Seventy One

Seventy One

Isabella Miller

I walk down the hallways hurriedly, eager to get away from this place. I had seen enough now.

Once I was in the elevator, I slipped out the little chip that had been hidden in my skirt, and my lips curved up into a smirk as I saw the tape recorder.

I clicked it once, puzzling over it as I walked out of the company.

"Thank you for your help," I said, waving at the receptionist who had helped me enter his office in the first place.

A feeling of relief washed over me, knowing that we had already won.

"Tristan will be so proud of me," I smiled at that thought.

I really wanted to help get back my best friend, but I also wanted to get closer to Tristan. I knew that it was a long shot, but I couldn't keep myself from trying.

I considered calling him first, but then decided against it. After all, I was going straight to the station, wasn't I?

I decided that I would just surprise him with the good news, with the mission's success.

I flagged down the nearest cab and entered. I stopped at the station and rushed out, heading straight for the offices.

This time, I knew my way around quite well and didn't need anyone to show me. I made my way straight for the lobby, took a right turn until the halls narrowed into a corridor, and once I reached the end of it, I saw the huge oak door which marked Tristan's office.

"Superintendent T," I thought to myself as I pushed open the door and entered.

Then I stepped back, realizing that I had forgotten to knock.

"It's okay," Tristan called from inside. He looked up at me with a slight smile. "You can come in."

I gave a nod and stepped inside the room again. "I did it," I gasped, feeling giddy.

"Well done, Isabella," he said, stretching out his hand for the chip.

I placed the tiny recorder into his hands, and he took it with great care, placing it on the table like it was everything. Well, I guess it was; after all, this was our only proof, the only way to get Clarissa out of that place.

"So, this is the only way we have left," Tristan said, his eyes focused on the device.

I noted his firm look, the way his jaw clenched as he leaned closer to the table in concentration. No wonder he had gotten here at such a young age. And I had no doubt that he was one of the best, too.

From what I noticed about him, he was reserved and took his job seriously, but maybe way too seriously. The only way I could get closer to him now was if I somehow managed to help him with his investigations.

"He won't have time to spend on me if I'm not going to be beneficial to him," I thought. So, it was only natural that I was now determined to make myself useful.

He tapped the recorder, playing the conversation that happened in Karl's office.

Our voices filled the quiet room, and I felt myself instantly transported through time and space; suddenly, it felt like I was right there in the room where it all happened.

Tristan listened without saying anything, hardly sparing me a glance or focusing on anything else for that matter.

"....Clarissa is exactly where I need her to be. But don't worry, she's safe as long as I get what I want..." Karl's voice filled the room. Tristan's hands tightened on the table ever so slightly. The movement was hardly noticeable, and I would not have caught it if I hadn't been paying so much attention to him.

He was angry now. I felt a pang of jealousy, seeing that he only had this effect when it came to Clarissa. Well, she was obviously the better person, wasn't she?

"Not only was she extra smart and equally very confident, she had all the perks every man would want in a lady, and she was even taller than me."

"She was perfect. I was petty and small and uncertain. I couldn't even make a decision without second-guessing myself for the rest of the day."

"Why do you think the superintendent would want you?" a voice in my head mocked.

"You got exactly where I wanted him to be," Tristan's voice pulled me out of my mind, and I looked at him, nodding slowly.

He remained silent until the rest of the recording ended, and the room was filled with silence once more.

"He's threatening you," Tristan stood up straight, with a dark look in his eyes.

I shifted a little, feeling the sudden change in his disposition. He looked brutal, like he could kill anybody. This version of Tristan was rather scary.

"I-I don't mind," I stuttered, unsure of what to say.

The fact that he was getting angry because of me would mean that he cared, right? "Isabella, snap out of it," I warned myself. Now was really not the time.

A lot was happening right now, and if not for anything else, I knew that Tristan was really focused. There was nothing more to it; he was an officer, too. It was also his job to care and make sure that the citizens were safe.

"He was simply doing his job," but my stupid mind refused to believe that, choosing to cling onto the delusion that there was something more to it instead.

"Of course, you're friends with him," Tristan worked away and headed for one of the shelves in the corner of the room. "You don't even know what he's capable of. You don't know him the way we do. Why did I even get you involved in the first place?"

"That was my choice. You presented the offer to me, and it was completely my choice whether or not I wanted to do it. And I chose to do it, Tristan."

He turned back to face me, a conflicted look flashing across his eyes. "I'm sorry, Isabella. I didn't mean to say that you are weak or anything. It's just that this man here is really dangerous. He was the one involved in Clarissa's accident the other time, too. I can't afford to be too careful."

My eyes widened at the latest information. I also heard about an accident that Clarissa was involved in, which had landed her in a coma for two days or so.

It was a car crash, or at least that was what we were made to believe. From what I was seeing now, it seemed that Karl was the one behind that.

"So, he hated Clarissa even then," I stepped back slowly, feeling a bit unsettled and scared.

"Just what did I land myself in the middle of? Clarissa was badly beaten up in the accident and nearly died. She was also way stronger than me, so what hope did I have of coming out of this unscathed?"

Tristan observed me carefully, a serious look in his eyes. I bit my lower lip, just now realizing that it was my choice whether or not to involve myself. If I were to act scared now, that wouldn't encourage him in the least.

"I will agree to help find my friend any day, Tristan," I said, "and I will do what it takes to get her back."

"Except you didn't know that he was this dangerous," Tristan said without a change in his expression.

I bit my lip, rubbing the back of my elbow. "That wasn't what I was trying to say."

"It is okay to be scared too," he continued calmly.

"I won't let anything happen to you, and hopefully, before Karl would think of making his move, I will have him bound in cuffs and serving his prison sentence, where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again," he said.

"And you played a very important role in this too. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get a confession from him," he smiled at me in thanks, and took the little chip of evidence, placing it carefully in a box.

"I only did what you said," I said shyly, feeling my cheeks turn a little red at the compliments.

"And all I needed was a good girl," Tristan grinned at me.

"You should get going now," he said, standing up after keeping the box in one of his drawers. "You have played your part, and now you can leave the rest to us."

I nodded in understanding. Hopefully, after this, Clarissa would be rescued, and there would be nothing for me to worry about anymore. Maybe there was even still a chance of us repairing our broken friendship.

I gave a tired smile, lost in my wishful thoughts.

Tristan pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Yes, Damien, call me immediately. I think we have everything that we need now," he said, speaking into the phone.

I felt his gaze lingering on me as I pushed open the door and stepped out of the office.

"Well, now that I've played my part, I guess there'll be no need for us to see each other again," I thought, feeling a bit down.

Then I shook my head, trying to cheer up. "It's for the better, isn't it?"

"Because that will mean that my best friend will be here with me, and I wouldn't have it any other way," I thought, or rather, I managed to convince myself.