Hey-yo, this is a fun chapter to write (although it did take a while to finish)! I hope you're hanging in there folks, the next one is the actual half-way point and things are about to get extra hype.
Btw, Beca plays a very dangerous game in her POV so if that makes you uneasy, skip to the next POV. You'll still get the gist of what happens.
The next chapter should be relatively shorter, which means I might be able to upload that before the end of the week. We'll see.
I don't own pitch perfect.
It's been three days since the incident. The incident being another attack at the building and the last broadcast that the rest of the tenants were apparently no longer a part of. Aubrey assured them that everything was being handled and that there was no need for anymore broadcasts. Cynthia Rose was curious as to why, but Beca said that she had the info that she needed and that she will handle things from there, and Cynthia Rose dared not argue back.
They were all still all kinds of bruised up and sore, but other than that, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Either Aubrey or Chloe would update the tenants daily, even when there was little progress, just to loop them in. They were all in this together now after all.
That noontime was the first time they ended up all gathered up at Cynthia Rose's restaurant since the incident, further giving Cynthia Rose the feeling that they truly were one unit now. A strong team raising hell against Babel and fighting for justice. Even Beca was there, having been dragged along by Chloe. This of course gave Cynthia Rose all the motivation she needed to make a wonderful meal for everyone. She wouldn't dare disappoint Beca, not after she started sending her to culinary school.
They all pushed the tables together, eating together as one family – dare Cynthia Rose call it that? – for lunch, but no one touched their food until Beca was served hers and had a chance to taste it. When she gave Cynthia Rose a thumbs up, everyone released their breathes, relaxed and started eating too.
Most of the conversations during meal time were focused a little less on the business with Babel and more on the happenings on their personal life. Chloe had gone back to her father's home, Aubrey was busy tidying up legal matters on their recent assault while juggling things for Dr. Mitchell's case. The rest of the tenants had rallied behind him since the incident with Calamity and her parent's financial firm getting tied up with Babel. Chloe and Beca had been the one checking in on him recently, making sure he was okay. From the sound of it, he had some kind of complication. Surgery was nearly used to mitigate the situation. Cynthia Rose did her best to follow the jargons. Despite not understanding most of it, she did know that Dr. Mitchell is okay, and the treatment they administered had worked without the need for surgery.
After lunch, Cynthia Rose served everyone some tea and coffee and a plate of biscuits. Flo commented how this was the first time they had a proper get-together with no meetings and no schemes being plotted. Jessica noted that it was nice. Ashley suggested that, if they weren't all too busy, they should do this more often. Denise thought they could throw in a little bit of fun and have a game.
"What do you have in mind?" Benji asked.
"Oh, how about a game of mafia?" Bumper suggested.
And for whatever reason, Beca started choking on her coffee. Chloe laughed and Aubrey gave out a chuckle.
"No one's actually a member of the mafia in the game, Beca," Aubrey then said trying her best to keep a straight faced. Cynthia Rose would be lying if she said this wasn't the first time she had seen the attorney look so amused.
"It's technically like this," Emily then piped up as she tried to hurriedly explain the rules. "We write down different roles on a piece of paper and draw lots. Someone gets to be the narrator, or the game master, whatever you want to call it. They tell us if it's night time. If it is, we all close our eyes. Then they would ask for the mafia members, at least one or two, to open their eyes and pick a target by pointing at them. That target dies when morning comes. The narrator then gets the mafia to close their eyes and asks the doctor to open theirs, pick someone to save, and then close their eyes again. Lastly, the detective is asked to open their eyes, they point to someone they suspect and the narrator will confirm if they're part of the mafia or not. There's also a judge but they don't do much at night. Everyone else get to just be citizens. When morning comes and we get to know who is killed, we all get to discuss who we think is a mafia member and vote someone out. The narrator will confirm if we got it right or not and then a new round starts. If the doctor saves the right person, then they don't die. The detective, meanwhile, can't reveal their role but if they find out who the mafia are, they can direct the conversations and push on voting someone out. If the judge is killed, the mafia automatically win."
"I think I get the gist of it," Beca replied. "But maybe I shouldn't be the narrator, I don't want to mess It up."
