"He is the one. Do as I say. Be ready". Martha commanded Jonathan as he shielded himself from being noticed.
"Never thought I would see you again, it's been donkey years". Martha said smiling.
Chase who wasn't buying her gimmicks scanned and surveyed the area, looking for Jonathan Lace. Surprised he couldn't find him, he spoke. "Thank you for checking up on me, what are you doing alone in a public gazebo?" while still keeping active surveillance.
"Huh! I just enjoyed the views, and people. It reminds me of my dead social life. What brought you here?" Martha questioned.
"Well, I came here for business. Quite surprised I am meeting you here, coincidence?".
"Maybe, life can be funny, yeah. One time you were my lover and the next we're sworn enemies". Martha quipped, carefully watching his demeanour.
Chase shrugged. He wasn't going to be manipulated or gas lighted now, when he knew she already had plans to kill him. If not for instructions, he would have drilled a bullet into her skull right away as soon as she spoke. All he wanted was to see Jonathan and kill him and go.
Now getting impatient, Chase moved closer to Martha, the distance between them was thinner than paper. Then he whispered into her ears, "Where the heck is Jonathan? Hmm". You think I didn't know you set this shit up? You thought you could get rid of me like that after getting me to do what you wanted".
Chase could be seen panting as he spoke, boiling from rage and emotions, brewing sense of betrayal.
Martha just stood there, mute, she could feel the hurt, she wanted to talk, she has a lot to say, she wanted to touch him and explain, but she couldn't. She couldn't control the man in front of her. She just stood there wincing.
Chase was seen prowling, angered that he didn't meet Jonathan here as planned, also that he had to face Martha. He just wanted to shoot and get it over with.
Chase pulled out the gun on Martha "Where is Jonathan? Tell me the f*ck he is now or I put a hole in your head"?
Martha stepped back, while showing signs of shock.
Chase been a sergeant was familiar with that stance, with his experience, he knew it was to give a shooter a clear line of shot.
Cinderella was at the office joyfully diluting mixtures and separating samples. She had been humming some lyrics since she resumed work this morning.
Well, everyone noticed. She has been more open and friendly for some days now. No one knew why, and no one would ask. Naturally, Cinderella is the easy going, fun to be with type and very friendly. She just became radiant in her interactions with her colleagues these past days.
Ever since she stumbled on her boss secrets, she had become more closer to her husband. She realised she had missed a lot of fun and had ignored her desires for quite a long time due to work and stress. She had made sure to call her husband to come home earlier, prepare him dinner, made sure he ate to his fill, and take him to the bedroom. In the morning, she gives him water to kick-start his day, and take him for the 4am/5am ride before making him coffee. She had prepare his breakfast and allow him caress her before he left for work. All these she did out of her desires, she never knew they had helped Jonathan relieve his stress and helped him focus, ever since the forensic report was out. She unknowingly was his venom and antidote. We all could agree on one thing, it was never her fault.
Her phone screen came on while she was busy with samples in the laboratory. She pulled off her gloves to check. The pop up notification was from an unknown number.
Curious, she clicked on the text and read,
/Your husband, Mr Jonathan will be in danger at Hampshire garden, at 14:00 pm/.
The text ended. She scrolled down her screen in a frenzy but no more text was coming up. She panicked.
She instantly dialled the number but it kept beeping 'not available' came the feedback.
Still in her frenzied state, she rushed to pick her keys, grabbed her bag, while instantly dialling 911 on her cell phone.
She slammed the office front door and her earrings dropped but she couldn't care less. She rushed to the car and her keys fidgets in her hands as she tried to unlock the door. She was evidently panicking and her eyes was getting wet.
"Hello, this is 911, what's the emergency?" The voice on the cell phone.
"Please help, my husband could be in danger right now at Hampshire garden, I just got a strange text. I wished I can give more information".
"Okay ma'am, stay calm, breathe, and relax, while we send an ambulance or a neighbouring cops to the listed destination. Hope that all ma'am ?"
"Yes, please save my husband, I beg you"
Cinderella cried. The line went dead.
She stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed off into the road.
Jonathan who was very hesitant to shoot saw his wife's car from a distance, heading straight towards them at an uncalculated breath-taking speed. He knew that spells trouble, because his wife would see him murder someone in broad day light, nonetheless, if she comes any closer she would be in a more dangerous situation. He had to act, Now!.
Gunshot.
Fidgety, he pulled the trigger from where he was and missed. Chase who had noticed Martha movement had expected nothing less, so he was ready for a shoot out. As soon as he heard the gunshot, he went skydiving into a nearby gazebo for cover. Glad that he wasn't hit, even though his mouth bled from the impact of the dive, he watched for Jonathan movement and aimed at him. An exchange of bullets from both side.
Martha was no where to be found as she had instinctively found herself cover after the first shot.
Cinderella seeing all the duel unfolding in front of her just few metres away stepped on the gas for a vehicular assault aimed at Chase.
Chase who wasn't aware of the incoming vehicle, looked back to suddenly see the bumper of a car just 3 metres away from him. In an attempt to save himself, he dived hard but found himself flying almost 20 metres away from his last location. The impact of the collision rippled all over him. He has been hit and he could feel 100 bones cracked as he landed face flat on the ground. Slowly raising his head and body, with his bloodied face, he aimed at the car racing towards him again, and this time at the driver's seat. He pulled the trigger and the car swerved off course slamming into gazebos at top speed till it stopped.
Jonathan who couldn't digest what just happened became livid and started shooting sporadically at Chase. He had emptied his clip on Chase and was running towards the car to check Cinderella when a bullet went through his temple and came out of his occipital. Jonathan slumped.
"Target hit" a sniper 1200 metres away from the garden spoke to a phone while he parks up his gun in a sniper case.