Heartless Mind

Chapter 3

LOCATION: Abu Dhabi International airport, Abu Dhabi.

TIME: 10:56

The far and tiny objects observed from above began to magnify as the plane came closer to mother earth. It landed with a bounce, rolled a few more metres, bounced again before finally coming to a halt. The aisle flung open as if it was waiting to smell the Arabian ground. People of different calibre alighted gently, the sweet aura of expensive body sprays fought defensively against the natural air gas lurking around the airport.

Jaden took his final step off the aisle. He heaved a big sigh, feels good to be in UAE again! He was given three months' vacation and decided to spend it with his twin brother. It's been ages since they last saw eyeball-to-eyeball. In the heat of the moment, Jaden had tried contacting Jesse to tell him about his coming; sadly none of his lines were reachable, much to his, (Jaden’s) distress.

He was clad in all black, he noticed Jesse loved black wears especially when in UAE. He’d clouded his frame in black to impress the tough nut out of his brother Jesse.

LOCATION: CRYSTAL

TIME: 11:05

Yesterday's incident left Katarina confused and emotionally unstable. She’d been seated next to Anderson for over three hours now. They’d been trying to trace Jesse’s last caller but luck ran away from them. Just when she was about to give up, she saw Jesse at the airport. The Dark horses had hacked the surveillance systems in all international airports around the nation so that they could monitor what goes in and out of the country.

“Jesse!” she screamed excitedly.

Anderson however wasn’t excited he knew Jesse couldn’t have made it out of the fire spotless. Only him in the syndicate knew Jesse was a twin ’cause the latter had kept his real identity a secret.

Damn it! Jaden shouldn’t have come into the country at that time! Anderson swallowed hard as he thought how best to tell Katarina it was Jaden and not Jesse.

Jaden lay on a sofa in the sitting room, playing games on his laptop. He changed his lying position as his stomach aches badly, his whole weight had been resting on his stomach for over two hours.

He was tired of the boredom he was engaged in. Everything appears to be paved with the boredom of the house. He had tried killing time by watching tv but it only added to his predicament, he deemed no program attractive.

He knew Jesse had itchy feet but this was utterly beyond normal. He had been waiting on his twin for over eight hours, yet not a shadow of him had shown up. To hike it all his contacts were all dead. Jesse shot an annoying look at the television, it was airing nothing but rubbish! He wondered how Jesse could put up with this trash. He let out a loud his after switching off the tv. Even his laptop was trashy at that moment.

He wasn’t familiar with Dubai he would have found himself some cool chilling spot. He’d been to Dubai only once, this was his second visit and it was already terrible.

His stomach churned for food, he hadn’t tasted anything since his arrival, he hated kitchens and wouldn’t cook even if the sword of hunger threatened to slit his throat.

Jaden slumped back to the sofa, reminiscing the most terrible hours he’d ever experienced. He made up his mind to depart at the crack of dawn. He was still tripping down his reverie when a soft knock landed on the door. Inches of a smile graced his thin lips as he made mental pictures of how best he’d slap Jesse for being an ass. The gentle knock came again, this time it was louder. Wait a sec, Jesse wouldn’t be knocking before entering his own house! Jaden’s smile was displaced by a wrinkling frown. He stuttered to the door and dragged open its knob.

Woah! Exactly what he envisaged. It was an intruder! He thought of slamming the door on the poor fella but quickly thought against it, every parrot deserves a listening ear. He stood inches away from the ‘intruder’ , his well-toned body obstructing the way, his right hand held firmly to the door while the free hand was glued to the wall.

“Yes, how may I help you? He asked rudely.

“Jesse? The intruder sounds excited. Jaden was pissed, here he was waiting for Jesse and someone else is calling him that. He felt like emptying his well of annoyance on the fellow.

“May I come in, please? The visitor inquired, Seeing his host gave him the cold feet.

“No, get your goddamn ass outta here!” Jaden felt like replying, instead, he found himself ushering in ‘his’ visitor. More because the dude’s face struck an alarm in his cluster of memories. The face looked so very familiar to him.

He repulsed the thought of asking the familiar face if they’ve met before since the person mistook him for Jesse.

“Jaden! It's you, isn’t it? Anderson asked after resting his ass on a sofa.

He’d snuck out of the crystal to secretly meet Jaden. He needed to warn him about the dam of danger he was unknowingly swimming in. The former felt guilty that Jesse had passed away like rams used for annual festivals. He’d introduced Jesse to the syndicate to help him shake off the storm of poverty blowing in his family, little did he know he pushed him to the path of death. He needed to correct his mistakes. There is no time like the present!

Jaden was gobsmacked by someone, a stranger that could tell between Jesse and him. He squeezed his face, wrenching his handsomeness.

“Sorry, it seems we’ve met before, I can’t place my hands on how and when”

Anderson smiled. “Does Anderson Clair stir something?

“Ahah! Jaden exclaimed. He wasn’t barking up the wrong oak all along.

Anderson was their classmate in grade-12, back there in the United states. They lost contact after graduating high school, Jesse however met Anderson again, although not to Jaden’s knowledge.

Jaden giggled. “Long time bro, I almost didn’t recognize you” the duo shake hands like friends from the past. Jaden seemed happy to see him, giving Anderson a second thought about whether or not to accomplish his mission drastic times call for drastic actions, he made up his mind to break the bombshell knowing fully well it wouldn’t go down well on his old friend.

He budged closer to Jaden, he then withdrew his cell phone from his side pocket.

He was about to play the video clip when Jaden spoke up.

“Pardon my manners, I was too engulfed in the euphoria of seeing you….what may I offer you?

Anderson became a bit uneasy. “Water would do” he replied.

Anderson took large gulps of water hoping it’ll quench the fire burning from within.

He cleared his throat roughly like a patient of the flu. His breathing increased, his body developed the stiffness of wood. Yes, death wasn’t alien to his vocabulary; he'd killed many before but he had never been faced with the only option of announcing an obituary. Not just any death, his best friend’s!.

“There is something you must know Jaden” he fought his heavy tongue into articulation.

‘Something he must know? Was his brother on a trip? Oh, he should have told him in their last phone conversation, that way he wouldn’t have had his hopes raised.

“Jesse is on a trip, right? Jaden asked innocently.

“Yes, on a trip to…..” Anderson paused for a fragment of seconds.

“You see, uh……I don’t know how best to put this…. I’m sorry Jesse is dead. Anderson stammered out the truth.

Impossible! He had a phone conversation with his twin just a few days ago, and he sounded as fit as a fiddle. This must be some sort of expensive joke.

Anderson watched as Jaden's lips parted away, his upper lip now living in a world of its own, likewise the lower lip.

Anderson understood what it feels like to get terrible news such as this, he had wept out his sympathy yesterday.

He played for Jaden the clip from the CCTV, involving how Jesse was blown in his ski-jet.

Jaden rose to his feet, in a swift move he grabbed Anderson by the collar, dragging him to the wall where he pinned him mercilessly, Anderson was weak and at the same time surprised.

“Why did you kill my brother?!! Jaden yelled, tightening his grip on his victim, the resultant was choking Anderson.

Anderson coughed, his voice was seizing.

“You are barking up the wrong tree man, I can explain” he managed to mutter in a depressed tone.

‘Explain? Jaden scoffed mockingly. “Explain what? That you set my brother, killed him and even had the guts to show me the footage huh? The raging Jaden replied. Beads of sweat pricked his forehead.

“No….” Anderson tried to defend but his voice seized when Jaden’s bare hands squeezed his neck.

Jaden gave Anderson a killing look ” he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword”.