30 missing

✨Andi✨

I woke up with a heavy pounding in my head. It's been a long while since I felt this kind of hangover.

''Shut up!'' I hissed angrily at the person who was pounding on the door.

''Andi!'' Sin screamed angrily.

''Shut up!'' my voice cracked as Sin barged inside Yuri's room.

''Wake up. Yuri's missing'' she shook my shoulder as I tried to sit up properly.

''Go away'' I pushed her away but she shakes my shoulders again. ''Stop…''

''Are you listening?'' she continued to lecture me with her pitchy voice. ''He's missing.''

''Who's missing. Let Diez and Nueve do their jobs…'' I covered my face with Yuri's pillow. Why does he have to smell so good? Even his pillow and blankets smelled like him.

''Yuri… he is missing…''

'What?'' I was suddenly awake from my hangover.

Sin rolled her eyes ''everyone's in the conference room now. Let's go.'' She threw a sweater and sweatpants in my face as she dragged me towards the conference room.

What she said was true, Ivan, Turnip, Nikcolai, Alek, Isiah, Diez, and Nueve are gathered around the long table with a picture of Yuri and some gray-haired girl inside a car. The picture was blurry and everyone's eyes were on me as we entered.

''… again. This girl wasn't in the list of our workers'' it was Turnip who spoke as Sin and I sat between Nueve and Diez.

''She isn't one of Hariko's either'' Diez spoke beside me. There were a few more pictures of the girl but it was blurry.

''Can you enhance the picture?'' I whispered to Sin while she opened her laptop.

''On it'' she rolled her eyes and pouted her lips. She always does that when she's dead serious. Cute.

''We tracked the car but we found it under the Brooklyn bridge'' Nickolai said as pictures of the car being towed out of the waters flashed on the screen.

Nueve placed a cup of black coffee in front of me and thanked him. I was still sleeping in my mind until the coffee hit my nerves. Yuri was missing, this is real. ''Maybe he just went out with that girl and stayed in her place?''

All eyes were on me as if I just spoke in an alien dialect. ''He will never do that.'' Nickolai defended Yuri as I raised my hand in surrender.

''Jealousy doesn't suit you'' Diez whispered on my ear as I stomped my converse on his foot. He chuckled lightly while shaking his head.

''Got it'' Sin murmured as a clearer version of the girl's photo appeared on the screen. The girl has piercing blue eyes, one that looks familiar. Plum lips and gray hair which seems like a wig. She was wearing a trench coat as she helped Yuri inside her car.

''She doesn't look familiar'' Nueve said while I sipped my coffee.

''Maybe she's a new worker for Hariko'' Turnip spoke.

''Hariko will never let a newbie work with such delicate matter'' Diez countered him. ''Besides, we keep tabs on his assassins. One can never be too careless in this job.''

''Andi?'' Isiah called my name while I stared blankly at the picture on the screen.

''She looks familiar'' I whispered under my breath. ''Her eyes look familiar.''

''Christina Blackwell'' Sin murmured as new details about the girl popped on the screen. ''I ran a facial recognition search on her.''

''Doesn't ring a bell,'' Nickolai said.

''Maybe one of his angry flings?'' Nueve has a point but Nickolai punched his fist on the table.

''Will you stop judging Yuri? He's not like that. He never forced a woman to be with him."

''Don't get all too defensive man.'' Nueve shakes his head. ''I'm just stating probable cause here.''

''No, you're insulting my best friend who can't even defend himself'' Yuri's friend countered angrily.

''Boys'' Alek said calmly. ''We won't find my son if we're fighting amongst each other.'' Nueve and Nickolai both leaned back on their chairs, complete silence filled the room.

''Can you change her hair with that app thingy?'' I asked Sin quietly.

''Yeah, sure'' she typed something on her computer as the image of the girl changed. First, it was black, brown, red, blond and even with different types of hair cut appeared on the screen.

''Stop'' I held Sin's hand while she arched her brows. ''Bring back the wavy blond hair.'' She clicked something and the image appeared on the screen.

''I knew it'' I whispered.

''Can you speak English, please?'' Nickolai uttered silently.

''She's Ace's fiancé. I've seen her with Hariko and Ace once in an event but it makes no sense. She's not an assassin.''

''What's he middle name?'' Isiah asked Sin.

''Yamamoto''

Isiah nods and says with conviction. ''She's Hariko's niece. Gloria's daughter.''

''Gloria? You're ex-girlfriend Gloria?'' Isiah threw a menacing look towards me.

''You have an ex and a girlfriend?'' Sin has the guts to speak to him.

''It's none of your concerns, little girl'' Sin pouted her lips at Isiah's endearment. ''Andi, Kolya, you'll head to Hariko's estate in Brooklyn. Sin, Diez, Nueve take Gregory and Ivan to his Manhattan penthouse.''

''Why are there five of them and two of us?'' Nickolai inquired curiously.

''Alek and I will be coming with you'' I gave an inquisitive look towards Isiah and Alek. Alek nods towards him before giving his own instruction.

''The five of you will take Gloria'' he ordered to Gregory. ''That's just precautionary measures if we can't take Yuri by asking them.'' He looked at me and Nickolai. ''Make this discreet as possible. We leave in ten.'' And he walked out of the conference room. His men soon followed him out.

''Why are you taking hands in this?'' I asked Isiah when we're alone in the room. ''I can take care of Hariko alone.''

''That's the reason why I'm coming, figlia'' he stood up and I followed him out of the room.

''I'm capable and you know it'' I didn't like him going out on jobs with us. Not that he wasn't capable of anything, it's just that I feel protective of him.

''I know'' he gave me a wink before walking inside his room.

That old patriarch is up to something and I want to know what it is. I bet it concerns me and I didn't like the feel of it.

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