NOT A LONG WAY FROM THE HEART

CHAPTER 5 SKILLET III

“You could have been working a regular job, but no, you had to be aidin’ in a grindin’ business “, Skillet said to himself in a soliloquy. Remembering when his Father told him about making life choices and having to face them once the repercussions appear. Time right now isn't a friend of Skillet, leaving his fate hanging in the balance. Skillet has considered an escape plot and other options in less than an hour.

Nothing is stopping Amigo from finding out about what's happened to Skillet, which involves him being either in the captor's confinement or killed. What matters to Amigo is finding him just like Taniro and Fabio. Fabio suggested to Taniro, he should wait for the search findings of his brother. Beforehand, Fabio's pimp house eruption plan is also in the limelight which he has the luxury of following through as he isn't a part of the search team looking for Skillet.

“Yearning for some goodness” is Dexce's second name as that's the descry anyone caught on to, from hearing about the town and life there. This very opinion is one of the very, if not the only reason, why this placed at the top for a business extension to Fabio and co. Maybe it didn't matter so much. To Amigo if Skillet wasn't found at all because that's still a problem solved for him. Everyone has been placed on a notice in town about the search ongoing for Skillet. Skillet's captors are from a very savage tribe somewhere about the Dexce town, they were believed to have mostly gone extinct and their traditions along with, but those beliefs stand to be very much in touch with his captors as opposed to the former.

“I want it in hundreds of barrels”, Amigo to his boys, especially looking towards the one called, “It's us” as he says that. Amigo isn't pleased with his men's effort as he looks particularly to “it's us” as he urges them to pack in the shipments faster. “Good fella” is just a another new trouble in town which usually leads to someone losing a toe or more, this game comes at the end time of each year, a very primitive issue that has been well fed and sustained in the town, some see it as amusement which helps unburden their hefty minds.

Still waiting for a miracle, by God's hand it should appear and save him from this ordeal, Skillet's thoughts must have had a whole new embrace of what life path he should have walked in, like his late father told him some years ago. Bianca is looking all over the place for Fabio, she knows that this is the right time to slowly pace herself back into his confines but she can't find his whereabouts. Seeing as the people of Dexce like to celebrate as much they can. It was a new theme of a different jubilee, called “found hope” which is borne from the new changes and development in town which will make Dexce not only a place for covert activities but also a front with civilised, steady and a mapped out positive impact ongoing.

Just for a moment there Skillet has accepted his fate wholly, but rescue comes to aid, an intervention just in time which stomps holes into the captor's joy of having Skillet killed and skinned for meat. Amigo's men finally do a good job by finding Skillet dead or alive. Skillet so confused and relieved at the same time.

Interlude

They say one thing is certain in life and that's fate, but for Skillet it's luck.

Driven by the very face of death, Skillet is shocked of how quickly things have turned from disadvantage for him to a bright spot but not for long because Amigo's men were the ones who found him and in Amigo's hands he'll reach the same fate as he nearly did with his captors. One of the captors went out to get a few things they needed to sacrifice and sanctify the parts of Skillet as it's in their tradition to do so.

Amigo's men check the place for any survivors and upon departure they lit it on fire, of course, they were unaware of the fellow that went on an errand which Skillet himself is ignorant of. Many things in life don't make sense but if you believe it's worth it, like a bird that likes to soar knowing that one day it wings will grow weary but it doesn't drown in the misery of such a time to come ‘stead takes awe in the beauty of flight that it's been given, Fabio recalling a discussion he had with father when he was younger and his father would always tell him some stories that imparting in him to this day.

Bianca is telling Andrea of how she plots to take back Fabio and his love again. Andrea seemed a bit acquiesced to her intentions but warned her about the cons of her plan. Fabio still waiting for news on the whereabouts of Skillet, not knowing that Skillet has been found, moving from one ill fate to another which is very misfortunate considering he thought he just evaded death only to be taken by a keenly driven Amigo, who's so bent on putting him 6ft underground. Skillet is held in a secret room where Amigo comes in, saying “Adios, Skillet”.

Everything seems to work in the manner intended by Amigo, in fact even so perfectly so that he'll be able to create a cover story of finding Skillet dead with his severed body parts at the hands of the captors and left with no choice but to finish them off and burn up the place.

Despite what's going on with Skillet, his brother, Tanko is feeling very distraught about the situation, as he has always been suspecting the work his brother carried out for Fabio just as their father always thought it strange as well, though, his mind thought is also one formed in the back days. Tanko, in his desperation goes out to find Skillet and in so doing finds set of guns in a warehouse room which is to be shipped, without knowing it belonged to Fabio and his partners, but in the fear of believing it so, he took the matter to the office of the Sheriff in charge, thinking he is going to appreciated for his effort. Sadly, this sheriff was already bought for a good price, feeding any necessary information to his tipper, Amigo, seeming like two brothers fate lying in the hands of the unknown teacherous business partner of Fabio as the Chief sheriff knocks Taniro out of consciousness and ties him up with a clothe to his mouth and a wired rope to the hands.

Skillet still in much discussion with Amigo, though it's hardly a discussion and rather an interrogation of which the manner gives meaning to. Amigo gets message of Taniro’s development and smirks looking right at Skllet like a rat caught by a snake, Amigo says to him, “Know it's all your fault and now I've your brother too”, Skillet looking broken and in despair begs Amigo to do whatever he wishes to him but he shouldn't hurt his brother. Fabio unknown to him about what's going on with the Edwinton brothers, trying to secure another deal with some partners Bianca brought from her own scouring, she has always been of somewhat value to Fabio in one way or another apart from been his sister friend.