"Then I'll take on that role for the games today, how about it?" Cynthia Rose volunteered. "And next time, we can draw lots for it."
"Great idea, CR," Aubrey agreed and so did the rest of the tenants.
And so, the games begun and the tenants drew lots.
They drummed on the table as the narrator talked about how it was night time and it was time for them. The two members of the mafia ended up being Beca and Lilly. They were pretty much in sync in selecting their victim, with their first being Bumper.
The doctor ended up being Bumper, who tried to save Amy. That was a good kill for the pair, Cynthia Rose thought, as the doctor can't save anyone. But the citizens still have a shot. She sat next to Aubrey saw she drew the judge role. She was partly worried they'd win in one go if Beca picked Aubrey – and she did consider it. She smirked before she finalized her decision on Bumper and Lilly quickly agreed. Cynthia Rose couldn't help but wonder if that smirk meant she had a feeling that the judge was Aubrey. Beca sat opposite her across the table, and Lilly was far down the left so neither could have known. Either way, Beca's instinct sure was spot on.
The next was the detective, who happened to be Jesse. He picked Bumper as his first suspect to which Cynthia Rose shook her head to clear him off suspicion.
Doesn't matter, he's dead anyways.
Cynthia Rose had everyone open their eyes and was getting ready to reveal who was out of the game, having been killed by the "mafia" when all of a sudden a group of four men walked into the restaurant wearing suits. They showed everyone their badges – FBI – and revealed a document. A warrant for the arrest of Beca Bella.
Things happened too fast for Cynthia Rose to follow after that. They read Beca her rights. They were arresting her for some trumped up charge, she figured. Babel had to behind this.
Why on earth would someone arrest anyone for being… What did they say again? Con-woman? No, that didn't sound right… it was more like corn salad?
What the heck does that even mean?
Beca looked unfazed, and was cooperative. Emily looked panicked. Jesse started rambling excuses about needing to go to the bathroom for an emergency really quickly. It would seem lunch didn't sit so well with Jesse. Or perhaps he gets anxious around law enforcement personnel? Aubrey and Chloe quickly scrambled on their feet. Lilly looked like she was about to murder someone and Emily was quick to reassure her. It would seem that Lilly was very passionate to prove Beca's innocence. In truth, all of them were.
But for now, what could they do, but hope that their trusted pair of attorney's would set things straight and set Beca free.
She was, after all, one of them now.
Aubrey's head was swirling.
The past couple of days have been crazy enough as it is dealing with figuring out who Babo was, taking down Babel, dealing with their attacks at the tower, Dr. Mitchell's health scare, and whether or not she wanted to know what happened to the group of killers Beca managed to capture.
The were finally able to get a moment of peace in between their crazy schedules and now this.
She supposed though, that she should have seen it coming. Chloe had warned her, just as she did Beca, that Chicago had let slip that DSM and Babel have suspicions of Beca being involved in the mafia. It was only a matter of time that they made their move, but Beca remained unbothered. Her philosophy? If they knew her reputation, it would be wise to stay away.
Clearly, whoever Babo was, they thought they could still take Beca, even with her given reputation, whatever that meant. Aubrey never really pursued to dig in a little more about her life as a consigliere. She simply decided that she didn't need to know.
Aubrey's car was the closest. She drove closely behind the FBI vehicles to get to their Atlanta office while Chloe was already trying to think of ways to get Beca out of this situation.
They kept close to the agents taking her in the moment they parked too. Aubrey barking her arguments about unsubstantiated claims and being framed for something for sure, marching right behind the agents who argued back that they shouldn't even be getting past security and following them all the way in.
"Yeah, well, we're her lawyers," Chloe argued back.
The tallest of the agents was about to have them escorted out, exasperated with their arguments, when he looked straight behind them with what was at first a curios look, followed by one that was annoyed.
Beca herself looked intrigued by the sudden turn of events, her eyes fixed straight behind them, eyebrow quirked at the surprise appearance of Jesse Swanson, wearing black sunglasses, and sporting a standard black and white suit. Behind him was two other men dressed in a similar fashion.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you men take in Ms. Bella," Jesse said, sounding all official. He made a show of taking off his sunglasses and tucking it inside his suit's inner pocket before producing a letter from the same pocket and handing it to the incredibly tall FBI agent who was about to ask who they were.
