Chapter 41 - Gotcha!

"I know what you're trying to do," Halia said as she stared into the man's eyes. "It's not working."

Jackson looked at Halia with a trace of amus.e.m.e.nt. "You're very different to other women," he said as he let go of her waist and moved away. She never reacted the way he expected and it fascinated him.

"That's why I don't want to hurt you."

"If you stay around me, I will only put you in danger."

Halia looked at the man next to her. He had a good heart, but he had simply chosen the wrong path. "If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I've put you in more danger...If you're so worried, why don't you quit what you're doing? You won't be dangerous if you don't do anything dangerous," she suggested.

Jackson let out a slight laugh, "I wish it was that easy. I've been doing this since I was 18. I can't just walk out now. This is already my life."

"Well, I'm not afraid of danger," Halia said. "You've saved me three times, so I've sworn loyalty to you, just like your men. You can't get rid of me now. Besides, I think I may be able to help you."

"Help me? In what way?" Jackson asked with interest.

"Before I went into nursing, I actually received a double degree in mechanical and chemical engineering. Do you know what I majored in?" Halia asked.

Jackson shook his head.

"Weaponry," Halia replied.

Jackson looked at the woman and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

...

That evening, Jackson returned to his apartment building, holding the two coats that Halia returned to him.

His conversation with Halia ran over and over again in his head.

"Everything's too coincidental," he whispered under his breath.

The way he ran into Halia at the club, the way she befriended him, the way she found out he was an arms dealer and the way she just so happened to major in weaponry...everything seemed too coincidental. He had been doing this since he was 18, he could tell when something wasn't right.

At that moment, he remembered how Halia was trying to get into his study room the previous night. She said she was just looking around, but Jackson was beginning to doubt her words.

"Could it be?" he asked himself.

He quickly logged into his computer and opened some files.

Jackson actually had pinhole cameras planted around his house for safety, so he decided to check the footage from the previous night.

As he fast forwarded through the video, he suddenly stopped. He had found the moment when Halia left the bathroom.

His suspicions were correct.

As soon as he played the video again, he saw Halia searching through his drawers and cupboards...

Jackson's lips curved upwards into a slight smile.

"Gotcha!"

He then glanced at his study room. Lucky it was locked that night. If she had discovered what was inside, he would have been done for.

Jackson slowly walked over to the study room and pulled out a key. He then opened the door...

The lights were off, so the room was dark, but it was dimly lit by a blue glow from the three big screens sitting on his desk. They seemed to be surveillance cameras watching over something.

On the wall hung a collection of guns and weapons.

He walked over to the desk and pulled out a drawer. Inside sat a pile of burner phones and unopened SIM cards. He picked up a phone, placed a new SIM card inside and turned it on. He then dialed a number he knew by heart.

As soon as the person on the other end picked up the phone, Jackson simply said, "Marcus est mort. Je suis en danger. Je vous recontacterai vendredi."

(Marcus is dead. I am in danger. I will contact you again on Friday.)

As soon as he was done talking, Jackson immediately turned off the phone and took out the SIM card. He then walked out of the study room, locked the door and left his apartment.

He walked down to the underground parking lot and jumped into his new Bentley. He didn't normally drive this car, but he wanted to show off today. His car eventually pulled up at a busy luxurious shopping mall where he secretly disposed of the SIM card and proceeded to do some shopping.

Meanwhile, not too far away, a man was watching Jackson. He picked up his phone and called a number. "I've been following him all day, nothing seems out of the ordinary."