Mate Undercovers

Club Kaluna

Abby’s POV

I stop in front of Carlos’ Italian restaurant and smooth out my long brown hair, which is lightly curled at the ends, before I peer through the large window.

There, sitting at table six, is my date for this evening and Jane’s cousin, Doctor Landon Bell. Jane wasn’t exaggerating when she described him as good looking. His sun-kissed, blonde, floppy hair is swooped behind his ears neatly, framing his clean- shaven handsome face perfectly. He reminds me of those guys you see on Australian soap operas, with their tall statures and tanned forearms, holding onto their surfboards tightly before they run off into the Pacific.

It’s then that his eyes connect with mine through the window and I’m knocked out of my daydream back to reality. I offer him a small wave and he smiles widely in return. Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all. Sure, it’s s**t that Calvin practically stole my lead from under my nose, but I can think of worse consolation prizes than spending a night chatting with Landon. I make my way into the restaurant and walk towards the table, smiling as Landon stands up to greet me.

“Hey, it’s nice to finally meet you, Abby.” he states with a grin, putting his hand out towards me.

I take it firmly and shake.

“You too. I’ve heard so much about you already.” I chuckle, leaning in to land a kiss on his cheek.

He laughs in return, taking his seat again across from mine.

“Yeah, Jane has been trying to set this up for a while, huh?”

“That’s true… I’m sorry that I’ve had to reschedule a couple of times. Work has just been so crazy.” I say apologetically.

“That’s alright. I know the feeling.” he laughs warmly.

“Oh of course. Jane says you work in the ER. You must be so busy, thanks for putting up with me.”

“It’s no problem. Really. It seems that you were worth the wait.” he says smoothly.

I smile as I take my heavy coat off to hang it over my chair. As I do so, I don’t miss how his green eyes quickly flick over the outfit I’ve chosen for tonight. A black silk camisole top with a cowl neckline and black skintight jeans. As far as sexy outfits are concerned, this is as far as I’m willing to go on a cold New York evening.

“You look stunning, by the way. Is it okay to say that?” he asks with a cautious smile.

I nod my head and shrug a little.

“I’ve heard worse lines.”

He smiles again just as the waiter brings over our menus and we proceed to make some small talk as we look over what’s on offer. The truth is I’ve eaten here before. Many times in fact when I was married to Calvin. Despite this, it didn’t bother me when Landon suggested this restaurant as a place to eat. I don’t feel any sentimentality towards it and now I’m safe in the knowledge that Cal is too busy to show up here tonight with Sadie, I can eat in peace.

Just then, as if on cue, my phone begins ringing loudly in my jacket, cutting Landon off mid- sentence.

“I’m so sorry about this.” I say sincerely, reaching into my pocket to look at the screen which is displaying Calvin’s name clearly.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

“You can take it if you want. Please do, if it’s important.” Landon encourages kindly.

“Yeah, I’ll have to take you up on that. I’ll just be a minute.” I say, getting up from the table to walk over to the quiet corner of the restaurant.

*

*

*

“Hello”

“Abby, where are you?”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“It’s Sven. He says he won’t say a word unless you are here in person.”

“So… I was right then..”

“Yeah, you were right. Now can you get here in the next ten minutes?”

“More like fifteen. I’m at Carlos’ restaurant.”

“… what are you doing there?”

“Is it any of your business? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

*

*

*

I take a deep breath and walk back to the table, but before I can open my mouth, Landon nods at me in understanding.

“You have to leave, don’t you?”

“I’m really sorry. Honestly, if I could get out of it I would, but it’s really important-“

“Listen, you don’t have to apologise. We can try again another time. One more attempt can’t hurt.” he says, standing up to help me with my coat.

“Thanks for being so understanding. It means a lot. I’ll give you a call then?” I ask hopefully.

“I’ll be waiting.” he answers with a grin.

I smile in reply before turning to leave the restaurant in a hurry. As soon as I burst out onto the street, I take off into a run. Navigating these crowded sidewalks in six inch heels isn’t for the faint hearted, but having lived here my whole life I’ve gotten used to it. It isn’t long before I spot the meeting place up ahead and see Mick O’Connell, Cal’s partner and best friend standing waiting for my arrival.

“Looking sharp, Sully.” he jokes, using my old nickname from the academy. “Take it we interrupted some special plans?”

“Yes, you did actually. Although, this wouldn’t have happened if Cal hadn’t insisted on leaving me out of the loop. Where is he?”

Mick points his head back into the alleyway behind him.

“He’s with Sven now. Be careful though, Sully. He looks edgy as f**k tonight.”

“Cal or Sven?” I mutter under my breath causing Mick to chuckle to himself a little.

