Weâre sneaking out,â said Shirley.
Imogen smiled. âLetâs go.â
Shirley was driving. Imogen was talking about the days back in the base, and she lamented, âAside from the impossible training, life was nice back in the base.â
âYeah. I miss those days too, lamented Shirley. Itâll be nothing but memories from now on. After today, weâll be strangers. Imogen will pay for her crimes.
âThatâs the shop. Itâs still cordoned off. We should go through the backdoor so that no one sees us, Imogen suggested.
Shirley nodded. She said, âI heard that the laptopâs hidden in some wine cellar. Weâll split up and find it.â
âPark the car there, Shirley. Iâll check things out first,â said Imogen.
Shirley pretended not to realize what Imogen was trying to do, and she nodded. âSure. You go on ahead. Iâll park the car. Someoneâs going to tow it away if I park here.â