Poisoned Fortune

Assassination Attempt

Eric Casper stepped out of the supermarket with two white bags. At the exit, he missed a step and almost fell on his face. That slight stumble was a life-saving miracle because just then, a bullet ripped through the air and whooshed past his head, clipping the side of the supermarket’s wall.

Eric leapt aside, stunned both by the gunshot and the fact that he’d almost fallen. His heart was racing wildly as he realized that someone had taken a shot at him!

Bang!

When the second shot sounded, he didn’t think any further. He dropped the bags and dashed to the left. Wall Street of Manhattan was always busy and that was a good thing. Those who’d been close to the supermarket’s exit heard the gunshots and fled as well, causing a commotion in the area.

Eric’s sports car was parked on the other side, but trying to get to it was a suicide mission. He abandoned the idea and lost himself in the crowd, trying to figure out where the gunshots were coming from.

This wasn’t any random attack and Eric knew it. Three days ago, his step brother Grey had reported that someone had attacked him. he’d returned to the family mansion with bruises and cuts.

“I barely escaped!” Grey had gasped, trembling. “Two men were tailing me and at a point, they shot at me.”

“Could it have been a case of k********g?” Chris, their eldest brother has said.

“I know an assassination attempt when I see one,” Grey had insisted. “This is because of dad, right? They’re after me now, right?”

Their father had died two months ago in a plane crash that was anything but accidental. Nothing had proven but the police had suspected a bomb. If it was true that their father, Ernest Casper, had been murdered, then it was possible that someone was out for them too.

Eric hastened his pace, weaving between people to stay out of a direct line of sight of the sniper. Wall Street had many of tall buildings and the sniper could be hiding on any of them. The best idea was to get a cab and get out of there as soon as he—

Eric turned and his eyes met those of a man who was waiting beside an SUV. The man wore a black jacket and a woollen cap that almost dropped to his eyebrow line. His face had a long, reddish scar that cut from one side to the other. His phone was pressed against his ear, but when he saw Eric, he moved suddenly.

‘Damnit!’

Eric raced across the street, shoving people out of the way as he went. As he darted across the street, a car swerved aside, almost knocking him down. He cursed and shot through to the other sidewalk. When he turned, the other man was behind him. his hand was buried deep in his jacket. He had a gun!

Eric knew he couldn’t afford to run on the street anymore; one shot from that man and he’d be sprawled on the cold sidewalk. Glancing aside, he saw a car parked by the sidewalk. There was someone inside.

Without thinking much, Eric rushed for it, pulled the door open and got inside. He turned to the lady who was in the driver’s seat. She was eating a burger and his sudden entrance made her drop it. Her eyes were wide.

“Drive!” he growled, glancing at the rear-view mirror. The man was walking briskly towards the car now. “Get out of here. I’m in danger!”

“Hey, get out of my car!” the lady started pushing him. she thought he was a car thief.

Eric pushed back and reached for the gear. “I’m in danger. There’s someone shooting at me!”

She pushed back harder. “I don’t care just get—”

Crack!

A bullet tore a hole through the rear glass and then ripped through the front. The lady squealed when Eric’s warm blood splashed on her face in droplets.

She floored the accelerator in panic and the car jerked forward. The side mirror smashed against light pole and broke off, but she didn’t stop.

Eric was in pain, his hand stanching the bullet wound on his shoulder. The bullet had grazed him but it wasn’t fatal. He glanced back to see that that the man had stopped following. He just stood there, watching the car drive away with his hand still buried in his jacket pocket.

Eric turned back and slumped down in the seat. The lady glanced at him as she drove away. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Just drive! Get as far away from here as you can.”

And she drove like all hell had broken loose. Her speed was dangerous and she slammed the car against almost everything on the street because of how she tried to make tight turns to avoid another bullet.

Ten minutes later, she parked beside a coffee shop and stepped out to inspect the car. she gasped and threw her arms up. “Oh, my God!”

Grunting, Eric stepped out too and she pointed at her car. “Look at that! My car is almost totalled thanks to you!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, heaving a deep breath. He scanned the area, hoping that they hadn't followed them that far. “You just saved my life.”

She grunted. “That won’t do,” she said. “Who are you and what did you do?”

“I’m Eric…” he stopped. He didn’t want to add the last name ‘Casper’ because it now seemed to be a magnet for troubles.

“That’s not what I want to know, mister,” she said. She was feisty and brimming with…rage? Or maybe another emotion that seemed like rage but in a subtler manner? “Someone just tried to kill you and now my car is banged up badly. You owe me an explanation.”

“I have no idea!” he said. “I’m as clueless as you are, miss. I was shopping, when I came out, someone shot at me. I ran into the crowd but another man followed me and I know he had a gun. I had to get out of there quick and your car was the safest and the closest option.”

The lady looked at him with a frown etched deep into her face. “You almost got me killed by dragging me into your mess.”

“I’m sorry but you saved my life and I thank you for—”

“Don’t thank me for it,” she said. “It was either drive or die back there. I don’t care now. What I want is for you to fix my car.”

Eric thought for a moment and then sighed. “Fine. I’ll fix your car but not now. I need to get somewhere safe.”

The lady grabbed him by the arm and swung him over the car, slamming him against the hood, then pressing an elbow on his neck. Eric growled in pain, his wounded shoulder blazing in pain. “Ouch! Easy there! You didn’t rescue me from a sniper to kill me off, did you?”

“Fix my car,” she said firmly. “If I let you leave, I’ll never hear from you again.”

Eric was both amazed and shocked. Shocked by how skilled she was. She didn’t seem like any ordinary woman but her fluid moves suggested she had a background in martial arts. He was amazed because this woman didn’t know him. he wasn’t all that popular but the last two months, his photos had been pasted across major magazines, sites and social media pages as a possible heir to the Casper fortune. It was surprising that she didn’t know who he was.

Though he knew that, he still had to ask, “you don’t know who I am?”

“Am I supposed to?” she asked. “Just having someone try to kill you tells me a lot about who you are.”

Eric struggled against her grip and then got free. “Alright. I’ll fix your car. My mechanic will pick it up this evening.”

She hesitated but nodded in the end.

Eric winced as the pain flooded through his body once more, reminding him that he’d almost been killed a few minutes ago. His heart was still pounding from the after-shock. Taking a deep breath, he said, “what’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“So, I can thank you properly.”

Again, there was a slight hesitation. “Diane,” she said. “Diane Briggs.”

Eric nodded. “Thank you, Diane. I owe you a lot.”

Diane nodded and watched as he walked away, one hand pressed against the wound to stop the blood flow. When he was out of sight, she pulled out her phone and dialled someone. When the other person answered, she said, “change of plans. I think…I just met Eric Casper.”

The other person gasped. “What are you trying to do, Diane?”

“The same plan but with an easier target.”

….

Meanwhile, on the roof of the building opposite the supermarket, the sniper was answering a call. “I almost had him, boss…he escaped but someone has eyes on him…he’s going back to his apartment. Should we take him down this time?”

“Got it.”

The sniper pulled away and took his rifle apart. He pulled out his tablet and swipped to a page where there was a list of people with their faces and names next to each other. Several of them had a red X sign marked across the pictures. Those ones had been taken care of.

Eric Casper…he was next.