Wounded

The game is on

    Lauren's POV:

After we finally escaped from MK and Nathan, we didn't know where to go. we were thinking, and then James had a place in hid mind. we went to an abandoned bank, it was locked. James looked for a thick steak and broke the lock. we stepped in it was so old. there was spider webs everywhere. "no need to worry here. no one comes to this run down place, you're safe here." James said after turning on the light. "you work for Nathan Huntington... and, then you double-cross him to help me out." I said and sat on a chair, James was standing in front of me.

"Something doesn't add up." 

"Didn't you arrive in Nathan Huntington's privet plane? with your arm around him. and, you also lied to him." James said. "logically speaking, if you can double-cross him, then why not me?" he added.

"Becoming Nathan's arm candy was just a mean for me to achieve my motives." I explained.

"Nathan Huntington was your means to achieve your goals. and, using this charade to kill Nathan Huntington is my goal." he said. 

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Our stories seems to be quite similar." he said. "some animal stole our only reason to live. and, as long as we don't kill them, we cannot rest in peace."

"Nathan took away your reason to live... I didn't understand." I said

"I... I lived in Canada, I'm a software engineer. my parents passed away when I was a kid. my younger sister, Lina. I loved her a lot, and she loved me, I thought once I settle down in Canada, then I'll call her here to live with me. but, before I could call her, she called me back."

       6 months ago, James POV:

"Who was it, Lina? who did this to you?" I asked her. she was breathing heavily while she was in a hospital bed. "Nathan...." she said. while her breath was getting heavier. "tell me Lina, tell me."

"Nathan Huntington." she said, and died.

       Present day...

"Nathan Huntington killed my sister. and as long as I don't see him dead, I can't rest in peace." James said with his watery eyes. 

"What kind of people are they? A night of fun for them can mean someone's life." I said with anger and disgust, I mean, how can someone be so scoundrel.

"And now, he must pay with his death." James looked back at me.

"If you want revenge, then why are you working with him? doesn't your blood boil around him?" I asked.

"Yes, it does. but I was gathering evidence against him. so that when I file a case against him... then no one can save him from a death sentence." he said.

"So you don't want to kill him yourself... you want to bring him to justice." I crossed my hand on my chest.

"I don't want his dirty blood on my hands." he said while looking away,

"And that's the difference between you and me... this is my revenge, nether the police or the law, I will kill them myself, I will kill these bastards." I said. with hunger of their blood.

"But how? I've been working with them for the past couple of months. even managed to gather evidence. everyday I stumble upon something new. but we have no clue about who or what powers are at play behind them." he said.

"So you only spent your time in research, that can be your method, not mine. I want to avenge my husband's death." I said and James sat down on the chair after placing his gun on the table beside him. 

"You don't want to think and just take revenge. and even though I've put a lot of thoughts into this, I still haven't done anything. Cleo, in some way I've to be like you... and, you've to be like be." he said with thinking face.

"Then what would you have done in if you were in my shoes?" I asked.

"Then I would've tried to find out why Steven has murdered. because there's always a reason behind every murder. and behind every reason there is a killer." he said.

"You're right... but if we want to find the motive behind Steven's murder, then how do we do it?" I asked.

"Cleo, you were telling me something about your old home." he said with thinking face

"Yes, but, what can we possibly find there?" I asked. 

"I believe if we ever going to find anything, it'll be back there."

We went to my old home but there was yellowfins tape around it. "this is a police seal, we cannot break it." I said.

"I know, but we must open this lock somehow." James said.

"One second, I think... Steven and I hid an emergency key in this spot. we opened the door and stepped in. the flashbacks with Steven were hitting me immediately. but I should be more focus on my motive. we were going upstairs, but James stoped and asked. "Cleo, is there any place around here... where Steven keeps his office fils?" 

I didn't hear him I just continuing going upstairs I was getting emotional and thinking about me and Steven's first night in this home. I started to think about what can I find here. I was walking around and looking at the coach where me and Steven sat and talked and flirted with each other. I was thinking about his words. Steven always talks in riddles, I couldn't understand a word. I went to my room and stared at the bed crying silently, and breathing heavily. 

"Cleo? Cleo?" I heard James calling me. "yes." I wiped my tears off and went to him. "he was downstairs, looking at some files besides Steven's computer. 

"Is this Steven's computer?" James asked.

"Yes" I replied. "let me check." he said and sat on the chair and started checking the computer. I went down to him immediately. and stood besides him. 

"Something is strange." James said.

"What?" I asked. "I mean with day did Steven meet with the accident?" he asked.

"23rd March, why?" I wondered. 

