C20 Chapter 20

**Two Nights Later**

**Along Casa De Questo Road**

Rowen and I sat inside a pickup vehicle, covertly observing Casa De Questo restaurant from across the street. We were waiting for the restaurant staff to start loading their truck with evening food deliveries bound for Warehouse 12.

After nearly two hours of waiting, two men, Mario, the driver, and Victor, his assistant, along with some others, emerged from the restaurant. They began loading the food into the van. Once the task was complete, the other men returned inside the building, while Mario and Victor entered the van and started the engine.

"Look, they're on the move. Remember, they won't take the main road; they'll opt for the 'Mountain Pass,' a shorter and safer route. The rest is up to you. I'll follow from a safe distance. Good luck, amigo," I told Rowen before exiting the vehicle. I hopped on my motorbike and sped ahead of them.

The Mountain Pass was a narrow road between two mountains, allowing only one vehicle to pass at a time. After riding for a while, I found a concealed spot to hide. A few minutes later, Rowen arrived, leading the food van closely behind him. The Mountain Pass was not well-known, and only a few people used it.

Both vehicles continued on their way until they neared my hiding spot. Suddenly, Rowen skillfully reversed his car, causing it to collide with a large rock, temporarily blocking the road. Mario managed to hit the brakes in time to prevent further accidents. Both men got out of the van and cautiously approached Rowen's car. Meanwhile, I moved closer to their vehicle.

As they reached the site of the accident, they began to deliberate on their next course of action. It was nearly pitch dark, and they needed to make a quick decision.

"Let's just leave him here. For all we know, the guy could be dead from the crash," Victor suggested, already panicking.

"There's no way we can just abandon him here like this. Even if he's dead, we didn't cause the accident. But you know what we should really worry about? What Don Alfonso will do if the food doesn't reach Warehouse 12 on time. Following the other road isn't an option; it's another journey of its own, and we don't have the time for it," Mario countered, trying to think of a solution.

While the two men debated their next move, I focused on unlocking the back of the van using my master keys. After trying a few keys, the padlock finally clicked open. I cautiously opened the van and, with a flashlight, added sleeping drugs to the food packages before sealing them back up. I repeated this process for each package, hoping to finish before the men returned to the van.

Meanwhile, outside:

Both men examined Rowen, who was pretending to be unconscious after the accident. After assessing him for a while, they finally checked his pulse.

"He's still alive. That's good news," Mario said, exhaling with relief.

"Yeah, that's a relief. At least, we didn't cause his death," Victor added, sounding relieved too.

"I'll go get my cell phone to inform the boss that we might be delayed because we don't know when this guy will wake up," Victor said, starting to head back to the vehicle.

"Okay, but get me a bottle of water and a towel on your way back. We'll try to wake him up. He doesn't appear to be seriously injured," Mario instructed. Victor began walking toward the van.

Victor was just a few steps away from opening the van door when something happened to prevent him from entering. Mason suddenly began to feign a loud cough, as if he were waking up after the accident. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Victor... Victor, come over here right now! He's finally waking up," Mario shouted just before Victor could open the van door. He quickly rushed back to where the car had crashed.

"Are you alright, sir?" Mario asked Mason, who acted as if he had just awakened after an accident and was looking around in confusion as the two men helped him stand up.

"Yeah... yes, I'm... I'm fine. Who are you people? And where am I?" Mason asked, appearing disoriented as he glanced around.

"Sir, you don't need to worry too much about who we are. What's important is that we need your help to move your car since it doesn't seem to have sustained serious damage. We're in a hurry, and we would appreciate your assistance," Mario said, trying to encourage Mason to retrieve the keys from where he had hidden them so they could continue their journey. Earlier, they had searched for the keys but couldn't find them.

"Thank you so much, sirs, for helping me out today. I'll try to repay this act of kindness in the future. As for the keys, I really can't recall where they might have fallen after the accident, but I'll do my best to find them," Rowen responded. He began to move toward his vehicle, opened the door, and pretended to search for the keys, intentionally delaying his search. Eventually, he located the keys and started the car engine, which took a few attempts. With the car now functioning

With the car now functioning, he adjusted the tires and moved it out of the way.Mario and Victor returned to their vehicle, but I had already completed my task of adding sleeping drugs to the food and had exited the van."Thanks again," Rowen waved at them as they drove off, finally resuming their journey to Warehouse 12.

*********************************************

Mario and Victor were left baffled by the strange turn of events. They couldn't understand how Rowen had suddenly woken up and acted as if he didn't know them. Their minds were filled with questions, and they couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.

As they continued their journey, Mario and Victor couldn't help but replay the events of the fake accident in their minds. They wondered if they had been tricked, and if so, what was the motive behind it? They were determined to find answers.

With each passing mile, their confusion grew. They tried to piece together the clues, searching for any inconsistencies or hidden meanings. They questioned their own actions and wondered if they had been too trusting or naive.

Mario and Victor discussed their theories, bouncing ideas off each other in an attempt to make sense of the situation. They couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being played, but they couldn't quite put their finger on who was behind it all.