Jack stepped forward and came to where Nick stood. They stood so close that their foreheads and noses almost touched. Nick was shivering a great deal but he was determined not to cower so much under Jack. So he kept his shoulders high.
"You needed me, not her, am here now. Please let her go and we will talk things over!" Nick said to Jack while they stood up to one another. He spoke between gritted teeth to show how serious the matter at hand was.
"Wow! That simple?" Jack asked also speaking in like manner, "You think you are in a position to bargain?" he asked, tone changing to a bossy one. Nick noticed this and decided not to sound as an equal but a servant under Jack.
"I am sorry boss," Nick said as he tried as much as possible to sound remorseful, "I am not in a position to bargain, sir. I will do anything you ask me to do sir." He added.
What was in his mind was only Caroline, how could he ascertain if she is alive? Jack seemed so angry and any angry person, like a wounded buffalo won't be good at sparing any prey or enemy at its disposal. He would immediately charge and attack. Nick knew that only by cooling down will he be able to reason out with Jack. So he humbled himself.
"Am sorry for the way things turned out yesterday." He said, resignedly. Jack noticed his humility and gave him a breathing space.
"Sit down and tell me what happened." He said as he himself sat on one of Nick's coaches. Nick hesitated then sat at the opposite side facing him.
Starting from their preparations, Nick explained that everything went on as smoothly as it possibly could. The only issue was that in the morning of the operation, Tony had delayed showing up for almost twenty minutes. Then when he had come, they had immediately set out for the mission.
"Boss, we had completed the transaction and we were given the two suitcases with all the payment as agreed."
"Did you confirm the amount?", he calmly asked, eyes locking with Nick's.
"Yes. In fact I opened each bag and ascertained the amount in each before giving Tony what he was supposed to carry. Then all of a sudden we were surrounded by the cops!" Nick tried his best to present each fact as it were.
"How many were they?"
Here Nick fumbled because he had not known how many officers had surrounded them. He had only heard the command, "Police! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons!" To jack, he said;
"Everything happened so fast from the moment the shout rendered the air. Then one of their bodyguards was the first one to open fire. Soon there was a terrible exchange and shots came from all directions, confirming that they were at least more than five of the cops."
"So what went wrong? Who is it that tipped off the police?" Jack asked getting on his feet. "I thought I told you to work under discretion!" he seemed to be boiling over once again.
"Boss, those are the same things am pondering over and over again. I assure you that I didn't talk to anybody, other than Tony, about the mission. So I wonder where the breach came from. If it is from my end then we must interview Tony, but if it is not from my end then, am afraid, that will be out of my hands, boss." He concluded.
"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Boss Jack asked, "Everything is possible, boss."
Jack paced around the room for a while, thinking. Finally he stopped and said to Nick that he would give him a benefit of doubt.
"I am sparing your life for now," he said, "But you must pay for all that you lost." When he heard the decree by his boss, at first Nick was happy but then the magnitude of the second part of the sentence hit him and he was suddenly stressed.
"How am I going to pay for all that huge amount?" he felt like asking this question out loudly but he never dared. Jack studied him for a while and knew what he was thinking.
"There are various way to ensure you pay, not necessarily with cash. You can pay with what you have that has value!" Jack said, and waited for him to respond. Nick thought about what he has going to do.
"What do I have that I can exchange with Jack?" Suddenly it was clear to him what Jack wanted. "He want to take away my Caroline, the one I love! No! I can't do without her!" he thought bitterly in his heart and resolved to speak out his mind and plead with the boss.
"Please Boss, do not take my girl from me. I can do anything else."
"That was not the only condition to earn you my forgiveness. Let me be clear with you now." Jack said as he came back to the seat.
"Your girl is very safe, but her safety lies with you. You will decide if she lives or dies." The boss told Nick to be cautious with whatever decision he was going to make.
"What am I supposed to do?" Nick asked, determining to keep whatever he would be told in order to save his girlfriend.
"Now listen very carefully. From here you are going to get a one minute time with your darling. Talk to her everything except the mission to which we are beginning immediately. From there, your girl will be transported to a safe location where she will be able to go to her home. You will not be there as she goes, but trust me she will be okay." Jack listened to see if he had been listened to properly.
"All the while your girl will be at her home, from this day until when I say it, you two will not be allowed to see each other. You will not visit her, neither shall she visit you! It will be a taboo if she engages in any sexual behavior before that day comes."
"The penalty for going against any of these guidelines is death. You know what we are capable of and we shall not hesitate to shoot your girl when we learn that either of you has violated any of these statutes. If either of you messes, we shall kill the lady first as you continue to pay my debts."
Nick stood up and knelt before Jack, "I promise, we shall keep every word of this agreement. I assure you. Thank you! Thank you so much"
"That is not all!" Jack bellowed, Nick looked up in surprise.
"Oh No!" Nick felt this might not go down well. "God help me to be strong and well enough to receive with optimism the other demands by Jack.
"We must neutralize Tony." Jack said, "I leave that work to you. Find out wherever he is being held or the hospital he is admitted, and do a clean job to finish him off. Do it perfectly so that no one traces it back to us."
Nick was like in a state of shock from what he had just heard. He was absent- minded for almost two minutes. Then he understood the intensity of what Jack had just mentioned. How was he going to kill his own friend? Tony had become almost like a brother to him. Nick was torn between rescuing Caroline and letting Tony to die or vice versa. He was brought back to reality by Jack's voice.
"You have one minute to see your woman, follow me!" he led the way through the corridors in that house until they reached a certain huge metallic door. Inside there, sat a terrified Caroline. As soon as she saw Nick, she immediately embraced him tears welling in her eyes. Since Nick new he had only few seconds remaining, he was too brief after the hugs and he told Caroline in a hurry;
"No matter what happens, know that I love. You are going home today, don't be..." before he could finish that sentence, two strong arms grabbed him and took him out of the room. Nick tried to shout back at her but he could not be heard. The door to the room was already closed.
On the other hand Caroline was left crying and even confused. She had not understood a thing that Nick had said because she had been too emotional. While she screamed for Nick to be brought back, as she threw tantrums, suddenly, the door to where she was opened again. Caroline thought that Nick was brought back, but then two men appeared and lifted her up from the ground.
One of the men then placed a black covering over Caroline's head. She could not see anything. The men led her out, head and eyes covered. She didn't know where she was going. She felt herself being pushed into a car. She could not tell which car was this or where she was heading. She only felt herself in that vehicle moving.