Everly's jaw dropped as Edwin fell to the ground, he would never allow her to die in his place. The masked man came for him, it was only right for him to get his job done. “Run!” Edwin spoke through his teeth, she never conceived a life and a world without Edwin, not even for once. Leaving Edwin behind was the last thing she would ever do. Her worst nightmare had finally come alive, and there was nothing she could do to turn back the hands of time. She reluctantly stood up to run, but her legs froze, she felt rooted to the spot. She looked around, especially behind her, Edwin's body laid helpless on the tiled floor. Her heart raced faster, nearly exploding, she gasped and expelled her breath, whimpering uncontrollably. She turned to run like Edwin had instructed her to, but she stumbled against her favorite couch and bruised her toe. “Argh!” she shrilled. Now it dawned on her that she was cursed for being the daughter of Hubbard. She squirmed through the apartment until she found
The masked man got on his motorcycle and sped off to meet with Hubbard, nothing was as important to him as the money he would receive for the job. Rival groups had begun to emerge from nowhere and the wingles were beginning to lose everything they'd worked for, his wife, Ayla, needed an immediate surgery for chronic liver failure else she wouldn't last the next seven hours. The old man carefully returned to the apartment as he noticed a sudden calmness. He peeked through the shattered windows and all he could see was a young man determined to survive, he quickly punched in an emergency number and put a call forward to the emergency team. A tear trickled down the side of Everly's nose, she never wanted anyone to find out about her relationship with Edwin. “Who could be behind this?” she conceived and swallowed the dryness from her throat still observant of her environment, she turned back at equal intervals to check if the masked man was after her. The thought of his sick wife pierc
Elyria scurried down the stairs, it's been months since she last heard from Everly. She had always planted herself by the window every day, praying silently and hoping that her daughter would return to her, at long last, the heavens answered her prayers. “Mom!” The guards took to their positions and aimed at Everly, ready to pull the trigger. She appeared as a random street girl, more like a beggar. They only awaited an order to shoot from Hubbard, instead, he cued for them to drop their weapons. “Everly!” Elyria yelled, cuddling her arms around her body. “Mom,” a wedge of anger mixed with tears filled her throat,“E-Edwin” she stuttered, choking out her words. “Don't worry dear, you're safe here.” Hubbard advanced in their direction, he wasn't a gangster anymore, but he should have been. He had a lode-gold hair, which he groomed carefully. The aquiline nose he sported complimented his prominent cheekbones. Handsome in an understated way, his basalt jaw and spartan shoulders spoke
Graeme Clough expelled his breath sharply and lowered his head, his day would have been a perfect one if only his first duty happened to be something far from murder. Unfortunately, after the death of his sister, Wayde, a high-ranking personality in the force who was brutally murdered in her resident, he swore never to have anything to do with the force, but life surely has a way of changing things. The image of Edwin covered in blood reminded him of that empty night when Wayde laid lifeless on her bed, covered in her blood. She had lifted her arm to reach for her gun, but the serial killer was fast, skilled, and stronger than she was. He clenched his fist with a death grip. “Let's move it!” If there was any hope left to apprehend the culprit, then it could only be now. The special ops team got into the van and were ready to depart the crime zone. Graeme Clough pulled the door open and then paused for a moment, he looked back with a brief tilt of his head and a smile curled-up at t
A year later. Elyria sat close to Everly and clutched her arm. “Sweetie, I conceived being a model was what you'd in mind,” she paused. “Just look at you,” a smile curled-up at the edge of her mouth,“You've got a perfect body shape.” she paused again but this time her face crinkled in confusion.“A prosecutor!” she shook her head in disbelief. “A model, you say?” Everly's lips gave a sardonic twist,“If I became a model, would I still apprehend that son of a man who messed up my life?” she arched a quizzical brow. “I need to know why he had to die, is that too much to ask for?” “You're doing all of this for Edwin, huh?” Elyria narrowed her gaze,“Get a grip of yourself, lover girl, Edwin is long dead and forgotten!” Everly sent a long, pained look to her and then broke the eye contact. “To you mom, he's dead,” a tear trickled down the side of her nose. “But to me, Edwin lives.” she lifted her hand and killed the tear on her face halfway,“if anyone at all tries to stop me or get i
Edwin sat on the white sofa, opposite Murat Mohr, as much as he was interested in the conversation with him, he just couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful frame that embraced the wall. The sound of a ticking clock could be heard, red heavy curtains hung on the high windows which only gave room for little light to penetrate. It painted a long vertical rectangular pattern on the tiled floor. The perfume of air freshener circulated the room. A smile flickered at the edge of his mouth, he once had a frame of himself and Everly. “Would things ever return to the way it was?” he conceived and lowered his gaze. If only he could rewind and pick up the pieces of life he left behind. “You're going to need this.” Murat Mohr cut through his thoughts and lifted his arms towards Edwin with what seemed like an identity card. “Huh?” Edwin narrowed his gaze. “You're a dead man, remember?” Edwin seemed to have forgotten so soon as he exhaled deeply, that night could have sent his name down the
