Ashgard: Ambition and Purpose
I'm Sorry, I'm Hiding #198

"What you need to know before I explain everything. Carlos Gates has been under contract with me, even long before we left for La Luna Island, both in the context of work and personal, and in the contract there are many rules that will be ready to curb him. So he cannot act arbitrarily, let alone harm myself or those close to me. Because if he did, then his terrible threat would be the death penalty."

"Personally, the contract that is bound to me is valid as long as I and him are alive, aka for life. While the contract of his work, which is bound by Ashgard, will run according to what I set myself. So all the ways of his life, I can change it and define it."

"Did you understand what I said?"

Berlin ended his talk for a moment, and asked his colleagues first before he continued to explain. They all seemed to nod slowly, and they seemed to understand.

"Then ... What was the reason I hired Carlos Gates to join us? The answer is .. I feel .. I need her role."

The reason given by Berlin, certainly had made the cons that occurred among his colleagues appear. Why should he? Does Berlin not trust its colleagues? Or is the performance of his colleagues lacking? Or maybe Carlos is more useful than his colleagues? Of course some prejudices and questions that had crossed the minds of each of his colleagues. But they did not want to speak or say it, and preferred to remain silent until Berlin had finished explaining.

"Although Ashgard is not often highlighted by the camera, its inauguration to join as Special Division was also done very closely. But we ... Ashgard, it's been attracting a lot of attention, a lot of eyes, and a lot of media out there for the actions we've done in the last few weeks."

"So I need someone who is rarely highlighted to fill the role, as an informant who will enter the forbidden areas."

"Then do you mean we can't fill those roles?" cetus Kimmy, interrupts the silence created among his comrades.

Berlin smiled at the question and replied, "i believe of course you can, but not yet the time."

"For the time being our situation is investigating Clone Nostra, and his attachment to the Red Rascals."

"And why am I counting on Carlos? Because in the past he was one of the higher-ups of Mafioso, a group that has a very high rivalry with Clone Nostra."

"Then what's the connection?" sahut Aryo's.

"There are some things he knows, and maybe you don't. Besides, by utilizing his time position in Mafioso, I think .. he'll have information that we're hard to get."

"Wait, I'm still confused ...!" adam frowned, and tried to digest every word that came out of Berlin's mouth.

"Before leaving, Carlos had told me that Mafioso still had a lot of connections spread, and their intensity was still there even though Mafioso itself had been 'dissolved' by the police. Well ... although, I'm not sure they actually disband."

"Always and like the mafia basically we know, the connection owned by Mafioso is not inferior to that owned by Clone Nostra, and that we do not have. Therefore, I need him," said Berlin, answering the confusion of his colleagues straightforwardly and firmly, even had time to point at the surface of the table because it was so serious when explaining.

The words in the last dialogue that Berlin spoke seemed to have succeeded in making his colleagues speechless and thoughtful, because what he said did not hurt. Ashgard is not a large group, and nothing compared to Mafioso and Clone Nostra who have power and connection everywhere. In terms of personnel alone is clearly outnumbered.

Berlin suddenly lowered his head slightly and then said, "excuse me, because I've never talked about this to you before, and made it so impromptu like this."

The attitude shown by Berlin, actually made his colleagues who saw quite surprised. Because it was rare to see Berlin bowing its head like that.

"Well, then, we'll just keep an eye on Carlos so we don't do anything, how about it?" cetus Kent, exclaims and makes the atmosphere a little different.

"I quite agree with Kent's idea" said Bobi, who was standing right next to Kent.

"Maybe, that's not a bad idea" Galang said.

"Once we guide him just in case the person is not as willing to act" Faris continued, proposing and adding to the idea.

Berlin's head and gaze lifted again, and smiled at his colleagues who seemed to have ignored the initial problems. Arguments and heated debates, suddenly in less than thirty minutes immediately turned into a warm conversation and shared suggestions. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Asep who was standing right next to the sofa he was sitting on. Asep glanced at him, and threw a faint smile at him while then saying in a low tone, "safe, boss. Take it easy ...!"

***

The night was so dark, there was no moonlight or stars that normally glittered across the night sky. The atmosphere on this night is also cold, maybe cooler than usual night.

In a place far from the words "good" and "clean", Carlos walks in the middle between the buildings of a nightclub that is very crowded with people. A few steps he passed, and his steps came to a halt when he got right in front of a small alley. Inside the alley, there was a man with a black leather jacket, and both of his burly arms were full of tattoos.

"I thought you were dead, Carlos. Just like your mafia," he said, welcoming Carlos who slowly entered the alley.

When compared, Carlos' body clearly lost far and not a match if faced with the man. But Carlos did not show fear at all, because he was already immune to the feeling, even more precisely do not know what fear is.

"I'm not like the rest of Mafioso, the trash who only knows money and power" replied Carlos, standing right in front of the man, and then leaning against the wall behind him.

The man chuckled small. When he laughed, his tone sounded quite horrible. So heavy.

"What do you need?" asked the man, looked at Carlos intently and then continued to speak, "but before that, I won't give you what you need if you haven't given me the money on your face."

"Tch!" Carlos clucked, smiled cynically and said, "you don't doubt me when it comes to money, do you? I can buy your pride if I want, even the entire contents of this location as well as all the butterflies of the night" he said, in his last sentence, as quoted by Reuters, he had glanced sharply toward the outside of the alley which happened to be at that time seen a lot of beautiful women with minimal clothes they passed by.

.

Seriate.