The Malfoy Files: For Mortal Stakes Chapter Five

A/N: Thank you to all my friends who have been following our favorite wise-ass detective. I will try and get this story done in the next few months. I am without internet access so I have to rely on my girlfriend and the awesome members of The Teacher's Lounge to get these posted.

I decided a little legwork was in order so I picked up Blaise and we went to check out the small grocery. We decided to go the Muggle way so I picked up my car before meeting him. I made sure we both dressed in Muggle suits.

"How do Muggles get anywhere?" Blaise complained, looking out the passenger window as I drove.

"Quit your whinging," I smirked. "We need to try and blend in, and I won't do that appearing out of nowhere." We pulled up outside the small building and got out of my car.

"So how we gonna do this?" Blaise asked, closing the car door.

"Just follow my lead and look menacing, ok?" I said walking to my car boot and opening it. I pulled out a locked box and a briefcase. I silently cast an Alohomora spell, unlocking the case. I pulled out two Browning nine millimeter pistols and handed one to Blaise.

"Do you know how to use this?" I asked. Blaise looked at me like I was growing another head. "Ok, stupid question." I handed him one of the guns and an extra magazine. He put the gun in the back waistband of his pants and the extra magazine in his pocket.

I opened the door and Blaise followed me inside. There were ten to fifteen shelves laden with boxes of food. Along the back wall there were several coolers with glass doors. Behind the front counter was a large greasy man in a grey t-shirt that I was sure was once white. The man looked up through heavy lidded eyes.

"What you need?" The man asked with a heavy accent.

"Yes my good man," I sniffed. "My name is St. John Smythe, Reginald St. John Smythe and this is my faithful man servant Hubert." Blaise caught my eye behind the man and mouthed the word Hubert questioningly. I ignored him. "We were given this address by an associate. You see I am hosting a party and I was told you could supply the refreshment of a particular vintage." Blaise straightened up and looked around, ever alert.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man growled.

"I am quite sure," I said sniffing the air. "If you would just be so kind as to give Mr. Nievsky my card." I reached into my pocket and quickly cast a non-verbal transfiguration charm on one of my business cards changing the contact information. "If you would also be so kind as to inform him I am prepared to pay handsomely for his party planning services." I placed the briefcase on the counter, opened it and turned it to where the man could see its contents. The case was filled with stacks of fifty pound notes. I closed the case, took it off the counter and turned my back.

"You will let him know where I can be found, won't you?" I walked to the door and waited for Blaise to open it. Blaise watched the street while I put the briefcase back in the boot of the car.

"I think we have a tail," he said nonchalantly.

"It doesn't surprise me," I said.

"Especially when you consider you just flash something like a quarter of a million pounds in front of a bunch of criminals," he said still looking casual.

"If they try and take it they're in for a shock," I smirked closing the boot.

"Counterfeit?" he asked.

"Gemino Charm," I said shaking my head. "It activates when the case is opened and only last about five minutes. There are only a few notes in the case that reproduce themselves. "

Blaise smiled. "Very clever of you Reggie."

"Why, thank you Hubert. "

"So what do you wanna do about our friend," Blasie asked assessing the situation.

"Let him follow us for now. " We got into the car and I drove us back to the garage where I kept my car.

"So your plan is to just drive around until someone gets pissed off and makes a run at us?" Blaise asked not really concerned.

"You have any other ideas?"

"Not me Bwana, I am just the hired help," he smirked keeping an eye on the car that was tailing us.

I parked the car and took the briefcase with me. "Let's split up. I'm sure he'll follow me you double back and just make sure he doesn't see you."

Blaise just stared at me with a disgusted look on his face. "Sorry, about that," I apologized. "Let's move."

"Yes Bwana," he smirked, heading out.

I walked out of the garage in time to see a green Audi pull up and several large men get out and start to follow me. The street was crowded with people going about their daily business of living. I walked for about thirty minutes looking for a place that wasn't quite so crowded. I only saw Blaise twice. The first time I saw him he was across the street heading the opposite way. The other was just briefly from a block away. As soon as I was sure that Blaise still had my back and the street was partially deserted I ducked into a side alley and waited for the guys who were following me. When the first guy came around the corner, into the alley I was leaning against one of the buildings with my arms crossed.

"Hello friend," I said smiling. "Let's have a talk." The man was small and had a decidedly rodent like quality about him. I could tell he was going to bolt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said still leaning against the wall. The man turned and ran three step into a straight left hand thrown by Blaise coming around the corner.

"I told you," I smirked, pulling myself off the wall.

Blaise picked up the little man and slammed him against the wall. He looked at me with an unspoken question in his eyes. I shook my head.

"Now that we have established the order of things, why don't you just tell me who you are and why you were following me?"

The man seemed to find his backbone and shook his head vigorously. Blaise held the man up with one hand and grabbed the side of the man's head with his other. He inched his thumb slowly towards one of his eyes. "If you want to keep your depth perception, I would suggest you start answering the man's questions," he said as calmly as if he were discussing the weather.

The man swallowed and nodded.

"I was sent by Nievsky to follow you. He doesn't trust you," he squeaked.

"If he doesn't trust me just don't do business. Why follow me?"

"He also said that if we could get that case off of you we could keep part of it."

Blaise's eyes went alert and he looked at me.

"We?" he asked.

"We," I responded grimly just as the wall next to me exploded in pieces under a hail of bullets coming from the street. I pulled the gun from my pocket and ducked behind some crates. Blaise slammed the rodent's head against the wall, pulled his gun and dived behind another crate.

"I do believe, Reggie, old bean, they are on to us," he said squeezing off a shot. "Why don't we just apparate out of here?" Blaise asked.

"I tried and can't. They must be blocking it somehow," I answered ducking another round of bullets.

"A portable apparition ward?" He yelled his voice showing his concern.

"It would appear so," I growled firing several more shots.

"How the fuck they do that?" He said ducking.

"I don't know but we better do something. I'm running out of crate over here. How many do you make out?" I yelled ejecting the empty magazine from my gun and reloading it with the full one from my pocket.

"At least four," his sentence was cut off by a large blast. "Oh, and at least one shotgun." Blaise glanced around then up. "I have an idea."

"You know I hate those," I said flatly.

"Quit being a pussy and just cover me."

I nodded and popped up and fired several shots while Blaise darted across the alley and scampered up a metal fire escape. As soon as he was safely out of sight I ducked back down. Every ten seconds or so I fired off a shot just to let the gunmen know I was still there. Then I heard four shots ring out from the roof in rapid succession. The gunfire from the street stopped. I stayed behind the bullet riddled crates just to make sure. A few minutes later Blaise came back down the fire escape and I met him.

"Got three of them," He said handing me the gun. "The fourth ran away carrying a box of some sort. "The cops will be here any second and I don't intend to be anywhere near here." With that he turned and apparated away.

I needed to discuss some things with Dursley about what I had discovered and I needed to fill in Harry as well so I waited. I checked out the guy who had followed us. He had caught one of the shotgun blasts.

I picked up the briefcase put it on one of the crates. I took out both guns and placed them on crate next to the case. I sighed, leaned back against one of the buildings and closed my eyes as the sounds of sirens grew closer.