Natalia POV

Seven days.

I spent seven days studying Dexter Wyatt.

I decided that I wanted to do this right, I was going to find out all the information about my target before engaging.

I watched his every move for seven days, I found out his routine, his favourite things and the types of people he interacted with. I tried to sculpt my new personality around those that he regularly interacted with and the things that he liked.  

Dominika and I came up with a plan, and today I was going to implement it.

-----

Thanks to some help from Oleg I was able to get his work schedule and I contacted one of Leo and Erik’s associates, Anatoly, to assist me in the plan.

I took a cab to downtown Chicago and was presumably walking from where I was dropped off to some shops when I ‘got lost’ and ended up in an alleyway.

I checked my watch. Right on time.

I dressed the part. I was wearing a black dress with a high neckline which ended around my knees and white heels to match my white purse. The whole outfit was a bit too professional than the ones I usually opted to wear, which usually consisted of tight short skirts and low cut tops, allowing me to show off my assets.

My hair was curled and down, as it seemed that Wyatt liked women with curly hair according to his list of previous girlfriends. My makeup was subtle and I applied some light lipstick as I walked around the corner.

If the security camera on the adjacent building saw me it would back up my story. I looked confused at some street signs before walking into the shadowed alleyway.

There was a door on one side of the building where I was expecting the door to burst open, but I still jumped when it did, just in case the camera could still see some of me. I then purposefully stepped where I knew that I wouldn’t be seen by the cameras.

Anatoly and an older guy walked out of the building, talking.

In a split second Anatoly had the guy pressed up against the wall, a gun to his head.

I knew the shot was coming but I still jumped, falling back into the wall next to me.

I knew he was going to kill him. This hit was ordered a few days ago, but I still felt bad, seeing the mans face go blank and the trail of blood that followed him falling to the floor, pooling around his head. He was collateral damage, and that made me feel bad, but this was my family on the line.

Anatoly gave me a nod before calmly walking back into the building, concealing his gun under his jacket as he walked through the door.

I waited ten seconds.

Then I screamed.

It was a pretty fake scream, but I had to make it look realistic so I took a deep breath before screaming again and running back into the crowded street.

A tall man, who was probably about thirty stopped next to me.

‘Miss? Miss! Are you alright?’ he panicked and I was instantly proud of my acting.

‘He just shot him! That guy in the alley!’ I sobbed out, falling into the man’s arms. My voice sounded truly American, and held none of my Russian quirks or pronunciation. I just hoped that it would hold up. 

‘Did he hurt you?’ Worry tainting the strangers voice.  

I shook my head into his chest and he held onto me, a few more people making a circle around us.

‘I’m going to call the police,’ one woman said, pulling out her cell.

I kept up my ‘innocent girl who just had a traumatic experience’ act to everyone who approached me, waiting for the one man I really needed to approach me.   

----

The cops took a few minutes to arrive and when they did a man walked up to me and lead me away from the crowd.

We stopped at a bench and he sat down motioning for me to join him.

I kept up the act, shaking and wiping my eyes as I sat on the uncomfortable bench seat.

‘Hello, I'm Detective Wyatt,' the man told me, turning his kind eyes to mine.

‘Could you tell me what happened?’ he asked, taking a note pad and pen out of his pocket.

I had rehearsed this, I knew exactly what to say.

‘I-I uh,’ I tucked some curls behind my ear and looked at my lap.

‘It’s alright, take your time’ he comforted me ‘Let’s just start with your name.’

‘My n-names Natalie, Natalie Craig.’

‘Ok Natalie, how did you come to be in the alley?’

‘I took a cab, I was going to go shopping, but then I got lost. I was going to that new group of stores they just opened, so I hadn’t been in this area before. I thought I was going the right way, but then I ended up in the alley,’ I sniffled.

‘What did you see in the Alley?’ He asked me gently. Scribbling silently in his notepad.

‘Nothing at first, it was empty, but then two guys walked out of the building on the side.’

‘What were they doing?’

‘Just talking, at first, but then one guy, he, he,’ I cried, my eyes falling to my lap and my blonde curls dropping in front of my face.

‘It’s alright Natalie, keep going,’ He encouraged, his voice soft.

I took a deep breath and continued ‘The bald guy, he pushed the other guy to the wall and he got something out of his pocket and then I heard a big bang and the other guy fell down. That’s when I ran and, and I ran into that guy who helped me’

I nodded over to the guy I first talked to who was being interviewed by a female cop.

The cop was wearing her uniform, her black hair tied into a tight bun.

I recognised her from my research. Her name was Bridgette Woods. She was a thin girl who made up for her lacking body weight in her skills. She had been promoted to detective a year ago and was twenty five, the same age as her partner, Detective Wyatt.

‘Could you describe what the man looked like?’ He asked me.

‘He was tall, bald, well build and he had lots of tattoos,’ I told him, giving him a completely inaccurate description.

In actual fact Anatoly was a man of medium height, he had long brown hair and he had a few tattoos, but they were all covered at the time. I was sending the police on a wild goose chase and they would have no clue.

‘Thank-you Natalie, do you have a way to get home?’ He asked after I gave him my contact details for any future interviews needed.

‘Um, I can take a cab.’

‘No, let me drive you home. I’ll go tell my partner.’

‘Thank-you detective,’ I said, placing my hand on his arm.

He looked startled for a second before returning my gesture with a small smile, ‘It’s my pleasure Natalie.’

I watched him walk over to his partner.

This guy seemed nice and for half a second I felt bad about what I was doing, but then I pictured Oleg in Jail, my brothers in jail, even my Papa in jail, and I decided that my family was worth more than moral fidelity.

-----

‘This is me,’ I told him, taking off my seatbelt and nodding to the small apartment building we just pulled up at.

I had taken the liberty to acquire a small apartment near detective Wyatt’s apartment, making it easier for me to keep tabs on him.

All was going to plan.

‘Thank-you for dropping me home, that was nice of you.’

‘No problem, I’m happy to help,’ He gave me a warm smile, and I got out of the car, making the short walk to the building.

I waited until I walked up the stairs and into my apartment before allowing a smile to show on my face. I had pulled it off and stage one was complete.

He was going down.

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