The waiting Game

Haruki came into the office with some papers detailing the report on the previous incident. The place was a hive of activity, with phones ringing and agents bustling about. The typically organized space was now a chaotic mess of files, coffee cups, and hastily written notes pinned to the board. Security had been beefed up and everyone was on high alert.

Kenji took the papers and went through the report, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"It's basically all I mentioned yesterday in words," Haruki sighed, raking his hand through his dishevelled hair in frustration.

"I can't believe they just disappeared like that, no one could give a proper description of how they looked for us to get posters out."

Even Haruki and Ryoji who had conversed with the suspects couldn't describe what they looked like. Was it some kind of new drug at play, scrambling their memories? Haruki wouldn't put it past them.

Kenji dropped the reports on the table. "What about the guards who were supposed to be on duty?" he asked, concerned about what might have become of them.

Haruki sighed, shaking his head. "They were found unconscious in their car earlier today. They're currently receiving treatment, but it seems they were incapacitated before the assailant gained access to the patient's room," he explained.

"Hmmm," Kenji leaned forward, fingers steepled. "To operate under our noses like this, we are being toyed with."

"It's clear this isn't some simple yakuza business, we might have to be careful," Takahiro chimed in from his seat.

"They are trying to silence one of their own just to save their necks. Despicable," Ryoji spat, nursing a black eye from the fight yesterday. His knuckles were still bruised and split, Rekka held out another ice pack for him.

This only went to show the ruthlessness of those in the underground system.

"Is there no response from the court on that warrant?" Haruki asked, brows furrowed in worry.

With all the evidence arranged before them, they should have been given the warrant immediately. What was taking so long? Or was the court also-

No! He shook his head. They couldn't have gotten so deep into the system like that. Right?

Urgh! He hated that these bastards were making him question a system he trusted so wholeheartedly.

"None yet, but we are to trust the process and wait till we are given the green light to go," Kenji said, his voice calm and measured.

"When will that be?" Haruki grumbled, Aya held up a plate of mochi which he stuffed his face with as he made his way to his desk.

Kenji watched Haruki from his seat, the young man had just returned to duty after months of suspension and was already deep in the pits.

With the recent progression of things and how the younger alpha seemed to be the one at the scene. It was only a matter of time before he became a target.

He hated to do this, but it was necessary. "Sakurai!" he called, the young man turned to him, a curious look on his face.

"I'll need you to step down for a few days." As expected, Haruki's face fell, and he immediately opened his mouth to object.

Kenji held up his hand to stop him. "No, you haven't done anything wrong and you're not the only one stepping down," he looked at all his team members.

"I want all of you to take a break from this case. Find something to do for a few days, visit your families or something." He said, making eye contact with each of them taking in their varying reaction of shock and disagreement.

Haruki tried to interject again but Kenji continued, "At least until we get the search warrant from the court. Let Misato and his men run the investigation for now, after all, we are a team and this isn't a competition," he reminded them.

"Yes sir," all but Haruki responded.

"Did I make myself clear?" Kenji repeated, staring right into Haruki's eyes.

"Yes sir," he begrudgingly saluted.

"Good, we should be back on the case in a few days. Feel free to carry files home if you wish to, you're just not allowed on the field," Kenji said, nodding at them.

"Order takes effect at the close of working hours today."

Another chorus of "Yes sir!" Filled the room.

Later that Evening

Haruki sat in his small apartment, the papers from the investigation spread out on his kitchen table. He stared at the documents, trying to find some clue they might have missed.

His phone buzzed, and he saw a message from Ryoji:

Meet me at the usual place. I have something to discuss.

Haruki grabbed his coat and headed out. The "usual place" was a small, nondescript bar tucked away in a quiet part of town. It was the perfect spot for them, a place where they could talk without being overheard.

When Haruki arrived, Ryoji was already there, nursing a drink. He looked up and nodded as Haruki slid into the booth across from him.