That's when Jesse produced his badge and showed it around to everyone, shoving it straight to their faces before taking it back and urging the tallest FBI agent to read the letter.
"You have to be kidding me," the tall FBI agent groaned after doing so. "You can't just interfere with our business you know!"
"Take it to your higher ups if you don't like it," Jesse then said. "But unfortunately for you, you're the ones interfering with ours," he went on to say before Aubrey felt a bit of trepidation at his words. Because, if Aubrey remembers correctly and if the badge was indeed real, that would mean Jesse Swanson was a CIA agent.
And the last thing they want is to be in the middle of the FBI's and the CIA's business.
"That letter is signed by Deputy Director Abernathy-McKadden-Feinberger of the Office of Russian and European Analysis in the Directorate of Intelligence herself, and she's highly disappointed in your meddling. Beca Bella is here as an important witness and asset for the CIA," Jesse declared, prompting Chloe and Aubrey to look at each other at a loss for words because they most certainly did not know about any of this. The two simultaneously turned to look over at Beca who briefly shrugged, clearly confused about what Jesse was talking about. It would seem Beca didn't know she was this all-important witness and asset either but she nevertheless nodded in agreement to whatever Jesse was saying the moment the FBI agents shifted their attention to her.
"Now look here," one of the agents flanking Beca started to say but Jesse interrupted him quickly.
"We have a very important op here that you're messing with. A matter of great national security. If it fails and great disaster strikes the heart of our nation, would you be able to shoulder that responsibility?" Jesse argued.
The agent gulped and slinked back while the tallest one sighed and nodded along, asking the second agent flanking Beca to uncuff her and set her free and released into CIA custody.
Before Aubrey could protest, she soon found themselves all whisked away to the CIA offices. Jesse rode back in her car with Chloe and Beca awkwardly apologizing about not telling anyone about him being a CIA agent. He proceeded to explain how he got tangled into Beca's business, starting from her arrival, his initial mission of just simply watching over her activities, and how the investigation into Babel could lead to something bigger.
Once they got settled into an unused conference room, Jesse proceeded to explain the bigger reason why they wanted to work with Beca, and why, as soon as she was arrested, he had called the Deputy Director, who was away on an important trip. Jesse had the letter prepared ahead of time, since Babel first started to look into Beca using their contacts in the CIA.
"Babel is one thing, and their interest in Barden Tower may purely be for future financial gains, but considering who was the former owner, I can't just ignore the possibility," Jesse then said.
"Of?" Aubrey pressed on. "Also, what about Luke?"
"Not Luke," Jesse replied. "Wan Shi Tong, he's a big fish in the criminal underworld, probably the biggest before his death. There was a rumor that he had hidden his treasure in America before he passed, and, during my time at the tower, I have a reason to believe that he may have hidden it in Barden Tower."
Beca chuckled, she did her best to keep her poker face on but it was clear to Aubrey that something had her on the defensive all of a sudden. "Why would Wan Shi whatever bury gold in an old derelict tower, come on now."
Chloe looked at Beca suspiciously too, something the Aubrey didn't miss.
But apparently Jesse did as she dramatically stared out the window, adopting a more serious tone.
"Not gold, no,… well… maybe gold… I guess you heard that rumor too, huh? But that's not what the CIA is after. What we want is something more precious. One ring to rule them all… or in this case, one incredibly precious and dangerous external hard drive."
"Huh?" Beca then asked.
Jesse continued his over theatrical way of moving about as he turned to face them and sat down the edge of the table, nearly falling down the floor before he quickly adjusted himself. "What we want is the Guillotine File."
And at the mention of the name of the file, Aubrey gasped.
Because yes, she's heard of it from her father before.
It was only a rumor. Practically a myth. But it was said that a file existed containing all the dirt and secrets of the richest people in the world, all the highest-ranking government officials, and notable personnels. All of it.
"So, it's real?" Aubrey replied.
