24K Magic for a Perfect Illusion

Ch 13: Hands Up!

It was dinnertime when the trio arrived at their last destination in Canada, the Polansky manor.

Contrary to the lively atmosphere in the Horton mansion, the Polansky manor has a gloomy aura.

“Hands up!” a man with a shotgun hanging on his chest told Ves sternly before he did a thorough body search.

Weapons are strictly forbidden to anyone who enter the manor.

“People here doesn’t know how to smile.” Peter whispered to Ves.

“Maybe they already lost all the reason to smile.” Ves replied.

“Touché. It took me years to figure out the reason behind their gloomy faces, everyone here had tragic experiences before.”

“Aren’t you a busy body to find out people’s life stories?” Ves said.

“Well, I was too bored that time and got nothing else to do so I hangout with the Silk Sonic for a while and browsed the data of all the people in the organization.” Peter proudly stated.

“That’s invasion of privacy, you know.” Ves walked along the cold corridor with Stefani leading the way.

“Who will stop me?” Peter shrugged. “Anyway, I only got depressed after reading their information.”

Upon reaching the two big doors to get inside the manor, another thorough body inspection has been made as if the person inside is the prime minister of the country because of the strict security.

“Stefani …” a six-foot-tall man exuding in an alpha aura greeted as soon as they entered the lounge area. “Hernandez.” he recognized Peter with a nod before he turned his attention to Ves.

“I’m Ves Taz, Mr. Polansky.” Ves initiated to introduce himself.

“How are you related to Han Taz of the automobile and research institute in Moscow?” Polansky inquired.

“He’s my biological father. Do you know him personally?” Ves probed as he started to think that his father is involved in the dark organization too.

“No. I only bought trucks from him. The man left a deep impression on me thus I remember his name. What a small world, his son is actually part of this bloody organization.” Polansky smiled faintly while staring at Ves.

“He didn’t join on his free will Michael.” Stefani stepped in. “Don’t think that you can poached him out from Ronson.”

“Then what does Mark have to keep the powerful man’s son on his side?” Polansky glanced at Stefani then to Ves.

“I may be my father’s son but I chose to live with my mother when they filed a divorce. It’s because of my mother’s debt that I have to work for Mr. Ronson for three years.” Ves explained precisely.

“So, it’s your mother who fell in Ronson’s trap and you’re the one he took instead.” Polansky thinking deeply. “That’s new. He must be targeting you from the start and your poor mother bit the bait. Women are really a nuisance. No offense Stefani.”

“Well, I’m offended. It’s not women’s fault that men are fools. Also, no offense Michael.” Stefani snapped.

“Ha!” Michael laughed. “Not everyone has the audacity to talk back at me like you. We’ll settle it later, for now let’s have dinner.”

Michael led the trio to the dining hall where a sumptuous dinner is served on the long table.

The usual chatterbox Peter is eating in silence thus Ves figured out that Michael doesn’t talk during mealtime, hence only the cutleries movement and subtle sound of chewing can be heard in the room.

Michael finished his meal first and after he wiped his mouth clean with the table napkin, he finally broke the silence, “So tell me, what do you come here for?”

“Big boss is gathering everyone for a meeting in New York City this coming Friday night.” Stefani replied while having her dessert that Michael requested for her before dining.

“Hmm … I guess I’ll be having inventory count sooner.” Michael replied casually as if he’s just talking about the weather.

Ves got the meaning behind Michael’s words, his inventories are firearms therefore the sudden meeting that the big boss only means that the organization is going to war.

That same evening, Stefani is undoubtedly sleeping with Michael as the latter took her to the master’s bedroom, as for Ves and Peter they shared the same room with double bed in it.

“Is Stefani dating the three bosses at the same time?” Ves asked.

“Yes and No. She dated them before but not at the same time. If she ever did that, she’ll no longer be alive by now. Currently, what they have is just purely s*x and nothing else.” Peter responded.

“What about you?” Ves is in a mode for gossip.

“She and I has been partners through life and death for a decade now. We live and die for each other but it’s not love just dependence on one another.” Peter explained while staring at the ceiling as if he’s reading a script on it.

“Then it’s just possessiveness of a man to a woman he’s sleeping with. I know you’re not comfortable when other men touch Stefani and you’re actually good in concealing your feelings for her. You want her all by yourself but you’re holding back. Why Peter?”

“I’m not having a psychotherapy with you Ves, I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not your f*cking patient here so don’t push it.”

Ves pretend to change the topic instead and divert their conversation to him, “I miss Hestia so much. I promised her that we’ll see each other this Christmas. Do you think it’s possible?”

“You’ve already used up your vacation leave by going back and forth to Korea on her birthday and yours. It’s you who put that condition in your contract with boss that your only allowed for five days’ vacation leave in a year. You brought it upon yourself.”

“That’s really encouraging, thank you very much.” Ves sarcastically replied. “You know why I did that; I want to end my involvement in this organization before I go to the military and start a new life after I got released from the service. The only way to prevent Ronson for extending my workdays to him is to work fully for him within three years. Though we both know that he’s a man of his words but we also know that he’s greedy. Thus, I let him use me as his money-making machine for a specified time, that way I can detach myself from him when the time comes.”

“Good for you, you have a different path to take in life. You graduated from a prestigious university and have a profession. You have all the reason to get out from the organization. Unlike most of us who doesn’t have a decent life from the very beginning.”

