"spooky the jaw breaker…." Felix laughed like steel sliding on steel.
Ziggy stood up and smiled broadly, "good to have you here Spooky", he said standing up to hug me with mockery in his expression.
I rash towards him but the guard was quick
I felt something hard came crashing on the back of my head, and I landed hard on the ground.
Ruby shriek and rushed to my side sobbing, "stay away from him!", she spat on the guard who delivered the hit.
dizzily, physical forms within my apparition turn to shimmer and I seem to have many eyes seeing many things all at once.
I felt my consciousness about to fade away, but I was murmuring to myself, "no, no, not now. I can't faint here…"
I was looking for something to grasp on. something that will help me stay in this reality.
I found rage then I cling to it with every fiber of my will.
"sorry spooky, nothing personal," momma whispered nervously. "yah right momma," I snapped.
"bring him over here," one of the men ordered the security guards..
That must be Mike I thought. He had his falcon eyes fixated on Kate predatory.
guests in the yatche who were chilling out in the pool, most of whom were probably friends and family were forced to moved to the pool on other side of the yatche silently like they have seen nothing.
I told you Mike, the man had what it takes. He can fight those underground thugs…". Felix sniggered.
"come to me babe, I missed you so much." the man called Mike draw Kate to him in a ferocious kiss.
And Both came away with their mouths bloody, I could see the hurt and terror in Kate's eyes….
Mike smack his lips like a chef tasting stew for a particular spice and taunts, "same taste, same flavor, same aroma, you are still mind babe." He said lewdly and surprisingly I saw a flash of pride on Kate expression.
It was fleeting but noticeable. this two possessed each other in a twisted way.
But it also means the man is probably doomed to this one woman for all time, so much so that one can't really tell which of them was in control.
As much as I thought I hate the woman, I couldn't help but feel sorry for here under the circumstances though.
This is what they have been running away from. And I have brought them right back to the enemy.
"hey, look spooky, I know you don't take alcohol, but I think some scotch will help ease the pain. Here you go." Ziggy said and passed me the bottle, which I took as though to take a sip.
But Ziggy read me all the way, but I knew the reflexes of the man so well.
So when I flung the glass at him, he was quick to dodge but it hits him hard on the nose bridge, and he smash my heard with the hard bottle.
another flash of bright light and thunderous sound, got my ears beeping endlessly like a radio on the wrong dial.
"I thought as much," he taunts, wiping away his bleeding nose.
Ruby sat next to me pressing ice on the back of my head and my temple where large lumps were beginning to form.
I could sense her agitation, as she tried hard to keep herself under control.
To my right was Mike, holding a displeased frighten Kate by his side, laughing with glee…
sitting across from I and Ruby was Ziggy and another guy, I didn't know. But the look in his eyes told me more than I wished to know.
To the left was momma and Rhymz; also wearing the same spiteful look like that of Mr. strange handsome guy.
Fifteen feet away from us were the guards standing like robots with their backs turned to us, about six of them.
A guard walked to Mike and whispered to him, while staring at me.
"he came with the navy" Mike said and went to the side of the vessel with a pair of binoculars to look down at the boats on the water.
Mike scoffs, "we own the demm navy on this waters. Who did contract? Is it the rogue officer called walker, sky-walker?".
"we have them all in the loop spooky" ziggy said.
The man sitting beside ziggy seem to be itching to say something like he is about to stammer "how dare you disgrace me this way Ludy? Haven't I been nice to you? haven't I been there for you whenever you needed me? you left me for this toothless ghetto scum?"
he finally managed to say.
Ludy's hand travels across the table at a lightning speed, and when it landed on its final destination, it rambled like thunder.
The force threw handsome guys face back, and he looked aback rather than vengeful. In fact, he swallowed his bile and looked away.
Mike burst out laughing… "this is what happened when you don't tame the tigress at a tender age D'mick" He said and an uproar of laughter followed among the men, except I and D'mick.
"why not do it for him Mikey." Ludy replied furiously, daring the pompous guy to make a move. Mike gnaw at his jaws reflectively, clearly keeping his anger in check.
Whoever Ludy was, all these men feared to mess around with her.
"enough boys, we are wearying our guest with all this trifles. Let's get down to business, I can't wait to see spooky in the underground breaking jaws," Felix said calculatedly, triggering me to smile my signature toothless smile, without any reservation.
"oh, how I did love to have you in the ring fist for fist, eye ball to eyeball, oh my dearest Felix," I said flexing by fist demonstratively.
For the first time Rhymz who did been silent all this while raptured with laughter, and D'mick join in with glee.
