ashatoda:
How much is it?

@ashatoda Hello. The price is N500. I'm really sorry about not being able to post again. You are one of the readers here who commented well on the story and also motivated me. I'm really sorry that I can't continue!.

PLEASE READ!!! PLEASE READ!!! PLEASE READ!!!

DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK, I DISCOVERED SOME ONE ON FACEBOOK WAS POSTING MY STORIES WITHOUT MY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.

I REACHED OUT TO THE PERSON AND HE APOLOGIZED. MEANWHILE, I DID MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND ABOUT TWO TO THREE OTHER PAGES WERE ALSO POSTING THE STORIES JUST EXACTLY THE WAY I WAS POSTING IT ON NAIRALAND.

I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT MORE PEOPLE WHO I DON'T EVEN HAVE INKLING IDEA OF WERE LIFTING THE BOOK FROM NAIRALAND AND WOULD BE POSTING THE STORIES SOMEWHERE OR DOING WHAT GOD KNOWS WITH IT.

AS I SAID WHEN I BEGAN POSTING HERE, THIS IS A PUBLISHED WORK. I WAS ONLY POSTING HERE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF PEOPLE AND NOTHING MORE.

BUT WITH THE WHOLE SCENARIO GOING ON NOW, I'M SORRY BUT I CANT CONTINUE TO POST THE STORIES ANY LONGER.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I BIG THANK TO ALL THOSE WHO TOOK THEIR TIME TO COMMENT!!! YOU GUYS ARE WONDERFUL.

TO ALL MY GHOST WRITERS, I SEE YOU GUYS. I THANK YOU ALL!!!

FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FINISHING THE STORY, THE BOOK DOWNLOAD LINK IS BELOW.

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/hell_razor_-_romance_thriller/45610

" Give me the code," she said.

" No, Gina ! " he said, leaning forward, his fists clenched. " He will take the money and waste us."

Gina pretended to look surprised. She glanced at Snitch.

" Is that true ? " she asked.

Snitch shrugged indifferently.

" That's the way it's gonna be, sweetie pie. I fix, I scram. That's what I do."

She looked at Kevin.

" Tell me the code to the safe. He's an honorable man. He won't kill us. He's only after the money. "

Snitch sniggered.

" You seemed to know what I can do and what I can't. I've we met before ? " he jeered at her.

Gina gave him a cold smile.

" I don't think so. " She paused and went. " In that safe upstairs, there's a lot of money. I mean lots of it. If you grab the money and blow, you still got the chance to enjoy the money. But if you kill us and grab the money. You won't be able to enjoy that money. The cops will breathe down on your neck and hunt you for the rest of your life. Think about it."

Snitch thought about it. He gnawed at his lower lips, his eyes thoughtful.

" Maybe you're right," he said finally. " But Razor told me to fix you, and I can't just crawl back to him without doing nothing."

" Razor sent you ? " she said casually.

Snitch made an impatient movement.

" Forget Razor already. How about that dough we talk about? "

Gina nodded.

" You're right. Razor is not the problem here. But I think you should think of yourself first. This kind of chance comes once in a lifetime. Don't blow it away."

" Alright! " Snitch said evenly. " I get the dough and scram. Tell Mr Carter to give up the code."

Gina turned to Kevin. She winked at him so quickly that Snitch, whose heart was beating fast as he thought of the money that was to come to him, did not even see her.

" Kevin! The code ! " she said.

Kevin licked his lips then he began to mumbled out a series of numbers. Snitch, whose brain was already cramming the digits, lowered his gun. That was the moment Gina had been waiting for. With the speed of a striking snake, she hit Snitch on the side of his face, putting a lot of steam into that punch. For a woman, she could hit pretty badly. Caught off guard, Snitch fell on both hands and knees. The gun, black and gleaming, lay beside him. Kevin leaped forward to grab the gun.
Mad with rage, Snitch staggered up, but Gina was waiting for this. She gave him another solid punch on his face. He cannoned into the wall, but he used the momentum to bounce back and hit Gina powerfully on her face. She wasn't built for a solid punch like that. She yelled as she went down and sprawled out on the white rug.
Blood running down his nose, Snitch moved towards her. Then he froze. Kevin was pointing a gun at him.

" You dare hit a woman, you cheapie," he snarled. " Hands in the air! "

Snitch flung up his short hands.

" You can't shoot me ! " he said thickly. " The trigger is jammed. Check it, fool! "

Kevin took his eyes away from Snitch to look at the gun. In that single instance, Snitch made his move. He leaped forward, raised his sinew elbow, and gave Kevin a crushing blow on the side of his face. Kevin flung wildly into the sofa. He thought a horse had kicked him. He sat limply on the couch, totally stunned, myriads of technicolor flashing before his eyes.
Snitch's lips pulled off his nicotine teeth in a vicious snarl. The gun lay by Kevin's feet. He moved towards it and bent down. As he was about to pick it up, his built-in instinct for danger sent a zing of electricity up his spine.
He jerked his head up. Gina was grinning wickedly at him. In her hand was a knife with a glittering blade. With the way she held the knife by its handle that told him she was very good with it. Snitch knew he had two choices. Pick the gun and get fixed or back away from it and still get a chance to leave. At that moment, cold fear wash over his fat body. Like a cornered animal, he rose to his feet and straightened.
They stood like that, staring at each other for a long time. Then he saw a vicious glint jumped into her eyes. This bitch will fix me, he thought. He should have picked the gun. His mouth opened to scream as she swung her hand in a lightning arc and threw the knife at him. Reflexively, he flung up his hand to protect himself. The knife flew towards him, and the blade drove forcefully into his right hand.

PLEASE READ!!! PLEASE READ!!! PLEASE READ!!!

DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK, I DISCOVERED SOME ONE ON FACEBOOK WAS POSTING MY STORIES WITHOUT MY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.

I REACHED OUT TO THE PERSON AND HE APOLOGIZED. MEANWHILE, I DID MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND ABOUT TWO TO THREE OTHER PAGES WERE ALSO POSTING THE STORIES JUST EXACTLY THE WAY I WAS POSTING IT ON NAIRALAND.

I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT MORE PEOPLE WHO I DON'T EVEN HAVE INKLING IDEA OF WERE LIFTING THE BOOK FROM NAIRALAND AND WOULD BE POSTING THE STORIES SOMEWHERE OR DOING WHAT GOD KNOWS WITH IT.

AS I SAID WHEN I BEGAN POSTING HERE, THIS IS A PUBLISHED WORK. I WAS ONLY POSTING HERE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF PEOPLE AND NOTHING MORE.

BUT WITH THE WHOLE SCENARIO GOING ON NOW, I'M SORRY BUT I CANT CONTINUE TO POST THE STORIES ANY LONGER.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I BIG THANK TO ALL THOSE WHO TOOK THEIR TIME TO COMMENT!!! YOU GUYS ARE WONDERFUL.

TO ALL MY GHOST WRITERS, I SEE YOU GUYS. I THANK YOU ALL!!!

FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FINISHING THE STORY, THE BOOK DOWNLOAD LINK IS BELOW.

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/hell_razor_-_romance_thriller/45610

" Is there a way in from the roof ? " she asked in a quiet voice.

Kevin hesitated. He wanted to say no, but he had a feeling no might not be the answer. Then he remembered. He had forgotten to cover the hole Hell Razor had created on the rooftop the night he had killed Debbie.

" Kevin ! " she said sharply. " is there? "

" Yes! Yes ! " he answered frantically. " There's a hole on the roof. "

" Shit ! " she growled. " I can't go upstairs. That bastard is already inside. I'm sure of it. You should have covered that damn hole."

" is it Razor ? " he asked.

" I'm not sure. " she answered. " but it might be him."

Kevin went cold. His mouth felt so dry. He heard a door upstairs squeaked a little. He had a feeling it was his bedroom door, but he was not sure. They both listened to the heavy footfalls of a man coming down the stairs. It was as if the intruder wanted them to know he was in the house. If the man intended to frighten them, he had succeeded.
The heavy footsteps came down the stairs and stopped outside the lounge door. Then there was silence. Kevin's face was wet with sweats. He turned to look at where Gina stood, and his mouth gaped open. She was not in the living room.
He was still wondering how she could have slipped away without him knowing when he saw her dart out of the kitchen, a big knife in her hand. The light of the overhead lamp fell on the knife, and the blade glittered. Then she did something which he would never have expected her to do, something that made cold sweats roll of his body.

" Hey! Stinker ! " she bawled. " We know you're in the house. Don't play any funny game, or you'll get it! "

There was a long, unbearable silence you could lean on, then they heard a hard barking laugh and a voice from the doorway. A hard voice that chilled Kevin's. Body.

" You better don't try anything stupid. I've got a gun right here. It's as big as a cannon. I'm very good with it. Don't think I won't hesitate to fix you."

Kevin swallowed hard. He watched with shock as Gina shoved the knife into her waistband. The sweater she wore flattened the knife to her belly. She moved towards him, where he stood transfixed, grabbed his hand, and propelled him to the sofa. He sat down heavily. A whisky glass was shoved into his hand.

" Come on, pull yourself together," She gritted out." Don't let him see you this way."

Kevin nodded numbly. He gulped down the whisky, shuddered as it stiffened his nerves, and made water come into his eyes.
Just then, Snitch came into the room. His mouth was fixed in a little smile, and the gun in his hand looked big and black. Kevin, his face white as clay, stared at the dirty, short, and powerfully built man who walked into the room. Gina was sitting in an armchair, a cigarette burning anxiously in her hand. Her face was calm and expressionless.

" Thinking who I am, right? " Snitch said watching, Kevin's face closely. " You're right! I'm not Razor. He told me he's been troubling you for some time now. No wonder you look so goddamned spooky. "

" If you're not him, then what do you want? " Gina asked as she drew smoke into her lungs. She was looking at Snitch the way you look at a dead rat in your closet.

Snitch turned to her, his eyes glittering, a smirk on his face.

" You must be Joan of Arc," he said sarcastically. " I'm here to fix you. Both of you."

Gina smiled coldly at him.

" If you want to shoot, then shoot. " she paused and went on, " And if you want money, Kevin's got a whale of it. Ain't that right ? " she asked, looking at Kevin now.

" Yeah! Lots of it," Kevin said through locked teeth.

A greedy glint jumped into Snitch's eyes.

" How much are we talking about here ? " he asked, watching their faces closely.

" A lot ! " she answered casually. " Name your figure."

The word figure began to run around Snitch's greedy skull. Since he was not paid for the operation, he thought, then making money out of it was not really a bad idea. He moved towards Gina and shoved the gun into her ribs.

" Hey! Up on your feet ! " he snarled. " Seems you're the boss chick around here. That wimp looks like your call boy," he said, gesturing at Kevin.

Kevin's face twisted with anger, but he did not say anything. Gina got to her feet, her face cold and hard. Kevin was staring at her. He could tell she was playing a sort of game, and she wanted him to play along. Snitch, too was watching her closely. There was something about her plain, expressionless face that warned him she was really dangerous. She turned to Kevin.

" You've got a safe, right ? " she asked, looking at him.

Kevin nodded.

" How much is in it ? " she asked.

Kevin hesitated. Seeing his hesitation, Snitch bawled at him.

" Answer her, you gutless insect! how much is in there? "

" I can't really say, thousands of dollars and some few pounds, maybe," he said, his voice trembling.

" It's got a code, right ? " she asked.

Kevin swallowed hard and nodded.

Kevin was sat on the settee, seething with anger as he waited for Gina to clear away the dishes. As he thought of her, a primitive animal lust for her gripped him so much that he felt blood rushing to his loins. The sudden realization that he had been cooped up in his house for so many days without a woman hit him with shocking violence.
He drew in a long, slow breath and grimaced. She knew his weakness. She had baited him, played upon his weakness, and humiliated him. Well, I can't do without a woman, he told himself, I've tried to control myself, but I can't.
He stood up from the sofa and began to prowl around the room. His heart was beating fast as he thought hard about what he would say that would hurt her. He heard her turn off the dishwasher, and he quickly moved back to the sofa, picked up a GQ magazine that was lying carelessly on the table, and began to flip through the pages. On his face was a fake, relaxed look.
Gina came in from the kitchen. There was scraped, bony look on her face, which made it look like it had been chipped from marble. They look frightened, Kevin

" I'm turning in," she said, not even looking at him. " We'll talk tomorrow."

