Aprishyn06:
Great story! Can't believe I started just two days ago!

Weldone Mr. Ironkurtain

Thanks! Check out part 2. Part three is yet to be finished.

nastynic:


Hard luck man... It's just time, we gon be alright.
I thought you've gone back. Thanks for always remembering us regardless of how hard things have been

Thanks bro.

Ubong001:
Thank you sir i dey your back how have you been ?

Everyday pushing it like a man suppose to do, my brother. How is ur side?

They made their way through the corridor till they stepped into the club's huge dancefloor and in the midst of the big crowd. It was an exhilarating atmosphere of cheering, laughing, yelling, and bodies dancing and shaking to the DJ's music jockeying skills.

Alex made glances around him as they stood for, processing his next move and on a lookout for his brother. Annette looked to be excited by the scene around them.

"So....are we gonna just stand here with all this fun going on around us?" She then asked Alex, itching to partake in the rowdy activity going on before her.

"Didn't i tell you why i was coming here?" Alex replied, saw her eagerness to join the action, and said, "This is important, and you better don't f@ck things up for me."

"If you say so, handsome." Annette muttered with discontent but remained still.

Alex then got a text alert on his cellphone, which he immediately read. It was from Eric; he had already sighted them and told Alex to meet him in the restroom.

"Follow me," Alex beckoned at Annette, and she did so, squeezing through the crowd with him as he immediately headed towards where Eric was waiting for him.

On reaching the restroom area, Alex stood Annette in front of the door to the men's room.

"Wait here," he told her.

"I hope the piss won't last up till the club closes down," Annette muttered with a mirthless smile, having seen him take a peek at his phone, thinking he was going into the place to call Lisa.

"Just don't go anywhere," Alex continued indifferently and proceeded into the place.

Annette folded her arms, sighed, and glanced around the place with a frown. She was beginning to feel jealous, knowing Lisa was in there waiting for Alex as he had said, and thinking that the girl would probably leave with him for the regular proper lay after enjoying other trimmings that comes with dating him here, while she gets to have the insignificant treatment.


Alex saw Eric standing in one of the bathroom stalls waiting for him. He immediately stepped into the space that wasn't big enough for both of them.

"You look like sh!t," Eric began without looking at him.

"Yeah, the guy at the front door said the same," Alex said quietly. "And also worried of you being seen by the guy in charge cos he's good friend of mine," he went on.

"I'm aware of that relationship and took care of the problem: pulled enough strings to make him take a short break from his position," Eric replied. "Where is she?" He then asked of Annette.

"Standing outside." Alex jerked his head at the door.

"So what have gotten from her so far?"

"Her agreement to fully cooperate."

Eric narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Hey man, that came with a cost. It wasn't cheap at all, and i ain't talking about money," Alex sighed.

"So... what did it cost you?" Eric demanded curiously.

"Look, don't get me wrong, man. I had to do what i had to do cos... i know how important it is for you to get...," Alex started in explaining his actions.

"Important as me also knowing what you did to make her agree," Eric interrupted.

Alex sighed and then said, "Well, she wanted us to get to know more about each other in order for her to play ball.

Eric averted his gaze from Alex and shook his head. "I f@cking knew it," he muttered to himself, staring into space, and remained silent. But his reaction was far from what Alex had anticipated after hearing the threat he had made in their phone conversations.

"Anyway, i had already seen that coming, though," Eric continued quietly as he thought to himself.

"Hold on! You knew all along that she was with an unsettling need for the diznick, and you didn't care to share that information with me?" Alex regarded Eric with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't know your damn frustration would have you making idiotic decisions," Eric muttered.

"Dude, she's the one that came at me and near-turned me inside out."

"Atleast she did enough to make you reflect on that idiotic decision."

Eric then proceeded to unbutton the black blazer that he had on. "Give me your jacket," he told Alex.

"So what's the deal?" Alex asked as he, too, took off his jacket with no questions.

"I will take Annette to our table, and you have to go meet mother first. I will join you later, but i want you to find out why she wants to meet us in such short notice and in a place like this," Eric replied and took Alex's jacket after handing him the blazer.

"What about Lisa?" Alex asked again and slipped into Eric's jacket that fits him perfectly.

"I've already told her what's going on. She is game, too, but certain to break Annette's limbs if she gets out of line with her man, and it's gonna be on you if that sh!t happens."

"I hope not, man. Anything else?"

"We'll take turns keeping them company at the table so that they won't get bored."

"They?"

"Yeah. I promised Lisa an interesting night-out, and i don't know how well Annette had gotten to know your ass, but you gotta play your cards right cos i don't want her starting any sh!t with Lisa."

"Got you."


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

nastynic:
Thanks for the update man

How are you doing tho?

It hasn't been easy for me my brother, since coming back from Nigeria after my father's funeral. A lot of situations were lined up for me over here. Thanks for the comments though.

After a ten-minute drive, Alex finally reached their destination and brought the Benz to a stop in the Paradise club parking lot. He killed the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt while Annette stared with amazement at the club building.

"I heard that this club's the most happening place in town, but...goddamn!" Annette gazed wide-eyed at the longest line of people that she had ever seen standing in front of a club entrance.

Annette then unbuckled her own seatbelt and joined Alex as he made his way towards the club after they had alighted from the vehicle. Following him, she was wondering if they would be able to make it into the place, seeing the number of people who were trying to do the same.

When they got closer, Alex then paused to take a brief look at his wristwatch, stared at the three individuals manning the door, and continued walking with Annette beside him. He boldly bypassed the long cue, with Annette making anxious glances at the clubbers waiting in line as they earned a lot of questioning stares from the impatient eyes that were staring at them.

With less regard to the low grumblings from the crowd, Alex made his way towards the sturdy looking man who was standing in front of the door and looked to be incharge of the check-ins: he was slightly above average height, well-dressed in a tight fitted black suit. He was flanked by two huge bouncers that could unsettle a wild beast with the mean faces they bore and the ocean of muscles they had for a physique.

The man paused in his check on the I.Ds of the next young couple in line, seeing them approaching him. He initially regarded them with the irked look he had on his face, which then turned into a friendly smile when he recognized Alex.

"Mannie!" Alex began at the man, then got in front of the next clubber to be checked in after the couple were given their pass. "It's been a while!" He continued, extending his hand, which the man immediately took, and they both dapped.

"It's been a while, big man," Mannie said, then paused to make a head to toe glances at Alex and stared at him enquiringly. "Dude, please tell me you didn't come here to party looking like sh!t," he continued, narrowing his eyes at Alex's outfit. "Did you dive into the Salvation Army cloth donation box, or is she responsible for this?" He asked with a cheeky grin and a glance at Annette.

"She is an old high school acquaintance." Alex introduced Annette, and she gave Mannie a weak smile that meant nothing. "And I was too occupied to have a change of clothes," he continued.

"He would've looked even worse if it was me," Annette joked quietly, drawing another grin from Mannie.

"We are still in the sunrise hours of the club for you to worry about missing the party, and you know that we have strict rules when it comes to dress codes," Mannie went on.

"You know that i ain't much of playing by the rule book," Alex grinned.

"I know... but come on, bro." Mannie heaved an uncomfortable sigh with his eyes, taking a second note of Alex's clothing. "Even if i let you into this vanity festival, your attire is gonna be damn loud enough to attract the boss's attention," he said, then glanced at Annette. "Your girl might get a pass, though, cos she's beautiful," he remarked at Annette.

"Yep, and enough to tell these two 'Gorilla-city' muscles with you to let me in, too."

"Aw... alright then,"

One of the 'Gorilla-city' muscle men then stepped forward with a hand-held metal detector.

"Are you carrying anything that's not allowed in here?" Mannie asked Alex.

"I have a loaded four-pound iron on me," Alex mentioned, referring to the Glock 43 handgun he had concealed under his garment without Annette knowledge.

"Shiiid," Mannie sighed. "What is it for?" He asked.

"A safe-keep in hand for the suspects," Alex replied. "You've already seen the news about the girl in the park."

Mannie nodded.

"That's why she's with me," Alex continued.

"The guy with her was a relative to a close friend. A good dude who didn't deserve what happened to him, and his girl, too," Mannie sighed. "Anyway, you do have to keep it on safety," he advised, then asked, "Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Cool, and do let me know if you'll be needing help and a change up in artillery, in case those punks show their asses in here."

Alex nodded at Mannie.

Mannie motioned for him and Annette to be let-in. Someone then loudly uttered a voice of displeasure with rude words, drawing Mannie's furious eyes towards a tall, skinny man with an unmatching outfit and among a small frustrated-looking group of the so-called 'ten-ninety' individuals whom had been denied entry into the club: the ones that look suspect enough as to spend ten percent or below of the expected revenue from a patron and cause ninety percent of the anticipated problems.

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face, nancy-boy!" Alex heard Mannie mouthing off at a particular man as he and Annette proceeded through the entrance door. "Say that again and see how quick I take the shine off that smart talking choppers in your face!" Mannie's loud voice continued before it was drowned by the banging club music as Alex and Annette descended the stairs leading to a half-basement corridor that was lit with neons and psychedelic lights, which led to the club's main floor.

The serene silence of the elegantly marbled corridor of the hotel deluxe rooms was interrupted by a sudden bang of a door slammed shut, followed by utterances of loud curses.
The brief commotion also startled Alex out from his snoring sleep and had him making glances around the hotel room as a female high heels stomped past outside the door and faded down the corridor. Annette slowly moved, with a low moan, the arm and leg she had rested on his body, asking what was the matter in her sleepy voice, having been woken up by Alex's sudden movement.

Having no knowledge of how long he had been out, Alex immediately jumped out of bed to reach for the phone in his jacket.

"F@ck!"

Alex stood frozen as he gazed bewilderedly at the clock on the cellphone screen, his groggy eyes turning alert at the number of calls he had missed, and his outburst startling Annette into being fully wake. He had slept for two hours, missed twelve phone calls, and got two text messages: one was from his mother telling him where to meet, and the other being angry curses from Eric for failing to answer his phone call with more curses accompanying the swear of untold things to come if he had been up to no good.

"How the hell did I get myself into this f@cking damnation?" Alex groaned under his breath, delving into a furious search for his underwear in that instance with mutters of curses at himself.

Annette rose to a sitting position on the bed, rubbed her sleepy eyes tiredly, and stared in silence as Alex struggled into his boxers.

"Going somewhere?" She asked him intently, folding her arms across her chest. "I thought you said we'll be spending the night together."

"Something just came up," Alex replied breathlessly as he, after a quick glance at Annette, frantically threw on his other clothes. "I gotta tend to it right away cos it's very urgent," he went on, vividly recollecting that promise and other words he had uttered recklessly from being under marijuana influence.

Getting the idea of what Alex was about to do, Annette stared disappointedly at him as he covered up the impressive physique that had made her swore to leave him with nothing but dust in his tank.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," Alex continued as his hyperactive hands speedily buckled his waistbelt. "Until then, i want you to stay put. Don't go anywhere unless it's very necessary to do so, and call me first if that's the case," he advised.

But Annette wasn't having that at all, and neither with a single care to even know what the something was all about. Without saying words to Alex, she then got out of bed and picked up her own clothes, too. Her doing so brought an abrupt pause to his urgency, and he was left with a baffled on his face when she started doing exactly as he did.

"Did you hear what i just said?" Alex then asked her.

"Yes, i heard you," Annette replied quietly. But she continued putting on her clothes.

"So what do you imagine you're doing?"

"What does it look like?"

"Certainly not what i said."

"I heard what you said, but I didn't say I will do it." Annette then hooked up her bra. "I'm going with you. Have you forgotten that we are in on this ride together?" she asked, slipping into her blouse.

"What if the ride is wheeling towards Lisa tonight?"

"That's what i also wanted to ask you apart from the number of times you had tried to submerge me into the mattress."

Annette finished adjusting the sleeves of her blouse and looked at Alex. "We've been together throughout the day, and she hadn't call you, not even once," she noted. So...".

"Knock yourself out, then," Alex interrupted her, having no time to debate about Lisa, nor give a number to her other question, which he knew for sure he had definitely done more than twice, having woken up feeling like he'd been put through a cement mixer. "But be reminded that this is only business between you and me," he continued, giving his pockets a quick pat for his car key and other belongings. "Don't say you weren't told, and that's just in case if someone starts catching feelings."

"You haven't done that much as to have me that desperate," Annette sneered at Alex but knew she was wrong about what she said: she had fallen for him way into the boundaries of having no care whatsoever of him being taken, so much as to her now seeing on the horizon, the unashamed willingness of sharing him with his mate, if she can't him all to herself.

"Whatever." Alex then made towards the door. Annette followed suit. They exited the room and headed towards the elevator with quick strides.

The elevator cab arrived and transported them down to the hotel reception lobby. After being checked out of the hotel by the young female receptionist behind the desk, with Alex in lead and Annette following after him, they both made towards the Mercedes benz in the parking lot. Alex then ushered Annette into the front passenger seat and told her to give him a few minutes to make a quick phone call. Stepping a few meters away from the Benz, out of Annette's eavesdropping range and keeping a close watch at the vehicle, Alex then took out his cellphone to make a phone call.


Eric felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket as he handed his i.d to the club bouncer for the usual scrutiny. Instinctively knowing that it was Alex calling him and choosing to ignore it, he kept still and waited till the bouncer handed him back his i.d with a nod of approval. He then proceeded to join Lisa as she beckoned excitedly at him. She was standing next to the two individuals whom she had would be spending time also waiting for him in front of the entrance door after they had gotten theirHe had picked up Lisa's girlfriend and her male partner, and they all had arrived at the Paradise club: it was the place Eric had suggested for the double date.

The Paradise Club, known to be the best club in the country high-end clubhouse that's renowned for its excellent location, spectacular party atmosphere and one of the few places to have been able to enjoy some of the world's most renowned DJs. It attracts a high number of mixed crowds, ranging from the middle class, to some of the country's high status individuals, including celebrities, top sports athletes, and the Mecca for lavish parties and those willing to throw a ridiculous amount of money in a single night.

