BLOODLINE 2 Episode 11 (Blood And Diamond) by Ironkurtain

BLOODLINE 2 Episode 11 (Blood And Diamond) by Ironkurtain

Lisa nodded at her co workers with a bright smile as she walked briskly towards her desk in the cubicle office. Dropping the files and her laptop she was carrying on the table next to the desktop keypad, she pulled up the swiveling chair and exchanged pleasantries with the female co worker sitting in the cubicle next to hers. She took off her black leather jacket and hanged it on the chair. And dropped her weight in the chair, relaxing with her eyes shut and a faint smile on her face.

“Good morning”.

Lisa opened her eyes and saw Kevin standing infront of her. “Good morning”, she replied cheerily and switched on her desktop computer. “When i called you last night, you sounded as if you were having so much fun in the bar”.

“Well it would had been better if you were there”, Kevin smiled and glanced at the files on Lisa’s table. “But you said you were too busy”.

“Yeah……anyway did you get lucky with some girl?…. because i heard alot of female voices in the background”, Lisa smiled and winked at him.

“Well i didn’t get lucky because i couldn’t see any girl like you there”.

“Aww stop with the flattery”.

Kevin glanced at the files again and looked at Lisa. “So what’s up?”, he asked.

“Oh what do you mean?”, Lisa demanded.

“Today you are in such a happy and cheery mood. Its like something very interesting happened…..or you must have found out something big in your investigations”.

Lisa took a quick glanced around the office and motioned at Kevin to come closer. She opened her handbag and brought out the diary Suzanne gave her as Kevin leaned closer to her.

“This diary belongs to Mr Andrew Philips”, she said and showed it to Kevin.

“Okay…..”, Kevin murmured.

Then Lisa opened it and flipped through the pages until she stopped in a particular page. She motioned at Kevin to come closer.

“Read this part”, she said to him and pointed at the page.

Kevin stared at it with a pursed lip. “Probably the strangest thing i have ever done in my life and as a police officer”, he began to read what was written on the page. “And i know the good image i built in the force will be tarnished forever if they find out what i had done. But to me it is a personal victory and the only way of gaining the upper hand over my sworn enemy and to let my enemy know that there are other ways of winning a fight. I hope she finds peace in her new life and also hope the others things i did will make Mr Cantona stop being angry with the world”.

Kevin thought for a while and looked at Lisa. “So what does it mean?”, he asked.

“It means Mr Andrew Philips didnt kill Diane”, Lisa replied. “Infact i think Diane is still alive”.

“But the police records showed that Diane died……drowning was listed as the cause of death”.

“Police records filed by Mr Andrew himself. And that time the police department wasnt equipped enough to fish out the car or her body”.

“And why would Mr Andrew do that…..i mean, file a fake police report?”.

Lisa smiled. “That is the sweet part my dear”, she said, tapping her index finger on the page that kevin had just read from. “Diane the wanted criminal came to Mr Andrew the cop for help…..and he helped her to fake her own death”.

“What?”, Kevin chuckled. “Isnt that kind of far-fetched?, besides at that time she was still a teenager and probably naive when it comes to doing things like faking death. And neither would she have any reason whatsoever to meet a cop who wants to bring her down to help her do it”.

“Well that’s exactly what i thought until i saw something else”, Lisa said as she put the diary back into her handbag. “Mr Andrew had this uncontrollable habit of keeping every single piece of paper that came to his hand. Written memos, receipts, even addresses or phone numbers scribbled on a piece of paper……maybe it’s because he was a detective. Anyway as i was going through all the files and folders handed to me by one of his granddaughter, i saw an envelope in one of the folders. It contained tickets, lots of them. It was a visitor’s receipt and it had Saint Mary Convent written on it”.

“It could be a friend or a relation he was paying a visit”, Kevin suggested.

“He started paying regular visits to this convent a week after Diane was declared dead till he passed away”, Lisa stared at Kevin.

Kevin stared back at her thoughtfully.

“After much diggings, i got the profiles of some of the nuns”, she continued. “And found out that one nuns by the name Diviana Cruz came to the convent the same day Diane was killed. She had no relation at all and only had one regular visitor whose identity was unknown. On the day Mr Andrew was buried after losing his battle to cancer, this nun left the country for Italy. And she has living there ever since Mr Andrew passed away”.

“Wow……you really did your homework though”, Kevin smiled and shook his head. “But how are you gonna find out if this….Diviana Cruz is Diane herself?”, he asked. “Especially now that she is living in Italy”, he asked.

“Well Diviana just came back to the country about three months ago”, Lisa replied. “She is now one of the people incharge of Saint Mary convent”, she continued and got up

“And you intend to go there i presume?”, Kevin asked.

“Yeah…….”, Lisa glanced at her wristwatch and picked up her handbag. “……Gotta go there as soon as possible”.

“Well…..”, Kevin sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “I hope you are back in the office on time”, he said.

“Oh why?,” Lisa asked.

“Well there is this new place….a restaurant and i would like to take you there for dinner”, Kevin replied. “I’ve already booked a table for us……i just hope you wont be busy this evening”.

“Oh really?,” Lisa smiled. “Okay then, what time should we be there?”, she asked.

“6 pm on the dot”.

“Okay…..i will call you before 4:30 pm to know our place of rendezvous incase i dont make it back to the office”.

“Good”, Kevin smiled. “See you soon…..do call me incase you need help with anything”.

“I will”, Lisa pat him on the back and left. Kevin stared at her as she left and smiled again before going to his own cubicle.

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

“So what the hell are you saying?…..that all my money is gone?!”, Gus barked and glared at the man standing infront of him.

The man who wore a black jean trouser and a black leather jacket suit with eyeglasses nodded and looked at the screen of the tablet device he was holding. “Every penny of it is gone sir”, he said to Gus and tapped the buttons on the screen of the device.

Gus sighed deeply with a downcast gaze and paced towards the sofa with both hands in his pockets. He dropped his weight on the leather covered cushion and glanced at the other men present in the livingroom.

One of them was sitting on the sofa opposite Gus. He wore a grey coloured Italian suit and shoes with a gold rolex watch around his wrist. He hands that held a glass of drink was resting on the lap of his crossed leg. His name is Vincent and he is one of those regarded as the “under boss” in the mafia.

The others are two big men…..bodyguards watching another man who was on his knees; the chubby guy.

Gus sighed again. “Fifty million dollars….all gone”, he muttered and picked up the glass of drink on the side table beside him. “How did it happen?”, he asked the chubby guy with a quiet and cold tone of voice as he stared at the glass cup. “My money getting missing and my cousin getting killed……how did it all happen?”, he asked again.

Chubby guy stared at Gus with a lot of fear, lips trembling and unsure of what to say.

“I asked you a question….or did whoever took my money also take your tongue?”.

“The…..the girl in…in…the club”, chubby guy stuttered.

Gus shift his eyes from the glass to chubby guy. “Girl?……club?….what the hell do you mean?”, he asked.

