Revenge Of The Lost Family

967 Million $

967 Million $ 9th of November, 2015.

" I don't think I deserve it, " Azriel muttered glumly.

" Well, I think otherwise, " Mr. Rovner said, pushing his square-shaped spectacles up his nose with his index finger.

Mr. Rovner was in his late fifties, most of his hair had decided to go from this world before Mr. Rovner did. The remaining ones were just a little patch of grey on his head.

" Many people at the Police Department have a different opinion. They think I got hold of these drug mafias by sheer luck. Maybe I don't deserve all this, " Azriel said, looking unusually confused and a little disappointed. Azriel was a 26-year-old Detective at the San Francisco Police Department. You could always see him putting up wide smiles on his square-shaped face, no matter what the situation might be. He had short black hair and deep blue eyes, that went perfectly with his thin-lipped grin and sharp nose!

" Azriel, people will always try to pull you down, but what matters is that how much higher you decide to rise despite their efforts. " Mr. Rovner said, pointing at him. Azriel's mom entered the drawing-room and sat next to him, shoving aside her blonde hair with one hand. A proud mother, probably the proudest at the moment in the whole of the U.S.

" Your dad's right. You deserve it, son. And no matter what anyone says, we are proud of you, and so is Carmel. " She said, trying to lift his spirits. They had a habit of seeing him in a jolly mood every day, and he deserved to be happy because of what he had achieved.

Azriel spread himself upon the couch, and his dad picked up the TV remote, " I'm going to bang this thing on your head if you have any more negative thoughts now! " They stared at Mr. Rovner who looked dead serious, then after a moment they all started to laugh.

Detective Rovner went to sleep that night with only a few thoughts encircling his mind.

' Tomorrow's session '

He picked up his mobile phone, and a text message appeared on the screen.

' Will be working during late hours, Goodnight, Love you!

It was from Carmel.

' Love you ', he replied and put down his phone. Even before he could close his eyes, images from recent events in his life started to flash before his eyes.

10th of November, 2015.

Azriel woke up next morning with a slightly heavy head. He couldn't sleep comfortably all night. Sitting there for a moment on his bed, half-naked, he sighed, scratching his hair.

" Breakfast's ready! " His mom called from the kitchen.

He picked up his phone and saw a text on the screen. " 9:15 Am - Worked all night to finish this painting. See you today, Good luck! "

There was also a picture with the message. It was a canvas, beautifully painted with acrylic colors. A fire burnt in the shades of yellow, orange, red, and blue, and amidst the flames was a girl painted in all black, sitting cross-legged and pointing at the stars in the night sky painted above the fire.

And next to the canvas stood she, Carmel. Her back was turned towards the camera, and only her messed up brown hair was visible in the picture. Whenever Azriel visited Carmel's place, he used to be awestruck by the stunning art pieces created by her. They were her treasure created by her own self.

" Azriel! " His mom called out again, and he was off to the kitchen. His mom and dad were already seated at the dining table, Mr. Rovner held a newspaper in his hands, and was grinning at a picture in it, carefully reading each and every word written under the headline.

" It's almost 10, we have to reach there by 11:30! " Mrs. Rovner urged, putting two glasses on the table.

" We'll be on time, " Azriel muttered carelessly. His plate was filled with an omelet, and next to it was a glass filled with orange juice.

" Did you talk to Carmel? How's she? Is she coming today? " She enquired.

" Yef , she wood be comin' tofay " Azriel spoke with a mouthful of an omelet.

" She damn well should! " Mr. Rovner banged the newspaper on the table, and turned it around for the two of them to see it, " Look, you're on the third page of the newspaper, man! " He laughed triumphantly.

Azriel's reaction didn't change much, there was his picture in the newspaper, only his upper body was in it. He was smiling widely, like always.

" Yeah, the Francisco News- Quarters called me yesterday to inform about this article. " He said lazily.

" We must get used to it now, mustn't we? " Mr. Rovner beamed.

" Yeah, and after some days, my wife-to-be shall make occasional appearances in the newspapers as well!" He winked and ate some more.

*

It was 11, time to go!

Azriel stood before the dressing table and looked at his reflection, when Mrs. Rovner appeared from behind, giving him an irritated look.

" I told you to wear a black blazer, why have you put on the blue one? "

" Because that matches the color of my eyes! " He said.