The club's entrance policy was strict: they only granted access to those who adhered to their required dress code and appearance, mandatory age bracket, and look to have good etiquette. Some exceptions were made to the patrons with the club's paid membership, which didn't come cheap, and neither was it easily granted to anyone.

After battling their way through the big crowd of ecstatic clubbers, they finally arrived at the table Eric had booked before their arrival. The girls were chatting excitedly with raised voices in the midst of the banging music, and both looked well dressed in an eye-catching, sexy outfit: Lisa had put on a black long-sleeved, knee-length bodycon dress. Her friend wore a shorter and sleeveless red one that had the top of her breast slightly exposed.

The boyfriend to Lisa's female friend, who was also well dressed for the occasion, looked to be of similar height and build like Eric, though not as handsome and certainly not as tough. He did seem to be a likable type of individual with an exuberant personality. Even though Eric had interacted with him with a somewhat: in-no-mood-for-chats type of attitude, he didn't seem to bother in any way and still made cheeky remarks at Eric like a friend he had known for a long time, and did succeed in leaving him with an amusing smile

After seeing that the rest had settled themselves at the table, Eric then handed Lisa his credit card for the bills of whatever poison they would be having and excused himself. He got to his feet and reached for his cellphone, which was still vibrating the incoming call.

Turning away from the rest to hide his frown on seeing Alex's number, Eric tapped the button and held the phone to his ear.

"Dude, what the f@ck have you been up to?" He began.

"Are you in the club?" Alex's voice rasped out of the earpiece, and with a tone that clearly states of his indifference to the emotions of the person he was calling.

With the regret for being unable to reply the question with strangulation, Eric said, "Does it sound like I'm in a church nightly vigil?," trying not to give the idea of his fouled up mood.

"So what's the situation on the ground now?"

"A lot of people drinking and dancing to loud noise! What the hell do you expect?

"I mean the situation with you right now."

Eric sighed. "I'm here... with Lisa and her friend and the friend's boyfriend," he replied, and it was followed by the longest pause he had ever gotten in a phone conversation with his brother. "Aren't you supposed to be saying something?" He then asked, getting suspicious of his brother's silence.

Alex then went ahead to inform him that he was on his way to the club, mentioned Annette also being in tow due to her stubborn insistence to follow, talked about how she had been trying to get to comfortable with him without giving explanations as to how she did so, then suggested to have Lisa forewarned about it so as to avoid any unwanted confrontation, and concluded with insisting on being there in person to give the full details of what happened between them so far in hotel room, and trying to be as convincing as he could, but still sounding suspect.

Eric listened in silence to all these gists, with a vast black cloud of frustration hovering over him, balling his fist and itching to connect it with a human jaw. Alex had indeed been into something not in their plan all these while. This he was very sure of, and what Lisa had earlier said about Annette was giving him the clue of it likely being something inappropriate.

"Anyway, mom's in a V.I.P. room... and I'm yet to meet her," he spoke into his phone mouthpiece after Alex was done talking, then glanced at Lisa, and went on, "So you better hurry up, and be sure to have a very, very good explanation for all these sh!t or I'm gonna see to it that we both regret her getting into bed with dad," he concluded and ended the phonecall.

Tucking the cellphone back inside, Eric turned to Lisa, who was now staring enquiringly at him, and motioned him wanting to have a word with her.

Lisa then got to her feet. "What's up?" She asked him.

"Alex is on his way," Eric told her.

"Oh! That's great!" Lisa elated.

"He is coming with Annette," Eric continued.

"Oh lord!" Lisa muttered frustratingly, heaved heavily with her head half turned, then thought briefly to herself, and asked, "Do i have to deal with that Mooch in this night of all nights?... Wait the minute," she thought again. "Is she... now seeing Alex?"

"Alex was supposed to ask her some questions concerning the recent murders in the news," Eric sighed. "She seems to have a clue of what might be going on."

"How?" Lisa demanded.

"Well, according to Alex, she has been acting strange since it started: being restless and constantly checking up on the people very close to her," Eric said. "And... ." He moved closer to Lisa. "All the victims so far were members of Angel's fraternity," Eric said quietly to her.

Lisa sighed, now looking quite concerned. "But isn't she supposed to go to the authorities that are investigating that matter?" She asked.

"Annette doesn't want to come forward with what she knows or think might be happening," Eric replied.

"But you don't have to take it upon yourself," Lisa told him. "The authorities would definitely agree with me on that."

"I know," Eric nodded his agreement to what Lisa said. "But you were also a member of that fraternity, too. "That's why i need to find out what this is all about so that i can find the best way to protect you," he continued. "Perhaps give the authorities the best clue to work on while i protect you," he added.

Lisa stared at Eric, her love for him getting even stronger than ever: and would've expressed it right now in a big way if it was just the two of them together. With that feeling, she then decided to play along with whatever plan he was having in mind.

"So, what do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Good. This is what i want you to do," Eric began, appreciating her willingness to cooperate. "Me and Alex will be meeting our mother in one of the V.I.P rooms. So we gonna take turns keeping you, Annette, and the rest, company," he stated. "I don't know what Alex had done with Annette, but he did sound like he had done something, probably more than just asking her questions."

"I guess so," Lisa chuckled, getting the idea of what Eric was talking about.

"She still doesn't know about us being twin brothers," Eric continued. "And if what I'm thinking happens to be the case, then you might've to safeguard me from her in case if Alex had done more than enough to have her acting too familiar. Though i won't even allow her to get near me."

"Don't worry, i will do as much as i can as to have me not breaking her arms if she tries to get touchy with my man," Lisa smiled, pressing herself against Eric with her arms around his shoulder.

Eric then kissed Lisa on her lips, to which she passionately responded in the same kind before they both went back to their seats. The other couple had already gotten the attention of the club waitress, and they joined in placing their orders.

Eric dropped his weight heavily behind the wheels of the BMW. He had gotten a raise in his concern by the phone calls he had had with Rangel and Nina.

"What's the matter?" Lisa, who was seated beside him, asked. She did notice it.

"Nothing much," Eric replied with a low grunt as he shifted his weight. "Just the usual minor setbacks," he continued. "My mother called. She wants to see me and Alex as soon as possible," he told her.

"Oh." Lisa nodded. "Did she say why she wants to see you and your brother?" She asked, feeling a little bit disappointed that the news could spell ruin to their night.

"She only says so when I'm right in front of her," Eric replied. "She couldn't reach Alex. She wants me to do so. I've tried several times, but he's probably up to some buffoonery as to be unreachable," he sighed with a clenched jaw.

Lisa smirked. "Maybe it's Annette that's keeping him too busy," she said. "That girl can be a damn piece of work at times. You would think that she's one of those old-school style, virtuous breeds with the kind of attitude she puts up around guys. But i do know girls who are like that very well. They become something else when it comes to what they want...." Lisa glanced at Eric. "...or who they really want," she continued.

Lisa's words did bring to Eric's mind how Annette had stuck unusually close to him on their way to the hotel room. And he was then left feeling that it could probably be for a different reason other than her being left quite scared by the violent situation she had encountered. He also thought of how she, while he still had one foot out of her bedroom, had gone ahead to strip off without waiting to be sure that he left with the door shut. Girls rarely get that comfortable to do that even with a male friend, not to talk of a someone whom they just made their acquaintance with.

"Well, I hope not, cos it won't be good if that's the case," he muttered under his breath, now feeling suspicious of his brother.

Eric's hand reached for the engine ignition button and then paused midway. "Have you made the decision with your friend on the place for the get-together?" He asked Lisa.

"Haven't done that yet." Lisa shook her head. "She gave me the option to choose the location, and I'm still trying to decide on the best place for us to stay," she continued.

Eric thought shortly. "What about us clubbing together tonight?" He suggested. "What do you think?"

"That would be perfect!" Lisa elated with a smile. "My friend gets bored easily. A crowded setting would be the best place to keep the mood interesting, though."

"I have the best place for that in mind. I'll make a phone call and reserve a table for us."

"But what about the meeting that you have with your mother?"

Eric then proceeded to bring life to the car engine. "That's why i said it's the best place, cos that's where she wants me to meet her," he told Lisa with a smile, though bearing in mind that it would be a great risk on his part to have the person, whom Nina had ordered him never to be in contact with, being present in the same place that he would be meeting her tonight. But he was still willing to take that risk.

Putting the car in motion, Eric then drove smoothly to their next stop, where Lisa wanted them to go before meeting up with her friend. As BMW made its way towards the location, they talked about what they would be doing next, discussed other plans for the vacation, and shared their opinions on several matters. Even though he was interacting well with Lisa and looked to be genuinely giving his attention to her throughout their conversations, his was mostly preoccupied with something else. He was preoccupied with other thoughts, and it was about the phone call he had earlier had with Rangel.

Rangel had told him of the recent development; Jessica not answering phone calls made to her cellphone. Considering the violent encounter that had happened the night before, it was, to a certain degree, a great source of concern to him just as it was to Rangel, who had sounded frantic with fear when he broke the news.

Having granted Rangel's wish to be released from Mary's detention so as to go look for his girlfriend, he was able to convince the man to stay put in the motel for the time being. He'd told Rangel to give it some time as to see what happens next before deciding on the next move to make. He also told Rangel that as long as he has Mary on his side and also the large man, whom Rangel had said was scaring the living daylight out of him, being present, his safety was highly guaranteed.

While carrying on his interactions with Lisa as they made their way through the traffic that was steadily grinding into a slow crawl, he did give the situation at hand a lot of thoughts. He has to come up with the next best course of action and do it as soon as possible.



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

The blunt burned as Alex took a draw with his eyes shut, filling his lungs with the smoke, holding it for a long moment, and letting it recede from his nostrils. He then regarded the weed, which seemed to be the best he had ever had, a short-lived stare, then took another draw before passing it to Annette, who was eager for her turn. He sent another cloud of smoke through the air in the room and watched as she toke the joint with the confidence of a firefighter.

"I've been saving it cos i knew that one day I would be needing a hit." Annette exhaled the smoke in her lungs. "My secret and only bad habit that won't be ending anytime soon," she went on, coughed a few times, took another draw, and passed it back to Alex.

"Angel must've had a bad influence on you," Alex murmured as he accepted the joint from her. "I'm really surprised that you had still stuck with him till his death," he continued. "Was it out of love or loyalty?" He asked.

"I didn't love him, and i was only being loyal to his dad, which i now regret," Annette replied. "And my mother is probably disappointed with me on that," she continued. "The bad influence was only just the dislikes he had created, which i had to deal with, considering how close we were. And it being only due to the fact that i was basically raised by his father. I was way smarter than him and always knew better."

"And what about this stuff that we are having now?" Alex gestured the marijuana in his hand.

"He only showed me the best one and where to get it," Annette replied. "Smoking it was my personal decision, and i like having it whenever I'm in an extremely tense situation...." She looked at Alex, "...or when having the best time of my life," and smiled.

"Well..." Alex took another draw and exhaled the smoke out of his lungs. "There'll always be a tense situation ahead for you. Perhaps even more best times to come. Just don't depend too much on this as to get addicted," he noted.

"Didn't i just tell you that i know better?" Annette muttered and took the joint from him for another hit and smirked on seeing his eyes now gleaming to the effects of what they were smoking.

The discussions continued, and so did their tokes of the weed that effectfully faded their concerns for the situation that had initially brought them together. It made them engage in irrelevant discussions and even brought out their laughter to some jokes that were as interesting as working a nightshift security job.

It went on for quite a while until the second joint from Annette purse was reduced to ashes, and their every sense of reasoning smothered, too. With the effects of the weed lasting longer than it had burned, it soon had them looking like a couple on a date, with their judgments being turned weak. To which it later delved into having the bedframe being put through another round of steady rocking to Alex's sustained, substance induced thrustings, and Annette going wild again with squeals of pleasure as he sexed her good and thoroughly.


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

Alex gazed shortly at the phone and asked, "Your uncle?" to which Annette nodded as she took her former position beside him. "Is he a relative of Angel's dad?" he asked again.

Annette shook her head. "My mother," she corrected, then sat next to him with her feet tucked under her legs. "Her younger brother... from what i heard," and clasping her hands in between her thigh with a brooding downcast gaze.

Alex saw the change in Annette's mood on her mother being mentioned. "I guess he wasn't around that much," he continued, telling himself to carefully choose the words he would be saying on the seemingly sensitive issue.

Annette looked at him and, in spite of her having painful recollections of the traumatic events that had occurred during her childhood, did so with a smile on her face.

"He did show up a few months ago, claiming that he was my mom's long-lost brother," she told Alex. "At first, i told him to go kick rocks with that bullsh!t story, even threatened to call the cops on him."

"So, how did it end up into him being called Uncle Tim?" Alex asked.

"He showed proof of it with a childhood picture of him and my mother," Annette replied. "He also gave me something else: a teddy bear doll that i used to own and cherished a lot when I was a little kid," she continued.

Alex nodded.

"I don't know what happened to the doll back then or how i lost it, but i do recall finding out that it had gone missing, and it being on the same day i received the news of my mother's death," Annette went on.

"But how did the teddy bear doll end up in his possession?" Alex demanded.

"He said that it was mailed to him by my mother," Annette replied. "He said it also came with a letter from her that told of what the doll meant to me, and her giving it to him for safekeeping so as to be able to show prove of their relationship to me incase if she wasn't around to do it herself." She paused to briefly reflect on the past, then said, "I guess she must've seen it coming," and sighed.

"I guess so," Alex agreed.

"Well... " Annette unclasped her hands and rested one on Alex thigh as she made glances around the room, trying to hide from him, the tears she was now fighting off. "... that's the story of how I lost my family and left to suffer in some God-forsaken orphanage, with many nights of me crying for my mother and Alex not being there to comfort me," she concluded.

Alex, on hearing his name, then regarded Annette with furrowed brows, saying, "I don't see any possibility of that happening," and looking as confused as a student that's staring at an examination paper with test questions on a subject not in his curriculum.

