Erick Dalias

1

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I reluctantly opened my eyes to the loud alarm noise. I reached out my hand to my bedside table and turned it off. It was 6:30 AM in the morning and I was not ready to get out of bed. However, I had a secret meeting to attend to at a certain time and I am a punctual man. 

I had a warm shower, ate an apple or two, grabbed whatever I needed for the day, and left my apartment. I boarded a taxi that took me to a nearby park, and from there, I walked to the subway. I took two trains which together totaled 25 minutes of travel. After I got off on my stop, I took a walk in the streets. I saw a couple jogging together, a boy walking with his dog, and an old man sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. 

I spotted a dark grey car parked in front of a closed store and I approached it. I opened the door and got into the car next to the driver. 

"It has been what? 3 months since we last met?" Ross Abano,  the 37 year old boss of the Undercover Op Unit. It is a unit that specializes in gathering evidences or information about certain crimes committed by individuals with a high status, big companies, gangs or even the yakuza by going undercover. 

"Long time no see, Boss." I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, and gave the file I was holding to him. He opened it and looked through the pictures that were inside along with detailed documents.

"Good job Al." He ruffled my hair. Al is my nickname which my friends and family call me by. My real name is Alec Lucas McGraw. My undercover alias is Erick Dalias. "You can come home now."

"Have you got everything you need to expose him?" I asked. I was referring to Jack O'Brien, the man I was investigating for the past 6 months. He was responsible for abducting 24 Caucasian women in their 20s and selling them to illegal brothels. He doesn't show his face that easily and the only way to find him was to associate myself with the yakuza which he had a deep connection to. His movements were hard to follow at first, but as I rose up the ranks and became in charge of one of the yakuza many gangs, I was able to get close to him. 

"Yes, thanks to all your hard work." Ross gave me a smile. "Isn't it nearly time for you to go to work?"

I looked at my watch and it was nearly 8:00. Many yakuza ran different kinds of bars or clubs and I was one of them. My gang was in charge of 3 major host clubs, each spreading their own clubs and bars under different names. The club I personally work in opens at 8:30 AM. That leaves me half an hour to get there. "I still got time."

"Well I'll let you go now."

I got out of the car and closed the door behind me. "Tell the others I miss them."

"I will Al. Just come back safe and sound." Ross waved his hand at me and drove off. 

I got in a taxi which took me to the Black Clover Club. I went in through the back door and did whatever I need to do to prepare for the day's work. Derek Tanner, my right hand man, greeted me at the bar. 

"Hey, Boss." He was seating on the chair drinking a can of coke. He was one of the youngest employees at the age of 19. He had crimson hair with silver ear cuffs. His father was the right hand man of the previous boss, who has just retired. 

"Stand up." Derek stood up and I fixed his collar for him. He has become like a brother to me and one of the very few I have a deep relationship with within the yakuza.  "There you go. You're ready to serve now."

"Thanks Boss." He smiled at me and went behind the counter to serve the first lot of customers. I walked upstairs to my office and the first thing I saw was a woman in her thirties - long blonde-haired, bright blue eyes and long red nails. She used to work for Jack, but decided to help me bring him down by giving me intel. "Samantha, what are you doing here?"

She was sitting on the black couch with her legs crossed. She was wearing a white top with a black tight skirt which had a slit. "You owe me."

"I know I do. Did you come to see me for that?"

"I need your help on something."

I sat on the couch across to her and listened to her attentively. After she was done, she gave me a dark red envelope and left.

I opened it and inside was an invitation to a gala and a photograph. I sighed. The gala was an annual event which was only for the yakuza and mafia bosses all around the world. It's a great time to establish connections with other organizations, gangsters or interact with them. However, individuals who receives the invitation could also join. In this case, Samantha was invited. 

She wanted me to go to the gala instead of her and find a certain man. The photograph was him. The gala was tonight, so I have a few hours to prepare for tonight. 

"I thought you weren't going to go?" Rio appeared at the door. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail and a black clover tattoo on his right arm, which all members of the Black clover must have somewhere on their body. I have mine on the back of my hand which was hidden by the black gloves I always where no matter where I go. I also received my own invitation, but I trashed it.

"I owe someone." I leaned back and gaze at the ceiling. "Have you ever been to one?"

"The gala?" Rio sat next to me. "Yes, with the previous boss. It was really crowded. Many different kinds of people are there. Out of the 25 years this gang has been running, boss only attended 5 times."

"Do you know this guy?" I showed him the photograph.

"Yeah, he is a well-known traitor to the Red Scorpions. His name is Danny Twain. He is a hunted man. It's surprising he's never been caught by the Reds."

"I see. That's why she wants me to bring him to her alive." I stood up and threw the photograph on the table. "Come with me to the gala. We've got work to do."