" Well, the black one would've gone well with your hair! " His mom said flatly.

He stared at himself in the mirror, rehearsing his speech. His hands moved about as if he was talking to someone. He had clearly forgotten all the lines that he had memorized, and he'd make a fool of himself before the entire city today!

Within a few more minutes, the Rovner family was ready to leave. They had all dressed up in their best possible outfits, due to the media coverage that was about to be at the venue.

" I'll drive! " Mr. Rovner called out to Azriel, who was about to get on to the driving seat of their black Range Rover. The car shone in the sunlight, Mr. Rovner had been washing it that very morning, wiping away every spot of dirt.

"But why?"

" I want them to record me while I make an impressive exit from the Rover, kid! " His dad boomed. Azriel chuckled and got on to the backseat with his mom.

As the car zoomed out of the driveway, and then onto the road, Azriel started flipping his phone between his fingers. His hands shivered and he tried to avoid the lurching in his stomach.

" You need to relax," His mom said, holding his hand. " You've done a heroic deed, Azriel, and everyone in the city is damn proud of you. " She assured him.

He smiled, but he was still hesitant. Never had he ever faced such a huge press conference before. It was at the mayor's house, inviting many special guests from all over the city, along with several news reporters. To choose the Mayor's house as the best place for the conference was actually a publicity stunt, to give people further assurance that even the mayor is so comfortable when Detective Azriel is around. The drug mafias had created an environment of panic in the city and that needed to be removed now.

Mr. Rovner pulled the Rover into the driveway of the Mayor Mansion which was decorated with a red carpet and tall flower vases on both sides. News reports and cameramen stood on either side of the carpet to cover the biggest news of today and telecast it on their channels, the " Hero of San Francisco "

" We were supposed to park the car outside, dad " Azriel reminded.

" I know, I purposely brought the car in! " Mr. Rovner said and opened the door to a crowd of journalists, flashing camera lights and mics, then stepped out on the red carpet in style and slammed the door shut behind him.

" Mr. Rovner! What have you got to say about the heroic deed of your son? " Someone urged.

" My son did what any other responsible cop needed to do. He has saved the city from a great threat. I'm proud of Detective Rovner, and I always knew he'd do something memorable for justice! " Mr. Rovner announced.

Journalists began surrounding Azriel, who just kept on walking towards the lawn area with his mom, avoiding every camera, every mic, and every question. Mr. Rovner then followed them behind. The reporters were not allowed to go into the reserved area of the lawn, which was " reserved " for the guests.

Circular tables were spread out with some chairs around them. The tables were decorated with plain white table cloths beneath little flower vases. The Rovner family occupied a table nearest to the stage that was set up at the end of the lawn.

Soon all the other guests filled in. The stage had a podium with a single mic. The news reporters gathered around the lawn to cover the entry of the second most important person amongst them.

Mrs. Athena Williams, the mayor of the city walked in, surrounded by four bodyguards in black outfits. She dressed herself in a red blazer and red trousers. She had blonde hair and green eyes. Athena put up a most professional smile on her face when she walked up to the Rovner family.

" Detective Rovner, welcome to the Mayor Mansion! " She greeted and shook hands with him.

" Thank you, ma'am, it is an honor. " Azriel smiled.

" No, sir, it is an honor for me to meet the rescuer of San Francisco in person! " Athena grinned.

As soon as they all got seated, a middle-aged man wearing rectangular spectacles climbed the stage and stood behind the podium. The mic was turned on, and his voice boomed on the speakers.

" A very good day, civilians of San Francisco! My name is Edmund Richards and we are at the Mayor Mansion. I would like to address honorable Mrs. Athena Williams, who gave her valuable time and attended this conference. It would not be very wise of me to speak much when the stage today belongs completely to the important personalities present amongst us, dear people, give us a huge round of Applause for Mrs. Athena Williams, the honorable mayor of San Francisco, who shall take over from here. "

Edmund stepped aside and Athena made her way up to the stage. She smiled and waved at the eager audience. As soon as she stood behind the podium, flashes of cameras surrounded her.