"Oh... " Annette chuckled. "Alex is the name that i gave my teddy bear," she said, clearing the air. Her eyes suddenly lit up with an intriguing gaze at Alex. "Could it possibly be..." she paused with the fascination still written on her face as she stared at him.

"Possibly be what?" Alex asked, regarding her suspiciously.

"I don't know." Annette's head tilted slightly to the side with a fond smile. "It's just that there's this particular good vibe that i always felt as a kid whenever I had that teddy bear in my arms."

"Till you got it back from your uncle," Alex guessed.

"Till I had my arms around you," Annette corrected.

Alex smirked at what he thought to be a teasing joke. "So you think that i might be the living embodiment of your Alex, huh?" He asked.

"You tell me... cos i can't think of any other explanation as to why I felt that way."

"I can't think of anything other than it being one heck of a compliment."

"Apart from being all up in my face looking very handsome, just as i had always seen the teddy bear to be, I was even more impressed than being scared by your show of epic strength after seeing you leave those three assholes on ground with their faces pushed in."

"And i guess you must have imagined the teddy bear as your protector from the bad guys, too, as a kid?"

Annette nodded gleefully.

Alex smirked at her and turned his attention to the cellphone she had left lying next to her feet. As he regarded the device with a fixed stared, the conversation that Annette had had with the person on the other side of the phone came to his mind.

There's something phony about this uncle of hers that he felt instinctively while listening to their phone conversations. But he was unable to put a finger on it. And this man, though having said words that paints a picture of him being more of pussyboy than the caring uncle, do have this particular tone in his voice. A tone that, to him, somewhat gives an image of a Saw-scaled viper; a beauty to behold and extremely dangerous to mess with.

"So, did this uncle of yours tell you the reason for him not being around all those years?" Alex asked.

"He said that he had been living outside the country for a very long time," Annette replied. "He was unable to come back as soon as possible, on learning about my mother's death: he said that he had been locked away in prison for a crime he did not commit, and got deported after his release."

"I see," Alex said quietly, still analyzing the conversation that Annette had had with her said uncle.

Annette then inched herself closer to Alex and leaned against him, her body being graced by the warmth of his skin and his broad shoulder supporting the head she rested on it.

"Alex.." She began softly with her palm slowly running down to his abs and caressing the strong six-packs he was packing.

"Yeah?" Alex murmured.

"If i stick with you in whatever it is that you are into, concerning this situation, am i guaranteed to be protected?" Annette asked.

Alex thought for a brief while. "My own safety isn't guaranteed, though," he replied quietly. "But I'll damn be the wrong bear to be poked," he replied quietly.

"Is that for sure?"

"The wickedness is gonna be on a different level."

"That's good enough for me."

After them being still for a little bit longer, Alex then remembered what he had wanted to do and asked, "I hope you don't mind if I smoke?" And without waiting for Annette's approval, he reached into his pockets. "Sh!t..." Alex paused with his eyes staring ahead.

"What's the matter?" Annette asked.

"I left my cigarettes in the car," Alex muttered, realizing that he had left his pack of cigarettes in the BMW that Eric had left with.

"Don't worry." Annette immediately got out of bed.

"Do you also smoke?" Alex asked surprisedly as she reached for her purse and briefly rummaged inside it.

"Rarely, though," Annette replied as she rejoined him in bed. "But i have something even better," she continued and handed him what she had taken out from her purse.

Alex then took note of what Annette had gifted him. It was a brown, cigarette-sized stick of rolled up paper, twisted on both ends, and looked to have no right to be called a cigarette. He held it close to his face, made a brief cursory study with his eye, and then turned the crooked, knowing smile that had formed in his face at Annette, who immediately got the gist; she needn't have to tell him that he'd been given a marijuana joint.

Without waiting to hear of his approval to partake in her unhealthy hobby, Annette then proceeded to flick the lighter that was also taken out from her purse and held the flame in front of him intently. Alex knew the gesture was a percursor for the next recreation that could potentially be the wrong thing for them to engage in. But him having partaken in the former activity that she had brought forth, which he still considered to be the worst, Alex then decided that he might as well go the whole nine yards with her.

Of what difference would it even make if you turn back in the sh!t that you've waded halfway through, Alex thought to himself as he held the joint in place for Annette to fire it up. You'll still come out on both ends being covered in sh!t.

After another short while of them still being in bed, uttering no words at each other and fixing their stares at the ceiling of the bedroom, Annette then proceeded to get herself out of the bed. She picked up the shower towel on the floor, briefly regarded Alex with a coy smile of satisfaction, and then made her way towards the bathroom with a noticeable change in her gait.

Alex watched until she closed the bathroom door after her before easing to a sitting position with his head bowed and sighed heavily. Then, he regarded the bathroom with a half turned face as the shower faucet started running, having all sorts of unpleasant facts now registering in his mind.

What just happened was indeed unexpected and wasn't in the plan that he had in mind for coming there. His brother would probably have a problem with it. That, he was somewhat sure would happen, and being aware of the type of relationship that Annette was having with his brother's girlfriend, he might've further complicated the situation. It could mean a lot of trouble!

Alex then turned his eyes at the reflection in the vanity mirror facing the bed. And for a while, he stared at himself sitting on the bed with no shirt, and his trousers and underwear all rumpled up around his ankles.

Just look at this goddamn nigga! Alex thought to himself as he stared at the mirror, shook his head, and, with an urge for a cigarette, then reached for the pockets of his trousers.

The bathroom door then opened with Annette emerging after having a quick shower. Alex, now conscious of his nudity with no time to pull up his pants, immediately grabbed the blanket and covered himself up.

Annette stepped into the bedroom wearing only her undies with the rest of her clothings in hand. She did come out with a brighter, friendlier look that made her even more attractive to Alex.

But Alex wasn't the expressive type. He just stared on while she quietly folded the clothes neatly on the sofa, resting his eyes longer on the youthful bosoms bobbing salaciously on her chest as she did so, before turning the gaze at her luscious curves when she then proceeded to join him in bed: the sexiest hips he had seen so far and, with a lot of effort, had to stop himself from ending prematurely while giving her a frenzied stuffing from behind.

Annette climbed into the bed, threw the blanket over her body, and tucked herself next to Alex.

"What's the matter?" She then asked curiously on seeing Alex staring ahead with a somewhat perplexed look on his face. He didn't give her an immediate answer. "I know you're having a lot of things on your mind right now. But don't get the wrong idea about me, though," she continued with indifference. "Me jumping into bed with a guy that I barely know is still ain't in the list of my favorite hobbies."

Alex snorted with a shake of head. "I may not be among the smartest dudes to have graced this expensive love shack with their presence, but that do sound like what a dumbass would say after what we had done." He glanced at Annette. "Just my opinion, no offense."

"You have done more than enough, so none taken." Annette smiled at him. "But i do mean what i said," she continued.

"But that action of yours do say otherwise, and i don't think you know me that well," Alex stated.

Annette then regarded him searchingly. "You seem to be having a problem with the sexx we just had," she noted.

"It would be a big lie if i say that i don't," Alex said quietly. "And you already know the reasons if i do," he added.

"Oh...wow." Annette turned away, nodding her head with a mix of disappointment and knowing look, written on her face. "And it didn't happen to cross your mind when you took the jump in bed with me?" she asked, then looked at Alex. "If you cared that much for her," she added, referring to Lisa and still yet to be aware that she had opened her legs for the wrong person.

"Cared enough to admit to having made a mistake that would hurt her badly," Alex said and played along in being whom she thought to be speaking with. "But most importantly, i wanna know the real reason why you did it cos it doesn't seem like the price for your cooperation as you had put forward," he went on.

"So you think it's probably some kind of plan... my own plan at getting back at Lisa?" Annette asked, regarding him coldly.

"You tell me," Alex shrugged.

Annette scoffed at him and then shook her head again. "And here i am, thinking that you were different," she muttered quietly and sighed. "Anyway, if you must know, i did what i did with no ill-intent in mind, and Lisa won't get to know about it from me if that's your concern," she continued irritatedly. "But if you wanna stay beating yourself up with guilty conscience, then that's on you cos you won't get the luxury of sharing that misery with me, not at all. So you can as well get the hell of here and go cry your confession on your girlfriend's shoulder."

With that being said, Alex quietly reached under the blanket to pull up his pants.

Annette then turned away from him, fuming with her arms folded across her chest. But it wasn't about what Alex had said that left Annette quite crossed with him. Her feelings for him had gotten so strong, probably madly in love with him and knowing that she wouldn't have the one man whom she had easily and readily opened herself to without him making any effort to see to it. And it hurts her a lot.

"Well, I'm supposed to be feeling concerned, though," Alex sighed as he buckled his belt. "Just like every normal guy in this situation. And if you disagree with it, then you are living wrong and a hypocrite if you think otherwise," he concluded and started thinking of how he would break the news of the damage he had caused without drawing much ire from Eric.

As he moved to get off from the bed, Annette's hand suddenly got hold of his arm and stopped him short. Alex then glanced at the hand with a tight on him and stared at her. Annette was now regarding him with some sadness on her face.

"Don't go," Annette said quietly to him, her lips trembling a bit and seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears. "Please... stay with me," she begged.

Alex felt pity for her. Seeing the look of loneliness that steadily clouded her face then made him stay put. She had been through a lot, and he would want to add to that suffering.

"Okay," he then said to Annette, to which she immediately tugged him closer and excitedly threw her arms around his shoulder. "As long as you won't in any way push for a repeat of that outrageous shag-show," Alex continued breathlessly as Annette gave him a long, tight embrace.

Annette's cellphone then rang. It broke the embrace and drew their attentions to her jean pants, where the phone continued ringing in one of its pockets.

"Aren't you gonna answer the call?" Alex asked, seeing her being hesitant to do so.

"But you said I shouldn't answer any phone call," Annette mentioned to him.

"Well, I'm here with you now, so go ahead," Alex said, acting upon the warning that Eric had given her. "Put it on speaker, too. I wanna know what it is all about," he added.

Annette immediately rolled out of the bed and reached for her jean pants. She took the phone out of the pocket and quickly recognized the number that was calling. After making another brief hesitation with her eyes staring thoughtfully at the screen of the mobile device, she then tapped the Answer button and also put the call on speaker mode.

"Uncle Tim," she began in her modest tone of voice and held the phone in front of her face as she moved towards the bed to stay close to Alex.

"Annette?!" Alex heard a male voice rasping out of the phone speakers. "My dear, where have you been?" it continued.

"I've been hanging around town with a friend," Annette replied and glanced at Alex.

There was a brief pause before the voice asked, "Oh, you mean the guy that had earlier dropped by to see you?"

Annette looked at Alex, and Alex shook his head at her. "No, he left half an hour earlier before i did," she then replied.

Another brief pause followed. "Oh... okay. Anyway, i hope all has been well with you," the voice went on.

"All is well, and it has been a very interesting day too," Annette agreed, flashing a coy smile at Alex.

"Really? Oh wow! I'm very glad to hear that!" The voice said with an elated squeal that left Alex staring incredulously at the cellphone. "I was beginning to get worried about the awful amount of time you always spend being holed up in your bedroom," it continued, paused, and asked, "So, can you give me the gist of the interesting events that happen if i may ask?"

"I went around town and to my favorite places that i haven't been to in a long time, treated myself to a good meal, and had a lot of chat."

"Another pause followed and longer this time. "Wonderful, my dear. That explains your absence. I did drop by at your house twice, and you weren't there on both occasions."

"Oh,...is there any matter at hand that requires my presence?"

"Nope, just checking on you... cos i was getting worried. You hardly stay out this long unless you are with that girlfriend of yours, and you did mention her canceling the appointment that you had made with her."

"If that's the case, then you don't have to worry about me. You know that I can always take care of myself."

"I know that for sure. So, where are you at right now?"

Annette looked at Alex again and saw the same head gesture that he had made towards her on hearing the first question. "I'm in a public place," she replied.

"The place seems to be too quiet for a public place," the voice said with an inquisitive tone in it.

"I'm in the town library and in the ladies' room right now," Annette lied. "I had to rush in here to answer your call."

"Oh, okay. You take care of yourself, " the voice said, then another pause, "and do call me if there's anything that requires my attention," it concluded.

"Thanks, Uncle Tim. You take care of yourself," Annette bade the caller and left her cell phone on the bed after the line clicked.

Sorry for the spelling mistakes. Corrections made.

As the cellphone continued shuddering to Eric's third phone call in one of the jacket pockets, Alex was in bed with Annette under him. When it finally came to a pause, Alex was still thrusting hard and breathing heavily, and Annette's audible moans pleasure, continued renting the air in the hotel room. It has been going on for quite a while, with Alex getting the tightest, warmest embrace inside Annette as he rode her into the sphere of orgasmic ecstasy.

The events that led to this sustained bedframe rocking activity were nothing short of a scene in a romance movie. After being dragged back into the hotel room, Alex was still voicing his protests about Annette's sudden strange move when she immediately shut him up with her lips passionately crushing against his and her tongue going wild in his mouth. It filled him with a burning desire that immediately override his sense of reasoning. He then grabbed Annette hips as he responded in the same vain, got a handful of her behind after she had taken off the shower towel, and in no time, he was topless with his back on the bed, struggling with his belt buckle and pant zipper, and Annette helping him out with frantic hands. She was the first to go at it, riding her hips hard on top of him with frenzy. Alex then laid the pipe in several positions, going in deep and good like the alpha dog, and Annette took it all like a big girl, with a gallery of seductive facial expressions.

Alex could now feel Annette's muscles tightening up under him with her fingers digging deeper into the flesh on his back. He knew that she was about to hit the summit as her body increasingly squirmed ecstatically under him with an uncontrollable movement. He then increased the strokes of his thrusts, banged Annette harder, and she let out a loud squeal when he finally sent her into the climax orbit.

