WAITING FOR THE RESULT His mind raced as he rode off to Cholula. There were policemen everywhere and at every stop. There was no chance for anyone who attempted any smart play on them to escape. He was lucky not to be suspected. He kept wondering what happened to the security guard he shot last night at the cathedral. Was he dead? Would the priest be mad at the Don because of that? Well, since the Don didn't mention anything about any shooting, he should think the guy was still alive. Good for him if he was. Aguero planned to enter Cuautlancingo from Cholula and then continue till he got to the border town of Guatemala. He didn't mind the distance so long as he got away from Don El-Zaki and anything that had to do with handling guns ever again. He was tired of living this life. Because of it, he had no wife, no kids, and no relationship. But as soon as he reached the Pyramid, he had his scooter stopped by the police. He had nothing to be afraid of because he wasn't carrying any
ONE LAST CHANCE Caleb waited for the longest 30 minutes he could remember. Thirty minutes turned into an hour and then two hours, but there was still no new update on the incident. He started to get anxious. His hands were tingling from the tension that he had to shove them inside the pockets of his chinos. He was home and on the third mug of coffee that afternoon just to keep himself warm but even that helped very little. He had suspended every meeting and redirected all his work-related calls to the secretary. Sofia who didn't know he was back in Mexico City relayed the details of the conference call she and Mr David had with his grandfather to him. He told her he was cool with everyone's suggestions, and that if there were any new changes or additional information, he'd fill her in. She asked to know when he was returning but he declined to answer directly. Sofia was smart enough not to probe further. As he sat in his living room staring at the TV and occasionally monitoring h
OUTWITTED BY A WOMAN "Don't lose hope, boy. We will get El-Zaki no matter how long it takes." Lord Dezani said with a faint smile. The reporter was still talking. Mateo said, "Turn on the volume, I think there's an interesting announcement." Caleb looked at the screen and saw Doctor Fernandez. He quickly grabbed the remote and increased the volume. She was dressed in her official clothes with a lab coat but had a bandage wrapped over her head. "What the hell is this?" he yelled. "What? Do you know her?" his grandfather asked. When Caleb kept staring without uttering a word, the old man looked again and the face seemed familiar. "Wait. Is she not the same doctor who works at Santos Memorial Hospital?" Caleb nodded still unable to find his voice. "Then what happened?" Caleb pointed. "My name is Doctor Adriana Fernandez. I work as a medical consultant in a public hospital here in Mexico City. I am part of the forensic team working on the sample gotten from the disputed factory
HINT OF JEALOUSY "Hmm," Lord Dezani cleared his throat. "Am I missing something here?""Something like what, Grandpa?" he asked, feigning ignorance."Something like, you know... why the cordial tone with the doctor? Sounds like you two are familiar with each other." Mateo was studying his grandson's countenance. He was wondering whether now was the right time to broach the subject of marriage."Grandpa, you're imagining things. She's just a doctor who has over time become a friend." He said a bit too hastily. Lord Dezani laughed lightly. "You mustn't sound defensive, my boy. Having female friends is okay, as long as they're good-natured and can be trusted."Caleb didn't want to linger for long on the subject. In fact, he never wanted to have this discussion anytime soon. "So, what happens now that Guillermo Lozano is dead?" he subtly changed the subject. Mateo felt the flow of relief that washed over him a while ago slowly fading as the heat of the moment returned. He shrugged and
LOOK WHO IS JEALOUS! "You sound like you're settling in quite well and having a good working relationship with the manager," Caleb said with a chuckle - merely as a cover-up to make light of the question. But he was actually prying to know whether Liliana was having a thing with Mr Sam. Her review of him was quite impressive. It wasn't like her to give someone such a high review barely a week of working with them. "Gosh! He was beginning to sound like a jealous lover." He thought with a murmur. Then chided himself. So what if Liliana finds happiness with another man after what happened between her and her ex? Who was he to say no? "Well, you asked him to look after me, didn't you?" she questioned sarcastically. "He's doing just that." "In that case, I'm happy for you." "Was that the reason you called? To discuss Mr Sam?" Liliana was being cocky now. "Come on, don't be ridiculous. I only wanted to let you know I landed home safely," he lied. "Oh, well, that was thoughtful of yo
KIDNAPPED AND TAKEN ACROSS THE OCEAN Caleb rushed out of the hospital ward and ran back to the reception panting. He saw a lady wearing white standing behind the counter. "Excuse me, nurse. Please I'm looking for the doctor...." he couldn't finish his sentence when something sharp like a needle pricked his neck from behind. Before he could turn to see what it was, he heard a buzzing sound inside his head. Then everything began to spin: shadows of people moving in a zigzag formation, voices echoing like they were coming from a hovel, feet shuffling, and finally there was nothing. Everywhere became dark and gravely silent. *** Caleb stirred and tried to adjust himself when his leg touched something cold and steel-like. He then felt an undulating shake like the time he went on an adventure in his grandfather's yacht. His mother was lying beside him and asked him to lie down too so he could fully enjoy the yacht as it bobbed on the water. But he didn't remember going on a yacht. So
YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUY "Why does this case matter so much to you?" she had asked him. "I will let you know when we meet one of these days." She didn't want to be an alarmist but she felt strongly that something was awfully wrong somewhere. ***Caleb woke again and the undulating movement had ceased. Maybe they were now on land, he assumed. But he was feeling pressed and thirsty at the same time. He started to move his body violently. He could hear hushed voices from nearby and wanted to attract their attention. After what seemed like forever, someone tore open what looked like a door but was concealed with a blind and the brightness nearly blinded his eyes. He had gotten accustomed to the darkness. He blinked and tried to see who it was. The person was short and stoutly built, his face was covered with a mask and his head wrapped with a headgear. Caleb imagined he was sneering at him because he saw his mouth moving. He tried to speak but the only sound that came out wa
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE Why would Pedro have him kidnapped and taken across the Caribbean Sea to heaven knows where? Then the guy's words kept ringing in his head. "Tell that to him when he sets his eyes on you." Wait! Was Pedro released from jail? He'd dread to be in the same room with him.Caleb lay on the floor trying to make sense of everything that had happened leading up to that moment. From when he was talking to the nurse at the hospital reception and felt something pricking his neck - the same side that the broken windscreen pierced him in Mumbai, to the time he woke up to realise he was in a boat, and the moment the short guy cut him with his penknife. He could still feel the sting, made worse now that his hands were not free to massage it. "How long have they been on the run?" he pondered. He had checked his pocket for his phone and wallet when he went to ease himself and, just as expected, there was nothing on him. His phone and wallet containing his valid work ID c