Chapter Six
1998 Words
The strong aroma of a good meal filled the air when I arrived at the restaurant where Charles was meant to meet up with Hanna.
I took a good spot where I could see all that was going on. In my hand was a camera I bought from a shop down the street.
The waiter had approached me twice asking for my order, but I kept turning him down lying that I would place my order when my date arrives. I was rich and could order literally anything I wanted, but I didn’t want to get distracted now.
Charles walked in an hour later, Hanna behind him. While a guard walked behind them. I looked at her face, she was scared, as if she had been forced to the date.
The waiter came to their table asking them what they would like to order. Charles placed his order and the waiter turned to Hanna for hers.
“Do you have a phone?” she asked.
The waiter looked confused. “Sorry ma'am, we don’t give phones to guests, you could get one down the street,” he said.
“Okay, okay, talk time is over, place your order, or I will do it myself,” Charles commanded.
“I don’t want to eat, I don't want anything from you,” she said, trying to stand up, but the guard standing behind her pushed her back to her seat.
“Sorry, is everything okay? I could call the manager, if you need that,” the waiter asked, noticing the tension.
“No, we are fine, we are just getting to know each other, right baby?” he asked, turning his gaze to Hanna. She didn’t say a word, just looking away. “Yeah, just get us our orders,” he said calmly.
The waiter left. Charles turned to her, their eyes met. “Don’t do that again, we will go on with this date, and next week we are getting married.” He laughed and the guards behind also joined.
I froze. Why was he getting married to her? What happened to Jennifer? Wasn’t he into her at the house the other night?
He took out a ring from his pocket. Hanna hid her hand from him, but the guard forced it out. Charles put the ring on her finger.
“Yes, that is it, we are officially engaged.” He laughed. He stood up from the chair and shouted. “I am getting married everybody, all of you are invited, all bills tonight are on me.”
Everyone in the room cheered. Some stood up from their seats and shook hands with him, congratulating him.
Charles sat down in his seat. The waiter returned with their food on a tray.
"Good food,” he said, placing his face closer to the tray.
“I want to use the restroom,” Hanna said. Her face was covered in sweat.
“We are about eating, can’t that wait?” Charles asked calmly.
She shook her head. Charles looked at the guard standing behind her. Waved his finger in the air as a sign.
“Okay, don’t keep me waiting, the food won’t stay hot forever.”
She stood up immediately and rushed to the restroom while the guard followed her behind.
I stood up immediately. This was my chance to get Hanna out of here. I cover my face so that he won’t notice me. Followed the direction they went. Found the guard standing at the door.
“Hey, you can’t be here,” he said, raising one of his hands up and placing the other on his gun.”
I walked slowly towards him. “Oh sorry, I am the chief of security, and I am checking on—“
I grabbed his wrist and twisted his finger hard, he shouted. He took out his gun with the other hand, but I knocked it off with my knee before he could pull the trigger. I nodded his forehead immediately, and he fell on the ground, looking unconscious.
I dragged him to the side of the restroom. A spot no one would find immediately.
The restroom door finally opened. Hanna startled at the sight of me.
“What are you doing here, Mr...”
“Sam,” I said, recalling not telling who I was when we first met.
She looked around and found the guard's legs.
“If you are looking for your bodyguard, well he is having a quiet nap.”
“Oh did you...,” she paused.
“We need to get out of here before anyone finds out. Let's use the back,” I said, leading the way.
She followed. We walked through the kitchen door and then through the trash room. Finally, we are on the road.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Somewhere safe,” I replied, not looking at her. There was no time.
I drove off immediately. We arrived at an apartment, a property I recently bought a week ago.
“We are here,” I said, pulling out a pistol from the dashboard.
“Is this your safe house?” She asked, looking at the building. It looked old and strange, like it was chasing us away.
“Yes, get in,” I opened the door. “We will be safe here for a while.”
The light shined when we entered the room.
“Not bad,” she said, looking around.
“Your Room on the right. Go settle down and meet me at ten hundred,” I said, not smiling.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You're acting differently.”
“Am not playing games, Hanna, if you want to survive you need to obey.” I left her and walked into my room on the right, shut the door behind me, and I looked at the CCTV camera placed outside. It was quiet and empty.
My phone rang, I picked it up. It was the man I met in the cafeteria earlier today.
