Benjamin still hadn't moved after Bryan said the last word. He seemed to be frozen in place. He looked at Bryan intently but from all indications, it wasn't really Bryan that he was looking at but through him. "You're beginning to look creepy, just say it already," Bryan said, breaking the silence. Benjamin jumped and asked what he meant, scratching his head. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Come on, I know that you have something on your mind and you just don't want to say it, I'm waiting," he insisted. Ben stood up from the chair and paced the length of the room, then he settled on beside Bryan and looked him straight in the eyes. "I think your condition has something to do with the emperor," he said. Bryan looked at him and shook his head, "Come on, you shouldn't let anyone hear you say that, it's crazy talk," he stated. "Crazy talk? This is the only logical explanation. If the emperor is begging mixed up in your business then maybe he knows something that you don't. Maybe he i
The sun hung lowly on the horizon. It was almost dark and the weather was misty. The cloud gray overhead and the air promised rain. The food stall by the side of the bank was filled up by eager patrons who chattered loudly and placed orders of eggs and toast and everything else that the cheap food truck offered. Inside the shed just across the street was Bryan, he was seated on a park bench, under where a bus stop once was but it had been moved to another location and all that was left there was the shed. Beside him was an old lady who was flipping through a newspaper and didn't even bother with his presence. Bryan could sense that was was actually pissed off at something. She had been mumbling something under her breath all through and although he couldn't clearly hear her, he could guess from the phone call that she had made a few minutes ago that she was upset with her niece. "She'll come around, I'm sure she's just going through the adult phase," he offered to her kindly as s
Bryan got in the car and told Robson to step down. "I can't leave this to chance, I have to be sure that he doesn't get out of sight," he stated. Robson looked at him from the rearview mirror and nodded. "I would be perfect for this drive. I know the city and the mistress, Mrs Claire told me that you haven't been around much since...since you recovered. I think my knowledge and muscle memory of the city would do great," he said, "I also haven't taken a break from driving since I started twenty-three years ago," he reminded him. Bryan sighed, he had a split second to decide if he should take over the wheels or let the man do it. He was right that he hadn't been driving for a very long time and he also didn't know the layout of the city as much as someone who had been living there for the past years and had a better knowledge of the nooks and crannies of the city. "Fine, make sure you don't lose sight of him!" Bryan snapped and Robson nodded as he pulled the car into reverse and sped
Right in front of Bryan was Nate and he looked like he hadn’t aged a day since he last saw him – and that of course was normal seeing as it was barely a year since the last time they saw each other. “Supreme master,” Nate replied, but there was an edge to his voice, almost like he didn’t care that Bryan had just seen him. Peterson walked out and closed the door behind him, looking across the street as if he was trying to spot someone – or something. “You followed me here?” He suddenly asked. Bryan sneered at him and angrily clenched his fist. What sort of foolish question could that possibly be? How could he ask if he had followed him as if that was the most important thing they should have discussed? “I think you did,” Peterson responded. “You’ve been meeting with Nate?” Bryan spat through gritted teeth. “Hey, calm down, you just saw us together for the first time. How can you just assume we’ve always been meeting?” Peterson asked. Bryan cocked a brow at him. “Really? Are you
Nate seeing that Bryan was mad beyond being civil, he moved back and slightly hid behind Peterson. When it comes to physical strength. None of them could beat Bryan. Bryan wasn’t just the supreme master for nothing. It wasn’t just a fancy title that they agreed to give to him. He’d actually proven himself worthy than the rest of the team and he knew that the only way to remind them of who he really was had to be doing the one thing they never thought that he could do – hitting a member of the team.“You’re right, I’m no longer a part of the army, but I’m twice the man you’ll ever be. I’m not just some dead man like you all bastards thought!” Bryan snapped. Peterson still hadn’t recovered from the punch. He looked at Bryan and blood was seeping through his fingers. Clearly he had just gotten his lips torn with that punch. “Is that why you’re throwing a fist? To prove your power? Isn’t that why weaklings do?” Nate asked, doing what he was best at – trying to play mind games. All the
Soft music played in the lounge that Bryan sat in. It was a Saturday and he had just spoken with one of his trusted men. He promised to get back to him concerning a few business deals that he wanted to strike with major corporations in the city. Claire was a little far off but he could see her as she dipped her feet in the pool. They had come to the safe house again because she said that she really needed a place to relax for a little while. Clearly, she was having issues with Freda again and this time, Bryan refused to pry not only because he wanted to give her some privacy but mainly because he knew it would infuriate him to know what happened. "You've been staring at me funny, is everything okay?" Claire asked as she settled on the mat right beside him. Bryan nodded. Everything was fine. He just needed a few minutes alone with his own thoughts. Claire had been very quiet since they both arrived at the safehouse and he took that as a sign to back off and let her be on her own. B
Claire looked at Bryan again as she stood by the corner of the pool, a good distance from him and answered the call. She hadn't expected him to call so soon after her mother texted her. She hoped to spend more time with Bryan but clearly that plan would have to wait. "I'll be right there," she replied with a cold voice and then hissed as she hung up promptly. She sighed, crossed her arms and looked at the water, blinking away her tears. "Can I just tell him? Will he ever forgive me?" She whispered to herself as she looked in his direction again. Bryan had been nothing but helpful from the very first day they met. He had tried to get her mother a place of respect in the family but Freda wasn't in the mood to work. She didn't want to earn a living when she could only prey off others. While Claire had been doing her best to get the family on its feet and secure some good deals, Freda had priced the latest bags and watches off an expensive boutique site. She didn't mind breaking all t
Bryan could hear the shock in his voice as he spoke. “Bryan?” The old man asked and then quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not Bryan. You just sound a lot like my nephew, who are you?” He asked. “You were right actually, it’s Bryan,” he stated. Uncle William gasped and then asked what had happened to him. “What’s been happening? How are you?” He asked, his voice quaking. “I’m fine, Uncle, it’s been a few…years,” he said. William was still stuttering as he asked where Bryan was. How he was doing. “I’m fine, uncle. You can quite sound shocked. I know that you haven’t spoken with me for a long time but I guess you must have heard I’m back in the city, my return sparked a lot of attention,” he said. Uncle William chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I can’t deny that I hear that. But I thought it was all a rumor. I didn’t know it was true. I could have never believed that you would be in the city without coming home,” he said. Bryan hummed, maybe the old man didn’t believe the rumors