Chapter 21: Dancing with the Wolf

Two hours had passed since the failed ambush, and the atmosphere at the Scotland Yard was tense. Thomas Wilson was seething with anger. He had led a team of well - armed officers in an ambush for what felt like an eternity, only to end up empty - handed. To make matters worse, they had fallen right into the "luring the tiger away from the mountain" trap set by the elusive "Ghost". This whole debacle made him feel like a caged animal, ready to explode.

"Damn it! We've been made fools of again!" Thomas exclaimed, his face red with rage as he stamped his feet hard. His frustration was palpable, and the sound of his boots hitting the floor echoed through the room.

Surprisingly, James Morrison remained calm. He slowly turned his head and looked at Sebastian Gray. "We can't let Margaret roam free any longer," he said in a serious tone. "As long as she's out there, acting as the 'cash cow' for the 'Ghost', it's like he has an accomplice on the inside. Catching him will only get harder from here on out."

Sebastian let out a bitter laugh. "And on what charges do you propose we arrest her? She could easily claim that she was visiting her late husband's grave in the middle of the night because she was overcome with grief. And as for the money, she could say she withdrew hundreds of thousands in cash from the bank because her brother was in financial trouble, and she gave it to him when he came to visit. Legally, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Then we arrest her brother, Michael Brown!" Thomas said, his voice filled with resentment.

Sebastian curled his lip in disdain. "That's even more absurd. Are you going to arrest him just for paying his sister a visit? He can simply say he missed her and decided to drop by."

"But he was the one who delivered the money to the 'Ghost'!" Thomas insisted.

"Do you have any evidence to prove that?" Sebastian shot back.

Thomas knew Sebastian was right, but his anger got the better of him. After hearing Sebastian's words, he clamped his mouth shut and sulked in silence, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

After a long moment of silence, James spoke in a low, almost defeated voice. "We have to arrest Margaret. If there aren't any legitimate charges, we'll have to come up with something."

Sebastian refused immediately. "Absolutely not. That's not how we do things."

"I'll take full responsibility if anything goes wrong," James said, his tone firm.

Sebastian sneered. "If you go ahead with this, do you really think I can't have you removed from your position right away? James, we're police officers, not criminals. We uphold the law, not break it."

Sebastian's eyes, usually filled with warmth, were now as cold as ice. Even Thomas, who was standing nearby, felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw that look.

Without another word, Sebastian turned and left the room. James slumped back in his chair, his head bowed.

"James, Sebastian is right. We can't have such thoughts. We're here to serve and protect, not bend the rules," Thomas said softly, trying to console his friend.

"I know. I just lost my temper and said something stupid. I won't let it happen again," James replied, his voice filled with regret.

"Don't hold it against him. He's just looking out for you," Thomas added.

"I know. You go and get back to work. I need some time alone," James said.

Once Thomas had left the office, James stared out of the window. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions. He had been a police officer for over a decade, and in that time, he had seen countless criminals get away with their crimes. It was a feeling of helplessness that gnawed at him day and night. He knew that some people were guilty, but without the proper evidence, there was nothing he could do. It was like a constant battle between his desire to see justice served and the rules he had to abide by.

On the other side, after leaving the police station, Sebastian got into his car. He lit a cigarette and stared up at the night sky. The smoke curled up from the tip of his cigarette, disappearing into the darkness.

He couldn't help but think back to two years ago, when he had a similar conversation with his father.

"Dad, why can't we arrest some people even when we know for sure they've broken the law?" he had asked.

"Because the law has rules, son. And those rules are there for a reason. We can't just arrest people without proper evidence," his father had replied.

"But isn't it our job as police officers to catch criminals? If we're certain someone is guilty, why can't we bend the rules a little?" Sebastian had persisted.

"Do you understand what the law means? The law is the foundation of our society. If we, the people sworn to protect it, start breaking the rules, then how can we expect others to follow the law? Once we cross that line, it becomes easier and easier to do it again. Eventually, there will be no law left. Imagine a world where police officers can do whatever they want. It would be chaos. So, even if it means letting some criminals go free for now, we have to uphold the law. Do you get it?" his father had explained.

