Page 53 of An Ancient Power's Revenge

Evelyn listened patiently before responding. "I trust your judgment, Alexei," she said, her voice filled with confidence. "But please, be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with."

I nodded, knowing that she was right. "I will," I promised, my voice filled with determination. "And Evelyn, please don't declare a curfew yet. It might trigger the killer to act faster. We need to go slowly for now."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Evelyn responded. "Alright, Alexei," she said finally, her voice tinged with resignation. "I'll hold off for now. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," I replied, my heart swelling with gratitude for the woman I loved. "I'll see you soon, Evelyn."

As I hung up the phone, a sense of determination settled over me. We were closer than ever to uncovering the truth, and nothing was going to stand in our way.

Chapter 29 - The Traitor

Alexei

“What if we have been checking the wrong pub? Vera mentioned a pub but she didn’t specify. I have a feeling we are. If he is a regular like she claimed, then we wouldn’t have seen just a single image of him. She said he was out all the time until his death.” Ana said and I paused, maybe she was right.

“Alright, let’s check the last pub downtown and confirm if he was really going to a pub, or if he lied to Vera about that too.” I replied and she nodded. We thanked the waiter before walking back to the car, it was time to head out.

The neon lights of the downtown area flickered as Ana and I made our way to the last pub on our list, the chill of the nightair biting at our skin. As we approached the entrance, I couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that settled over me, knowing that we were about to confront the unknown once again.

Pushing open the door, we stepped inside, the warmth of the pub washing over us as the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the air. Ana and I exchanged a glance before making our way to the bar, where a young waiter stood behind the counter, polishing glasses with practiced ease.

"Excuse me," Ana said, her voice polite but firm. "We're looking for someone who may have been here recently. Have you seen this man?" She held up a picture of Dimitri, his features frozen in a solemn expression.

The waiter glanced at the picture before shaking his head. "Sorry, I haven't seen him," he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

I could feel frustration building within me as I pleaded with him. "Are you sure?" I asked, my voice strained with urgency. "Please, take another look."

But the waiter simply avoided my gaze, his expression guarded as he continued to polish the glasses in front of him. Ana shot me a knowing look, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Listen, we know he's been here," she said, her voice cold with determination. "And we need to speak to someone who can help us."

Without warning, Ana lunged forward, wrapping her arm around the waiter's neck in a headlock. The young man gasped in surprise, his eyes widening in shock as he struggled against her grip.

"Alright, alright!" he choked out, his voice hoarse with panic. "He's been here, okay? Dimitri and his friends are regulars."

Ana released her hold on the waiter, who stumbled backwards, gasping for air.

“Was that hard?” she asked with a smirk, and he eyed her while massaging his neck.

I shot him a stern look before turning to Ana, gratitude shining in my eyes.

"Thank you," I said softly, knowing that her quick thinking had saved us valuable time.

With a determined nod, Ana turned to the waiter. "Now, we need to see the CCTV footage," she demanded, her voice firm.

The waiter hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "Follow me," he said, leading us to a small room at the back of the pub where a bank of monitors were made available to us.

As we watched the footage, my heart sank as I saw Dimitri meeting with Ryan, a sheriff’s deputy, and Beta Oberyn of the werewolf pack. My mind raced with the implications of what we had just discovered. Dimitri, Ryan, and Beta Oberyn had been seen arguing the night before Dimitri's body was found, and they followed him into an alley where he had disappeared. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place, but the picture they painted was grim.

"We need to find out what they were discussing," Ana said, her voice tense.

I nodded in agreement, my mind racing with possibilities. "Let's head back to my office," I suggested. "We need to talk to Ryan and Oberyn and find out what they know."

As we left the pub, the weight of our discovery settled heavily on my shoulders. But as long as Ana and I stood together, I knew that we would stop at nothing to uncover the truth and bring justice to those who had been wronged.

I dialed Evelyn, hoping to bring her up to date. She didn’t answer...

"We need to find Evelyn," Ana said, her voice urgent with concern. "Something might be wrong."

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