Annette was left with an uncontrollable shudder. The mattress underneath her body rocked several more times, and Alex felt an Atom bomb go off in between his legs. He groaned. Annette wrapped her arms around his waist as he collapsed on top of her, locking his body against hers with a tight grip, and moaning with pleasure to his manhood briefly going epileptic as it let loose the hot residue inside her.

After a long moment of basking in the euphoria of one of the sweetest joys in life, Alex then rolled off of Annette's body. They laid still for a while, staring at the ceiling and thinking about what they had done.

Eric was holding his cellphone to his ear, listening with his eyes on Lisa as the automated voice told him that the recipient of the phone call he had made wasn't answering. Being unable to reach Alex on his third try, he then slipped his phone back inside one of his pockets with both hands digging in, too. He made glances around the clothing boutique in the mall where he and Lisa had been shopping around for over an hour. He saw Lisa wave at him, held up a cream-colored designer, and asked his thoughts about it with a head motion. To which he nodded his approval with a smile, and it was the fifth time of him doing so. Lisa smiled back at him and then went on to discuss with the female boutique attendant while Eric continued with his close surveillance of the activities going on around them.

His day has indeed been a very hectic one up until this present hour of the evening, with the promise of it remaining that way for the time being. After the incident that went down earlier at the restaurant, Eric had made the decision to stay close to Lisa for the rest of the day so as to keep a close watch on her. And for him not running the risk of Nina paying a sudden visit to the safe house with Lisa in there, he had suggested that they go out and spend some time together.

Lisa did agree and was very excited about it, too. With her also being given the choice to suggest the activities they would be doing, she did make quite a list, and it would keep them together till the late hours of the night. Most of the activities, with the exceptions of a few, were the things that greatly interests most young girls, but fit enough to send the other gender into a spiraling depression.

Eric was in the group that would hardly believe that some of the said activities even exists. But with the situation now at hand, he had no other option than to go along with the show. He had to keep up the image of Lisa obviously having a quality time with the perfect boyfriend, and kept under wraps, the grim hound that's overly set to send into the depths of the fresh hell that he has in stock for whosoever that tries to make a harmful move on her.

Having made up her mind with the colour of the jacket that suited her the most, Lisa checked and paid for it at the counter. In no time, she and Eric were riding the escalator of the busy mall, heading to the sixth floor where the restaurants and fast food joints occupied.

"So, did you talk to Alex?" Lisa asked Eric as they both walked through the isle holding hands and making glances at the food stands on both sides.

"Nope, couldn't reach him. I guess he must be busy," Eric replied.

"Okay." Lisa nodded. "But it sure does seem to be of utmost importance for you to reach him," Lisa said quietly with a glance at his face.

"What makes you think you so?"

"I saw the way you were staring at your celly. It's very obvious that you are finding it quite difficult to reach him. And you seemed kinda worried about it, and seemingly dwelling in a different place even though you are here with me.

With the thoughts of Lisa to have likely noticed something off about him, and also knowing very well that unsatisfactory answers always gets her curiosity, highly amplified, Eric then decided to bring forth the question he had been wanting to ask her as a way to control the situation.

"Do you know any girl by the name, Annette?" Eric asked.

Lisa glanced at him, remained silent for a brief while, and asked, "Why do wanna know that?"

"Do you?" Eric asked again.

Lisa . "It's kinda funny hearing you ask me that cos Alex had done the same earlier," she said. "So what's it with you guys asking questions about that..girl?" She asked.

"Well." Eric quickly thought of the fastest lie that he could possibly cook up. "Alex did meet her in a club last night, and..." He gave Lisa a funny smile. "...she mistook him for me cos she said that she was there when he was raising hell in Angel's house," he said to her.

Lisa chuckled again.

"And in the discussions that they had, Alex said that she did mention the murders that had happened," Eric went on. "And he also said that she thinks it is somehow connected to people... the girls that knew or had something to do with Angel."

Lisa then looked at Eric, said, "Alex didn't mention that part, though," and he saw the look of concern written on her face.

"You know very well that he doesn't always go into details."

"True."

"So who is this Annette?"

Lisa sighed and remained silent for a short while with a thoughtful look on her face. "She is just one of those dumb girls mooching around Angel," she then told him. "Always trying to be something that she clearly isn't, and seems to always have a problem with me for no apparent reason," she continued.

Eric knew the reasons because Annette had already told him, and he also didn't consider her as a dumb girl.

"I also remember seeing her in Angel's house that day," Lisa went on. "She was just there, staring at me with that damn, blasted envious look on her face," she scoffed. "That girl just disliked me from the very first day i set my eyes on her, like i killed her damn dog."

"Oh well, Alex said she did sound like she has a dog in this fight that we've been trying to figure out," Eric said to Lisa and stood beside her as she paused in front of a particular restaurant to go through the menu that was showcased on a stand near its entrance. "He also said that a friend of her did tell him of how offish she had been acting towards her friends lately," he added.

Lisa then took her eyes off the showcased menu and stared fixedly at Eric. "So, what does all these gotta do with me?" she asked, and he sensed a slight dip in warmth of her voice.

Eric then put up his charming smile at her. "Nothing," he said quietly. "I just wanna know if you can possibly tell me something that might help me get a clearer picture of what's going on."

"You may not have known this before, but I've just made it clear that she's not one of my most favorite people in the world," Lisa said, still maintaining her gaze at him. "I have no interest whatsoever to talk about that girl, especially now."

"If you say so." Eric shrugged. "It's just that i wouldn't want anything bad coming your way." He then sighed and averted his gaze from her, resting it on the menu page. "Anyway, that's for the authorities to determine, though," he continued, pretending to read through the page.

"Yeah," Lisa agreed, still staring at him. "And if she is talking with Alex, then she better stay talking with Alex, cos it won't be nice if that interest happens shift to someone else," she added, and Eric couldn't immediately ascertain if that warning was meant for him, or Annette.

Lisa turned her eyes back to the menu page, studied it again, and told him that she would be settling for that restaurant. Eric did agree to her choice, and both of them then proceeded into the place, got a warm welcome by the stewards with one showing them an empty table for two.

As they made themselves comfortable in their chairs, Lisa then said, "Oh, one more thing," and Eric immediately braced himself for more questions about his sudden interest with Annette. "I received a text from a friend of mine," Lisa told him. "She said that she would love to hang out with us tonight. She will be coming with her boyfriend." Resting her elbows on the table with her palms under her chin, she regarded Eric with a somewhat imploring look on her face. "Please, can we go on a double date with them," she asked kindly. "Maybe go to a bar or a club?"

"Well, of course!" Eric immediately agreed, feeling relieved that it wasn't about what he was thinking of. Lisa squealed cheerily to his answer, her wrists wobbling with excitement. Then she eased her face towards him and planted a kiss on his lips.

Eric was left with a smile on his face after Lisa had reclined back in her seat, knowing that he had to call Alex and inform him of the developing situation.


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

Alex noticed the gaze. He then shifted his eyes away from the t.v and rested them on her. "What's the matter?," he asked curiously, seeing that she was doing it with a faint smile.

Annette turned her eyes away from him, with the smile still on her face. "Nothing," she replied, staring at the cosmetics again. "It's just that....this is my first time being next to a guy who is not trying hard to strike up a conversation with me," she continued.

"Good to know that," Alex said nonchalantly.

"Not that I've been around that many, though," Annette went on. "But I've gotten my fair share of boys wanting to test their luck with me, enough to make one think that you guys are all the same."

"You don't have to make that generalization about us," Alex muttered, turning his eyes back to the t.v screen. "A lot of guys out there are dogs for sure, but not all of us," he went on quietly.

"Or maybe...it's because i know your girlfriend," Annette said wryly with eyes on the satchets' tiny prints. "With me not being in good terms with her, i don't think it would be a good idea for you to give me some sort of leverage to use against her," she went on, now staring a blue coloured satchet.

"Or maybe it's because I'm in no way interested in you," Alex put in curtly.

Annette chuckled and turned a funny look at Alex, knowing that he had earlier walked into the room with an expression that says differently from what he just told her. "Of course. I know you don't," she smirked. "Even if you were being presented with opportunity to get back at her for something she might have done to you."

Alex shifted uncomfortably. "As much as i would like to ask questions so as to fully understand what you are implying right now, but i want us to just focus on the reason why we are here," he said plainly to her.

Annette regarded him shortly with a fixed gaze, nodded, and then looked at the blue satchet again. "This won't be enough," she snorted at its size with an incredulous gaze. "Who even came up with this bullsh!t idea?" She tossed the rest back into the rack and faced Alex. "But one thing that I'm still trying to understand is, why are you even doing this?" she asked with a curious stare at Alex.

"I thought I've already told you," Alex replied, but not really knowing what Eric might've told her.

"You could've just let Lisa in on what's happening. Perhaps convince her to leave the country as soon as possible and not to come back for the time being," she said. "She is a citizen of a white country. Your family got the money, too. So you guys can bail out of this country and carry on with whatever that's going on between you two if you convince your dad enough to relocate you to her second country," she noted.

"And then what about the others?" Alex then fixed his gaze at Annette. "What about you?" he asked her.

Annette fell silent and, with a growing look of intrigue in her eyes, regarded Alex closely for a short while. "And if i tell you that i don't give a sh!t about what happens to me?...and what if the others say the same?" she asked intently.

Alex smirked. "Then you can as well see me as the guy that's obsessed with mayhem," he said.

"Well, you can't save everyone."

"I'm only in need of information so as to protect the ones very close to me."

"And who are the other ones that are close to you, apart from Lisa?"

"That's for me to decide."

Annette stared at Alex a bit longer and said, "Okay," then turned her back at him and then reached for the pen and memo pad on the table. "Whenever someone wants to do something for me...," she continued as she scribbled on the memo pad. "...there's always a catch to it." She dropped the pen and ripped the page with her scribbling from the pad. "It always leaves me worried as to what it would be that the person wants."

Alex stared at her as she then walked over to his jacket, hanging on the wall, and slipped the paper inside one of its pockets.

"And I'm done beating my head up with that worry," Annette went on. "But in your case, there's gonna be a catch for me. So I'm gonna give you my number and what it gonna cost you." Then she folded her arms and stared at Alex. "I know that you are out to save your girlfriend. I really don't know how i would be of much help to you, i can't even help myself to begin with, and I've already accepted whatever fate that comes to me in this situation, be it good or bad," she sighed. "If I'm that much of importance to you in this plan of yours, then I'm gonna give you my full cooperation if you are willing to pay the price. But if I'm not that important, or my demand being too expensive for you, then you ain't gonna see me again. I might answer your call if i feel like it, but you won't see me," she concluded.

Alex stared at his jacket as Annette went back to the vanity table and sat on its chair. He was thinking about what she had just told him and trying to get the gist of it. He did so for a short while and then got to his feet, deciding that his time with her was up and also told himself to rather pass the information to Eric for him to decide.

Without saying a word to Annette, who was sitting still and staring at him through the vanity mirror, Alex then went over to his jacket. He quietly donned it, glanced around the room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, and then made towards the door. He got hold of its handle, told Annette that he would think about it, then opened the door without looking in her direction, and failed to catch a glimpse of her now sitting with a downcast as he exited the hotel room.

Alex heaved a heavy sigh with his eyes closed as he stood with his back at the door of the hotel room he had just gotten out from. After remaining like that for a short while, he opened his eyes and glanced at both ends of the hotel corridor. He blew out his cheeks, feeling somewhat tired as he anticipated the next move, and then dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Alex eyes turned curious when his hand touched the paper Annette had left in one of jacket pockets. He took the paper out and saw that it was folded over a blue coloured cosmetics satchet. Alex held the satchet on hand with less care for it, held up the paper in front of him, and saw that Annette had scribbled her phone number. But she didn't write what, as she had earlier told him, it would cost if he needed her help.

Alex lowered the paper and stared confusedly ahead of him with furrowed brows, then held up the satchet to have a closer look at it, and an eyebrow then raised on reading its label.

At that moment, the door behind Alex flung open with Annette stopping abruptly behind him as she was about to dash out of the room. She was making a quick break into the corridor to reach him before he got to take the elevator ride to the ground floor.

Alex then turned to her with the confusion still written on his face and holding up the satchet in front of him. Annette glanced at the satchet that contained a lubricant gel for sexx, folded her arms with a look of intent at him, and plainly asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

Alex stared at her, looking too dumbfounded to give his answer.

"I guess not." Annette then unfolded her arms and grabbed Alex by his jacket, and he heard her say, "I ain't gonna let you get off my hands again," as he was being dragged back into the hotel room.


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

"Jeezus!" Alex took out his cellphone for a quick peek at the clock on its screen and then turned his gaze to the bathroom door, seeing the amount of time Annette had spent so far in the bathroom. "This chick's one hell of a job." he muttered under his breath.

Turning his attention back at the 8K OLED flat t.v hanging on the wall opposite the bed he was sitting on, Alex slipped the phone back into his pocket, rubbed his somewhat tired-looking eyes, and then stared mindlessly at the program beaming on the wide HD screen while he waited for Annette; the political talk-show on t.v wasn't much of interest to him, but it did serve as the only way of making the wait less painful.

It had indeed been quite the job for Alex, having played his brother's position in the hotel room for over five hours. He had never spent this amount of time in one place being uncomfortable, very frustrated, and feeling disregarded all at once. It was an experience that he had sworn never to put himself through again, no matter the circumstance.

Throughout that time, Annette had done nothing but give him the cold shoulder. Not the kind of attitude he had expected from her, having seen how she had closely followed his twin brother's lead to the hotel building like a couple on a date, and having being told that she had been treated to a sumptuous meal in a nice restaurant before getting to witness one of his brother's insanely violent fisticuffs and all its face-lumping glory.

She even made no eye contact with him in their first five minutes of being together, and later did a few times with an expression that's befitting to a bathroom soap.

After getting over that shocking indifference, which also made it obvious of the conspicuous failures that awaits his initial intention of kicking it off with them first having friendly coversation, he did went ahead to the main reason for him being there with her; he getting something that might be of help to him and Eric. Only to end up being shot down by her plain insistence on her first taking a short nap, and went right straight to it before he could even make an objection.

