by Sam Wilson
“Come on, follow me” Aguira said smiling
They went into the kitchen where there are varieties of seafood dishes waiting to be devoured, especially the grilled Salmon Susan’s favorite.
7:05 am the following morning Susan went out on the porch again, she sucked in a chest full of fresh morning air while planting her self in the reclining chair then yawned and stretched, “what a delightful morning” she murmured to herself. The man in his forties from a day before jogged past her, she immediately jumped up and followed him, he missed his footing and tripped when he saw her, she is not back to her full strength yet but she grabbed him before he could fall.
“You appeared from nowhere woman, what were you trying to do, scare me?” he said, his breathing was hard and he wore a scowl
“No, I didn’t mean to scare you” she said with a chuckled
“This is no funny” his tone was hard
“I’m not saying it is, look I just wanted to meet you” Susan was taken aback
“ Is that how you ask men out?” he changed tact suddenly
“I’m not asking you out” she replied, now wearing scowl
“What do you want then?” he asked pointedly
“Well I wanted to introduce myself” she smiled
As if time stood still they stared at each other for a minute till Susan giggled realizing how what she said most have sounded to him, she continued
“I saw what you did yesterday to those boys and I was impressed, so I thought maybe you can tell me where you learned that move from, over a cup of whatever you like to drink” she chuckled again
“And you are still not asking me out, are you visiting Karen?” his tone had lightened
“Oh, do you know Karen?” Susan asked
“Everyone knows Karen, you didn’t answer my question” he said flatly
“Yes I’m visiting, so are you free tonight?” Susan wasn’t testing him
He smiled, he wanted to just jog on, but curiosity had the better of him.
“My name is Justice, my friend call me Joss”
“Susan. It’s nice to meet you, so I will see you tonight then, is 5:00 pm good for you?” Joy in her voice
“6:00 pm will be better” he said dusting himself down
“6:00 pm it is then. She agreed
He jogged on, leaving her standing in the street. That evening at 18:00pm he knocked on the door, Karen opened the door, and to her surprise he was there to see Susan.
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8 months later Susan and her new partner in crime Mr Justice moved into a single bedroom flat in the city centre, it was a bit pricy but it’s where they should be, the subject of their focus lives beneath that flat. Within weeks they had set up surveillance equipment in the subject’s apartment, they strategically placed cameras everywhere except the bathroom; there is also a microdot camera outside his apartment that sees his goings and comings. It seems he has made loneliness into an art form but not a sad one, he’s like someone looking for something and in doing so, focused on himself too much thereby losing the ability to make contact with other people or it could be that his past has contributed to how he is, Susan decided to go with the latter. On more than one occasion they watched him beat the monkey as Justice called it, he pleasured himself, “he’s at it for hours” she would say laughing, Justice walks off every time he starts. Besides masturbating every two to three days a week, he brought his work home and they watched with pleasure. The day is sunny as it can be, it most have been 140 Fahrenheit that day, Susan looked for an opportunity to live her apartment but the man down stairs was busy working, he has been in his apartment for three days, slaving to complete one of his engineering master pieces, Justice asked her to go out for fresh air but she didn’t want to miss a second of what is on the screen. When he was done he took a shower and left for the beach, before he did, he locked the device in a safe that formed part of his wardrobe. Cleverly designed piece of work, no doubt he designed the added modifications on the wardrobe safe, fortunately for Susan, she and justice have watched him open and lock the safe several times, she has the combination written in her memory, as soon as he left, they went down to his apartment and stole the device. Called their buyer and came back after meeting them with three suitcases of money, one of which they left on the man downstair’s bed with a note
Mr. Abrahem baruti
In the suitcase are four million U.S Dollars and a ticket from Johannesburg to Washington
Leaving tonight at Nine-thirty, it’s a private plane.
Leave South Africa and wait for instruction on when to return safely
If you stay you will not live to see tomorrow
Kind regards
A friend.
Doctor Abrahem S. Baruti came home and was shocked when he found the note and money. He quickly looked in the safe where his fear was confirmed. He throws some clothes in with the money and hurried to the airport. He was sweating profusely when he got there, he checked in his luggage and having a diplomatic passport his luggage was let through without inspections, he practically ran into the plane. Once in the air his nerves calmed a little then the air pilot announced that there will be a stop in Spain to refuel before proceeding to Washington. The airhostess brought him refreshments containing another note, instructing him to make his way to Miami and stay low.
Susan watched him rush out off his apartment and followed him to the airport, they waved him goodbye in their minds as the jet disappeared into the night sky
“At least he’s safe for now,” Susan said
“Yeah, hopefully he can find a woman and leave that monkey alone” he replied sarcastically
Susan chuckled at the statement and got serious suddenly
“We have work to do, Tea mechanics fucked with the wrong woman”
“Yes I can see that” he replied, glancing at her, clearly he’s worried about her state of mind and the controlled rage inside her that is about to be unleashed in small doses. Since leaving the airport, a word hasn’t been spoken between them, the car silent as the time of day they are driving in, she pulled to a stop at the traffic light’s command. Justice not able to hide his feelings broke the silence.
