Just while the others were processing Della’s idea in their minds, she suggested again.“We could also pretend to be satellite technicians, you know. We could use fake identifications and work orders to gain entry.”Alan then spoke. “I think that either of them works anyway. The most important thing is to get some ideas from Brody. It mustn’t be something too new to them or else they will be suspicious.”“If technicians don't come around too often and they see us, they will get suspicious but if they have technicians coming around now and then, I believe it will be much easier to blend in and disguise.”“I think we will need to get back to Brody on that.”Della’s fingers moved with a swift, decisive precision, and her thoughts were racing as she looked to get back into conversation with Brody.Her eyes were fixed on the glowing screen as she typed. [Hey, Brody, are you still there?]She waited for about five minutes but there was no response. “See, he’s probably gone asleep,” Della t
“Oh, no. I am not letting you go anywhere,” Mr. Lawrence snarled. “You are a spoilt little boy and you will be shown some lessons.”“You think you now know stuff, don't you? You think you are now a big boy and you can't stay in your place anymore.”But soon, Mr. Lawrence’s ears pricked up, the sound of a ringing phone cutting through the tense silence of the room.The sound was very brief and stopped after about two or three seconds but it was already enough to get Mr. Lawrence’s attention.“What’s that sound?” Mr. Lawrence spoke softly but his voice was laced with a threat. Brody’s heart sank into his stomach the moment he realized that Mr. Lawrence had heard the ringtone.No! What a terrible situation, he thought. But didn't he put the phone on silent mode? Didn't he ensure that it couldn't make a sound? What then was the sound again?Now it was a little too late because Mr. Lawrence had already heard everything.He was in trouble.“I am talking to you, boy. What’s that sound?” Mr
Brody’s heart pounded as he fumbled with the phone, his fingers trembling with nervous energy.The phone’s screen dimmed and the once vibrant display faded into a dull, lifeless gray.Brody’s face was growing pale as he realized that the phone was getting bad.No! No! That can't be.Brody muttered under his breath as if pleading with the phone to come alive.He saw the missed call that happened when Mr. Lawrence was in the room and realized that it was Della.Della had better come to save him immediately because time was no longer on their side anymore. Things were becoming really intense.He tried all possible tricks that he had learned on Y****be social network to fix the phone but there was barely any improvement.The only relief was that he could still type even though it wasn't as effective as before.He quickly went to his chat with Della and saw that she had already sent her a message.[Hey Brody are you still there?]Brody quickly responded, battling with the tough situation w
When all these are over. I promise to get you a new phone. I know it’s what Rose would have wanted][Just hang in there][Alright] Brody responded.[So, I was going to ask a question.][Do you have gardeners come over to the hotel suite or satellite technicians?][Which of them visits the hotel suite more often?]Brody responded. [That would be satellite technicians. We already have in-house gardeners who take care of the grasses and surroundings.][They don't come in from outside as often as satellite technicians][Alright, thank you. You are so smart] Della remarked.[Oh, but before I forget. The technicians only come on Wednesdays and Fridays][Sometimes on weekends too]Della’s heart skipped a bit as she immediately started calculating in her mind what day it was.Luckily it was Friday - perfect timing to act as satellite technicians to infiltrate Mr. Lawrence's apartment. Della asked for details on how they usually dressed and Brody told her everything she needed to know.Brody
The guy who noticed something was persistent and determined to get his colleagues to heed his suspicion.“You are actually neglecting your duty, aren't you?” He spoke. “That doesn't seem like a good idea allowing only me to go check it out. We are a team for a reason and if we were assigned to this post, we have to make every positive effort out of it.”The uninterested guards paused in their conversation, exchanging a glance that suggested that they were deliberating whether to finally make a move and check if Baldy was correct.“Alright, let’s go check but I doubt if you saw anything,” The guard spoke. “You are just a pain in the a** sometimes but we will cope with you okay?”The three guards then moved together to the corridor to check if the guard’s suspicion was right.Meanwhile, Alan and Jackson had noticed that a conversation was going on among themselves.“Shh, I think they saw us,” Jackson whispered to Alan. “Sh!t, I made a mistake, man.”Alan, without stressing the matter fu
With two brutal gunshots, the guards fell to the ground immediately, their bodies still and lifeless as their skin became pale and cold.Alan had shot one of the guards while Jackson took care of the other.The way had now been paved for them to enter into Brody’s room.Alan and Jackson moved quickly and forcefully, bursting through the door with a deafening crash that echoed through the room.Even though they would have preferred that no sound was made, it was the final step and they had no choice but to break in especially after they had gone through a lot to take out the guards situated just outside the room.Their eyes were moving in search of Brody but they couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.Brody was nowhere in the room.The gunmen had their faces registered in shock and disbelief, their frustration and anger palpable as they realized that their plan had been thwarted.They exchanged confused glances at each other just as they tried to cover the entrance just in case so
