FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Eighteen

23:43

Paul Junior walked into the bathroom and had a hot shower. After he left the precinct, he spent the rest of the day driving around town looking for Richard. At a point, he had developed a strange idea that he was being followed but he dismissed it the same moment it came to his mind. It was only in the movies that those kind of things happened. He was not an interesting lad and his life wasn’t something from a spy movie. His life was boring and he was a hundred percent sure that if someone ever made the mistake of writing a memoir about him, the book was never going to be a bestseller. That was if it sold more than a copy.

Growing up in luxury, Paul was not exactly like other rich kids. Coming from a generation that got wealth through hard work, Paul had learned the hard way from his strict grandfather and highly principled father that life was nothing close to a bed of roses. His grandfather had told him that life was an asshole while humans were the toilet and only the wise ones made it by flushing down what they got. His father had said life was a ladder. But maybe life was a bed of roses, or an asshole. Maybe it was a game or a market or even a journey. Everyone had their own view of life. It could have been a ladder or a vast ocean, but Paul simply saw life as the opposite of death. He had come up with that after his first close call with death when he was fifteen. The day he had his first asthma attack. It had been a scary episode, but he had survived it. Living with asthma had changed Paul’s idea of life. He knew any day could be his last, but Richard had always been there. They had grown up together as family friends and along the line, they had become more like brothers.

There were times when Paul used to sit down and think about how his life would have been without Richard, but it never made sense. Richard always stuck up for him and with him. The bullies always stayed away from Paul because of him and though those were good reasons to keep a friend, Paul was not sticking to Richard because of that. He had come around to know Richard and love him as a brother and it was the same for Richard. He knew Richard wouldn’t have rested if he knew something was wrong with him, especially if it involved blood and the police. As the hot water ran its course through his body, he pondered on where else Richard could be. He had spent the whole day checking all the possible places where Richard could be and he was going to continue tomorrow if he didn’t hear from him. Why was he hiding if he wasn’t guilty? It was a scary thought for he earnestly wanted to believe his best friend was innocent.

Later, while lying on his bed and forcing himself to sleep, Paul couldn’t stop himself from having doubts about Richard’s innocence, but he still couldn’t think of any reason why Richard would become a murderer. He had never heard Richard talk about hurting anyone except back in high school when they made plans together to pin the bullies. He had no idea when he fell asleep but the dreams came. Anytime Paul dreamt, it always involved him falling and never landing, but not this time. First, he witnessed Richard being sentenced to death by a wicked looking judge for seven murders, then the dream changed and he was being pursued by Richard who held a wicked knife. In another, he and Richard were being chased by policemen who were shooting at them. A bullet caught him at the back of his head and he woke with a start. His heart pounded terribly and he could feel sweat breaking on his forehead despite the air conditioner.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Paul yelped at the sound of the voice and jumped out of bed. He quickly reached for the switch and put on the lights and what he saw frightened the fear out of him. He thought he was about to have a heart attack. A man sat on a chair right very close to his bed with a gun resting on his lap which he gripped loosely. This man had on a nice suit and a smirk that sent a chill through Paul’s spine. He spoke again.

“I thought to make myself comfortable since you were lost in another dimension.” He tapped the chair which Paul knew he had gotten from the dining. Paul wanted to talk but he felt as though his teeth were jammed together. The fear coursed through him like poison and it kept spreading with every heartbeat. He could feel goose bumps crawling over his skin like a thousand spiders. His body had gone stiff and he couldn’t even blink.

“Don’t fret, boy.” The man whispered and he slipped the gun smoothly into a holster suspended on his hip. When Paul saw him moving the gun, he let out a sound that would have been mistaken for the bleating of a goat.

“I’m looking for Richard. You are going to lead me to him, Paul.”

“I can’t.” Paul said as politely as he could. He didn’t take his eyes off the gun which was still visible at the man’s side. It seemed to be what the man wanted as he had left his suit open and poised his hand on his lap in an intimidating posture.

“He is in grave danger. Where is he?”

“I don’t know where he is. He has not contacted me since morning.”

“Have you checked the time yet?”

Paul quickly consulted the digital clock by his bedside. He didn’t move his neck, only his eyes moved and he saw the time read 05:51. He thought he had slept for only a few minutes. His eyes came back to watch the man’s hands.

“It’s a new day, Paul. The sun would be up soon.” The man said and Paul winced.

“How did you know my name?”

“Richard mentioned you to me.” The man said. “Go back to sleep, boy. We are going to ransack this city for Richard. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

Paul didn’t move. He stayed the way he was with his eyes darting from the man’s hands to the gun.