“We got lucky with this one”
“Quit your worry, it’s going better than ether of us could ask, let’s hope the effect delivers the right impact”
“The right impact?” he turned facing her and caught her smiling “I think we should take a break and rethink this plan”
“We are not rethinking anything, I understand if you don’t have the stomach for this anymore” the light tuned green and she drove on crossing the intersection “All I want Justice, is justice if you know what I mean, but I hate for you to become a victim in the process so it’s up to you, again I understand the change of mind”
They drove in silence once again, he now knows he can’t change her mind from the hell bent suicidal mission she’s determined on seeing to the end, he thought he might as well stay to help save her from herself, the feelings he finds himself developing for her is also an issue he can’t seem to get rid of, the longer he’s around her the more difficult it becomes. He has to find a way to suppress these feelings, not that she is blind to the fact that his alpha male protectiveness is coming from his feelings for her but she encouraged it to keep him close, he sees that there is no room in her heart for love until the demon that resides in there is vanquished, the very reason he’s trying so hard to derail her from her present course. He also knows how selfish that makes him. That weekend they moved into a four-bedroom mansion one block behind the Tea Mechanic’s compound, somewhere they will not think to look when the catastrophic events she has planned starts to hit them. Thanks to Anton’s state of the art bugging equipments and hacking skills, she now has big brother style eyes in the Tea Mechanic’s house, those cameras feeds her info about their plans, she sees, records and can control the camera if and when she wanted but doing it at this stage could alert them about foreign elements i
n their system, the time to take full control will come. The Tea Mechanic are looking and have hell planned for her when she is found but hell is exactly what she has cooking under their noses, it is going to be delicious. If her memory serves her correctly after finding Robert Aims (the middle man that contracted their leader’s life to her) they did what she suspected they would, they out smarted her with an element of surprise namely Victor, the man she was so conflicted about turned out to be the man that runs Tea mechanic. With the help of Anton, who had grown tired of the game and planned to move to America in hope of a quite and peaceful life, she poisoned Victor. He became suspicious of Anton when he got sick and ordered him terminated along with her, his death is regrettable and she vowed not to let it be in vain, Jonas Williamson the man now in charge, is a cobra that has crawled into the nest of a Honey badger. She stood by the back window looking at the fenced compound a few hundred meters away as her inner voice carried on and in having a conversation with herself she said aloud “I love a cold dish” Justice can only imagine the monstrous event that is taking place within her, he’s not afraid and if it was somebody else he would have walked away but strangely he’s standing behind her in support.
GHOULISH TREAT
At a tranquil holiday resort in the outskirts of Johannesburg, the sounds of the waves violently hitting the sea shores is clearly heard around the haven, besides that and the wind making the trees dance, the resort is known for the privacy it provides its guests. That level of tranquility wasn’t about to be broken by Susan who is in one of the huts that over looks the ocean, standing one footed on a man she calls the associate and pointing a 9mm pistol with a silencer at his temple.
“Hello love, thought you would never see me again, didn’t you,” she asked rhetorically
He opens his mouth in an effort to say something but she shoved the gun into his mouth partially breaking his upper front tooth, he gagged, she thrust the gun hard down his throat going back and forth for a few minutes before he rolled on his side coughing and puking.
“Please! I’m sorry; I’m sorry please, forgive me! I couldn’t help myself, I’m a different person now, I’m trying to leave, you know, far away. I know what I did was wrong but I had no choice, please you have to believe me,” he pleaded
“Shut up bitch and take it. Isn’t that what you said? Enjoy it cause this is the best you are going to get before you die, I remember those words!”
With that statement she taped his mouth shut, raised his tied legs up after breaking his ribs on the left side then forcefully shoved an Apple iphone tied to a broomstick into his anus while Justice held him down. He tried crying out in pain but the duct tape muffled the sound. Tears rolled down his checks as she went back and forth with fury. She broke the broom with the phone in his ass, cocked the 9mm, the barrel appeared large when he opened his eyes and saw the gun so close, the fiery lights blasted through the gun barrel blinding him and his brain did not have the time to process the sound the gun made.
Susan stood over him and fired without hesitation; his head burst open at the back spreading blood, fluids, and bloody white tissue onto the thick pillows they placed under his head and the plastics they covered the room in. Justice still can’t get use to the fury and swiftness in her actions but he reassures himself that the time will come when all of this will end. The associate was chopped in pieces and wrapped in plastic then carefully zipped into a large suitcase. They took precautions leaving through the little gate that leads to the beach at the back of the resort. About three hundred meters from the resort they opened the suitcase and emptied the content into an oil barrel containing acid and water they prepared on the way to pay the associate a visit. They walked away holding hands like lovers with the empty suitcase, leaving the body to dissolve and the associate ceased to exist.
