Page 27 of Anathema
We now knew where Anathema’s hideout was located but still had no way in.
They had been operating underneath the city all this time, possibly longer; just because Conrad recently found out about their establishment didn’t mean they hadn’t been lurking in the shadows of Minneapolis for years.
The fact that the Minneapolis PD never investigated further into the calls regarding the flour mills and suspicious sightings begged the question of whether they were in on it themselves, a cover-up to protect them.
I glanced down at my phone, which I had set on the desk, and checked the time. This entire day had blown by, and we had been silently sitting here in my office for the past hour. The two of us, deep in concentration, contemplating our next available move.
With a deep sigh, I broke the silence that had settled between us.
“We need a third party, Dean,” I mumbled, chewing my lower lip. “There is no way we are going to be able to progress any further in this case without one,” I added, tapping the corner of my phone on the desk. I didn’t want to add another variable to our work unless it was absolutely necessary, and I guess that time had come. "It would need to be someone on the inside willing to risk everything for a way out of Anathema."
Better yet, if we could find out who was running their organization, this would be all over as fast as it began.
Dean shifted his gaze from the sunset to me, pulling out his phone with a light chuckle.
“Lucky for you, I found us just that.” He grinned slyly. “Took a while to find him, but while we were exploring, I got a name and an address.”
“And you waited until now to tell me? How long have we been sitting here, Dean?” My voice was filled with annoyance.
“Calm down, Derek. I wanted to make sure the information on him was accurate. The apartment was listed under a different name.” Dean frowned, unlocking his phone and going through his messages. “Besides, what good would it have done if we cornered the wrong guy?” He gave me an expecting glance.
“Anything would’ve been better than sitting here and staring at the fucking wall all day,” I growled, falling back in my chair and rubbing my forehead.
“You could have stared out of the window like me,” He added, raising an amused brow as he continued to search through his phone.Smart-ass.
I had to give him credit for finding the person we needed to access Anathema and their hideout. That was one of his better assets as an agent. His attention to detail was unparalleled in our division. I’m sure after he got the initial information, he had one of the other agents do the vetting for him while we were gone, passing it off as a deep-dive background check. Something that wouldn't raise any flags as to what we were actually doing.
I still wish he had told me earlier instead of letting me sit here and grow increasingly frustrated with this case and the dead end that stood in our way. If I had known that another agent was vetting the information he acquired, I would have been way more relaxed and patient while we waited for the confirmation.
Not to mention, being left in the dark that he had found that kind of lead to begin with was another reason why he pissed me off. If he wanted me to work with him, I needed to know what he was doing and everything he knew.
“Are you going to tell me who this mystery lead is or make me sit here silently for another hour?” I chastised, growing more impatient.
This was the last place I wanted to be right now. The first was with my viper, knowing she would most likely slam the door in myface if I showed up at her apartment right now. Almost an entire day has passed. I’ve missed my opportunity with her, and it fucking kills me.
“Here. Take a look and tell me if you know who he is.” Dean handed me his phone, and my eyes widened when I read the address.
It was the same apartment building that Alexis had been visiting more and more frequently, and the name…Eli fucking Wilder.
Goddamnit.
Aswepulledupto the apartment building, my insides began to twist into a knot, bile burning the back of my throat. I knew Alexis had been here, but I didn't know who she was visiting or staying with, and I hoped to god that this was just a coincidence and she wasn’t, in fact, fucking around with Eli Wilder.
Dean and I approached his unit and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, the door opened, and just as quickly slammed shut in our faces, a loud curse came from the other side. I laughed with a smug smirk and banged harder with my fist.
I hated this guy, but he sure as fuck was fun to intimidate and mess with.
“Get the fuck out here, Eli. We need to talk.” I shouted through the door.
We’ve arrested Eli several times in the past year, but never at his actual apartment. He was always getting caught doing some sort of illegal shit, never learning his lesson—a frequent flier of the CIA, if you will. He was always the accomplice but never the primary offender, which was why he’s not behind bars—yet.
It didn’t surprise me in the least to discover that he would be our link and information resource for Anathema. The question was, how involved was he with them? And could he be trusted to give us all the information we required? He had no reason to, after all.
“You’re going to need a warrant this time, Derek,” Eli yelled.
I huffed another laugh and licked my lips. I’d break down this door if I had to to get what we came here for, but Dean stepped up and pushed me aside, knowing what I had intended to do next.Fun sucker.
“Eli. We’re just here to talk. You’re not under arrest. We have questions regarding something that you might have valuable information on.” He spoke calmly. Dean, the voice of reason. Unlike me, I intimidate men to the point of pissing themselves if I can.