I walk down the alleyway and spot the top of Sven’s head behind a dumpster whilst Cal

stands there with his hands resting on his hips as he watches me approach.

“Were you on a date?” he asks, eyeing me up and down.

I purposely ignore him and look towards Sven who is huddled in a corner looking around nervously.

“Sven, I’m here. It’s Abby. We spoke on the phone last night. You said you had information for me.”

His eyes connect with mine and a cold sensation immediately runs down my back.

Is it just me or do his irises look red under these street lights?

Damn, maybe I am exhausted...

I think to myself, as I brush off the unsettling feeling.

“Have you got my payment?” he asks shiftily.

I nod my head to Calvin who produces a few notes from his pocket which he then hands over to Sven. We both watch as he counts the cash before stuffing it in his pocket.

“Come on, Sven. We aren’t going to wait around all night.” Calvin says in irritation.

His brashness makes me want to give him a smack across the head. I don’t exactly like dealing with informants myself, but keeping them onside is crucial to gaining good intel.

As predicted, Sven looks at him angrily, narrowing his red tinged eyes.

“Speak to me like that again and I’m gone-“

“Sven, ignore him. Tell me what you know. Yuri Pavel… where is he hiding?”

He shakes his head and looks around again before leaning in closer.

“I don’t know where he is hiding, but the rumour is he will be in club Kaluna tonight.”

“You’re telling me one of the country’s most wanted criminals is coming out of hiding for a night on the town? Are you kidding me, Sven?” Calvin asks in disbelief.

“I wasn’t f*****g talking to you!”

“Shhh.” I scold them both, taking another step towards Sven. “Why is Yuri going to club Kaluna?”

“To meet with some business associates. They want to meet in a public place and he has no choice. He won’t be there long though. If you want to catch him, you’ll have to move now.” Sven answers, glancing at his watch.

“Shit.” Calvin mutters, walking away to make the call for back up.

If this intel is true and Yuri is making an appearance tonight, then there is no way he will be there without a small army in tow. We need a SWAT team in place and we need it now.

“Thanks, Sven. Lay low for a while and be careful.” I say before Mick comes over to escort him away.

“Look out lady. Yuri has a way of always getting what he wants. He won’t go down without bringing cha.os and destruction first. I hope you’re ready for it.” he finishes before walking down the alleyway and disappearing around the corner.

I understand what he is saying, but I’m way too pumped to feel any sort of fear. I’ll be careful and methodical of course, but I’m not going to back down from this fight. This animal needs to be put away once and for all.

“We’ve got to get out of here, come on.” Calvin orders, hanging up the phone and taking off towards his car as I follow on behind him.

***

I adjust the strap under my chin and tug my armoured vest in place before gripping the gun in my hand securely.

The van comes to an abrupt halt and before I can blink, the doors are thrown open with a loud, almighty crash.

“GO, GO, GO!” Calvin’s voice calls out authoritatively, causing everyone to shuffle out into the open street.

Screams permeate the air in every direction as the entrance to the busy club is breached within seconds. Nightclub revellers jump out of the way in a panic, creating a pathway into the thick of the busy dance floor. I hold my gun in the air and scan my surroundings, drawing on my tactical training as I work with my team to locate the target. I know every nook and cranny of this asshole’s face. I’ve stared at his picture for three months straight and if he’s here, I’ll find him.

“ANYONE HAVE EYES ON YURI?!

“NEGATIVE.”

It’s then that my eyes travel across the opposite side of the room and I see Anton, Yuri’s righthand man pointing a gun in my direction.

“EVERYONE GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!” I call out loudly, causing the screams to grow louder over the thumping beat of the music.

I grab the woman nearest me and shove her to the floor just as a bullet whizzes by to hit the wall behind me.

“THEY ARE IN THE BACK RIGHT HAND CORNER!” I call out.

“MAKE SURE THE EXITS ARE SECURE! AND GET THESE PEOPLE OUT OF HERE!” Calvin calls out through the earpiece to the team behind us as he takes off in pursuit. Anton fires a few more shots towards us before ordering his team of men to form a human shield infront of him. Between their large bodies, I can see movement in the background and immediately notice Yuri’s bright white hair as he saunters off to a hidden door within the nightclub wall.

“YURI IS HERE!” I announce over the system, proceeding to push scared citizens towards the exits as we make our advance.

It’s then that Yuri’s army begin to retreat backwards, following their boss through the same doorway which they slam shut just as we make it to their location.

“BREAK IT DOWN!” Calvin orders, as two men step forward with a battering ram to do just that.

As the door buckles under the pressure, I prepare myself for the battle that is about to take place. I’ve been shot at before, but something tells me this is going to be on a whole other level.

