Come Closer

Chapter 26

The man’s head was whipped to the side as Nathan punched his face. He was tied to a chair, and was in a fatal condition. He spit out the blood that was forming in his mouth. He sneered at Nathan. “You….”, he was panting. “You will…never get to know it”, he grunted out, and laughed at Nathan’s face. A laugh that was filled with venomous satisfaction of knowing no one would be able to know his secret. Nathan grabbed his hair and yanked his head up, making him look into his eyes. “Keran, I’ll give you one last chance. Who are you working for?” Nathan’s words were calm, but any blind man could see the danger and rage radiating from his body. But Keran was not the one to be faltered by Nathan or anyone else. He was too vicious to be affected by other’s rage. He has only one fear, and one fear only. And that was…his master. He shuddered at the thought of betraying him. He sniggered at Nathan. “You imbecile rats will never know!”

Nathan let go of Karen’s hair. He straightened up, and looked down at the beaten man. “You WILL spill the truth.” He walked out, signaling his men to do the torturing.

Avelyn messed up her hair in frustration. “It has been three days, Nathan. Why isn’t this man saying anything?”

Nathan shrugged. “The more he keeps his mouth shut, the more he will suffer.”

“I can see why he was sent to spy on us. He is hard to break.” Jayden said thoughtfully.

“Whoever he is working for, doesn’t want himself to be known.” Avelyn concluded.

“He must either be afraid of us to attack us directly, or he is just a sly snake who likes to play games with his prey.” Nathan added.

“We should be careful from now on.” Jayden sent a concerned glance at the other two.

Silence fell over them as they thought about the situation they were in. “Let’s go see if he has something to tell us.” Avelyn got up, followed by the other two.

They walked down the stairs to a secret basement. The long corridor was brightly lit, but it did not lessen the scary aura in the hallway. “Aaargh!” The scream of their prisoner reached their ears.

As Avelyn opened the door, her guards turned to her. “We’ll question him. Stay outside.” The guards nodded at her and quickly walked out of the stinking call. Avelyn, Nathan and Jayden looked at the man for a moment. He was beaten harshly, and his untended wounds and the dried blood on his skin didn’t make him a pleasant sight.

Avelyn crouched down to Karen’s eye level. “Are you ready to answer our questions now?”

As beaten as he was, the man was a strong one. He merely rolled his eyes at her.

“This is the last chance I give you. If you answer us, we’ll let you go.” She paused for a moment to let the man register her words. “Here’s the deal. You give us what we want, and then we’ll send you to another country, with a new identity. This way, you won’t have to face your boss.”

At her suggestion, Keran’s eyes widened. He contemplated the thought of escaping this torture and living freely in another country. But he would have to give his master’s identity away. He knew the only way of getting out of this dungeon was cooperating with these mafias. His master would never come to rescue him. With a new identity, he could leave this all behind. But…his master wasn’t a fool.

Avelyn sighed as the look in Keran’s eyes turned into one of defiance. “In your dreams!” He spat out the words. She tilted her head to the side. “Let’s see.” She turned around. Nathan and Jayden were already out of the room when she heard something fall on the floor. She swiftly turned around, only to see Keran, who was on the floor then, taking out a pill from the sole of his shoe. A millisecond was all it took for Avelyn to realize what the man was up to. She dashed forward, to get the pill away from him. She grabbed his hand, and tried to take the pill, but he was holding it tight in his fist. He kicked her on the stomach, and she was pushed away from him. “No!” Avelyn screamed as he took the pill in his mouth. By the time Jayden and Nathan ran in, the man was already gone.

“Get the doctor!” Jayden yelled, and the guards ran out. Nathan turned the man on his belly, to let the mucus come out of his mouth. The doctor came running inside, then checked Keran’s pulse, and opened his half-closed eyelids. He shook his head at Avelyn. “He’s dead, Boss”

Avelyn sighed. “Clean this up.” She heard Nathan order the guards, as she walked out. Jayden and Nathan quickly joined her. “What should we do now?” Nathan asked. Avelyn replied with a shrug. “We should be more careful from now on. There’s nothing else we can do.” Jayden stated.