by M. L. Ray
Thirty minutes later, I found myself driving into an area with tall buildings and an abandoned warehouse. The vicinity seemed like an old business center that had gone broke. I had already expected that I’d end up in a creepy place but not one like this. There were tall buildings and if I’d wanted to seek help, I’m pretty sure many people would come to rescue me.
Something’s fishy…
We halted in front of an old structure which seemed like an office building. Looking up, I saw a flickering light through the glass window of the second floor and there were silhouettes of men carrying hand pistols. All the hoodlums got off their vehicle and one of the bulky ones knocked on my car window.
You’re in the enemy’s lair. Be careful and stay wise and alert. Don’t ever let him fool you, I reminded myself, before lowering the window, giving the goon a questioning look.
I grabbed the flash disk from the passenger seat and placed it inside my vest pocket before inserting the forty-five caliber pistol at the back of my jeans. I specifically picked loose fitting clothing to make sure it would not be visible, even though I knew Conan would never allow anyone to touch me – except for himself which would never happen anyway.
After heaving a series of deep breaths, I got out of the car and watched one of the bulky men approaching me. The little amount of confidence and courage I had gathered earlier started to fade when he grinned at me deviously, revealing his chipped front teeth which seemed to be broken because of a big blow to the face. Unconsciously, my eyes roamed his face, giving myself goose bumps when I realized that he had a broken nose bridge, pierced nostrils and a black patch over his left eye.
Swallowing hard, I held my head high and tried my best not to look intimidated and kept eye contact. I needed to keep my ground. Conan was the one who needed something from me. I should act like I had the upper hand.
“Where is he?” I questioned firmly. I wanted to applaud myself for being able to pull off an authoritative voice when in fact I could feel my knees growing soft like jellies when the man looked down at me.
“Impatient now, are we? He’s waiting inside,” he answered, after clicking his tongue. I felt my expression shift into a grimace when his breath touched my face. I didn’t need to guess he was a heavy smoker and he’d had a few shots of alcohol.
I shuddered when he held his firearm and gestured me to follow the others to the entrance of the building. Feeling obliged, I nodded and took quick and large footsteps while I looked around, hoping to find a trace of Calvin’s men.
But there was none. They did a pretty good job in hiding themselves.
Or they’re probably not here yet. You are putting yourself in a trap. You are going to die without anyone helping you. Worse, you might actually end up marrying Conan Williams!
I clenched my teeth to stop my lips from quivering after having such thoughts, my hands turned into fists as I shoved away the idea. I knew I could trust the efficiency of Calvin’s agency. And when they said they were already here, I believe they really were. All I needed was to do my part in this operation and they would take care of the rest.
I believe in my security.
I trust Rico. Whatever may happen, I know he would be here.
I just know.
When we got inside the building, the men kept on walking to the far corner where an old staircase was found. The thugs chatted about their plans after tonight, thinking they would be able to get out of here, making me silently smirk. They were pretty confident things would go their way.
“Move faster!” said the chipped-teethed goon behind me, in an irritated voice.
I tilted my head to watch him in annoyance when he shoved me aside with the firearm he was holding. It was so fucking cold despite the fact that it didn’t touch my skin. Or was I too scared that I have become too sensitive?
“Don’t touch her. The boss will kill you,” said the spiky-head, looking down at us from the top step before the little curve.
The bulky man hissed but raised both of his hands in the air in defeat. He shot me a deadly glare before walking past me.
A few moments more and I was already standing on the second floor of the building where Conan welcomed me with applause. “There she is,” he spoke, his voice echoing in the four cornered area.
Looking around, I saw a number of desks, cubicles and chairs. There were papers on the floor and old computers and typewriters on a long table at the far left side of the floor. Everything was dusty; clearly a picture of a place where time slowly passed by.
But something caught my attention that made my mind rejoice in relief. It was a blank red card which I used to see in the documents Rico had kept inside the AV room. It was stuck on the wall. And that was when I was certain that their people were just around the corner or maybe one of the men standing in front of me.
“It’s so nice seeing you again, babe,” Conan’s voice caught my attention, echoing in the halls. He was sitting on a steel tripod stool under an old yellow light bulb. And just watching him in his usual coat and tie and leather shoes made me want to crumple up my face. He still wanted to look decent despite the fact that he was willing to kill someone tonight.
I scoffed, taking a quick look at his face. Though the light was not good enough, I knew he looked older than the last time I saw him. He had aged a few years and I could tell that it was all because of stress. Anxiety has been killing him ever since I decided to stand witness against him. And now, he was uneasy because he actually did not have anything to blackmail me.
I looked at him straight in the eyes and filled my lungs with air. He’s not getting away with unchained hands tonight – not if I can help it.
“Where is Michael?” I probed, looking around and taking quick glances of the men that were behind him, acting like I did not have any idea about the circumstances. But in reality, I was just making a head count of the thugs that were under his command – there were about twenty of them.
Do not make rash movements. Don’t let them suspect you. Any one of these men can shoot you at any moment if Conan tells them. You could be dead before you know it. You need to relax, Maxine. Prove to him that he picked the wrong person to mess with. You are doing this for your father. You are doing this to get justice for Adrienne’s death. You are doing this for the good and peace of your mind.
