Chapter 130 - Spiked Again?

Halia remembered at that moment that Jackson had been extradited by Interpol. Was he helping Interpol? Did they offer him a reduced sentence for his help?

But, then again, how did he know that she was SPU?

Halia thought about her bracelet and the secret room in Jackson's apartment; she thought about the surveillance equipment, the burner phones, and the USB stick that contained information on corrupt police...

Suddenly, a more likely answer came to her mind. How was she so stupid to not figure it out earlier?

"Jackson's not your boyfriend, is he?" she asked Amelie nervously. If this was true, then everything suddenly made sense; that's why Jackson said Amelie would understand his actions the previous night. 

Amelie laughed and picked up a folded nightgown. "No, he's not..."

She then put the nightgown back down and said casually, "...he's my colleague."

Halia looked at the woman in surprise.

Colleague?

If she was Interpol, then...

...Jackson was Interpol too!

"Does that mean the two of you are here for a mission?" Halia asked.

Amelie smiled. This silly woman finally knew who her boyfriend really was.

"No, we are holding a private investigation," Amelie replied.

"What investigation?"

"I saw you look at Jackson's scar last night," Amelie raised an eyebrow. "I guess you must have seen his body before and noticed something was different."

Halia quickly blushed, "It's not what you think."

Amelie stared into Halia's eyes with seriousness, "Jackson was shot in the chest when we were in France. That's why we are here."

Halia looked at Amelie in surprise. Shot in the chest? Was it serious?

"I know you have a lot of questions, but I'll let him explain the rest to you when he gets the chance. I simply dragged you out here because I don't want Jackson to be distracted anymore. What he did in the elevator today could have compromised all of us," Amelie sighed. "Now that you know what is going on, please be careful from now on."

Halia nodded her head as she watched Amelie walk over to the counter.

After saying what she wanted to say, Amelie purchased a set of lingerie. After all, someone was watching and their act needed to be convincing. The two women then left the store like normal customers.

After a few seconds, the man waiting outside quickly started following them again without any suspicion.

When the two women returned to the bar, the two men were clinking glasses and laughing. Emerson was on his third glass of wine while Jackson was already on his fourth glass of whiskey.

"Come on, Bro, you need to train yourself. How will you impress the ladies with your alcohol tolerance?" Jackson joked as he laughed at his younger brother.

Emerson's face was red from the alcohol as his head spun. This was unfair, his brother had been in the gangs since he was 18, so alcohol was like water for him. 

At that moment, Amelie and Halia returned.

When the two men saw them, they smiled warmly.

Jackson didn't know what Amelie discussed with Halia, but he was glad to get some alone time with his brother. While the girls were gone, he had asked Emerson a few questions about how everyone reacted when they heard he was coming back and Emerson mentioned that his uncle was oddly interested even though he didn't know him well. Everett Pang and his wife were the only ones in the family that were completely unrelated to Jackson. In fact, Jackson had only met him a couple of times in his teens. This was because Everett was actually the brother of Emerson's mother. Therefore, the uncle was actually on the top of Jackson's suspect list from the beginning. But, he seemed too obvious for someone that hired a meticulous killer like Gogh. Was it really him?

Either way, it was the only lead he had gotten so far.

Halia felt her heart race as she looked at Jackson's smile. Even though he was smiling at Amelie, his smile was ever so charming. Now that she knew who he really was, it suddenly felt like she was meeting a stranger all over again. How much of what she knew about him was real? And when did he discover her true identity? Did he think she lied to him about everything? Did he know that her feelings for him were real?

Memories of everything they went through flashed through her mind. From their meeting at the hospital to the time they spent in the underground lab. At that moment, she also remembered the wound she saw on his chest the previous night. Was it completely healed?

Halia suddenly had the urge to hug Jackson.

Since he wasn't actually a gangster, they should have reunited happily. But now, another hurdle stood in their way. 

"Haili, you're back," Emerson chuckled affectionately as he immediately wrapped his arms around Halia. "Jackson said I can't impress girls with my low alcohol tolerance. Is that why you don't like me?"

Halia glanced at Jackson and Amelie awkwardly as she tried to pull the man off her body.

Jackson frowned but remained calm. Who knew if anyone was watching. Slowly, he pulled Emerson off Halia and sat him back down. Emerson grinned at Halia and ordered her another gin and tonic. "Come, drink with me, Haili," he said.

Halia looked at the gin and tonic and sighed. She could drink 10 of them and still be fine; this man would not be able to keep up with her. After all, her family produced alcohol that was much stronger than this. The only time she was affected by alcohol was when she was spiked in Beijing; the time that Jackson saved her.

With that thought, Halia suddenly had an idea. She glanced at the drink in her hand and inconspicuously drank it all in one go. She then checked her watch. Last time, it took about half an hour for the drugs to kick in. Didn't the man say he was going to explain everything to her when they were alone (or having a 'twosome' as he put it)? Well, she was going to give him the opportunity.

Half an hour didn't take long. Soon, Emerson finished his fourth glass of red wine and decided to surrender for the night.

"I think I've had enough," he said as he held his head and stood up. "Let's call it a night." 

Emerson took a couple of steps forward and stumbled.

Seeing that the man couldn't stand properly, Jackson tried to grab onto his brother.

But, at that moment, Halia suddenly leaned onto Jackson's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Haili, are you OK?" Amelie asked as she grabbed onto Emerson instead.

"She's usually a strong drinker," Jackson said as he wrapped an arm around Halia's back to hold her up. He then looked around the bar suspiciously. "Maybe she was spiked!"

Halia tried to hold back her smile when she heard this. 

Her plan worked!