It seems Skillet time is up but Amigo is having doubts about granting Skillet his last and final wish of allowing his brother to live, he would rather see the both of them to their unfortunate end together. Amigo orders the Sheriff to bring Taniro over to the warehouse where he holds Skillet as his dire fate approaches still. Fabio just finally sealing the last piece of the bricking of the deal and thereby creating a new alliance in this mutually beneficial partnerships and been in good spirit as a result forgetting about Skillet and not to mention the least of Taniro for the meantime, a bit of a toast and more to celebrate the deal’s success is very much in place. Dexce is going through so much changes that the town is almost starting to resist the pace at which these developments are happening while at the same time it's appreciated and welcomed.

In no time the sheriff arrives with a sedated Taniro, almost poetic to see two brothers at the verge of meeting their demise at the hands of Amigo who wanted to only find one. Taniro, will be used as collateral damage as the whole servicing wasn't so hard for Amigo to piece in, after all Taniro was quite desperate about knowing his brother's whereabouts. If it's not the known drunk of the town, stalemate himself walking towards the very warehouse where the two brothers are about to meet their tragic ends, walking haphazardly like the drunk he is, shot into the roof of the warehouse, as the next bullets will be will be to Skillet's chest. In his drunken state, also making him a bit tranquil, Stalemate edges closer to the warehouse, his eyes and mind luckily awakened of some sort by the sound of release of fire arms, peeping through a whole he saw in the window of the warehouse, Skillet begging and attempting cut free is s**t in the chat twice just as his brother is awaking from his induced sleep to see his brother in cold blood, sadly. Stalemate awakening from his stupor state in a profounding manner as this, Taniro looking at his dead brother in anguish and tremendous fright as he looks to Amigo, who can see he has awoken, Amigo says to him, “ if you didn't go too close to the sun, my man, you wouldn't be here now, would you?”, finishing Taniro off, and leaving their bodies outside in a bag chopped to bits.

Bolita being unable to get her thoughts not thinking about Fabio, which has clearly proven abortive, at the same time can't say if it's really something worth giving mind to as it stands so vague a matter of love and lust. Everything going so merry in the aftermath of the deal brokered between Fabio and his newest partners nothing could be bothering him at such time to unless it's something of great cause, yet here is Fabio thinking of Bolita, the Dexterian School Teacher, who may have stolen his heart, just as his thoughts go scoring back to their last moment together and of how it ended, Bianca calls to him and asks for a dance and Fabio not entirely acquiesced agrees to her request and as they both danced, Bianca starts talking ‘bout how they used to be good together especizlly when they danced, as it turned it out to be that they were both each other shadows in a dance match and they are good at it.

One of Amigo's men comes to Fabio and whispers in his ear, Fabio immediately excuses himself from Bianca as something urgent requires his attention, he is taken the the warehouse where Amigo waits like he planned everything to tell Fabio of the scripted tragedy that has happened. Fabio getting there to see Amigo looking unhappy and asks “what's the matter”, Amigo outlays everything word for word as schemed by him, Fabio in shock and also feeling painted yelled “f**k” because he loved Skillet a brother and not to mention his input in the business operations which of course now the absence of such will be much felt especially as, Amigo is cunning playing a double agent type of game leaving one person with the truth of what happened to the Edwinton brothers, the most unlikely and incompetent witness of all, the master drunk of Dexce town, stalemate. Whom no one will ever believe whatever he says or even care to pay any mind to as it will be looked upon as nothing more than the words of drunkard. And himself knowing of the same and not caring much as to what he saw there in the warehouse.

Fabio's asked for findings to be made as to how Skillet could have possibly met thlse who captured him. Though Amigo tries to tell him it's of no worth now, he still insists as he vexes at Amigo for counteracting him about it. Fabio's leaves the warehouse in anger and goes back to his place as he couldn't stay any second further there, back in his room as he is seated, he rembeers his conversation with Skillet, when he promised him all but death and now he is nothing, if not dead. He knows Skillet to some degree knew fully well of the risk in this business even still, Fabio never expected it to come near him so easily as he isn't in the field with a gun. This definitely could've been the worse thing to happen to him and it is. Bianca comes to see Fabio and console him as she happens to know the importance and place, Skillet stood in Fabio's life, he asks to be left alone politely to Bianca, she leaves quite unhappy as her morive has quite being on a rough path.

Andrea, who is leaving tomorrow, comes and sympathizes with her brother, knowing of the deceasedimpeortance and meaning to Fabio. She spends a few minutes with him and leaves as she tends to prepare for her travel tomorrow. Amigo calls Fabio, to let him know that they are about to bury him having purchased a casket, Amigo buying it from his own pocket and not surprisingly so. Fabio arrives and says his last farewell and asks for forgiveness from the deceased. Skillet and his brother are buried side by side. This very tragedy makes Fabio once again cautious before he so abnormally wasn't since arriving Dexce. Asking his sister to go with two more bodyguards, she refuses as she already has three following her. Fabio sets out to meet Bolita, having not seen her for a while yet. Bianca prying on him after he asked her to give him some privacy and now he's out, so she's just curious to her surprise it's to see Bolita, the same Bolita her and Andrea spent a few good times with. Coming out from her lurking, she walks towards them as she asked what's going on between the two of them and Fabio answered to both their surprises, I've feelings for Bolita here and I don't think I can deny it any longer. Bianca abruptly reacts to this shocking unravelling by laughing and asking Fabio to stop with this serious joke, Fabio agrees with her on it being serious but not a joke. Bianca leaves with so much furiation in her veins that she can melt a stone if she could. Bolita asks Fabio for space as she doesn't know what to say any further after his surprising insight.