She stood in front of him, her suffocating, yet sweet fragrance flooding into his nostrils. The booth wasn’t meant for two people and their bodies kept touching with the slightest of movements. She raised her gun and asked him to close one eye and look at the target. Her butt rubbed against his hips as she adjusted her posture and caressed the trigger with her index finger. “Ready?” She asked softly.“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Keith returned and she laughed softly.She squeezed the trigger and hit the bullseye effortlessly. Then squeezed it again and one more time. The three bullets hit the same hole, leaving Keith fascinated yet again. She turned to him and handed over the gun with a smile. She was staring at him from under her eyelids now, her eyes laden with dark intentions. For a moment there, Keith really thought he could see through her and figure out what she wanted, but she was a complicated woman as Wills as said. One minute he saw desire in those eyes, the n
Keith wasted no time in dialing Wills’ number. His heart was already racing at the uncertainty of this urgent message. Wills picked the call immediately and the first thing he asked was, “Are you with Mrs. Flora already, Mr. Keith?” “No, Wills. I’m still in the car,” He peaked out of the tainted window as the car started moving again. The gate to the beautiful duplex had been opened and the car slowly edged in, “But I’m already at her house now. The car is in the garage.” He replied as the car came to a stop. “Okay, good,” Wills’ voice became much lighter and it was only then Keith realized how thick with worry it had been, “It’s almost twenty minutes past seven, I need you to keep that dinner going until ten PM, it is a must that you do.” “Why, Wills? What’s going on?”Wills cleared his throat, “I have a few birds planted around this city and I just got intel that an attack awaits you when you leave her house. I will send reinforcements in very soon but we must still move
She returned wearing an expensive mink coat over a dazzling, knee-length black gown which was slit up to her hips at one side. Keith couldn’t help but gaze at her beauty for a few seconds and quickly averted his eyes the moment they met hers. “Do you want a drink before you leave, Mr. Keith?” She asked, leading him back into the living room.As she asked, he suddenly felt a dryness in his throat and nodded to her. She returned with a class of a colorless liquid with a crystal-clarity appearance. Keith took a swig of it and swallowed his saliva when he stared at the glass in surprise. “This is very fine liquor,” He said, nodding slightly, “Which is it?”She smiled, “The Diva Vodka, only the finest in my cabinet,” She said and collected the not so empty glass he handed back to her, “I’m sure you have tasted liquor finer than this, Mr. Keith.” She remarked as they headed out of the house, “I was quite nervous that it wouldn’t be up to your taste.” He smiled, “I’ve tasted better
Keith was shaking from head to toe. He waited for the pain to start spreading throughout his body until it got to his brain. His hands were frozen…his legs, well his legs were numb and he couldn’t feel anything from his chest down. His eyes widened and he gasped, that was probably where he had been shot. But then, he didn’t feel the pain. Not anywhere in his body, but he could smell the gunpowder so close to him now. He felt a current in his right arm, alive and fierce. Then the cold metal of his gun, still in his hand, still pointed at his attacker, shook him back to reality. His gun was smoking, his index finger stuck to the trigger and a bullet hole right in between the eyes of the man’s mask. Slowly, the man fell backwards and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Keith was shaken, he had pulled the trigger! He just killed a man! He was still lost in his traumatic thoughts, the cold hands he felt creeping up his spine seemed to fade away. Death…that was death calling on to
The next morning, Keith sat behind the desk in his bedroom with a hot cup of coffee.His mind still dwelled on the bloody sight he had seen yesterday. Wills had killed that man with absolutely no emotion while his heart was still heavy when he thought about the man he had killed in the gallery. What if the police came after him then? But surely, he would be able to wriggle his way out. After all, he had only shot him out of self-defense…right? “Right?” He asked himself and then glanced at the door with wide eyes when he heard a knock, “Wills?”“Yes, Mr. Keith.”He sighed, his hand was already reaching for the second drawer where he kept his gun. He felt odd that his first instinct was to reach for the gun. The perks that power came with seemed to be getting to him now. “You look bright today, Keith,” Wills remarked as he sat down on the other side of the table, there was only one chair there.Keith frowned, “Sure, with the bags under my eyes, right?” Wills placed a stack o
Keith thought about going to the hospital to check up on Flora but then he decided against it. He didn’t want to seem too caring, didn’t want her to know that he thought about her more than he should. He made up his mind to give her a call when he was done at the office; whatever he was going to do, then meet up later if she happened to be free for the night. He kept glancing outside the window, a thought tugging at his mind. Finally, he turned and asked Wills, “What time do they arrive?”Wills arched an eyebrow at him, “Who?” Keith frowned, “The other so-called pillars of my dynasty,” He replied, avoiding eye contact with Wills because he was unsure of what his eyes would portray now that he was thinking about the Wales girl.“Well, they will be on a first-class flight by,” He glanced at his wrist-watch, “Noon. I will be at the airport with a few others to receive them. So, they should arrive at the new headquarters and report to you before the day is over.” A thought occurre
