"Do you know...who she really is?"

Mia turned quickly to look at him. Her body suddenly felt stiff and her breath hitched in her throat.
She couldn't be found out like this but she didn't know what to say as she didn't have enough intel on what he knows.

"What do you mean by that?" Anton asked looking at Mia, then at Bono.

"I'm simply just asking if you know who she really is. So do you?"

"What are you trying to say?" Mia asked with a mix of confidence and nonchalance but inside, she was nervous to the point where she felt like her intestine was doing a summersault.

Bono looked at Anton as he spoke.
"The fact that she's sitting here while we have a conversation shows that you trust her to a good extent, so I was just merely checking if she's really who you know she is. There's no need to get serious, I just don't want you to get hurt again ... like I did to you." He ended sadly and began walking out but stopped, turned around and said, "Don't trust anyone easily"

Both of them watched him as he retreated, the effect of his words laid in their heart.

"That was strange in some sense" Anton said with a light laugh in intent to lighten up the atmosphere.

"It definitely was" she replied as she straightened herself up on the couch.

"So what do you plan to do? Will you help him or not?"

Fondling his thumbs together, he responded, "I want to hate him for what he did but I can't. I feel betrayed that he tried to kill me but I feel more betrayed that he couldn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on earlier, then it might have been easier to handle"

He sighed deeply before saying, "But I don't think I can let his family be in the captivity of that evil man. And literally speaking, Jones has crossed the line a long time ago, it's time to punish him"

"How do you intend to punish him? Do you plan to involve the police?"

"That might not be the best option but I don't have anything in mind yet, I'll have to think about it. If you have an idea, please let me know"

It was until twenty minutes later, when Mia was shown by Anton, a picture of Bono's wife and child that she became zealous to save them. She couldn't let someone like her be in custody anymore. She was one of the kindest and understanding person she had come across all her life.
Though she didn't let Anton know that she knew her, she dedicated her night to thinking of a way to get her out quickly while hoping that she was still alive.

Mia knew it was blunt to ask but she did. Sitting across from Bono in the sitting room the next morning she asked, "How sure are you that your family is alive?"

"Nat!"

"What?" The two men said almost simultaneously.

"To put in simple terms, when was the last time you saw them? Photos or videos or even a phone call"

Bono went into a trance like remembrance as he recalled the last time he heard their voice; it was the day he had the accident, the accident in which the offender was never found.
That day, he had received a call from Jones yet again to collect the poison. Desperately, he had asked to speak with his family and after a whole lot of pleading, he allowed the call. Thankfully, they both sounded alright but he didn't know if he could keep this evil going, the guilt was eating him deeply.

And like always when he tried calling the number again, it was said to not exist. Frustrated, he went to a bar downtown and used alcohol to vent his frustration. As he mumbled and staggered to the road, in attempt to get a taxi and pick up Jones' package, he saw himself floating in the air and then everything went pitch black.

"It was the day of the accident, I..."

His phone dinged with a message notification and instinctively his eyes landed on the screen. He hurriedly picked it up when he saw a picture message of his family displayed causing Mia and Anton to perk up in curiosity.

He turned the phone to them revealing a picture of his wife sitting on couch, their daughter sitting on her thighs, both with gloomy faces and attached to the photo was a text message –'Don't forget Bono.'

And just like that, the message disappeared. Anton was surprised, Mia was in thought and Bono didn't react because this is how it has been. They never left any evidence or traces behind.

"Did it always happen like this?" Mia asked.

"Yes. Always"

She turned to Anton, "You'll never be able to find them in your own way. Jones has professional hackers and computer technicians, and for you to be able to locate his family..." She looked at Bono before continuing, "you'll need someone smarter"

"What exactly are you pointing out?" Anton asked and Bono looked at her with curiosity.

"I think I can help, but only if you both promise not to ask me any questions, like how or who?"

"What do you have in mind Nat?"

"If you accept my help, just promise to follow without any questions whatsoever. I can only help with that condition in place, it might not be appealing but you'll just have to trust me"

Bono didn't mind what method was used, because all he wanted was to see his family alive and unhurt.

Anton looked at her with all focus before agreeing to her condition. He knew already that Mia might be a dangerous person, everything pointed to that; her facial expressions, walking steps, choice of outfits, colour preference, fighting skills and all others, but one thing he could figure out for sure was that she had a good heart.

With the conditions in check, Mia left them to call Luther.

As she entered back into the mansion, she came face to face with Anton. He was looking different than he did minutes ago; he was dressed in a black suit that was inarguably expensive just by its look, black leather shoes and with his hair was slicked-back. It wasn't the first time she was seeing him look this way but it was the first time in a while.

He gave her a warm smile as he said, "I'll be back later. See you then"

With that he left, still with the smile on his face.
Though, she had never had a love life, since her life was basically messed up since she was seventeen, she knew that he had said that flirtatiously. Her heart did a summersault this time around but it felt good.

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I finally updated! Hurray....

I wrote and edited this chapter today but they might still be some typos, please bear with me.

Well, this is it... Your thoughts? Confusion? Criticism?  Compliment? I accept all...

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