Chapter 42 - Accidental Meeting

Halia did not see Jackson for the next few days. Every time she tried to call him, his phone was either off or he didn't pick up, but he never called back.

The first couple of days, she simply brushed it off and assumed he was too busy, but by the third day, she knew she had to jump into action. It was already Wednesday and she still didn't know what he was doing on Friday. Why did he have a napkin with the word 'Vendredi' written on it?

So, she decided to follow him and plan an accidental meeting.

But, that day, she ended up following him to a strip club!!!

Halia sighed as she stood in the doorway and looked at the sign.

Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind her, "Are you going inside? You're blocking the door."

Halia turned around to find a lanky man standing behind her. He was tall and skinny with his face hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and a face mask.

Halia assumed he was a perverted man that didn't want to be recognized, so she didn't think much of it.

In the end, she took a deep breath, quickly apologized and walked inside. There was a bit of a corridor that lead to a doorway with a security scanner. Halia quickly stepped through with no problems, but the man behind her was strangely called back.

Halia looked at the man curiously and realized he had a camera hidden in his backpack.

What a pervert! Was he planning to record something?

Halia shook her head and started wandering into the club.

The place was dimly lit and it smelled strongly of alcohol and cigarettes. In the middle was a stage with a pole and a woman dancing seductively against it.

Halia blushed a little.

At that moment, she finally spotted Jackson sitting at a table near the stage. He was smoking a cigarette and drinking beer with some men.

She quickly snuck over and sat at a table not too far from them. She then picked up a drinks menu and covered her face with it as she listened to their conversation. Perhaps she could gather some clues without having to actually meet Jackson.

"Here's to Brother Marcus," the men yelled as they each raised a beer.

Jackson joined in and drank his beer in one go. He then called the waitress to fetch him another one.

"I wonder how Marcus died and who would be so brave to kill him," one of the men said.

"Was it Percy? He's been eyeing the leader's position for ages."

"I'm not sure, but I saw Marcus arguing with Sam the other day. Maybe it was Sam."

Jackson put out his cigarette in an ash tray and stood up. "I'm gonna go to the toilet.

As Halia watched Jackson stand up, she immediately followed behind. She tried to keep a considerable distance so he wouldn't notice her, but he was smarter than that, he had already noticed her the moment she stepped foot into the club.

Suddenly, as he got closer to the bathroom, the lanky man from earlier stumbled past Jackson and bumped against his left arm. Halia cringed in pain, knowing that his arm was injured and still healing, but Jackson's expression did not change.

The lanky man looked at Jackson's arm suspiciously and apologized. "Sorry, man, I'm really busting to go to the toilet."

Jackson waved his hand, gesturing it was OK. As the lanky man walked off, Jackson's eyes met with Halia. She was so worried, she had forgotten to hide.

With a concerned expression she slowly approached him, "Jackson, are you..."

Before she could ask if he was OK, Jackson suddenly pulled her towards him and trapped her against the wall. "Didn't we have enough fun on the weekend?" he smirked.

Halia looked up at the man confusedly. She spent all night stitching him up on Saturday and all day being interrogated on Sunday. How was that fun?

The man chuckled and moved in closer.

Suddenly, she felt his hip press up against hers. Next thing she knew, he grabbed her hands and pinned them against the wall.

Halia's heart began to race as the man leaned forward. She could smell cigarettes and alcohol in his breath as his nose brushed up against hers.

Was he trying to bluff her again. Hadn't he realized that this act was useless?

Halia freed her hands from his grip and wrapped them around his neck. "Come on, I dare you to kiss me. Your act doesn't work on me." she said.

The man's lips curved upwards slightly.

A moment ago, he recognized the lanky man that had run into him. That man had been following him since he left Halia's apartment on Sunday and it was obvious that he deliberately ran into him today to test if he had injuries on his arm. He had actually lied to Halia about his injuries. They weren't caused by a drunk person.

Sure, he never left the club with Marcus, nor did he leave through the front door. But, he did see Marcus again before he died and he was there when he was killed. Jackson's injuries were sustained during that struggle and someone was obviously investigating it.

Halia had almost exposed him. If she had asked him about his arm or checked if he was OK, they would have known about his injuries. That could have gotten him in a lot of trouble.

Jackson checked to see if the lanky man was gone. He was nowhere to be seen, he seemed to be convinced by Jackson's act.

Jackson looked back at the woman in front of him. This woman didn't know what was good for her?

"If I kiss you, are you going to stop following me?" he asked.

Halia rolled her eyes with doubt. But, before she could open her mouth to speak, a pair of lips pressed down against hers, blocking any noise that was about to come out...