" Thank you, Edmund, but today, it is not me who deserves these applauds. It is someone who has rescued this city from a threat to its people, " She gave a pause, and smiled widely at the audience, " He is none other, than the brave, Detective Azriel Rovner, who heroically tracked down the whereabouts of no less than three-drug mafias and their hideouts. He made a mind-blowing plan to carry out an operation, to block all the hideouts at the same time. Each and every gangster and drug peddler was dumbfounded by the sudden movement of the cops into their ratholes. The operation was carried out successfully and no less than 56 drug peddlers died in this operation who tried to revolt against the police. 117 people were arrested from these hideouts.

Drugs worth 967 million dollars were evacuated in this operation, along with lots of illegal weapons. And all the credit goes to a man who sits amongst us today - Detective Azriel! " She ended and motioned for him to come up. The audience applauded even harder this time, and so did Mrs. Athena.

Azriel stood up and walked towards the stage and as soon as he did that, someone entered the lawn wearing a white middie and white heels. Her beautiful brown hair ran down her back, and her fair skin glowed in the sun. She took Azriel's seat, next to his dad, who was delighted to see her.

" Did I miss something? " Asked Carmel.

" Yeah, the boring speech of the Mayor, you're just in time, " Mr. Rovner whispered and pointed at the stage. Behind the podium he stood, hiding his nervousness. It all didn't seem so difficult after all. They were just normal citizens of San Francisco waiting to hear about the incidents directly from him. That was it!

Amongst the crowd, he dropped a short gaze at his parents, and then at Carmel, the cute, chubby girl, who was so proud of him. She smiled widely and gave him a thumbs up!

" My greetings to the people of San Francisco, " his voice through the speakers fell over the eager ears, " Thank you, Mrs. Athena, for such a kind appraisal. " His calm voice started to gather everybody's attention. There was pin-drop silence now.

" As a teenager, I saw many of my friends turn to those sides. They chose the easy way to get power and money. Drug mafias spread their business through us all, not caring about our lives but only about their money.

When I was 19, my friend, Nichole, started doing drugs. He used to steal money from his parents, and then from his neighbors to satisfy his hunger for this poison that was killing him slowly, " He swallowed, "I tried to make him understand, tried to convince him to come to the right path. But he failed. " Azriel gave a pause and looked firmly at the mic, " I failed. "

" On the 27th of October, amongst the 57 drug peddlers who were killed by the police, we found the dead body of Nichole.

My friend was forever gone, because of the curse that this city has had for so many years. Everything that I did, was just to save each and every kid, each and every family and - each and every friend of ours from killing themselves in such a miserable way. You mustn't thank me, because it was my duty to do so, and I will continue to do the same until I no longer breathe. Thank you! "

Azriel said and stepped down. Everyone clapped hard for him.

' The youth sensation of San Francisco ' Carmel came forth and put her arms around him. A wide smile crossed her face. The news reporters couldn't miss this, and a sudden diversion of cameras and flashes fell upon them and they completely ignored.

" You're late! " He complained.

" Yeah, but not too late, I guess? " Carmel grinned.

" You were here just in time, " Azriel smiled.

They stared into each other's eyes, while Mr. and Mrs. Rovner admired them from a distance, and the photographers didn't miss a chance to capture this moment.

" They'll kiss! " Mrs. Rovner exclaimed.

" They won't, Azriel's too shy! " Mr. Rovner chuckled.

" Bet you, they will! " Mrs. Rovner eyed her husband angrily.

Someone politely called, " Detective Rovner, the commissioner wants to have a word. " Azriel turned around at this. It was a police officer.

" Wait for me with mum and dad, I'll be back. " He told Carmel, she nodded in response.

*

The commissioner was waiting for Azriel in the backyard of the Mayor Mansion. He was a man in his late fifties, he had sand-colored hair and mustaches, small black eyes dug deep into the skull. He was in his most favorite formal suit - the black one. His name was Commissioner David Stephens.

" Commissioner " Azriel beamed, shaking hands with him.

" Detective! Congratulations on such a wide media coverage for your service, man," David said.

" Thank you, sir. But I didn't do anything for such rewards. It was our duty and I merely carried it out. I'm grateful that they've given me a fancy stage to speak up and reassure the people of this city that everything is fine now, " He sighed.

" Mm-hmm. Nice suit, Detective, where'd you buy it from? " David asked, eyeing him sardonically.

" London, sir, I went there 7 months ago for a case and my eyes fell upon it, " He smiled widely like a kid.

