Gathering information

Cabaret music flooded every corner of the room of the Iron Hand's clandestine casino. The place was crowded with people. Gamblers jostling for a lucky hand, hard drinkers drowning their sorrows in alcohol, and gamblers squandering their fortunes with the casino's paid escorts.

Among all this nocturnal London fauna, two people were camouflaged, more interested in the movements of the thugs of the Hand, than in the moves of the dealers. Connie watched from one of the bar stools, sipping a drink. Her masculine attire, black pants with a white jacket and a red handkerchief knotted at the neck of her black shirt, which concealed her feminine forms, together with her short brown hair and muscular bearing due to her military training, camouflaged her as one more of the debauched and alcoholic attendees, making her go unnoticed in the festive atmosphere of the casino.

Meanwhile, Gaile was mingling with the players at a blackjack table. Her red hair was loose, flowing down to her waist. Her feminine curves were accentuated by a provocative red and black dress, which she wore with great femininity. On more than one occasion that night she'd had to decline less than formal invitations from several men at the venue, suppressing the urge to give them the beating they deserved for their impertinence. Gaile's earpiece crackled before his brother's voice could be heard.

- Have you seen anything out of the ordinary, Gaile? - Greg asked over the radio.

- No, but if one of these slugs comes on to me again, I'm sure you'll hear about it out there, - Gaile replied quietly as she looked around the gaming room.

- Calm down, it's part of the job, keep your cover - her brother urged.

- Sure, that's easy for you to say, you haven't been groped all night.

- Gregory, maybe I should go in too - Gaile heard Ruslan's voice in the background through the earpiece.

- No way Ruslan, you stand out too much - Gregory's refusal caused several strange noises in the earpiece.

Ruslan and Gregory had stayed outside, in a camouflaged truck, manning the radio station they were communicating with. Ruslan had not been amused to be left out of the mission, especially after seeing Gaile's costume, which had caused him some nervousness, leading to several teasing from Connie about it.

- What's going on out there? - Gaile asked.

- Nothing, Ruslan is still a little upset about not being able to participate, that's all.

- Relax Gaile, he's just upset because you're having too much success with that cleavage - Connie joked from the bar.

Another series of strange noises muffled Gregory's voice over the radio. When he was heard again, he was reprimanding Ruslan.

- Please get a grip, it's not that big a deal Ruslan, - Gregory was heard to say. - How do you think it makes me feel to hear that my sister is being chased by these degenerates?

- Please, could you stop talking about me as if I don't listen to you? - Gaile was fuming, when it was all over, she was going to give them a hell of a telling off.

Suddenly a man with a leather briefcase approached a door at the far end of the room and spoke to one of the guards guarding it. The guard let him through and closed once the man was through the door.

- We have movement - Gaile announced.

- Well, it's about time - Connie sounded impatient.

...

A few days earlier...

The door of Drake Manor opened wide, and Stanley ushered in Inspector Ernest Arlington.

- Good morning, Inspector, - greeted the old valet. - They're waiting for you in the drawing room. If you, please, follow me.

Ernest followed the butler to his hosts, Ruslan, Gaile, Connie and Greg were waiting for him around a table in the living room.

- Welcome Ernest - Ruslan greeted the newcomer.

- Ruslan - Ernest shook hands with the giant Drake.

- Well? - Abygaile asked anxiously.

- You have been accepted, - Ernest said. - Here are your licenses, you are now private investigators.

Arlington handed out the documentation he had brought with him to everyone present.

- And now, what's the next step? - Gregory asked his friend.

- We need to get proof of the syndicate's activities, - Ernest replied.

- Where do we start? - Connie asked impatiently.

- The Hand has a casino located in the centre of the city - began Arlington. - I know for good that every week an accountant trusted by Trusk comes in to update the books.

- So, shall we get the books? - Ruslan asked.

- Not just the books, - the inspector replied. - We need the accountant to translate the coded entries.

- And how are we going to do that? It's not like they're going to let us just take him, - Gaile complained.

- We'll infiltrate a couple of people in the crowd and then cause some commotion to throw off the venue's security personnel. That way we could get in, grab the accountant and the books, and leave through the back door - Ernest's plan was simple and concise.

- Well, who's going in? - Ruslan asked. Everyone turned to him in surprise.

- One thing is obvious - Gregory said. - You can't go in; you stand out too much.

- That's true - Arlington confirmed. - And you Gregory couldn't either because of the chair. So, we have only one option left.

The three men looked in the direction of Gaile and Connie, who in turn looked at each other.

- How do evening dresses suit you, Abygaile? - Ernest asked smiling.

- Not a chance... - Gaile began.

...

At present...

- I don't know how I let myself be convinced - Gaile complained.

- I think you look good in that dress, Aby - Connie said. - And I'm sure Ruslan thinks so too.

- Can we focus on the job? - Gaile asked.

- Remember the plan, we need any documents that tell us about their activities, account books, diaries, maps... - Gregory urged them.

- Yes, now we need a distraction to sneak in - Gaile answered to his brother.

- That won't be a problem - Gregory said over the radio and added. - Ernie, are you ready?

- Of course, we are - Ernest Arlington joined the conversation on the radio. - Give me the signal and we'll start the show.

Constance and Abygaile subtly approached their target, blending in with the crowd. When they were close enough, they gave the signal to Arlington. A contingent of Metropolitan Police officers stormed the premises with Ernest leading the way. The guards guarding the door came to the aid of their colleagues at the entrance, at which point Gaile and Connie took advantage of the situation to sneak through the security door.