Knowing that he might never have this opportunity to say his mind, Kevin gritted out.

" Don't play with me like that again."

This time, she turned her face to look at him. The coldness of her eyes warned him she might do something dangerous if he dragged the issue.

" What did you say ? " she asked in a soft voice.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

" Nothing serious. I was just saying if you knew all this time I wanted you, why didn't you do something about it."

She gave him a cold smile.

" I don't want you, Kevin."

" Look……" he began, but she motioned for him to be quiet.

" There's someone on the roof," she hissed under her breath.

Kevin wanted to tell her it was probably her ears playing tricks on her, but the hard granite of her face, the cold set of her eyes, and the tightness of her mouth told him this was not a joke.

" Are you sure ? " he asked, watching her closely.

" We're not alone ! " she replied. " Damn! I left my gun in the bedroom."

A cold fear snaked up Kevin's spine.

" Maybe it's a bird," he said hoarsely. " or a lost cat. "

" Don't be foolish," she said under her breath. " If it was an animal, I'll know. I wished I had my gun."

Kevin listened, then he heard the scraping of feet on the roof as if someone was dragging something heavy. There was someone on the rooftop, alright. He stiffened into a horrified stillness and looked at Gina. She was also staring at him, her eyes cold and hard.

He feels the warmth of her body pressing against him. He could feel the weight of her full breasts against his chest. Her lips found him, and she thrust her tongue into his mouth. He gripped her tightly, his blood singing in his ears. They were like this, straining to each other for some time, then Gina broke away from him and stood up. She straightened her sweater and began to clear the plates.

Kevin sat there, his manhood hard and erect, throbbing with desire for her. He said fiercely.

" What's the meaning of this? You can't just stop! "

She stopped what she was doing and stared at him, her eyes cold as ice.

" Don't forget you can't stand an ugly girl. I was merely proving the point that it doesn't matter whether the girl is beautiful or not. The problem is everything that you are, is between your legs," and with that, she walked away, waving her hips deliberately at him.

His eyes like twin explosives of rage, Kevin bit hard on his bottom lip until he tasted blood.


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


While all these were going on, Snitch was inside a rented shabby Cherokee jeep he had parked under rows of palm trees lined up the streets. With eyes glittering like wet pebbles, he had been watching the penthouse for the past three hours, looking out for anything that might foul his operation that night. But after watching the penthouse for some time and knowing that Kevin Carter was inside, he relaxed his muscles. He leaned back into the seat and drummed his hands on the steering wheel. Feeling a sudden need for a smoke, he brought out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pockets and lit it with a gaslighter. He checked his G-shock watch. The time was past eleven.
He drew in smoke into his lungs and began to hum tunelessly. As he hummed, he was thinking fast and hard. So far, so good, he had mastered the whole drill of the operation. Knock Kevin Carter out! Knock the woman with him out! It was as soft and as easy as that. Finding Kevin's penthouse had not proven difficult for him. The paper Razor had given to him was well detailed. There was nothing about the man he didn't know.
Now, as he sat in the car, he wondered about what Razor had against this man that he wanted him dead. He had the feeling Razor was not completely honest with him. He felt he was being used as a pawn, and yet, he knew if he did not carry out the job, Razor would definitely fix him. He rechecked his watch.
The time was 12: 00 a.m. He stubbed out his cigarette and flipped open his safe. He brought out a semi-automatic gun which he hastily shoved down his waistband. Then he wiped the sweats on his face with a dirty handkerchief and wore a torn gloves on his hand. Satisfied, he stepped out of the car. It was a hot night, and the streets bathed in the hard white light of the big moon.
Snitch flexed his fingers and stretched his legs. Walking casually, his fat shadow lumbering ahead of him, hands in his pockets, he crossed the streets to the gigantic gate which housed the penthouse. He grinned wickedly as he regarded the entrance. Break-in was his specialty.

" What? Something I said ? " he asked.

She gave him a weak smile.

" You called me by my name."

Kevin touched his full belly and smiled.

" Well, they say the ways to a man's heart his through food. I guessed you really knocked me over. From now on, I want you to call me Kevin. "

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he could see she was startled.

" Don't you think that would sound so personal as if we've both got something going between us? "

Kevin shook his head.

" Calling me, Kevin means nothing to me. I'm tired of you calling me Mr Carter. My secretary calls me by name, and I love it. If you don't call me Kevin, I would never answer to you calling me, Mr Carter."

Gina brooded for a long moment. Then she lifted a well-penciled eyebrow.

" Alright, do you enjoy the food ? " her voice was so soft as if she was afraid of what he would say.

Kevin beamed at her.

" It's great! You're the first woman to cook for me in my own goddamned house. Lots of them have come here, but none can cook for shit ",

She regarded him for a long moment.

" Will there still be more? "

Kevin stiffened.

" What? "

She laid her fork down, put her elbows on the table, clasped her hands together, and rested her head on it. She stared at him, her eyes hard and glittering.

" What I meant to say is when this is all over, will you still bring more girls here? "

Kevin studied her for a long moment. Her eyes were boring so hot into his. He felt as if she could see into his soul.

" Yes ! " he answered stiffly. " More will still come "

" Why not settle down with one? "

Kevin shook his head.

" I can't! The good ones I've met were only interested in me for my looks. The bad ones loved me for my money. And the others, well, I'd say they were just a bunch of lousy suckers. "

Gina sat still, watching him as he talked, her face expressionless, her eyes glittering.

" I've you hit it off with an ugly girl before ? " she asked.

If Kevin was prepared for any question she might have asked him, he was definitely not ready for this. He stared at her, his face white with shock.

" Why…..did you ask ? " the words tumbled out of his mouth.

She hunched her shoulders.

"It's obvious, of course. I can see you've got the hots for me, but my ugly face repulses you. That's why you've never made any advances at me."

Kevin guffawed.

" Who you kidding? Who says I've got the hots for you ? " he sneered.

" Don't play hard," she said. " I've seen the way you look at me. It's so obvious. Be a man and admit. "

Kevin's mouth suddenly felt dry. He did not like where the conversation was heading too.

" Look, " he began in a shaky voice. " you're really a nice girl, Gina. You're calm, you're a good cook, and you seem in control of yourself. But I don't have the hots for you. Get that into your head."

Gina suddenly grinned.

" That's crap, and you know it."

Kevin shook his head. The cockiness in her eyes irritated him. He wiggled his finger at her.

" I can't stand an ugly girl. Make no mistake about that."

" Okay! We'll see about that," and she pushed her chair back, got to her feet, and came around the table moving towards him, a sensual glint in her blue eyes. As she walked towards him, Kevin sat there on the chair, his face white as clay.

" You better back off ! " he hissed out, but she seemed not to hear him.

She reached him and settled on his laps expertly like a striper. Kevin wanted to push her away, but his arms felt like lead. They both stared hard at each other. His body was rigid, and he could hear the thudding of his heart. She put her arms around his neck. His senses reeled as he inhaled the faint perfume of her hair and body.

Kevin was in the living room, his face glued to the TV set. A soap opera was showing and having nothing to do; he had trained his mind on the show. He heard a door opened upstairs and slam shuts. A few seconds later, Gina wandered into the living room.

" Rogue called me just now," she said.

Kevin took his eyes from the TV set and looked at her. In light blue sweaters and tight-fitting black slacks that clung to her body like a second skin, she was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips. If only she were..………

" Did you hear what I said? " she asked again, noticing the way he was staring at her like a stunned rabbit?

" Yeah! Rogue. What about him ? " he said abruptly, turning his mind away from his thoughts.

" He told me the detective had now been transferred to a safe house. He's in a safe house now recuperating."

Kevin could feel the happiness in her voice. He also felt some relief too.

" That's good news," he said. " I'm sure Rogue and the other boys will take care of him well. Could we go visit him sometime, right? "

She shook her head.

" Too dangerous. Razor might be lurking around somewhere. More ever it's a safe house. It's supposed to be kept secret."

Kevin inclined his head.

" Okay, so we wait. " he paused and went on. " I'm so damn hungry. Can you rustle up something ? " he asked, waiting for her to decline his request.

Her blue eyes flicked over him indifferently.

" Alright! I'll fix something," and she moved away, her hips rolling under the black materials of her slacks.

Kevin watched her go, her head held high, her back stiff and arrogant. He was surprised that she had spoken to him. After they had left the hospital the other day, he had felt a kind of resentment energy from her. He knew psychology was not his turf, but the look on her face as he drove home told him she blamed him for what had happened to Tomayo. He heard her moving around the kitchen and drew in a long, slow breath. Maybe I'll make it up to her one of these days, he thought.

Thirty minutes later, Gina came out of the kitchen bearing a tray piled with plates. She moved towards the dining table and laid the table.

" Let's eat," she called to him.

Kevin stood up from the settee and moved towards the dining table. He found the table well laid. There was brown rice, grilled chicken, mushrooms, chicken salad, and freshly squeezed orange juice. He discovered he was famished. He sat down and poured himself a cup of orange juice. Gina served him, and they began to eat.

"Your freezer is well stocked," Gina said, shoveling food into her mouth.

Kevin nodded, his mouth full with food. This woman certainly could cook. The rice tastes good. The chicken was the best he ever had. Everything was done perfectly well.

" Thanks, " he said. " I go to the store once in a while to get some things. Even though I don't really cook, I hate the thought of having a big freezer with nothing in it."

"It's a good thing, you know," she said, spearing a chicken into her mouth. " It saves the trouble of looking for this and that "

Kevin was so hungry that he wolfed down the whole food on the plate. Seeing his plate empty, Gina asked him if he wanted more. He nodded eagerly. She served him, and he attacked the food again.

" Wow! I feel like a constipated camel," he said as he finished eating and sat back. " That was really something, Gina."

She narrowed her eyes at him. That was the first time he would be calling her by name. Kevin noticed the odd look on her face.

" Don't let me blame myself for sparing you," he said, his voice cold. " I only spared you because I know you will be useful one day. Today is the day. Will you do the job or not? "

Snitch began to sweat violently. He had to accept that this man, sitting before him, had only spared his life so that he could use him for a more sinister purpose. I'm goddamned collateral damage, he told himself.

" I've got to have something," Snitch said, hating the unsteadiness of his voice. " You can't leave me high and dry for a job like this "

Razor shrugged.

" If I had killed you, you wouldn't be talking right now. Y You'll be six feet below with worms and maggots crawling over you and making your body their bloody castle. Nothing for you, man. You do this job for me, or you don't."

Looking at the ugly face and listening to the hard, cold voice, Snitch realized Razor meant what he was saying, and to press him further could cause trouble. He gave up.

" Okay, man. I get the drill. Get the job done but no pay, right? I get it. Say no more. I guess I will have to find my square when I'm done. It won't be safe hanging around when I'm done with the job."

Razor studied his face for a long moment.

" I've got the feeling you are gonna mess up this job," he said. " I've got the feeling you gonna go there and do things your way. "

" What? " Snitch said furiously. " Are you telling me you can't trust me enough to knock off a man and a woman? Christ, this is bullshit ! "

" Just don't mess this up. Do as you're told, and things will be fine."

" Come on, man, you can't tell me what to do. If you can't trust me with a job like this, then find another man

" Shut up, " Razor sneered " If you piss me off, I'm gonna fix you so bad even a damn good mortician won't be able to piece your remains together for a funeral. Now, let me tell you how I want it done. Are you listening? "

" I'm all ears," Snitch answered, smoldering with anger.

Razor leaned forward, his face hard and cold. He brought out a paper from his pockets.

" He's got a penthouse in Key Biscayne. I've written everything you need to know about him down here. It would be easy to find him. Monitor him well; when you've got the chance, fix him. he's got a woman with him, too; fix her. "

Hey, man! Kevin Carter? The millionaire ? " he stared at Razor. " You want me to fix him ? "

" Yeah! " Razor said. " will it be too difficult? "

Snitch grinned, showing his nicotine-stained teeth.

" I believed there something you're not telling me. So far, so good; you're the best men out there. I don't know why you stopped working for the underworld men, but that is best known to you. Just why the hell do you want me? Come on, a least you owe me the truth. You could fix this job yourself, so tell me, why me? "

" You're the best man for the job," Razor answered simply. " you've handled a lot of hot easy jobs like this."