Sebastian understood the logic behind his father's words. He agreed with them wholeheartedly and had always tried to act in accordance with the law. But at this moment, he felt a deep sense of frustration. There was a tightness in his chest, and he just couldn't shake the feeling.

He craved a drink, but he couldn't think of anyone to call. Everyone he knew was either at work or asleep. Then, for some reason, a face popped into his mind. He thought this person would be the perfect company. After all, they were a good listener and didn't talk much.

Meanwhile, Victor Black had just stepped out of the bathroom. He plopped down on the sofa, a satisfied smile on his face. The money he needed was now safely in his hands, and he could finally move forward with his plan.

This "hunt" was turning out to be more challenging and complex than the previous two, but he was confident he could handle it. As long as he played his cards right, everything would go according to plan.

Just then, his phone rang. He looked down and was shocked to see that it was Sebastian calling!

"Could he suspect me? No, that's impossible," Victor muttered to himself, frowning. It was too much of a coincidence that Sebastian called right after he had obtained the money from Margaret.

Still, he decided to answer the call and find out what was going on. "Hello?" he said, trying to sound casual.

"Hahaha, it's so late, and you're still up. Fancy coming out for a few drinks?" Sebastian's voice came through the phone.

"Sure," Victor replied, his curiosity piqued.

"You're the best! I'm at the entrance of your apartment complex. Come on out," Sebastian said.

After hanging up the phone, Victor quickly got dressed and headed out. He was determined to figure out what Sebastian wanted.

A few minutes later.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Sebastian said with a smile as Victor got into the passenger seat of his car.

Victor shrugged. "I wasn't sleeping anyway. A drink sounds good."

"Great. Let's go then," Sebastian said, starting the car.

More than ten minutes later, they arrived at a cozy tavern. The dimly lit interior was filled with the sounds of chatter and the clinking of glasses. They found a table in the corner and ordered their drinks.

Victor kept a close eye on Sebastian's expression. He noticed that Sebastian seemed distracted, not really paying attention to him. It was as if he had something weighing heavily on his mind. This made Victor relax a little.

"Cheers," Sebastian said, raising his glass.

"Cheers," Victor replied, clinking his glass against Sebastian's.

After finishing two bottles of wine, Sebastian finally started talking. "Ha! This is great! So, tell me, how do you like being a teacher? Is it a fulfilling job?"

Victor nodded and placed his glass on the table gently. "It's not bad. I actually enjoy it quite a bit."

"That's awesome! It's a blessing to have a job you love. I'm the same way. I've always wanted to be a police officer since I was a kid, and I wouldn't trade this job for anything. Here's to our careers!" Sebastian said, raising his glass again.

As they drank more wine, their conversation flowed freely.

"I've got a funny story to tell you. My sister has this best friend, Lily White. She's so clumsy. One time, we were having dinner at a restaurant. In the middle of the meal, Lily went to the restroom. But she didn't come back for ages. We were worried sick, so we went to look for her. And you know what we found? She was sitting in a corner, crying her eyes out. We thought she had run into some trouble. But it turns out she got lost on her way back from the restroom and was so desperate to pee that she started crying. She was 22 years old at the time! Hahaha," Sebastian said, laughing heartily.

"Is that the Lily White we saw in Central London last time?" Victor asked.

"Yeah. How did you remember? Anyway, in a few days, I'm going to ask her to come work at the police station as my assistant, mainly to make coffee. I can already picture all the funny things she'll do. Just thinking about it makes me laugh," Sebastian said, still chuckling.

And so, they drank and talked until it was almost 2 am.

At the entrance of Yuanmeng Residential Compound, Victor got out of the car.

Sebastian let out a sigh and smiled. "Thanks for keeping me company."

Victor waved his hand. "No problem. Next time, it's on me."

As he turned to leave, a sly smile spread across Victor's face.