"You know about it?" Jesse then asked Aubrey in surprise.
"My father knows people," was Aubrey's simple remark.
"What exactly is this file?" Beca asked and Aubrey, in a rare opportunity, Aubrey was given a situation where she knew something that Beca didn't know about.
And so, Aubrey explained what she knew of it, Jesse providing additional info of what he knew and deemed worthy and safe to share.
"Wait, if this thing is real, why are you just sharing this to us?" Chloe then asked.
"We need help in securing it, and I couldn't help but wonder if Beca knew anything about it, considering she is a consigliere," Jesse replied. Beca shook her head in response. She truly didn't know about the file. "Right, well, whatever your reason was for coming here, it clearly isn't to stir up trouble. If anything, you've been making a difference and helping a lot of people. The deputy director would like to speak to you personally when she gets back, of course, but she wants you to know that whatever you need, we're here. We can't let the Guillotine File fall into the hands of bad people, like Babel and DSM. Can we count on you?"
Beca stood up and look thoughtful for a minute or two. "Of course," she finally said. "I can't promise anything, we haven't really confirmed if this Guillotine File is in the tower, after all. But I'm looking forward to meeting the deputy director, let her know that on my behalf."
"Awesome," Jesse replied with a fist pump. "And of course, if you need anything, I'm still undercover at the tower, but please don't tell the other residents."
"Our lips are sealed," Chloe then said.
"Right, and thanks, for today," Beca replied.
"Aww, no worries. But if you really wanna say thank you, can I get a hug? I've just been… you know… you're so awesome, I've kinda become a fan," Jesse then replied and suddenly his over theatrics, trying to look serious and cool, made sense in Aubrey's mind.
He was trying to impress Ms. Mafia lawyer.
"No," Beca replied flatly.
"A handshake?" Jesse then asked, offering a hand to Beca.
"Sure," Beca replied amused before briefly shaking his hand.
They soon excused themselves and made their way back to the parking lot, the three of them deep at thought.
"I can't believe the Guillotine File exists," Aubrey then said, mostly to herself.
"Me neither," Beca replied, her tone sounding distant. It would seem the gears of her mind had started to work.
"Say Beca," Chloe then said, suddenly stopping. She reached out and grabbed Beca by the arm, prompting her to stop as well.
And so did Aubrey, curious at what Chloe suddenly had to say. She had a look of shock and disbelief on her face, as if she suddenly realized something.
"Di-didn't you say… back then, when I asked you… at the bar… I asked you what you were doing here…"
"And?" Beca asked before the same look of realization dawned on her and she started shaking her head.
"Oh? What did Ms. Bella say, please do enlighten me?" Aubrey then asked, curious as to what's happening.
"You said you were here for your gold!" Chloe then exclaimed, doing her best to keep her tone down.
Beca facepalmed in response.
That's when it all clicked.
"So, you don't know about the Guillotine File, but you know about the gold?" Aubrey asked in a whisper, grabbing Beca and Chloe close.
Beca sighed. "Yes, I did. I was the one who made the base plans on hiding his gold," she begrudgingly admitted. Aubrey was expecting some resistance, but she figured it was because of Chloe that Beca folded so easily. She already had apparently once shared the info to her already.
"I thought you were joking back then!" Chloe then exclaimed.
"That's why… That's why you're so adamant at stopping Babel from getting into the tower," Aubrey said, mostly to herself once again, before shaking her head. "But if that gold exists, does that mean…"
Beca nodded. "I didn't know about it, but if the Guillotine File exists, it would be with the gold."
"And… do you know where it is? Do you have plans to get it out?" Aubrey pressed on.
"I'm working on it," Beca then said with determination. "But for now, we have to focus on Babel," she went on to say. "We have to thank them properly for their little stunt with the FBI, after all. Thanks to them, we gained a new powerful ally in this fight."
Beca fished for her phone and updated Lilly of what had happened, she then proceeded to ask if she had done what she had asked her bodyguard to do. Aubrey assumed that Lilly had, judging from the smirk on Beca's lips when she hung up on the phone.
"Well?" Aubrey then asked.
