Outside, the sun shined brightly and birds chirped happily but for Alex, there was a dark, gloomy cloud hanging over his world. His heart felt like it had been pricked with a million tiny, sharp needles. He was positive that the state of his blood pressure would require medical attention. “I need you to remain calm, Alex.” The commissioner assured him. “Like I said, this has not been confirmed by the forensics department yet. It’s just a hunch.”Alex nodded slowly.“Why do you think the Las Vegas mafia are responsible for this?”“Because this is their method of operation. If they want something, they usually resort to kidnapping the victim himself or members of his family. They’re also known for abusing women.”Bile rose in Alex’s throat.“How long will it take the forensics department to come up with results?”“I ordered them to speed up the process.” The commissioner replied. “Expect results in the next 24 hours.”Alex suddenly felt dizzy. He staggered backwards and Martins rushed
FOUR DAYS LATERAlex leaned against the headrest and took a deep, cleansing breath. He’d been awake for the past ten hours and the hospital air was already choking him. Being in a coma for three days made him feel lethargic.“…make sure he does not stress himself too much over the next couple of days. His body needs to heal…”He tuned out the nurse’s voice and concentrated on counting the invisible threads on his Egyptian silk blanket. Finally, she left with her clip board and Alex sat up.“Young master, your brother and Ora have both been asking after you. Ora has been looking for her mother, too.”At the mention of Blakely, his heart constricted until he could barely breathe.“What’s Blakely’s status? Have the police been able to find anything?”Martins instantly looked uneasy.“Master, the nurse advised you to rest. You’re not supposed to…”Alex was instantly annoyed.“I’ve been resting for the past three days.” He said harshly. “What progress have you made on this matter? Obey my
Alex had never imagined himself as a member of the mafia, talk more as their leader, and he wasn’t about to start now.He shook his head and tapped his uninjured feet on the marble floors.“Matthias said you have a video to show me about some experiment. What was he talking about?”Abuela Zeya did not look pleased.“Actually, I do.” She retrieved her phone from the lounge chair and scrolled through it until she came across what she was looking for, then she paused and handed the phone to Alex.“See for yourself.”Two seconds into the video, Alex already felt goosebumps rise on his skin. It looked like a scene from a horror movie — all dark, shadowy and filthy.In the video, a stark naked woman was shackled to a dirty hospital bed in what looked like an abandoned hospital. Everywhere was dirty, filthy even. Cobwebs hung from the high ceiling, smudges of dirt could be seen on the bed, walls and floor, and a dirty linen cloth that was once white but now had a nasty, brownish colour, se
The entire atmosphere was a disarray of running bodies and loud shouts. Alex was asked to stay put while his crew ran around, looking for a means to put out the fire. “Is there a parachute on the jet, Martins?” He asked urgently. “We need to get the cabin crew to safety.”“Don’t worry, sir. The pilot has promised to look for a safe landing spot. We’ll be landing soon.”As if to confirm his statement, the hostess’ voice sounded over the speakers.“We’re currently experiencing some technical issues. I beg everyone to remain calm and make sure you have their seatbelts on. We’ll commence landing protocols in the next twenty seconds.”“You heard her!” Aled yelled at his crew. “Take your seats. Put on your seatbelts!”“Yes, sir.” They all chorused.Seconds later, Alex sat back in his seat and shut his eyes, murmuring desperate words of prayer as the jet lurched and bounced on air. Warning pings and signals added to the tenseness of the atmosphere. Fear and panic was evident on the faces o
Alex watched with increasing annoyance as Matthias’s goons surrounded them. From the look of their weapons, they could definitely cause more damage than the glocks and pistols his men had come along with.“You can either make this very simple for both of us, or make it hard for yourselves.” The leader of the thugs snarled. “Drop your weapons and climb into the truck in a single file.”Alex’s men remained rooted to the spot with their guns still drawn. Five seconds later, the thug became angrier.“Have you made your decision?”Although the raging need to put these nincompoops in their place burned in Alex’s veins, he knew that this was a war they would never win. They were outnumbered and “out weaponed.” He didn’t want to lose any more of his men. He’d lost too many of them already.“Martins, listen to him.” He ordered. “Put your gun down.”Martin's brows knitted in shock as he looked over his shoulders.“Young master…”“We’re outnumbered, Martins.” Alex cut in. “Just listen to me. Pu
“All his would’ve been avoided if you’d just told the truth.” Graham said, his voice devoid of remorse. “Not that I’d spared their lives. I would still shoot them but with a little less drama, don’t you think?”Alex was trembling with shock as he stared at the bloodied body of his men.“No…” he muttered over and over again. “No…”Graham rolled his eyes.“Bring in the rest of them.”Alex watched helplessly as the rest of his men were marched into the room like slaves. All eight of them. He’d sent ten men to Vegas. Two of them were already dead.“Matthias, shoot them all.” Graham deadpanned.“No!” Alex bellowed as Matthias cocked his gun. “Please, wait.” He turned to Graham. “This matter is between me and you. Let my men go.”Graham rubbed his chin for long seconds.“Aren’t you even the least bit curious as to how I found out you penetrated my territory?”Alex paused. He was right. Their plan had been completely fool proof… or so he’d thought. The truth is, he and his men had actually
Alex was aghast. He scrambled away from the woman immediately, crossing the room to confirm her claims. Truthfully, there was another body on the miserable mattress beside her. Blakely. She wasn’t even breathing. His heartbeat accelerated with panic as he nudged her over and over.“Blakely? Can you hear me? Blakely!!”She didn’t wake up. She did not make a single sound. She didn’t even move. “God, this is bad.” He muttered under his breath. Without hesitation, he bent over and scooped her into his arms, horrible smell and all. Dominic hurried over.“Sir, let me help you carry her so we can leave faster. We don’t have a lot of time.”Alex shook his head.“No. Grab the other lady. We need to leave.”Dominic stepped back with a frown — a frown Alex could not see because it was too dark.“But, sir, we don’t know her. She could be a…”Alex sharply turned to him.“I don’t care who you think she is, Dominic. All I see right now is an injured, helpless and dying woman who needs our help. A
Dominic released Martins instantly and he fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He crouched over and gave him a hand.“I’m so sorry, man.” He apologised. “I didn’t know it was you.”Martins accepted his help and jumped to his feet, wincing in pain.”“It’s okay. I understand you were just doing your job.”The moment he looked up and saw Alex still holding Blakely, he hurried over and grabbed the unconscious woman from him.“Let me hold her, sir. You must be exhausted. This way.”He didn’t even give Alex the chance to argue. He took off, leading them further down the hall.“Where are we going?” Dominic finally asked. “I heard the guards talking about a secret escape tunnel at the west wing while we were being taken to our cells. I’m sure they probably didn’t expect us to escape but I took note of everything they said. I know how to get us there.”Alex was impressed. He mentally reminded himself to increase the salaries of all his men. Speaking of men…“Where are the rest of you?” “Th