The nap was in no way a short one. Alex had to listen to Annette's snores, with the two single-seater sofas in the room taking countless turns in carrying his weight when his feet weren't moving it around the room for the next three and half hours that followed. When she finally woke up from the long slumber, he was made to order a light dinner on her request, but it was after he'd waited for several minutes with her staring cluelessly at the hotel menu book and endlessly flipping through its pages. After she was done with the food, which she had eaten in silence and without a single regard to his presence, she then disappeared into the bathroom for a shower, leaving the dishes for him to handle alone, which he grudgingly did with fuming swears of getting very loud with her if she dare tries to put him through one more sh!t again.

As the wait continued, with the time spent in the hotel room dragging into its sixth hour, Alex was now wondering if Annette was indeed carrying out the simplest basic human activity in the bathroom or in there doing something else. As he listened to the two political figures who had been doing a better job in butting into each other's opinions, now talk about their perceived solutions to the rising oil prices in the country, his cellphone then vibrated an incoming call.

Alex reached for the device, saw it was Eric calling him, and answered the call with a sigh.

"Hey man," he began, glancing at the bathroom door. "I don't know how you got to bring this chick here, but dealing with her is like taking a tropical Cactus up the ass," he informed his brother. "That's the level of pain I've been dealing with."

"Did you find anything?" Eric asked him.

"Well, now i do know that her shower time is in the range that would be required in drilling oil," Alex grunted his reply. "Apart from that, nothing else, man."

"Is that all?" Eric sounded flabbergasted. "What the hell have you been doing?" he asked confusedly.

"Dude! I've wasted a gorillion hours here literally babysitting this girl, and she ain't saying nothing," Alex fumed. "I don't even understand how a chick would stay with a guy in a fancy hotel room for hours and won't say or give up nothing," he went on irritatedly. "Not even a single explanation to this goddamn fuckery!"

"Okay! I get it. You don't have to stink up the room with your sexual frustration. I can even smell it here," Eric sighed.

"This is a damn mistake. I think this girl is useless to us," Alex muttered. "We'll have to handle the situation through other means."

"Why don't you give it another try."

"Then what?"

"Then wait for my call, even if she still says nothing."

"Naw man, f@ck that sh!t!" Alex disagreed vehemently. "I'll only spend one more hour with her, and that's it! After that, it gonna be your own cup of tea, info, or no info," he stated.

Eric paused for a short while and said, "Okay, but call me when you leave the room," and the line clicked.

Alex muttered a few curses as he slipped his cellphone back into his pocket. Then he noticed that the shower faucet had been turned off and knew that Annette had finally finished taking her shower. He sighed and turned his attention back at the t.v screen.

After a long moment of silence in the bathroom, its door then opened with Annette quietly emerging out of the place. She stepped into the bedroom with a shower towel wrapped around her body. The expression on her face was that of a refreshed look, and also quite impressed with what she had seen in the bathroom that was just as exquisite as the hotel room: The sparkling white, oval-shaped ceramic bathtub was just too irresistible for a dip, and she had taken a long warm soak in it before engaging in her normal shower routines.

With a hand towel gently rubbing the long, wet curly hair that drooped around her shoulder, doing so as she quietly crossed the floor of the cozy room, Annette threw a brief stare at Alex as he watched her walk past him. She did so with a new look on her face that expressed a sudden interest in him, as she went towards the vanity mirror that stood adjacent to the t.v he was watching.

Annette paused in front of the mirror with her back turned at Alex, and he did get the chance to have a better look at the body he had once envisioned to be the perfect type that he had always wanted in a girl. He ran his eyes from her curvy body, briefly rested them on the well-rounded and inviting looking bottom, and then went down to her shapely, smooth thighs that were covered halfway. Although his eyes were being blessed with the sight of the graceful beauty standing before him, it certainly was of no great shakes to him now, with the way Alex then turned his eyes back at the screen in front of him. He wasn't impressed at all. Not after what he had experienced with her so far.

Annette stood in front of the mirror after dropping the hand towel on the floor, staring at the different bottles of lotions and cosmetics that were neatly racked on its table. She picked up some small sized satchets of creams and gels to have a closer look at their labels and then turned her attention to Alex.

Desmond sank his weight in the backseat of the Bmw, slammed the door shut, and stared ahead with the face of a highly frustrated man.

Matt got himself behind the wheel and stole a glance at his boss through the rearview mirror. He, too, had an expression of concern written on his face. He had just learned what happened to their men, which he also informed Desmond.

After a shortwhile of both men sitting still in the vehicle, staring ahead with all sorts of thoughts in their minds, Desmond then broke the silence that had settled between them.

"Did you find out what really went down?" He asked.

"Nothing else, other than they were found unconscious with severe degrees of injuries," Matt replied. "One of them even had it worse: the doctors said he would be left with a permanent gimp and possibly talking stupid from the severity of the head trauma he had suffered.

What about the other subject?"

"Taken care of, as you had ordered. A friend happened to be present, also tried to cause a problem, and was eliminated too.

But Desmond was still bearing the frown on his face. He wasn't impressed by what Matt had just told him. The initial job that had ended up in total failure, was his top priority.

"First, it was Big John and his men, and now this," he muttered quietly. "Something is definitely going on," he went on with his eyes staring out of the car window. "Did you happen to notice anything that is slightly unsual about that guy... or seen anything in the vicinity of the girl's house that seems to be in his company?" He asked.

"Nothing at all, boss. It was just him and the girl," Matt replied.

"Is there any possible explanation as to what might have happened?"

Matt sighed and stared thoughtfully at the steering wheel. He was thinking about the situation and still trying to put a finger on how it all went wrong,

"I can't think of any at all," he then replied. "But i do know that a normal individual can not inflict damages of this magnitude," he stated. "Unless the person is well armed enough with a skill-set to leave a fellow man looking like he'd been ran over by a truck." He looked over his shoulder and stared at Desmond. "And it's three guys that we are talking about in this case," he continued.

Desmond thought for a short while. "You said there was nothing unusual about him?" He asked again.

"Yeah," Matt replied. "The guy looks fit indeed, but unlike most young men of his age, his demeanor clearly speaks of one who would rather avoid any problem whatsoever. I did see him being confronted by two other guys as he was about to leave with the girl. But he just stayed back and allowed her to handle the situation; he even took the disrespect that he was getting from them with a big smile on his face."

Desmond thoughtfully narrowed his eyes for a brief while and then nodded his head with a knowing look on his face. Nina is watching over him," he muttered.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked.

"Yes," Desmond nodded. "It's either she is watching over him, which he very well knows, or him possibly being the one doing all these damages," he went on.

"But he seems like the chill type of guy, and that woman looks the same too," Matt insisted. "They don't look like the type that would make such moves, not to me."

Desmond regarded Matt with a smirk and said, "That's where you got it all wrong. I know that woman very well, and she's always chill, no matter the circumstance. But that doesn't mean that you gonna underestimate her. That woman can easily f@ck you up if she wants to. She will end you, and you won't even see it coming," he warned.

Matt fell silent.

"Her father is best described as, the Man, the Myth, and the living legend," Desmond continued. "He's believed to be among the powers behind the throne; the maker of kings. And it's also said that his actions on the battlefield was largely responsible for the Civil War being put to an end," he went on.

Matt didn't hear that part in the history of the country's past civil war. "What did the man do if i may ask?" He demanded curiously.

"Well." Desmond let out a low grunt as he shifted his weight. "Let's just say the federal army were doing all the winnings...until a psychopathic, near-primordial being of an individual, then got into the mix with his own brigade of rebels," he said. "The government army did lose a great number of men to the deluge that blitzed through their lines with a carnage of biblical proportions. But it was the knowledge of them being faced with a man who brings a soldier's worst nightmare to reality, that made them call for a truce."

"How did you get to know all that?" Matt asked.

"That man, her father, had some business deals with my own father," Desmond replied. "And the few times that i had the chance to meet him, he too always had that chill kind of demeanor that you were talking about," he added.

"Do you think her old man is in on this?" Matt asked with his concern increasing.

"No, i don't think so," Desmond replied. "He only deals with the major leagues in this country. A guy like Bronco is too insignificant as to get his attention. If he wants to deal with Bronco, he will just snap his fingers, and Bronco, with his people, and every piece of thing that he know, would cease to exist in a blink of an eye."

"So, what are we gonna do?"

Desmond fell silent for a long moment. "It all started after Big John had followed one of our subjects to that bar," he began. "The so-called Rangel's girlfriend also worked there too, and Bronco had mentioned his brother having visited that place on several occasions." Then he looked at Matt. "Do you have any info on the owner of that joint?" He asked.

"Yes, and he goes by the name Reggie," Matt replied. He used to be a boxer, failed to make it to the professional level, and retired with a lot of debt," he said. "Apart from being the owner of a popular joint in town, he is just a nothing ass dude," he added.

"Then, we'll have to look into him," Desmond decided. "He may be a nothing ass dude, but he sure might know something."

"What about the young man?" Matt asked.

"I will find out the real relationship between him and Nina, and then decide on how we would move in on him," Desmond said quietly. "And you gotta speed up with your moves on the girl," he ordered.

"Already on it with another plan, boss," Matt nodded.

"Good. Now let's get the hell out of here."

Matt immediately brought life to Bmw engine. He slowly guided the vehicle away from the farmhouse and into the dusty track that would guide them towards the main road to the city.


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

Bronco eased his bulky frame from the sofa back-cushion to get a refill from the bottle of the St Remy brandy on the table in front of him. He poured a shot in his glass and held the bottle in front Desmond, who was sitting next to him with one leg crossed over the other.

Desmond nodded at Bronco, his approval for another shot. Bronco poured a generous amount in his glass as he continued going through his cellphone, having ended a conversation that involved their business deal that was now close to completion.

A cocaine shipment had arrived into the country just as Desmond had promised to deliver, Bronco had come up with the complete amount for the payment with more to come, and both men had used the majority of the hour they had spent together in finalizing the agreed plan on how the delivery and money would change hands. The mutual agreement of Bronco taking over Desmond's business had been reached, too, and the Colombian connect will be arriving into the country in a few days for the introductions.

Matt was also present in the living room, sitting on one of the two single-seater sofas, set on both sides of the three seat sofa that carried both Desmond and Bronco's weights. With the exception of his answers to the few questions that Desmond had asked him, he was silent throughout the conversations. He had listened attentively, and as usual, taken note of every words, mostly the ones uttered by Bronco, so as to later on give Desmond his honest opinions, especially if the man had raised a proposition that sounds unfavorable to them.

The three men have now spent over an hour in the farmhouse, and in the company of four other men from the ten heavily armed goons that Bronco had brought with him; the rest had taken their guard positions outside the house, which also served as one of Bronco's secret base of operation. And with the important matter that had brought them together now settled, they are about to move on to the next one on the list.

"Your guy seems to have a problem with keeping time," Desmond sighed with an impatient glance at his wristwatch. "Are you sure he's gonna be here?" He asked Bronco.

Bronco took a sip from his glass and muttered, "Relax, he will be here soon. You just have to wait."

"I am beginning to wait too long." Desmond then looked to Matt and gave him a questioning stare.

Matt immediately knew that his boss wanted to know; Desmond wanted to know if he had gotten any feedback from the men whom they had sent on an errand earlier in the day. To which he then gave a negative answer with a slight shake of head.

Desmond sighed again, feeling increasingly unsettled. "Are you really sure of that?" He asked again with a fixed gaze at Bronco.

Bronco suspended the glass in front of his face and regarded Desmond with a funny look. "You seem to be the one that's more concerned between the two of us," he noted with furrowed brows.

"Precautions, my friend. Not concern," Desmond corrected. "You probably know a lot about him." He paused to empty the drink in his glass with a swig. "Or should i say, think you know a lot because you are doing business with him," he continued with a sneering stare at Bronco. "But in a situation like this, any move that's been made earlier than expected, or delayed, could possibly mean something else." He shrugged. "And i don't see any contingency plan in place if that's the case," he added.

"Contingency plan, huh?" Bronco scoffed. "So all these gun stroking ugly faces with us are here to sing Christmas Carol with you," he muttered, jerking his head at his men, and regarded Desmond with a hard glare. A suppressed snigger was heard in the living room.

"Anyway, I am only advising you as a friend. You gotta handle your sh!t properly," Desmond continued. "The public display that i had seen on the news doesn't look good for you and your men," he warned. "Your rivals might see it as an opportunity to move in on your turf, and you wouldn't wanna see two or more of them joining forces with that interest in mind," he concluded.

A vast cloud of all kinds of dark emotions then settled over Bronco as he thought of his dead brother, his men that were killed last night, and the idea of him losing his turf to his enemies.

"I've already made my list," he muttered under his breath, announcing the all-out war he had declared. "Me and my men are gonna get real busy with it after the deal is done," he continued with a fiery look on his face.

At that moment, the front door then opened, and Rick was ushered into the living room by another serious looking gunman. He carried with him a big black bag, which he held onto as if his life depended on it.

"I told you that he would be here," Bronco said quietly to Desmond and reached for the bottle for another shot in his glass.

Rick stood before the men in the living room as the gunman who had brought him in, then left the place, closing the door after him. He made glances at both Demond and Bronco as they regarded him with plain stares. He shortly rested his eyes on Desmond before proceeding towards Bronco.

"My apologies for keeping the party waiting," he heaved breathlessly and set the bag next to Bronco's feet. "I wasn't expecting to meet you today, but i was able to come up with the cash," he continued and sat down heavily on the other single-seater sofa.

Bronco glanced at the bag beside him. "Is it complete?" He asked Rick.

"Sure, and more at hand if needed," Rick replied

Bronco lips turned wide with a grin of satisfaction. "You see...," he began, looking at Desmond. "That's why i like doing business with him cos he never disappoints," he continued, turning back at Rick.

"Closing this deal is also important to me as much as it is to you, Bronco," Rick said.

