Chapter 12 Quiet Exit

Chapter 12 Quiet Exit
There was an awkward silence for a second before Gabriel broke it.
"We don't expect any escalation but we still don't know who or why Zina was lured here"

Zina threw an awkward gaze his way, Gabriel saying so many words in casual conversation was rare.

"Fiona takes care of Field Security; she's here in case something happens," Andrea explained.

"Does this happen a lot?" Zina frowned finding the situation bizarre. The overreaction since last night unnerved her.

Fiona smiled at her and shook her head slightly.
"Lucia should be ready in ten minutes, we can leave then directly to the airport, the jet is ready and scheduled," she said to Andrea, who nodded.

"Have you had breakfast?" Zina suddenly asked, looking at Gabriel, who stared back weirdly.

Andrea and Fiona also stared in confusion at Zina.

"I noticed you never returned last night," Zina said, hugging herself and shrugging an explanation. Even then, the two women exchanged baffled glances, making the situation even more awkward.

"I will in the car" Gabriel replied. Subtly gesturing at Andrea, the two of them stepped away and took the elevator up to the rooms.

"What's going on with you and Mr Auralis?" Fiona asked once they were alone forcing Zina who had been watching the two go to turn sharply to her.

"How do you mean?" Zina asked back, her forehead creased in a confused frown.

"You seem close" Fiona pulled a chair for herself and raised Andrea's unfinished bottle to read the label.

"We have similar interests, I suppose," Andrea replied with a professional smile as she shook her head at the bottle Fiona was about to pour from.

Fiona gestured over the Receptionist who was standing at a distance and she hurried over.

"So what's happened to you? How did you get into private security?" Zina asked, crossing her legs as she observed this old acquaintance.

They continued their conversation until Gabriel and Andrea came back down, now fully changed. Zina's eyes flashed in surprise as she watched them, her brows closing together ever so slightly. Across from her, Fiona slowly took a sip of her coffee and smiled, her gaze fixed on Zina who had her head turned.

The group headed out moments later. Zina, Andrea, and Gabriel got into the black sedan while Fiona followed behind them in a grey hatchback.

The ride to the airport was uneventful. They got out of the cars and under the rushed prompt of Fiona and Lucia, they rushed into the airport and through security towards the plane.

At the top of the stairs, Zina turned for one last look at Min and her pupils instantly shrank as she stood frozen. Her gaze fixed on a figure standing behind the glass walls of the airport.

"Mrs Freeman?" Fiona called softly.

"Mrs Freeman!" She called again, her voice a note higher as she placed a palm on Zina's shoulder.

Startled, Zina jerked at the touch but calmed down at the sight of Fiona's concerned gaze.

"Are you okay?" Lucia, who had previously entered, returned and asked.

Without responding, Zina turned to the distance again, her gaze curiously scanning the crowd of people walking past.

"I'm fine" she muttered and shook her head before entering the plane.

Fiona and Lucia exchanged a questioning glance then Lucia followed behind Zina.

Fiona turned to Andrea who was standing on the tarmac staring in the same direction Zina had. Her right hand reached under her suit jacket, her shoulders tensed and eyes steely.

"Andrea," Fiona called softly.
"Not now" she added and placed a hand over Andrea's right hand.
Andrea turned to her, her eyes frigid and unfeeling.

A cold chill ran down Fiona's spine at that gaze but she steeled herself and maintained it.

"Gabriel is on the plane," she reminded.

There was no need for more persuasion. Andrea's features relaxed and she let her hand back down.

"Let's go," she said and headed up the stairs.

Fiona turned her head slightly, her gaze on the tarmac behind her shoulders but she would not turn around. She let out a scoff and proceeded the join the others in the plane.

The doors closed, and the plane positioned itself on the runway. As it rode into the distance and up in the sky, a figure with glowing blue eyes watched with hands in his pocket and a slight grimace on his face.

At this time, a figure rushed out of Arrivals with a briefcase and towards a taxi in front of the airport.

As he got in, Miles pulled out a folder and began to read through it. At this time, his phone rang.

"Mr Oswald," an aged voice came through the phone, causing him to frown.

"Yes?" he replied, his tone curt.

"The situation in Min has been resolved. There's nothing more we can do" the voice continued, a slight apathy distinct even over the phone.

"You let them go?" Miles growled causing the taxi driver to raise his chin and give him a look through the rear mirror.

"The opposition proved to be a reckoning force"

"Ditch the uptight speak. I warned you against this naive move, but you insisted on it, and now you are telling me I can't even make the best of this clusterfuk?!" Miles held nothing back. His sharp tongue a stark contrast to his proper suit.

"Calm down, mad dog, it was just a setback," another voice came through the phone. Much younger but also laced with indifference.

Miles pulled the phone away from him and drew a deep breath.

"Who is Gabriel Auralis?" he asked, his tone calmer now.

"That's what we are trying to piece together. If Min taught us anything it's that he's not playing around"

"I have a few files here on his activity for the past three years, nothing makes sense" Miles replied as he shuffled through the documents on his legs.

"Just get back here and we'll work on something else together. Min is his territory now"