Page 20 of Pursuing the Egoist
“Maybe she doesn’t know who he is?”
Yugo tilted his head as he re-watched the video. “No… She is using a fake ID. They don’t call each other. Quite a preoccupation for a simple affair, don’t you think? She knows exactly who he is.” Folding his arms behind his head, Yugo leaned back against his chair as he kept speculating. “And if she does know his identity, she must understand that he is after information. What could she possibly want? Witness protection? What could she possibly know? What does Sergen share with his wife?”
“Do you want me to wire Sergen’s place?”
“Very much so.” Yugo said, then added, “Do you think he is that good in bed that she is willing to throw away her good life?” His own words made him wonder what kind of lover Leiris was. “I don’t get it…”
Yugo picked up a lighter, twirled it around his fingers, then tossed it back to the desk as his curiosity grew.
“Make sure that the next roomMatildabooks is wired and has cameras. And warn our people not to show up in Lax for the foreseeable future.”
CHAPTER 5
YUGO’S BONES CREAKEDwith every move; his eyes burned from the dry air. Thoughts wandered around his drowsy mind, refused to stay focused, as the money laundering accounting report Rudolph had sent blurred in front of his eyes. He had been checking it for two hours now, yet he couldn’t seem to concentrate on it or get rid of the feeling that the numbers looked too perfect, too rounded up.
The surrounding darkness didn’t help with the increasing sluggishness, so he logged out from the system and got up. His phone chimed with a received message. He blew out a long breath, sure to find another message from Mio, the fifteenth in the last two days.
He thumbed the display, unlocking it.
‘I’m coming over.’
Yugo typed ‘okay,’ but another message, this time from Greg, landed on his phone, preventing him from hitting the send button.
He opened it, and a dozen fresh photographs filled the screen, perfectly tiled.
Leiris running in the park, his damp t-shirt sticking to his skin. Leiris buying a coffee to go; Venti size. Yugo thought that he probably had a sweet tooth. Leiris talking to a post worker, while receiving some small packages and letters. Yugo typed Greg a request to check the content. Leiris entering a bar.
Closing the chat with Greg, he got back to Mio’s text.
‘I’m in Vienna. I’m coming over.’
Yugo smirked, imagining the determined, annoyed face of his nephew. He hadn’t seen him in a month, hadn’t called for a few days, or replied to his messages since yesterday morning. Mio was probably pissed given he'd come home from Oxford especially to see him this weekend.
Yugo ambled toward the exit, thumb hovering over the send icon when the door burst open, and Greg barged into the security office. The overpowering smell of minty aftershave slammed against Yugo’s face, forcing him to take a step back.
“Boss, they are meeting tonight.” Greg panted as if he’d just run a mile. He fished his smartphone out of his pants pockets and pushed it toward Yugo as if trying to prove something. “He got a message from an unregistered phone. Same hotel, room 609.”
In a split second, Yugo felt wide-awake. Excitement quickened his blood. “Did you prepare the room?”
“You bet.”
Backspacing his text to Mio, Yugo typed,‘Busy. Not today,’then sent the message.
SITTING ON THE WINDOWSILLbehind Greg’s back, Yugo stared at the wide flat-screen mounted on the left wall, showing the woman pacing the suite. The yellow walls, beige plush sofa, and florid carpet made Yugo wonder why on earth anyone would pay money to stay in such a tasteless place.
“Where are you?” the woman whispered. Her tiny hands rubbed her shoulders up and down as she kept glancing at the stripe of her gold watch. Yugo checked his own then looked at Greg, who sat behind his desk operating the cameras.
“Who else knows about this?” Yugo asked. The way Greg’s ears twitched didn’t escape his attention. The man froze before slowly turning around to face him.
“Two more people. Why?”
“Do you trust them?” Yugo didn’t know why he’d started doubting, but the way Greg behaved recently made him suspicious. Even now, examining the grayish skin and the dark circles beneath the deep-seated black eyes, Yugo felt something was off.
“Completely. Why?” Greg lifted his chin, granting Yugo a heavy stare from under bushy brows that squished together. The strong smell of aftershave hit Yugo again, making him realize the reason for his alertness.
“How is your lady doing today? You went to see her, didn’t you?”
Greg’s mouth hung open then slammed closed as clear disapproval obscured his eyes, stripping them of all light. “Did you put a tail on me?”
