Utopia

Chapter-9

I opened the door and stood in front of the abandoned factory, feeling chilly. It looked like a place straight out of an action movie where shootouts took place. I hated action movies. I hated shootouts and above all; I hated being here. This was not the place where I envisioned to start my work. But this was not about me anymore. This was professional, and I must remain professional. I stood straight and took a deep breath in. It always helped me to calm down my nerves.

Adrian got out and was now standing behind me. He moved beside me, adjusted his tie, and looked down at me.

“Are you afraid, Hannah?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. I could tell he was enjoying my uneasiness. He was enjoying it since I stepped into his office yesterday. I didn’t want to give him the chance to enjoy it anymore.

“No, Mr. Scott. Why would I be?” I shrugged. He smiled like a wolf.

“Good to hear it,” He said and gently nudged me forward, with his hand on the small of my back. Suddenly, I forgot about the rundown factory, the trash surrounding it, and the meeting there. I focused on his hand and on the confident way he was leading me forward. As we approached the entrance, my initial doubt receded. How bad could it be? We were here for a business meeting. Maybe he was buying this place for a new business venture. I brushed the irrational doubts aside. Adrian and I passed the entrance and stepped inside.

This was a storage room for the factory. It was big and dark, with silhouettes of cardboard boxes covering every wall. At a distance, directly in front of us, I could see human figures outlined with darkness. They were sitting around a table. These were the delegates? I wondered. What were they doing in the dark? I was still thinking when a light came on over their heads. A yellow light- just like the one in Adrian’s office when he blindfolded me. I could smell the danger in the air as soon as I laid my eyes on them in the dark.

They were not delegates. They were all wearing worn-out leather jackets and varnished silver chains that were as thick as my big toe. Some had bald heads, and some had very long hair. Most of them had pale faces and ruined teeth. Their loud laughter was grating on my ears. Who were these people and why did Adrian come here to meet them? I didn't realize I had stopped until Adrian gave me another nudge. I raised my head to look at him. To see if he was looking as weird and out of place as I was feeling. But no, the man was cool as a cucumber.

“Is something wrong, Hannah?” He asked like the cunning bastard he was. He knew I was confused as hell. But I shook my head no and protruded my chin forward to emphasize that I was not fazed by this collection of possibly dangerous men in an abandoned place, where no soul could hear us. They all raised their heads in response to Adrian’s voice.

“Here’s the boss-man,” One of them hooted. There was enough sarcasm in his voice to last the entire city for a century.

“And he brought a hot chick with him,” Another one commented. Their eyes shifted from Adrian to me, making me want to punch each of them in their evil faces.

Adrian seemed unfazed. He continued with his hand on my back and approached the table. He took an empty seat at the table. I dragged another empty chair behind Adrian’s chair and settled in it. I could not bring myself to sit beside any of those oafs here. I opened my laptop, ignoring their stares. But they were not done with me.

“Is she a bargaining chip, Scott?” The man who looked like their leader said with a lustful expression on his face. “I am impressed. Maybe I’ll give you the information after I see what she has to give.”

“Agree, boss. Let us all have a pass.” The rest of them called, leering at me.

Fuck this job, which put me in this situation. f**k Adrian, who is not condemning for their lewd comments. I wanted to get out of here and forget I had ever interviewed for this job. God knew there were millions of jobs out there where I could work without bargaining my dignity. This was a huge mistake.

“What do you say, Scott?” The thug nearest to Adrian asked just when I was about to get up.

Adrian’s hand moved like a flash. Before I knew what was happening, the thug’s head hit the wooden table hard, breaking it. Adrian removed his hand from the thug’s head and wiped it against a kerchief he took out from his suit pocket.

“Before we go on with this meeting, remember one thing. She is my secretary and you treat her with respect. More than you have respected your mothers. Otherwise, we’ll have a problem. Ask anyone in Chicago. Having a problem with Adrian Scott is not ideal.”

All the lewd smiles ceased like magic. Quietness enveloped the space. None of them were even looking at me. Even the leader looked uneasy and a little scared. I looked at Adrian with surprise. I expected him to scold them. But here he was, judo-flipping a man for me. I stopped thinking about leaving.

“We’re just joking, man,” The leader said, trying to lighten the mood. “But remember Scott, you want us not the other way round. That’s why we are meeting at our place instead of yours. You are one and we are six. We hold all the cards man.”

“Great dialogue. You should look into acting.” Adrian clapped, sarcastically. “Now tell me, what is all this s**t I am listening to about Utopia. I found out that man Conan has a connection with you. Who is he? What is his past? And what is that he drove him on a death mission- taking what is mine?”

“What if we don’t tell you?” The leader bared his stained teeth. He looked like a rabid dog at that moment. I felt a twinge of fear for Adrian at that moment. What if they tried to attack him? How could he defend himself against these goons and what is this Utopia, for which he was willing to put himself in so much danger?

But Adrian didn’t display any signs of anxiety I was feeling. He was very calm, as though he was sitting in his air-conditioned conference room. He was also smiling as he knew you a secret none of the others in the room knew.

“Do you really take me for an i***t?” Adrian smiled. But there was nothing pleasant about it. It was the smile of a predator just before catching its prey. I found goosebumps raised on my skin as I saw that smile. “My private security force has surrounded this building and is waiting for one flick of my finger. None of you and your goons will be seen on the face of the earth again.”

The six of them stood up immediately, looking around them. I, too, looked around to see if Adrian was telling the truth or pulling their legs. He didn’t tell me anything about the security forces. But he was right. I could see men in black dresses, on the tops of buildings nearby, their guns aimed at the six thugs. I bet they were high-resolution rifles that could be used to take targets at long range. I suddenly felt like I was in a Quentin Tarantino movie where bullets would be fired and bombs would blast. But it was still quite- deceptively quiet, like the calm before a storm.

As I was watching, the thugs raised their hands up in an obvious gesture of surrender.

“Get on your knees,” Adrian ordered. He crossed his legs like a king and his thumb was in a chin. They obeyed immediately, knowing that if they didn’t, their brains would be blown off.

“Now, tell me everything,” Adrian said, and they told.