" Bullshit! " Snitch replied. " You talk, or I don't do nothing. I don't stick my head out for something I am not comfortable with."

" I could make you do it, you know? "

Snitch frowned.

" I know you could," he replied uneasily. " But telling me the whole drill about this operations makes my job soft and easy. You know I love soft jobs, don't you? "

Razor drew in a long slow breath. Then he began to give Snitch a blow-by-blow account of all that had he had done. When he was done, Snitch stared at him

" No wonder you wanted me ! " he growled. " You fixed five women! Okay, that's cool. But you fixed Tomayo? That's not cool why that man is dynamite! He's poison to the likes of us. In the past, when am on any job, I avoided him like the plague. Did you kill him? "

Razor shook his head.

" I didn't kill him. I left him half dead. But I sure beat the hell outta him "

Snitch moved uneasily on the chair. He could feel cold sweats beading on his forehead.

" Look, you're going to get a lot of heat on this. Fixing that detective is like asking for real trouble. When that detective is back on his feet, that's if he is going to get back on his feet, he's going to nail you. "

Razor leaned forward.

" There'll be a lot of heat that I already know. But it won't touch me. But for me to stay clear of trouble, I'll need a diversion. You'll be my diversion. While the police are focused on looking for me, you will continue the job on the other hand. "

" So you want me to clean up your mess? " Snitch gritted out.

" You can put it that way, " Razor answered.

" If I slip up, then the heat will be on me," he said miserably.

Razor shrugged indifferently.

" That's why you can't afford to slip up."

Snitch stared at him, a wicked glint in his eyes. He downed the last whisky in his glass and fixed another drink. He tossed it down his throat, and the hot liquid scorched the inside of him and stiffened his nerves.

" There's something I don't get," he said. " What got your face so messed up like this? Also, what did Kevin Carter did to you? Why kill the women he's seeing? Why not just kill him? "

Razor gave a hard backing laugh.

" Lots of questions, my brother. But I'll tell you the one I can. I can't tell you what happened to my face. I don't want to remember the incident. It brings terrible memory.
Let me answer that of Kevin. You see, I kill those women to make him suffer, but now, I think he has suffered enough. It's now time for him to die."

Snitch gave him an odd look.

" You wanted to make him suffer, so you killed his girlfriends? Is that it? "

Razor nodded.

Snitch stared at him bewildered.

" What did he do? "

Razor drew in a long slow breath.

" I can't tell you anything."

Snitch brooded for a moment.

" Why can't you ? " he asked.

" Don't ask me ! " was the reply.

Snitch now became suspicious. He couldn't imagine anyone killing innocent people just to make another person suffer unless he had a nut loose.

" Why not just say you're killing these women for the fun of it, ain't it? maybe it turns you on? "

" I killed them to make him suffer. Now that I'm satisfied, I want him dead."

" That's crap, and you know it, " Snitch seethed out. " You love killing those women. It tickles you, doesn't it? Do you get a hard-on while killing them?

Razor's face lost color, and he pointed a gnarled finger at Snitch.

" Don't drag this. You're not a shrink. You can't be, and you never can be. Don't try to assume you know what turns me on or off, you fucking smartass! "

Snitch moved restlessly.

" Let's skip the motive part. What's in it for me ? " he asked as he twiddled the glass in his hand.

Razor shook his head.

" Absolutely nothing. You're doing this for me. You owe, me Snitch. This is the time for payback. I saved your worthless life when I should I've killed you that night, and for me, that is a debt. You owe us. It's time to pay up. "

Snitch looked half-demented. He had suddenly found the answer to the question that had been running around his skull for the past two and half years.

" No wonder you didn't fix me," he bawled. " You kept me alive so that you could drop a load of trouble on my lap when you feel like. You must be cracked."

As Snitch said this, he watched Razor, and he saw Razor suddenly looking angry, which frightened him.

" Hey, Snitchie boy," She said, pausing. " How's the
streets today? "

" Get outta my way," he slurred, edging past her. "It's past your bedtime. What are you still doing up? "

Her smile went away.

" You are always drunk, Snitch," she said. " A goddam drunk that wants you are. "

She went on, and Snitch went on. When he got to his room, he fumbled for his keys inside his pockets and dug it out. Then he opened the door and stepped in. The room was dark, small, and insufferably hot. He lumbered towards the switch and snapped the light on.
The room was a complete mess. There were saucers full of cigarette butts, and ash dotted all over the room.
Dirty glasses, a couple of empty bottles of whisky, and a half bottle of gin stood on the table. Dust lay over everything, and the empty fireplace was choked with a fall of soot. The rug was a dirty brown.
Snitch wandered into his small kitchen and moved towards the sink. He turned the tap on, and water began to rush out. He wet his face with water thoroughly, turned it off, and walked back into the dirty living room. He took off his shabby Jacket, took off his dirty Reebok sneakers, and stretched out on the only sofa in the living room. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep. He had not slept for five minutes when he became aware of a hand on his shoulders gently waking him up.
Damn ! he thought angrily; I left that door opened again. What does that landlady want again ?. He hunched his shoulders, mumbling a protest, then he tried to free himself from the persistently shaking hand
Suddenly, a palm exploded on the side of his cheek with the noise like the bursting of a paper bag. It was a slap! A violent one. Mad with rage, Snitch's eyes flew open, his fists clenched; he bounced up from the chair with the reflex of a karate fighter, ready to clobber the perpetrator only to froze into a white-faced, motionless silence.
Facing him was a tall and powerfully built man. The man had yellowed-colored eyes, a broken nose, and a hard, ugly mouth. Snitch stared at the face for a long moment wondering where he had known this ugly man. There was something familiar about the tallness and the massive built; the face was the problem. He couldn't pinpoint that face. His mind delved into the pasts, whirling violently, seeking answers. Then he stiffened.

" Razor ? " he said.

Razor grinned wickedly.

. "Yeah! It's been a long, snitchie boy."

" My God, what happened to your face? "

Razor shrugged.

"It's a long story, brother."

Snitch swallowed hard.

" How the hell did you find me? "

" I saved your life, remember? , as long as you're in Miami, I'll smell you ten mile off."

Snitch nodded numbly. He touched his cheek, which was still burning from the slap, and his mind travelled back to the day the men of the underworld had sent Razor to fix him. The thought of that terrible night sent a spider of fear up his fat spine. On that day, he had been bedding a LovePeddler whom he had picked off the street when his room door had busted open, and a man had bustled into the room. The man was very good-looking and was immensely built.
Snitch had stared at the cold, handsome face of the man, shivering with fear. The man had pointed a gun at him and had told him his name was Razor, and he had been sent to fix him.
Thinking that was his last day on earth, Snitch had begun to offer a prayer to God in a language best known to him. But he had received the shock of his life when Razor had told him he would give him twenty-four hours to get the hell out of Miami city. Why did he spare me ? he had often asked himself even when he was still holed up in Mexico City. And looking at Razor now, he wondered what had happened to his face.

" Stop staring at me like that? " Razor sneered, breaking into his thoughts." Forget my face, won't we shake hands ? "

Snitch turned his mind away from his thoughts and stretched his hand, which was clammy with sweats. The two men shook hands.

" This place looks like a damn shit hole," Razor said, looking around the room irritably. He moved to an easy chair and lowered himself in it. Snitch went to his shabby minibar and fixed drinks. He gave a glass to Razor and brought out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from his pockets and a gaslighter. The two men lit up. They talked, or instead, Razor talked, and Snitch listened.

From some moments, Snitch couldn't believe what Razor was telling him.

Notoriously known as Snitch, Abe Henson was a bulky man with grey, Icy eyes, tremendous shoulders, and short, thick legs. He was street-wised and extremely cunning and had often betrayed the trusts of people. Plethora crimes ranging from; pickpocketing, assault, car hijack, blackmail, smuggling, theft, burglary, hit and run, and bank heist was associated with his name.
Born and bred in the dirty slum of Harlem, hardened in the ghetto streets of Liberty City, Snitch was not a man to mess with. He was tough and deadly. In the past, the news of his prowess in handling dirty crimes operation reached the ears of the underworld men, and they began to seek his services. Within a little time, he became quite rich. But he had a problem. A problem that was to ruin him for good; Snitch was a real snitch
The little money he had made got into his head. It made him lightheaded, and he began to snitch on the activities of the underworld men. He would reveal the secrets of one gang to another, then vice-versa. This led to great confusion among the Gangdoms of Miami city. Later on, one team was formulated to snuff out the person behind the clashes.
The team worked effortlessly, and they were rewarded. Snitch was found out as the culprit who had been sniffing out their secrets. A professional assassin was sent to finish him off. The assassin searched fervently for Snitch, found him, but he did the unthinkable. Instead of killing Snitch, he gave Snitch the opportunity to flee from Miami city. Snitch, his muscles fluttering with fear, did not even bother to think twice why this assassin had spared his life.
He had gathered his few earthly belongings, and with the money he had saved, he took the next flight to Mexico the next day. But life in Mexico city was harsh on Snitch. The Mexican language jarred on his nerves. The foods did not appeal to him. The hot sun was unbearable. There were no soft, easy jobs like the one he was used to in Miami. He only did odd jobs to sustain himself. The only thing that made him stayed for two good years in the Mexican city without going nuts were the women.
Snitch rolled in the hay with lots of them, especially the cheap, tired whores who prowled the back alleys of Beuna Vista. These women with their fine black hair reached their waists, their skin color of coffee and cream , large, luminous eyes, and black , heavy breasts and solid hips drove him crazy. It was these same women that finished off his money. When his money had dwindled, nobody needed to tell him he had to return to Miami city; at least the heat would have cooled off. He assured himself. But he returned to the sweet-smelling city of Miami, a poor, broken man.
This night then, at exactly past midnight, in one of the dirty alleys of Liberty City, Snitch stepped out of a seedy brothel and began to lumber home drunkenly. He came out of the alley and stood on the sidewalk, his eyes roving around the quiet streets. The waterfront facing him was deserted. The smell of the ocean, the faint odors of fish, gasoline fumes, and tar hit his nostrils, and gladly, he inhaled it.
He moved away from the sidewalk and began to make his way home. Though he was drunk, the geography of the road to his home was etched in his mind like an engraving to a wall. He got to his apartment building and smiled wistfully. It was a dark, gray stone house, with dirty, untidy lace curtains at the windows. He entered the building, walked up four steps, and got to a well-lit hallway with a dirty rug.
He encountered a girl wearing a dirty white singlet and blue jeans ripped at the knees. Her unwashed hair fell to her shoulders, and her eyes were small and beady. When she saw Snitch coming her way, she gave him a gaudy smile, but his drunk mind was too foggy to register it.

Rogue nodded to the nurse. She replied with a weak smile.

" Five minutes," she said as she walked out of the room.

Kevin and Gina were silent for a long moment, their minds busy with thoughts. Rogue turned to them.

" I'll wake him up," he said and moved towards the bed. He placed his hand gently on Tomayo's hand. His eyes flickered open, and he smiled weakly when he saw Kevin and Gina. Rogue moved away from the bed and went to stand beside Jake. Kevin held Gina's hand as he walked towards the bed. At that moment, it seemed like the natural thing to do.

" You're awake! " Gina said in a low voice. She freed her hand from Kevin's and moved closer to Tomayo sitting by his side. She placed her hand tenderly on his face, soothing it lightly with the tips of her fingers. Kevin, who had thought she was incapable of feelings, watched her, a stupendous expression on his face.

Tomayo smiled weakly. His face was as white as the fresh fall of snow.

" Mr Carter," he mumbled. " How nice to see you."

" I'm happy to see that you made it, detective, "Kevin said, moving closer to the bed. At that moment, he felt a rush of emotions for this man on the bed.

" Gina, I want you to be careful," Tomayo said slowly." Razor will not stop. You've got to be more careful. He did this to me because I didn't tell him why you were staying with Mr Carter."

Kevin swallowed hard, his face glistening with sweats.

" I'm so sorry, detective," he said weakly. " I'm so sorry. "

" Don't be……." Tomayo mumbled. " Don't be….I'll get through this. We'll nail him. We will "

" Rest now," Gina said hoarsely, touching his face as if it were made of glass.

