In Centerfield, if there was one thing there was an abundance of, it was coffee shops. There was one on nearly every corner, with a large number of people working inside them.
Even on a weekday, in the morning, the shop would be filled with people typing away on their laptops or just casually having a chat.
It was the first time for Gary to see such a thing, making him wonder if any of these guys even had a job. Regardless, sitting outside and enjoying the nice sun, Kanu, along with Kai and Austin, were sitting at a round table at the front.
“You’re a harder person to meet than I expected,” Kanu said as he could see Gary was adjusting his wig.
“Well, you could have always come to us if it was an important matter,” Kai replied.
“Maybe, but then you would have more people in the White Rose claiming that I was in talks with the Howlers, right? Which would be bigger trouble than it’s worth.”
“Regardless, I am in a much better position to talk to you now compared to the past. You’re not a criminal, at least not one that’s tried to get their hands involved in the White Rose. That’s what our investigations have come out with, so it’s safe to talk to you.”
“Today, let’s think of this conversation as one between friends and not White Rose and the Howlers.”
Both Austin and Kai nodded to this. Austin was a little conflicted about his feelings. Maybe the whole thing wouldn’t end up in a brawl after all.
Which would have been a half-wasted trip for Austin.
“What happened to you guys? Elijah didn’t really say much on the phone,” Gary asked.
“I’m sure you heard the news after the disbandment of the Phoenix Gang. There was a purge within the White Rose, getting rid of all those that were accepting the Phoenix Gang’s money on the side.”
“Because of what happened with you, they actually called for my help. Me, Sadie, Frankie, and Elijah all got moved to the Internal Affairs team and started to go after our own people, so we’re not the most popular within the White Rose, but in a way, we’re more protected now.”
It felt strange to think of the other two White Rose agents that had helped Gary back then. He remembered meeting both of them at the start of all the mess.
How much he feared that they would find out he was an Altered, and they were the first White Rose Agents he had come across.
Yet, they were there helping him in his breakout of all things. Letting out a sigh, Gary wanted to get to the bottom of all of this, how everything had started.
“You said you wanted to talk to me about Jayden. I’m assuming we’re talking about the same person, the one known as Jayden Tiger, or his real name Jayden Clove,” Gary said. “Why did you ask for me?”
Kanu was peeking around with his eyes, as if he was looking to see if others were listening in, but didn’t make it too obvious.
“The fact that you said that much means that you must know him in some capacity,” Kanu replied. “There is a reason I wanted to talk to you about him.”
“You might be wondering why I, a squad captain, even bothered helping you break out of White Rose that day. Well, you have Jayden to thank for that.”
“He had asked me to help you out no matter what it took, and me and Jayden are… somewhat close, so I decided to help him out.”
Gary blinked rapidly for a few moments. His guess was right; Jayden was the one that asked for the favor. But how would he know someone in the White Rose?
“The thing is, I know Jayden very well,” Kanu continued. “He wouldn’t ask me to just help anyone. So before I go on and tell you more about Jayden, I need to ask you.
“What’s your relationship with Jayden?” Kanu asked.
——
In one of the small police offices, the police officers were in quite a stir. Their involvement with the White Rose was limited.
They were in the city where the White Rose was based, but because of the city itself, crime was relatively low. So the occurrence of what had just happened was quite unusual for them.
The police officers were continuing to chat about what had just happened when the door to the office swung open once again.
This time, two large men in suits had entered first. They walked through the door, stepping to the side, and an older pot-bellied gentleman walked through the doors.
“I believe that there is someone waiting for me, held up in the cells?” The man was Sir Ken, and he was scanning the room looking for a certain someone.
Then he noticed that the police officers were staring at each other with worried looks on their faces.
Eventually, one of the younger officers stood up and headed to Sir Ken, making sure to keep his distance.
“The prisoner that you are looking for was released.”
“What!” Sir Ken shouted, stomping his foot on the ground.
“How is that possible? Where is Ryan? Didn’t he tell you to keep him for me!” Sir Ken shouted.
“Ryan… he’s no longer here. Some agents from White Rose came, and they took him away. That was when the prisoner was released as well!” the officer explained.
Sir Ken continued to clench his teeth hard.
‘I thought I had a new toy to play with, and then someone goes snatching it right from my hand.’
“You need to tell me everything about this person, and when I find him, I think it’s time for the Cluster Gang to have a word and deal with him,” Sir Ken mumbled under his breath.