“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Don’t you like it when a man gives you a little attention? Why don’t you lighten up and have a little fun? After all, you don’t have a husband. Don’t be so uptight, darling.”“You are quite the kind of lady I like. Don’t mind your colleague saying that you are old and all that trash but I tell you the truth, you are the kind of lady I want. Just my kind of lady.”Della had some very harsh words that she was going to say but because she didn’t want the plan disrupted, she had to stick to being on track with her words.She had already used her hands to signal Fred not to lash out at the guard. She didn’t want the plan to be disrupted just because of an untrained guard.“Hey, look, man. I am just here to do my job and not to be harassed by some man.”“Am I some man?” the guard teased. “I don’t want to be just some man to someone like you. I want to be more than just some man. I want to be more acquainted with you, honey. And isn’t it a little disrespectful
Fred was ready to go for it all. “If you need our main ID badge, my colleague can go them now. She will get mine too but I was hoping you would already know the company we are coming from. We already have a contract here.”The guard who was talking balderdash earlier scurried into the conversation. “But I haven’t seen you guys before. Especially the bright-skinned darling we have here. I would have known if I had seen her before.”Fred responded. “Well, we are not always the same and I am sure you already know that. Today, it is our shift to come to complete the repairs and as we said, we are actually running out of time.”“My colleague can quickly go and get the ID badges if that is what is delaying us from entry.”Fred was speaking with the hope that the guard was going to shrug off the situation and ask Della not to worry.But he needed to show that he wasn’t hiding something and the only way that he could do that effectively was to pretend as if everything was going fine and as ex
He was in a hurry to get things done quickly because he knew that it was going to be only a matter of time before the guards would discover that the public service system had been hacked.“When you get on the other side of the purple fence, just hang in there until we come to get you okay?”Jackson’s hands were large and measured, his touch gentle as he took Brody’s hands into his own.“Come on, I will show you the way and then you will complete the move,” Jackson’s voice was soft, his voice sincere as he was careful not to scare the boy with too much haste even though he was in a hurry and rightfully so.They crept until they got to the entrance which was just a few meters away from where they were. Jackson’s eyes were alert as he watched to see that there was no guard close to them that would impede their move.They hid behind the cars, creeping through the shadows with their eyes narrowed with a tense intent to get as far away from view as possible.Jackson then reached a point whe
“Come on, let’s go. We can't just sit here and do nothing after all. We have to do something.”With a grim determination, the guards all filed out of the lobby one after the other, their footsteps resounding through the empty hallways.The tension was palpable in the air as their weapons glinted in the harsh fluorescent light.Their bodies were taut with adrenaline as they headed towards their destination.Alan’s face glimmered with a relieved twinkle of gratitude the moment he saw that the guards had all gone.He then whispered to Jackson. “Hey, Jackson. Call Fred now and tell him to his way to the purple fence area. That’s the easiest route out of here. Tell him to get there as quickly as possible. That’s where Brody would have to go meet him.”Brody was confused, his face darting left and right as he was trying to understand what Alan was saying.Where was he saying that he was going to go? Since when did the plan become that he was going to go somewhere?Alan crouched down, his fa
“No one, I believe. You see what I am saying. What if they already got past this place and they are already heading outside.”“Think about it, I don’t think they would want to escape through the outside. Look at the way that they came in. We didn’t even know. None of us knew until they got to the top floor and killed two guards.”“It’s obvious they are trained so we have to think along the line of the fact that they are more than prepared for this.”“They probably outlined every step of the way before they came.”“Not probably, man. They did, it’s quite obvious.”“I guess it’s a draw right now. Mr. Lawrence already has one of them while they have gotten Brody.”“We must get back Brody, man. That’s the instruction. Mr. Lawrence has ordered a closure of all entry points right now and it is already in process. Everything must be on lockdown until Brody is found.”“We can’t afford to fool around.”“What if they are holed up in one of the offices? We should search each room systematically.