Tomayo smiled weakly at her, and he closed his eyes. Just then, The door opened, and the nurse came in.

" Sorry guys, times up," she said, moving closer to the bed.

Kevin drew in long, slow breath and grimaced. He looked at Gina, who was still staring hard at Tomayo's face. Then she looked at him. For that brief moment, he thought he saw something in her eyes; was it pity, regret? He was not sure. Then it was all gone. The plain, expressionless look was back on her face. She stood up from the bed, nodded stiffly to Rogue and Jake, who had been watching the whole time, and walked away, her hips rolling under the materials of her slacks.

Kevin watched her go, a bewildered expression on his face. Rogue came to him, and the two men walked out of the room together. When they got outside the hospital, Rogue brought out a pack of cigarettes, and the two men lit up.

" He messed him up pretty bad, " Rogue said as he drew smoke into his lungs. " Razor is a fucking pyscho."

" How did you find out about this? " Kevin asked.

Rogue shrugged his powerful shoulders.

" I gave him a call yesterday night. He didn't pick. That has never happened for the past two years I have been working with him. I knew something was wrong. Well, I rushed down to the house and saw him tied to the settee like a goddamned ram. He was in pretty bad shape. The settee was covered with blood. I called the medic, and here we are "

Kevin digested this piece of information.

" So what's the next plan now ? " he asked.

" We are going to move him to a safe house. " Rogue said. " That's the best plan for now. This hospital is not safe. Razor might try to pull one of his stunts again. We can't let that happen. Boss told me he doesn't want a lot of heat on what had happened to him. He doesn't want the whole police force scurrying around for Razor. "

" Why? " Kevin asked.

" The psycho might bolt out of Miami if he's got a whiff we are itching to get our claws on him. That's why we are moving the boss to a safe house. It's safer that way. I will take his place while he's recuperating. If anyone raises an eyebrow, the story will be that detective Tomayo is on vacation. Smith, Jake, and Billy will be with him in the safe house."

Kevin nodded as he drew smoke into his lungs and let it out through his nostrils. He looked towards his glittering Aston Martin and saw Gina's face. She was sitting inside the car, waiting for him. He turned to Rogue.

" Do you know anything about her ? " he asked, nodding towards his car. Rogue followed his gaze.

" Gina Rux ? " he said.

" Yeah "

Rogue nodded and said.

" She's milliary. That I can bet my last buck on. The detective didn't say much about her. He only told me she's going to be helping him on a case. I presume it was you he was talking about."

This little information did not satisfy Kevin.

" You called her this morning, right ? " he asked. " How did you get her number? "

" The detective gave it to me, " Rogue replied.

Kevin crushed out the cigarette and drew in a long slow breath.

" I know she's kind of related to detective Tomayo " He began. " But I need it to know more about her. We've been living together now for some days, and we don't get along fine. If I am to get along with her, I've got to know something's about her. "

Rogue moistened his lips with his tongue.

" Mr Carter, like I said, I don't know much. But I'll tell you this; maybe it might help. One day, I and the boys and detective Tomayo were having a real lovely time. The detective just cracked down a smuggling case, and we thought we ought to celebrate. That night, we really set it off. You know what I mean, girls, lots of drinks, chain-smoking. We were having a really good time. Then the detective started saying some things. He told us he'd got a daughter in the army. A cold, hard, beautiful girl, he told us. He said when he says gorgeous, he meant smoking hot beautiful. Born and bred in the Bronx, very smart, good with guns, fast with cars, can handle herself in any situation. Well, I figured maybe Gina Rux might be the girl he's talking of. "

Kevin thought about these for a moment.

" She might be the detective's girl, but there's a little snag to your story," he said.

Rogue looked at him sharply.

" What snag? "

" You said cold, hard beauty, right? Look at her; she's cold, she's hard, but she's nothing to call beautiful, at all."

Rogue stared at him for a moment. Then he turned his eyes to look at Gina then back to Kevin again.

" I could have sworn she was the one, Mr Carter," he said in a resigned tone. " Well, I guess I'm wrong. She's no beauty. That can't be the detective's girl. "

Kevin nodded his agreement.

" I betcha. Women are my turf, brother. Don't mess with me. "

Rogue thought for a moment.

" Let say Gina's got a twin sister or the detective as got two girls? Maybe Gina is the ugly one, and the other girl is the pretty one which the boss is actually talking about, think about it."

" But he told you he's got a girl in the army and not two girls, right? " Kevin replied.

" Yeah, that I know. But you know I said that night the detective was a little intoxicated. It might be he wanted to say, two girls. You see, the boss doesn't really talk much, especially about his pasts. His mouth is always clamp shut like an oyster shell. So telling us he as a girl in the army might mean a lot of things. He might have a girl in the army and another girl in the naval or marine corps."

Kevin brooded for a long moment.

" You might be right, you know," he said, nodding his head. " Hmm, I never thought of that. Though it seems like a long shot yet, it's got some possibilities in it. Good thinking, man."

Rogue grinned ruefully.

" Thanks, Mr Carter. Well, I think this is where I say goodbye."

The two men shook hands. Then Rogue walked into the hospital while Kevin walked slowly back to his car, loaded with thoughts.

Gina said alright and went away. Kevin watched her go and grimaced. Then he dashes into his bedroom. Ten minutes later, already behind the steering wheel, sitting comfortably inside his Aston Martin, he watched Gina sauntered into the garage, her face hard as granite. She wore a blue shirt, tight-fitting black slacks, and black boots. On her face was dark sunglasses. The clothes made her look tough and very sure of herself.
She looked around the vast garage, wondering where Kevin was, then she heard a car horn and saw the headlights of the Aston Martin flickered on and off. She moved towards the car, jerked the door opened, and slid in. Kevin, who was still staring at her as she settled beside him, saw her reached behind her, and he froze with shock when he saw she brought out a handgun. It was very black, and it looked compactly big in her hand.

" Do…do you really need that ? " he stuttered.

She turned to him and saw the fear on his face. She gave him a stiff smile.

" You never can tell, Mr Carter. This little beauty comes in handy too. Don't worry; I know how to handle it. "

Kevin stared at the gun for a long moment and nodded numbly. Then he fired the engine, floored the pedal, and drove away.

Thirty minutes later, Kevin drove his Aston Martin onto the parking space of the Miami City hospital and cut the engine. He and Gina slid out of the car and walked briskly into the hospital. They saw a fat, blonde woman in a hospital uniform behind a vast desk as they walked into the reception lobby. A mahogany plaque with the word receptionist in gold letters stood on the desk.

The fat blonde glanced up and beamed at them.

" Good Morning folks, how can I help you? "

" We'll like to see detective Tomayo Daniel's. He was brought here yesterday night," Gina said.

The fat woman gave them a sad smile.

" I'm sorry, but the detective is intensive care room. You can't see him now."

" Look, we are very close to the detective. I'm sure he will be pleased to see us, " Kevin cuts in before Gina could reply to the receptionist.

"As I said, sir, visitors are not allowed. That was the instruction given to me," the receptionist replied, emphasizing her words this time.

Kevin narrowed his eyes at her.

" If you know what's best for you………." But he stopped talking when he saw a tall and powerfully built man in a police uniform walking towards them. He recognized the man as Rogue.

" Mr Carter, " Rogue said, beaming with a smile. The two men shook hands while Gina looked on.

" The detective has been expecting you, " Rogue said. " Please come with me."

Kevin gave the fat receptionist a cold look before moving away. They followed Rogue through a well-lit hallway. On their way, Kevin and Gina met several nurses milling in and out of the rooms, their heelless shoes making little sounds on the tiled floor. They followed Rogue up to the first floor.
They got to a room door in which two powerfully built men stood at the entrance. Kevin recognized the two men as Smith and Billy. When they saw Rogue, they saluted him and stepped aside for them to enter. They entered a room where there was the usual hospital equipment, a nurse standing beside the bed, another powerfully built man, which Kevin recognized as Jake.
On the bed was detective Tomayo. Kevin and Gina stiffened with cold fear when they saw him. They could barely recognize him on the bed. His body was heavily plastered with thick white bandages. It was only his face that remained open.

When Razor reached him, he took out a dirty handkerchief from his pockets and shoved it into his mouth. Then he swung a violent punch and hit Tomayo on his ribs. That punch hurt like hell. Tomayo felt as if a block of concrete had hit him on the chest. He wanted to scream, but the handkerchief prevented him.

Razor looked at Tomayo's face glistening with sweats and smiled.

"It hurts, doesn't it ? " he said. " Don't worry, by the time I'm done with you, you'll regret ever backing Kevin Carter on, " and he groped into his cross bag and pulled out a heavy lead piping. He raised his hand and began to club Tomayo's body savagely. The only sound in the quiet living room was the hard thrashing of Tomayo's body on the settee. A muscular reaction he had no control over.



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

A few minutes after seven o'clock a.m. Kevin came awake with a sudden start. He had been dreaming. His white pillow was damp with sweat. He lay still, listening, then when no sound alarms him, he relaxed and moved further down in the king-sized bed, making himself comfortable.
He heard a loud rap on his bedroom door. He stiffened. The knock came again, harder this time.

" Mr Carter, please open up! I need to speak with you."

Kevin drag his finger through his thick hair. What does she want? He wondered. He got up from the bed, wore his dressing gown, and crossed the room to the bedroom door. Then he opened it.

Gina stood in the doorway, dressed in white shirt and black fitted pants. Her feet were bare. There was a bony, hard expression on her face. Looking at her, Kevin felt a shiver run up his spine.

" I've got bad news," she said. Her voice was hoarse and unsteady.

He looked sharply at her.

" Bad news? "

" Yeah ! " she said. " Detective Tomayo was attacked in his home yesterday. "

" What ? " he said. He felt as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer.

" I believed it was Razor," she said, her voice shaking. "It's worse. He's in a pretty bad shape."

Kevin swallowed hard. His body was cold with fear.

" Who told you all this ? "

" Rogue called me," she said. " He's one of the boys working for the detective."

Kevin nodded. He had heard the detective mention the name before. Razor! The name made his body recoiled with fear. If anything happened to the detective, he knew he was sunk. He dragged his mind away from his thoughts and looked at Gina's face. She was staring at him, but there was this bleak look in her eyes. It was as if she wanted to cry, but something was holding her. At that moment, he pitied her.

Gina saw the pity glint in his eyes and smiled stiffly.

" Don't, Mr Carter. I'm all right. I can handle this."

" What are we going to do now ? " he asked in a shaky voice.

" I don't know, Mr Carter," she said. " But one thing I want you to know is that this is for real. Razor is out there to get you. That is what we've been trying to tell you all this while."

Kevin wiped away the sweats which had beaded on his forehead.

" I think we should go and see the detective," he said. " Did Rogue tell you where the hospital is? "

Gina nodded.

" Yeah ! he told me. I know the hospital like the back of my hand. "

" Good! " Kevin said. " Meet me in the garage in ten minutes."

" You had better start spilling your guts, or I will break every goddamned bone in your body."

" Go to hell! " Tomayo fired back. " I don't know, jack. Think what you like, but all you're getting from me is nothing. Sorry, but I'm empty."

Razor shots up from the chair as if he had been stabbed with a bayonet. He began to wander slowly around the room. He didn't take his eyes of Tomayo's face. Suddenly he yelled out.

" Who is she ? " he screamed. " Who the hell is that woman ? " spill your guts, bastard! "

Tomayo swallowed hard.

" I don't know anything. As I said, I'm empty."

" That's a lie! " Razor bawled. " That's a bloody lie. You've been helping that bloody Kevin all this while. There's no way you couldn't have known who that woman is. "

" I don't know anything. " Tomayo said. " I don't even know what you are talking about."

A vicious glint jumped into Razor's eyes.

" I'm going to fix you, detective. Don't worry; you'll like it when I fix you."

Tomayo felt cold sweats break out on his face and his heart begin to give him a violent kick against his chest.

" You won't get away with this," he said, speaking evenly. " You fix a lawman, and you're gone! You'll become a fugitive! Do what you must do but better don't leave me alive, cause if you do, I'm coming after you, do hear me? I'm going to hunt you down; then I'll nail you, you fucking bastard. "

Razor made an angry gesture and pointed a gloved finger at him.