Bronco nodded. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, "Anyway, i have a re-up for you," and he lit one for himself. "Packed and ready," he continued, the tobacco smoke slowly receding from his nostrils.

Rick regarded Bronco with raised eyebrows at what the man had said, which came as a surprise to him. "I thought you said I'll be getting my cut tomorrow," he said confusedly to Bronco

"Yes," Bronco agreed and took another drag from his cigarette. "But you had complained earlier of running low on your supply, and i wouldn't wanna see a partner lose his customers to the competition," he stated.

"How much are we talking about?"

"Twenty keys."

Rick's face then brightened up, thinking to himself the kind of luck that was coming his way today. He being able to secure a loan from a friend on a short notice to be able to come up with his own share of money for the deal, and coupled with the good news that he had received earlier from someone very dear to him, it did show that today was indeed a major win for him.

"Alright!" Rick got to his feet with an elated mood. "I'll have to leave you guys and go to work immediately," he told Bronco.

"Why the hurry?" Desmond then demanded quietly without looking at Rick.

Rick looked at Desmond. "Do you have something that you wanna discuss with me?" He coldly asked the man whose presence, to him, had always been a buzzkill.

"I was just wondering why you're such in a hurry to leave after just showing up," Desmond replied, fixing Rick a searching stare.

"Well, there is a lot of money to be made out there," Rick told him. "I've got to get busy with making mine, just as you have made yours," he continued curtly to Desmond.

Bronco quietly stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray beside the liquor bottle. He emptied his drink with a gulp and then got to his feet after leaving his glass on the table. He went towards Rick and gave him a friendly pat on the back with a superficial smile on his face.

"The package is ready." He jerked his head at the door of one of the rooms in the house. "Let me show it to you before my men give you a helping hand with it," he continued. Three of his men stepped forward and stood beside the door as he led Rick towards it.

Both of them stood in front of the door with Bronco's men standing behind them. Bronco reached for the door handle, gave Rick a brief stare, and opened it. Rick suddenly froze with his eyes turning wide as he stared into the room after Bronco had pushed the door wide open for him.

"What the Bleep is going on?!" He bawled, and a barrel of a gun was pointed at his face as he turned a glare at Bronco. Two gunmen immediately grabbed and roughly searched him for any weapon that might be in his possession while the third man held him at gunpoint.

"You can't always tell when a partner might decide to cheat you, or start having f@cked up ideas," Bronco said sinisterly at Rick as the men roughed up. "You thought i wouldn't find out what you were up to, huh?" He muttered under his breath with his eyes narrowing an evil glare.

Rick regarded Bronco confusedly as the men roughed him up. He again looked inside the room, and stared with horror in his eye, at the two young women in the place. One was lying on the floor with both her hands and legs tied together, and completely n@de. The other was also on the floor, sitting with her back against the wall, and looking disheveled. Her hands and legs were bounded too, but she was fully clothed.

Rick didn't know the second woman, but the n@de one was his girlfriend; the same woman that had served them drinks at the strip club.

The n@de woman then turned head and weakly regarded Rick with a horribly bruised face that made her look quite unrecognizable. He then made an immediate attempt to dash inside the room and toward her. But he was stopped short by Bronco's fist that swung at his face and fell him down instantly. It was then followed by more blows and kicks from Bronco's men while Bronco stood back and watched.

The second woman turned her face away from beatings, while Rick's girlfriend sobbed painfully as she watched her fiance being brutally subdued.

The blows rained down on Rick, who groaned painfully to the beatings he was taking and bleeding profusely from the bruises that the men had opened up on his face and body.

Bronco then lit himself another stick of cigarette while the beatings continued. He calmly blew clouds of tobacco smokes as he regarded Rick with no mercy in his eyes as his now former business partner remained on the floor, taking severe damage from his men.

This went on for a while before Bronco finally raised his hand at his men, signaling at them to stop. He tossed the cigarette away and then stood over Rick, who was still lying on the floor, groaning and coughing up blood.

"Now, i want you to tell me where Rangel is hiding his ass and those that are also in on this sh!t with him." Bronco made the demand as he crouched over the hurting man and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Start spitting out, or am gonna put you through great pain!" He thundered the threat.

Rick coughed a few more times. Then moaned, "I...i don't know what you are talking about," and grimaced to his great pain.

"You still have f@cking guts to lie to me, huh?! When it's very clear that your wh@re is a close friend to Rangel's b!tch!" Bronco barked at him with murderous anger. "So i wanna know who else that's innit. You better start talking... or we all gonna watch while my men do your woman.. again, and it's gonna be to her death this time," he fumed.

Rick coughed, spurting out more blood from his mouth. "I don't know what you are talking about, man!" he repeated those words with a groan.

"Well, i don't think there is any other explanation as to how the guy could have killed six men and escape unscathed," Desmond said quietly with his eyes staring at his glass. "Hell, even if this Rangel is a trained killer, that won't be possible... unless someone had told him what was about to happen," he continued and took a sip of his drink.

"And i do remember you being present on the day that i gave the orders to have him taken out," Bronco put in. "Your girl was also seen with Rangel's girl before that order was put in motion," he went on. "And my brother had also gone to where his girl works on the night he was killed."

Rick glanced at Desmond, now knowing that the man had also taken a part in the setup and shook his head.

"I have nothing to do with all this!" He cried to Bronco."You have the wrong man here! For God sake! I don't even know who Rangel is!"

"My men are never wrong," Desmond muttered. "That, i know very well."

"We have been doing business with no problem at all, and I've always made sure that it stayed that way," Rick continued painfully. "Are you gonna believe this motherfucker's word over mine?" he asked.

Bronco scoffed. "I've known the motherfucker as far back as when you were still a small time street corner hustler," Bronco replied. "And we have been doing business before you even earned that corner," he added.

"But why the hell would i even wanna do such thing to you? Why would i still be in business with you if am also in this setup?"

"I do have a lot of people that I'm doing business with, and some of them are also out to do unpleasant things to me if they get that chance."

Bronco then let go of Rick's shirt. "But I'm gonna get all of them in due time, just like I've done with you," he coldly muttered, glaring at Rick.

Rick then took another glance at his girlfriend. "Bronco please, just let her go," he begged and looked at Bronco. "You have done enough damage to her. Just take my money, take my joints and spots, take everything and let us go," he pleaded.

Desmond snorted. "Dude's stupidly in love," he muttered quietly and looked at Matt who also was watching in silence.

Bronco scoffed. "And why should i do that?" He asked.

"She is...carrying my baby, man," Rick whined. "I promise we will get out of town and never to come back if you let us go. Please!" he begged.

Bronco then gave the nude woman in the room, a short gaze, and slowly straightened up with his eyes turning back at Rick. "Okay," he muttered. He looked at the men standing next to him. "Hold him still," he ordered, and they immediately did so while he proceeded into the room. "And i want you to make him watch," he told them.

Bronco got hold of Rick's girlfriend by her hair and callously dragged the woman out of the room with her putting up a weak resistance. He stopped several feet away from Rick and let-go of her.

"Anyway, congratulations for the new baby on the way." Bronco quickly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and then swung a vicious kick at the woman. He drove the blow into woman's tummy with enough force to spin her body and leave her lying on her back.

"No!!" Rick screamed as the men held him down with his head pressed against the floor and forcefully made him to face his girlfriend as Bronco proceeded to get on top of her, balling his big fists, and started bringing it down savagely on the woman's face.

The beatings echoed in the living room with Rick's screams drowning some as Bronco violently pounded her face and neck with reckless abandon. It went on continuously until the woman's fingers ceased trembling to the blows, indicating her now being lifeless.

Then Bronco exhaled and got off from the dead body as Rick wept profusely. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he straightened up and looked at Rick with a smile of satisfaction for what he had done.

"It's good doing business with you," he muttered at Rick and pulled out his handgun from his waistbelt. "Give my regards to your woman and the baby." Three gunshots rang out, and Rick was dead on the floor with blood leaking out from the ugly holes in his head.

Then Bronco turned his attention towards the second woman who had been sobbing uncontrollably throughout the ordeal. He regarded her briefly with a wicked glare and quietly tucked the handgun back in his waistbelt.

"Get rid of these bodies," he told his men. "Make sure they are left in the place were others would see them," he added. "And close that f@cking door before i start having a change of mind on what i intend to do to that dog faced b!tch in there." he pointed at the second woman in the bedroom.

He picked up the bag of money his men carried the body of the man that had brought to their presence with that of his dead girl to dispose them. He quietly set it next to Desmond on the sofa, with an unblinking stare that seriously warned of being the person not to be trifled with.

"That's the ten percent down payment," he said. "You will get the rest when you make the delivery. If you don't, you will be owing me two million dollars, and with added interest to every delay," he warned.

Desmond pursed his and nodded with a faint smile on his face. Glancing at Matt, who was now answering a phone call with a low tone of voice, he then to his feet and extended his hand at Bronco.

Bronco plainly stared at the hand in front him, shook it, and then turned to make his way out of the living-room.

"So, what do you intend to do to her," Desmond asked, jerking his head at the door of the where the second woman was being held hostage.

"I have something very special prepared for her", Bronco muttered as he reached for the handle of the door leading to the corridor. "But first, i intend to collect the money that her boyfriend had taken from me."

"And if he doesn't have it?"

"Then, the motherfucker should be prepared for the trips around town cos he will be going to a lot of places to pick up pieces of her."

Desmond chuckled as Bronco walked out of the living-room and turned his attention to Matt, who now standing next to him with his cellphone in hand.
"Boss, i think we have a problem." He then heard.


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

CHAPTER EIGHT.


6:45 p.m.

Rangel slowly opened his eyes and saw that the motel room light had been switched off. Feeling quite rejuvenated from his six-hour sleep, he yawned and stretched himself with his empty stomach growling to the hunger he was feeling. He slowly moved his arm to his side to get hold of Jessica, but rested his hand on the empty space on bed instead of her warm body, and it then made his sleepy eyes to immediately turn fully awake.

The silence in the dark room made it known to Rangel that Jessica wasn't even in the bathroom. The mattress on her side of the bed was cold too, which also made it clear to him that she had been gone for a while.

Rangel quickly sprang out of the bed, blindly fumbled around the wall for the light switch, and flicked it on. He then grabbed his neatly folded jeans pants to get his cellphone in its pocket.

His fingers speedily worked on the cell phone screen as he dialed Jessica's number from memory after seeing no missed calls or text from her and nervously paced around the room as he waited impatiently for her answer. The line rang for a full minute before an automated voice announced to him that the recipient wasn't answering the call.

"Sh!t!," Rangel fumed under his breath. He dialed the number again....and got the same automated voice message on his fourth try.

Rangel immediately dropped the phone on the bed and snatched up his jeans pant. He also speedily donned his tank top, grabbed the cellphone again, and dashed towards the door.


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


Mary was standing behind her desk when Rangel came barreling down the stairs and towards her. She appeared to be giving instructions to an individual who was also behind that desk but in a crouched position.

"Did you see my girlfriend?" He asked her breathlessly.

Mary then paused in what she was doing, shortly regarded Rangel with a look that she would give a stray dog running around the neighbourhood, and quietly went back to what she was doing.

Rangel was highly irritated. "Look! This is very important to me!" He said with a raised voice, his eagerness for an answer now making him throw all cautions to the wind. "I wanna know where she went to!" He demanded and banged his fist on Mary's desk.

Mary paused again, and slowly turned back to Rangel. The keen eye behind her glasses then fixed him a long, unblinking gaze. As she did so, a head was slowly raised beside her, and Rangel found himself staring at the fiercest, beady looking eyes he had ever seen in a man's face. Then followed by an enormous body that seemingly rose endlessly above him as the huge man whom Mary had been talking to, straightened up from behind her desk.

"Jesus!" Rangel muttered under his breath, staring with astonished gaze, at the avalanche of a man that stood before him like a transmission pylon. Then his eyes slowly ran from the man's fearful looking face down to his boulder-like hands. The limbs were indeed fit enough to bring damages on a scale that would be similar to the ruinous effects of being fed into a meat-grinder; either a permanent disability or death.

All Rangel could now think of was Eric's warning of him sharing bed with monstrous men if he crosses the old woman. What he's staring at right now would probably eat concretes and washing it down with sulfuric acid before doing that with him; the bed itself wouldn't want to be shared with this Colossus of a human being.

The large man gave Rangel a wicked glare that seemed to question his existence. He carefully left on the table, the wrench he was holding as if it would be useless for the next job that he might take up, being Mary's repair-man and a killer.

"Is this smooth brain gonna be a problem?" His growling voice asked Mary.

Mary plainly regarded Rangel a little longer with him staring back at her and looking scared stiff, as if his skin would walk away from him if she gives a positive answer. Then she smiled and looked at the huge man beside her.

"No," she finally replied to the question. "He already has enough in his plate," she continued and pat the man on his back. "Besides, he is Sam's good friend. Sam brought him here cos he's in need of help," she went on, diffusing the tension.

The huge man immediately regarded the old woman with his glare turning wide-eyed. "Is Sam in town?" He asked excitedly as if the person with that name was someone of great importance to him. "Why didn't you tell me?" He continued with a lot of excitement.

"You know him. Sometimes he doesn't announce his visits," Mary replied and picked up the wrench on her desk. "But i will sure let you know if he drops by again," she continued and handed it to the huge man. He respectfully accepted the tool with a smile and thanked her.

The man then told Mary that he was done fixing her safe box and walked around the front desk. He stood before Rangel, this time with a big smile on his face, and for a moment, Rangel thought he was experiencing a total eclipse around him.

"My apologies, man," the big man said kindly to Rangel, but his voice was still unsettling. "I thought you were one of those jackasses who wants to get smart with their mouth," he continued. Then he turned to Mary. "Mam, do let me know if there is any other thing that requires my help," he said to her.

"You know that i can always depend on you, Joey," Mary smiled at him. "Take good care of yourself and give my regards to your mother," she bade him.

Joey nodded at Mary and gave Rangel a pat on his back, which felt to him like it was being done with a slab of solid granite, and then made his way out of the motel.