The magnificent sight of the early sunrise over the horizons shot through the glass windows, it pulled shadows backwards and dipped the tiled floor in a golden glow. Karl swept a tumbling hair back off his brow and exhaled sharply. “Home, at long last.” he said, his arms spreading wide. Ellie laughed low in her throat, still pulling the luggage behind her as they paced towards the exit door. After a long while, once again her feet greets the American soil. She wouldn't dare to forget his face, his death-cold gaze, his blood would be the ransom for ending the lives of her parents in that car crash. Although he didn't match the description of the masked man who shot Edwin, perhaps the masked man could have the answers she needed. Her beauty caught the attention of other passengers in the airport, and the slow movement of her waist sealed their lips. “Do you have a plan in mind yet?” the words jolted curiously from her throat. “Not yet, one step at a time.” he said.Simultaneously, a
Inside the Prosecutors Intelligence Service (PIS) building, opposite the receptionist's office, sat Everly and Savannah on the metal bench proposed for clients. The movement of people were as that of vehicles on the highway, the murmuring of clients and clanking of shoes on the tiled floor could be heard while the mingling scents of different cologne filled the air. “And that was it.” Everly said, the words leapt out of her mouth almost on their own. She had just narrated the ordeal of Edwin's death to Savannah. “Do you still love him?” Savannah asked, staring into her eyes, the question, although simple, felt heavy like she'd something caught up in her throat. She looked heavenward and exhaled deeply, her mouth crinkling into a smile. She pressed her lips together as her eyes misted with pain. “He was my future, my only hope…” she tossed her head down as tears trickled down the side of her nose. “Everything will be calm.” Savannah assured, cuddling her arms around her shoulders
Savannah sat beside Everly on the hospital cot and searched deep into her eyes, while Jenkins leaned on the wall with arms folded across the chest and legs crossed. “Hey, what's wrong?” —she patted Everly's face as tears streamed down her eyes, but, Everly returned the gaze with a painful stare. She wouldn't have thought that the answer she sought for months, the reason she'd to abandon her dreams of a model for a prosecutor, was right in front of her all along. How thoughtful of a father to steal the happiness of his daughter. She figured It must have been him who ordered to drop the investigation on Karl's attempted murder. How sure was she that her father didn't have a hand in this accident or in the mysterious murders in the city if he could attempt to eliminate Karl.Hot tears welled in her eyes, remembering the words said to her by her mother. Never did she imagine that her father would be on the other side of this war. Perhaps, her mother was aware of it but chose to stay q
“Can you go faster, please?” Every said, a flicker of impatient shone in her eyes as her words forced a smile out of Graeme Clough's lips.The harder he thought about it, the less he understood the reason she fought so hard to meet with Karl, despite being told he's got a woman with him.“Ok, I'll.” He fired the engine of his car and took a glance at the side mirror, then he noticed a black car on their tail. His skin prickled with alarm.“We're being followed. Hold on tight.” —Graeme Clough fired the engine of his car again, drifting between lanes as he overtook other vehicles while Ercan who had Allender with him, brought his car to a halt. Having drove some few kilometers ahead, Graeme Clough stole glances at the side mirror but didn't see a trace of the car trailing them. If they weren't after him, then why did they stop? Unless they'd other plans. He felt his blood rise in a wave of heat through his body. “Did we get away from them?” Everly asked, her heart pounding beneath
The living room held beautiful frames on the thick wall, some of which had Graeme Clough's pictures, designs of clocks while others held a glimpse of nature.Mild light from the sun shot through the windows framed with blinds, scattering its rays over the end tables holding a flower vase. Ellie perched on the edge of the couch with a colorful pillow as she brushed her feet against the area rug and swept her eyes up and down the room.“We thought you died,” —Diane, killed a year halfway in her cheek. “Well, the doctor said so. Days, weeks, and months went by, yet I'd to live with that pain that I couldn't save you.” Karl gazed at Ellie who was beside him yet paid little or no attention to the words said by Diane. “Why would you hold in to that pain?” —Karl turned to Diane. “You did all you could, besides, I haven't thanked you enough.”“You wouldn't understand,” Diane said, a teary smile creased her lips. “I once had a son who unfortunately died in a fire incident.” The words buzze