“GO!”

I follow the others through the door and straight into the sound of oncoming fire as Yuri and his goons attempt to make their escape.

I fire back in response, taking cover against the concrete wall that thankfully juts out in places. As we advance forward, I realise that Yuri is nowhere to be seen. His men are doing their best to hold us back but Yuri is either way far ahead of them or he isn’t in this corridor at all.

I cast my eyes down to the floor as I take a few steps forward amongst the car.nage and see there is a hatch in the floorboards under our feet.

“HE MIGHT HAVE GONE DOWN!” I call out to Cal.

“GO! MICK, GO WITH HER!” he answers between return shots.

I pull the latch up and make my way down the dusty old steps into a cellar of some sort.

The sound of gunfire rings out over our heads as we reach the floor.

“NYPD! IF THERE IS ANYONE DOWN HERE, SURRENDER WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED!” I shout out into the darkness.

Just then, the same cold sensation from earlier makes its way down my back and I freeze in place, holding my gun steady as I twist to my left. There, I see two red tinged eyes staring back at me.

“I have eyes on Yuri.” I mutter quietly, as he steps out into the slim patch of light that filters in from the floor above.

“Put your hands up and get down on your knees. Slowly.” I order, pointing my gun at him directly.

His face contorts into a smile and it’s then I realise just how young he looks, considering he is the head of a criminal empire that spans across the globe. He lifts his hands up, running one through his white blonde hair before holding them both in the air.

“Now get down.” I direct him, pointing the barrel of my gun downwards.

“Now, that… I’m afraid I cannot do, Detective Sullivan.” he says calmly.

He knows my name? What the fu-

Before I can answer, a gun fires from behind us and Mick drops to the ground with a loud yelp in pain. I spin around quickly to see Anton, pointing a gun towards me.

Where the f**k did he come from!?

I fire at him immediately, but it’s already too late. He has taken off in a run down another pitch black corridor.

I turn back to Yuri and see that he has completely disappeared too.

“MICK IS DOWN. WE NEED BACKUP NOW!” I yell, bending down to examine his leg wound.

“I’ll be fine, Sully! Get the bastards! I’ll send the back up after you!” he winces, pointing his head towards the dark corridor.

I nod my head and take off running into the darkness after them. A slither of light up ahead becomes larger and I see the shadows of Yuri and Anton climbing another set of stairs.

I fire my gun at them repeatedly and watch as they disappear out of sight.

Shit.

I run for the steps and take them two at a time, bursting back into the now empty club as the music still thumps away in the background.

I look upwards and see Yuri and Anton on the terrace up above, disappearing behind another door. I take off after them without a second thought.

“CAL! THEY ARE ON THE TOP FLOOR!”

“I’M ON THE WAY TO YOU NOW! DON’T LOSE THEM, ABS!”

I follow his orders, climbing another set of steps rapidly. I don’t think I’ve ever moved so quickly in my entire life, especially considering how physically exhausted I am. I’m running on pure adrenaline and rage at the minute it would seem.

I throw open the door and look around another empty corridor. f**k.

“I’VE LOST VISUAL.” I report, holding my gun ready in position as I carefully make my way across the floorboards.

I stop and focus carefully on listening, just as a door slams up ahead.

I take off in a run once again and tug the door open, feeling fresh air hit against my face instantly. I find myself at the bottom of another set of steps, leading up onto the roof this time.

“THE ROOF, CAL”

“IM ALMOST THERE!”

I climb the steps quickly and throw myself out of the way of an oncoming bullet as it flies towards me.

I land on the stone roof with a thud and look up just in time to see Anton drop his hand down by his side before stepping up onto the ledge beside Yuri. I roll over enough to grab my gun and point it in their direction, firing the weapon into the cold night air. A couple of bullets hit their intended targets, before both men suddenly disappear from sight, dropping over the edge of the tall building.

Did I just kill both of them?

I stumble onto my feet, helped up by Cal who has now appeared with three others in tow.

“WHERE?” he asks abruptly.

I point my finger straight ahead.

“I hit them both!” I pant out exhaustedly, as we run over to the ledge.

To my surprise, as I look downwards, I don’t see what I expect to see at all. Instead of two bodies, all that’s there is an empty alleyway.

“Where are they? They couldn’t have jumped from this height without getting hurt, Abs? You couldn’t have hit them either.” Calvin states in irritation.

“I did hit them, Cal. I saw it with my own f*****g eyes! Where the f**k were you anyway?!” I snap back in return as he stomps off, tugging his radio from his belt to send out an alert to all cops in the vicinity.

I look back down into the empty alley and shiver slightly as the cold air nips at my neck once again.