"He's indeed a good fellow," Mary then said and drew a newspaper towards her.

Rangel watched Joey exit the motel and finally heaved a sigh of relief after the huge man had closed the door after him.

"And a very efficient one," Mary went on as she riffled through the newspaper and stopped at the page with a crossword puzzle. "If you have a troublemaker in your hands whom you want to be made to disappear without a trace, just line his pocket with good money and he will solve that problem with a buzz-saw and disposable bags," she continued and reached for a pen. "Wait the minute." She paused and stared thoughtfully at the page of the newspaper. "Is it Buzz-saw...or Chainsaw?" She muttered the question quietly to herself.

"Mam," Rangel then began timidly at her, hoping not to draw the old woman's ire for interrupting her thoughts on the proper name for the equipment that was used in the gory activity, which he prayed never to be in need of.

Ah, yes." Mary started solving the cross-words. "Your girlfriend told me that she will be in an hour." She informed Rangel. "And that was over six hours ago," she added as she scribbled on the paper.

Rangel wanted to ask her why he hadn't been informed of that development but decided to ask a different question. "Did she say where she was going?" He asked.

"To meet a friend. That's what she said."

"Did she say who or mentioned a name?"

Mary sighed. "Have you tried calling her?" She asked impatiently and turned her gaze at Rangel.

"Done that several times, but she's not answering my calls," Rangel replied. "She always answers my call or called back if she misses any."

"Maybe she's too busy with whomever she is with to answer your call or make one," Mary shrugged. "Or she might have decided that it's too much of a trouble for her to remain with you cos i happened to hear her complain about you guys having no money," she continued. "I would probably do the same if i were in her shoes, and you have to know that you guys ain't staying here for free."

Rangel sighed with a downcast gaze.

"So who's gonna pay the bill?" Mary then asked.

Rangel looked at her. "Bill?" He repeated the word as though it was his first time hearing it.

Mary pursed her lips and turned back to the cross-word puzzle. "Atleast, you already know that you aren't staying here for free," she muttered. "Unless if Sam is going to take care of it. But until then, you are going nowhere, if that's what you have in mind."

"But i have to go find her," Rangel insisted, now knowing that he was about to be held against his will.

"Fine. You can tell any of your friends to help you with that," Mary said nonchalantly. "I only allowed your girl to leave this place because she sounded quite convincing that she would be back in an hour as she had promised. I also allowed it because you were still in the room. And i won't be fooled twice," she stated plainly.

"Maybe she had gotten into trouble. I have known her for years, and she's not the type of person that would cut and run," Rangel countered.

"If so, then she'll have live with that mistake, if she's not yet dead," Mary said to him. "You wouldn't be here in the first place if you had no problems in handling whatever trouble that both of you were having out there. She knows that too."

Rangel heaved impatiently and said, "Look, i know that you know a lot more than i do with your long experiences when it comes to situations like this. But this is the woman that i love, and i really want to know what have become of her. I don't mind putting my life on the line in trying to find that out. If she is indeed dead, then there's no point for me to keep on living because i am only still alive because of her."

Mary slowly raised her eyes from the newspaper and regarded Rangel with some admiration for his words.

"Okay then," she then said and proceed to scribble a cellphone number boldly on the newspaper. She tore it out and held it in front of Rangel. "But first, you have to call Sam and tell him what's going on," she told him.

Rangel immediately reached for it. He said, "Thanks," and took out his cellphone to dial the number.


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

Dear readers, I truly apologize for being extremely slow with this story. Since I came back, I have been just crazy busy. It's even a surprise to me that I'm even able to have time to write something. There are times that I even consider abandoning it. But I'm someone who always finishes what I've started, and I will finish this story no matter what it takes.

Correction made.

After battling through the traffic for almost ten minutes, Eric finally brought the Benz to a stop in one of the empty parking spaces of the J.W MARRIOT hotel. He turned off the car engine and eased back into his seat, looking quite bushed from all the driving, thinking, and the beatings that he had meted out.

"So, what next?" Annette began, staring at him expectantly.

Eric said nothing. He made several glances at the twenty-five floor hotel building and its surroundings. He caught sight of a black Bmw parked several metres away from them, took more glances around him, and then turned to Annette.

"I have to keep you somewhere safe," he said to her.

Annette glanced at the hotel building. "Here?" she asked with a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, for now." Eric replied.

"But i still have other places where i would be safe"

"Where?"

"I can stay at my uncle's place, and i do have friends too."

"Those men are probably aware of that too, and you wouldn't wanna risk putting them in danger if they find you there."

What Eric said was right. Annette knew that too. "So what makes you think that i would be safe in this place?" She demanded.

"This is an upscale hotel, and their security is topnotch," Eric replied. "This is the only place where your safety is highly guaranteed. It won't cross the mind of whoever that's after you to look for you in a place like this, and i made sure that we weren't followed."

Annette lowered her gaze with an uncomfortable sigh and remained silent.

"You have to stay here for the time being so that we can decide on what to do next," Eric continued. "You will only be staying for the day at the most if you are uncomfortable with the setup," he assured.

Annette fixed Eric a long searching stare, thinking of the things that would possibly happen if she agrees to what he had said. She has a lot of trust issues, especially when it comes to dealing with a guy whom she's not well acquainted with.

But there's enough proof that his intentions to keep her safe were genuine, and him being more than capable of doing it, having seen how he K.O'd their way out of danger. Moreover, she'll get to spend the day being well-catered to in the room of a luxurious hotel while he's at it; she had always dreamed of having that elevated experience.

Still, there'll always be a drawback in every situation, and she could see hers as having very little in the way of being able to put up a strong resistance to the idea of them getting intimate if he happens to push it forward. But funnily enough, it neither pertains to the pressure of having to express some gratitude to his gestures toward her, nor to the fact that she stands no chance against his epic strength if he decides to force himself on her.

It was due to the overpowering feelings that had developed inside her, sitting right next to a guy with all the manly features that sends hot blood through a girl's body. The instances of erotic fantasies that constantly crept into her mind had made it quite the battle in keeping a formal conversation with him.

She had long adhered to her number one rule of not getting intimate with an attached guy, which she runs the risk of breaking if she gets into a fancy hotel room with Lisa's 'Cheat-code' of a man. And with Lisa being someone whom she doesn't consider as a friend, someone will definitely f@ck the sh!t out of someone if that mutual agreement arises. Any consequences that present itself, she'll find a way to sort it out.

"Okay." Annette finally took up the offer and unbuckled her own seatbelt as the urge for an adventure overrides sticking to a safe zone.

Eric unbuckled his, too. Both of them alighted from the vehicle and crossed the parking lot as they made towards the entrance of the hotel lobby. Eric did throw several glances at the Black Bmw as he moved, and also was made to direct some at Annette. She was seemingly keeping herself at an unusual close proximity to him as they walked, which left him curious, seeing nothing in their vicinity that's of threat to her well-being.

Alex noticed it too as he stayed well hidden in the Bmw, watching them make their entrance into the hotel building. He smilingly shook his head at the effect that his twin brother was having on the young woman and then went back to being busy with his cellphone.


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


Eric finally reappered from the hotel building and walked into the parking lot after spending close to ten minutes with Annette.

He had booked for her a twentieth floor deluxe room with a good view of the driveway leading to the hotel main entrance and parking lot. He had also paid for some extra services that would make her stay comfortable, and none of them came cheap: the bill did leave Annette staring wide eye at the female receptionist that attended to them.

After he had taken Annette to the room and being made to believe that she approves of it with the way she admired its luxurious design and upscale features, he then made her comfortable in the place, and once again reassured her of her safety. Before he excused himself to get something from his car, he left her with a warning not to call or answer any phone call from anyone, not from her friends or even her uncle.

As Eric walked through the parking lot and towards the Bmw, Alex immediately moved his weight from the driver's position to the seat beside him.

"I hope your ass wasn't followed again," he began as Eric got behind the wheel and shut the door. He had gotten a message from his brother, telling him what had happened, and also to come to that location as fast as he could.

"I made sure of that," Eric grunted quietly and blew out his cheeks. "The ones that did so won't be saying anything for the meantime," he continued.

"It's like you sure gave them the business, though," Alex snorted, seeing how tired Eric looked.

"I tore the damn roof off their asses."

"You did that in front of her?"

"I had no other choice, man."

Alex sighed and paused for a while. Then he asked. "Are you really sure those men were indeed after you and not her?"

Eric nodded. "Annette said that she had seen one of them before. But i noticed that they had their attentions solely on me and not her," he said.

"How did she get to know them?" Alex asked again.

Eric then sighed. "Angel's dad didn't kill his wife and commit suicide as you had been told." He looked at Alex. "He and his wife were murdered, and Annette said she witnessed it go down ."

"Sh!t!" Alex regarded his brother with shock written on his face.

"That's how she got to know one of the guys. He was also in the house with the men that killed Mr Adams and his wife," Eric continued.

"If that's what really happened, you should've asked them some questions, or at least get to find out how they found you, from where they had followed," Alex noted.

"Not with a gun being pointed at my face," Eric muttered. "I had to put them down fast," he went on.

"So what are we gonna do next?"

"Keeping her safe is a top priority. She seems to be very close to Angel and his family."

"How close?"

Eric pursed his lips with his eyes on the steering wheel. "Angel's father is also her own father," he replied.

Alex snorted and looked to his side. "This just keeps getting better and better," he muttered. "So we are now protecting the half-sister of the guy whom we took out years ago. This sounds like a genuine cluster-f@ck," he went on. "Are you sure this is right to do?" He asked.

"I'm never sure of anything," Eric said quietly.

Alex sighed.

"But we definitely need her," Eric continued. "She might be Angel's half sister, but she came to be in that position due to an unfortunate incident that her mother had suffered in the hands of Angel's dad long ago."

"What happened?"

"She told me she was conceived through rape."

Alex exhaled heavily with a thoughtful look on his face. "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," he said quietly. "At least we have one less of a f@ck-up family in this world to deal with," he muttered. "But i don't think it's a good idea. Mother will definitely not approve of this at all," he noted concernedly

"Do you think she will even approve all that we had done so far?" Eric asked. "If we have to do all the things that she approves, then we might as well sit back and watch all these things to continue happen unabated."

"Apart from that, Lisa ain't gonna be giving Annette a warm welcome," Alex continued. "The girl's name is next in the list of the people she hated the most after Angel's: - That's what she told me when i asked if she knew Annette," he told his brother. "It could possibly be one hell of a catfight in your hands if your girlfriend happens to see that girl in your company, bro," he warned.

Eric heaved heavily. He now understood why Annette had asked him if Lisa was aware of their meeting.

"Both of them now have one thing in common. So they have no choice but to worked with each other," he then said. He stole a glance at his wristwatch and went on. "You have to go inside her room now, stay with her, and see if there are other things that you can find out from her." He handed his car keys to Alex. "If she is smart enough to notice that you are wearing a different cloth from the one she had seen on me, tell her that you had a change of cloths. Do i make myself clear?"

Alex nodded.

"I have paid for everything that you and her will be needing in the hotel. Always be on the lookout till you hear from me," Eric added.

"Will do that," Alex nodded and immediately got out of the car as Eric brought life to Bmw. He started heading towards the hotel building to carry out the change of guard as Eric drove off.


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

I made a mistake somewhere. Already corrected. Abeg no blame me on. It's close to 12 mid night so I was almost falling asleep when I posted these updates.

1:30 pm.

Rangel dried his face with a hand towel and stepped out of the bathroom with only a shower towel tied around his waist. The motel room where he and Jessica had passed the night looked unimpressive and cheaply designed with a few near worn out furniture except for the bed mattress that was soft and comfortable.

Rangel draped the wet towel on the arm of the single chair in the room and looked at Jessica, who was now ending the phone call she was making while he was taking his shower.

"What did Reggie say?" he asked, standing in front of her with his hands adjusting the shower towel wrapped around his waist.

Jessica tossed her phone on the bed with a frustrated look on her face. "He said we should get out of town immediately," she replied slowly, then sighed and rested her elbows on her knees with her face buried in her palms. "I can't believe what's going on," she whined quietly.

"Nah," Rangel immediately disagreed with what Reggie had advised Jessica as the best course of action after she had informed him of what happened at her place last night. "I ain't f@cking going nowhere till i get that motherfucker Bronco," he insisted with a vehemence that tightened the chiseled muscles on his bare chest and abdomen as he heaved those words out.

"Will you stop with this..getting Bronco!" Jessica suddenly blurted out, sharply lifting her head from her palms, and glared at Rangel. "Can't you see that our lives had gone to sh!t!" she continued with a raised voice, unable to contain her annoyance and have had it with his revenge mission that he had spent most of the morning, rambling incessantly.

Rangel was left frozen with his hand still holding his towel as he stared at Jessica, and quite taken aback by the sudden outburst that she rarely made.

"Now i have lost my job, and i can't go back to my house," Jessica went on. Her eyes was now watery from its welling up tears. "I have no where else to go! It's not like I can even move freely in this city again!" Then she turned away from him and heaved a sigh. "Have you forgotten that all our money is in my house?" she asked, this time with a quieter sullen tone of voice.

Rangel's mouth turned agape as he continued staring fixedly at Jessica, suddenly remembering telling her to take out all their entire savings from the bank. Collecting that money was his main reason for being in the neighbourhood in the first place before getting caught up in the mayhem that struck at Jessica's house, and he having forgotten about it in the excitement of their narrow escape.

"We don't even have enough for our bus fares out of this city," Jessica muttered as Rangel then moved and sat quietly beside her with a downcast gaze and looking extremely worried. "Not even enough to feed ourselves today for crying out loud!" she added.

Rangel now saw their dilemma. Even though they had escaped unscathed from last night's brush with death, they were now in a major fix. They are now flat-out broke with no money to relocate or even for food, and no place to lay their heads. They weren't even sure of how long they would be staying in the motel room, and Jessica won't be finding another job anytime soon. Not that she would even want to risk having Bronco getting his hands on her.

