Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Chapter Five: Stake Out


Lunch with Rafael went well. He told me his adventures of how he hitchhiked his way back to Bridgeport. and how it was a fun experience getting to see things he might never have gotten to see had he not had that experience that landed him in the different town. After lunch I had to go to work, so we parted ways with a hug. Work went pretty normally, and when I was done, I went home to start my stakeout plan. I had the next day off, so I planned to get up early and go to the hotel where Rafael was staying. He had told me his room number, so I looked up the floor plan of the hotel online, and made a note of which direction his window faced. I had decided I would rent a car and use that to follow him wherever he went. Not going to lie, I felt pretty confident when it came to my stake out plan. I hoped that I would be able to pull it off without a hitch, or that I would be able to think on my toes if something did happen.


The next morning, I got into my rental car and drove to the hotel. I parked the car in a spot across the street facing Rafael's hotel room, and sipped on my coffee that I had picked up from the drive through. I didn't know how long I'd have to wait before Rafael actually went anywhere, but I figured most honest jobs started in the morning or afternoon, rather than the evening or at dusk, like a lot of illegal jobs did. After about one hour, I saw someone leave the hotel, a man with long hair the same shade of brown as Rafael's. I took out my binoculars to get a closer look, and sure enough, it was him. He was wearing a nice crisp shirt, black pants, and an apron. So far, he did look like he had an honest job, perhaps something in the food industry.


I watched as Rafael got into one of the many cabs that drove by the hotel. In the past hour, I'd seen at least six stop in front of the building. With my binoculars, I made a note of the license plate of the taxi cab Rafael was in, and then started my car. The taxi drove for about forty-five minutes, until it pulled up in front of the Bridgeport Cafe & Casino, in the fancy part of town. I was impressed with Rafael because it appeared he had managed to get a job in a really ritzy place, that looked like it paid their employees well.


By now, it was about 10am, so I stayed in the car at the parking lot across the street from the restaurant, getting out some snacks I'd brought and stashed in the back seat. I figured a typical eight hour shift would put Rafael's time of departure around 6pm. I read a book, while eating my food, and drinking some soda. This part of my stakeout was pretty boring, but I wanted to be diligent. Some of the jobs that Boss had the senior team members do involved overnight stakeouts, so in my mind, I figured this was me training myself in patience and observation skills. I got my MP3 player out and listened to some music, which made the time pass a little quicker. Finally, 6pm rolled around, and I was right about his shift ending because I saw him leave the building.


Rafael hailed another taxi and I once again followed, making sure to keep my distance, just as I had the first time. I smiled to myself when I saw him arrive at the hotel and go inside. He had been telling me the truth! He was going straight, and he was back in my life. I was excited, but terrified at the same time. My earlier thoughts of why I hadn't yet told Boss I knew Rafael was in town came back to me... I didn't know what Boss would do, and I had probably already screwed myself by waiting this long before spilling the beans. Now that Rafael was just working in a restaurant, he wasn't even going to be a problem for Boss because he'd used the opportunity of him 'dying' to change his life. Would me telling Boss about him now screw up Rafael's life? Shit. I sat in the car, at a loss of what the fuck I should do now, chance losing my job, or chance losing my friend, whom I had just found again?


I pondered my next move, staying across the street from the hotel as I did, and soon the sun set over the horizon. I pursed my lips, finally deciding that honesty was the best way to go. My next decision was do I leave Rafael alone, or do I tell Boss the results of my stakeout? I hoped that Boss would leave Rafael alone if he heard he had gone straight. I doubted Rafael would feel the need to turn our group in to the police, but I couldn't lie and say that I was 100% certain Boss wouldn't want to kill him because he might be a loose end who knew too much. The thought of cutting Rafael out of my life to save him made me want to cry. I had no idea I still had such feelings for him until now, when thinking of losing him again threatened to break my heart. On the other hand, I had no idea what Boss even thought. Sure, he was ruthless, but he always had a purpose for crimes he committed. He wasn't the kind of criminal who would just mug a random person on the street. If he mugged someone, it was because they were a small piece to a bigger puzzle. He paid people off too, for their silence, and I had a feeling Rafael wouldn't mind taking money from Boss to keep quiet. Finally, I made my decision. I started the car, and drove off in the direction of Boss' headquarters.


Author's Note: Natalia is a Level 3 Thug.

14 comments:

  1. Wow, what a suspenseful update! I still can't really guess what decision she took!
    She seems to still love this guy and, aparently, he is working in that restaurant. In the other hand, since he, first worked as a criminal, second knows her so well, he must know all tricks. He surely knew she'd follow him.
    So I can't tell either if he's bring honest or if everything is only a part of a much bigger plan!
    Guess I'll have to wait for the next update... Soon?! ;)

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    1. Aww thank you! LOL. I'm glad I was able to keep you surprised and curious.
      She does have feelings for Rafael, as much as he has feelings for her too. Yup, he's in the restaurant working. You are right, Rafael's past as a criminal combined with his feelings for Natalia, does complicate things. Whether Rafael knows Natalia followed him would depend on if he trusted her, which he seems to do, considering he talks to her and doesn't try to avoid her when she asks him questions. If he didn't trust her, then it would lead to him feeling suspicious and wondering if she would follow him. At this moment Rafael trusts Natalia, but Natalia doesn't trust Rafael, even though they still both have romantic feelings for each other. Heehee. He could be telling the truth, and his truth could be part of something else, or it could just be as simple as he got a job. XD
      You will find out soon enough! I have the first two paragraphs of the next chapter written, I am having to fix the dialogue and write the rest of it, so it shouldn't be too long! :) Glad you enjoyed it.