“A girl…..a hostess we met in the club did it”, the chubby guy replied with a shaky voice. “She killed Justin and…..and took all your money”.

Gus glanced at the man sitting on the sofa with furrowed eyebrows. “What the hell are you saying?…..that a club wh@re pulled off this f@cking monkeyshine on you??”, he asked and looked at chubby guy.

“Gus she is no ordinary club wh@re……she killed the boys like they were nothing”, chubby guy said. “She is highly trained assassin……sent to get me”.

“So why didnt she kill you?”.

“I think her job was to steal the money”.

“And you gave her the passwords to the computers for her to accomplish her mission?”.

Chubby guy looked down. “Gus she threatened to cut off my fingers and…..and my manhood”, he muttered quietly.

“I see…..so your fingers and your uncontrollable taste for wh@re p@ssy manhood is worth more than my fifty million dollars?”, Gus asked.

Chubby guy said nothing still with the downcast gaze.

Shaking his head, Gus got up and walked over to the mini-bar with his glass cup. He took out a bottle of brandy and poured himself a shot. Gulping down the drink, he went over to were chubby guy knelt down.

Gus stared at the man for a while and then poured out a shot in the glass cup. “Get up”, he said to the man and offered him the drink.

“Chubby guy glanced at the big men standing behind him with alot of fear in his face and hesitated.

“Scott get up……”, Gus said again with a weak smile. “…..have a drink”, he offered the glass to chubby guy as he got up. “It’s okay my friend, things like these do happen. Dont worry, we will look for a way to take care of this mess”, he reassured.

Chubby guy glanced at the glass and stared at Gus nervously. Then he accepted the shot of drink with a faint smile and raised it to his lips.

“There”, Gus said and patted chubby guy on his back as he swallowed the liquor. “Here….have another shot”, Gus smiled and poured another shot for the guy.

Chubby guy heaved a sigh of relieve and raised the glass to his mouth again. Then the smile in Gus face faded. He tightened his grip on the bottle neck and viciously swing the thick brandy bottle at chubby guy’s face.

The blow smashed the glass cup in chubby guy’s face, broke his nose and knocked out a few teeth out of his mouth. Gus swing the thick bottle at his face again and broke his jaw. The impact of the blow knocked chubby guy to the floor. Then Gus bent over the man who was groaning with alot of pain and started swinging the bottle at his face.

“You motherfucker!”, Gus barked. He dropped the bloodstained bottle after turning chubby guy’s face to a bloody mess and grabbed the man’s right hand. “So which of this fingers is worth fifty million dollars huh?……this one?”, he asked and twisted chubby guy’s index finger till it snapped. “No….i think it is this one!”, he grabbed the thumb and broke it. “Maybe all of them!”.

Chubby guy screaming in agony as Gus broke his fingers one by one. The man sitting on the sofa looked on with less concern and the man with the device tab and the bodyguards remained silent.

When Gus was done breaking chubby guy’s fingers he straightened up and looked at the bodyguards.

“Before you kill and bury him, i want you to chop his manhood off and make him swallow it”, he ordered the men.

The big men lifted chubby guy up like he was nothing despite his heavy weight and carried him awaywith the man holding the tablet device following them. Gus took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hands as he went over to the sofa. He threw the handkerchief to the floor and dropped his weight in the sofa with a sigh.

“Vincent, what are the extents of the damages in the factory and printing company”, he asked the man sitting on the sofa opposite him.

“Gone”, vincent replied.

“What do you mean?”.

“I mean both places are ‘all gone’ gone”, Vincent said and took a sip from his glass. “Angus, our friend in the fire department told the boys to clear up the corpses and other evidence before the police arrived for their investigations”, he continued as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to set his glass on the side table. “But we gonna pay him alot of money because it wasnt an easy task”, then he looked at Gus. “But the currency printing plates are missing…..whoever torched the printing company took it”,

“That old b!tch”, Gus cursed under his breath and hissed. “That f@cking cop was right afterall”, he continued with a thoughful gaze.

“What cop?…..and right about what?”, vincent asked and furrowed his eyebrow. “Have you being….talking to the cops?”, he asked again, gazing at Gus keenly.

“No…..”, gus moved uncomfortably in his seat. “After Santos got killed, this cop came to my house…..a new guy who got transfered from metrocity. He told me this story about some crazy guy who singlehandedly and gruesomely took out a…..seven point gang or whatever they call themselves.

“And?”,

“And he believes that Nina and that……that psycho-maniac are related”.

“And it didnt bother you?”.

“I was at first”, Gus smirked. “But i later dismissed it as one of those stories the cops use to instill fear in people”, then he looked at Vincent. “Am i suppose to be that bothered?”,

“Bothered!….Gus, if a cop came to me with that kind of story, especially when it involves someone like Nina, i would be sweating bullets!”, Vincent exclaimed. “I dont know what on earth are the reasons for you to go after the most dangerous woman in the underworld!”, he sighed. “But one thing i know is we are taking alot of damages……and the other guys are really concerned about this situation”, he stated. “Even if the woman is no longer a member of that family as you said earlier, dont you think someone like her will still be rolling around with some dangerous individuals backing her?”, he asked. “Gus some of the big boys in this city, i mean heavy weight hitters, do owe that woman a favour. And a few wont mind giving her a helping hand if she call upon them. Didnt you think about that?”.

Then a long silence settled in the livingroom. Vincent stared at his glass on the table with a highly disappointed look on his face. Gus seemed adamant with an unconcerned smirk on his face.

“Gus, the other guys are not happy”, Vincent broke the silence and looked at Gus. “They are not happy with what is going on…..and very unhappy with this decision you made without letting us know”, he added.

“Why?”, Gus asked.

“Why?…….”, Vincent was flabbergasted. “Some of us have investments in that operation going on under the garment factory and you know very well that none us like losing money. Besides you suppose to have called a meeting and lets us know your intentions and….”.

“Well am the boss!…..”, Gus interrupted angrily. “…..and i dont need any goddamn permission to make any of my decisions…..Do any of them have a problem with it?”, he blurted out. “Do you have any problem with it?”, he asked vincent.

“No…..Gus i dont have any problem with it at all”, Vincent replied coolly. “But all i am saying is you should have let us know what was going on……like this war we are being drawn into,……and to also see if it is even worth fighting. And to me personally, this war is far from being worth fighting. An annihilation is going on and we are the ones at the receiving end. You just lost millions of dollars, your cousin is dead, alot of your men killed in just one night……who knows what’s next”.

“I know”, Gus said. “But for now it like she is the one winning. But soon she and every person around her will be pulled down and i will be one of the most feared man in this city. And when that time comes, i will check on the people around me to know who are my friends and who are not”, he continued and stared at Vincent.

Vincent stared back for a few seconds and shrugged. Then he reached for the glass on the side table. “I hope it comes to pass my friend”, he toasted and swallowed the liquor in the glass.

