Once we returned, we stopped on the other side again. But this time, we parked closer to the warehouse. Ashan got out and walked up to the end of the block. He stood there for a bit, scanning the area, and then came back.

“Any movement?” I inquired as he got back in the car.

“It looks like they are loading some boxes on the side.” He replied as he started the car. “This is an active warehouse. I think we should get coffee and come back in about twenty minutes or so.”

“Good idea,” I said as he pulled away. “I saw this little coffee place next to the building where the agency is, maybe we could stop there. It’s not too far.”

Ashan looked at me but parked before the door of the coffee shop and got out. “You wait here, we don’t want to take a chance of someone recognizing you. I’ll grab the coffee.”

I nodded as he turned and headed inside. The sun was reflecting off the yoga studio windows, and I couldn’t see inside. Glancing at the coffee shop door, I got out and walked to the front of the car.

All I wanted was to see if she was there. There was movement inside, but I could still not make out any of the women.

“Hey, get back in the car. Do you want them to see you?” Ashan roared at me as he came out.

“Okay, okay,” I said with my hands up in the air. “I was just looking to see if I could spot any of the guards from yesterday. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”

We drank our coffee first before heading back to the warehouse. The van was gone when we returned. We sat on one corner and then another corner for about an hour in total again. This time, there was no movement.

We returned after grabbing sandwiches for lunch from another shop around the corner. This time, two black sedans were parked at the gate on the front side. After about twenty minutes, I saw Mathieu coming out and getting into one of the cars.

“That’s him,” I said, pointing. “That’s Mathieu, Domique’s right-hand man.”

“Okay, so we know we are at the right place then. Time to head back and share what we know.” Ashan said as he started the engine.

Ashan let Roman know we were headed back to Ivan’s club. As we passed the Office building and the Yoga studio again, I couldn’t help but look back. Skyler was still lingering in my mind. I couldn’t rid myself of the lightning streaming through my veins whenever I thought of her.

I knew I had to focus, but my mind wouldn’t let go. I smiled out the window as we drove. The images in my mind were still so fresh. I could almost still smell her sweetness.

Roman and Sergey were waiting as we pulled up to the side of Ivan’s club. I shook my head and wiped the silly smile from my lips before getting out. I couldn’t afford to have them notice something was up.

Entering Ivan’s office, we took our places as before. “Right,” Ivan started. “Now that we know which of the places are active, we can put lookouts there.”

Ivan pushed his hand through his graying hair before continuing. “Luder,” I shook my head in acknowledgment as he looked at me. “You call and make another appointment with the broker in about six weeks if convenient for her. Make sure she knows that this time, there will be no interference.”

“Sure thing, Ivan,” I replied.

“We will settle business, and then all go together to ensure we get this sale done.” He finished.

Everyone agreed with each other before we headed out. We would meet back at the club every day to monitor the progress and ensure we had men where they would do the most damage when the time came. Ashan came back with me to my yacht, as most of his weapons were also stored with me.

We ensured they were all cleaned and loaded, ready for action. We packed bags for a long time and stored them safely for when we needed them. While we were doing our preparation, he kept bugging me about my behavior earlier. But I kept my silence.

Skyler wasn’t something I was ready to talk about. After all, there was nothing to talk about. It was a one-time fling. Yes, my mind wouldn’t let go at the moment, but in time, I thought she would just be another one.

I just couldn’t figure out why my mind and body kept going back. What about her was so strong that I had this deep desire for her?

Once we were packed and everything was ready for tomorrow, we headed out for pizza and some beers. It was late when Ashan dropped me back at the yacht, but there was still enough time to catch some ZZZs.

“I’ll meet you at Roman’s at dawn,” I said as I got out.

“Sure, don’t forget anything,” Ashan replied before driving off.

The next couple of weeks were going to be busy, but honestly, I enjoyed these times the most.

Sleep eluded me for most of the night as Skyler twirled through my thoughts. When I finally felt sleep creeping in, it was nearing dawn.

Chapter 6 - Skyler