Very few men alive had access to the small room the eleven men were gathered in.Ten of them were seated, while the eleventh man stood at the door with both of his arms behind his back and his head dropped down as if he was standing trial before a jury. Whenever he looked up, he received the glares of ten pairs of eyes. The small room was located right in the center of New York. A beautiful skyscraper with a last floor that had an office whose wall, adjacent to the door could open up to the small, hidden room with a push of the right button. The meeting between them was yet to commence, the eleventh man wasn’t present yet. One of the men around the large mahogany desk which took up more than half of the small room cleared his throat and pointed a crooked finger at the man standing at the door, “You said you’d handle him. He is the next big problem for us and you promised your men would take care of him,” He said, his tone accusing and irritated. Greenburgh lifted his head aga
Later that day, Keith noticed something odd. There were only eleven dossiers on his desk.Wills had exited the office and was on his way to the airport to pick up the executives who were supposed to touchdown soon. Keith frowned and counted them again. There was supposed to be twelve dossiers, Greenburgh’s inclusive. He ran through the profile of all eleven of them and saw something written on two particular files. One was a name, with a picture attached to it. Harry Mance. Age, 43. A charismatic and assertive fellow, also intelligent and a wise, strategic thinker. He owned a huge institute in the Investment Banking and Asset Management by the name Mance and Co. Financial limited. Keith went on to read further.Mance had founded the leading financial firm ten years ago and specialized in investment banking, asset management and wealth management with offices in major financial hubs continent wide. He was a huge and important figure in the sector, a giant force that others didn
Mandy Wales wasn’t so thrilled about her relocation to New York. She was going to be the boss’s secretary now, the main boss and not just the manager. She loved the fact that she would be working directly with the head of a dynasty. She had been surprised the first time they met that he was such a young man. He couldn’t be up to his thirties yet, she was sure about that. For days after his brief meeting, Keith had been the talk at the branch in Memphis and Mandy couldn’t help but chirp in a word or two into the gossips that travelled to her desk. For a lot of reasons, she was excited about being here. She could boast of a higher salary now. Mr. Wills had informed her of the twenty-thousand-dollar addition to her yearly income. The new boss was generous, he had said. But that salary didn’t come with the privileges the other executives had, she didn’t have a place to stay yet. But that wasn’t the reason she didn’t like her move to New York. And no, it wasn’t just about the boiste
He managed to keep a straight face as Wills took up the position of making the introductions again. Mandy Wales’s green eyes gleamed like an emerald stone, piercing into Keith’s soul. Their eyes met and held for a few seconds. Keith could feel a reignited passion in his heart for those seconds, then he let go of her warm, fragile hand and moved on to the next man. He had sleek black hair with a balding spot at the center of his head and a receding hairline. Keith immediately remembered him from the pictures Wills had shown to him a few days ago. Wills had not been wrong about the manager. Wills had said he was always dressed in a black suit and red tie. This was Keith’s second time meeting him and only the design on the manager’s tie was the significant difference from his last outfit. “This is Morgan Greyjoy, Mr. Keith,” Wills announced, “all the executives have reported to the new headquarters on your orders, sir.”Keith nodded, restraining his gaze from shifting to Mandy
Later that day, Keith noticed something odd. There were only eleven dossiers on his desk.Wills had exited the office and was on his way to the airport to pick up the executives who were supposed to touchdown soon. Keith frowned and counted them again. There was supposed to be twelve dossiers, Greenburgh’s inclusive. He ran through the profile of all eleven of them and saw something written on two particular files. One was a name, with a picture attached to it. Harry Mance. Age, 43. A charismatic and assertive fellow, also intelligent and a wise, strategic thinker. He owned a huge institute in the Investment Banking and Asset Management by the name Mance and Co. Financial limited. Keith went on to read further.Mance had founded the leading financial firm ten years ago and specialized in investment banking, asset management and wealth management with offices in major financial hubs continent wide. He was a huge and important figure in the sector, a giant force that others didn