That was the thing about Azriel, as mature as he was, he still had a child's likes and dislikes, a kid's behavior, and an even more natural and pure smile.

" Ahan! Well, I've called you here to inform you about something, " David said, looking at the fenced boundary wall.

" What is it, sir? "

" The authorities have decided to immediately send you to Los Angeles, detective. " David told him and pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket.

" Los Angeles? But why sir? " Azriel asked.

" There have been three murders in Los Angeles in the past two weeks. The killer has not yet been arrested, and things are getting worse. The police have no clue what to do next and since you've been in the news lately, the L.A. Police department believes that they could get some outside help in this case. " David handed the envelope to Azriel.

" This is a serious concern. Eleven people are still in danger. But sir, what if I don't want to go? "

" Azriel, you know I'm not asking you. " David looked him in the eyes for a moment, then they both laughed.

*

It was almost evening. The sun had started to hide behind the tall buildings, leaving the sky in a dark shade of orange. Mr. and Mrs. Rovner had already left for home in their Range Rover, while Carmel and Azriel had went together in Carmel's Toyota.

" So how do you feel now? You were so nervous about it and it wasn't a big deal at all, was it? " Carmel asked him while she drove the car on the highway.

" It wasn't, honestly, I was worrying too much. "

" I told you so. " she smiled.

" You should've looked at Athena's face when the audience clapped even harder for me, " They both laughed.

" You know, your mum and dad were betting if we would kiss after your speech or not, " Carmel told him, suppressing a laugh.

" Really? What did dad bet on? "

She laughed at first, almost losing control of the starring wheel.

" What? " Azriel started to imagine some embarrassing things that his dad must've said in front of Carmel, and that brought a foolish grin to his face.

" He said you won't kiss cause you're too shy to do that! " She told him, controlling her laughter.

" Oh, dad! " Azriel sighed and pushed himself hard against the seat. A thought striked Carmel's mind, she stopped the car and got out. " Come, " She said to him.

Azriel removed the seat belt and pushed the door, " What is it? "

" Nothing, I just wanted to stop here. Why did the commissioner call for you? Was it something urgent? "

" Yes, Carmel. Thing is, they're sending me to Los Angeles. There's some maniac out there who's murdered three people. The police have no lead to the criminal and they want me to go there and solve the case for them. " Azriel told her. She had crossed her arms and was hearing attentively.

" And are you going to Los Angeles "

" I don't really have a choice. They haven't given me one. Nevertheless, it is my duty to go there. " He said and looked her in the eyes. She came forth and wrapped her arms around him, making her floral cologne fill him up.

" You've narrowly escaped death a few days ago, Azriel, and you still have to go and risk your life..." She whispered. They stayed like that for a while and everything seemed to be a blur. The zooming cars and the noises seemed to have disappeared. Azriel put both his hands on her waist. " My dad was right, I'm shy! " He gave a short laugh.

" You are, but I'm not." She put her fingers around his neck and gently kissed him. Azriel closed his eyes and felt his heartbeat increase. A sudden warmth filled his stomach like butterflies and

They got back into the car awkwardly and drove it into the city.

" I'm hungry," Carmel said.

" Italian or Chinese? " Asked Azriel, both were her favorites. She thought for a moment and then said, " Chinese! "

The Toyota was driven to one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in the city. They parked the car in the lot and walked towards the glass doors that opened themselves on their arrival. The place was crowded with families, circular tables occupied with menu cards, napkins, and Chinese cuisines of several sorts. Azriel spotted an empty table at the right side of the restaurant, and they seated themselves there.

The interior of this place was decorated with orangish lamps on the walls. Everything in here soothed the visitors due to its calm ambiance, and less-radiant colors.

While Azriel and Carmel went through the contents of the menu, they noticed several eyes staring at them.

Clearly, they had been watching the news that morning. They whispered in low voices, spoke with a hand in front of their mouths and smiled, but none came forward to say anything.

Carmel ordered hot n sour soup for both of them as a starter, followed by sweet and sour chicken with wine. Again - her favorite!

They talked, they laughed, ignoring the eyes that were watching them. They divided the bill and walked out of the restaurant towards the parking lot. Carmel drove the car to her place. It was a three-story bungalow- as wide as a mini football ground!