DESIRES.

CHAPTER THREE

Gladys was only half asleep when the phone rang and ruined her slumber. With her eyes half opened she picked up her phone from her bedside table. She pressed the receive button and held it to her ear. The sound of my voice made her sit up as she pushed away the bed covers. Not long after I was standing outside her door. She was the only one who could help me until I figured out how to handle the situation. She opened the door for me and I looked a mess. Still I could not help but notice how her night gown really brought out her figure. She wore a worried look on her face and as always I could see that caring look in her eyes.

Words seemed hard to come by at that moment but I got in and explained to her what had just happened.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier? These guys seem to be really dangerous? What if they had succeeded? ” I noticed tears in her eyes as she said the last statement.

“I thought I could handle it but now things have gotten out of control. Tomorrow morning it will be announced that I am dead and that will buy me some time. If they believe that I am dead then maybe I will be able to beat them at their own game.”

Gladys simply nodded her head and stared at me with a far away look in her eyes. “If these guys can go to the extent of blowing up your house then we are dealing with hardcore criminals.” I knew she was right and that my life was hanging on a straw. However I had to give my plan a shot. The next morning was just as I had predicted as the story concerning my brutal death was aired on every TV station. It felt a bit odd knowing that everyone considered me dead yet I was still alive. Nonetheless it was for a good course.

Clarissa nearly fainted after hearing the news. She had just turned on the TV and at the sight of the news being aired could not hold back her grief. She fell back on the sofa behind her and wept as though her world had crumbled completely. To her it was like a nightmare that had come to life. “This can’t be true. My Harry can’t be dead.” Her father was missing and now this. It was too much for her to bear. After sobbing for some time she got up and went back to her room to pick her car keys. Her mind was running fast and she did not even remember that she was still in her night gown. She went to the parking lot and ordered the gateman to open the gate. At first he was confused considering the way she was dressed but when her voice boomed again with a hint of anger he obliged. She drove out of the compound at high speed.

“Please don’t leave me Harry.” She muttered to herself as tears trickled down her cheeks.

Club 68 was the one place I knew I could get answers. In my line of duty I had come to notice that it was a favorite meeting joint for most criminals in the city. The fact that it was a club gave it the perfect cover. All the biggest deals were done there. It was around midday when I got into the club. The place wasn’t full and I took in the air of the place. My eyes were glued to the lights whose colors changed every passing second. There was cool music playing in the background and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I still had my oversized coat on as well as my hat which earned me a few stares. The club had an upper section so I moved up the flight of stairs and set myself on one of the seats at the furthest corner.

I did not have to wait long before I saw who I was looking for. Ben was a short and plum guy. He had short hair and baldness was slowly creeping its way in. He also had a moustache and his hand seemed to be attracted to it as he stroked it every now and then. Ben was well known in the underground ring and I had linked him to various crimes in the city. I knew very well he had some high people in authority that were protecting him and this made him untouchable. Nonetheless I needed to know if he knew anything about the governor’s disappearance even if I had to force it out of him.

However, I noticed a problem with my plan for he had two bodyguards with him. I tried to weigh my options and realized the only way was to take them out. He was having a drink as his eyes maneuvered across the club. My disguise proved to be an awesome fit as I simply lowered my head pretending to look for something. By a stroke of luck he finished his drink and moved to a door at the furthest corner where I knew the bathroom was.

The two bodyguards stood outside as they waited for him. I made my plan very quickly and I was now moving in their direction. There was a waiter standing next to one of the bodyguards and he had a tray full of beer bottles on his hand. I pushed him and the tray came crashing upon the guy’s head breaking all the beer bottles. His counterpart was slow to react and he barely saw my fist coming. He sprawled onto the floor and then lay there unconscious. The waiter hardly moved an inch as his eyes were fixated on the two men lying unconscious on the floor. One of them was already bleeding from the cuts on his head.

I quickly got into the room and locked it from inside.

“Who is there? James, Jim is that you?”

There were four cubicles in the room and his voice came from the second one. I took my gun out and placed a silencer at the tip. I could hear him getting out of the cubicle and he let out a shrilled yell when he saw the gun. I signaled to him to move back and he followed suit with his legs wobbling. I took off my hat and coat and his eyes nearly popped when he saw my face.

“You! It can’t be! You are dead!”

I only smiled and ordered him to sit on the toilet seat. He sat there and froze like a statue. It was as though he was in his worst nightmare.