Then it dawns on me. Rhymz is related to Felix, the resemblance was uncanny if he giggled. the too men laugh the same when excited.
"leave this place right now you two dummies!" Felix roared and the two young men stood up, and left to go and have fan at the other pool.
he was clearly hiding his distress. He was not expecting to accost the women on open ground.
"a chopper will be coming to pick you ladies home." Mike said flatly, he probably was not Felix wanted the women body bagged.
"I am not going anywhere until I speak to papa. And I am going with him." Ruby replied signaling to me.
"he is going nowhere with you Ludhiana. put that in your pretty little head" Mike said, and Ziggy smiled. "
"that was not the agreement Felix," momma finally spoke. "what is the agreement momma, don't go cold feet on the deal now." Ziggy interjected.
"with spooky gone, it's a win/win for everybody."
"why did you do this, Ziggy, momma?".
"life spooky, it happens and nothing ever feel the same again, we are all muddling through, trying to keep our heads above the gravity of it all" momma replied in earnest.
"I empathize with you, momma. The first rule to life. We will always choose ourselves first. Always. At least now I know what I am up against."
"you played a bad card spooky, and fortune is weary of bad cards." Ziggy offered candidly.
"you are right about that ziggy, you said my bad card not my wild card. I asked you want to see my wild card get played?"
the men beamed at my vague threat.
I studied the position of the shadows of the guards standing in the sunlight.
It will not be long before the shadow lays right beneath their feet, the time 00:00. Five minutes to noontide.
I know sky will be wiry now. I was waiting to her a crackle in the ears… in less than two minutes, and the voice came.
, "it time spooky, she made the call". "and how is she?"."safe and sound" he answered.
I turned to the men on the table, "just so you know, I can sink this yacht, I had C4 beneath ready to go off."
"I will say you are bluffing," Mike said and brought his phone out, pressed some few keys and place a dial, "hey sky, this is Mike, remember me?."
"if you're thinking of buying me, don't even try Mike, and you lay a hand on that man, and the heavens come crashing on you."
"that's not what I wanted to talk about sky, my men out number your men three to one and I wouldn't want any squabbles with the government, but if you push me too hard I wouldn't have any option than to kill you and your men in self-defense, and renegotiate a deal with your superiors."
"... look, the lady here wants to speak with you" said sky.
"which lady, what lady?"
"it is I, Diana. Now listen carefully… you lay a finger on any of the girls or that man up there, and your world goes under the ocean."
"what are doing in my yacht slave girl?"
"here to stop you Mikey, can you hear that humming sound, I bet you can…".
It was not long before the chopper landed on the yacht on the far north. Felix look indecisive but relaxed.
Two men in black suits and sunglasses step out from the air plane and approached us.
In I and Ruby's position we had to turned around to see the sight that was frightening to the men.
Then I saw him, whoever he is, he looks different. I have seen different kinds of men, different breeds, but this one was unlike any man I have ever seen.
He gave off nothing. Relaxed, poised, acute precise steps, no wasted energy. his sense of abandon, cast an easy air of calmness around him….
On seeing him, Ruby stood up on her feet, running and giggling like a little girl to cover the few distance…
"papa!" she cried and threw herself into his arms.
He opens his hands and she rushed into them. they peg each other on the cheeks and placed their foreheads against each other. all the men stood as he approaches.
The man walking beside him was another caliber. Not very tall, not very muscular, just like his boss. But he looks wiry, perhaps very wiry. he reminds me of Kogna, this is a hit man.
Kate and momma wouldn't look up to meet eyes with the new arrival, they casted their eyes down on the floor.
Felix and Mike looked at each other in shock, as though these two men were the last people they were expecting to see in a place like this around this time of the day.
Another chopper came landing on the far south, and two men in black suits came forward to escort the two women.
Ruby rushed into my arms and gave me a kiss on the lips and I responded in valor. Then she planted a last one on my forehead.
In that one kiss in front of these people, I did seal my fate. But I didn't know about any of that at the time, how will I know that fleeting romantic gesture had a deeper meaning in the eyes of these people?
How will I know, in that one kissed Ruby did save my life without words?
I remained fixated on my seat. My hand still holding the back of my aching head, which now trickles blood.
"I can explain…" Felix managed nervously. "tick, tick…", the only words so far from ludys papa.
This forced me to look up at him, he was shaking his head at Felix whilst he did this.
The two muffled gunshots that followed, ragtag rapidly in the brief expanse of two heart beats, and two men stood horrified as the reality of what happen begin to materialize and thier bodies hit the floor in a thud.
My heart pumped like new pistons in an old engine.
Only four people remain standing in my apparition, none of them was Felix or Ziggy.