Conan shook his hand then chuckled dryly. “Don’t worry, babe. He’s safe,” he rose from his seat, placing his hands in the pockets of his pants. I could tell that there was nothing in there. Why would he? He has people who could do the dirty job.
“Now, where’s the thing I asked you to bring?” he asked, approaching me with large and quiet steps. When he was a foot in front of me, I was tempted to take a step back because there was something in his eyes that told me he was dangerous. It was the same expression I saw when he pushed Adrienne down the stairs.
But I didn’t. I knew I needed to keep my ground.
He was the one who needed something from me.
And I need to continue acting like I’m aggravated.
I needed to make him believe that I was there to beg for my family’s safety.
“You bastard! What did you do to my nephew?!” I shouted angrily, tears starting to stream down my cheeks – thanks to the few tricks I learned in my acting career back in college theatre. “Show him to me! Where is he?!” I bellowed hysterically, lowering my head and eventually my knees, shrinking onto the dusty floors.
The fake sobs turned real when the memory of him shooting Adrienne replayed in my head. And the sobbing turned into bawling when I remembered my poor father who killed himself because of Conan’s father who was exactly like him!
“P-Please,” I murmured, feeling weak at the sudden rush of emotion. I did not see this coming. I was not supposed to act emotional and sensitive in this critical moment. But it was hard.
Instead of saying anything, Conan held my chin to raise my head so that our eyes met. I blinked to see a clearer imag
e of him but before I knew it, I saw his other hand landing on my cheeks, hitting me hard without any warning and hesitation. I sniveled in pain, feeling like my jaw was dislocated. It fucking hurt and I could hear a buzzing sound in my ears. My vision grew more blurry and my head throbbed. I had never been slapped this hard in my entire life.
How dare he put his dirty hands on me!
“Drop the act, bitch, and give me the fucking video!” Conan barked furiously, before choking me single-handedly. I’m not quite sure if it was because I was feeling dizzy or he was really strong but I could feel my feet elevating from the floor. Whichever it was, it was too much for me to handle. Oxygen stopped entering my body as I huffed, my eyes growing teary due to pain.
I watched him looking satisfied with the way he was hurting me. And there was not even the tiniest trace of uncertainty in his yes, making me realize that he didn’t really have any feelings for me. He was just lying when he told me he loved me. Because if he did. He would never dare to hurt me. He could never hurt me. It was foolish of me to believe the words of a man like him – like his father.
Fuck it.
When he got tired, he put me down and slapped me hard again. I lost count on how many punches and spankings I received due to the pain. And I was surprised that I hadn’t lost consciousness yet.
“I-I-I w-will g-give it all to you. Let go of me,” I spoke, in between heavy coughing. Each word felt like thorns and I was growing weaker each second passed by. “P-Please,” I begged with the need to stay awake. Sending this operation into jeopardy would be the last thing I would ever want to do.
I would endure any pain for as long as I don’t collapse – I was certain I told Calvin that.
Staying conscious was the only way to make Conan confess to his crimes with the presence of the authorities. This way, he wouldn’t have time to think of an alibi. This way, he would surely be charged guilty.
And all I needed to do was to question him and record everything he said. It didn’t matter if I got all bruised up or even shot. I’m going to do this up until the end.
With trembling hands, I took out the flash disk that was inside my vest pocket and then the smartphone I had in the pocket of my jeans. I heard myself making incorrigible noises as I struggled to regain my breath. My left cheek still hurt like hell and my head continued to throb like it was hit with a rock, minus the bruise.
Conan immediately took it out of my grasp then laughed crazily, stomping on both devices. He looked like a freak having the time of his life. And it ticked me when he shot me a satisfied look. And as much as I wanted to kick him in the shin, I couldn’t. I didn’t possess the necessary energy to do so.
“Where’s my nephew? You promised you wouldn’t harm him. I already gave you the remaining copies of the video. Please, Conan,” I begged, hoping that my acting would work to make him talk.
The politician clicked his tongue then faced me. “Of course I’d keep my promise. Why would I even touch a child who doesn’t even know what’s going on around him when there’s you,” he stated, giving my cheek a quick stroke.
I shivered when his expression turned blank.
“W-What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I don’t really have your nephew,” he said, while shaking his head. “It was very irresponsible of you to believe me and abandon your own security. But as expected, love always wins, eh? Your love for your family brought you here. I could kill you any minute now.”
I froze at the thought. I knew there was a big possibility that I wouldn’t come out of this place alive. But the fact that it has already been stated by the person who really had the motive to kill me was terrifying.
The terror was a hundred times more than the thoughts inside my head.
Fuming with anger, I gathered my remaining strength to stand on my feet. “You murderer,” I hissed, trying to balance my weight in my shaking knees. “You said you loved me! That you wanted me to marry you! Liar!”