“Everyone has choices in life Peter. You can also change your life if you want to, being a thief is not the only option you have.”

“Yeah sure, what else can I do if I’m not a thief? I’m only a high school graduate so what kind of decent job will I get if I quit? A waiter in a restaurant, a salesman, and there’s no way I’ll take a construction job just because I’m capable of lifting heavy objects. There’s no job out there with a high paying salary waiting for me. So, I’m good what I am right now. I could even retire by the age of 40 which is actually ten years from now, without worrying about money at all for the remaining years of my life.”

Since Peter talked about retirement Ves thought that Peter already planned for his future so he gets deeper with their conversation. “What will you do after retirement then?”

Peter think for a second and blurted out, “I don’t know, maybe making music. I think I’m also talented on that field since I can sing and play music instruments. Oh, I can also dance. I guess I’ll be performing on stage in a beach. Yes, a beach! I think I know now where to live when I turned 40. I want a house by the beach.”

“That sounds a great retirement plan to me.” Ves nodded in agreement. “Don’t you want to make that dream of yours into reality sooner, say when your 33, one-third of your life in case you make it until age 100??”

“Ha!” Peter laughed. “I know what you’re trying to do here. I appreciate your good intentions really, but … I can’t just leave everyone behind. You may not understand since you distance yourself from everybody but for me and Stefani, the people in the organization are family for us. Ronson is our father, our brother, our friend, we’re loyal to him because he was the one gave us shelter, food, and clothing when we had nothing. Yes, he may influence the others to be vicious in a pretense of self-protection but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s our provider.”

Ves understands his rationality, it’s just like the children being filial to their parents who brought them up to life.

Since he can’t change Peter’s mind, he just keeps his reasons to himself and acquiesce to him with silence.

He didn’t know when he fell asleep as he woke up the next morning.

After having breakfast, the trio left the manor and went straight to the airport.

They have one more boss to visit and apparently that last boss is residing in Mexico, just two hours’ drive from their turf.

But the less Ves expected, the last boss is a woman and the whole place is exclusively for females only.

It must be a heaven on earth for Peter but the man is on his utmost behavior which is very out of his character.

Truth to be told, the women under the lady boss are all trained assassins and no one among them would hesitate to draw blood when someone disrespect them.

Ves and Peter were taken into a room as if they’re being confined and only Stefani went to meet the lady boss as since she’s the only one who’s allowed to enter the boss’ office.

“Whew!” Peter breathed out. “At least they let us in and offered a room with snacks on the table.” he walked straight ahead to the table to dine in. “The last time I went here with Stefani, they made me wait outside for hours as if I’m an insignificant person.”

“I saw a robot at the corner of the couch, is there a kid living here?” Ves sat across Peter.

“Children. Some of them are mothers. The lady boss here is a mother herself, and her recruits are mostly women that were abandoned by their husbands or men who got them pregnant, thus they’re all men haters here. Hence boss, rarely interacts with the lady boss here even though they belong in the same organization.”

“I see. That’s why nobody mentioned that we have allies nearby. So, we have Amazons, huh?” Ves started to eat his meal.

“Yeah. You can say that, the ladies here aren’t lady-like at all, and the way they kill their target though not that gruesome like ‘The Smeezingtons’ but it’s slit throat for them, that’s their signature.”

Ves swallowed hard and subconsciously touched his throat, “That’s still brutal but at least they don’t take their victims organs and left the dead body out in the open like an empty shell.”

“Bruh! Do you mind?!” Peter gestured that they’re having a meal at the moment. “We’re eating steak here and that’s not very appetizing.” he hesitated for a while but he’s hungry so he continued savoring the dish after shaking his head off the grotesque pictures he just imagined.

“Haha, sorry.” Ves half-heartedly replied. “Anyway, are we supposed to stay in this room until they let us out?”

“I feel safer here than outside. You saw how they looked at us since we entered their turf until we’ve been brought here, those weren’t friendly gazes to me. They obviously detest our kind, so I rather stay here and wait for Stefani.” Peter said.

Peter is the ‘safety first’ guy and Ves already proven Peter’s survival instincts, thus he listens and follows him all the time.

Ves rather avoid trouble than take his chances to fill his curiosity.

After an hour or two the door of the room opened and Stefani told the two about the lady boss inviting them for an afternoon tea since their visit already disturbed the latter’s siesta.

At the greenhouse full of flowering plants that Ves haven’t seen before, when he’s about to touch one of the flowers that looks like already dead because of its color that almost black, a woman’s stern voice stopped him right away.

“Keep your hands to yourself Ronson’s man!” the woman commanded. “That’s not a flower for you to touch with your bare hands, I don’t like any casualties in my turf. I might be accused of hurting one of his precious men.”

“I’m sorry.” Ves withdrew his hand immediately. “I just thought …” it’s a dead flower because it stinks.

Tara cut his sentence off and explained, “That’s a black hellebore, recognized by folk medicines as poisonous and highly toxic as its roots may cause fatal vomiting. It’s not the flower with a foul odor but the chocolate lily on your left side.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m not fond with plants.” Ves smiled sheepishly. “I’m more of the mechanic guy than a plant guy. I’m Ves Taz, by the way, you must be Ms. Tara Savelo?”