Gus got up and reached for the telephone on the center table. “I think its time to make my own move”, he muttered as he dialled a number. “There is this pretty mulatto chick who definitely knows where Nina is….or knows who is aware of where that old b!tch is hiding”, he said to Vincent with a smile as the line he dialled rang. “Am gonna make her tell me all that she knows…..and then let her know the kind of hot daddy i am”, he smiled.

Vincent shook his head and smirked.

“Hello….Hector, i want you to take the boys with you and go get that girl…”, Gus said to the phone mouthpiece when the call got answered. “…..yeah the one that works in the newspaper place. No matter what it takes, make sure you bring her here with you…..alive”.

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

“Ouch!….that hurts”, Nina protested as Esther wrapped the bandage around her chest.

“Oh is it painful?”, Esther asked indifferently.

“Woman, you can see very well that i am not made of stones”, Nina retorted.

“Really, i didnt even know that” Esther said coolly as she closed the First-aid kit box and gathered the used bandages.

Nina laid on the bed, staring at Esther as she readjusted her pillow and her blanket. Esther was aware of her stare. But she kept doing what was doing without looking at Nina’s face.

“It gives you alot of pleasure, doesnt it?”, Nina asked.

“What do mean?”, Esther replied with a question still not looking at Nina.

“I mean….seeing me here lying on this bed, hurt and all bandaged up”, Nina sighed and looked away. “It definitely gives you a sense of joy and satisfaction……doesnt it?”.

“I dont like you at all for sure. Infact seeing you hurt and wounded up keep giving me that feeling of happiness because it shows that you are not invincible. But i try not to entertain those bad thoughts because i’m not a sick and twisted human being like you”, Esther replied and threw the used bandages and other waste in the trash can beside bed.

“Woman we all have some sick and twisted things about us”, Nina smiled. “It just that some of us always let it out”, she looked at Esther. “While others prefer to let it remain in that dark icy depths of the heart”.

Esther sat on the edge of the bed said nothing.

“I’m very sure that there are times when you looked at some of the patients you were about to stick the needle and wonder what will happen if you sticked it to them in the wrong way”, Nina continued and kept staring at Esther. “Perhaps wondered what will happen if you had filled the syringe with the wrong…….deadly fluid”.

Esther scoffed and shook her head.

“Or maybe it is something else apart from hurting other people”, Nina added with a smile.

“Yep….maybe it is something else”, Esther began and looked at Nina. “Something like….convincing Eric to take you into a basement and torture you till you die while i sit there and watch”.

The smile on Nina’s face faded slowly.

“You and i know who your son respects the most”, Esther continued and stared at Nina with a cold look on her face. “If he was given a gun or knife and told to choose one person between you and i and then kill the other, not only will he kill you but also ask if i have any failing organ so as to replace it with yours”.

Nina remained silent.

“I know how Eric thinks and how his brain works. He is the baby that i raised…..and i know how to make my baby do my biddings…..but like i said earlier, i dont entertain bad thoughts”, Esther concluded.

“You are right”, Nina muttered. “And that’s why i want to see you”, then she looked at Esther. “I want you to give me back my son”.

Esther gazed at Nina with a blank stare. “You want me to give you back your son?”, she asked quietly.

“Yes….i want you to give me back Eric”, Nina replied. “Just tell me what you want……is it money?……name your price”, Nina continued.

“So….you want to buy your own son from me?”, Esther asked with a chuckle.

“Look…..”, Nina began uncomfortably. “…..First of all, we all know how you got him. Second, if i had known that i had twins in that hospital, he wouldnt have ended up in your hands….and”

“And if you knew he existed, you would have raised him better?, especially with his condition?”, Esther asked. “Besides, what did you say the first time we found out who you were?, you made it clear that you don’t want anything to do with him”.

“Esther, i really appreciate all the effort that you had put in raising him. But let us be realistic. I am his real mother and will always be”, Nina said. “I said what i said because of the unpleasant situation you and i were having that time. And i saw how you were so fond of him”.

“So,……have anything changed since then?”, Esther asked. “You and i are still having, and will always have an unpleasant situation……and i am still fond of him”.

“But you forgot to mention that you now have a son of your own”.

“Well you have Alex…..and i overheard Suzanne talking about her new family”.

“Esther, Eric is not the kind of person you suppose to be keeping around you, being a peace and quiet loving woman”, Nina sighed. You think you know him very well because you raised him as a child. But you dont know what he is capable of doing, especially now that he is grown”.

“Well i saw how he violently fisted two big men in the elevator before snapping their neck like they were nothing”, Esther shook her head with a thoughtful gaze. “So i know very well what he is capable of doing”.

Then Esther got up from the bed. “Anyway…..”, she began as she did so. “I am not the one holding Eric from going back to you. So if you want to have him, you can go ahead and take him. But one thing you have to know is i had always let him go……even told him get out of my life and in some cases, pushed him out. But in the end, he always comes back to me”, Esther picked up the trash can and looked at Nina. “And you know what that means. It means that he belongs to me”.

Then Esther gave Nina a faint smile and headed towards the door of the room. And almost bumped into Eric as he stepped into the room.

“Easy woman…..”, Eric began with a smile at Esther. “You know you dont stand a chance of remaining upright if you bump into me”, he teased.

Esther pat Eric on the face with a smile and left without saying anything to him. Eric closed the door and looked at Nina who was busy staring at him. Then he waved the cellphone he had in his hand at her.

“What?”, Nina demanded rather irritatedly.

“Someone called your fake cellphone and left a message for you”, Eric replied. “

“Is that all?”, Nina asked indifferently and looked away.

“Yeah…..”, Eric replied with furrowed brows as he wondered was the matter with her. “Or is there any other thing you are expecting?”, he asked.

“Yeah…..”, Nina looked at him. “….like….goodmorning to you, how are you doing, are you getting better……words that shows a little bit of concern for my well-being and…..”.

“Do you also need a cup of coffee and some back rub?”, Eric interrupted. “What about a thai massage?……sorry i dont know much about thai massages and i might end up breaking something because thats what these hands are only good for.

Nina sighed with pursed lips. “What is the message?”, she asked.

“A guy…..”, Eric began and sat on her bed. “He said he is the postman and has a delivery for you from your old school mate”, he continued and looked at Nina with a confused look on his face.

Nina paused with a thoughful look on her face. “Did he give you an address?”, she then asked.

“Yeah…..a very strange address”, Eric replied. “Do you always get deliveries from old school mates with strange address?”, he asked.

“I havent gotten any in a long time, but somehow i feel this one gonna be an interesting delivery”, Nina smiled weakly. “Eric i need a pen and paper…..and your cellphone too. I cant use mine for this because someone might be listening”,

Eric nodded and got up to go get his cellphone.

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

Vincent casually stepped out of the convenience store with a bottle of water in his hand and glanced both ways before crossing the road, heading towards the white 2013 5 series BMW. He paused with his hand on the car door handle and glanced around the place before opening the car door. Dropping his weight in the driver seat and slamming the door closed, Vincent dropped the plastic water bottle on the passenger seat beside him and dipped both hands in the pockets of his suit jacket , searching for his cellphone as he murmured inaudibly. Then he stopped and remained still for a few seconds and slowly reclined in the seat with a smile on his face.

