Slash remembered the first time he set eyes on the woman, now held prisoner by her own father.
She had been with spooky that day. He did saw them from afar. The lady had been; the most beautiful girl he did ever seen.
But the first crash didn't happen on that faithful night at safari, it happens three years ago before safari.
He was part of the team sent to assassinate the girl and her sister along with spooky.
Spooky had manage to escape with the women. But Slash had come out of the mission a changed man. Change by a mere picture of a girl, fasten to a wall in the hall. large emerald eyes bore into his soul.
He did crash the glass holding the portrait on the wall to take out the picture and quickly pocket it, before any of the squad witness his idiosyncrasy.
He did been a changed man ever since. A man with a direction. Every time he stared at the picture all he sees is hope, and life beyond the ghetto and scum he is from. He wants to be a better man to be worthy of such a lady.
So that day when he saw spooky with her at safari, it was like a dream, a fantasy come true…. His goddess comes to life. He is here now to serve her, and only her. Not her father or anyone but only this woman.
To get to her, he did find a way to sneak into her father's mafia organization.
Standing at the door leading to her room now, he sucks in air, lots of it, for he will need a lot of that in her presence.
She is eight months pregnant, but there is still no beauty out there to outclass her in the eyes of slash.
"Come in…" she said before his knuckles ever touched the door. The acuteness of her sixth senses amazes slash.
Ruby looked at the man with warmth in her eyes. She knows her plan was working, but now is not the time to make her move.
Her pregnancy will be a hindrance. And if she can wield a web as powerful as this to snared this man to her plans, what will happen when she delivers and become a woman again?
He is not intellectually refined, but he is handsome with dark looks, quick wit and street wise like spooky.
In fact he made her remember her dead man every time. His face looked familiar but she didn't know where they did meet before.
"What happened to you?" she asked pointing at the scar on his left eye brow. He smiled as he set the table for lunch.
He hates it that her one hand is chained to the wall, but there is nothing he could do about it.
He should obey the master's every word, to stay alive, for he is such a man not to be crossed.
The man seems to have eyes every were, to the extend where Slash fears the man probably see the soul of every man he set his eyes upon.
waking up from his sentimental reverie about his boss, and bringing his mind to the question, he said;
"Street fights back in the day, at the ghetto". "You are from the ghetto? Which part of the city of Accra?"
"Siana."
"That sound familiar…" she muttered more to herself. Slash didn't want to tell her anything that will remind her of spooky, but he was compelled to say; "the area where safari is located…."
"Safari! Is that where we first met, your face looked familiar…"
"Yes ma'am, we met there once…".
"I remember you…. the way you mention ma'am gave you away. You were that waiter in a white cup, serving wine… Spooky called you Slash, is that your real name?"
Slash grinned at the question.
"No ma'am, Shrass…. But most of my friends never got the name right, and it comes out as Slash."
Ruby grinned at the childhood tale, but what actually did her in and got her giggling was when Slash was done reminiscing.
"….I was good with blade, any kind of blade, anything with a sharp edge that can slaughter the hunt, a bush fowl as we use to called it in the neighborhood...
Spooky with his toothless mouth couldn't mention the name right, but to hide this flaw of his, he called me Slash as though, he is calling me by a nick name that fit my profession in the group as a slaughter so well…
But with spooky, you couldn't tell…. Boy will use your mouth as a punching bag to create a spooky hole greater than the one he has…..".
Ruby couldn't hold herself anymore, she laughed and Slash chuckled with her.
The smell of the half roasted steak filled the room. It was still steaming hot when Ruby bite into it, loving the taste of blood in the flesh.
"I heard about Spooky, ma'am. I am sorry for what happened to him."
"No, I am sorry, for I am responsible for what happened to him. I killed him…". She choked, as the tears began to whirl. She tilts her head up to stop the tears.
Slash handed to her a tissue and she took it to dab the tears, thinking about everything else but spooky.
"Thank you, Slash. please join me…..".
"forgive me ma'am, maybe another time in another place."
"Oh, sorry I bothered you."
"No ma'am, its actually an honor. It just…." "Don't worry… I understand."
She remembered the story again and burst out laughing nearly choking from the meat in her mouth.
Slash watched as the woman began to choke and he panicked.
"ma' am are you okay…?"
Ruby couldn't speak, the contractions wouldn't let her. Her water has broken. Slash unlocked the handcuffs to free the other hand without further delay. Kate came in time to see what was happening.
"She need a doctor," Slash stated, and scooped the woman in his hands and carry her to the room prepared for her in case of something like this.
The doctor was already there wearing her gloves. Slash hide his fury at the sight of the woman. No they can't allow this woman to touched the princess.
What the hell…. No not this vile doctor from Balkass. But Slash knew there few options Options he had no jurisdiction to.
Slash was surprised to find kate going along with it but there is nothing he could do.
However, his stare to kate spoke volumes. "Don't worry slash, put her down and leave this chamber immediately, we will take it from here.
Kate started to shoo slash out of the room…. and slash saw something in the womans eyes he never took notice before.
The malice exuding from her provoked his life preservation shields.
"The eyes never lie… the eyes never lie." Slash repeated in his mind.
"I am not leaving…" slash couldn't believe he said that.
"I will leave only if she wants me to leave."
"leave this room right now, before I cut out your rectum and feed it to the cats," Kate ordered with rage.
"No kate, let him stay," Ruby said breathlessly amidst pain.
She didn't know the motivating factor behind the man's decision. It was too bizare, and so unlike the man to make such a request at such a crucial hour.
She knows the man like her but this is different. Perhaps, this was something else entirely.