CHAPTER 26

“You hid yourself from us all these while because you thought you were smart. You thought you could somehow escape what was coming for you.”

“You must be very important to Oscar seeing that you want to protect yourself so much. I am going to love to see the pain on Oscar’s face myself when I finally kill you.”

Jamie was too weak to even plead anymore. He just accepted whatever was coming for him. He was dragged along the pavement like a dead log of wood.

The lead assassin also followed the other guys. They had completed their exercise and were ready to leave the hall.

But one of the assassins walked toward their leader. Whispering into his ears, he spoke. “How about the guy sir?”

“Who?”

“The guy who revealed who Jamie was to us. Should we let him back into the fold?”

“Oh, I see,” The lead assassin’s face came alive as he remembered the secretary guy who snitched on Jamie.

He retraced his steps back to the man.

At that moment, the man’s heart was a heavyweight in his chest as he didn't know whether to feel relieved that he had let the assassins know who they were looking for.

He wasn't sure if he had made the right decision but seeing the lead assassin retrace his footsteps back to him, he wondered if they wanted to thank him for helping them or harm him.

What the heck had he done?

“What’s your name, man?” The lead assassin asked, his voice coming off as stern and with a deadly aura of danger.

The man quivered. “Errmm, erm, Bertrand, sir.”

The lead assassin without saying a word further pointed his gun at Bertrand, his hands steady and unwavering as he aimed the gun.

Pow!

Bertrand’s blood splashed into the air and on the faces of people who were closest to him as he fell to the ground in a heap. He was shot in the head and his head was a mess he lay on the ground lifeless.

“Thanks for helping us Bertrand but I hate snitches,” the lead assassin’s eyes were dismissive as he addressed the dead Bertrand, his voice showing authority as he walked away, his men following after him.

The crowd’s bodies trembled, their limbs shaking with adrenaline as the assassins headed out of the ball after completing their assignment.

They all hid their faces from the assassins because of the overwhelming force of violence that they had witnessed. Each of them would never forget such a terrific day.

The assassins dragged the four people that they had kidnapped - Anna, Allison, Keneth, and Jamie.

They all had their mouths taped as they were shoved like battered slaves along the carpet and out of the hall. All the dignity that they came to the hall with were all gone.

The assassins’ eyes widened as they emerged from the building.

Before they knew what was happening, there was a loud gunfire.

Boom-Pow! Bang! Ratatatata! Bang! Bang

The assassins scrambled to safety immediately taking dragging their captives along with them.

The lead assassin, Zingo, instructed his men. “Come on, hide around this corner. It’s safer here! Return the fire! Return the fire!”

The assassins also readied their weapons and even though they were not seeing their opponents clearly, they returned the fire aggressively.

Bang! Crack! Kaboom! Kaboom! Pow!

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and smoke as bullets ricocheted off concrete and cars. The deafening roar filled the street with a terrifying energy.

Oscar had some experience with guns and military training because he attended cadet classes when he was much younger and grew through the ranks for a few years until he became more mature.

He hid behind the backseat of one of the convoy vehicles, shooting from the passenger side window.

Pow! Kaboom! Boom!

Zingo was beginning to get overwhelmed by the situation. He sought an escape but there was none. If things continued the way they were going, they were going to get themselves killed.

Oscar had arrived with a lot of armed agents and they were firing very aggressively.

It was almost as if they didn't even mind that they had captives with them who they wouldn't want dead in the process of the gunfire.

“Come on, guys let’s advance, they are running out of firepower,” Oscar spoke with authority.

Zingo was really caged at that point as he wondered what he could do with the captives if they had no vehicle where they could transport them. The only saving grace for them was to flee from the area.

But even to flee was going to be difficult especially if they wanted to take their captives along.

Suddenly, a black sedan tore out of the alley, its engine roaring like a beast and its tires screeching as it careened into the street.

Luckily for Zingo and his men, there was a dimly lit alley that opened into a busy street. The windows of the black sedan came down and inside the vehicle was Raphael, the same shooter that was involved in a shootout with Oscar earlier.

“Guys, get in!” Raphael screamed, alerting his men to take the quickest route out of the hail of gunfire.

The assassins dove into the waiting sedan, their movements swift and efficient as they dragged their captives along using batons to get them to comply with their instruction.

They were aware that some of the captives, especially Jamie who was so hesitant to listen to their call, might want to escape so they were ready.

“Come on, don't you dare try to be smart,” the assassins scolded, spitting out their insults in a brutal manner that left their captives broken.