"What's up?" Haruki asked, signalling the bartender for a beer.

Ryoji leaned in, lowering his voice. "I've been thinking about the court delay on the warrant. It doesn't make sense. We have more than enough evidence."

Haruki nodded his thanks to the waiter. "I've been thinking the same thing. It's almost like someone's trying to stall us."

Ryoji's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. So I did some digging. I think we might have a mole in the department."

Haruki's heart skipped a beat. "A mole? Are you sure?"

Ryoji nodded grimly. "Not completely, but it's the only explanation that fits. Someone's been leaking our moves to the other side."

Haruki took a deep breath, brows furrowing as he thought things through. "If that's true, then we're in deeper than we thought."

Ryoji nodded. "We need to be careful. If there's a mole, we can't trust anyone. Not until we figure out who it is."

Haruki clenched his jaw, his mind racing. They needed to root out the traitor, if there was any. The worst and most painful part was, that they probably couldn't tell anyone in their squad.

One wrong move and the mole could tip off the others.

Fuck, he took a swig of his drink. Why did Ryoji have to tell him this?

Meanwhile, Across Town

In a dark warehouse nestled in an industrial district far from the city, a group of shadowy figures gathered around a makeshift table. The air was thick with the scent of oil and rust, and the occasional skittering of rats added to the creepy feel of the space. The atmosphere was tense, the air heavy with the scent of sweat and fear.

"How many did we get this time?" asked a burly man with a scar running down his cheek. He leaned forward, peering at the hastily scribbled notes on the table.

"Four," replied another man, slimmer but no less intimidating, as he pointed to a list. "Two from the downtown area, one from the market district, and another from the outskirts."

The leader of the group, a tall man with piercing eyes known simply as the Boss, nodded in approval. "Good. Make sure they're all secured. We don't want any more incidents like last time."

The men grumbled, promising that that one period was a mistake and they had everything under control now.

"Excellent," the Boss muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He turned his attention to a blueprint spread out on the table, marking various locations.

"Take me to the storage to inspect the goods. We'll be shipping them out to the factories soon," he stood up with a grunt. The men hastily led their boss through the decrepit warehouse till they got to a door at the far end of the building.

"This way boss," one of the goons said, twisting the door knob.

The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room with several figures huddled in the corners, their wrists and ankles bound and eyes wide with fear. They whimpered and cried against their gags as the men walked in.

"Keep them quiet," the Boss ordered, his voice low but firm. "We don't need any unwanted attention."

As the men moved to ensure the captives were properly restrained, one of them paused, his gaze falling on a young omega curled up in the farthest corner. The omega's features were delicate, her hair a tousled mess, and her eyes a striking shade of amber. She shivered, looking smaller and more vulnerable than the others.

"This one looks quality Boss, wouldn't it pay to get a ransom instead?" He asked, pointing out the omega.

The Boss's eyes narrowed as he approached the trembling omega, his gaze cold and calculating. "Who do we have here?" he sneered, reaching out to grab the omega's chin and force them to look up.

As the light fell upon their face, the omega's identity became clear. It was Aiko Nakamura, the omega the squad had been searching for.

A wicked grin spread across the Boss's face as he took in his features. "Well, well. You boys have outdone yourselves," he chuckled, his voice dripping with lust. "Seems like we've hit the jackpot, boys, those are proper childbearing hips if I ever saw one."

Aiko paled, 'What did they want with us?' His mind screamed, his breaths shallow and rapid.

The man let go of his face, straightened and looked around the room.

"You all belong to us now," he announced, his voice echoing through the room. "Do as you're told, and things might just go smoothly for you."

Aiko shrank back, his heart pounding. How did a night out turn into this nightmare? Were they looking for him? Or better yet, would they find him?

As the men leered at Aiko with hungry anticipation, the omega's eyes burned with tears, his peach blossom scent rotten with fear.

'Someone, please save me.'