Mark Darius felt the muzzle of the gun against his skin but he didn't feel fear. The strength he saw in his men, their courage and their bravery in continuing to stand by him even in moments like these told him all he needed to know. He wasn't going to fear while he had such a caliber of men fighting for him. Even till death, he was going to be proud of the man he had become, of the following that he had raised. When the gun struck his side again, he groaned in discomfort. He stared at Sergei, hoping that his personal guard would meet his eyes. “You guys should head home, come on..” This time around, Sergei met his eyes. Without fear, Mark Darius nodded, knowing what was going to come next. When Sergei's eyebrows went up in question, he nodded once again, a slight nod that Karen Shapiro didn't recognize. The sound of Sergei's gun going off set the room into the confusion and chaos that Mark Darius had been yearning for. Without skipping a beat, he lifted an elbow, plunging

But deep within her, Jenett knew that her son needed her. Since he lost his tongue and couldn't speak, she was the only one that seemed to understand him. How was he going to live without her when it was clear he needed her at this time of his life? She had to live for him. She had to live to regret what his life had become, she was going to be the one to basically babysit him, her grown up son. It was her punishment for raising such a delinquent of a son. It was the universe way of getting back at her, for how woefully she had failed at taking care of her child. And she was going to receive the punishment with open arms, whether she liked it or not. Just then, it became clear before her eyes. Why was she going to suffer the punishment of babysitting her child when the monster that had created what she was now suffering was walking Scot free? Why was she suffering while Karen Shapiro still walked the streets, alive and well? At that moment, she vowed to also have revenge. A

Starting to drive out of the grounds of the splendid bar, she was shocked when a man came out through the backdoor and began firing at the windscreen. Swearing, she urged everybody in the car to get down and then managed to steer the car away from danger and towards the gate. Looking through her side mirror, she knew that stance anywhere in the world. It was Mark Darius that had been shooting. How had he been able to spot her even in the heat of the exchange of gunshots? Stepping on the accelerator, Karen Shapiro drove faster, knowing that the safety and the continuity of her life depended solely on how fast she could drive and how fast Farida Atticus's car could move. It was time to retreat and make her way out of the city before it was too late. ***************** Even though gunshots were being exchanged and were flying, Mark Darius had been able to spot the black dress that Karen Shapiro had been wearing. And ducking and using a few tables as cover, he followed her, through

He waited in the sitting room, his gun raised. When he finally saw Karen come down, he wondered if his mind was playing games on him. But it wasn't. Karen Shapiro was coming down the stairs, and in front of her was Farida, a weapon pointed to her head. “Let her go, Karen. You know she doesn't have a say in all of this. Let this be between you and I as it has always been.” Karen Shapiro laughed, then stared at him pitifully. “I can release her and still manage to take you out. You look like shit.” “Of course I do. Thanks to you and your men.” He replied, still struggling to stand. The last thing he wanted was for Farida to see his weakness. But she had seen everything already, and from the sobs that were coming from her, he could tell that she was in pretty bad shape herself. He sighed, knowing that what she was going through wasn't her fault. All she had done was love him in return and unconditionally and what had he repaid her with? A death sentence and a gun being pointed

Jenett Darius swallowed hard, staring at the officer behind the counter. He had dark brown hair, and the frown on his face told her that he had problems of his own and wasn't buying her story. To meet with the chief of police, you need to have an appointment. And an appointment was what Jenett Darius didn't have. But she had the story. She knew that spilling everything she knew about Karen Shapiro was record breaking news, and was going to be on everybody's lips in the city for quite a while. If only the officer knew the kind of story she possessed. Then maybe he would let her through. But he was staring at her with contempt, refusing to heed to her plea. “You've got to let me in,” Jenett began once again, her gaze finding Margaret's who was looking around the station in worry. Jenett couldn't blame her friend. She was still afraid of Karen Shapiro, and it was obvious that she was checking the station for any man in a suit or the startling appearance of Karen Shapiro. But Jenet