“Very silent and very slick”, Vincent began quietly and slowly took his hands out of his pockets. “Traits of a natural born killer…..no wonder you are killing those men with much ease”, he continued and shift his eyes to the rearview mirror to look at the young man sitting in the back seat of his car.

“Good day to you sir”, Eric said and moved closer to Vincent. “

Good day….can i get my cigarette from my pocket?”, Vincent asked. “I dont have any weapon on me”.

“I know….i saw the gun in the compartment box. Go ahead and have your cigarettes”, Eric said and the semi-auto handgun he was holding clicking as he put it in safety mode. “Vincent right?”, he asked.

“Yeah….that’s me”, Vincent replied as he reached for the cigarette in his pocket and lit one for himself. “Do you smoke?”, he offered one to Eric.

“No i dont….thanks”.

“So…..”, Vincent took a drag from the cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke and smiled with his eyes staring ahead. “…..the queen bee decided to send her killer bee huh?. I dont usually deal directly with people i dont know very well. But…..”, he stared at Eric through the rearview mirror. “…….i’m kind of happy that she sent you….because it gonna make things a little bit easier for me”.

“Well i’m impressed”, Eric said indifferently. “But you have to state the reason for wanting to meet because i’m in a bit of a rush”.

Vincent took another drag and exhaled slowly. “It’s about this mess that is going on”, he began, gesturing with the hand that held the cigarette. “I want it to stop…..i want to put an end to this unnecessary war”, he continued.

“Unnecessary war huh?,” Eric scoffed. “But putting a hit on my mother and brother was a necessary thing to do”.

“Neither was it necessary”.

“Good to know you are aware of that. But your boss and your fellow cohorts made a declaration of war when you guys made that decision”.

Vincent sighed and stared at the burning end of his cigarette. “Gus made the plan alone”, he said and stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray beside him. “And he made the decision by himself. I and the other members didnt even know what was going on. Even if he presented this crazy plan to us, none of us would wanna be a part of it”.

“So what are you saying?,….that you and the other under bosses are not aware of the events that is going on in your organization?”, Eric asked. “Or are you guys trying to save your necks by denying being part of this sh!t your boss started because it has hit the fan?”.

Then Vincent looked over his shoulder and stared at Eric. “If the other under bosses were in on this…fuckery….”, he began with a smirk. “……then more men would be coming after Nina….and you know what that means”.

“Yeah…..me leaving more corpses”, Eric said.

“For how long?”,

“Why dont you just tell me how you intend to put a stop to this mess your boss started and let me worry about how long it gonna take me to kill all your men”, Eric sighed.

Vincent smirked again and looked away. And remained silent for awhile.

“I want Gus out of the way”, he then said and looked at Eric. “I want you to get rid of Gus”.

“I intend to get rid of him. So if that’s the reason for this meeting, then you just wasted my……”

“I want it to be done immediately”, Vincent interrupted. “Like tomorrow”.

Eric stared at Vincent suspiciously. “Why do you want to have your boss killed?”, he asked.

“Well this is the only way to put an end to this war going on between us and Nina”, Vincent replied.

“Of course this is a way to end the war….but not the only way. So why do you want Gus, who happens to be your good friend, dead and to be dead by tomorrow?”, Eric asked again.

“Well, you have to understand that in our world there is nothing like friends, just people you need”, Vincent replied. “And Gus is a f@cking greedy son of a b!tch”.

“You all are greedy sons of b!tches”, Eric snorted. “That’s why you all band together to form crime families……because you want to take more”.

“Gus had gotten greedier…..and his greed is about to ruin our organization……atleast that’s what most of the under-bosses thinks”.

“Then why dont you guys get rid of him yourselves, instead of looking for someone else to do your dirts”.

Vincent reached for the bottle of water on the seat beside him and looked at Eric. Eric nodded the go ahead and Vincent took the bottle and drank from it.

“If we take care of him…..”, he began after two sips. “……we would still have to deal with Nina. So we decided to kind of do each other a favour. Your mother get the satisfaction of getting rid of Gus as a payback for trying to eliminate her and we get to run the organization the way we see fit”.

Eric thought about what Vincent said for a while and looked at him. “So how do want us to carry out this plan?”, he asked.

“Good…..”, Vincent smiled on seeing Eric’s interest in his plan. “Tomorrow, Gus will be calling a meeting for all the members of the organization to come to one of his villa. He wants to tell every member to send out their men to go on a serious hunt for Nina, your mother”.

“So?”.

“None of us will be coming….and so will our men. So you have only Gus and his own men to deal with. Then you go there and do what you are good at and make sure none of them comes out alive”.

“Will that f@cker called Hector be there?”, Eric asked.

Vincent smiled. “All his men will be there”, he replied. Then he gazed at Eric with a serious look on his face. “So are you going to do it?”, he asked.

“Just tell your under boss friends to play their own part and be miles away from Gus’ place because there’s gonna be a f@cking blizzard there”, Eric replied. Then he cocked the pistol and pointed at Vincent’s head. “But if this is some silly game you intend to play with me, then putting a bullet in your skull is what you will be praying for when i get you…..and for sure i will get you”.

Vincent moved the barrel of the handgun away from his head and extended his hand to Eric. “Good doing business with you”, he said.

Eric stared at the hand for a few seconds and shook it with a faint smile. Then he opened the door to get out of the car.

“Oh one more thing”, Vincent began as Eric was about to step out. “That guy called Hector……Gus gave him the order to go get someone. A girl working for a newspaper company. I dont know if you know her or if she is somehow close to Nina. But Gus got his men watching her and they intend to get her”.

Eric stared at Vincent in silence.

“So if she is one of yours then you better go get her before his men do”, Vincent continued. “That guy Hector is not the kind of guy you would want around a female friend……he is even worse than Gus”.

“Thanks for the info”, Eric said as he slammed the door shut and started walking away.

“Just call it a favour from me”, Vincent said and brought life to his car engine. “Send my regards to Nina”, he added and drove off.

Eric brought out his cellphone and dialled a number. And started walking fast towards a black lexus parked a few metres away when the call wasnt answered. He dialled again and started running towards the car with a frantic look on his face after the third call wasnt answered.

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

Lisa got ushered into the office by the young and friendly looking Nun who worked as the Secretary in the convent.

“Sister Diviana, someone is here to see you”, the young Nun said to the old Nun sitting behind the desk in the office.

The old Nun who is probably in her early sixties and very humble looking, got up with a friendly smile on her face as Lisa stepped into the office.

“Hello my dear, please come have a seat”, she began with a soft voice and motioned at the chair infront of her.

Lisa took a quick glance around the fairly lighted office as the young Nun left. The place has alot of church memorabilia and crosses hanging on the wall with a few file cabinets and shabby but clean furnitures. Lisa sat on the chair, uttering a low “thank you” and rested her eyes on the old Nun as she paced towards the water dispenser standing near one of the cabinets.