“Blah…blah…blah. Did you honestly believe that?” He asked mockingly, as he paced back and forth in front of me. “I liked you, babe. I really did. But I decided not anymore. I can’t possibly like someone who wanted to ruin everything I worked hard for. If you had just shut your mouth and embraced me then everything would have been perfect for the two of us.
“We could have forgotten about Adrienne. We could have forgotten about our parents and put aside all the differences we had for each other. We could have got married and you would have got everything you want. We could have had kids and traveled the world. Ah, that would have been a good picture.”
I scoffed in disgust. “You’re crazy. You wanted me to act like nothing had happened after seeing you kill the woman who was carrying your child?”
“I did not kill her! It was an accident, okay? You saw it. She fell on the stairs!”
I laughed dryly at his refutation. How thick-faced! “She fell because you pushed her with your fucking gun, Conan! I saw everything!”
“But I did it because of you! She was about to hurt you. You knew she would if I hadn’t stopped her. I didn’t mean to kill her,” he continued, his muscles were tense and I could see the veins on his forehead protruding in anger.
“And you were thinking I would be happy once she’s out of the picture? That I’d run into your arms once she’s gone? But hey, Williams you’re wrong. I’m not falling for you. Not ever. And you will pay for your crimes!” I questioned, as a smile slowly escaped my lips.
He smiled bitterly before raising both of his hands in the air. “Alright! I killed her. I pushed her down that fucking staircase because I wanted to get rid of her,” he confessed. “And I know you will never like me back. That’s why we’re here, right? Because you plotted things against me with my political enemies. If you can’t be mine, you’ll die tonight, love.”
This man was insane!
“You can go first,” I spoke, quickly pulling out the gun from my back then pointed it at him. My hands shivered a little but became steadier when I got used to its weight.
Conan let out an insane laugh followed by the thugs, as if they were watching the most hilarious comedy movie of the year. He then looked at me straight in the eyes. “You don’t have the guts to pull the trigger, Maxine.”
“Really? We don’t know about that,” I challenged, putting both of my fingers on top of the trigger, swallowing hard to prepare myself for the impact. I didn’t know what I was doing but I was sure of a few things: I had accomplished my mission.
And I was not ready to die, yet.
Chapter 21
Rico
Calvin was gripping my wrist as hard as he could just to stop me from jumping into the hall, giving me no choice but to stay put knowing that Maxine was putting her life on the line for the success of the operation. I clenched my hands into a fist as I watched her enduring the heavy blows from Conan Williams. It was so hard to look at her reduced into a helpless state. But as an agent myself, I admired her for keeping her ground and being able to manipulate the enemy.
She is good in everything she does, I guess.
My muscles tensed when she quickly pulled out a gun from behind her jeans, making me wince when I realized it was mine. How did she know where I was hiding my stuff?
“You can’t, Maxine baby,” Conan hummed, facing Maxine’s direction. “We both know you can’t.” The politician laughed and walked closer to her, stimulating her to get a clear shot.
Damn, woman! How much courage did she have in her to carry a firearm without knowing how to use it? How daring was she to have the guts to provoke the enemy who had about twenty men behind him?
Shit. Shit.
Fuck it Maxine! Stop being careless! This isn’t funny. This isn’t funny at all.
“Really? How about I give it a try?” she challenged, in a sarcastic tone and I shivered when I saw the look on her face. She looked like she was ready to kill Conan with her own hands.
No. No, I c
an’t let her do that. I’m not going to let her stain her hands with blood.
But something caught my attention more. It was the fact his men continued to watch and did not even budge. They looked like they were watching a theatre. They were supposed to keep their guard and if it were in normal circumstances, they have already pointed guns at her.
“I’ve been thinking of a way to keep you alive,” Conan muttered, taking a few steps back so that he was parallel to the broken glass windows. “But I can’t seem to find one,” he added, waving a hand in the air before snapping his fingers.
And the realization hit me as if I was watching a movie scene in slow motion, looking to the exact contrasting window of the opposite building. I was right! Conan had something else in mind. There was a reason why the hoodlums didn’t seem to care about what Maxine was doing. And it was all because of their hidden trump card…
Damn!
Without any hesitation, I punched Calvin on the face to loosen his concentration on me and jumped into the scene. I ran towards Maxine as fast as I could and enclosed her in my arms, rotating our bodies to another direction so that the bullet wouldn’t hit her. I was not wearing any protective gear because of haste, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that saving her was my priority.
When the bullet penetrated my skin, I held my breath and gritted my teeth to endure the sting it brought to my body. It was painful but not the intolerable kind. I’ve been shot more than once or twice in the peak years of my career as part of the elite force. This was nothing. It was just a scratch, actually.
Looking around, I searched for a possible safe spot for Maxine. But I cursed under my breath when Calvin’s side opened fire. Ducking quickly, I placed my hands over Maxine’s head and led her under the long table with the old computers and typewriters on top of it.
I looked at her and it was not a good picture. Her hands were on her ears and her figure had shrunk on the dusty floors. Her eyes were closed and the fear was evident on her face. She looked like a child caught in the middle of a rampage between two opposing teams. I felt a hand squeezing my heart. It hurt watching her having another traumatic experience.