When the associate, one of the closest friends Jonas has known, was never heard from again combined with the sudden departure of the Doctor/engineer, the Tea mechanics knew they were at war, their failure to deprive Susan of existence has come back to emasculate and eventually destroy them. Preparation for situations like this has been vital and no single detail had been overlooked, Jonas considers this challenging opportunity delightful, it’s been a while since he came across a worthy opponent. The woman means war and history has taught them she cannot be underestimated; war is what she’s going to get. Susan and justice watched in amusement as Jonas Williamson displayed coolness and no emotion when he learned of the disappearance of Paul van hart aka the associate, in fact he welcomed it with a smile, she can’t hear what they are saying but she knows he’s up for the challenge. Listening to Justice make her laugh, maybe it’s the state of mind she is in or maybe her experience of life but his belief in the goodness inside of everyone is wrong, in his words we are all flawed, she doesn’t dispute that fact but she finds his reasoning sometimes naïve. To her, most people in those positions that count, those that draw up, make the plans and thereby create a system or laws that people have to follow lack the type of genuine and worthy quality he looks for and see in people. These people though they have good intentions, will over look the effects of their decisions and focus on the results it yields. She flicked from one surveillance camera to another searching for something to use, She has successfully fouled the early process of the business they are working on, now the Tea mechanics are taking no more chances. At an hour before midnight Susan was sitting in the position Justice had left her four hours ago, watching the monitor with a mug of coffee in her right hand. He drops a duffle bag filled with the equipment they need, harshly on the floor (it sounded like something broke in the bag) in part to shock and alert her of his presence and second to pull her away from the god dam computer screen, it had no effect then without turning around she said
“Is it broken?” her gaze never leaving the screen
“No, it is not glass” he said, clearly irritated
“Ok, just checking” she added calmly, while still watching the monitor.
He sauntered closer behind her and placed his right hand on her left shoulder, she responded by leaning her head on it
“I think you should get some rest, it’s almost midnight and we have a early start tomorrow” he murmured
“You are right about one thing, we do have a early start, but it’s not going to be at seven rather in an hour and a half. I’m going into the house and you are going to monitor from here” she said coolly.
“That is crazy, why do you have to go in there and alone?” he was schoked
“They have changed their course and I’m so sure that I can feel it in my bones, he hide something in the safe behind that Mona Lisa painting, besides wanting to see what is in it, I want to hear what they are saying” her voice didn’t register Justice’s protestations
“So that is the real reason you are going there, to plant a bug” he asked skeptically
“ Like I implied it’s one of the reasons” she took a sip of tea, her eyes calm and yielding
“Whatever reason is taking you in there, is fine with me. Want you to know that I will be watching your back” Justice’s voice is firm and clear
She smiled and patted his big hands, acknowledging his fear of a possible show down with cadre of mindless killers.
“Thank you, I mean that Justice” Susan’s tone was soft and her eyes bright.
“Thank me when it’s over, let’s get you prepared.” justice moved away
“I couldn’t find the minuscule flashlights and the goggle mask, do you remember where you put them?”
“They are in the basement” Justice responded.
Susan stayed still and carried on looking at the screen
“Also looked in the basement but couldn’t find them, do you mind?” she continued, sweet and alluring.
“You couldn’t find them? Are you trying to get me out of the room? You could just ask,” he said suspiciously searching for an answer
“We need those equipment tonight justice” she replied sincerely
with an eyebrow raised and a wave of her right hand
He hesitantly left and came back five minutes later to find the room empty and the duffel bag missing, “no, what is she up to now?” He thought out loud. He knew she was lying or telling half-truth about her plans. He dropped his shoulder, mentally exhausted and took a seat in front of the 27-inch Apple computer monitor with multi screens. He can’t see her but sees the guards roaming the massive compound, then her voice emanated from a miniature walky talky obviously placed beside the monitor for this purpose, she whispered his name, but he could hardly make out what she is saying.
“Hey, where are you?” he whispered imitatively
“I’m in the nest and you don’t have to whisper” came her sardonic reply
He ignored her last statement
“I can’t see you on the monitor” he said scanning the monitor’s multi screen, he gave a sign of exasperation.
“Check the office camera” she replied, with a click.
As a shadow she heaved into sight then blended with the dark again
“I wanted to test the walky and to say I’m sorry for not clueing you in on my plans” she sounded sincere.
“And what are your plans?” he asked.
“You will find out soon enough”
He shook his head in mental exertion, waited a few seconds, and then spoke into the walky
“That’s ok Susan, I’m here when you need me” he was concerned
“Good to know, over and out” the walky crackled then there was silence.
Minutes later Justice drew instinctively closer to the screen at the sight of a male silhouette; he adjusted his gaze focusing on the left side of the room. Just by the door the figure moved in and out of the shadows towards the right, it stopped in front of the safe hidden behind the Mona Lisa painting. And disappeared again from view, he had saw Susan do the same thing moments ago and was sure she wouldn’t go back and make the same movements exactly in the same order. He hesitated speaking into the walky talky because it might alert the figure to Susan’s position then he remembered it came with an ear piece, his hand travelled with the walky to his mouth.