“I am sister Diviana Cruz….but before we start, can i get you anything?….coffee or tea?”, the Nun asked and took out a paper cup from the rack near the dispenser.

“Oh….no thank you”, Lisa replied.

“Okay”, the Nun muttered with a smile and made herself a cup of tea. “We hardly get visitors these days”, she continued as she went over to her chair with the steaming cup of tea. “Especially from young women. Along time ago here used to be filled with girls who wanted to dedicate their life to the church. But nowadays, with all these modern gadgets and devices, everyone seem to have their eyes fixed on it to have time to look this way……or even look up to heaven”.

“Things always change”, Lisa said with a weak smile and glanced at the thick hard cover books that were neatly arranged on one side of the desk.

“Yes my dear,….but i dont know if it is for the better or worse”, the Nun sighed and sat down gently, resting her elbows on the table and clasping her hands around the cup. “When i was young, the country was quite poor but people had alot of value for things like traditions and respects. These days you see alot of things that was frowned upon long ago being done so freely outside and infront of the elders. Maybe that’s one of the things that comes with economic prosperity……or maybe i have gotten too old”, she chuckled and shook her head.

Then the Nun looked at Lisa. “So what can i do for you…Miss..?”.

“Lisa Richards, i’m a reporter for the Easthill Times newspaper”, Lisa introduced herself.

“Okay…..Miss Richards”, the Nun took a sip from her cup of tea. “So are you here to write an article about this convent?”, she asked.

“Actually i have this project that i’m doing…….writing a biography about someone….Mr Cantona Brown”, Lisa replied and watched the Nun keenly to see her reaction when she said the name. But saw none. “So i came to ask some questions about someone who had alot of history with this man”, she continued and placed the file she was carrying on the table.

“Cantona brown……”, the Nun murmured thoughtfully with furrowed eyebrows. “Oh……the wealthy billionaire?……i heard he made alot of donations to the churches and orphanages”, she smiled faintly. “So who is this person that had alot history with Mr Cantona Brown?”, she asked.

Lisa opened the file and took out a picture of Andrew Philips. “Do you know him?”, she asked and placed the picture infront of the Nun.

The Nun stared at the picture for a while without touching it. Then she took out her eyeglasses from one of the desk drawers. She put it on and stared at the picture again for a while.

“Who is he?”, she asked and looked at Lisa.

“His name is Andrew Philips, he is an ex police detective”, Lisa replied. “Perhaps you might know him because he was a regular visitor here about forty years ago”.

The Nun shook her head and took another sip from her cup. “I’m sorry, i dont know this man”, she said.

“You dont know him?”, Lisa asked again with a keen look in her eyes as she stared at the Nun.

“No…..i dont know him. He doesnt look familiar and neither do i remember meeting anyone like him before”, the Nun replied and turned her eyes to the books on her desk.

“Well that’s kind of hard to believe”, Lisa opened the file again and took out another picture.

“Why do you say so?”, the Nun asked with less concern as she reached for one of the books.

“Because not only was he a regular visitor to this convent till he passed away, he was the only one paying you visits during your days as a novice in this convent”, Lisa said and looked at the Nun.

The Nun paused with her hand over the book she was about to take and stared at Lisa. Then Lisa took out another picture. It was an old black and white police mugshot of a young girl, probably a teenager. Lisa glanced at the picture and stared at the Nun as she slided it slowly to her.

“Mr Andrew was a very good detective and also good in gathering details. But it kind of made him develop some kind of a problem”, Lisa continued as the Nun stared at the other picture with an expressionless look on her face. “He never threw away written notes given to him, even receipts…….or scribbled memos, no matter how unimportant it was”, she smiled. “So while going through some of his files, i came across a pile of Saint Mary convent visitors receipts and a paper that had a name written on it….Diviana Cruz”.

The Nun slowly raised her eyes from the picture she was staring at and looked at Lisa.

“The girl in that picture is called Diane”, Lisa pointed at the picture. “She was Mr Cantona Brown’s partner in crime when he was rolling on the wrong side of the law and probably his girlfriend. And it was Mr Andrew Philips that was given the task to bring both of them down. She died. Drowning was the cause of death according to a police report filed by Andrew himself. And he was the only one that witnessed her drown when the car she was driving plunged into the river while trying to escape from the police. A week after she was registered as deceased, you joined the convent. And Mr Andrew, who wasnt much of a religious guy, started paying regular visits here”.

The Nun pursed her lips and looked away.

“Then i started asking myself, why would Diane fake her own death?, and even go as far as meeting the cop who would do anything to have her put behind bars to help her do it?”, Lisa continued as she leaned forward and stared at the Nun with her hands folded under her chin. “Maybe she got hold of something. Perhap something that worth a fortune……and it belonged to someone she knew very well or someone she is very close to…..like Mr Cantona Brown. So she decided to keep it for herself by pulling off one big scam. She convinced Mr Andrew the cop, Cantona’s greatest enemy, to help her fake her own death. By making it seem as if he killed her, Cantona would be hurt pretty bad because she is the only person he had ever loved. And it would make Andrew look like he is the one who gained the upper hand in their unending grudge. Andrew who happened to be the one who was always on the losing side whenever both men confronted each other readily agreed to the plan. But he didnt know about the thing Diane took. He only saw her as a misguided girl trying to get away from a dangerous criminal to change her life for good. And if he was still alive, he would be wondering why Cantona Brown is demanding for that something he was never aware of and never took”.

Lisa paused and sighed deeply. “Now here is Diane, all dressed up as a Nun with an assumed name”, she smirked. “And lying through her teeth even though she is under an oath of the church”.

The Nun turned her expressionless look at Lisa and stared at her for a while. Then her lips curved into a smile as she got up and paced towards one of the cabinets. She opened the cabinet draw and took out a file.

“You really did a very good investigation”, the Nun began as she opened the file and flipped through the documents in it. “I think you will make a very good detective my dear instead of a journalist”, she continued as she went over to her chair.

The Nun dropped the file infront of Lisa and took a seat. Lisa glanced at the file and looked at the Nun with a puzzled look on face. The Nun gestured at her to go ahead and look into the it. Then Lisa slowly moved her hand towards it.

“When Diane came to the convent…..”, the Nun began as Lisa opened the file and saw two pictures with faces that looked alike. “……everyone thought she was my twin sister”, she continued. “I myself even thought she was my long lost twin. Throughout those months that she stayed in this convent, i had to deal with the pressures of being a novice and also waking up every morning to see this girl that look like me”.

Then the Nun sighed and looked at Lisa as she went through the documents in the file with alot of interest written on her face. “She was quite the rough character, had alot of misunderstanding with some of the sisters and other novices. But we were very close and she was like a sister to me and the family i never had. And i helped her alot”, the Nun smiled. “like her using my name whenever this mysterious guy came to see her. She told me that she couldn’t use her name because according to her, she was hiding from someone and this mysterious guy was helping her”.

Lisa closed the file and stared at the Nun with alot of confusion written on her face. “So if you are not Diane, then where is she?”, she asked.