“What kind of danger is Richard in?”

“The worst of its kind. Death.” The man said. “He has messed with the wrong guy. Have you ever heard of Blackhawk?”

“Is that some cult?”

“I didn’t expect you to know that in the first place. Just get some rest.” The man said and got up to leave. Paul stood where he was with his eyes fixed on the chair the man left behind. His eyes were glued to the spot where the man’s hands had been.

***

23:43

She emptied the content of the glass cup in one gulp and thumped it on the counter. She was cognizant of the twisted smile on the face of the bartender standing across the counter with one hand leaning on the counter and the other resting on her hip as she watched and waited for a comment.

“Damn. Bella, it’s good.” She said, finally telling the bartender what she had been waiting to hear. And she meant it. It was the finest whisky she had taken in the past few months. The bartender drummed lightly on the counter and shot her hand up in victory.

“Yee haw! That’s right, baby. Nobody’s gonna give you anything that good across the globe.”

“You need to tell me, Bella. What did I just drink?”

“Top secret, babe. If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.” Bella said withdrawing the cup to refill it below the counter and out of sight of her customer and friend. “You haven’t been around here a long time and if this is the only way to keep you coming back…then so be it. Here.” She pushed the nearly full cup across the counter.

“You know I’d kill you.”

“One day you will, but not today.” Bella said and laughed. “Excuse me, I’d be right back.”

She nodded and picked the glass to take a sip as she watched Bella walk out of sight. A look around the bar told her that everything had changed since the last time she was there. The place was bigger, the lights were more beautiful, and the customers seemed to be more of elites than the normal assemblage of touts that used to crawl around before. She could even hear the sound of a piano playing softly in the background. Things change. People too. And she was a living proof of that. How she had transformed from a sweet little teenager to a professional killer was a wonder to everyone who knew her. Her mongoloid features which she owed to her Japanese mother had often made people doubt that she was a Nigerian. The look hadn’t faded away during the quick transformation. At thirty one now, she had a figure that any female would kill to have and beauty that would have made a heart of stone melt. Her beauty had men drooling and even saints lost their cool whenever she was around. Her hair was packed into a bun and through the mass of jet black hair, a blue streak of hair was visible. But beneath her perfect five feet seven frame and Angelina Jolie looks, something wicked lurked. She was a top notch killer. An assassin. A force to reckon with in the covert world. She was known simply as ‘Phoenix’.

At the early age of fifteen, she picked an interest-a weird interest-in knives that no one could explain. Her hands were swift when it came to dicing tomatoes, onions and vegetables. Her parents had heard stories and rumors about how she had killed a chicken with one swift move of her hand and how she always had a collection of knives in her school bag, but what really caught their attention was when they saw her bring down a flying bird with one toss of a knife. At that point, her parents decided to send her to Japan to master the skill and further her studies where she excelled at both. Her skills had caught the attention of a Japanese mafia that recruited her and improved her skills in the use of knives and swords, introduced her to guns and other weapons and also trained her in hand-to-hand combat. The black leather jacket and tight leather trousers she was adorned in had been given to her by the leader of the Japanese mafia on her departure to Nigeria after serving the mafia for seven years. Shortly after that, she was recruited by a powerful man known as Blackhawk. An unstoppable man who had the country in his pocket. And she had been in his employ for five years. During the period of five years, she had done more sacrifices for the man than she could count. Just one more. She had always said to herself. One more and I’m out. But it wasn’t that easy. Joining Blackhawk in the first place was a sacrifice. A mission. One she was yet to accomplish and one she had to accomplish before leaving his flock.

“So what’s up, baby?” Bella said slipping into position behind the counter and clicking her tongue. She wore her regular twisted smile again and assumed the regular stance; one hand on the counter and the other resting on her hip which she c****d to the side.

“I was just observing how much things have changed around here. I haven’t been around here in a couple of months but its looking like I’ve been gone for decades. Look at yourself. That year, you used to have on a white shirt with a pair of red pants and a funny bowtie when you’re on duty. That attire would look more proper right now than then.”

Bella stepped back from the counter, spread out her arms and turned around to be admired. She was donning a tank top and a pair of bump shorts with a red shirt tied around her waist by the sleeves. Her arms were adorned with blazing tattoos that looked like a rainbow of several colors. She had claimed that the flames represented all the troubles she had been through in her life and the blend of colors represented the splendor the troubles had brought to her life in the long run. Bella was a beautiful lady in her late twenties, educated and extremely good with figures. Why she had ended up as a bartender was a mystery to everyone. Even her best friend seated across the counter had no idea. Whenever she brought up the topic, Bella always shrugged it off. She had a knack for changing topic easily.

