Fades Away.

                                    

                                          

_MALCOLM'S POV_
I stood by the balcony, the soft waves hitting the shore from afar. I took a drag from the cigar resting between my fingers. Mia has been avoiding me since that morning though it wasn't directly since she had been at the cottage with Linda who had disinfected my wounds before returning to the cottage.
The harsh ringtone of my phone brought my attention to the device. I picked up the call from Natalie. "Malcolm, there is a problem!" Her voice sounded urgent and the Natalie that I know would never freak out if there wasn't really a problem. 
"Tell me!" I commanded. I heard Natalie inhale sharply before she replied in a steady voice. "There was a fire at the warehouse," my clutch on the device tightened on hearing Natalie's words. "What!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean there was a fire? How did it happen?" I asked, my nerves seemingly exploding. 
Natalie's voice sounded through the phone again. "I'm on my way there now and I don't really know the situation status over there."
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I cursed as my brows furrowed from the impact of my injured hand hitting the rails of the balcony. "How did this happen? You know what, take care of the situation over there. Make sure the feds don't get a hint about it. I'll be there in the next hour." I imagined Natalie already following my orders as she replied, "yes sir!" 
"Shit!" I cursed one more time, taking hurried strides inside to find Mia in the kitchen. She was sitting alone so I guessed she must have come to have a drink or snack and I guessed right. Mia indeed had a cup of water in her hands. I pulled her hands causing her to I stare at me in a way I couldn't really decipher because my mind was focused on the alarming crisis that had befallen my warehouse and the brutal damage it could cause. 
"We're leaving." I said answering the unasked question lingering on Mia's lips as we walked to the on standby ship at the shore. "Ok," Mia said, putting a stress on the first letter of the word indicating that she is either surprised that we were leaving or she isn't satisfied with the fact that we were leaving.
We boarded the ship that sailed off instantly on my orders. Mia sat quietly all the while then I placed another call on Natalie. She picked up in an instant, her calm voice a perfect opposition to my frustration. "What's going on?" I asked and she replied, "we're retrieving the materials from the damaged part of the warehouse though we wouldn't be able to retrieve much. I fear we may have lost some vital goods."
"Good. Keep retrieving the goods both damaged and undamaged. Clear the area thoroughly and make sure no one is hurt. We can't afford to lose anyone." I ordered sternly and Natalie replier with a curt "yes sir" before disconnecting the call. 
I may have sounded calm but I was already thinking of the damage that may have been caused. A fire wasn't a light issue. We could lose important documents, goods and even large sums of cash. The thought of this incident affecting the status and powerful reputation of this empire which I have built to this stage was very alarming. I knew in my mind that this wasn't just a small mistake or a accident. This for was a plot against my empire and I would find whoever was involved in it and make them burn to ashes till there is nothing left of them.
"Is anything the matter?" I heard Mia ask from behind me. Her soft, gentle voice was a calming effect to my nerves. I turned to face her, keeping a stern expression as she stood quietly for a while. "Nothing you should know about," I said breaking the silence. It seemed Mia saw the turmoil behind my equally calm and stern look. She took slow, cautious steps towards me then stopped just as our bodies almost touched. I said nothing, watching what she would do next. I saw a look of uncertainty in her eyes just before she placed her head on my chest, her hands closing around my back. 
At that moment, everything else faded away, my thoughts all blocked and the only thing I could feel was the scent of her wafting through my senses. I pulled her closer against myself, my hand stroking her dark, silky hair. Her touch was like medicine, working its way up my chest, to my head, taking my pain and worries away only to remain cremated in my mind.
***
It was already close to nightfall when the car stopped at the secluded area of the massive gate leading to the warehouse. I was about to alight the car when Mia grabbed my arm. 
"What's going on?" She asked and I gave her no reply. She let go of my arm seemingly disappointed as she sat back against the car seat. "Take her home," I said to the driver who replied curtly, "Yes sir!"
I alighted the car, the guards and men at the gate straightening their backs and looking as serious as ever. I watched the car speed away, a few others trailing behind. 
Without me saying a word, one of the men typed a key code on the biometric authentication board by the side and the gate creaked as it slid open. I caught the smell of burnt air as I walked in, a few men trailed behind me as I took long, steady strides down the path containing series of cars and trucks on each sides till I reached the massive building that beamed with workers. 
Just as I stopped to take a look at the surroundings, I spotted Natalie walking towards me. Her face looked a little sweaty and pale. "Malcolm," she called, her voice hoarse. 
"Get me a glass of water," I said to the men behind me without looking back, my eyes still fixated on Natalie's troubled expression. "Tell me," I said as an order though my voice was low. It seemed the situation was worser than I thought or Natalie would not look so distressed.
She retrieved the glass of water from one of the men, taking a light sip before giving it back to him.
"The vault!" She uttered. Those two simple words sent me striding hastily followed by Natalie, cuss words raining out of my mouth. The smell of smoke got stronger as we reached the hidden vault. I walked into the dark space and all the workers inside stood at alert on noticing my presence.
"How did this fucking happen!" I yelled, my anger simmering. I looked around the large space that still had the shelves and file cabinets though they're were signs of damage from fire. The air reeked of the suffocating smell of smoke and the composite steel concrete wall was coated with black ash. 
"There was supposed to be alarm systems installed," I said cooly but my expression cold. "Yes, they were installed but.."Natalie shifted behind me and the workers avoided my gaze as I cut her off, "How much was damaged and where are the goods that were retrieved?" 
"Thankfully, not much of the goods were damaged. Over here," Natalie said showing me to the secured storage where the goods where secured. I scanned the items and it seemed not much damage was done except for some documents which was a relief since I had them encrypted by the tech team. "And.." I didn't get to finish what I was about to say when four men lined up in front of me with large boxes. They opened the boxes in their hands revealing well stacked cash currencies. 
I gave a curt nod and the men dismissed themselves. "What was the security team doing?" I asked, my anger subsiding a tad bit. Natalie cleared her throat before speaking. "I was tending to some documents at home when I got the call. By the time I got here, the fire had been doused and supposedly, the security team wasn't aware of the fire till it escalated and the alarm wasn't triggered either.
"You know what that means?" I asked in response and she nodded thoughtfully. "The fire was not accidental, I think it was planned because it is clear that the area to be affected was well calculated since no crucial item were damaged." 
"Smart thinking," I thought but didn't say it out loud. "We must find who did this and how they were able to access the vault without being spotted. Extract information from each and every person that can access the vault and the warehouse including the workers." I gave specified orders to Natalie whose expression was now slightly relaxed. It seemed she expected me to be more furious than I was at that moment but I know she had nothing to do with the fire since she was never so careless and she took control of the situation in time.










Next chapter soon!!!
Mimitaenie 💜