The elevator doors opened on the 8th floor, Kaelino stepped out carrying two shopping bags towards his apartment unit.
His body felt tired, after spending the whole day with Sophia. It had been four months since they last met, since Kaelino received the mission to uncover the owner of illegal mines in Borneo.
He took out his apartment key and immediately turned the doorknob. A dark and silent atmosphere greeted him as the door fully opened. He turned on the kitchen light, tidying up his groceries in the refrigerator and on the shelves.
As his hands were busy arranging canned food, he sensed something wrong inside his apartment. His right hand slowly moved down to his waist, to the pistol holster located there. Quickly he turned around while pointing his gun into the dark space of his apartment. He walked slowly and alertly, aiming at one of the sofas in front of the TV.
"Who's there?" he said firmly.
The figure rose from the sofa, only a black silhouette visible. Slowly he walked towards the kitchen light. Kaelino hadn't lowered his gun yet, he was ready for the worst possibility.
"I'm warning you." he began to prepare to shoot.
Slowly the kitchen light revealed the identity of that person. He wore a tired, flat expression. "Good evening, soldier."
"Captain Lubis?" Kaelino lowered his gun, then saluted him. "Sorry for my impertinence, Captain."
Captain Lubis returned the salute, then sat down on a kitchen table chair. He looked at Kaelino with a sharp gaze, without preamble he immediately went to the heart of their meeting.
"Renjana Hotel valet, gas station attendant, PT. Trafco office boy, MMA fighter, and... the boyfriend of a mafia boss's daughter," he said coldly.
Kaelino narrowed his eyes, pretending not to understand. "Is there something I can help you with, Captain?"
"A taxi driver was caught carrying two kilos of narcotics. Who's the perpetrator?" Captain Lubis asked suddenly.
Kaelino was silent for a moment without lowering his gaze, then spoke firmly. "The taxi driver himself."
"Good." Captain Lubis developed a smile, then pulled out a small piece of paper from his coat pocket. "Consider this." He then left, leaving Kaelino half-confused that night.
Now Kaelino's eyes turned to the piece of paper on his kitchen table, which contained coordinates and a certain initial.
"WIDO?" he said, spelling out the initial written on the paper.
Afterwards, he checked the location of the coordinates he received. It wasn't too far away, just on the outskirts of the city, at a roadside coffee shop. Without thinking long, he grabbed his jacket and hurried to that location. He thought, Captain Lubis must be planning something.
***
Kaelino parked his car not far from the coffee shop. Although it was late, people were very crowded there. He briefly wondered, was this the meeting place?
The aroma of black coffee filled the room. Glasses clinked, conversations mixed with the sound of music from an old radio in the corner of the shop. Kaelino approached the cashier, looking at the listed menu. Before he could order, a waiter asked him.
"Can I help you? Need the wifi password?" he asked, slightly emphasizing the word password.
"WIDO," Kaelino said confidently.
The waiter nodded in understanding. "Follow me."
Kaelino and the waiter went to the back of the coffee shop, the previously loud dangdut music slowly faded. Both arrived in front of an old container. Before he could ask, the waiter had already opened the container door.
"Please, go inside."
Kaelino hesitated slightly, but he still stepped inside. Afterwards, the waiter closed the door again. Not long after, Kaelino felt dizzy. His vision blurred, his breath felt tight as if there was no air around him. He tried to fight the situation, but in less than thirty seconds, he was paralyzed.
***
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot thundered inside the room, waking Kaelino. He couldn't see anything, everything was dark. When he was fully conscious, he was tied to a chair with his eyes covered by cloth.
Beside him, several people were screaming hysterically. He wasn't the only one in this situation, but several others. The number was maybe around ten including himself.
"What the hell is this! What's happening!"
"Damn it! Let me go!"
"Help! Whoever it is, help!"
Everyone started shouting panickedly inside the room, plus... they couldn't do anything because they were tied up with their eyes covered.
BANG!
A second shot was heard, instantly making the room silent and tense. Some people started whimpering, thinking this was the end of their lives.
"Don't be crybabies, soldiers! I gathered you all here not to hear your crying!" said someone, who might be the mastermind behind all this.
He walked closer to one of the people whose body was shaking with fear. Firmly, he lifted that person's face. "Are you scared, soldier?!"
"Sir, no," he said tremblingly.
"Good!" He then gave him a hard slap. Bam! "This is a reminder for you!"
He then walked to the center, looking at the several people tied to chairs without seeing who he was. "It's time for you all to get out of the lion's den, and enter the piranha's den."
"There are still many evil people out there roaming freely without fear of the laws they break." He took out a piece of paper. "I've been following all your track records, all satisfactory, and that's the reason why I gathered you all here."
He turned to Kaelino who was observing him calmly from behind the cloth covering both his eyes. "Even the person who recently uncovered who owns the illegal mines in Borneo, is also here with you all."
"To be brief." He paused his words, looking one by one at the people tied to chairs. "Nine PM, the seventeenth of April, Pantai Indah Kapuk. Report complete."
After hearing that information, everyone tied up there was confused. Not long after, their noses and mouths were covered from behind by someone with a cloth that had been given a certain substance. One by one they collapsed, including Kaelino.
But before completely losing consciousness, he tried to remember what that person said. "Nine PM, the seventeenth of April, Pantai Indah Kapuk," he repeated.
He collapsed a few seconds later, carrying the last piece of information before his consciousness disappeared.
*
*
*
Two days passed, Kaelino was still thinking about that night and trying to guess who the person was who spoke loudly in their midst. Was it Captain Lubis? It was natural for him to think so, because previously that person had come to his apartment.
His mind drifted towards a secret organization formed to fight against big people who felt they were immune to the law. And if that was indeed true, then this was the time to step further than just being a field police officer.
His daydream ended when Sophia finally arrived at the cafe with a tired face. She immediately sat on the sofa while grumbling.
"Ugh, I'm so tired, oh my!" Sophia leaned back, then pulled the menu book on the table. "You know honey, I had to deal with a super annoying company owner!"
"So how did it end?"
"We were forced to withdraw capital from there, because their sales had been suffering losses for the past few months, and the Husky party along with its huge funds had been covering those losses."
Kaelino smiled thinly. "Your decision was right, if you continued you'd just be wasting funds."
"Right?" Sophia agreed with her boyfriend. She then opened the menu book. "Honey, have you ordered?"
"Already." Kaelino showed the glass of americano he was enjoying.
Sophia peeked from behind the menu book, she just realized that Kaelino's appearance was a bit disheveled and pale. "Honey, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, I'm just... lack of sleep. That's all." Kaelino made an excuse, so Sophia wouldn't worry about him. Actually, he was still haunted by the night he was abducted.
Sophia nodded slightly, clearly she felt worried. "OK, you should rest tonight. While you're still on leave."
"Yeah, thank you, I feel better near you." Kaelino smiled, inviting Sophia's smile which slowly blossomed too.
During their year of dating, Sophia always told him about her daily life as the person in charge of the Husky family business. And him? There were many interesting things he could tell her, about his actions as an intelligence police officer. But that clearly must not escape his lips.
However, making Sophia feel safe, he thought that was enough for him. She was full of energy, a hard worker at her young age, and also... the heir to the Husky family after her father. No wonder her nature was very different from most of her family, who tended to be arrogant and look down on people other than themselves.
That's what made Kaelino love her. Not as a Husky, but as Sophia. a beautiful girl with an angelic heart.