Ed nodded, "Dispatch were checking something out in the area, but headed that way after receiving reports of gunfire. They found one fatality when they arrived and the other guy is slightly shook up and isn't giving them much. He's claiming they weren't on a job, but the fact they were armed says otherwise."
"Wood's been in the dark since his probation, why come back now?"
"That's what's raising questions," Ed commented. "Blake's down there now, but wants you to check it out. He's certain something isn't right, so bringing him in could be a big mistake."
"Get the team downstairs on to collecting everything they can find on Wood. I want our focus on that right now," she commanded, being swift in her movements as she gripped the jacket on the back of her chair, stalking out of her office shortly after. "You're coming with Ed!"
They arrived at the sight merely ten minutes later, greeted by an abundance of vehicles that encircled the hectic area. They had been directed to the back of the hotel, where Blake and his team of black-clad men waited patiently for their arrival, being certain to remain out of the public's eye.
"Adelaide," Blake called as he caught sight of the brunette scanning the area for his familiar face. He advanced toward her, welcoming her with a polite smile. She returned the gesture, her eyes then moving around to survey the scene around her.
"What's he given you so far?" she asked, motioning her head to a mid-twenties looking individual, his hands restrained tightly behind his back as he stood guarded by two further men.
She started the journey over to the man, Blake quickly following pursuit. "Not a lot at the minute," he replied. "We've identified him as Damien Brook, and the geezer's admitted to being one of Wood's, but he's adamant he has no idea who could have wanted the two of them dead."
"How many shots were fired?" she requested, taking a moment observe the high rise buildings surrounding her.
"One," Blake replied simply. "Which killed the first guy instantly, but the rest doesn't make a lot of sense. Why only shoot one of the men when they had the opportunity to shoot down the other?"
Adelaide was quiet for a moment, focusing her attention on to the man disputing with his restrainers meters from where she stood. "Maybe this was a deploy to get him in our custody. Shoot one of them to draw us in so take the other guy," she mused.
"It's just what we'd need him for that confuses me," Blake admitted. "We haven't had any trouble with Wood. The last time we got in touch with him it was to help us during-, you know the-"
"I know," she dismissed quietly, not needing the words in his throat to be vocalised. "Either this guy has information that we'd want on Wood or he's working for someone else."
"What do you want to do with him?"
"Let me talk to him and give the place a look over. We're missing something here, and we're not leaving until we find it," she concluded.
Blake nodded, leading her and Ed over the detainee who had been watching Adelaide with an uneasy gaze. He silenced his bickering as she neared, his body seeming to stiffen. It was evident in his body language that he knew who she was, though Adelaide was puzzled on how, given that she couldn't recall a memory containing his face.
Adelaide signalled to the men holding him, who upon noting her wishes, released their grip. "You're a new face round here," she commented, scanning his features in an attempt to distinguish what he was thinking.
"Same can't be said for you," he muttered quietly after a minute of silence had passed. "You're quite the talk where I'm from."
"And where are you from?"
"We don't need to be sharing life stories Miss Williams," he dismissed, a sly smirk appearing on his face. "Wouldn't want you getting all teary eyed would we?"
Adelaide rolled her eyes, discarding his comment. "It looks as if you've already made yourself a fair few enemies," she said, throwing her head toward the agent's dead accompanist. She paused slightly, taking in the slight before she hastily drew her eye line back to the man in front of her. "You wouldn't want to go making any more would you?"
"If you're trying to figure out who shot him, then I can't help you," he admitted. "I don't know either. Probably some mad man that didn't have a clue what he was doing."
"On second thoughts, maybe we should go back to the life stories," she said suddenly. "What can you tell me about Luke Bennett?"
"Don't you already know enough about what happened to lover boy?" Adelaide internally winced at the nickname but remained impassive as he awaited her reaction. "Story goes that you saw it all happen."
"And what exactly did happen?" she pushed, causing both Blake and Ed beside her to watch on, completely lost as to where she was heading with the conversation.
"The guy got shot by his tosser of a father," he replied calmly. "That's all there is to it. He died trying to save you."
"You know that isn't true," she fought back, continuing her polished resolve.
"He was though wasn't he? You couldn't defend yourself back then, not after your accident," he replied slyly.
Adelaide paused, reaching to grasp something from her waistband. "I wasn't talking about that part."
He appeared taken back, needing a second to comprehend what she was implying before a humorous cackle left his throat. "He's long dead Adelaide. I thought you'd have accepted that by now?" he tormented. Though his amusement was cut short as Adelaide rapidly swung her arm to face the floor, shamelessly pulling the trigger on the handgun she had disguised in her palms. The man screamed out in agony, falling to the floor as the bullet pierced into his calf.
"Adelaide! What the-" Blake exclaimed, shifting to console the wounded individual but was prevented from doing so as Adelaide gripped his hand, pulling his body back.
"He's lying through his teeth," she argued defiantly. Blake found himself bewildered after catching sight of the unnerving smile that lurked under her features. Anyone else wouldn't have seen any further than the cold stare she had set upon her face, but Blake knew her well enough to be certain he wasn't seeing things.
He watched her carefully, longing desperately for an explanation, but she couldn't bring herself to voice one. Instead, she drew his attention away from the detainee she had just wounded and motioned her head toward the original, limp body that had been sprawled on the concrete since their arrival. Blake took a few seconds to observe the sight, only now noting what he had previously, and undeniably misjudged- a single bullet-hole resting directly between the man's spine-chilling eyes.
Chapter Fifty
Start from the beginning