"Let's go, I've got some plans tonight," was all that Beca replied. Chloe started chastising her before Beca promised to explain what she had in mind once they settled down back in the office and had some coffee.
It was time for their counter-attack.
Beca had both her hands in her suit pocket, one hand gripping tightly on her lighter. She was dressed simply for her standards, a black suite ensemble with a white button down and a pair of black leather shoes. She had to be mobile and comfortable after all.
She ran a hand through her as she admired the handiwork of her trusty bodyguard, Lilly, who was standing in the corner of the room. Where were they? None other than James Jameson's own home. Lilly arrived dressed as an UberEats driver, apparently the discreet private investigator loved to eat out and regularly had deliveries made for food at home instead of picking it up himself. Rookie mistake, really. It was like he's just asking for something like this to happen.
Lilly made quick work of knocking him down as soon as he opened the door. Beca followed in as soon as Lilly dragged the unconscious man inside and tied him to a dining chair at the center of the room. Between the two of them was a side table where Beca laid down a small revolver and six bullets for its chambers, neatly lined up.
Beca stared intently at the James as he started to stir awake. She pulled out the lighter from her pocket as she started to fiddle with it's cap and smiled. Something deep inside her told her, this was it. The moment of truth.
Tonight, she would unmask Babo. Tonight, she'll look her enemy in the eye.
She would be lying if she said that there wasn't a part of her that felt excited by it.
There had always been something so satisfying that comes with the thrill of a hunt.
Beca stopped fiddling with the lighter cap the moment the PI had his eyes flutter open and land on where she was standing. It took him a moment or two to take in his current predicament, a look of defiance settling on his features making Beca chuckle.
Why do people like him always do this?
"I won't waste your time, whatever you have left of it, that is," Beca said calmly. "You know who I am, and what I do. You know why I'm here."
"I'm not telling you anything, I don't care who you are. You don't scare," James then spouted back.
Beca laughed. "We'll see," she said before grabbing the revolver and showing James that the chamber was empty. "I met this man before," she started to say as she grabbed one bullet, "people believed he was extremely lucky, others insane," she continued to narrate as she showed James the bullet she had grabbed. "You see, whenever someone wanted to pick a fight with him, he'd challenge them to a simple game. I think you might be familiar with it, something called Russian roulette. Needless to say, this man won every single one of his games. But that's not why he was called crazy."
Beca loaded one bullet in the chamber before grabbing a second one. As she examined it, she continued her little story. "You see, his games were a little extreme. Instead of one bullet being loaded into one chamber of the cylinder and having all other five empty, he had it reversed. Five bullets were loaded, and one chamber was empty. To make his opponents feel at ease, each one of them had a gun. An assurance that no one can temper with the revolver during the game and that they were allowed to examine it both before they start a game. They could load however many bullets they want as long as one chamber in the cylinder is empty. He wanted to prove that he was born with the ultimate luck in the world and that he did. He always got the empty chamber. Not to be outdone, his opponents would want to prove to them that they were also born under a lucky star, and that they would be the one to survive and force him to finally bite the dust in his next turn. Unfortunately for him, whoever challenged him is dead by their first turn."
Beca set down the other bullet. "Lucky for you, I'm not that crazy," she said, before settling on only the one bullet she had already loaded. She spun the cylinder in its open position before closing it, pulling back the hammer. "But how about it? A game? Not like you have much of a choice," she commented. "I'll play with you, don't worry. I'll even start this round. Then you'll start the next one. We'll take turns. After each round, I'll add another bullet to the chamber. The game ends when one of us is dead, or you can end it yourself. All you have to do is tell me who your boss is. Who Charles Walters is, and where I can find him. If you don't give me an answer that satisfies me, we continue with our little game. I wonder who between us have the better luck."
"You might as well kill me, I'll never talk!" James argued back.
"Like I said, you don't really have a choice in the matter," Beca said, pointing the barrel of the gun towards her temple and pulling the trigger. James flinched but no shot was fired. Beca popped open the cylinder and spun it again. She closed it as the cylinder was still spinning, her eyes fixed on James. She pulled back the hammer once again and pointed barrel of the gun to his head. When Beca pulled the trigger, no shot was fired.
