“Dring …. Dring…. Dring”Ben’s phone rang. Ben looked at the clock and showing a gesture to be silent he picked up the phone.Ed mimed him to put the phone on speaker.Ben put the phone on speaker and muted the line.Tael’s laughter came from the other end.“Hur … hur… hur… everyone seems to be in good spirits. Of course it’s my department that’s under scrutiny, so why wouldn’t you all be?? Hur…hur…hur…” Tael walked in mocking his colleagues and sat in his usual spot.“Director Harrison, don’t take this personally. If they interfere with your department today, tomorrow it will be us. We are not fools not to recognize this. I will support you, just tell me what you need” A middle- aged tall man with springy hair and rimless glasses came up to Tael and sat beside him speaking in a soft voice.“Is Director

The waitresses were dressed in Belle dancer costumes. Food was ordered and served smoothly.“This is really a different experience. How come we’ve never heard of this place?” Sarah exclaimed as she looked around.Ben was lost in his own world staring at Dana. Frank served Sarah as he nodded acknowledging Sarah’s enthusiasm.“Look…. look they are starting” Phoebe pulled Dana’s arm excitedly.The lights dimmed and dancers gracefully entertained the dinners. The dancers held everyone except Ben mesmerized during their performance. Ben watched the excitement through Dana’s eyes.Halfway through, the dancers walked to different tables and pulled guests to join in. At Dana’s table, they pulled Richard. He hesitated with pursed lips as the rest of the team cheered him. Richard was not flamboyant but he was definitely not a shy person. Under peer pressure, he decided to take the challenge and walked to the center with the girls.After mucking around for a bit, Richard returned to his seat. Th

“Who is your target?”Jack scoffed as he looked around at the people in the room. He wasn’t scared anymore. He was about to meet his maker. This question was not the integral part of their mission. ‘Answering this might prevent them from looking deeper’ Jack calculated mentally. How could the Triad miss this calculating glint that flashed past Jack’s eyes? They pretended not to notice and indulged him. Ben signaled Shadow to continue.Shadow pressed on his pressure points on his forehead and Jack groaned from excruciating pain. His face paled and breathing became heavier yet he stubbornly pursed his lips. Shadow repeated the process; the third time he raised his hand, Jack mumbled “Major General”“Ha…. Ha… Ha…” Archer laughed and shook his head “You are either ill-informed or too big a fool.”Jack raised his head with difficulty to look at Archer. He was in too mu

Ben leaned back against the chair with his eyes closed. Ed and Frank watched his taut face with a pained expression. They knew what was weighing down on his mind.Ed poured three tumblers of whiskey and handed it to the others “Here”Ben nosed his drink with pursed lips and sighed!“Do you suspect that this could be reason for Dana to approach you?” Frank decided to address the elephant in the room.“My gut feeling is to reject this possibility, but we can’t rule out anything” Ben pursed his lips into a thin line“Let’s consider the worst outcome, what are you going to do?” Ed questioned“I … I will not give up on her!” Ben faced Frank and Ed with a firm conviction that he himself couldn't explain.“Then??” Frank looked at Ben in shock“What if your choice is between her and Ed?” Frank asked in voice that he was sure he did not want to hear the answer.“I would never put either of you in danger.” There was no hesitation in Ben’s decision “I will choose to perish with her”“Are you as

Ben looked at Dana’s expression which was similar to a lamb heading to a slaughter table. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head helplessly and passed the menu “Have a look at what you like.”“It’s my treat so you order" Dana pushed the menu like a hot plate.“Last time I ordered, so this time you order"Ben sat back with his arms folded across his chest. Dana had no intention of ordering, however his next sentence made her change her mind“It doesn’t matter if we just sit staring at each other, there’s nothing I'd rather be doing” Ben grinned roguishly.Dana quickly picked up the menu and started browsing the dishes “Meat or fish?”“I’ll have whatever you give me"“How about poison?” Dana rolled her eyes and twisted her lips to the left.“Gladly”“Boring”Dana called the waiter-“What is the quickest dish to serve in your restaurant?”Ben “”Waiter “Bread omelet”Dana “I will have 2 of that”Ben tapped on his watch “Please order proper food for our box as well. Thi