"And 23rd March, someone deleted dome files from this computer. not someone, I think Steven did it himself." James said. 

"But why would he do that?" I asked. 

"That's what we need to find out."

"But how will you find out, the fils have been deleted?" I said. 

"Yes, but there's a way to retrieve the data, just give me a minute." I said sure and James started to do something on the computer. I went and sat down on the edge of the couch, and waited.

"WOW!" I said surprisedly while James were retrieving the data.

"Wow is just right, this is weirder." he said while looking at the computer. 

"Weird?" I said. "these records shows that Steven used to import heavy machinery." James said and my eyes waded open. 

"But what's strange is that he had only one client. Stone Industries."

"Stone Industries? I don't know anything about it."I said.

"I can make sense of this, but still... just a second... three years ago Steven imported machines from France for 2 million dollars for Stone Industries. and then last year, he imported machinery worth  million dollars for Stone Industries again... from china. WOW! sweet."

"Sweet?" I said with seriously face. "15 million dollars..... 15 million dollars with of machinery has been imported Liban Mechanica, Germany.... the machinery has been received on 1st March at the New York port. and on the 23rd Steven met with an accident... you know what, there's something wrong with this deal. there's defiantly something here that doesn't fit." he said

"Wrong? machine were purchased, machine were received. what's wrong with that?" I asked.

"There's, just a minute." he said.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm trying to find out about this company, Liban Machanica... Alexander Place... Ber... what the hell, but... there's just a petrol pump at this company's address." he said. "what?" I said looking surprised. "exactly." James said. 

"That means Cleo, it's a bloody paper company, it's a fraud. Steven was sending money to a company..." he was saying and I cut him off. "but just a minute. the machines were received. maybe the company's address is wrong." I said. 

"Just a minute... every public limited company submits a ROC along with its expenditures. let me try getting... yes... Stone Industries... has received heavy machinery from Germany for their Panvel Fertilizer plant." he said. 

"So this machinery is at Panvel." I said. "correct." James said. 

"Then, first we need to go to Panvel , to find whether this same 15 million worth machinery... for which Steven died." I said. 

"Yeah, let's go." he said and we headed to Panvel. there was like a small cabin but it was locked, James was looking around to find something to break the lock he took a heavy irony stick and brock the lock. it looked like an old abandoned place. "there's nothing in here." I said. 

"I think you didn't see properly." he said while walking toward the machines that I didn't noticed when I stepped in.

"What the hell." I said while walking toward the machines.

"These machines? this is a total fraud, James." I said and James took his phone out and started to take pictures of the machines. 

"No one's going to pay a penny for these machines." I said while pointing at the machines. it was old broken machines, I was shock I mean how could someone steal million of dollars like that?

"Exactly, it's a huge scam" James said. "and that's why they killed Steven.... James, since this is such a huge scam... then I'm sure it has Stone Industry's approval." I said and James looked at me. 

"Not approval, Emily... this is has been done for Stone Industries, for the benefit of Stone Industries. Cleo we have got enough proof over here, we can go to the police." James suggested. I didn't liked the idea since the police were looking for me cuz I killed the ACP.

"Okay, I admit the police won't help us, but the media will." James said 

"No James, the police and media ar our trump cards... which we should use when we are out of options, if we use them now, then we'll have nothing for leverage against Emily Stone." I said.

                          ( A little note Emily Stone is the owner of Stone Industries.)

"You're right." James nodded his head. 

I called to Holy Trinity hospital. "

 "hello United America, how may I help you?" the receptionist said.

"get your CEO on the line." I said. "who is calling?" she asked. "I'm someone who can save her company from shutting down. and, you have 3 seconds to connect me to her." I said.

"Hold on a moment please" the lady in the phone said. "Hello, CEO office" the other girl said after it connected to the CEO floor. 

"Give the phone to the CEO" I said. "ma'am is busy is there a message for her?" she said. "Sure, tell her the 15 million dollar she earned my making the government fool, I know about it, and also tell her that the old washing machines are not worth 15 million dollars" I said

"Hello ma'am, one second, just a moment" she said and I waited. I put the phone on the speaker. 

"Hello?" she asked. "miss Sara" I said. "who is talking?" she asked. "who is talking is not important, what I am saying is more important." I said. "Say what you want" she said. "Did you know? there is nothing such as Stone industries? did you also know, in this address there is a petrol station from ages?" I said

"Holly Trinity Hospital, 6th floor, 5 pm, don't be late" she said and hung up the phone.

"You have to be careful, you are going to put your hands in a snake mouth" James said

"There is one way to kill this snake, we have to get it out of the cage" I said