"Lucky you," she commented before loading another bullet in the cylinder, in a chamber opposite the first.
"Stop this! What good would this game do if I'm dead? You'll never find him!" the PI argued.
"So, you do know him then?" Beca asked before starting James' turn. He survived his round. James shuddered as Beca pulled the trigger of the gun pointed at herself after she did the same thing as before, spinning the cylinder once more before pulling the trigger, but no shots were fired.
James started growing paler by the second. "How does dying yourself or killing me help you?" he argued while Beca loaded a third bullet in the cylinder, in a chamber between the first two.
"If you die, then I'll have a setback, but I'm sure I can find someone else or look for a clue in your belongings. The dead talk, you just need to pay attention to what they're saying," Beca said while calmly taking her turn.
No shots fired yet. She spun the chamber again before pointing the gun at James.
He survived his turn as well.
"HOW COULD YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?" he yelled while Beca loaded another bullet in the chamber opposite of the third. At this point each of them had a four in six chance of getting a chamber with a bullet in it.
Beca pulled the trigger on James, again no fire was shot. Then she spun the cylinder and fired it at herself.
Still no fire was shot.
And so Beca loaded a fifth bullet. "One must be prepared to die when they start playing with fire. Fire consumes all, after all. Including the player. How about it, are you ready to talk?"
James was sweating through his clothes. There was a very slim chance they'd both make it alive this round, and that was only because Beca would spin the cylinder at the start of each round. Beca could see he knew and understood that.
Beca smiled and spun the cylinder again and pulled the trigger at herself first. Nothing. She spun the cylinder and pointed it at James. Still nothing.
James gave a sigh of relief before panic set in. With one bullet left unloaded, the next turn would be fatal for whoever starts, and the next round starts with him.
"Shame, we could have done this the easy way," Beca said as she pointed the gun to James.
"No, please!" he cried out. "WAIT! JUST WAIT! I'LL TELL YOU! CHARLES WALTERS! I KNOW WHO HE IS!"
"And?" Beca then replied, still pointing the gun at him "I'm listening, you said you'll tell me right?"
"He'll kill me if he finds out I'm the one who talked, please, you have to help me," James then said.
"Why should I?"
"Because I'm giving you what you want!"
Beca chuckled. "Why is it that you people like to keep making deals when you have nothing to bargain with? If you haven't been paying attention, you're not really in the position to do so. Talk if you want or bite the bullet. Hell, if you stop it with your teeth before it kills you, I'll be so impressed I might consider setting you free."
"P-please," James said. "He'll kill me."
"Your dead anyways," Beca replied and sighed. "No more of this, either you speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I'LL TALK! PLEASE! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"
"Who is he?" Beca asked one last time.
And when she heard the answer all she could do was laugh.
It was like a funny joke.
All this time…
…and in a way she knew.
Her instincts told her something was wrong with him from the start.
It all made sense now.
"W-wait! You won't untie me?!" James cried out as Lilly and Beca started to leave.
"No," Beca replied.
"And y-you won't kill me?" the PI asked.
"I have no interest in that," Beca then said.
The PI then started crying and laughing at the same time. "Right… I… I'm good as dead anyways… I-I can see why they fear and respect you… you have ice in your veins and nerves of steel… nothing will stop you from getting what you want. Not even a deadly game with your life on the line… Not as crazy as that man in your story, huh? At least he didn't let his challengers suffer long!"
"You really are an idiot, huh?" Beca then replied before leaving the house. "There is no such thing as luck in this world. If you want to survive, you have to make your own."
"W-what?" the PI asked confused.
Beca chuckled. "If you can't figure that out, you're beyond helping. Let's just say, you betrayed your boss over nothing."
Lilly asked what her next orders were as soon as Beca shut the door behind James and left his home. "Call Chloe for me, let her know I'm going to reveal Babo soon and for her and Aubrey to get ready. I have a call to make myself and another house to visit," was her response.
It's time to properly introduce herself to Charles Walters Jr., after all.
Chicago barely walked inside his home when he got the call from the Kommissar about the FBI setting Beca free and being protected by the CIA. Apparently her contact in the FBI was also backing out on aiding them in the future as well, prioritizing his career instead.