Once inside, they found a hallway with multiple metal doors with glass windows. They looked through each door into the different rooms until they found what they were looking for.

The accountant was sitting at a table, busy with the accounting books, so he didn't notice the door opening behind him. Connie hit him between the shoulders with the butt of her pistol and the man fell unconscious. Constance stowed the books in the briefcase resting on the table and shouldered the little man, who was barely five feet tall. While Gaile covered the hallway with her revolver at the ready.

- Come on Gaile, it's time to get out of here - Connie told her, and passed Gaile the briefcase, while she carried the accountant herself.

Gaile covered the rear, while Connie advanced down the hallway towards the back exit of the store, through the garage and the storeroom. When they entered the garage, it was completely dark, Connie pulled a flashlight out from under her jacket and shone it down the path, while Gaile followed, looking behind her again and again. Suddenly voices were heard approaching and the light came on.

Gaile and Connie hid behind one of the cars as several guards entered the garage.

- I'm sure I saw a light, - one of the Iron Hand men said.

- If it's nothing, you're fucked, - another replied.

- Let's just check it out, - the third one said.

The three men split up, checking every corner of the garage. One of them approached the two women. When he was close enough, Gaile lunged for him, hitting him in the neck with the revolver and knocking him to the floor without him making a sound, hitting him again in the head with the butt to knock him unconscious. Connie moved forward toward the exit door and waited for Gaile to join her after hiding the guard's unconscious body. The door let out a loud metallic creak as it opened.

- They're trying to escape! - shouted one of the guards, who fired at the door with his pistol.

His partner opened fire as well. Gaile passed the briefcase to Connie, and as the latter exited, the former returned fire at the Hand thugs, wounding one in the shoulder. As she came out several bullets ricocheted off the door, over her head. Gaile ran as best she could to the truck waiting in the alleyway leading to the back exit of the casino. Constance, who was in the lead, threw the briefcase and the accountant into the trailer where Greg and Ruslan were waiting and climbed into the cab to start the engine. As Gaile ran to the vehicle, the syndicate goons came out of the garage and fired at her.

- Don't stop running! - her brother shouted at her.

Ruslan pulled a pistol from the holster he carried at his side and returned fire at the Iron Hand men, taking them down with only 4 shots. The engine roared to life just as more of the Hand's men emerged from the garage into the alleyway, armed with automatic weapons.

- Get going! - Gaile shouted to Constance.

The truck started the run, as the young redhead continued to run towards the trailer with her red dress flapping in the wind behind her. When she was close enough, she jumped toward the vehicle, extending her arm. Ruslan took her hand and hoisted her up to the truck, bullets whistling as they sped out of the alleyway and blended into the traffic of central London.

A couple of hours later, the truck was pulling into a warehouse in the docklands. Ernest had decided to set up their base of operations there to avoid prying eyes. When they entered, the inspector was waiting for them, leaning on a table in the centre of the warehouse.

- Good thing it was going to be a discreet operation - he reprimanded the occupants of the truck.

- Next time we need a more effective distraction - Gaile replied, as she struggled with her dress to get out of the truck.

Ruslan jumped out of the trailer and lowered her down holding her by the waist, for which the young woman thanked him with a smile. Then the giant proceeded to lower Gregory with his chair, which took a little more effort.

- At least we have achieved our goal - said Constance as she turned off the engine and climbed down from the cockpit.

- Good, now we just have to convince the accountant to tell us what we want to know.

- You're the interrogation expert - Gregory replied. - I'll take a look at the documents in case there's anything interesting.

Ruslan lowered the unconscious body of the accountant and left him on a chair. Gaile walked over and cuffed the little man's hands to the back of the chair as a precaution. Ruslan approached her.

- Are you all right? - he asked. - You haven't been hit, have you?

- No, - she replied. - But I'm glad I got out of that dump; I couldn't stand this ridiculous dress anymore.

- It doesn't look bad on you either, - Ruslan said unconsciously, although when he realized it, he turned around and walked away.

Gaile blushed a little, and when she looked at Connie, she saw her with a mischievous smile on her face.

- I told you, he likes it, - she said softly, leaning closer.

- I'm going to change clothes - Gaile replied ignoring her friend's comments.

About thirty minutes later the accountant began to regain consciousness. When he managed to focus his eyes, he saw Ernest, flanked by Ruslan and Constance.

- Good morning, Clyde - Ernie greeted the accountant.

- You don't know what you've done, do you know who I am? - the accountant said in a threatening tone.

- Clyde Owens, paid accountant for the Iron Hand cartel, isn't that right? - Arlington asked.

- If you know that and you still kidnapped me, you're either crazy, or you have a death wish.

- You see, we need some information, if you give it to us everything will be fine - urged the inspector. - Otherwise, my friends here will have to intervene, and believe me when I tell you that it won't be pleasant for you.

Ruslan cracked his knuckles with an unfriendly face, while Connie fiddled with a razor with a laughing and sadistic expression on her face. Their actions had the desired effect, because under the accountant's chair a yellowish puddle began to form.

- Good, and now if you would be so kind - Arlington approached Owens and put his hand on his shoulder. - Let's have a nice conversation.

The accountant nodded effusively as sweat began to pearl his bald head.