“Hello Ben. I’m sure you know very well who I am. I am not here to waste my time so I will get right to it. Where is the governor? ”

“I am not telling you anything. What have you done to my guards? Don’t you dare try and lay a finger on me.”

I can’t quite explain what happened to me next. I c****d up the gun and the next thing I realized was that I had fired a shot. Ben let out a horrid yell and I pressed my palm against his mouth to suppress the yell. Blood was oozing from his left leg and he was throwing his legs wildly.

“I did not want to do that but you left me with no choice. So tell me what I want to know and I will let you leave here alive.”

Sweat was dripping from his forehead and his wild cries had died down. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and tied it around his leg to reduce his bleeding. All this while he had a worried look in his eyes and I knew I had him where I wanted him.

“I will tell you everything I know.” I put the gun away and listened keenly to what he had to say.

“Somebody wanted the governor out of the way and he got in contact with me . I don’t really know who the guy is cause he chose to remain anonymous. He offered me a down payment before doing the job and I just couldn’t say no. We only met once.”

“Can you describe him to me?”

“He was tall,dark and he had a scar on his forehead. That is all I can tell you. I don’t know anything else.”

“What about the bombing at my house ?”

“I swear I don’t know anything about that. I only heard it from the news. I really don’t know anything. ”

For a minute I stood there lost in my thoughts. The description he had given me was exactly that of Leonard. I then looked Ben straight in the eyes and he was even more scared than ever.

“Give me the number you contacted him on.” He immediately got into his pocket and got out his phone. He then scrolled through the numbers on his phone and handed it to me. I took the number and saved it on my phone.

“Lets pretend this conversation never happened. ” With that I walked out of the place happy that I now had a lead on the governor’s disappearance.

From there I went straight back to Gladys’s house. I realized I was dealing with someone who was willing to go to any great length to achieve whatever he wanted. It was at that moment that I remembered the incident that had befallen me and it got me thinking that they were somehow connected.

Clarissa got into her room and banged the door behind her. She then fell at the side of her bed and began to sob. She had just come from the mortuary where she went to view my ‘terribly burnt' remains. She did not want to believe that fate had taken away the only man she ever loved. As she lay there crying her heart out she had a knock on her door. At first she ignored it but the knock became consistent.

“Who is it?”

“I am sorry to disturb you madam Clarissa but you have a guest downstairs. ”

“Who is it exactly?”

“Its Mr. Leonard, your father’s friend.”

At first she didn’t reply cause she wondered what he was doing there at that time. Nonetheless she sent the house help to inform him that she was on her way. She then took a dry handkerchief from her bedside drawer and used it to wipe her tears. It was at that moment that she noticed she was still wearing her night gown.

With that in mind she had a quick change of clothes and was soon walking down the stairs to her lavish sitting room. Leonard was seated comfortably on a sofa as his left hand tapped on the seat. There was a sad expression on his face when he saw her.

“Good evening Clarissa, am sorry to have come unannounced but I got wind of what happened to your father. I was away on a business trip and I just got back yesterday. I am really sorry.”

Clarissa could hardly contain the tears that were now flowing freely down her cheeks. She immediately broke down. Leonard stood up and moved towards her to embrace her. Despite the fact that she was in pain, he could not help but feel happy when he had her wrapped in his arms. For a long time he had been secretly longing for her but I had proven to be a stumbling block for him. My presence at the Governor’s party did not settle in well with him.

He then pulled away from her after she had calmed down.

“I will come to check on you tomorrow Clarissa.”

“Thank you for your kindness Mr. Leonard.”

“Please, just call me Leonard.”

With that he bid her goodbye and flashed a smile at her. After he had left she went back upstairs to freshen herself up. Once Leonard was outside the premises he received an unexpected phone call. He picked up his phone and pressed the receiver dial before placing it on his ear.

“Hello who is this?”

“The real question is who are you?”

“I have no time for jokes. Who is this and what do you want.”

“Well that will be resolved very soon. I can assure you of that.”

“I don’t know who you are or what it is you think you are doing but you’ve picked the wrong guy to mess with.”

”You are in no position to make threats. I suggest that you watch your back cause am coming for you.”

After that the call ended and Leonard simply stared at his phone. “Is everything okay sir?” His driver asked but it was as though he had not heard him. His thoughts had simply wondered off to try and figure out that disturbing call.

Gladys had just walked into the house and found me scrolling through the channels of her TV. I looked up at her face and I could tell that there was something troubling her.

“What’s wrong?” There was a brief silence before she finally spoke up.

