Story: I WANT A HOME- Episode 20

Charles and Steve sat beside themselves as Margaret and Vivian likewise. Joel moved right and left in front of them and stared another look at Steve as if he was asking for permission to go on with the discussion.

He nodded and stop walking around as the four of them faced him after Steve nodded too.

“You are all about to take a grievous, dangerous risk and that is why I’ll still give you another chance to back out now if you are not sure about this” Joel announced and stood with boldness as he pocketed his hands. He stared a look at the two ladies particularly and made it clearly obvious he was referring to them indirectly after making a chuckle and after another look at Steve.

There was silence in the room for few seconds as Joel stopped speaking, hoping one of the girls will flaunt or change their mind but neither of them did.

“Joel I think you don’t like the idea of involving them in this plan but there’s no one else I can trust than this three people. Remember you said those I can trust” Steve broke the silence and took a look at Vivian where she was seated beside Margaret, he smiled and took another look at her.

Vivian caught his smiling face and smiled too, their eyes lurk on themselves and it vividly show a sign of confusion on the rest of them, including Joel.

Margaret made a face and took a look at Vivian beside her, she saw her smiling and staring a look at Steve where he was seated opposite them, the smile was so intimate she starts wondering what was going with both of them before Joel spoke up again.

“Yes I did told you to fetch trusted people but involving women in dangerous task that could led to a gun battle is inappropriate and unprofessional, women are weak”

“We are doing this Mr.. And don’t you ever call us weak” Vivian suddenly stopped smiling and intercepted.

She took a look confidently at Joel and stands up.

××××
“Cheng where the hell are you? One of our men has been caught and I want everyone of you to abort and get out from that building now before anyone else get caught” Cheng heard Weng spoke hurriedly almost immediately he answered the call as his fingers work on the security lock on one of the electric doors.

“I told you earlier to hire intelligent and classified people for this job Weng, if one of them get caught then you are basically responsible for anything that comes next to it”

“Oh thank goodness” Cheng added as the lock finally gave way and the door opened.

“What sound is that Cheng? I said Where the hell are you and why did you take off your tracker? The whole security officers has been alarmed, you’ll get caught if you don’t come out now” Weng shouted again.

“You ask too many questions Weng and what you just did wasn’t professional like I expected from you, I cannot risk stopping here after coming this far, all this is your fault. I already told you not to hire those men you hired and I’m sure you got the best results you want” Cheng answered him and opened the flashlights of the phone immediately he saw how dark the room was, he stepped into the room after he closed the backlight.

He saw the need for more brighter light as he took three more steps closer into the dark room but his phone flashlight could still cover round him and few centimeters away to him.

Weng kept calling his name but he didn’t say anything as he proceed more into the room even though its wasn’t on loud speaker, he stretched the phone forward with his left hand and held a gun with his right as he stepped in more without bothering to close the door.

Weng still continued calling his name and saying hello’s repeatedly but he gave him no reply as he walked and increased his pace. “Weng I think found something” He announced and walked forward.

××××
“Vivian what is wrong with you? Is this a joke to you?” Margaret asked as Vivian smiled again and finished up the whole wine she went to take and gave no response as she walked, she returned back to her previous seat and faced Joel who seemed pleased with her confidence.

“I admire your boldness but this is not about your nonchalant attitude miss Vivian, we are talking about highly dangerous most powerful criminals which surpassed your Ego here” Joel said and smiled, he made a chuckle where he stood and took a look at Steve.

“They don’t have to be with guns Joel, their bargain of the plan is quite different and they have another entire job to do” Steve intercepted.

“You don’t have to remind me of that Steve, I can see none of this of your trusted ally including your best friend could barely handle a single cold gun not to talk of taking up a fight even though they’ll handle a critic job in the plan if they really intend to do this and that is exactly why I am pointing out if they will withdraw now if they can’t do this” Joel explained and took another look at their faces, likewise Vivian whose expression immediately changed along with Charles who made some uncomfortable movements on the chair he sat beside Steve.

Charles adjusted his seating position instantly as his legs made faint sounds on the sofa, he got Joel attention and soon got Vivian and Margaret who had to face him due to his continuous adjustments, he was always the freak and weak one and they all knew, especially Margaret who knew better. His continuous adjustments made Joel noticed him the more and he spoke after smiling again.

“Don’t be scared man. We are not doing this alone, I want to let you all know your safety is assured by the detectives involved in this and your only part of the job is to help us with some monitoring and manipulating some offshore accounts and likewise follow some official calls with us” Steve said after he also took a look at Charles before he glanced at Vivian again and back to Joel.

Joel’s explanation continued and lasted for 20 minutes more as he began to answer questions from Vivian and Margaret as he also begin to give them some details of the part they’ll handle and all sorts of necessary things but he didn’t disclosed most of the important details to them just incase their plan failed or was countered at its very beginning.

He was about to answer another question asked by Vivian before his phone began to vibrate, signifying an incoming call from a contact saved as Detective.

He answered the call almost at the first ring and moved backwards a bit to speak.

××××
Five men stood alarmed with their guns around the building veranda as they surrounded one of them who was giving strict instructions. They were all dressed in blacks and three different sets of weapons carefully hidden on four of them.

The new building they came to wasn’t big at all compared to the mansion they left behind but the place was still very comfortable for everyone of them even though they really had no chance to rest all through the night.

The whole building from the outside all through the door step to the back and vicinity was surrounded by hefty gunmen with sophisticated weapons and different surveillance cameras were all in place.

