If I remembered correctly, back then there were issues about Silva conducting business in Torex’s territory. The aggressive and angry reactions of the Torex managers were still clear at the back of my mind. I wondered if the situation had improved since then and then I doubted that it had.
"I’ll try..." Hayden replied without much conviction.
"The body inspection starts half an hour before the meeting time. I’ll leave you two to get on with my job at that time. For now, let’s just relax..." Luka explained.
I nodded as I took in this new piece of information. This was my first time experiencing such a thing and I got a little scared not knowing what the body inspection truly entailed. Was it just like walking through security checks at the airport? Is that it?
It wasn’t long before the time arrived for us to undergo our body inspection for the security check. Luka took his leave while Hayden led me into a room where the check was to take place. A man dressed in a formal grey suit was waiting for us and to my relief, there was a woman standing next to him. I let out a sigh now that I knew that my check would be performed by a woman.
"Hayden Torex..." the man said as he faced Hayden.
Hayden’s eyes narrowed and it was clear that he didn’t particularly like his full name being called by a stranger.
"Let’s not start with the roll call..." Hayden muttered darkly.
I watched as Hayden stepped forward and spread his arms out to his side as if he couldn’t wait to get the inspection started and over and done with. The woman approached me, and I wondered if I should follow what Hayden was doing.
"Stop. Her inspection starts after mine," Hayden said resolutely.
The woman halted in her steps as she hesitated, her eyes glancing over to her partner as if asking him for guidance on what she should do. Sensing that there was no point in arguing with Hayden, the man nodded, and the woman immediately returned to where she was standing.
Hayden had his eyes on me the entire time when the man inspected his body for any hidden weapons. I doubt that Hayden had anything on him to start off with. The check lasted much longer than I thought that it would with the man asking Hayden to remove his suit jacket to do detail checks with a metal detector and all that. His shoes were removed and scanned.
On top of that, all accessories that Hayden was wearing was confiscated such as his watch and his belt.
I wasn’t sure if this was standard procedure because it did seem a bit much for a meeting between just the three of us. Hayden did not complain and seemed willing to follow through with the procedure. Now that I thought about it, Ethan was probably going through the same thing with Luka in another room somewhere not too far from us. Soon, I’ll be meeting Ethan again.
The man hesitated before he seemed to understand the situation and left the room.
"Now that he’s no longer here, I hope you won’t mind if I ask her to strip?" the woman asked professionally.
What?! I need to...what?!
"No...is that necessary?" I asked in a panic.
"It’s the standard procedure. You strip and I will scan all your clothes and then check..." the woman explained formally before Hayden cut in.
"I’ll do the internal check. That or she won’t enter otherwise," Hayden stated firmly.
"It is my job..." the woman began arguing before Hayden cut her off.
"Either you let me do it or she doesn’t enter. Ethan is the one that wants to see her. I couldn’t care less if she waits outside with Luka and my men," Hayden said coldly.
The woman pursed her lips tightly as she seemed to consider her options. After a few seconds of silence, she relented with a resigned sigh. She nodded at Hayden before taking a few steps back to give us room.
"What is going on? What is the internal check?" I asked.
"Strip. We don’t have all day," Hayden ordered.
"Here? Now?" I asked in disbelief.
"She’s a woman and I’ve seen you naked enough times already. Do it or stay outside. You choose," Hayden said coldly.
My eyes wandered to the woman who was still standing in the room. Even if she’s a woman and even if he’s seen me naked so many times before, this is just so embarrassing and different.
--To be continued...