“I am sorry to inform you that we’ve reached yet another dead end in the investigation,” Detective Fred informed Jake. “We still can’t figure out who blew up your villa like that.”
“Hasn’t anyone identified the attackers?”
“No. The bodies found at the scene did not match anyone in our database of criminals. We did find some Russian-made weapons at the scene but we couldn’t trace them to any group or persons specifically.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“I understand but don’t lose hope. We’re still hoping for leads from various sources but for now, we’re closing the case.”
“Already? It’s only been three months.”
“Trust me, Jake. The state isn’t ready to invest any more resources into this. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open but that’s how far we can go for now.”
“I see. T
“I’m glad you agreed to meet me in public,” said Jake, making himself comfortable on the cane chair.He was sitting across from the Russian guy who had demanded to meet with him 48 hours ago. Jake had chosen the patio of a classy restaurant as their meeting point.It was a pleasantly sunny afternoon and people were going about their business as usual, oblivious to the presence of armed security men in the area disguised as tourists.Ivan shrugged indifferently. “I could still kill you here if I want. Makes no difference to me.”“So, it doesn’t matter to you that you’ll be killed too?”“Unlike you, I do not fear death. As long as I succeed in my mission, nothing else matters.”“I see… what is it you wanted to discuss with me?” Jake asked, changing the topic which was now making him uneasy. “What do you want from me?”“That is a two hu
Jake’s private jet landed in Helsinki three days later. Along with Shadow and three of his fellow, Ninjas, he was escorted into a waiting limousine sent for them by the Russian Don.They were driven to another town and led to the outskirts where Bori Aleksander had built an imposing castle for himself and his minions. Jake and his security went through different levels of stops and searches before they finally arrived at the front door.“Only you must come in,” said the armed butler in halting English. “your men must wait outside.”“At least one of them has to follow me inside for my safety,” Jake insisted.The middle-aged butler snorted. “If we wanted you dead, you would not have made it here. You came for a meeting and you shall have it but without your men.”Shadow took a menacing step forward to let the butler know that he wasn’t going to stay outside while his boss was left exposed an
Jake remained tight-lipped about the details of his meeting with Boris. He didn’t want to ruffle the feathers of his existing security allies and he also didn’t want anyone to know of his business dealings with the Russian mafia boss.“The more you seek protection, the more you get involved with people of questionable characters,” Meg complained when he returned home.“What would you have me do? Call his bluff and put our family in danger? It’s better to have these people on our side than against us.”“You’re right, of course. I just hope that when the authorities clamp down on them, they won’t drag you along.”“Don’t worry about that. I’m very careful.”Life as Jake knew it went back to normal – nobody was threatening to kill him or steal his empire, business was booming again and his family was flourishing.He threw a lowkey dinner party to cele
“I’m not sure I quite follow your explanation, Mr Turner,” said Detective Reeves of the Hawaii County Police Department.“What part do you not follow?” Jake asked him casually.The men were seated in the guest living room downstairs. It was a few minutes past 2 a.m. and all the party guests had already left.“The deceased wasn’t invited to your party but he showed up anyway and then attacked you in the presence of your bodyguards.”“That’s correct.”“And he was armed.”“Yes.”“Why didn’t your bodyguard search him for weapons before letting him in?”“He did but the deceased refused to drop his weapon. If you’re wondering why he let him in anyway, it’s because I told him to?”“Why?”“Because the fellow and I have a history together but fell out after his father sold th
“Emilio has put a hit on us,” Shadow announced to him later that day.“I saw that coming,” he replied.“It was inevitable. He has withdrawn the rest of my team and instructed them to return to Sicily. He will send an elite squad to come after us.”“Why do I feel as if he was looking for a perfect excuse to come after me? He knew what Joaquin was like and he wasn’t even fond of him, to begin with.”“This is the kind of moment Emilio lives for. He probably wanted to use his nephew to get you out of the way and then come after your wealth.”“You’re right. I find it hard to believe that Emilio wasn’t aware of the deadly games Joaquin was playing with me. I suspect he was secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes while using Joaquin as a front to attack me.”“What will you do now? Emilio doesn’t play fair. He’s not just going to come a
Emilio took the bait and within two hours of Jake’s phone call to him, the men began to hear a series of automatic gunshots going off outside the cabin.Five of them were safely tucked away under the cabin trap door, listening to the battle going on above them. The gunshots sounded far away and lasted for nearly 45 minutes.The silence that followed that mayhem was deafening. Everywhere was deathly quiet and nobody moved a muscle.“Mr Turner!”“That’s Yuri,” he whispered to those around him when he recognized the muffled voice coming from somewhere above them in the cabin.“He doesn’t sound distressed,” Darius noted.“He probably has a gun to his head and he has been ordered to call you out of your hideout,” said Mailman.“Mr Turner!” Yuri yelled again. “You can come out now. They’re all dead.”“I kinda feel like that’s a
“Welcome back home!” Jake greeted his family cheerfully. They had just returned to Hawaii after their impromptu 2-week trip to Japan. “I missed you, Daddy,” Victoria said and hugged him. “I missed you too, pumpkin. Did you enjoy your trip?” “Yes! Aunty Aoki taught me how to use makeup.” “My little sister is obsessed with makeup,” Megumi explained. She handed James to his father and the baby giggled deliriously when Jake blew bubbles on his big belly. “Man, it’s so good to have you guys back,” Jake sighed. “I was almost dying of boredom.” “So, is everything settled?” Megumi asked him in a low voice. “Yes. Everything has been resolved. I believe we have nothing more to worry about,” he assured her. “Then it’s safe to say that our lives are about to be normal again?” “Define normal,” he joked and she laughed. “Daddy, Meg and I have been talking about my 8th birthday party. I want it to be a pool
Justice Hartley passed away a week later during his surgery. His family arranged his funeral immediately and he was buried ten days after his death.Jake and his family attended the event together. After the interment, Melinda and Tom cornered him during the reception at the late Judge’s home.“We never got to discuss the outcome of your meeting with my father at the hospital,” said Tom eagerly. “what did you two decide?”“I’m not sure this is the right time or place to have that conversation,” said Jake.“We can step outside and talk if you want,” said Melinda.Their lack of comprehension baffled Jake. Justice Hartley had been right, these two lack emotional intelligence indeed.“Fine, if you must know, we agreed to wait until the children grow up and then they can decide for themselves whether to uphold the betrothal or break it.”“What!” They exclai