He pondered on the money they had left behind while fleeing the house. More than the loss of his brother, it did leave him with a broken spirit and feeling utterly defeated.

It was a lot of money. Some of it was Jessica's entire savings, which she have been making for over three years, and the rest being the only victory that he had scored in his ongoing war with Bronco: he had taken a large amount of cash from Bronco's top enforcer, who happened to be the guy that murdered his brother on Bronco's orders, before killing him.

Jessica's money with his big score, was damn more than enough to have them well settled and living in any location of their choosing, if he had listened to Jessica's advice to abandon his plans for revenge. But he was so bent on his mission to get the main guy that's responsible for his brother's death, and ended up losing all of it.

After a long while of thinking to himself in silence, Rangel then looked at Jessica who was now sitting with her head bowed and sobbing quietly with a sullen look on her face. He hurt seeing her in that mood, and it made him place a hand on her shoulder. He then stared ahead as he comforted her with a gentle rub on her shoulder, his heart pounding hard to the seething anger of knowing that Bronco still has the upper hand.

"Baby, I'm very sorry," he began quietly. "I didn't know that things would turn out this way. It's just that...my brother meant a lot to me just like you...and it pains me a lot to see the guy who's responsible for his death, still moving around freely," he said, rubbing her shoulder gently. "If i had known that it will leave you going through all these, i would have probably put it aside and...perhaps, we would have left this city earlier and start a new life somewhere else,"

Jessica sighed again. Then she nodded and wiped the tears in her eyes.

"But i will certainly make sure that nothing happens to you while i look for a way to get us out of this city as soon as possible," Rangel continued. "And that's for damn sure," he concluded to her with a reassuring voice.

Jessica nodded again and looked at him. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you," she apologized quietly. "It's just that I'm overwhelmed by everything that had happened. That Bronco is a very very dangerous man." Then she shook her head. "Can't you see that he even got to find out about us. I'm so scared of what might happen next, especially to you."

"It's okay, i do understand how you feel." - Rangel pulled her closer to him. "I will make sure that you will never go through this again." - and gave her a peck on her forehead.

Seeming to be calmed by Rangel's assurances, Jessica then eased back "I think i need some rest," she murmured and laid her back on the bed.

Rangel got up and changed into his boxers. and top tank. He then joined her in bed and both of them laid in silence with each having thoughts on their minds. As the minutes of silence went by, Rangel, who had kept an all night watch over Jessica, could no longer fight the sleep that was now catching with him, and he fell into deep one.

But Jessica didn't. She was now analyzing the thought that had crossed her mind, which seemed to her, to be the only option at hand for their situation. It involves her leaving their room, and the neighbourhood where their safety was the only place it was guaranteed. Rangel would definitely object to her leaving his side for any reason whatsoever. With him now lying next to her and snoring like a baby, this was the only opportunity for her to carry out that intention. She will deal with whatever feelings that he will be having for her action when she gets back.

Bearing that in mind, Jessica quietly got out of bed, and she did so carefully not to wake Rangel from his sleep. Then she went into the bathroom to clean herself up.



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

"Are they dead," Annette then asked shakily.

"I don't know," Eric replied as he also rummaged in the pockets of the big man. "But they will be passing a lot of time in the hospital if they aren't, and that's for sure," he continued and then straightened up with the men's cellphones in his hand. "Let's get the hell of here," he said to Annette and tucked both devices in his pocket.

Annette immediately followed him, muttering, "What sort of sh!t have i gotten myself into."

It was quite a surprise that the violent fisticuffs in the dirty alley didn't draw any attention from the pedestrians as they walked into the main street. Eric then paused in his tracks, reached into his pocket, and took out of the men cellphone that was vibrating an incoming call. It must be from the third man and the driver of their car, whom the burly had wanted to call.

Eric stared at the number on the screen of the phone for a short while. Then he turned his attention towards the direction where he had parked his car and started walking briskly.

Annette immediately followed as Eric moved, seeing the look of deadly intent written on his face, and endlessly muttering, "Sh!t..sh!t..sh!t," because she already knew what he was about to do next.


"Still haven't heard anything from them yet," Rogan spoke into his phone mouthpiece with tobacco smoking receding from his nostrils. He briefly paid attention to the voice that rasped out of the phone earpiece, then said, "I will call them again, and if they don't pick up, i will have to go check up on them," and ended the phonecall. He sighed, took another drag from his half-smoked cigarette, and decided to let a few minutes pass before making that call.

As he was doing so, he then caught sight of the young woman who had been together with the subject they had been tailing. She was making her way through the parking lot and was alone. His eyes took a closer look through his darkshades, and he immediately got out of his car on seeing that she was indeed the girl.

Making glances around the parking lot, he searched for his two partners. But they weren't in sight, and neither could he see their subject. In his confusion, he took out his cell phone and held it close to his ear after dialing a number with his eyes staring keenly at the girl as she moved.

Annette tried to maintain a steady footing as she made her way towards Eric's Mercedes. She had noticed the man's strange gaze at her after he had alighted from his vehicle. One of the cellphones that Eric had given her was now vibrating an incoming call with the man now making a move toward her with slow paces. And just as Eric had instructed her, she waited until she had reached the side of a parked van before answering the call.

The man heard Annette's voice and immediately ended the phone call with an overly flabbergasted look on his face. His paces then turned to quick strides as he went over to her position where she was now standing with her back at him.

On getting close to Annette, the man then roughly grabbed her shoulder, startling Annette in the process, and made her face him.

"How did you get that phone?," his hoarse voice asked with a wicked glare in his eyes.

Just like his strong hand had grabbed her, another stronger hand did grab him too, and forcefully turned him around.

"This is how she got it." He heard.

Whoomp!!

The man was stunned by the blow that hit him squarely in the face; Annette immediately scuttled away from him, knowing that his involuntary accidents won't stop until he stopped moving.

Whoomp!!

The man's darkshades flew off the bridge of his nose as if fleeing from the next incoming blow.

Whomp!!..whomp!!..whomp!!..whomp!!

The blows fell the man into a sitting position on the ground with his back against the side of the van.

Whomp!!..whomp!!..whomp!!..whomp...Whomp!!

The back of his head left dents on the side of the car door from the impacts of the blows connecting with his face.

Whomp!!...Whomp!!...Whomp!!.

Eric was done.

He cleaned the blood that covered his knuckles with the man's shirt and straightened up with the man's cellphone in his hand. Then he started heading towards his parked vehicle without saying a word to Annette; she immediately followed after glancing at the latest victim of his one-sided beating.


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

Annette heavily dropped her weight onto the seat of the Mercedes and slammed the door shut. She remained still with a downcast gaze with breaths of anxiety as Eric sat on the driver's seat.

Eric took one look at her and then leaned toward the compartment box. He opened it, took out a plastic bottle of water, uncorked, and held it in front of her.

Annette immediately snatched the bottle from Eric and took several gulps of the water. "That was indeed crazy," she heaved quietly.

"What?" Eric asked.

"It's true that your sudden show of courage and display did shock a lot of us back then," Annette continued and drank some more from bottle. "But what..in the serial-killer..have you become?" she asked.

Eric smirked. "Why don't you just tell me what you know about those men," he demanded.

Annette finished the content in the bottle, exhaled heavily, calmed herself down for a short while, and said, "I once saw the big one with two other men in Angel's house."

"How long ago?"

"A few days ago."

Eric thought shortly. "Was that before Angel's father killed his wife and committed suicide?" He asked.

Annette gave Eric a gloomy gaze. "Mr Adams didn't commit suicide," she said quietly to him. "He and his wife were murdered."

Eric furrowed his brows at her. "But i thought the cops said that it was murder-suicide," he said, looking confused.

"No." Annette shook her head. "I saw everything. I was there when he and his wife were shot to death, " she said.

Eric went mute. He was dumbfounded by Annette's confession to being a witness to double murder.

"I was in his house that day," Annette went on with the profounding revelation. "After hearing the story of what happened to my mother a long time ago, something gruesome, which he was also involved in." She heaved a sigh and clenched her jaw with some anger written on her face. "So i went to his house to confront him about it. He did confirm the story and tried to convince me that he was forced to play a part in it, and that was how i found out that it was his reason for taking care of me and sponsoring my education after my mother died."

Eric nodded. "Did he tell you what really happened?" He asked.

"He was trying do so before the men showed up at his place," Annette replied. Then she stared ahead thoughtfully for a long moment and said, "It was as if he already knew what was going to happen and forced me to hide in a secret compartment in his house. Even the housekeepers weren't around."

"He must have sent them all out of his house," Eric noted.

"I guess so," Annette agreed with a sigh.

"Did you get to see the other men?" Eric asked.

"I only had the chance to see that big bastard cos i couldn't risk getting caught," Annette replied. "But i did hear Mr Adams speak to one of the men, and they see seem to know each other very well," she went on. "The guy did mention Angel's name, said something about him, and he was majorly pissed at Mr Adams from the way he sounded."

"So what else happened?"

"The man and Mr Adam had a few heated exchange of words, his wife got shot dead despite her begging for mercy, more exchange of words followed, and then Mr Adams got killed."

Annette then turned to her side and away from Eric to hide the tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered Mrs. Adams tearful pleas for her life before the gunshots rang out. It really broke her heart.

"Did you tell anyone else about this?" Eric asked.

"No," Annette replied and dried the tears that had tickled down her cheek with a swipe of hand. "Just you, Alex,"

Eric nodded. Then out of curiosity, he asked, "What happened between your mother and Mr.Adams?."

Annette fell silent for a short while and then looked at Eric. "He raped my mother, and i am the product of that dastardly act," she told him.


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

Eric's arm suddenly shot at the unsuspecting man's handgun. He got a firm grip on the gun slide and jammed his thumb against its cocked back hammer. The sharp movement prompted the startled gunman to immediately reacted with a pull of the trigger.

Nothing happened.

And at that moment, with the man getting panicky on seeing no action from his firearm, Eric's other hand speedily came with a clenched fist and rocked him with a stunning blow to his jaw that briefly separated him from his senses. Another sharp move followed, and Eric expertly dispossessed the man of his weapon in no time.

The big man immediately dropped his cellphone on seeing the sudden scuffle and reached for his own weapon. But Eric was already on him with the pistol he had taken from his partner being sent flying toward him.

The weapon struck the big man's face with pinpoint accuracy and force. The stunning blow broke his nose and stopped short his adventurous hand from grabbing his gun. Eric smashed another blow into the face of the other man and made his move to close in on the big man as his partner crumbled to the ground.

The big man was yet to recover when Eric came at him and sent his big body staggering backward with an uppercut that almost knocked his big head off his shoulder. He then yanked the man's pistol out of his waistbelt and clobbered him to the ground with it.

Annette stood still, staring astoundingly at Eric as he picked up the other pistol from the ground and quickly tossed the weapons into the back of the garbage truck. Her gaze was still fixed at him as he took his position between her and the men, who were now scrambling to their feet after shaking off the concussions they had taken.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked without looking at her as he maintained his gaze at their assailants. But she was too scared to give him an answer.

"Like i said, you bastards don't look like the cops," Eric then said to the men as they glared at him with murderous intent and at the same time, seemingly taken aback at how fast he had disarmed them. "Which means that it's gonna be very easy for me," he continued. "So you all better start talking, or none of you will be leaving this dump," he told them.

But the men had already decided on a totally different option. They made it known by rushing wildly towards Eric, who made his own move too, and got in between them to let loose his intention of getting up-close and personal with them.

Dodging a blow from the big man's meaty arm in the close quarter combat, Eric drove a wicked right hook into the other man's face and broke his jaw. He drew back the fist to deliver a backward elbow strike that increased the big man's facial injuries as he came from behind. The fist then switched into a knifehand strike that came back at the other man and broke his shoulder blade. Eric's left fist got into the action too. It drove deep into the man's side and broke some ribs. Switching back to the big man, the left fist drove into the thug's chubby face and knocked out blood and an agonizing groan from his mouth before his partner then got put down with a vicious leg kick to his foot that dropped him on one knee with a broken ankle, followed by a brutal knee kick that broke his neck and knocked him out cold to the ground.

Seeing that his partner wasn't moving anymore, the big man launched another desperate attack. He ragingly went at Eric with blood and spittle flying out of his profusely bleeding mouth as he bawled out curses. But he was about to find out that all his efforts would be in vain and regret his actions.

Eric outmaneuvered all the moves and wild punches till the man's big body started giving in to fatigue. The man relentlessly threw another straight punch with an agonizing grunt. This time, Eric ducked skillfully and replied with a cross counter that hit the man's face and threw his big body into an uncontrollable backward stagger.

"Is that all you got, you fat f@ck," Eric mocked, and the big man furiously made another wild dash. Eric's arm then made a sharp jerk, and Annette's steak knife that he had hidden in his sleeve made a quick slide into his palm.

Annette, who had been standing and staring dumbfounded as Eric destroyed the thugs who were several sizes bigger than him, caught sight of the cutlery flashing into his hand. She immediately knew that he was about to take the reckless violence to a deadly level.

One moment, she was staring with a frightened look as Eric ducked the big man's punch and dropped low with the knife in his hand. The next moment, the look on her face turned horrified as the blade sank deep into the man's knee joint. Eric then swung a kick at the big man's other leg, knocking it out from under him to throw his body off balance, and she gasped to the sickening sound of the damaged knee joint cracking under the man's heavy weight.

The big man bellowed an agonizing groan, and his entire body wobbled as he tried to support himself on one leg. Eric immediately grabbed the man by his jacket, stunned him with a headbutt that weakened his last footing to the ground, then propelled his body as he was collapse to the ground, and rerouted his destination towards the garbage truck with a leg kick that added more momentum to the fall.

"Oh lord!" Annette exclaimed when the big man landed head first against the steel frame of the truck with a violent thud. She then covered her mouth with wide eyes staring at the trail of blood he left as his body slided from the body of the garbage vehicle and collapsed heavily on the ground.

Eric was already going through the pockets of the big man's unconscious partner.