" You're tough, detective. I'll give you that. But you're not rough. I'm very rough, and that's what makes me twice tougher than you. I'll show you what I mean " Then he began to move towards Tomayo, his movement slow and deadly, like a hyena stalking its prey.

Tomayo watched him move slowly across the room towards him, and he began to hear the frantic pounding of his heart against his chest. He couldn't say anything. His mouth was very dry, and his throat was paralyzed. He lay there, looking at Razor how a rabbit will look at a snake slithering towards it.

" I'm sorry about the light," he said, grinning under the mask " I'm love being dramatic, forgive me. Since the age of twelve, I have always been like that when I fell off my bicycle and hit my head on the ground. "

" No wonder you're crazy." Tomayo gritted out.

" Watch your mouth, detective. You won't want me to shove your nice white teeth through your head, right ? "

" Razor, right? " Tomayo continued." I know you must be feeling so hot under all this stuff wore. "

" What I wore is not your concern. " he seethed out. "Do you get my letters? "

" Lots of them, " Tomayo replied." I'm tired of reading them. Well, I kept them for you. You can take them away on your way out. "

Razor gave a hard backing laugh. Then he crossed the room to an easy chair, picked it, place it right in front of Tomayo, and lowered his heavy bulk into it.

" I want you to listen carefully, detective. I won't repeat my words, and if I have to, It would be accompanied by a punch to the face. My punch does two things. It either knocks you out or kills you. So don't mess with me. I'll do the talking, and there's no room for any questions, got it ? "

Tomayo stared at the masked face of Razor for a long moment. Right now, he felt like a cornered mouse

" I comprehend alright," he muttered.

" Good! I want you to lay off Kevin Carter's case. What is between Kevin and me is between us both. I don't like your work, detective; it's beginning to be a bore on my part. Stay off the case, or I'll fix you. "

Tomayo grinned tightly.

" You want me to stop helping, Mr Carter? , Alright, I will stop if you tell me why you murder those women? I will stop if you tell me what is it that you have against Mr Carter ? "

Razor grinned evilly.

" Kevin made me do it. He made me kill the woman I ever loved. He's got to pay. This is not your problem. I want you to stay out of this, stay out! "

" You said he made you kill the woman you loved? Will you tell who really she is ? "

Razor shook his head.

" This is not interrogation time, detective. I ain't telling you, jack."

" In that case, I can't stop helping Mr Carter."

" Why? " Razor asked in a soft voice.

" I just can't," Tomayo replied unperturbed.

Razor grinned mirthlessly.

" You know, I could fix you right now without thinking twice about it. Since you're at my mercy, I believe you should value your life, or do you want to die? "

" People die every day, " Tomayo replied. " It's not a new thing. I believe you are scared of been captured. That's why you wear this damn mask on your face. Been captured means death for you. Why not show your face if you're not scared. "

Razor said patiently.

" Alright, if you can't stay off the case, that's fine with me. How about telling me who that woman I saw with Kevin his ? "

A frightened glint jumped into Tomayo's eyes.

" What woman are you talking about? "

" There's a new chick with Kevin. I saw her yesterday. I found out a lot about her. I heard she as ugly as sin. Something tells me you are connected to all these. Maybe you hook Kevin up with her or something. The thing is, I want to know who she is? Is it true she's ugly? "

Tomayo shook his head.

" I don't know anything. "

Razor studied his face. He knew the detective was lying.

He clicked back the safety catch of the gun, thrust it forward, and held it tightly. The air in the room was hot and dry. He could feel cold sweats rolling off and the short hairs on the nape of his neck bristling. The terrifying silence in the room did not deceive Tomayo. There was danger lurking in the darkness of the room. Then an idea occurred to him. He dipped his hand into his pockets and brought out his cellphone. He turned it, and as he was about to dial the number of Rogue, he heard a voice behind him in the darkness, A cold, hard voice that could resurrect even a corpse.

" If you make that call, detective, I'll blow your head clean off. "

Tomayo swallowed hard. His face was wet with sweats and his shirt drenched. His hand, clammy with sweats, tightened on the gun.

" Now drop it, " The voice said from the darkness " The gun and phone! Drop it, or I'll give you a load of lead."

Tomayo, his face white as a fresh fall of snow, dropped his cell phone and the gun. The objects fell to the ground with a loud thud. Then something cold and hard screwed into the back of his neck. The shock made him turned into a figure of stone. He knew what it was - a gun! But how ? he wondered, how had he gotten behind him, unaware? He was still thinking hard when a sharp pain hit him on the back of his head, and he grunted and fell forward. The sharp pain was repeated as Razor hit him again.

No Pleasure For Mr Carter_Mancrimes

Chapter 5

Detective Tomayo came out of the darkness as he felt a blinding light against his closed eyelids. He groaned. The back of his head was expanding and contracting, and pain crawled up his neck over the top of his head and into his eyes like a beetle with red-hot feet. After a while, when he felt good enough to open his eyes, he opened it. The hard bright light blinded him for a second. He took a quick look around the room. He was lying on the settee, a rope had been tightened around his chest, pinning him to the couch, and a thick tape had been pulled around his wrists.
Everything in the room was in order and place except for himself. He exerted a useless effort for a minute or so against the tape around his wrists and found there was no way of breaking free, so he lay still, panting a little from the exertions. It was then he remembered that the light in the living room had been out when he had come in. Wondering what was going on, he heard a slight sound at the window side and jerked his around.
That was when Tomayo saw him. A black-clad figure, standing by the window, looking out into the street, peeping around the blind. He must have known Tomayo was awake because he suddenly jerked his head to where Tomayo was, saw him staring at him blandly, and moved away from the blinds. As he moved towards the settee, Tomayo studied him. He was tall and powerfully built with massive shoulders and long, striding legs. He had on a ski mask on his face, a black jacket, tight-fitting black jeans, his hands were clad in black gloves, and he wore a heelless black boot. A black cross bag was slung across his chest.

" I see you're coming around," Razor said as he got to where Tomayo lay on the settee." glad you could join me. It's as been a bore since you took your long nap."

Tomayo swallowed hard. He stared at the black figure the way you will look at a dead rat in your closet. Nobody needed to him. This massive figure in frightening black was Razor.

" That was a wrong move, hotshot," she said in a hard, low voice. " I'll fix you If you pull that stunt again."

They stood like a pillar of stone, staring at each other. Only their breathing made them alive. Then finally, Kevin growled ;

" Let go of me."

Gina moistened her lips with her tongue. Then she took her hand away and moved over to a cabinet stuffed with books. She folded her arms across her breasts and watched him the way a tiger looked at meat that had been sneaked out of his cage.

Tomayo, who had been taken aback by the whole scenario, got up from his chair, slightly dazed.

" That was very insolent of you, Mr Carter. Attempting to assault a law enforcement officer? Are you nuts? "

Kevin stared at Tomayo's face for a long moment, his body surging with rage. Then he pulled himself together and sat on the chair, a solemn expression on his face.

Tomayo turned to Gina.

" Nice one, Gina," he said

Gina smiled in return but said nothing.

" Mr Carter, " Tomayo said, facing Kevin now. " This is the last time we are going to have this conversation. Gina is going to help us with this case. She told me all about the chase you guys had before you got here. She gave me a detailed description of the car the tailer had used. My boys will begin work from that angle. I can bet my last buck on it that the person who drove that black Porsche is Bill Razor. It has to be him. I think he knows we are up to something and got agitated. I believe what actually got him agitated was Gina. He must have tailed you to the Pick 'n ' restaurant the day you met her and must have seen her. Something about her must-have startled him. Because he wanted to be certain about Gina and because my men were not watching you, he felt safe to tail you in broad daylight. That was his first mistake. He tailed you guys, got anxious, and gave himself away. That's shows he's not so smart after all, and for us, that's a plus. The beauty of this whole plan is for him to make mistakes till we nail him " he paused and went on. " Though, Razor is like a dangerous, hungry tiger. You see, tigers are ambush hunters who preferred to sneak up on their prey, and when a hungry tiger strikes, it strikes with a force that leaves you fixed. The only problem is that Razor is messing with the wrong hunter. That hunter is me. I'm going to use Gina as the bait. For this to work, you've got to help Gina. You both work as a team on this. Are you following? "

Kevin nodded stiffly in reply.

" Failure to comply with me, " Tomayo went on. " Then I'll have to take this case up with my superiors and tell the press about the women Razor had killed and how the killings were all connected to you. I'll throw the press at you and let them chew up like wolves. By the time they are done with you, you'll regret ever stepping foot in Miami City."

Kevin swallowed hard, a deep scowl on his face. Looking at the hard, granite face of Tomayo, he knew he was fixed. There was nothing he could do now. He thought of the long, dragging days he would have to spend with Gina. If not because of Razor, he would be in his house right now, probably with a girl who had the face of the Mona Lisa. But with Hell Razor tailing him, he had to kiss all that goodbye. Why am I been punished for what I don't know? He asked himself. For Christ's sake, why ?.

" Do you have anything to say, Mr Carter? " Tomayo asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Kevin dragged his mind away from his thoughts. He drew in a long, slow breath and got to his feet. There was a kind of resigned expression on his face, and he looked forty years older. He turned to Gina.

" I'll be in the car," he said and walked out of the room.

Tomayo and Gina watched him go, a solemn expression on their faces. Then Gina turned to Tomayo.

" I'll keep a very good eye on him," she said. " I'll handle him. ",

Tomayo gave her a wane smile.

" That's very good. Kevin Carter is like a man sitting on a time bomb, ready to explode anytime. But I believe you'll handle him. I am relying on you, Gina. You're the best shot we've got in nailing that bastard. You can go now."

They both shook hands, and Gina went out of the room.

Detective Tomayo returned to his two-bedroom bungalow house at exactly twenty minutes after eleven. During the day, after Kevin and Gina had left his office, he had instructed his boys to check the surveillance camera grid of the police headquarters building for a black Porsche that had driven within a mile towards it, but it had been unsuccessful. They did not find any car that matches the description on the black Porsche. To Tomayo, it seemed Razor must have known Kevin's car was heading for the headquarters, and he had sensed the danger of getting anywhere near the police edifice and had quickly ducked out of sight in time.
He opened the door of his apartment, stepped into the room, and reached for the switch. He snapped it on, but there was no light. That's odd ? he thought, looking around the room. Black darkness surrounded him. He listened. The only sound he heard was the thump-thump-thump of his heart against his ribs. Silently, he reached for his gun, which was in his shoulder holster, and slid it out.
Holding the gun in his right hand, he slowly and quietly walked towards his bedroom. He knew the geography of his apartment, and the stifling darkness did not bother him. As he was about to get to his bedroom, he had a crunching sound like breaking glass under his feet. Instinctively, he bent and picked the object. Then he felt it in his hand. It was the fragment of a broken object. His instinct told him it was the fragment of the bulb in the living room. The person who had broken into the house must have knocked out the bulb. At that moment, he felt instinctively that he was not alone in the room.

Kevin entered the vast police edifice, waved impatiently to Ambrose Lee in the Charge Room, and rushed up the stairs to Detective Tomayo's s office door. Without knocking, he opened the door. Detective and Gina were talking in low tones. On hearing the door opened, they turned their heads to the door. Tomayo's face lit up when he saw Kevin while a frown was on Gina's face.

" Hello, Mr Carter, please come in, " Tomayo said, coming around the table to shake hands with Kelvin.

As Kevin stepped into the room, he noticed that Gina did not even acknowledge his presence. The two men shook hands.

" Mr Carter, this is an impromptu visit, " Tomayo went on " I was just asking Gina, what you guys were doing here? He went around to his desk, sat on his chair, and waved Kevin to the client's chair.

Kevin gave him a fake smile as he dropped into the chair.

" Yeah! I know you were not expecting us. I just wanted to find out if you have anything on Razor."


Detective Tomayo drew in a long, slow breath and shook his head.

" We've got nothing! But don't worry, he'll make a move. We'll just have to be patient enough."

Kevin nodded stiffly and dragged his eyes to Gina. Her calm expressionless face was focused on Tomayo, and she seemed not to take notice of him as he sat in the chair. It was as if he was not even in the room. Vexed by her hostility, he turned his eyes away from her and said hotly to Tomayo

" How 'bout what we talked about Miss Rux here? , are you planning to change her or what? "
Tomayo gave him a bemused look.