“Diane is dead”, the Nun replied.

“Dead?”.

“Yes……when she came here, she was pregnant. About four weeks. So she stayed here until the pregnancy couldnt be hidden. And she left when her mysterious man stopped visiting her. She died in the hospital during childbirth….so did the baby. Perhaps it was the effects of leading a bad and rough life that got to her……i dont know”.

The Nun sighed again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Her death took its toll on me”, she muttered. “That’s why i left the country to continue my sisterhood in a different place because looking at this building that time reminded me of her”.

Lisa exhaled and looked away. Then she took out the two pictures in the file given to her by the Nun and compared them to the police mugshot picture of Diane. She stared at them for a while and reclined in her seat.

After a few seconds of remaining in that position, she looked at the Nun with furrowed eyebrows. “But how will i know you are telling me the truth?”, she asked and lean forward. “As far as i’m concerned, Diviana could be the one who is dead and you are here posing as her. Diviana had no family member at all and it was same with Diane. Maybe there was never a Diviana…..so….”,

“Look young girl, everything you need to know is in that file”, the Nun began irritatedly. “And if you want to know more about Diane, why dont you go and ask Mr Cantona Brown himself. I was having a lovely day before you stepped into this office. And i think it’s time you leave because i’m now running out of patience”, she concluded and pointed at the door.

Lisa stared at the old woman for a few seconds and then got up. She opened her purse and dropped her card on the table.

“Well i wont be needing that because i dont think i can help you with your so called project…..or investigation”, the Nun muttered and reached for the book she had wanted to pick up.

Lisa ignored what she said and headed towards the door. As she opened the door to leave, she paused and turned to the Nun.

“Cantona Brown is holding Andrew Philips son, Barry Philips hostage…..he thinks that Andrew Philips took the thing that belongs to him after he supposedly killed Diane”, Lisa stated. “So he is demanding that it should be given back to him or else he will kill Barry. Cantona’s daughter who happens to be Barry’s girlfriend and mother to his two sons, got shot while trying to find that thing so as to save Barry’s life”.

The Nun raised her eyes from the book and stared at Lisa.

“I know one of Barry’s son very well”, Lisa continued. “And i know what he can do whenever someone related to him is threatened. That’s the reason why i came here. To see if i can put a stop to a calamity that is about to happen. So Diviana or Diane or whoever you are, all i’m asking is if there is anything you can do to stop this impending family bloodbath from happening please do……and immediately because tomorrow is the ultimatum that Cantona had given them. I know you will do the right thing…..just like Diviana or Diane would do”, Lisa concluded and walked out of the office, quietly closing the door after her.

The Nun stared at the door for a while after it got shut and turn her eyes back to the book she was holding.

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

Lisa took a quick glance at her wristwatch as she stepped out of the convent’s administrative building and made her way towards the gate. She nodded at the Nuns that walked by with a smile and thought about her next move, especially now that it seemed to her that the mission that brought her to the convent was a failure.

“Oh….Kevin”, she muttered when she remembered the dinner date Kevin had proposed and reached for her cellphone in her handbag.

Then Lisa paused after walking out of the gate of the convent as she stared at the screen of her cellphone. She has more than a dozen missed calls. And it was from Eric. Without thinking twice, she dialled the number and glanced at the taxi that just pulled over beside her.

“Where are you?”, Eric voice rasped out of the phone earpiece. He sounded quite frantic.

“Hey Eric…..”, Lisa began sweetly and happily because she hasn’t heard his voice for quite a while.

“Where you are?!”, Eric interrupted her and his voice was quite loud.

“I’m at St Mary convent”, Lisa replied. “Eric is everything okay?”, Lisa asked with some concern in her voice and glanced at the taxi driver who was motioning at her.

“Where are you now?”,

“I told you that i’m in St Mary’s convent”.

“I mean where in the convent are you?”.

“I am standing outside the gate”, Lisa glanced at the driver as he asked her where she was going.

“Now i want you to listen carefully…….”, Eric began and Lisa could heard the sounds of a car horn and tires screeching out loud. He was probably driving and quite wildly. “……..some guys are probably watching you right now, and they had been given the orders to get you”.

“Guys?”, Lisa glanced around. “Which guys?”, she asked with a nervous tone of voice.

“Don’t panic!”, Eric warned. “Stay calm and act natural……i dont want them to know that you just found out that you are being followed”, he said.

“Lisa took a deep breath and gently exhaled as she tried to maintain the casual look on her face. “Okay”, she said with fear and forced a smile.

“They have be watching your every move. So i want you to stay focused and be wary of everything going around you and every movement”, Eric continued. “Do you have a cellphone headset?”, he asked.

“Yes, it is in my handbag”, Lisa replied.

“I want you to use it “.

Lisa tucked the file she was holding inbetween her armpit and casual opened her handbag. She remembered Eric telling her to act normal and gave the taxi driver who was still waiting and looking at her a casual glance with a smile. After putting on the Bluetooth headset, she put her cellphone inside her handbag and gestured at the taxi driver to give her a minute.

“It is done”, she said to Eric.

“Good….now i want you to look around carefully and check for anything unusual going on around you…..remember!, act natural”.

“There is a taxi infront of me and it seems as if the driver is only interested in picking me up”, then Lisa took casual glances around the fairly busy street and at the other buildings. “There are a few cars parked on both sides of the street…..all are empty except…..one mini-van. The engine of the car seems to be running and there are four occupants in it….all men….big looking men”, she continued. “Eric, are you coming to pick me up?”, she asked and put a smile on her face to hide her anxiety when she noticed that one of the men in the mini-van was watching her. “I think the men in that van are watching me….perhaps i should wait inside the convent till you arrive”.

“I dont think i will make it there on time before those men lose their patience and decide to make their move”, Eric replied. “And going back inside the convent could tip them off and these guys dont mind hurting the Nuns or anybody. So i want you to be on the move while i come to you”, he continued.

“Okay”, Lisa said and paced around slowly. She looked at the taxi driver with a smile and indicated to him that she was making a phone call. The driver said nothing. He too was staring at her. Watching her keenly.

“How far is the bus-stop from where you are”, Eric asked.

“Close”, Lisa replied and glanced at the bus stop sign on her right. “Very close from where i’m standing”.

“How close?”, Eric demanded.

“Like twenty metres”, Lisa replied.

“What are the men in the van doing now?”,

“They are still watching me…..even the taxi driver”,

“I hope you know how to take a bus?”.

“Is that a question or are you teasing me?”.

“Good…..keep acting natural….like you didnt notice anything while keeping an eye out for the next bus.”, Eric said.

“Okay”, Lisa took a glanced at the taxi driver and put on a bright smile on her face like she was having an interesting phone conversation.

Then Lisa saw a bus approaching and at the same time she saw two of men getting out of the van.

“Eric a bus is coming….and two men just got out of the car…..i think they are coming towards me”, Lisa said, trying hard not to panic.

