MY TREASURED DESIRE

Chapter THIRTY-NINE: The Don of Middleville!

Thursday. 10:00 am Local Time (2.00 am, GMT or UTC.)

The A.S.S.S. Secretariat, Imperial Palace, Achaia.

23 Days Before the Proposed Traditional Marriage Between Alexa and Reynold.

Adewale King’s Report!

At the Drawing Table, (The Situation Room) a place where intelligence brainstorming usually takes place at the Achaian Special Secret Service, The Military Intelligence Colonel, Adewale King briefed his boss on the secret scoops. He had also worked on some clues, where he saw danger ahead. General Raymond Chang appreciated the efforts of his team at the Wednesday outing, and continued:

“…Teammates, the spinal cord disorder that involved the diplomat has been successfully fixed at the neurosurgical theatre at A.R.S.H. The Hospital’s Team of Surgeons were so happy that they invited the engaged-to-be-married couple of neurosurgeons - Dr. Alex George-Orji and Dr. Reese Chang - whose partnership foiled the underworld kingpins’ onslaught on the life of an international figure… I must re-echo the fact that the A.S.S.S. Team also performed gallantly. Colonel Johnson Allen, I found out that the backup assassin that you defeated at the Theatre was, actually, the stronger of the two… There is a kingpin whose team works like that. They send two strong assassins in an ambush situation with the weaker being the main man, and the stronger being the finisher…”

I nodded and added, “The Contractor!”

While Colonel John Doe made a thumbs-up sign, other members of the Team – the combatants - looked amazed. The General nodded that I should continue. So, I did.

“Some call the leader, the GHOST - for no one knows his identity. This includes his assassins and workers. He has neither friends nor enemies, hence, the Police address him as a Contractor. He has his own henchmen and a distinct mode of operation. If he strikes, the Police had reported, it was on behalf of a known Cartel.”

“By what name is the group addressed… the Contractors?” Colonel Michelle asked? And I promptly answered, “No, Ma’am! The group has no name that we know of. We give them names by their pattern of operations,” and I continued:

“Their boss has no leisure activities for which he is known, but his team is vicious: His team members know themselves and work together, delivering nothing to their boss by getting their pays from the cartels that hire their boss! Some fellow underworld kingpins fear him and fearfully address him as the ‘Bigger Boss’. But everyone knows that Master Alex Yuan, the Casino Cartel’s Big Boss - that traitor who was a former Minister of Solid Minerals in Achaia - is dead and gone forever! But some people – very few in the Asian Intelligence quarters – call the guy ‘Don of Middleville’. That seems appropriate due to the pattern of their strikes.”

“Can you tell us about the so-called pattern?” Colonel Spinks Gunn requested.

John Doe offered to continue from here: “They have struck in almost all the nations in Eurasia Continents. They are vicious and more like bloodsuckers… However, records show that they are secretive, and their cases have one thing or the other to do with Middleville – never against the sitting Commander-in-Chief, though.”

I urgently added to what my colleague in Military Intelligence had said: “I needed to sound a note of warning here, Boss – We must summon your sister, and her fiancée just to inform them that they are targets. The Don of Middleville is not used to losses. Those two men were their best fighters… Of course, they cannot go after members of the A.S.S.S. Since Dr. Reese Chang had routed the Middleville Cabal more than once, they already have a dossier on the man who won her heart. The prominent family of Middleville wanted her… Ambassador Jon Cheng Yu’s treasonable felony or death had not quenched their desire… The Press hypes exonerated the Monarch when the dissidents perished, now ‘the wise’ can read between the lines!

“That is correct, Wally!” My boss agreed, reached for his phone, and called Dr. Reese, who was still in the Palace with the fiancée… Four minutes after, the couple entered into the Situation Room…

***

Thursday. 11:00 am Local Time (3.00 am, GMT or UTC.)

Princess Reese’s Suite, Imperial Palace, Achaia.

23 Days Before the Proposed Traditional Marriage Between Alexa and Reynold.

Dr. Alex George-Orji’s Notion.

“Oh, you are extremely beautiful, Reese… If not because you had made me promise that we should have less of the paparazzi with your traditional wedding… I could have made everyone to stand spellbound…” Dr. Alex George-Orji said with total admiration. “Gorgeous, My Angel.”

“You…? I wanted a totally low-keyed engagement, but you brought a gift worth $5,000,000= and appeared without notice with your parents and siblings!” Reese rolled her eyes and fondly returned the seductive glare!

“We kept it away from everybody still, Reese… But that is because I wanted to have you to myself, immediately we leave the Empowerment gala… I made it,” Dr. Alex said excitedly, laughing.