" I thought we are past that, Mr. Carter. Is she giving you any problem? "

" Yeah! She is giving me a lot of heat! We've got a communication problem. She can't work with me ",

" She will have to do, Mr Carter," Tomayo said, an edge in his voice.

The muscles in Kevin's face tightened.

" No, she won't ! " he yelled. " I've had enough of her. Get rid of her ",

Unable to control his rising anger, Tomayo exploded.

" Mr Carter, you're acting like a goddamned newborn baby. If I had my way with you, you wouldn't be standing here in this room. You'll be locked up in a four-inches cell with bars at the windows and only a bowl of soup to shit in."

Kevin reacted as if he had been stung by a wasp. He rose from his chair and stretched out a clenched fist to hit Tomayo on the face, but another hand shot out and held his hand. Obviously bewildered and with unbelieving eyes, he followed the hand that held him to Gina's face. Her eyes were glittering like wet pebbles as she stared at him.

" A minute drive from now," she said." You'll come across a dirt road by your right side. Watch out for it. You'll turn to it when you reach it, alright? "

" Dirt road it is! " Kevin replied. He could feel cold sweats run down his face and his shirts drenched. He shot Gina a brief glance. He was surprised to see her plain face, calm and expressionless. It was as if they were rushing to the beach.

" Mr Carter! Keep your eyes on the damn road and drive fast," Gina snapped, still looking at the rear mirror.

Kevin nodded sharply and turned his face to the road. A few minutes later, he came across the dirt road.

" Now! Mr Carter ! " she shouted." Now ! "

" Alright! Alright! " Kevin retorted as he uncouthly swerved the car to the dirt road. It was very sandy and dusty, and as he drove fast, he left behind him a heavy cloud of sand and dust.

" This road will lead us to a highway; turn right immediately when you get there," she said again.

Kevin glance at the driver's mirror. He could only see a thick cloud of dust. He now saw the reason why Gina had asked him to use the dirt road. No way the person tailing them would be able to see their car in that fog of dust. When they finally got to the broad highway, he immediately turned right, only for him to mutter a curse as the traffic lights just ahead of them turned a bright red.

" Calm yourself," Gina said, noticing the dark look on his face. " I think we've lost him but only for a short time. When the light turned green, I want you to hit the pedal and drive straight up. No turning this time. "

" Sure? " Kevin asked blandly.

" I'm damn sure," she snapped. " Oh shit! behind you! "

Kevin jerked his head around and snarled. His car was just four cars away from the black Porsche. At least, they will have a quick head start against the Porsche. He turned his attention to Gina. This girl has got a lot of sense in her head, he thought, how I wish she were beautiful, I would have loved to ……….

" Now! Now! Now ! " Gina snapped loudly, breaking into his thought.

He jerked his eyes to the traffic light. It was bright green! Kevin could hear the cacophony of car horns blare behind him. He cursed under his breath as he shifted the gear and floored the car.
The car surged forward powerfully, and it increased speed and sailed past the other cars on the road. He looked at the driver's mirror and grimaced. The black Porsche was five cars from his own. He increased speed and heard Gina say, " drive straight, Mr Carter, and for Christ's sakes, hit that pedal as you mean it. "

" Will you drive ? " he fired back, cold sweats rolling off him.

He glanced at the driver's mirror and smiled to himself. The black Porsche had vanished. It was as if it the pursuer had known where they were heading to and had quickly ducked out of sight. Kevin breathed easily when the vast edifice of the Miami Police headquarters came in sight. He swung the car onto the driveway and pulled up in a vacant space. Then he put his head on the steering wheels and drew in a long slow breath. His nerves calmed, he turned to look at Gina. She was staring at him, her face cold and expressionless. Her eyes went from his head to his feet. Then up again.

" What ? " he snapped, unable to stand her cold stare.

" What were you thinking of before the light turned green ? " she asked.

Kevin narrowed his eyes at her.

" None of your bloody business."

" You could have let that tailer get to us," she went on.

Kevin made an impatient movement.

" But I brought us here. That counts! That damn counts! "

She regarded his flushed, white face for a long moment, then she opened the offside door and stepped out of the car. Kevin watched her, a bewildered expression on his face as she ducktail walked into the police headquarters vast edifice.

She smiled at him. But it was a cold, bitter smile.

" Since we are clear about that, now drive."

" What If I go back inside ? " he said curtly, finding his voice.

" Then we'll both go back together," she fired at him.

Kevin swallowed hard. He regarded her determined, hard face for a long moment and shrugged. He knew that arguing with her would only be a waste of time. He started the car, revved the engine, and swung out of the garage with an angry clashing of gears.
He drove fast and hard on the Key Biscayne highway, his mind busy with the thoughts of going to detective Tomayo's office then maybe cooling off in one of the clubs in Miami beach. Not once did he glance at Gina, who was sited beside him, and she, on the other hand, did not say anything to him. You could hang a hat on the silence that hung in the car.
Kevin got to a boulevard leading to Miami Beach and South Beach and came suddenly on a long line of cars, crawling towards the city. His Ferrari Porsche joined the creeping cars, and after a good twenty minutes had been wasted, the traffic jam cleared. He trod hard on the accelerator and drove on towards the highway that led to the Miami Police headquarters.

" A car is following us," Gina said, breaking the silence.

Kevin turned to her sharply.

" What did you say? "

" We are being tailed," she replied in a hard, clipped voice.

Kevin looked at his driver's mirror and saw a black Porsche right behind them. He dragged his eyes to Gina.

" How did hell do you know? " he asked.

" He's been following us since we left the house. " She answered, not taking her eyes off the passenger side mirror.

Kevin's body turned cold with sweats. He had noticed the car alright but had not paid much attention to it. Now, he knew something was up. He trod hard on the accelerator, and the car came alive and surged forward.
The Porsche behind them also increased speed and began to gain a gap against Kevin's car. He looked at the driver's mirror and felt the Porsche closing upon them. His heart was beating fast against his ribs, and he could feel the sweats rolling off him. Who could it be? he wondered, was it Hell Razor? , his mind jolted back to reality when he heard Gina's voice.

" Where you heading for ? " she asked, a cold expression on her face.

" The Miami Police headquarters ! " he answered weakly.

" I've got a plan, alright ? " she said.

" You do? " Kevin asked in a shaky voice.

" Yeah! Just do as I say," she replied, " I know this road very well. There is an intersection right ahead of us. When you get there, I want you to turn left, alright ? " she said, pointing to the road ahead of them.

Kevin shook his head.

" Why should I trust you? , for all I know, you may be leading me to him," he said stupidly.

Gina faced him and said curtly.

" You don't have to trust me. All you've got to do is to listen for both our sakes. I want you to maintain a normal speed level. I don't want you to give our tailer the notion that we already know he's following us."

Kevin nodded and bit hard on his bottom lip. He reduced the speed of the car and kept his eyes on the road. Up ahead, he saw an intersection and gave the car little gas. He looked at the driver's mirror and saw that the black Porsche driver had reduced speed, maintaining a not too close distance between them and his car. He got to the intersection and immediately swerved the car onto the left broadway.

" Nice! " Gina said, smiling wickedly. " Now, let's see if our tailer is really onto us."

A few seconds later, they both heard the screeching sounds of peeling tires behind them and saw the gleaming body of the black Porsche closing up on them. Kevin turned to Gina while she, in return, gave him a I- told-you -so-look. Kevin was now certain that the driver, who so ever it might be, was really tailing them. With a grimed look on his face, he trod hard on the accelerator, and the car hummed as it increased speed. The car behind them also increased speed, determined to close upon them.

The time was twenty minutes past twelve. Kevin Carter was inside his bedroom, on his bed, a dark scowl on his face. On his dresser was a gold ashtray crammed with stubbed-out cigarettes. The room was hot and stiff, but he did not mind the heat. The thought to put on the big air conditioner did not even occur to him. His mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of Gina. After she had talked rudely to him the other day, he had gone straight to his room, took some sleeping pills, and fell into a heavy induced sleep. He had woken up at midnight, tired and very hungry. He had staggered into the kitchen, threw a box of sandwiches into the microwave, and fixed himself a cup of coffee with a lot of creams.
After the meal and not wanting to wake Gina, he had crept back to his room, flopped back on his bed, and slept off. He had woken up at exactly ten o'clock in the morning. He had heard the sounds of crockery being moved in the kitchen, and by that, he knew Gina was already awake. Not wanting to have another encounter with her, he had remained in the bedroom for hours, chain-smoking, but now, after staying long in the room, he felt like a caged tiger. How much longer was he going to live like this, he asked himself. How much longer was he going to hide from a psychotic killer who was only interested in frustrating his life ?.
He drew in a long, slow breath and grimaced. Then he forced himself to relax, stretching out his long legs and resting his head on his pillow. For a long ten minutes, he listened to the sounds of his breathing, the chirping of a bird outside the windows, and the tick-tock of the wall clock in his room.
When he could no longer bear the loneliness, he pulled off his clothes and entered the shower. After taking a quick bath, he dried himself thoroughly and crossed the room to his closets. He struggled into a blue shirt, slid into a white linen jean, and wore a pair of Hazel loafers. He wandered over to a vast dressing table on which stood perfumes, shaving kits, wristwatches case, and astringents. He selected a wristwatch, wore it, grabbed up a Gucci sunglasses case and his car keys.
He crossed the room to the door, and very quietly, he opened it. He peered out and listened. There was no sound from the living room nor the kitchen. Fully satisfied that Gina would be in her room, he closed the door quietly behind him and walked down the stairs, into the living room, and then to the front door and slid out. Briskly, he walked to his vast garage, whistling to himself, knowing that he had escaped Gina. He got there and brought out a small remote pad from his pocket. He pressed a button, and the garage door slid open. He entered it and headed towards his Ferrari Porsche.
He opened the door, slid behind the steering wheel, and fired the engine. Then he trod on the accelerator, and the car surged forward. All of a sudden, A woman came out of nowhere and stood in front of the garage driveway, making him tread on the brakes sharply
He held the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white and hard, his heart giving him a hard kick against his ribs.
Through the windshields, he recognized the woman as Gina. She had on a black dress and high black heels. Her long, tapering legs were in nylon, and it smoothed her dress over her well, solid hips. She stared at him, her eyes intent and curious. He peered out his head through the driver's window side.

" Hey! Do you want to die ? " he yelled at her. " I could have run you over! "

Gina did not reply to him. She sashayed to the offside of the car, opened the door, and slid in. Kevin stared hard at her. He could see her heavy pancake make-up had been expertly put on, and he could smell the perfume she had sprayed on her hair. She turned, and her blue eyes locked with his.

" I told you, Mr Carter, where you go, I go. Now drive! "

" Look here, woman. I don't buy the idea of you following me around. You're not a dog," he said hotly.

A sudden, vicious glint jumped into her eyes.

" Are you referring me to a dog ? " she asked in a distinct but clear voice.

Despite himself, Kevin shook his head in response. There was something about her that stiffened his nerves. Something that told him she could handle him if she really wanted to.

" Fine ! " he said tightly. " I won't bother you."

She stared at him for a long moment.

" What's your plan for today ? " she finally asked.

Knowing that he had no plan whatsoever and angered that he would have to spend the whole day with her, he opened his mouth without thinking.

" Well, my plan today is not your concern. Don't you think we should focus on how this thing between you and I is going to work " he said, a bite in his voice?

Gina's eyes regarded him under thick lashes.

" I think the more you get used to the idea of you and me been stuck together, the better it will be for you. Get used to it and stop moping around. You're not a kid."

Kevin glared at her, and his eyes were as hard and as cold as the pellets of ice.

" You should watch your mouth, woman. It's as big as your feet."

She sipped the coffee, then grinned at him.

" I heard you've got the hots for pretty ladies," she went on. " If I were you, I would watch where my libido takes me, and we wouldn't want another innocent woman to die all because you couldn't restrain yourself, right ? "

Kevin's face twisted with anger. He got up from the chair and pointed a thick finger at her.

" You ugly bitch! I'll fix you for this," he said hotly, his chest rising and falling.

Gina smiled wickedly at him.

" You better watch your blood pressure! With the way you boil over, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a heart attack one of these days, not that I care."

Kelvin stormed out of the room in a blinding rage of fury.