“Lisa you have to stay calm”, Eric reminded her again. “Now this is what i want you to do. I want you to take some casuals steps, perhaps ten or more towards the bus-stop, pause, turn around and take just two steps back towards where you were standing. Then turn around again and repeat. Some steps towards the bus stop and two steps back. Dont make eye contacts with the men or look at the bus stop. Just pretend you are having a phone chat”.

Lisa did exactly as Eric said, trying hard not to look at the men that were about to cross the road. Soon the bus arrived at the stop and the people waiting lined up to board it. By then, Lisa had gotten much more closer to the bus-stop. The taxi driver who had being staring at her looked at the men standing at the other side of the road. They gave him a signal and he brought life to the car engine and gently rolled the car towards Lisa.

“Eric people are boarding the bus now”, Lisa informed Eric. “Should i go join them?”, she asked.

“How close are you to the bus?”, Eric asked.

“Very close?”.

“Wait till the last passenger stands infront of door”.

Lisa kept pretending to be making a phone call and pacing back and forth. From the corner of her eye, she could see the men approaching and the taxi edging towards her.

“The last passenger is about to enter the bus”, she said as she looked at the last person getting ready to enter the bus.

“Now go to the bus as fast as you can but dont run!”, Eric said immediately.

Lisa immediately headed towards the bus in quick strides. And got inside the bus just as the driver pressed the door-close button and started driving off. Lisa exhaled deeply. She could see the two men running towards the bus as it drove off. She checked her handbag for her transportation card to pay for the bus fare.

“Eric i’m in”, she said and wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead as she went over to an empty seat at the back of the bus.

Eric slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The lexus raced forward and he succeeded in beating the traffic light. The sedan swung from left to right as he overtook every car infront of him.

“Its not yet over….those guys will follow the bus”, Eric said and swung the Lexus to the right when he reached an intersection.

“Okay….so what’s the next thing to do?”, Lisa’s voice came out of the car speakers. She sounded a little bit excited.

“Tell me the places the bus will make its stops”, Eric demand.

After about a minute of silence, Lisa then told him all the streets where the bus will make its brief stops. Fifteen places.

Eric thought for a few seconds and looked at the road sign he was approaching. It says “INLAND TOWN, 40 KM” with an arrow pointing to the right. Then he worked the steering wheel and diverted the car to the road on his right. He hit the gas pedal and the car roared harder as he raced towards his new destination.

“Is the van or the taxi following the bus”, he then asked Lisa.

Lisa remained silent for a moment. “Both of them”, her voice answered.

“Okay i want you to get off when the bus makes its stop at Allen avenue”, he said. “Then i want you to……..”,

The siren of a police patrol vehicle interrupted Eric. “Goddamnit…..not now”, he said under his breath as he looked at two patrol cars following him through the rearview mirror.

“Are you being followed by the cops”, Lisa asked. She too heard the siren.

“Yeah….”, Eric replied. “Gotta shake them off……just get off at Allen avenue and i will tell you what next to do”.

“Okay but please be careful”.

“Dont worry”.

Eric moved his hand to the sports mode button near the automatic gear and glanced at the patrol cars again. Then he hit the pedal after pressing the button and the patrol vehicles started racing after him as his car accelerated. The car chase began.

The bus automated announcer informed the passengers the stop they were approaching and the next stop after that one. Lisa glanced at the map of the bus route. Eight more stops before it reaches Allen avenue. Then she looked over her shoulder and through the bus back window. The black van and the taxi were still following behind.

Lisa put her hand on her Bluetooth. “Eric?”, she muttered.

“Yeah”, Eric answered her.

“Are the cops still following you”, she asked.

“Easthill cops dont give up that easily when it comes to a car chase”, he replied and the sound of car tires screeching could be heard.

“Those guys that are following me…..Who are they and what do they want from me?”, she asked with a whisper.

“Well, they intend to take you to a guy named Hector, who will then take you to another guy named Gus”, Eric replied.

“Hector?…..Gus?…..who are they?”,

“Hector is the guy given the job to kill my mother. Gus is the guy paying him to carry out the job. I killed Hector’s men and his second in command. My mother had Gus bank accounts cleaned up and two of his money making businesses destroyed. And i also killed his men. So they are trying to use you to get to my mother…..and probably me too”.

Lisa sighed. She stole a glance around the bus that was full with a few passengers standing.

“But how did they know about me?”, she asked as she made a careful scrutiny of any passenger that looked in her direction.

“I dont really know”, Eric answered. “But……hold on”.

Lisa then heard a loud screeching noise, horns blaring and a crash.

“Like i said, i dont really know”, Eric then continued. “But you gotta be watchful because i think the Sosai or perhaps a member of his family organization is up to no good”.

“What are they gonna do to me if they get me?”, Lisa asked and glanced at the van again.

“No….they wont get you”, Eric replied.

“I know…..but what if they do?”, Lisa asked again.

“I dont really know….but i heard that Gus once decapitated and raped the headless corpse of a young woman who refused his advances”, Eric replied. “But he is trying to get hold of you for something much more worse than being rejected by a woman”.

Lisa sighed with disgust.

“You can see the reason why i dont want them to get their hands on you”, Eric added.

“Please do hurry up”, Lisa muttered nervously and tried not to steal another glance at the cars trailing the bus.

“Dont worry…..”, Eric assured with a throaty and sinister voice. “You gonna be fine”, his voice rasped out from the Bluetooth earpiece, then followed by the sounds of car tires screeching .

The car chase had caused three non-fatal accidents and two more highway police patrol vehicles to join in the chase. Eric continue heading toward his destination at a neck break speed and switching lanes dangerously as he overtook every cars infront of him.

Lisa will soon get down from the bus. And the men following her will soon find out that she knows that she is being followed and wont hesitate to get hold of her by any means. That’s why he chose Allen avenue. The place is usually crowded at that time of the day. So the men will be finding it difficult to kidnap her in a place with lots of people and probably some policemen. And the traffic will be horribly slow, making it difficult for them to make a quick getaway if they happen to get her. Thereby giving him enough time to arrive and take care of the threat. But now he has four police squad cars chasing him and he has to deal with the situation.

“Okay boys”, Eric muttered and glanced at the police vehicles as he approached another highway sign. “I’m done playing this game”.

Then he pulled the handbrake, worked the steering wheel hard and the tires screeched loudly as he sharply drifted the car out of the highway and into the road the sign was pointing to. The patrol car behind him tried to follow suit but it’s driver lost control.

The police car crashed into the road barrier and made a 360 turn before stopping in the middle of the road. The second patrol car screeched to a halt but couldnt avoid crashing into the first patrol car that had blocked the road. The third and fourth car braked on time and avoided a total pile-up. But they were unable to continue the pursuit.

Eric released the handbrake and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The Lexus’ engine that had been re-tweaked, roared and powered the car ahead with massive horse powers. Eric gave a faint smile and headed towards the town ahead while the policemen got out of their vehicles and watched helplessly as the Lexus disappeared down the road.

“..The next stop is Allen Avenue. Please make sure you have your belongings with you”.

