A Book Can't Be Judged By The Cover

Chapter 126: Overlooked

"Sasajima Seiji and Mizuki... they are... they were secret agents, you know. They had ties with the Secret Service... and they were responsible for tracking down that wanted criminal, Ricardo Basilio." Masaru let out a whisper as if he was divulging a treasured secret of his.

"What?!" As soon as Koji voiced out his exclamation, he drooped his shoulders down and leaned in towards Masaru. "I... I didn’t know... I didn’t know." He repeated.

"I was in contact with them a year ago, a tip-off that Ricardo Basilio relocated here in Japan. I used one of my burner phones for fear that Basilio might catch wind of the two of them." Masaru then went on as his usual expression turned into a frown, evident with sadness. "They came back here, spending time with their son and daughter while trying to pinpoint Ricardo’s location. As you may as well have guessed, it’s hard to pinpoint someone who’s even covered by the authorities."

"And then the incident happened... they said it was a normal car accident, right? But how can we know for sure..." Koji continued.

"Ricardo’s got his ways... I’m sure he’s involved in that incident, one way or another." Masaru went on.

.....

His hands were bleeding, and calling it that was even an understatement. As Hajime worked with the ropes that bound him, he suffered a couple of cuts on his hands along the way. He didn’t worry about it, though, since the adrenaline gave him the much-needed numbness. Despite the countless cuts he felt on his fingers and palms, he continued pressing the glass back and forth at the binds, like a chainsaw rocking to and fro just to cut a defiant tree.

Grunts came out of his mouth, but he tried to remain as quiet as possible just in case a wandering guard or one of the debt collectors came in out of nowhere. Right now, he was being kept in a small storage shed, and based on what he heard, Megumi was being kept inside a bigger warehouse.

After piecing everything together, Hajime assumed that the debt collectors were behind the entire kidnapping. He had no idea how they could side with the authorities... or maybe the policemen he saw in his house were fakes, but Hajime doubted that such was the case... their uniforms, as well as their overall aura, exuded that a normal policeman. They were really bona fide policemen... but why would they side with debt collectors when their job is on the line?

That’s when he realized that they kidnapped Megumi at the same time they did him. ’I may not even be their main target... Megumi’s family is rich, so they’re probably thinking of getting a ransom from her. I just managed to be on the scene, and that’s why they tried to get something from me as well... no, they had been after the deed to my house for quite some time now... they probably targeted Megumi and me the moment they saw us together.... yeah, that’s probably the case.’ Hajime said to himself, freeing himself from the last loop of rope tightly holding his body.

He couldn’t quite put heads or tails on the matter. Then again, he only has one job. As Megumi’s bodyguard, his sworn duty right now is to rescue Megumi and get out of there.

"Ah, right!" Hajime said to himself as he rummaged through all his pockets, finally finding the cell phone the debt collectors forgot to get from him. They were too used to Hajime being penniless that they completely assumed he didn’t have a phone with him. For once, Hajime was grateful that his broke self gave him the hope he and Megumi needed.

Without further ado, Hajime dialed Franz’s number, hoping he’d pick up as soon as possible. In a split second, Hajime heard a click, and Franz’s calm tone could be heard from the opposite side of the line. "Franz, Megumi, and I got kidnapped. I’ll be sending the location. Don’t trust the police." Hajime didn’t waste any time telling Franz the situation.

"What happened, Hajime?" Franz asked. Obviously, he panicked, but he didn’t show an ounce of that panic in his voice. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"We were cornered at our place. I’m sure their main target was me and the deed to my house... but they were probably aware of Megumi’s background so they kidnapped her as well. They separated us, but I already escaped from my binds. I’m going to rescue her. Sorry, as Megumi’s bodyguard, I failed..."

"Send your location. We’re going to go there right away." Franz responded. "I’m going to inform Sir Koji. Please hang in there, Hajime."

Click!

Hajime didn’t waste any time looking for the exit. He was well aware that the debt collectors took his possible escape into account, and that’s why the garage was locked from the outside. He may have the luxury of contacting someone, but escape seemed next to impossible at the moment.

After examining the entire garage, Hajime realized that the only way out was through the front entrance. The only problem was, the door was padlocked from the outside, so there was no way he could escape even if he tried.

"Why did this have to happen," Hajime said to himself as he reached out his hand through the small gap between the two doors. He managed to get one block of the chain. He pulled it carefully adjusting the chain until he got to the padlock right in front of the gap.

Sweat trickled all over Hajime’s face as he positioned himself right where he could see where the key’s supposed to go. Since it was a garage, Hajime knew that he’d be able to find a small wire or a paperclip somewhere.

It took him only a minute to find a paper clip stuck by the corner of the garage, and he didn’t waste any time picking the lock. He knew that every second was crucial if he wanted to rescue Megumi. He was careful not to make any sound, but he rushed through picking the lock that his hand even sweated profusely.

"Hang in there... Megumi..." Hajime gritted his teeth in helpless frustration.