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  2. Well so far Rafe seems to be on the up and up. I'm still not 100% sure about him yet, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Although 1 day on a stake out doesn't really prove he's gone legit, it could be part of his cover if he's working for someone. Just a thought. Either way it should be interesting to see how Boss takes the news of Rafe's return and the fact that Natalia waited so long to tell him.

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    1. Yeah, he really did go into that restaurant, but it's pretty normal to still be a little suspicious, yet nice about it, by giving him the benefit of the doubt. Haha, very true, stake outs take time and the best ones uncover deep stuff. However, Natalia feels like since Rafael told her he just got that job, that it was his first day or something, so she's thinking he just went to work, and the way he went home to his hotel after, and then didn't leave immediately to go do something creepy is giving Natalia hope that the results of her stake out will please Boss. LOL. She's finally ready to tell him, and she's going to suck up the consequences. Haha, yeah if Rafael is working for someone, let's just hope it's someone that's on Boss' side... otherwise, Boss will be pretty pissed.

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  3. Aw, yay! It's good to know that so far, it seems that Rafael wasn't lying to Natalia. I mean, I guess there's a chance there's like, an illegal smuggling operation going on in the kitchens of the Bridgeport Cafe & Casino, but that would get him tangled up in another criminal gang, and potentially a rival one at that, so thus far I'm doubting that possibility.

    Definitely hoping that Boss will allow Rafael to live his life....It's rare that one truly gets a clean, second chance. Then again, maybe despite what it looks like, he really would be interested in joining Boss' team again. I suppose only time will tell ;)

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    1. Yup, Rafael was not lying to Natalia. He does genuinely have feelings for her, so he's not going to do things that will screw up their friendship. LOL, true, in this town, there is a possibility there's some shady stuff going on, money laundering, disguised with pretty buildings like the Bridgeport Cafe, haha, but let's hope that if Rafael is doing such things, he should do them with someone who is on Boss' side, otherwise, that's when shit will hit the fan. LOL. We still don't know a lot of what Boss' operations consist of, but yeah.. no working for rival gangs, Rafael! XD

      Boss can be caring when he wants to be, I feel like that is what he showed to Natalia when she got in trouble earlier. Boss responds to loyalty, so he'd probably be okay letting Rafael live his life as long as Rafael promised not to disclose anything Boss did back in the day. Loyalty equals love in Boss' eyes, and he's willing to show love to his team members, both past, and present members, to gain their trust and respect. True, LOL, Rafael might be willing to do join Boss again, but I guess that will depend on if he gets tired of working that mundane, straight laced job, heehee. The criminal life certainly does pose more on the excitement scale compared to a lot of other jobs. XD

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  4. It appears that Rafael is telling the truth but looks can be deceiving. I don't trust that Raf is not working for another gang or an undercover cop who is using Nat to get information. If either of these are the cases and the Boss finds out that Nat didn't say anything, her ass is grass. I haven't closed my mind to the possibility that he is telling the truth and he is straight now.

    I do think Nat should keep her guard up though she obviously has feelings for him and she is afraid of what the boss my do to him. However in this line of work you need to stay professional and keep your personal feelings out of it as that can be a fatal mistake.

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    1. True, looks can be very deceiving. I think that it's wise for Natalia to drive in the direction that she is, now that she's found some results from her stake out, because she's finally getting Boss involved. If Rafael is lying, then Boss will have Natalia to thank for alerting him to the situation. Your suspicions are pretty warranted, considering that lots of criminals use legitimate businesses to launder their money, and have men on the inside so no one gets suspicious of things they do under the table. Oh man, if Rafael was an undercover cop, Boss would be so pissed... not just at Rafael, and Natalia, but at himself too for even letting Rafael get close. Yes, that's good that you still have that little hope that he's telling the truth. Rafael does really still love Natalia, so the chance that he would do something like purposely work for a rival gang in the same town, or work for the police don't really seem like things he would do. Had he never cared for her, it might be a different story, but both those things could potentially hurt Natalia, and Rafael doesn't want that for her.

      Yeah, Natalia should keep her guard up, and she is, despite her being naive sometimes, she does know the risks. True, I think in every profession, though, keeping personal feelings out of work situations is the ideal, but it doesn't always happen because life is hard and you can't choose who you love, it just happens.

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  5. That is a really hard decision. To tell or not to tell, I wouldn't want to make that choice. Since she's heading for the boss' headquarters, I think she is going to tell, but she could still change her mind.
    Of course, maybe it would have helped if Rafael didn't show up in a town that he is suppose to be dead in, or using the name of his dead self.
    So, maybe Rafael thinks he can take care of himself against the boss and his minions. Maybe Rafael is a lot tougher than he looks.
    Of course that is a lot of maybes, I think I'll just sit back and see where this really goes. :)


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    1. Yup, Natalia's life isn't easy, haha. At least at the end of this chapter she feels better, so that was a clue as to maybe what she is going to do.
      Things definitely would have been easier if Rafael wasn't here, but Natalia's life would have been pretty boring.
      Rafael is counting on Boss just thinking he's dead, and having no need to look for him. For now, no one's bothered him so far, we'll have to see if it keeps being that way.
      LOL, thanks for reading and commenting. :) The next chapter should be here soon.

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    1. Heehee, yeah he's got a real job. Restaurant one. Natalia... is driving toward her boss' place, so maybe she's going to tell him... XD

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  7. oh gosh.

    It's great that he seems to really have gotten his life out of crime...but telling her boss could end so badly. for any or all of them.

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    1. Very true... a hard decision for Natalia, and a very random result for all of those involved. O_O

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