“Where are you?” he said.
“In a safe place. Hanna is with me,” I replied. My voice sounded strong.
“You took Hanna with you?” he asked.
“Yes I have to, you don't expect me to leave her with him.”
“You just compromised the mission,” he said. “Charles will be on to you soon.”
I stood up from the bed. “How did he find us?”
“She was wearing a ring on her finger. My intel told me that the ring had a tracking device on it. Check the diamond on it.”
I rushed to Hanna's room and pushed the door open.
I found her trying to undress. “Hey, can’t you knock,”
“We need to go, they found us,” I said immediately, pulling out a few clothes from the wardrobe.
“But how, you say it was safe here.”
“Indeed it was, until your little diamond ring gave us up.”
She immediately took out the piece from her finger, threw it on the bed.
“What are we going to do now?” she asked, panicking.
“I don’t know what I do know is we should leave here before he gets here.”
We both walked out of the room and then to the car. Drove off immediately.
I looked at the side mirror, noticed a black Jeep that had been following us since we left the house.
I looked at Hanna, and she was leaning on the chair beside me. Her eyes closed.
“Hanna, Don’t panic, just lay still,” I said, picking up my pistol on the dashboard.
“What is going on?” She asked, looking at the back seat.
“Don’t turn. Just lay still. We are being followed,” I said, touching her on the shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay.”
I adjusted my rear mirror to get a better look at the car and the driver. I spotted two men in front and two at the back. I immediately twisted the steering wheel and the car entered a nearby street. I speed immediately. Still staring at the rear mirror. Find out if the car had followed us. But it didn’t. I exhaled.
“We lost them,” I said, tightening my hands on the steering wheel.
I took out my phone from my pocket, dialed the number of the guy who gave me intel.
“Hey, you are back again,” he said. “How did your date go?”
I sighed. “I got the Girl with me.”
“You did what? Man, you got to be kidding,” he jokingly said. Then paused when he sensed the seriousness in my tone. “Wait, you are serious, how did you do that, man? You should be some kind of Tom Cruise kind of guy.”
“We need a place to stay, do you have one?” I asked. He paused and didn’t reply immediately.
“Wait man, you rescued a girl and didn’t have an extraction plan?” he asked.
“I did, but it got compromised, just a place for night,” I pleaded, without showing it.
.
“Okay, I would just send you an address. Follow it, I will be waiting for you.”
He said calmly before I hung up the phone.
I drove to the address he sent me. Stopped at the spot. Hanna took out her seat belt and tried to step down. I stopped her.
“Wait here while I go take a look,” I said.
I stepped out of the car, looking around for any sign of the intel guy. Suddenly I heard a voice whispering before me.
“Over here, white boy.”
I found him poking his head out of the ground. I signaled to Hanna, and she stepped out of the car, and we walked to meet with him. He was in a tunnel. I helped her climb into it. Then I followed.
“Sorry for extracting you this way," he said. “This is the safest route.”
We walked through the dark tunnel. He held a torchlight in his hand.
We finally arrived at the compound, through a door.
“Wow, it is indeed more secure than that safe house of yours,” Hanna said laughing.
I sighed, ignoring how ungrateful she wasn’t.
“This way please,” he said, leading us to an entrance into his house.
The door opened. We walked in. It had a large living room and stairs that led upstairs.
“You can call me Jack Sparrow,” he said.
“Like Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies?” Hanna asked.
“Yes ma’am.” he replied.
“Is that your real name or your undercover name?” She asked again. At this point, I was tired of the question.
“Take us to our room,” I interrupted.
He led us to a large furnished room.
“Make yourselves at home, Sam. I want to show you something,” Jack said. We walked to his room. “Stand over here,” he said, then clicked on a button under his bed and the wall shifted to the right, displaying a room behind it. I walked into the secret room. Computers are everywhere.
“Welcome to my secret lab,” he laughed, feeling proud of himself.
He walked to the computer, clicked on several buttons, then an image displayed on the screen.
“Jennifer?” I said calmly when I saw her image on his screen.
“You knew her?” Jack asked.
“Ye-yeah from my past life.” My fists tighten. Seeing her now brought back the insult I once bear. She took what was mine and pushed me away. “What does she have to do with this?”
- Writer