Mr. Lawrence then moved his eyes closer to Della’s face to get a clearer view of what was going on.“Wait, what? You look familiar,” Mr. Lawrence’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing into Della with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey.His expression was hardened as a cruel smile spread across his face.“You look awfully and strangely familiar I must say,” Mr. Lawrence remarked again.He wasn’t sure of whether to keep up with his suspicion or to ignore it. He was sure that there was something about her that was too strange to ignore.It dawned on him that the person that she traced her face to was actually that of Rose Billing, the same woman that he murdered.He paused once more and spoke. “I know who you are, don’t I?”Della’s lips curled very slightly by the side as if she was trying to give Mr. Lawrence the clue that he needed.And Mr. Lawrence picked up the clue. He was shocked by the resemblance that Della had with Rose and even though he tried to ignore it as nothing b
“You are Brody, aren’t you?” Alan asked.The boy nodded in affirmation. Jackson’s grip on Brody’s hands loosened and Brody’s shoulders were relaxed gradually even though he knew subconsciously that there were most likely going to be some problems lying ahead.“I know you,” Brody spoke to Alan. “I saw you the other day when Mr. Lawrence killed Rose. You are Rose’s husband right?”Alan paused as if he was in a deep emotional thought before he then nodded.“Yes, I was.”It was a moment of reflection for both Alan and Brody as they both seemed to have missed Rose.Brody didn’t get to spend much time with Rose but it was obvious that the little time that he had spent with her was more than enough for him to miss her for a lifetime possibly.“And Della, the lady who texted on the phone. Are you her partner? Do you work with her? Where is she?” Brody asked.He was in a hurry to receive answers to his questions because he was still a little bit scared.“She is going to be with us soon, Brody
The air seemed to thicken with tension, the silence broken only by the faint click of gun safeties being engaged.Alan then whispered into his radio, hoping that he was going to connect with Della. “Della, are you there? We are about to open fire on the guards who want to lock Brody in the basement. We are going to need backup, over.”That was all Alan needed to say and he believed that he had said enough already.They moved a few more steps with deadly precision, their footsteps soft and stealthy as they crept closer to the guards. They saw as the guards were shoving and dragging Brody and this time, they were going to lock him into the basement.They were no longer interrogating him about the phone because there were bigger issues to deal with.But Alan and Jackson thought that it was time to raise a response.The guards burst the basement door open and were prepared to shove Brody into a dark room but there was a sudden startling noise of gunfire.Pow! Pow!Boom!The hail of bulle
Alan was just a few feet away hiding behind one of the pillars. The moment she saw the harsh slap that was performed against the boy, he gritted his teeth in frustration as he became provoked to cause a disruption.Why would they treat such a young boy like that? He had to hold and keep himself in check so that they would stay according to plan.But considering the way he was feeling, he wished that he could just start a gunfire right away. He began to rethink whether it was best to engage the guards with gunfire right away or if they should wait a while until Brody got locked in the basement and they would try to open it up.Just as he was still having a deliberation in his mind, the guards continued with their harsh treatment toward the boy.“Yeah, right, we are not stupid,” Guard two spoke. “Look at the faces of all of us standing here.”Brody’s face was still facing the ground as he was dealing with the harsh effect of the assault but he felt a hand shove his head back up so that
Alan and Jackson froze in place, his breath caught in his throat as he clung himself to the wall. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard the guards’ footsteps growing closer.Time seemed to be very slow as the guards drew nearer, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the hallway but Alan gripped his weapon tightly just in case the situation was going to demand it.But as they got closer, two other guards joined them. They now seemed to be five and they were discussing.Alan and Jackson were picking up on their conversations.“The boss said to keep him in the basement.”“There are many ways that the boss can get the boy on his side. After all, he is his son. I don’t see why there should be an issue between them.”“The boy is a cool guy to me.”“This isn’t about whether he is a cool guy or not. We should listen to what the boss says.”“Come on, this is not to say that I wouldn’t listen to what he says. I am only telling you as a colleague that there is no need for being so harsh
Fred was ready to go for it all. “If you need our main ID badge, my colleague can go them now. She will get mine too but I was hoping you would already know the company we are coming from. We already have a contract here.”The guard who was talking balderdash earlier scurried into the conversation. “But I haven’t seen you guys before. Especially the bright-skinned darling we have here. I would have known if I had seen her before.”Fred responded. “Well, we are not always the same and I am sure you already know that. Today, it is our shift to come to complete the repairs and as we said, we are actually running out of time.”“My colleague can quickly go and get the ID badges if that is what is delaying us from entry.”Fred was speaking with the hope that the guard was going to shrug off the situation and ask Della not to worry.But he needed to show that he wasn’t hiding something and the only way that he could do that effectively was to pretend as if everything was going fine and as ex