Page 26 of Tainted Wings of Failure

Now we're sitting on the sofa, surrounded by his paperwork, his two laptops, tablets and additional phones, in the process of booting up all of his devices. In front of me is the notepad where he wrote down all his passwords for me and what they belong to. While Kyle goes through the phones, checking for recent calls, I browse through the laptops until I find the folder with all the information on Mr. Lancaster and a link providing live access to the man's private calendar.

"Kyle, I found something," I say, and he immediately scoots closer, pressing into my side as he leans over me to steal a glance at the screen. I click on the entry for this coming Friday and for that night he has a memo for a private gala event along with details about it all.

"We need tickets for that," Kyle says, pointing at the screen where the notes mention the tickets.

"We have to get into this event somehow." I sigh and click on the comment Noah made in his notes about the calendar. The window pops up with a list of people's names, including how many tickets there are for each person. I mindlessly scroll through the names as if I might find something useful, and then, as if my prayers have been answered, two particular names catch my attention. My heart leaps in my chest and I immediately start digging through the chaos on the sofa, looking for my own phone.

"What are you doing?" Kyle asks but I ignore him, find my phone and immediately search for a specific number. Her words echo through my mind. If there is anything I can do for you, anything, call me. We will find a way. If anyone can help us, it's her. "Who are you calling?" He furrows his eyebrows, but I raise my index finger to my mouth, telling him to be quiet as my phone begins to ring with a video call and I prop the device against the laptop screen in front of me.

After the usual five torturous long beeps, the person on the other line picks up and a smile spreads across my face as her familiar freckled face, framed by shiny copper hair, pops up on the screen.

"Eevee," she sings, dragging out my nick name as her voice blasts from the speaker. "How have you been?"

"Hey Riley, please don't ask…" I chuckle nervously. "I'm sorry for calling again, but—"

"You need my help?" she cuts me off with a grin on her face.

"How can you tell?" I furrow my brows.

"You look exhausted, the circles under your eyes don't do you any favors, and," she draws out the last word, "that handsome gentleman peering over your shoulder is most likely not the psycho you call your boyfriend. He is not your type at all." She laughs and I turn to see Kyle looming over me, curiously looking at my phone.

I shove him aside. "No, that's actually his best friend. He's…" I turn to look at Kyle. "Do you have a nickname?"

"Hell no, Noah's the weirdo who does that shit with the doves for fun. I'm not really known for anything."

"So the Dove Killer's sidekick, got it," Riley says bluntly, and I can't help but chuckle as Kyle's face changes to one of annoyance, furrowing his eyebrows as he glares at her. If looks could kill, Riley would for sure drop dead right now.

"Something like that," I say and Kyle grunts next to me as he slumps back into the sofa.

"Now to the matter at hand, what do you need help with?" Riley asks, her voice becoming more serious, and I quickly explain the situation to her, sending her the information Noah had gathered about the event and, most importantly, the two familiar names of my former colleagues who would be attending.

"I need their tickets, please," I plead with Riley, who is staring at her own laptop in front of her.

"I can't just give them to you; the guys have a job to do at the event," she explains.

"Are they hired to kill someone?"

"Yes. How do you know that?" She raises her eyebrows in confusion.

"They're walking into a trap," Kyle speaks up, interrupting our conversation, and I just nod in acknowledgment.

"What?"

"Let me guess, the client who hired these killers hired them a few years ago to get rid of someone associated with the Lancaster Group?" Kyle asks, lifting his eyebrows.

"Yeah…"

"Looks like they are not very creative. That's exactly what they did to Noah and me. They seem to lure in anyone who has harmed the company in any way over the years."

"That means the clients are most likely involved in the whole ordeal?"

"It's the only possible explanation."

Riley falls silent on the other line, narrowing her eyes at Kyle through the camera. "But you got away," she points out.

"Yeah, Noah was the one originally hired back then. I just went along for the ride because I was bored. I don't think I was ever a priority for them. They probably just used me to get to him, since I was the only way to contact him"

I turn and look at Riley. "You need to take the killers off the job; you can give the boss all the information I sent you. Even that they caught Noah. It will show him that this is serious."

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