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

At seven o'clock on this Saturday morning, Razor got out of bed, put on the coffee percolator, and then took a shower. He shaved with an electric razor, dressed, and went to the small kitchenette and fixed himself a slice of grilled bacon, ham, and egg. He ate his meal and washed it down with coffee.
He fixed himself another coffee, carrying the cup into his shabby living room; he sat down and sipped it. Then he began to think fast and hard. Ugly ! he thought, what was Kevin doing with an ugly woman ?. He drew in a long, slow breath, picked up a packet of Marlboro cigarette, lit one, and drew in smoke. Since the day he had talked to Kitty in the Pick 'n' Eat restaurant, he had spent sleepless nights. Kevin with an ugly woman, he asked himself, as a girlfriend or what ?. His instincts for danger told him something was wrong.
He remembered that every woman he had seen Kevin was all beautiful. He had studied Kevin well enough to know he was not the kind of man to roll with the ugly ones. Kevin had tasted, and his tastes had never ran to an ugly woman, no matter how good her figure was. So what, he asked himself, was Kelvin doing with an ugly woman? His mind drifted to detective Tomayo. He had warned the detective to stay off the case of Kevin, but the man had refused. All the letters of warnings he had written to the detective had been dully ignored.
As he thought about Tomayo, he felt a slight chill run up and down his spine. He knew that the detective was helping Kevin to catch him. He had a feeling a trap had been set for him, and if he were not careful, he would walk right into it. If truly Kevin was engaged with an ugly woman, then his revenge plan was a waste of time. If only he had seen clearly the face of the woman Kevin had dragged out of the restaurant, he thought bitterly.
He crushed out the cigarette in an ashtray and considered his next move. Since he had wiped out the two men monitoring Kevin and since they had not been replaced, then it was safe to monitor Kevin's movements in broad daylight. This would allow him to confirm what Kitty had told about the woman he had seen with Kevin. If she's beautiful, then he would be killing again. Sooner than he thought. If she was ugly, then something definitely is up. He leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes, and dreamt about Angelina.

It was the blare of the alarm clock on the dresser beside the bed that brought Kevin finally awake. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and stretched out like a contended fat cat. He got up from the bed, thinking of how badly he needed a cup of coffee. He entered the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and splash some water on his face. Then he stepped out and crossed the room to his closet. He slid into a Massimo Dutti wool sweaters and struggled into Levi's jeans. Then he picked his cellphone and dialed Roxy's number. She answered immediately.

" Hi Kevin ! " she said, releasing a squeal of excitement. " I guess you wanted to know if I'm in the office; well, I'm there already. When are you coming in today? "

" I can't, Roxy " Kevin's voice went down a note. " Look, there's a lot of things going on I've got to figure out. I wouldn't want you to involve, alright? Please, you've got to manage without me for a week or two, darling."

" A week or two ? " she shrilled, making Kevin cringed.

" Yeah! , it might even take longer than that ", he replied.

" What the hell is happening to you, Kevin Carter? " She asked, concern in her voice. " I missed you."

" I know," he said bitterly. " just take care of things for me, alright, Roxy? I'll raise your pay on this. ",

"It's not about the money, and you know it," she said huskily. " I'll do anything for you."

" Yes, I know," he said. " That's why I'm leaving things to you. Make sure you and the others work together as a team, alright? Call me if there's any problem. Bye for now, Roxy," and he ended the call, threw the phone on the bed, and moved out of the room.
As he walked down the stairs, a pleasant aroma of brewing coffee hit his nose, and he stiffened. In his moment of waking up, his mind has been busy with thoughts; he had totally forgotten a woman was in the house. He paused in the lobby. To the smell of coffee was now added the sound of meat sizzling. His stomach growled in protest. He stood there for a moment contemplating on what to do.
Finally, he braced himself, pushed open the kitchen door, and then paused. Gina was standing over the big gas cooker. Her head jerked around, and they both stared at each other. There was a fresh glow to her skin now, and her hair looked silky and neat. She was wearing a dressing gown, and she had rolled up the sleeves with that extraordinary knack most women have; she somehow had made herself look presentable even when the heavy makeup she had hurriedly done to her face made her look uglier than ever. Her lips parted in a grin.

" Morning, Mr Carter," she said. " How about you help yourself to some cup of coffee. It's on the table. I hope you like steaks? You've got a well-stocked freezer. I'll be done in two minutes, Okay? "

Kevin drew in a long, slow breath. Accepting the situation, he shrugged his powerful shoulders and walked into the living room. He found the dining table well laid. The woman had found the cutlery, the salt, pepper, and mustard. Kevin realized how much he needed a woman in his life.
He walked to the big window and pushing aside the curtains, and he looked out at the Miami skyline, the cruising yacht, and the glittering waters. Just go with the flow, he said to himself, thinking about what the detective had told him the other night. He prowled around the room restlessly until Gina came in, carrying a tray. She put down two plates loaded with perfectly cooked steaks, mushrooms, vinegar potatoes, and macaroni cheese.

" Come on, Mr Carter," she said. " Food is ready."

They sat opposite each other had begun to eat. This woman could cook, Kevin thought. The steaks were excellent, and the mushroom and the potatoes perfectly done. Halfway through the silent meal, Gina paused and looked at Kevin.

" How do you like my cooking? "

Just go with the flow, Kevin told himself.

" Do you want to see how much I like your cooking ? " he said. " I'll show you. ". He cut off a piece of steak, smothered it with mustard, conveyed it to his mouth, and chewed savagely, making funny sounds as he chewed.

Watching his mouth, she nodded in response and began to eat again.

" Where did you learn how to cook ? " he asked, trying to draw her into a conversation.

She looked at him, a bemused expression on her face, then she hunched her shoulders.

" I'm a woman, Mr Carter. The last thing a woman should know how to do is cooking "

Kevin narrowed his eyes at her.

" Apart from cooking, what else can you do? "

" You'll know in due time," she said, her mouth full of food. She paused to pour coffee and shoved a cup towards Kevin.

He wolfed down the last of the steak, sipped coffee, belch gently, and leaned back into the chair, watching her face closely.

She looked up from her food.

" Are you okay? There are more steaks if you want some? "

Kevin shook his head and touched his stomach.

" I'm loaded already, thanks anyway. So tell me about yourself, Gina, what do you do? How did you get to know detective Tomayo ? "

Gina shook her head as she forked a piece of steak into her mouth. She chewed it taking her time, sipped coffee, and wiped her mouth with a white serviette.

" I know how it is," she began. " Trust me, I understand. when a man is eating a nice meal, the next thing is to start running his mouth, asking questions he shouldn't even ask. Well, the less you know about me, the better alright, Mr Carter. "

Kevin licked lips with the tip of his tongue. He felt as if she had splashed a bucket of cold water on him.

Happy New Year Fam.

To all my commentors and ghost readers, thanks so much for your love and support.

Love y'all.

He stared into her eyes, and his face darkened as he saw the teasing glint in her eyes. She remained rooted to where she stood, unflinching, meeting his angry look with a defiant one. He was perplexed. There was something about her that bothered him. At one point, she will look feeble and innocent, like that moment when she had told him the truth about not clearing the checks, and another time, she will give him that cold stare and stubborn look as if she did not give a damn what he could do to her.

" Mr Carter," She said, bringing his whirling thoughts to a stop. " If you don't have anything to say, how about you show me to my room. , I've got to hit the hay."

He drew in a long, slow breath and grimaced. Don't worry, boy, he told himself, you'll fix her damn cocky mouth, just don't worry.

" Come with me," Kevin said curtly as he moved out of the kitchen.

She followed him up the stairs and along a passage to a big, airy room done over in lemon green lacquer, with brown drapes, a big mirror, and a double-sized bed with a brown and lemon green quilted head. There was a big conditioner which hummed softly, and the room smelt of fresh lavender.

Kevin turned to her.

" Your bag is in there, and this where you'll be staying till I figure out what to do with you," he said harshly as he stepped out of the room and stood in the doorway.

Gina gave him a cold smile.

" Thank you, Mr Carter, and goodnight," she said and slammed the door shut and shot the bolt.

Kevin licked his lips and stared at the closed door with a hard look. For all he cares, he thought as he walked to his bedroom, she can lock herself in for eternity. He entered his room and flopped hard on his king-sized bed. He folded his hands behind his head, thinking fast and hard. She had been a pain in the ass, he thought, thinking of how he had nearly lost his nerves back in the restaurant. He bit his bottom lips and shook his head. He disliked her. Correct that! , he hated her for her ugliness and her goddamned guts. Who the hell did she think she is? He thought, rolling to and fro on the bed. If not for that stupid detective, I would have dropped her sorry ass. On an impulse, He sat up on the bed, groped, dug into his hip pockets, and brought out his cell phone. He dialed detective Tomayo's number, waited few seconds, then he heard a voice.

" Mr Carter, I've been expecting your call."

" Let's cut the bullshit. What do you want me to do with the girl you sent? "

Tomayo gave a hard backing laugh, and Kevin's skin crawled with irritation as he heard the laughter at the other end.

" Just go with the flow, Mr Carter. Go with the flow."

" Flow? What the hell do you mean by going with the flow? " Kevin yelled.

" Calm down, Mr Carter. I've told you the plan. Now that Gina is with you, all we have to do is to wait for Hell Razor to strike, and by then, we'll be ready for him."

" For Christ sakes, " Kevin exploded." You've hooked me with a woman that makes me sick to the core, and you expect me to be calm. "

" Mr Carter, listen to this, " Tomayo said in a hushed voice. " Gina will come in handy, trust me. When the right time comes, you will understand what I am telling you. It's just a matter of time, don't you worry."

"Handy? What do you mean handy? " He asked, nonplussed.

" Yes, handy. Good night, Mr Carter," and Tomayo ended the call.

Handy? Kevin thought as he took the phone off his ear; what does this man mean by handy? With the back of his hand, he wiped away the sweats that had beaded on his forehead. He got up from the bed, moved towards a table in which stood a bottle of Don Perignon Champagne, a bottle of Jack Daniel's, two wine glasses, and a whisky glass. He picked the bottle, slushed some drink into a glass, and toss it down his throat.
He shivered slightly as the drink stiffened his nerves. Then he lit a cigarette and drew in smoke. He brooded about what the detective had told him. He had a feeling the detective had deliberately attached Gina to him. The only problem was that he was not sure of the reason. For your sake, detective, he thought, I hope you know what you're doing. After thinking for a while, he stubbed out the cigarette in a gold ashtray, took a quick shower, crawled into his bed, and allow the power of sleep to claim him.

Razor drew in a long, slow breath and grimace. That explains the reason why Kevin had been angry with her, he thought, thinking he had wasted money on a stupid hunch he had had. Even though he was satisfied that he now knew why Kevin had been so angry, he still had a feeling something was still missing. The puzzle was not yet completely solved. He dragged his eyes girl's face as he saw her staring at him. She must have been staring at him for so long because immediately his eyes locked with hers, she turned her eyes to the opposite wall, her cheeks turning bright.

" What is it ? " he snarled at her.

" There's one more thing," she answered, looking at him.

" Is there ? " he asked indifferently.

Kitty nodded.

" They don't match. The man and the woman don't fit together," she said.

Razor stiffened like a gun dog.

" What do you mean ? " he asked.

" Why, the man is so hot while the woman is simply a plain Jane. Though she's got the figure of an hourglass, but her face is hell no."

" You said plain Jane ? " he muttered blankly. " is her name, Jane ? "

" I mean, her face sucks, " Kitty said, looking at him strangely. " what are you ? a new learner at words?

Razor became angry. He thought the girl was playing around with him. Like a striking snake, he stretched out his hand and grabbed Kim's neck. Then he began to squeeze hard. She held his hand tightly with her two hands, trying to tear his fingers off her throat, but he had a grip like a monkey-wrench.

" I'll break your neck like a stick if you don't tell me what you mean," he seethed out, leaning close to her, his eyes bright and glittering.

Kitty's eyes were already starting off her head, and she was making gurgling sounds like an empty tap.

"you….. are …killing me," she said weakly.

" I could do worse if you don't start doing the talking," he yelled.

" Ugly....... She's ugly." She managed to say.

Razor released her neck and shoved her away violently, and then he stormed out the room. As he walked into the violent afternoon sun to his Porsche, the word ugly echoed and reechoed in his mind.