Reese ignored the laughing man and returned to the matter at hand, saying, “What venue did you say you found for our date? Please, stop undressing me with your eyes, so that the virginity I had kept for you would be meaningful after our wedding,” she teased. The two of them laughed gently and took a dash into her stately Bentley. Her driver opened the backseat doors, and the two lovebirds hopped behind the backseats.

“Zyuganov Imperial Restaurant in New Beijing, please,” Prince Alex Junior informed the chauffeur. Then, he turned to Reese, and said, “You will have a great time today.”

“Oh, that is one of the classiest restaurants in Achaia… Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press are always lurking around to disturb the popular faces there,” she said cautiously.

***

Thursday. 1:00 pm Local Time (5.00 am, GMT or UTC.)

Zyuganov Imperial Restaurant, New Beijing, Achaia.

23 Days Before the Proposed Traditional Marriage Between Alexa and Reynold.

We were warmly received by the Restaurant Protocols as we drove to the second inner gate – at the Car Park. Reese, Chu (our Chauffeur), and I were adorned with tiny, golden garlands as we were led into the Restaurant, which resembled a royal ballroom in lavish decoration. Then two ushers moved Mr. Chu to a classy seat overlooking our reserved table that was about 24 feet away from him. Our table was so beautifully decorated. And a chef bowed before Reese and me, as we got comfortably seated.

“I am your chef - Chu Leonard Wu – Your Highnesses, Sir Dr. Alex, and Princess Dr. Reese,” the handsome chef said in Queen’s English – and with a broad smile. Without planning, Reese and I stood respectfully and bowed to him. He looks as old as our uncles’ agemates should be. And he is the Star Chef of the 7-Star Russian Restaurant. “You are my esteemed VVIP Guests - Your Highnesses, and I am overwhelmed by your humility!”

We sat, and watched our Chef tap his fingers… A classical ballad seeped sonorously across the Victorian magnificent hall, where only a few couples were well-spaced from other couples and eating with such high graces. Then, our Chef said, “You have pre-ordered. Peradventure you want a change of delicacy…” He stretched his hand to his right and a butler gave him a Menu Card…

“Sir, carry on with the old order, please,” Dr. Reese said with a smile. Then, The Butler carefully placed a Champagne bucket on our table… “This is with compliments from your personal chef here, Sir Alex Junior - with my honoured acclaim!” He bowed again, as he beckoned the butler to serve the couple…

In nutshell, we enjoyed our day and left the beautiful place at 2: 45 pm Achaian Local Time (7:45 am UTC.)

The Chauffeur finally swung the beautiful car to the New Beijing – Lagos Expressway, Achaia… about a 90-minutes drive to the Imperial Drive that leads to the palace. Suddenly, about 9 or 10 Ford Mustang Jeep sped past us and virtually blocked our vehicle’s thoroughfare. Some of the occupants of the set of Jeeps brought out automatic weapons and started shooting at our car. Two of the assailants were felled by their own bullets: a deflection from our bullet-proof car. So, one man commanded the black-suited gun-toting men to return their guns to the cars, as the victims have no back up.

At that same minute, a team of policemen arrived the scene, and the assailants had to shoot back at them since 5 of their men were quickly shot, and already lying in the pool of their own blood: no thanks to the daredevil policemen. In the commotion, Reese and I opened our doors and rolled out of the Bentley. Reese took on four men and subdued them in a few minutes. By that time, I had got the team leader to succumb under submission tactics… He did not want to lose his life, so he chanted…

“Please, run… We are sent… Our insurance fully paid for!”

“By whom?” I asked as the fight became heated all around us. “Get the Don, we have no answers…” That was all that the villain could say as he used himself as a human shield for the bullets that were aimed at me. He went cold, just as the two peons were executed by one of the policemen… I saw how Reese had saved the life of the Policeman who shot those assailants: She used all her strength to push one of her opponents before the policeman whose life was in danger. The assailant could not be saved alive, from his teammate’s clinical shot!

That saved police officer, while appreciating Reese’s bravery, told her that the underworld Contractors were after the princess of Achaia and her fiancée’s lives. “The A.S.S.S detailed our team to be their private eye on the two of you. Hence, we had the order to kill the enemies at sight. We have documents to prove that these are the Don of Middleville’s men! And no one knows him!”

As we thought that we had vanquished all the assailants, I felt a movement near our car. Then, I heard a solo gunshot and boom… The Bentley and other cars around it rocked at the impact and were instantly engulfed in an inferno… I grabbed Reese’s hand and jumped over the bridge railings: There is a sea beneath… In my mind, I feel that the Bad Boys are celebrating… Too bad? Policemen were stunned by their defeat… I heard Reese’s scream, but I felt deep darkness… “BOOM!” was the sound of another bomb…