The indistinct chattering of people, hissing of pop cans opening and chairs scraping the floor could be heard as Darron stood in the doorway, his gaze darting from one line to the next while he clenched his tray of hamburger and energy drink searching for a perfect spot to seat. The bright florescent light strips running across the ceiling painted soft irregular patterns on the tiled floor. The recent happenings in the city had left him with no choice than to take a break from all working activities and breathe the freshness of a new self.Meanwhile, he noticed a vacant seat at the extreme right corner of the sleek wall, just opposite the cash register stand. He ambled past the rows of long tables with comfortable plastic chairs spaced along them, then he carefully placed the tray on the round table and pulled a seat for himself.He showered warm breath on his palms as he rubbed them together before getting hold of a hamburger, just halfway to his mouth his phone rang. He picked up
“This is taking too long.” —Everly complained under her breath. She could barely welcome the thought of something else, not even that of herself except Edwin's as she glanced at her wristwatch sporadically. Waiting wasn't the best of exercises she loved doing, at least, not now that she knows he's alive and out there somewhere.“He'll be here soon.” —Phanuel flashed a smile across her worried face.“How sure are…”The honking of a car in a distance stole the rest words from her mouth. “Told you, he's here.” Immediately, Everly bolted out of the station to meet with Graeme Clough. She wouldn't spend another minute waiting for him because she's been doing that for a long time, waiting for answers.“You're him.”“Yes, I'm” —he shuffled some steps forward. “Let's go in.”“No,” —she clutched his arm with a desperate look in her eyes. “I wish to see the bodies of the murdered victims.” “Why do you wish to see that?” “It's” —she tossed her head down, blinking back tears. “It's personal
Allender rose to his feet, gripped his arm behind him and bowed as Hubbard strode into his office in a white instead of his favorite black suit. The devil dressed as a saint. The color of his outfit always complimented his mood, and this was just that part of him no one would beg to see. The sudden change sent icy chills down Allender's spine. Despite being a highly skilled hitman, he knew Hubbard wasn't the type to joke or joke with because his past was able to cripple the minds of those who would dare to give a listening ear.Be it in his youthful days or presently, Allender knew quite well he was no match for him so if he'd requested to meet in his office, then it wasn't just a bogus statement, it'd to be a fact. Hubbard fully aware that if Edwin, now Karl, happens to be alive then it was only a matter of time before fate brings him to his daughter.“You may have your seat.” —Hubbard loosened the knot of his tie and sat. “I don't know what to believe anymore.”“I shot him and I
Everly scampered into the clangorous station house while she panted and raked her eyes all over the place searching for Graeme Clough. Although, she didn't get a good look at him the last time he came around to see Darron but, she was however certain that she could recognize him if he did come around.“How may I be of help to you?”—a random cop approached her.“I seek an audience with,”—she raised her heels and gazed above his broad shoulder. “A certain cop, which obviously isn't you.” A smile pulled his lips to the side. “Very well then.”—he half turned to Phanuel who was busy. “You should meet with him. He'll certainly be of help.”“Thank you.”—she strode up to him and pulled a seat for herself.“Would you like a coffee,”—Phanuel copied some information from the computer screen. “Or tea?”“Pardon?”His hand came to a halt as he noticed the voice wasn't that of Kylie. Perhaps did she have a change of mind? But, he clarified it for her not to send any of her friends because this was
“Sir, I need a favor from you.” Everly said, cuddling the files in her arm. She'd just arrived at the office a moment ago but, didn't see the need to get some rest despite going through the heavy traffic and having a flat tire on her way. She scooted into the office, picked up the files on her desk, and found her way to Darron's office. “Don't you think you should rest?” She clearly understood what he meant but, she couldn't risk waiting, not even for another minute, so she swept an arm across her forehead and got rid of the sweat.“No, sir, I'm fine.”Although, she didn't seem anything like her words but, pulling the matter any further would be of no use because determination was well written over her face.“So, what is it?” he asked, leaning backwards on his chair.“I seek an audience with the cop who came by a few days ago concerning the recent killings.”Darron tilted his head to the side and arched a brow. “How did you know about that?”“It's all over the internet, sir.”“Oh,”
Ellie strode with Karl into the clangorous station in her blue mini gown and white blazers, which got cops tilting their heads in her direction with parted lips. She'd always wanted to grip his arm and walk side by side with him like a couple, but each time she tried to do that, he'd always move a step ahead of her. Fortunately, she gripped his arm as they walked towards Phanuel who sat at the extreme right corner.“Where's your boss?” Karl asked.“Who are you?”Not much of a surprise to Karl if he didn't remember him, besides, he was out on duty while Graeme Clough was the one who actually helped out.“Just put him on the phone.”“Alright.”—Phanuel did as he requested and put a call across to his boss.“Sir, there's someone waiting to see you.”“Who's that?” Graeme Clough asked.“I don't know.” the words seemed to drag themselves from his mouth as he raked his eyes up and down Karl. “They don't look familiar but, it seems really urgent.”“I'll be with you right away.”—Graeme Clough