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


" Would you like some coffee, Mr Carter? " Gina asked, looking at him.

Kevin stared at her, his face white with shock. She had not spoken to him on their way home after his outbursts, and not even for once did she glance at him while he was driving. When they had got to his penthouse, he had grudgingly shown her around and more to his distaste; her pale, expressionless face revealed nothing to appreciate him of the whale of money he had spent on the decor. She did not even give him a nod of approval, and now, standing inside his kitchen, fixing the coffee percolator, she was asking him if he would like some coffee? What a dumb fool.

" Look, I don't want your damn coffee," he said. "I don't even want anything from you, alright? "

Gina smiled and shrugged indifferently.

"It seems, Mr Carter; you have a knack of not keeping to yourself how you feel about someone. I feel so sorry for any woman that falls in love with you."

Kevin's mouth gaped open, and his face lost color.

" What do you say ? " he said quietly, moving towards her and closing the gap between them.

He checked the name tag on her uniform.


“ Kitty right? ! I need some info about a couple who left here just now. “ Razor said to the girl. Then he went on to describe Kevin and the other women he had seen with her.

“ I remember them!” Kitty answered.

“ you do?” Razor said breathlessly.

Kitty nodded.

" Yeah! You see, I took their orders."

Hell Razor heaved heavily, relief flooding through his body.

" You're not trying to bluff me, are you ? " he asked in a low voice, trying as much as possible to control his anxiety.

. Kitty licked her lips and narrowed her eyes.

" I served them myself, alright? I can't kid about such a thing. Look, mister, if I'm going to talk, you've got to drop something," she said, giving him a sly look as she stretched out a well-manicured hand

Razor eyed the hand for a long moment, then he dipped his hands into pockets and brought out a dirty, worn-out wallet. He opened it, brought out a two-dollar bill, and offered her the money. She snapped it up faster than a lizard's snaps up a fly.

" Talk ! " he snarled.

She tucked the money into her uniform and said ;

" I watched the man as he came in and sat down on one of the chairs. From the way he sat and waited, I knew he was waiting for someone. Then after a while, a woman came in and went straight to him. Then they both talked. But it was obvious the man was not pleased to see her. Well, I took their orders, and I noticed the man was not even interested in the food. It was like he had a lot going through his mind."

" Keep talking, " Razor growled, not yet satisfied.

" The man did not touch his food. Then all of a sudden, he got up and walked out of the restaurant. I think the woman said something bad to him because there was this kind of odd expression on his face as he left the table.

Razor mentally thanked his instincts. He was right all along. Something was definitely wrong.

"Where were you when all these was going on ? " he asked.

" I was taking the orders of the other patrons," she replied. " But my eyes and ears were fixed on these two people."

" Why? " Razor asked, frowning.

" Because of the man, of course," Kitty said, a lustful expression on her young face. " The man is a hunk of flesh, and he looks very loaded. It's very rare to see men like that come here."

Razor thought about this for a moment while Kitty watched him inquisitively. There was something about him that told her he was dangerous and violent. Looking at his terribly ugly face, his massive built and wiry arms, she had the feeling if she angered him, he could twist her neck to an unnatural angle without blinking an eye.

" Tell me more, kid," he sneered. " I didn't pay you to be quiet."

Kitty turned her mind away from her thoughts and swallowed hard.

" I think this will interest you. After the man had left the woman in annoyance, she called me and said she wanted me to help her play a little game."

" What game ? " he chipped in.

Kitty smiled uneasily.

" Why are you asking all these questions. Are you a cop ? "

" Yeah," Razor retorted.

" You know, you don't look like one," she noted, her blue eyes running over the clothes he wore.

" That's the plan, kid," he growled. " So what game was she talking about? "

Kitty thought about the question for a moment. Then she said ;

" She told me all I had to do was to wait patiently for them to reach the exit door before I tell the man to pay for their meals."

" why would she ask you to do that ? " he asked, looking bemused.

" I don't know! " Kitty said. " She told me she wanted to make the man laugh, and for that, she tipped me a dollar bill, and I was hooked. A girl has to make a living, you know,' she added said shrewdly.

" Yeah! " Razor sneered, thinking of ripping her cunning head off her neck. " so what happened next? "

"Well, I did exactly as I was told. I waited patiently for them to reach the exit door before asking the man to settle the check, and he kind of freaked out.'

"Freaked out ? " he asked, lifting his left eyebrow.

'" Yeah ! freaked out ! but not at me," she hurriedly. " He got annoyed at the woman for lying that she had paid."

Bill Razor, seated in his convertible Porsche, his hands resting lightly on the steering wheels, a puzzled expression on his face, watched Kevin dragged a woman out of the Pick ' n' Eat restaurant, then into his car.
He had been parked under the palm trees now for the past hour. He had tailed Kevin from his penthouse to the restaurant and watched him enter it. Then after half an hour, Kevin had come out again, looking as if he could rip someone's head off. He had seen Kevin made the call under a blue and gold canopy. Then he had watched him enter the restaurant again and, a few seconds later, came out dragging a woman with him into his glittering Cadillac.
All this puzzled Razor. Why did Kevin look so mad ? he thought, who made him angry? Was it the woman? And what was Kevin doing in a shabby restaurant like this one?
He lit a cigarette, settled himself comfortably, and continued to think hard and fast. He had never seen Kevin angry with a woman before. Something was going down, he told himself.
If Kevin was angry with the woman, he thought, then his plans will just be a waste of time. He knew for his plan to work, Kevin must at least be in love with the woman he sees with him and not hate her, so that when he strikes him, Kevin would feel the pain of losing someone close to his heart But wait, it is a normal thing for a man to be angry with a woman, he told himself, but not in the case of Kevin. If Kevin's anger was caused by something else, it was preferable. But if he was angry at the woman, then something was definitely wrong.
He drew in a long, slow breath and grimaced. All these seemed like a puzzle to him. He hated puzzles. It would have been easier if he had seen the woman's face clearly and if he had known the main reason for Kevin's anger. He waited for a few moments, his mind busy with thoughts. Then after making up his mind on what to do, he flicks the butt of the cigarette out of the car window, regarded the entrance of the Pick 'n' Eat restaurant for a few moments, and stepped out of the car.
He crossed to the other side of the road, pushed open the restaurant door, and entered. His beady eyes ran over the room, taking in the patrons who were eating their meals, the platter of steaming hot foods on the glistening diner countertop, and the waitresses who circled the room, waving their hips as they cope with the rush of the hungry patrons. As he watched the scenario, Razor had a sudden idea. He turned to one of the waitresses, a sexy, red-headed girl who was about to waltz past him.

" Hey, don't tell me you are chatting with your peeps when you should be on the lookout for me," he said, his face showing contempt.‎

Gina looked up from her cell phone, but she did not say anything. She only stared, her face expressionless.

Kevin thinking she was scared of him, smiled to himself. Military or no military, if you handle a woman right, she'll behave, he thought.

" Where's that damned girl that served us ? " he growled, angered by the fact he will have to pay for Gina's meal.

" If you're worried about the bill," she said." don't be , I've settled it "

Kevin grinned to himself, thinking he wouldn't have to pay for her meal.

" Let's go," he said to her.

She slipped her phone into her purse and got to her feet, her face hard and expressionless. As they neared the exit, one of the waitresses rushed towards Kevin.

" Sir! I'm sorry to bother you, but you've not settled the bills," she said.

Mad with rage, Kevin turned to Gina.

" But I thought you said you've paid for our meals ? " he snarled.

She gave him a cold, hard stare. Then her lips made a movement of a stiff smile.

" Sorry, Mr Carter, it was a private joke. I just wanted to lighten you up after our rough chit-chat."
‎
Kevin could have slapped her right at that moment, but he pulled himself together with an effort. He swore under his breath and asked for the check. The waitress told him, and he brought out a wallet stuffed with dollar bills and paid for their meals.
His body surging with anger, he took hold of Gina's wrists and dragged her outside while the little audience in the restaurant looked on, a puzzled expression on their faces. He walked her to his big, glittering Cadillac, opened the door, and told her to get in. She entered the car and leaned back into the comfortable seat. Kevin got in too, snapped on the car A.C switch, turned his face to her, and said between locked teeth.

" Look at me, woman! Look at me ! " he bawled.

Gina turned her eyes to his face, meeting his angry look with cold, defiant eyes.

" For the love of God, never you embarrass me in such a way again. I don't joke around with my reputation in this city."

Gina stared into his face for a long moment, and then she laughed with genuine amusement.

" Oh sure, Mr Carter ! " she said. " Anything you say "

Kevin, his face masked with rage, called her an obscene name. He had hoped to shock her into silence, but the leering look in her laughing eyes told him his words were wasted.

" I need to use the bathroom," she continued. " can we please zoom off already? "

He gave her a hard look, and then he started the engine shifted the gear, gave gas, and sped away.

He grinned wickedly. This is one hell of a cocky ugly bitch, he thought.

"I'm just thinking how a girl like you wind up with a guy like me," he said, wanting her to feel the disgust in his voice. " Can't you see we don't fit? I don't roll with ugly girls. Ever ! "

Gina gave him a hard smile.

" Mr Carter, you don't have to be worried about my face. This is about you. I'm here because of you. Detective Tomayo's briefed me about the case. So please, let's focus on how we're going to fix this killer, alright? , and if you're not satisfied, take it up with the detective and leave me out of it," and with that, she crushed out the cigarette, picked her fork, and continued her meal.
‎
Kevin was dumbfounded. He clenched his fists tightly and muttered a curse under his breath. He was so angry he was afraid he would burst an artery. Look at this bitch, telling me what to do, he thought, don't worry, I will have your ass mailed back to that stupid detective as soon as possible. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet.

" Where are you going ? " she asked.

" None of your business," he snapped, moving away from the table.

" The detective told me not to let you out of my sight." " Gina yelled, watching his broad back as he made his way to the restaurant exit door.

" Bite me ! " he fired back and sauntered out into the hot sun. His eyes ran around the busy streets for a place where he could make a call. Beside the restaurant was a locked doorway over which was a blue and gold canopy. He moved towards it and stood under the canopy. Then he brought out his cell phone and dialed Detective Tomayo's number. After few seconds, he heard a click, and a voice said ;

" Detective Tomayo here; how can I help you."

" This is Kevin Carter," he seethed out, hoping the detective will feel the scorn in his voice. He was not disappointed.

" Hey! Mr Carter, what's the problem? You sound so worried, are you alright?

" Detective, how could you do this to me ? " he demanded hotly.

" Do what? What the hell did I do? "

" You are asking me that after dumping an ugly cow with me," Kevin bawled.

" What do you mean by an ugly cow? " Tomayo said incredulously. " I'm not a cowboy, and I've never owned a cow in my life."

" Quit the monkey play, detective. I'm talking about Gina Rux," Kevin snarled into the receiver.

" Oh! You've met Gina, that's good to know. So tell me do you find her to your taste ? " his voice was laced with mischief.

Kevin was livid now.

" Detective, I want you to listen attentively. I don't want this woman you are putting me up with. I don't deal with ugly women with foul words in their mouths. So get
rid of her. And please, the next woman I'm to be dealing with must be somebody I can relate with. Most importantly, somebody beautiful and not a woman with a wash-out face."


There was a long pause at the other end, then Tomayo began to speak.

" You know what, Mr Carter, allow me to jog your memory a bit. The main reason we are having this conversation is because of you. You are the cause of all this. For my plan to work, we need a woman, not just any woman, an efficient one, if I may say. Gina Rux is a good girl, and she has proven to be the best in the past in what she does. So please, Mr Carter, be a gentleman and learn how to relate with her. If you have to nurse her till she likes you, then nurse her. But don't ever think I'm going to replace her just to satisfy you. This is about fixing that damned Bill Razor. This isn't about your lust. Get a grip on yourself with Mr Carter."

Before Kevin could reply, he heard a sharp click, and the line went dead. He stood there for a long moment, his body boiling with rage, cursing himself for his bad luck. Then he shoved the cell phone into his pockets and walked back into the restaurant. Dark rage on his face, he ignored the curious glances the patrons shot his way as he walked back to the table where Gina was waiting for him. He got there and found her head down, typing excitedly on her cell phone.