The Scroll of Knowledge

Chapter 2

I couldn't help but like this woman. The man still creeped me out though. He seemed to be daring us to try something with his eyes.

"I need to know if to buy Hen-Ford or TechMo," Mr Vincent said. He owned a large chain of department stores that had made him very rich. He was now considering getting into the car import and export business or into technology. Both options were high risk high reward situations.

"That's simple then," the woman said. "The answer is neither. Both are running at losses now and will continue to do so for the next few years until they are out of business. You buying those companies would make no difference."

How did she know that?

Mr Vincent clenched his fist. "Then which company should I buy?"

The woman closed her eyes for a few moments. "I'm only telling you this on one condition, you must not get greedy. If you get greedy you will lose everything. I see that, despite your terrible attitude, you have conducted very honest business and your workers are not being exploited. Promise that you will follow everything I say and nothing else. If you break this promise, I will ruin you myself."

"Yes, of course," he said. It was true that he wasn't the worse boss a person can have but money can make people do bad things.

She took out her phone. "I'm sending you the contact information of a man who will triple your net worth in five years. He has a business he wants to start but lacks the finances to do so. Invest in him." Mr Vincent's phone beeped. "I just sent you a list of instructions. You won't see any profit for three years but I'm sure you know how to be patient." It had taken Mr Vincent fifteen years to grow his company. "Is that everything?"

"No. I have one more question. There's someone stealing from me. I want to know who it is."

The woman thought about it a little. "Vote Brent Hardy off the board of directors and lock him out of the company. That should solve your problem. If that is all then we will collect our payment and leave."

"Collect?" Mr Vincent asked. "I was told to wire the money."

"The money is only part of the payment."

The man with the strange eyes appeared next to me. He pulled me out of the chair and threw me over his shoulder.

"What are you doing!" I yelled. His shoulder was hot and hard. It wasn't natural. That only made me struggle more. "Let me go!"

"This was not part of the deal," Mr Vincent said. "I won't let you kidnap my secretary."

"You called me because I know things no one else does. One of those things is that this woman is in grave danger. I asked you to bring her for her own safety. With any luck, she should be back working very soon. Don't tell anyone what happened here tonight. If you do, I will know."

"Mr Vincent. Help!" I shouted. I twisted and turned but the man's grip was too tight.

He got out of his chair but he was an old man and slow. We disappeared in a ball of light before he could reach me.

*******

Thomas left the girl in one of the cells at Zahir's house in Russia. He pulled off his mask, jacket and gloves. He sighed once he was only wearing his pants and a sleeveless shirt. He always felt like he was dying in those clothes.

"That went surprisingly well," he said. "I haven't kidnapped anyone in years." Shay leaned against the wall and slid down so she was sitting on the floor. His blood ran cold. Not again.

He crouched next to her. "Shay, are you alright?" He ripped the mask off her face. All around her nose and mouth was blood.

He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the infirmary.

"You're overreacting again," Shay said.

"Before it was just a simple nosebleed. Something's wrong and we have to figure out what. You're seeing a doctor whether you like it or not."

"I'm not sick," she said. She rested her head on his chest. "When I saw her, suddenly there were too many things in my head. I could barely concentrate on what that man was saying. She had a bracelet like mine. I'm sure if we check her arm she would have a tattoo as well. I felt it the moment I entered the room." Her hand went to her nose. "I'm still bleeding."

He walked into the infirmary. Yavar was in South Africa. Maxim was the doctor in charge here.

"She keeps having nosebleeds. It's not stopping," he said.

"Since when do you speak Russian?" Shay asked.

"I've always spoke Russian. You've just never heard me. I wouldn't call myself fluent but I do know how to threaten people and order food and, well, how to explain injuries." Usually they were his own.

"The three most important things in life," Shay said, giving him a thumb's up.

"Exactly."

"Put her over there," Maxim said. "What caused them?"

"Really bad headaches."

"Oh. She still gets those."

"Not as much as she used to. This was the worst so far."

Maxim nodded and placed his hands on Shay's cheeks. Maxim had a healing ability. It wasn't as strong as Thomas' sister, Ashia, (these doctors preferred to use medicine for a reason Thomas had not yet figured out) but it was strong enough. Shay's nose stopped bleeding.

"She needs to be checked out properly," Maxim said.

Thomas looked at Shay and knew exactly what she would say. "That isn't necessary. She'll be fine."

"As long as you tell Zahir what happened when his favorite daughter-in-law is dead," Maxim said.

Thomas rolled his eyes. "She's his only daughter-in-law."

Someone called Maxim over to deal with a Jaguar that had just been brought in.

Thomas wet a rag and sat on the bed next to Shay. He held her face in his left hand and began to wipe away the blood with his other.

"Maybe you should talk to the girl instead of me," Shay said. "I'm afraid of what might happen if I see her again. I can't take this for a third time in one evening." She looked exhausted. It reminded him of how it used to be before she gained control. He'd hoped it wouldn't start again.

"That's fine. I'll talk to her. What do you want to know?"

"Where she got the bracelet, if she saw anything when she put it on, has she seen anyone strange around lately. She shouldn't need much prompting for her to answer your questions so no need to scare her unnecessarily. Get rid of her phone as well. Her boyfriend is trying to track it. Don't bother with the mask when you interrogate her."

"Her boyfriend?"

Shay groaned and held her head. "No questions. I'll explain once my head stops spinning. I think I should go home."

Thomas nodded. "Good idea." He kissed her forehead. "I'll talk to her and meet you back home. Don't wait up for me and get some rest."

"Don't take too long," Shay said. She tapped in the coordinates for their house and disappeared.