As soon as he hung up the call, Chicago made for his mini-bar when he froze on his tracks and felt the muzzle of a gun press against the base of his skull, pointing upwards from behind him.
"Game over," he heard Beca Bella say before he felt her kick him behind shin. It was stronger than he ever expected coming from the rather petite annoyance that had come to upturn his life. He fell on his knees and started spouting out nonsense about how he was afraid and confused at what's happening while racking his brains over what Beca was doing in his home.
Or for that matter, how she found out where he lived. His address at DSM was for a small apartment downtown. He pays it under his name as Chicago Walp but barely lives there, instead opting for his posh bachelor pad in one of the richest neighborhoods of Atlanta.
"Cut the act, Chicago," Beca said as she circled around him, settling on standing in front of him, the revolver in her hand pointed between his brows. "Or should I call you Charles? Besides, I think it's safe to say we're pretty good friends now. We've both gotten to know each other pretty well," she then said.
At first, Chicago was surprised. Beca had found him out. A dozen questions popped into his mind but it paled in comparison to the relief he suddenly felt.
He didn't have to play so dumb anymore.
The mask had slipped off. He didn't even realize how heavy of a weight it had with it. "You can still call me Chicago, consigliere," he said dryly before being overcome with laughter. "So, I take it you're here to kill me?" he then asked, staring Beca right in the eyes.
He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction to see fear in his eyes.
Out in the distance, the faint sounds of sirens started to fill the air. Chicago doesn't understand it either, but it would seem the police were on their way to where he was.
Now who on earth could have called them?
"Well?" Chicago then asked. "Go ahead," he went on to say, raising both his hands in the air in surrender, a wicked smile settling on his lips. If Beca Bella was who her dossier from Milan says she is, then she should have no trouble in doing so.
As long as she was prepared to get caught straight away.
"DO IT! SHOOT ME! RIGHT THERE BETWEEN MY EYES! COME ON, BECA!" he shouted, daring her to do so.
But Beca didn't even flinch. She was cool, calm, and confident the entire time. No signs of any internal turmoil inside.
She simply smirked and took one step back. The sirens started growing louder before she popped open the cylinder of her revolver, showing Chicago that all of its chambers each had a bullet. She closed it, pointed it to her head, and started firing away.
But nothing happened.
Beca fired six rounds before the police arrive. She soon held out the fake gun towards them. "No need to be so rough, I'll happily come with you," she said leaving the detectives confused while the rest of their team checked in on Chicago.
"I hope you're ready," Beca then yelled back as she proceeded to go with the detectives. "I'll drag you out into the light and make you pay what you owe."
"I'm looking forward to see you try," Chicago then said with a jovial smile, trying to minimize the situation.
They've both shown their hands, no more secrets between them.
This was war.
And Chicago was eager to prove that he will win.
"So, let me get this straight," Kimmy Jin, the prosecutor in the district attorney's office who reached out to them, said, her tone unconvinced by the story Beca had given her.
Chloe sat to Beca's right in a seat across Kimmy Jin's desk. Beca was sat in the middle, facing Kimmy Jin directly, with Aubrey to her left side.
"You broke into the house Chicago Walp was house-sitting with a fake, plastic gun, and rubber foam bullets wrapped in plastic and disguised to realistic enough because of a prank?"
"Oh, hey, you got it right!" Beca then replied. "Well, all except for one thing."
"And that is?" Kimmy Jin asked, slightly annoyed.
"He's not house sitting. That place belongs to him. Come on now, didn't you look into who owns the house?"
"Well, it was under Charles Walter's name, the former chairman, and CEO of Babel. I assume it was one of his properties and it was never transferred to his son's name because of some oversight and that it was his son, who is currently in their summer home, who had asked for him to house sit."
"There was no oversight," Beca said, matter-of-factly.
Chloe's stomach churned. She nearly dropped the phone when Lilly said Beca was headed to where Babo was and when she had asked Lilly where that would be, who Charles Walters was, the last person she expected was Chicago.