Phoenix laughed at Bella’s display and drank from her cup.

“You haven’t seen anything yet. In a couple of weeks there’d be angels doing their thing. If you know what I mean.”

“And would you be among the angels dancing on high?” Phoenix asked amidst laughter.

“What do you take me for? Of course, yes!” They both laughed at that.

“How’s your hearing now?”

“Check this out.” Bella said turning to the side and packing a handful of hair. Phoenix noticed what looked like signal bars along the side of her neck and they glowed brightly in blue.

“How the heck did that get there?”

“It’s the new hearing aid I got and it’s just perfect. Look at this.” Bella said and slid a finger across the three bars up to the back of her ear, and then the three increased to seven bars after which she dropped it back to three. “I can always increase and decrease my hearing capacity like that.”

Phoenix swore. “That’s some crazy tech right there. It’s making me wish my younger sister drove a needle into my ear too. Please, I don’t want to know how they fixed it into… Jeez! The thought scares me alone.”

“That coming from the woman of steel? I don’t believe it.” Bella said and they laughed. She swayed her head so that her hair fell back in place. “It’s gossip time, baby. Tell me, how is he?”

“He?”

“Yes. Him. That smacking hot guy you dragged in with you the last time you showed up. The one and only.” Bella said drawing the ‘s’ in ‘smacking’

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ah! I see you guys have ended. What’s his name again? Was it…”

“I’d slit your throat before you finish the first syllable.” She tried to suppress a smile but failed.

“That’d have to be some demonic speed right there, babe.” Bella said “But was it that bad? Did you guys fight or something? Was he cheating? I liked you two together even though he wasn’t one for much laughs. I clearly remember him saying ‘lol’” At this they both burst into laughter again.

“I mean, who says lol?” Bella continued. “It’s alright to send that when you’re chatting or something, but the dude said that right after I said something that was meant to be funny.”

“At least he said it with a smile.” Phoenix said amidst giggles. “You need to be there at other times to see him.” Phoenix said and made a straight face immediately then she said “lol.”

They laughed a little longer this time and before she knew it, Phoenix found herself dabbing tears from her eyes. Images were flooding her brain. Memories replaying like they did every single day. She was very strong physically, mentally and emotionally, but there was only one person she had a soft spot for and she had let go of him because of Blackhawk. It was one of those sacrifices. They were both quiet for a while after which she felt Bella touch her hand lightly and give it a warm squeeze. She pursed her lips and squeezed back.

“You deserve better than a guy who says ‘lol’” Bella said with a tight lipped smile. She didn’t understand and Phoenix didn’t bother to explain. She just nodded with her lips pursed to suppress the oncoming laughter, but she failed. Her mirth was however interrupted by a voice as a man leaned on the counter very close to Phoenix.

“It seems like I just witnessed some lesbian s**t right now. Shame. I got this big nice bed and I’d love to put you two on it so…” Phoenix cut him short by shooting out her hand and ramming his head against the counter real hard. The man’s groan followed the sound of his nose breaking and Phoenix smashed her glass cup against his head with its content spattering his nice shirt. In a flash, her knife was out and she pulled the man close to her with her knife getting dangerously close to his neck then she stood up to stare at him coldly in the eyes. She saw the fear burning brightly in his eyes. It burned so bright that it made him oblivious to the pain he felt in his nose and the back of his head. She had so much anger in her and she needed someone to lash it out on. Someone. Anyone.

“Careful now, babe. I don’t want to have blood on my counter. You can just take him outside and finish him.” Bella said casually, having no idea how much Phoenix felt pleased with the notion. She was still considering it when her phone rang. She recognized the special ringtone she had set for Blackhawk and withdrew her knife to pick the call. She pushed the annoying man away as Blackhawk’s voice came through the phone.

“I hope this is not a bad time.” He wasn’t like that to everyone and Phoenix knew that it was because he valued her more than all his minions.

“No, sir.” She said keeping an eye on the man as Bella passed him some ice.

“Bright has outlived his usefulness, I need you to take care of him.”

Just one more. She thought. “Piece of cake.”

“He’s doing something for me. Stick around him long enough to know what it’s about and his progress status so that you can take over. Do you understand me?”

She eyed the unlucky man who had just been a victim of her wrath. He reminded her so much of the man called Bright. Bright was a bastard who deserved to be dead a long time ago. It was just about time. Just one more.

“Yes, I understand clearly.” She said. Just one more.