Lisa exhaled deeply after the bus automated announcer said the next stop. Her heart was pounding fast and beads of sweat started forming on her forehead. She tried to remain calm as she took out the contents in the file folder she was holding and stuffed them in her handbag. And left the empty folder on vacant seat beside her.

Lisa exhaled deeply again and wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead. She couldn’t tell whether she was having the feeling of anxiety or excitement. Perhaps the latter because of the thoughts of some guys following her and someone……her ex boyfriend, coming to her rescue.

“Eric i’m almost there…..where are you?”, she asked.

“On my way”, Eric’s frantic voice replied. “Alot of goddamn traffic here”.

“I’m about to get off the bus”.

“How is the street?”,

“Alot of people walking around and alot of traffic”.

“Okay…..when you get down, i want you to just keep walking and stay in the crowded places. Avoid walking into the alleys or any place with less crowd and tell me the buildings or landmarks near you”.

Lisa got up as the bus reached her destination. The door opened and she joined the other passengers filing out of the bus. She got down and took a deep breath as the bus zoomed away. Glancing both ways and avoiding setting her eyes on van and taxi that was approaching, she started walking.

She didnt know much about the place because it was her first time being there. She just did what Eric told her and kept walking among the crowd of people heading towards their various destinations. Now she could hear the van pulling over beside the street sidewalk and the doors slamming as the men got out. Lisa eyes darted around as she walked. She took a casual glance behind her as if looking for something and saw four men in black leather jackets following her and maintaining the distance between her and them. Then she saw a high rise with a marble statue infront of it and started heading towards the building.

Eric worked the woodgrained steering wheel crazily as he took all the shortest routes to Allen avenue as shown on the car navigation screen in the dashboard. He made a left turn and saw himself in terrible traffic caused by some kind of a procession going on in the street.

“Aww for f@ck sake!!”, he cursed under his breath and slammed his fist on the car steering wheel, blaring the horn loudly.

He looked back and saw the line of cars behind him, making it impossible to put the vehicle in reverse. Then he looked to his side and saw a building with an underground parking lot. Eric worked the steering and drove the Lexus frantically into the building underground and screeched the car to a halt in a parking space.

He frantically unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his cellphone that was connected to the dashboard as he got out of the car quickly. And started running as fast as he could. He was about four city blocks away from Allen avenue.

“Hello…..Lisa….where are you?”, he gasped as he ran.

“I’m heading towards a building…..”, Lisa’s nervous voice responded. “……CB bank is written on its signboard…..Eric four of the guys are following me”, she continued with a whisper. “And i dont think the crowd of people is gonna problem to them”.

As Eric ran, he looked ahead saw man leaving a bicycle infront of a shop. “How close are you to a pedestrian crossing?”, he asked and immediately straddled the bicycle when the man entered the shop.

“One is ahead of me…..it just flashed the greenlight”, Lisa replied.

“Just keep walking…..dont run or look at the people crossing the street. Try to be close to the pedestrian crossing when it has only one second to flash the redlight”, Eric said as he rode the bike as fast as he could.

Lisa walked towards the crossing and timed her steps while staring at the pedestrian traffic light making its count down to switch to the redlight. Ten seconds, she took another glance behind her and saw that the men following her werent aware of what she intends to do. Five seconds, she slightly increased her strides and kept her eyes on the glass windows of the shops on the sidewalk. One second…..

“Eric its time”, she said.

“Run across the road as fast as you can!”, Eric said to her.

On hearing his words, Lisa immediately raced across road. She was half way when the cars started moving and on the other side of the street when the cars started zooming along the road. The men tried to cross the but had to step back after one of them nearly got knocked down by a passing vehicle.

Eric made a sharp turn and saw himself in Allen avenue. He stopped and glanced at every high rises, looking for the one with “CB bank written on it. He saw the building ahead of him and started pedaling towards it.

“Eric i’m on the other side of the street so what’s next?”, Lisa asked as she cupped the Bluetooth in her ear with her hand so that she could hear his voice well.

Eric didnt respond.

“Eric?……hello….are you there?”.

Then a man grabbed Lisa’s arm and started walking beside her.

“Talking to your boyfriend huh?”, the man asked.

Lisa looked at the man beside her and saw it was the taxi driver.

“I have a gun fitted with a silencer hidden in the pocket of my jacket. So i suggest you stay calm and follow me if you want to live to see another day”, he continued. He turned her around and started walking her back to where she came from.

He removed the Bluetooth she was wearing and dropped it on the floor. Then he brought out his cellphone and dialled a number.

“I got her…..tell the others”, the man began on his phone and walked Lisa into alley. “Bring the van to the alley near the flower shop on the other side of the street. She might cause a scene if we try to pick her in the open street”, he concluded and put the cellphone back into his pocket.

The man lead Lisa into the empty narrow alley and pushed her against the wall. Then he turned her around and faced her to the wall. He grabbed her handbag and searched it. Seeing nothing that interest him, he dropped the bag on the ground and started body searching her. Lisa shut her eyes and heard him sneer as he felt her bossoms and backside.

“I wish i had more time before the boys come over”, the man chuckled as he stepped back with the gun pointed at Lisa and ran his eyes from the tight blouse she was wearing down to her mini skirt. “A beautiful girl like you with that fine ass gonna taste so good.

Lisa remained still with her eyes closed and said nothing. Then she heard a brief muffled sound followed by a low cracking sound. Then silence. Few seconds later, a hand touched her shoulder and she quivered with fear.

“It’s okay”.

Lisa heard the voice and turned immediately. Eric smiled and looked at the man he had just killed. Lisa involuntarily threw herself at him and hugged him very tight. And immediately break away from the hug.

“Eric more of them are coming”, she began frantically. “We have to get out of here.

“Yeah…”, Eric said and bent over the dead man to search his pockets. “But i’m not yet done with them”, he muttered and took out the man’s wallet to check his i.d.

“What do you mean by you are not done with them”, Lisa asked as she picked up her handbag.

“Mother gave the order to seek and take out all the enemies”, Eric replied and straightened up. “And the enemies are out there and i aint done taking them out”, he continued and looked at Lisa.

“Mother……you mean Nina?. When did she wake up from her coma?”.

“Yesterday”.

“And she is already well enough to give out orders?”.

“Even in her condition, that woman can still kill as many men as possible if you give her a gun or knife”.

Then Eric looked at Lisa from head to toe to ensure that she wasnt hurt in anyway. “Follow me….let me take you somewhere safe”, he beckoned at her and started walking out of the alley.

“And then what?”, Lisa asked without moving.

“Eric paused. “What do you mean by that?”, he asked.

“Well……”, Lisa paced to Eric and stood infront of him. “…..If you gonna take out the enemies, why dont we do it together”, she said. “Besides i’m the one they are looking for. So there must be a way you can…..perhaps use me to get them”.

Eric furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Lisa. Then he thought for a few second and nodded his head with a faint smile.

“Anyway come with me”.

BLOODLINE 2 Episode 11
#OpraDre

Drop your comment