He was such a goofball. No one took him seriously despite being smart. He could be charming on good days, and whenever someone asked what he's dream was, he always sprouted something simple, about making his parents proud and building his own name as a lawyer.
She didn't even suspect him to be anything more than that. She didn't even question the possibility of him being far more sinister than the Kommissar or any of the other greedy corrupt personnel from either Babel or DSM.
Chloe thought that he was just like her, before her eyes were opened to the truth, before her father died. Incredibly naïve.
How Beca managed to not smack him around a few times and cooly and calmly walk away instead of strangling him is beyond Chloe.
"Please, enlighten me," Kimmy Jin then said.
"Remember when you asked us, for our help to bring Babel down? Well, this is your chance to do the right thing. Theo Walters isn't the one you should be after. No, you should be after Charles Walters," Beca replied.
"He's dead," Kimmy Jin bluntly pointed out.
"Junior," Aubrey then added. "Theo's older brother. You would know him as the bumbling Chicago Walp."
"The slimy bastard is putting on an act," Chloe then added.
Kimmy Jin looked at them absolutely astounded. It was like as if they had told her she had just won a billion dollars, or found a pot of gold.
"I still don't understand any of this? Why barge into his home with this kind of prank? Shouldn't you be collecting evidence? I don't understand why you called me to send the police and ask to speak to me directly? What game are you playing at? Also, does that mean you'll help me?" Kimmy Jin started rambling on with her questions.
"I just wanted to see how quickly you can react," Beca then said. "I need you to be ready. We're bringing him to justice, on a silver platter too, that much I can promise."
"How?" Kimmy Jin then asked. "Because I can't let you break a dozen laws in the process."
"We'll do things our way, but don't you worry, I'm not breaking anything. If we want justice to be served, things need to be done properly," Beca replied to reassure her.
"Now that's settled, can we go now?" Aubrey then asked. "Given our adviser, and client in this case, didn't really do much of anything. Chicago didn't even press charges."
Kimmy Jin waved them to go on ahead. "We'll be in touch," Beca then said as she got up of her seat.
They walked in silence on the way to the parking lot. They had to be careful talking about Babel in the DA's office. The assistant DA has currently been taking over, without an appropriate replacement to fill the seat just yet, and he was a close friend of the state attorney general, which meant that they were well within enemy territory.
Once they reached the car, it was Aubrey who first broke the silence. "Does that mean we'll work with her?"
"For now," Beca replied thoughtfully. "I still don't trust her fully, but if we want to do things right way, if we want to beat Babel and Chicago through the legal system, we need someone like her."
"I agree," Chloe then said. "She's risking her neck here, although putting all of Babel and DSM could prove to be a good platform to launch her career to greater heights."
Beca nodded. "Sometimes it's all about what a person stands to gain and what they stand to lose. Hopefully, her morality and honor are both still intact," she said before giving Chloe an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, by the way."
"That you didn't break Chicago's nose or had him lose a couple of his teeth?"
"Having a little case of the bloodthirst, now are we?" Aubrey retorted and shook her head at Chloe's remark.
Beca chuckled, on the other hand. "That it ended up being someone you considered as a friend."
"Were we ever truly friends?" Chloe then asked. "I don't think so. Now that we know who it is, it doesn't matter who I thought Chicago was in the past. So many people have suffered already," she went on to say with renewed vigor and passion. She meant her words after all. "We'll make him pay. We'll make all of them pay."
"And that, we will," Beca then agreed. "But first thing's first. We have to bring him out in the open."
"And what do you have in mind for that?" Aubrey pressed on while also urging them to get in her car.
"Well, I have a few ideas," Beca replied as soon as she got on the back seat, Chloe taking the passenger's seat in front.
"Good, then let's hear it," Chloe replied.
After all the lies, after fooling her for so long, Chloe was finally awake, she could see the truth.
It was time to truly strike back, make it hurt this time.
It was time to make him suffer the way they all have.
Chicago will pay.
That much she promised to herself.
To his victims.
And of course, to her father.
A/N Pt 2: I did say things are heating up…
PS: who got what role in the mafia game has a meaning behind them ;D
UPNEXT: Beca forces Chicago out of hiding; Theo kinda takes a stand?
