"I'll tell you one day" He chuckled. "You still don't have to relax Hollis. There are men out there that want what you have." "You mean men that want you?" "What! Yuck, that's gross." I laughed excitedly. "I'm talking about your position, the things you've achieved." "You're part of my achievements." He winked. A warm spread of happiness rushed down my body. "Do people ever get to walk away from all of this?" I asked, my curiously taking the best part of me. Hollis started laughing. "I've witnessed two people get out. One of them was murdered on his way out of the country. The other one survived for seven months or thereabouts. But he ended up dead anyway." He replied casually and tapped my fingers gently. "There's no getting out, Ugo. My family is too powerful and well known. If I dare back down, I'll be dead in days, maybe months or years. It all depends on how long I c
Hollis chuckled lightly, slowly picking up his good mood. I was relieved. Thunder and lightning crashed, and we ran the rest of the way home. It felt incredible. Seeing him so free and at ease, engaging in a rain chase with me while we could get to a shade and send for a car to pick us up. The fog was blinding, so he had to shepherd our way. I was startled by the two soaked guards who appeared out of the fog as we neared the property line. They quickly receded when they saw Hollis. We made it back to the house, breathless, covered in mud, and soaking wet. Hollis removed his shoes. "Wait here," he ordered with renewed energy and ran off through the main house. He came back with a bath towel in his hand, helped me remove my footwear, draped the towel around my body and carried me up into the house. Once we got to our room, he turned on the room's heater and underground feet warmer. Something about experiencing luxury... An undergrou
HOLLISWhoever brought up the idea of carving that awful looking image of Einstein must either be so dumb or extremely stupid because they made a whole mess of the image and also made it so obvious that the faux wall really had to be a door. Bloody hand raised, I waited for Rocco to hand me a reloaded gun. The cold feel of a semi-automatic grazed my fingers and I smiled."There's nobody inside Boss. Aside from the few securities we've already taken care of, the house is clean." Rocco, my right hand man reported, but I smiled knowing that my suspicion might be true then.I simply shifted my gaze to him. Today was just the fucking day I've been looking forward to. A good day to teach Velcro and his stupid brother some hard lessons and knock some senses into them while at it, if they survive anyway."Nero, stay out here with the rest of the men and be alert. I'll notify you if we need more men." Nero nodded and dished out inaudible orders to the rest of the men with his fingers while I
UGO I took in the orderliness of the little room that had always served as my safe space for the longest time. All my childhood memories were still intact, almost as I had left them. My mother had taken it upon herself to preserve all the good memories, making sure not to alter the shape of the room and the position of things as I left them. I tried recalling the last time I visited Lilycity. It's been well over two years. Fairview had found a way to draw me into its tight grasp and sapped me off all my free time. I sighed, recalling my mother's tears at the airport when she came to pick me up. I was initially skeptical that she would be the one to pick me up, but then she somehow managed to convince me with my father's support that she has recovered perfectly since her intestinal surgery. "Poor woman." I murmured regrettably. Pulling my hair into a tight bun, I sat down on the only chair in my room, took in the beauty of the modest-looking room and smiled. What my room lacked in
I climbed down carefully from the grey van that picked me up from the house. I was going to see a cartel Boss. So there are quite a lot of things that could happen today. It's either I end up dead or I succeed in striking a good deal that will keep my father alive and give my family enough time to pay up the crazy-absurd debt they leveled against my Father. If the stars are in my favor, the money might even be forgiven. But in all, one of these things was going to happen today and I pray my dead body won't be drawn out of the industrial looking premises. As I stood looking around, I got a nudge behind from one of the men. "Move!" He barked at me and like a crippled roach revealed by a light from a handheld torch. I had to put both of my feet to good use. One of the men walked in front, leading the way, while two others walked behind me. "Stop." A baritone voice from a guard stationed at the gate yelled at us. "She's going to go in blindfolded." He read out a rehearsed ins
With a stiff neck, I scanned my surroundings. there wasn’t much to decipher. I was in a small room, lit only by the bedside lamp that was on the table next to the bed. There was an armchair with a rose velvet cushion in one corner. The walls were bland and frameless. After waiting for another bout of nausea to pass, I went to the window, holding on to the small table as support for my shaky frame. Outside, the sunsetting sky was of resilient palettes of shady hues, and I was peering over the shadows of endless rooftops. Wherever I was, it was high above a city, at least twenty stories high. Down below, a yellow cab was waiting at a red light on an otherwise empty street. I couldn’t decide if I was still in Lilycity. I thought I had a fair recognition of the clock tower that stood at the center of the city square, but it was too distant and I was too tired to be sure. My hand pressed against the glass. I closed my eyes until the dizziness passed, then slowly and painfully moved to
The next time I woke up, the sun was already setting. I was feeling better, rested, though my joints and muscles ached from the lack of movement. As for the bump on my head, it was only sensitive to touch. there was no more throbbing. My hair on the other hand was a tangled mess. My head felt naked when my hair was down. I searched my pockets and then the barren room for anything that I could use to tie it back. The only thing I found was the glass of water that had been refilled, and that I greedily gulped down. The bedroom door had been left open, and hollowed sounds from a Television could still be heard. As soon as the smell of food tickled my nose, my stomach grumbled. The last meal I had eaten was the vegetable sauce my mother made specially for me. How long ago was that? My brain was still too foggy to count back the hours or the days. The thought of my mother sent chills down my spine. I haven't heard from my parents and I knew they would be worried sick. Letting my sto
I was awakened by the distant sound of the television. Immediately I opened my eyes, I saw Maxine cropped up on a chair at the end of the room. "Welcome back to the land of the living," he muttered. "Where are we?" I croaked, sitting up on the bed and surveying the empty room that had only a bed and a television. Maxine stretched his arms, and sighed. "Home, The Garden." "Thank God." I sighed, before realizing what he meant. "You mean your home is referred to as The Garden?" "Mhmm." He hummed. "Gross." I spat out. "It's a good name." He stood up. "Hollis totally owe me for this." He murmured and left the room, not even saying a goodbye or any other word. My throat felt raw, and my body, emotionally exhausted. I could feel dark isolation seeping through the room like deep depression. I just wanted to go home, to go shopping, boat cruises, clubhouses and the courtroom. I wanted my life back. But even I know I couldn't. Not with the continuous attempt on my life and