“I want you all to be careful and be watchful from now on and I want some of you to keep close watch on Sunny from today onward, you are lord Nathaniel’s personal men and as from today, I want you to watch the distance between Sunny and lord Nathaniel” Khora, who seemed to be their leader instructed and concluded what he was telling them when a sudden loud sound of scream and gunshots in the same compound sounded but the direction was deceiving.

At the very twinkle of an eye, all of them rushed back inside to protect the drug lord instantly as all the men in the compound stand and positioned themselves. Sure enough no one can easily penetrate the building anyhow.

××××
Flashback;

The war got fierce and brutal when some part of the building explode in fire. Neither of the drug lords was losing more men than the other as lord Nathaniel’s men made use of RPG-7 weapon

and Vladimir’s men made use of MK2 Grenade

the more with more sophisticated military weaponry.

Sunny and Khora, who is the best among them did all they could to protect the drug lord as they tried to escape the scene but Vladimir accurate shooting prevented it and almost hit Sunny himself.

____
Just immediately Stone and the rest of the guys in the jeep came down to meet Margot in the car she was, one of the men who was left behind in the jeep watched them come down from the car and deliberately waited, he made sure they were at least 25 steps away from the jeep to that of Margot, he carried the laptop Stone left behind in the car after reassuring himself they were far away, he opened the system and began to initiate the bomb Stone had disabled as his fingers rolled faster, the initializing countdown from 10 started almost in 60 seconds as he locked the four doors of the jeep after decoding the password.

He brought out his phone hurriedly and dialed a contact on it. The phone had began to ring but wasn’t answered yet Just then the bomb he initiated completed the countdown and boom, its explode so high almost all the building got affected, including some of the deemed strong part of the building as Stone turned back to the jeep.

___
Truly more of Vladimir’s men died in the bomb explosion and more of lord Nathaniel as predicted by Stone. Another bomb explode the second time and the heavy fire shrink the ground so steadily its crushed the entire building down.

The whole building went so high in flames and caused more deaths than it should, following the kinds of weapons they were using, but the gun battle lessened for a while after the second explosion due to the heavy fire as the building collapsed and the heavy smoke profound the whole place.

“Nathaniel… you are such a fantastic b****** and I call you to come out and face me now” Vladimir shouted and coughed out with strength where the bomb had deflected him. He shouted again but his voice wasn’t clear due to the whole lots of coughs coming from survivors who either the building didn’t collapse on or didn’t died with the heavy explosion.

Vladimir shouted again as some of the men barely affected by the explosion began to cough too and Lord Nathaniel himself began to cough as he held unto a gun behind Sunny.

××××
PRESENT;

The whole compound vibrated with gunmen who became alert immediately and placed themselves at different tactics and angles where they could have more advantage against any enemy even though most of them don’t know the real direction of the gunshot or where the sound came from.

Immediately Khora and the men with him rushed inside with their guns, they met four dead bodies laid flat-up on the floor and lord Nathaniel was seated before the dead bodies while Sunny held a gun.

He stared a look at the drug lord and at Sunny who seemed to have shoot them, he could recognized the men as the control room men and the reason for their death, they must have been killed due to their incompetence by allowing the enemies penetrate the building without any counter, even though killing them was still a big disadvantages to them.

“Then you must have helped them inside if you claim you don’t know how they were able to penetrate without you knowing” was the last statement they heard from Sunny before he fired several bullets into their chest.

Lord Nathaniel closed his eyes briefly and reopened it as they rushed inside, probably thinking they’ve ran there to protect him when the gunshots sounded. He remembered the scene between him and Vladimir and their past memories together flashed within him, he remembered the training they had together and all the difficult deal they successfully made when their master and some powerful drug lords thought was impossible.

He stood up immediately and the watchful eyes of the men in the room followed him along Sunny who ordered some of the men who rushed inside to take the bodies outside.

Lord Nathaniel made a heavy sigh as he walked to the previous place he was seated, he inhale and exhale before seating down again and called out Khora’s name as three of the men looked at Khora as if asking for permission before they bend low to obey Sunny’s instructions.

“Yes my lord” Khora answered him without minding the boys expression and bowed in respect before moving forward.

“Call Steve for me, send him this address and tell him to be here in an hour” he ordered and exhale again as Sunny’s reaction changes and his face turned a frown.

××××
Margaret excused herself the second time after 30 minutes the two Detectives entered the main room and the discussion had started, but this time she made sure she grab Vivian’s hand as she managed to escaped the detectives eyes and held unto Vivian tightly where she went to get another drink.

Steve looked behind the chair he was seated when one of the detective stop the explanation he was relaying to them distractedly as Joel himself got distracted. He saw Vivian trying to force her hands off Margaret grip but Margaret already dragged her completely out of the room. He turned back to the detective when the door was shut and was about to speak when his phone began to ring in interception.

“What is going on with you Vivian? What is going on?” Margaret asked repeatedly without waiting any seconds immediately Vivian’s leg was totally out of the room and the door shut.

“What !! What do you mean what’s wrong? With me or Who?” Vivian forced her hand from the grip and asked, sounding pissed.

“Vivian !!”
“Oh common Margie, don’t call my name.. you are such a freak you want to know everything”

“Common Viv, what’s up in there with you and Steve” Margaret asked her and squint.
“There is nothing Margaret, obviously nothing”
“Vivian, we are into this together and I demand that…”

“Ohhh… God sake,, Don’t start with this story of yours here again. Okay. If you really must know, I’ve decided to build a home together with Steve under any circumstances, I’m going to have the home he always wanted with him, we are both building that home together. That’s all” Vivian answered her and smiled again. She stepped backwards seeing Margaret was still lost with the bright smile and doesn’t understand what she meant, she pushed the door opened hurriedly and entered the room before Margaret could say anything else.

To be continued..

EPISODE 21

EPISODE 19