Herald of Vengeance

Who Gave You The Ring?

It seemed as if the drug lord had suddenly seen something out of the ordinary. His eyes were lit and his gaze was kindled, beaming and flicking as the fires in them heightened forcefully.

He moved a bit towards Hermes, his eyes fixed on the shining metal around his finger.

"Is it what I think it is?" He uttered aloud while closing in on Hermes who was prepared for any eventuality.

Hermes had the strength of a grizzly bear coupled with the swiftness of a cat when it came to physical combat. With his fingers wrapped in a fist, he was ready for war.

"Where did you get that from?" The old man asked after taking a long dreadful look at the ring.

"Why are you stopping?" Derek screeched in response, getting impatient.

To Hermes, the question pulled no levers. The identity of the one who gifted him that ring was to be kept secret and sacred no matter what. He was not going to give it up to some big bad drug baron.

Derek was not interested in any tale Hermes had got to tell, he just wanted to see him bite the dust. "For God's sake Diego, that guy should taste the dust of my boots. What are you doing?"

"Silence!" The old voice called back, accompanied with the ascent of his left hand as if to reinforce the command.

"Where?" His voice asked again, deeper and creepier, as if hinting towards danger.

Hermes saw the desperacy in his cold tone. And he met it with a glare of equal intensity, before eventually switching to a curt smile and a roughened expression.

"It ain't your business, old man."

The men around scowled. They would all have jumped at Hermes with clenched fists if not for Diego's signal to them, making them to retreat again. Yet, each of them boiled with intensified anger.

"I'll ask you one more time, boy." Diego continued, his eyes looking deep into Hermes'. "Who gave you this ring?"

"And I'll tell you one more time, grandpa." Hermes replied the second time, looking back at him. "It is none of your business!"

Hearing that, a new fire rose in Diego's eyeballs. He looked extremely vexed that even his men could notice the sudden change in his countenance.

The tension around suddenly increased in two folds. The common guests around all stared on in panic, each person turning their eyes here and there, looking for a secret and quiet way out of the promising chaos.

Haisley herself was getting uncomfortable. She turned to Derek. "What is this? Why is your friend exchanging words with him? Isn't he the strongest mafia boss?"

"My father's friend." Derek corrected, "And with the look of things my love, the next thing he will exchange with our dear Hermes is a gunshot. You see, Diego gets angry quite easily and Hermes just digged his own grave with those words."

Derek ended it with a mirthless smile on his face. "Just watch. And enjoy"

Haisley sighed, a little bit satisfied. She observed the situation again, it was truly getting dreadful. The men in black had all brought their weapons into sight. All sorts of guns and pistols, corked and ready to spill blood.

But Hermes did not look fazed a bit, he stood there confidently in front of Diego. He was so calm that Haisley wondered if he was scared at all.

Slowly, Diego brought out his own gun. A golden yellow polished pistol, beautiful but not adorable. He pointed it to the sky, then brought it down towards Hermes.

Everyone knew it was over, they waited for the sound. The loud bang that would accompany the release of the bullet.

Derek made a face at Haisley who smiled in response. The other women turned their children away from the scene and hugged them. Closing their eyes, they waited impatiently.

"Only a dumb dora fucks with a tiger."

"What?!" Was the only thing Diego could say.

"Only a dumb dora fucks a predator." Hermes repeated.

"Who backs you?" The mafia boss asked, his finger still resting on the trigger.

"I swore not to mention to anyone." Hermes replied.

Diego paused for a while, then he brought down the gun.

"What happened?" Haisley exclaimed to Derek, "He didn't shoot!"

Derek was confused too, but he said nothing yet. He only listened anxiously.

"Go." Diego said, fixing his gaze at Hermes. "But be careful, I won't be so generous next time."

The new couples could not believe their ears.

"What?!"

"He's letting him leave? Just like that?" Haisley screeched.

"You can't just let him walk away." Derek moved towards the mafia boss. "You promised my father to protect me from danger."

He then looked at Hermes who already had his eyes fixed on him. The hate in Hermes' eyes was too much for Derek to ignore. "This man is a threat to me and my wife. He is the worst danger for me right now. He cannot live!"

"He has the protection of the family." Diego replied, "You have to let him go".

Almost immediately, the hefty men who surrounded them dropped their guns downwards. Their lines cleared in unison and a path was made for Hermes.

"Protection of the family?!" Derek repeated in confusion. Only the very rich folks like his father and some other men of the same caliber could afford the service of The Predators.

Only them could have their protection. How come a nobody who just returned from prison would share the same privilege as those men of honour. It just didn't make sense.

He glanced at Hermes again. Who exactly was behind him? Why could he fight like that? Why did he have special protection.

Hermes returned the glance with a smile that screamed "I'm coming for you!".

He thought in his mind, did the rich kid think he could just use the mafia on him? Was that why he looked really suprised now? Hermes laughed inside himself.

One day, he would destroy this son of a bitch who sent him to prison. He would squeeze his head very hard and pluck his eyes out from their sockets, and no one would be able to protect him. No one, not even The Predators.

After taking a long look at Derek, Hermes turned to leave. But little had he walked past the long lines of the armed men who stood gallantly on both sides of the road when he remembered his real traitor. The one because of whom he became a convict in the first place. The woman he used to love until only a few minutes ago.

As he stopped, he turned to take a last look at Haisley. She still stood there on the altar, glaring daggers of hate and unrest at him. Still no remorse, still no regrets, just the same taunting face.

She looked so brave and hard now, her purple eyes sending a violet ray of disgust at him. But one day, he would make sure she regret her actions and beg in repentance. He would watch her fall helplessly down the ladder of fortunes along with her new husband.

If only she knew what was coming for her, what was coming for them both.

With a last sigh, he took his face away from her direction. She no longer existed to him now and whenever he took his revenge on Derek, she would not be spared!