“She came by the office today. She looked devastated. ” I simply looked down and held my head in my two palms. I loved Clarissa so much and I knew that whatever was going on was not easy on her as well. Her dad was not around and I was the only other person she had in her life. Gladys noticed my reaction and used her sweet tongue to assure me all would be well. I had a strong longing to see her but I knew I had to deal with the matter at hand first.

Gladys asked me about my day and I let her in on what I had discovered that day. Everything seemed to lead to Leonard and I was more than sure he was the mastermind behind the governor’s disappearance. I was also hoping that my earlier phone call had scared him a bit. I planned to stalk him the next day. Like all the criminals I had dealt with before there would definitely be something odd about his schedule. That night passed by peacefully and I knew more answers would be revealed the next day. I woke up to find myself all alone as Gladys had left early for work. Not wanting to be behind time I set out to execute my plan.

My first place to check was Leonard’s office residence in the city. As though by luck I noticed he had just arrived but what caught my eye were the two men he was in tow with. Nothing about their appearance seemed so I knew I had to be alert. The three of them walked in but after a while the two men walked out. They moved towards a car at the parking lot and I knew I had seen it before. Immediately I moved towards the main road and flagged down a taxi. A shabbily looking man was seated behind the wheel and I instructed him to follow the car.

At first he was a bit surprised but he obliged nonetheless. We followed them until we came to a hotel at the southern part of the city. I paid off the taxi driver and followed them on foot as they entered the hotel. They passed the reception and boarded a lift. I entered the next lift not wanting to lose track of them. The lift stopped on the third floor and I got off just in time to see them disappear into one of the rooms. By the time I got to the room I could hear the clinging of a key as it was locked from inside. I made one quick look around to confirm whether there was anyone around. Not a single soul came out from any of the rooms.

With that I placed my ear against the door and listened keenly.

“Who do you think made that call to the boss?”

“I don’t know man. Maybe it was some psycho or something like that.”

“We already took care of the inspector so it has to be somebody else who knows about all this.”

Just then there were muffled noises coming from the room and I could tell somebody was struggling to free himself. This was followed by a loud smack and the noise died down. The two men then laughed heartily.

“The old man can’t believe we took care of his future son in law. You better get used to it cause he is dead and you will be too if you don’t comply.” My mouth fell agape and I felt as though my mind was running wild. If everything I had heard was true then the governor was being held hostage in that very hotel room. The men were still laughing and I could feel a great anger surge through me. My pistol was already well positioned between my palms and I moved back ready to barge into the room. In one swift move I took the door down with my foot and the first thing I saw was the Governor all tied up like a bundle on the bed.

The two men were quick to react and I had to jump aside as a blaze of bullets came my way. I fell down towards the floor and quickly picked myself up as the two men were now onto me. Back at the room I could still hear the painful moans coming from the Governor. I tried to hide myself into one of the rooms but they were all locked. Before I knew it one of the men grabbed hold of me and we both fell on the hard floor. My gun flew out of my hand and landed just a few feet away. We were now engaged in a serious brawl as punches flew from one direction to another. His counterpart had gone back to check on the Governor and left us there. A punch landed on one of my jaws causing me to yell out in excruciating pain.

I retaliated with a jab on his belly and added a kick on his groin. He released me as he held himself to deal with the pain. I quickly made for my gun and headed back to the hotel room. To my surprise the Governor was not there and I searched the room frantically. My feet came to a standstill when I felt the presence of someone else in the room. A gun was c****d behind me and I tried to remain at ease. If I did nothing I was surely going to die. My eyes moved across the room and I noticed the door to the balcony was open. In one swift move I made for the balcony as a stream of bullets raced behind me. Once outside I noticed a drain pipe and I jumped on it while trying to climb down. Onlookers on the ground were perplexed to see me. My assailant caught up with me and began to shoot at the drain pipe.

I was forced to let go and fell down three floors below. My body landed in the bushes just near the hotel entrance. I then slowly entangled myself from the bushes and limped away past the emerging crowd. By the time I was at a clear distance I took out my phone and dialed Gladys’s number. I told her what had just taken place and that she should get the police on it immediately. Having passed that message I sat on one of the benches nearby. It was then that I noticed I had been shot on my left arm and the pain was excruciating. The rest of my body was not badly hurt apart from a few scratches and bruises.

Blood was already gushing out of my wound so I ripped out a piece of my shirt and tied it gently around my arm. I had already told Gladys where I was and was patiently waiting for her to arrive.