Very few men alive had access to the small room the eleven men were gathered in.Ten of them were seated, while the eleventh man stood at the door with both of his arms behind his back and his head dropped down as if he was standing trial before a jury. Whenever he looked up, he received the glares of ten pairs of eyes. The small room was located right in the center of New York. A beautiful skyscraper with a last floor that had an office whose wall, adjacent to the door could open up to the small, hidden room with a push of the right button. The meeting between them was yet to commence, the eleventh man wasn’t present yet. One of the men around the large mahogany desk which took up more than half of the small room cleared his throat and pointed a crooked finger at the man standing at the door, “You said you’d handle him. He is the next big problem for us and you promised your men would take care of him,” He said, his tone accusing and irritated. Greenburgh lifted his head aga
Keith thought about going to the hospital to check up on Flora but then he decided against it. He didn’t want to seem too caring, didn’t want her to know that he thought about her more than he should. He made up his mind to give her a call when he was done at the office; whatever he was going to do, then meet up later if she happened to be free for the night. He kept glancing outside the window, a thought tugging at his mind. Finally, he turned and asked Wills, “What time do they arrive?”Wills arched an eyebrow at him, “Who?” Keith frowned, “The other so-called pillars of my dynasty,” He replied, avoiding eye contact with Wills because he was unsure of what his eyes would portray now that he was thinking about the Wales girl.“Well, they will be on a first-class flight by,” He glanced at his wrist-watch, “Noon. I will be at the airport with a few others to receive them. So, they should arrive at the new headquarters and report to you before the day is over.” A thought occurre
The next morning, Keith sat behind the desk in his bedroom with a hot cup of coffee.His mind still dwelled on the bloody sight he had seen yesterday. Wills had killed that man with absolutely no emotion while his heart was still heavy when he thought about the man he had killed in the gallery. What if the police came after him then? But surely, he would be able to wriggle his way out. After all, he had only shot him out of self-defense…right? “Right?” He asked himself and then glanced at the door with wide eyes when he heard a knock, “Wills?”“Yes, Mr. Keith.”He sighed, his hand was already reaching for the second drawer where he kept his gun. He felt odd that his first instinct was to reach for the gun. The perks that power came with seemed to be getting to him now. “You look bright today, Keith,” Wills remarked as he sat down on the other side of the table, there was only one chair there.Keith frowned, “Sure, with the bags under my eyes, right?” Wills placed a stack o
Keith was shaking from head to toe. He waited for the pain to start spreading throughout his body until it got to his brain. His hands were frozen…his legs, well his legs were numb and he couldn’t feel anything from his chest down. His eyes widened and he gasped, that was probably where he had been shot. But then, he didn’t feel the pain. Not anywhere in his body, but he could smell the gunpowder so close to him now. He felt a current in his right arm, alive and fierce. Then the cold metal of his gun, still in his hand, still pointed at his attacker, shook him back to reality. His gun was smoking, his index finger stuck to the trigger and a bullet hole right in between the eyes of the man’s mask. Slowly, the man fell backwards and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Keith was shaken, he had pulled the trigger! He just killed a man! He was still lost in his traumatic thoughts, the cold hands he felt creeping up his spine seemed to fade away. Death…that was death calling on to
She returned wearing an expensive mink coat over a dazzling, knee-length black gown which was slit up to her hips at one side. Keith couldn’t help but gaze at her beauty for a few seconds and quickly averted his eyes the moment they met hers. “Do you want a drink before you leave, Mr. Keith?” She asked, leading him back into the living room.As she asked, he suddenly felt a dryness in his throat and nodded to her. She returned with a class of a colorless liquid with a crystal-clarity appearance. Keith took a swig of it and swallowed his saliva when he stared at the glass in surprise. “This is very fine liquor,” He said, nodding slightly, “Which is it?”She smiled, “The Diva Vodka, only the finest in my cabinet,” She said and collected the not so empty glass he handed back to her, “I’m sure you have tasted liquor finer than this, Mr. Keith.” She remarked as they headed out of the house, “I was quite nervous that it wouldn’t be up to your taste.” He smiled, “I’ve tasted better
Keith wasted no time in dialing Wills’ number. His heart was already racing at the uncertainty of this urgent message. Wills picked the call immediately and the first thing he asked was, “Are you with Mrs. Flora already, Mr. Keith?” “No, Wills. I’m still in the car,” He peaked out of the tainted window as the car started moving again. The gate to the beautiful duplex had been opened and the car slowly edged in, “But I’m already at her house now. The car is in the garage.” He replied as the car came to a stop. “Okay, good,” Wills’ voice became much lighter and it was only then Keith realized how thick with worry it had been, “It’s almost twenty minutes past seven, I need you to keep that dinner going until ten PM, it is a must that you do.” “Why, Wills? What’s going on?”Wills cleared his throat, “I have a few birds planted around this city and I just got intel that an attack awaits you when you leave her house. I will send reinforcements in very soon but we must still move