Chapter 2 Who're you to dare me?

               “How long do you intend waiting here, detective? The man seems to be braver than we thought,” Ben said tiredly.

              “That is more reasons you shouldn’t allow your patience wane down, Ben. If I know all criminals well, hard drinks aren't far from their favorites. As far as I know, this shop has been rated as the best in alcoholic drinks in the market and one so close to the map I have here,” Sarah said as she disclosed the map to Ben who studied it meticulously.

            “This is from a reliable friend whom I have saved his ass so many times as a token of his gratitude,”

              “Hmm,” Ben heaved in resignation. “Then I have no option than to pin my ass here with you. But remember, detective, the men we’re hunting aren’t just ordinary men that fight with pistols and axes but dark horses if my aging brain does not fail me,” Ben chipped in, this time, fear had settled on his dark eyes.

            “You know little, Ben,” Sarah uttered as she watched a black Bentley pull over.

            “I’m giving you the last chance to back out and return to your family, officer,” she said to Ben.

           “As a coward, you mean?” he asked as he directed his eyes to the direction Sarah had focused on.

           “I’m not speaking to you as a detective but as a friend. I can cover your back and no soul will know that you were once a coward,” she said calmly.

         “What will the public say of an officer who flew away from the battle field for safety when the truth eventually comes out someday?”

        “If the only reason that you’re here is for public honour, then the ground on which you fight is shaking, Ben,” Sarah said looking at him meaningfully.

        “I fight for my country just like you, detective,” he said bravely.

         “Then, it’s a fight till death, officer,” Sarah shook his hand vigorously. Just then, a tall huge man in a black overcoat and an old cowboy hat that veiled half of his, face briskly walked out from the super market as he hopped into the dark Bentley that had just pulled by.

         "It’s time to finish our mission, officer,” Sarah said. She dashed into her black hummer jeep as Ben found himself planted on the passenger’s seat in spite of himself.

        “Do you think that man is one of our suspects?” Asked Ben.

       “He may be disguised but I can’t be fooled,” Sarah said as she turned on the ignition and followed the car.

After what seemed like an hour drive, it became obvious to Sarah that she was after a shadow. The car had entered the suburb area of the town. Sarah saw the last image of the car some miles away and it quickly disappeared from view.

Right now, she relied on her judgement for direction as she now applied the break every now and then and swerved from right to left to avoid the potholes that stood as guards to the surrounding bushes.

         “I knew from the onset that we were meeting our doom, Sarah,” Ben said as he shook from side to side as the car swung rhythmically.

          “And to avoid such doom, friend, I gave you the chance to back out but you chose to be a hero,” Sarah barked through clenched teeth.

She pulled furiously at the gear as the car came to a halt. She jerked the gear again, this time more forcefully but the dull sound that escaped through the exhaust was less encouraging.

Angrily, she jumped out of the car and threw the bonnet of the car open as she stared at the radiator disappointedly.

         “Now, what is wrong with the vehicle?" Ben was obviously panicking.

         “I intend to find that out if your heart can at least stop pounding too loud,”

          “I just don’t find the whole madness funny anymore, detective. Two persons against God knows who in the midst of God knows where with no arms other than pistols”

          “Can you do me a favour, Ben?” Sarah asked calmly.

         “What?” Asked Ben as he struggled to get himself collected.

          “Shut up!” Sarah said as she took a closer look on the radiator.

          “We’ll be through this if you stop being frantic and unbearable. Our mission here is to discover their hideout and not fight them. I Think this will be enough to stop your nerves from jerking,” Sarah wasn’t too sure if things would be as smooth as she had said but one thing was sure, her statement was enough to get Ben relaxed as he leaned over to lend her a hand.

         “And who the devil are you to dare me?” Sarah’s heart leapt out of her as she saw a tall and deadly figure close the space between them. Ben was now shivering in fear but managed to put up a courageous look like every police man would, in such a situation.

       “I’m a no fool young woman. I have noticed that you have an unfinished business with us for so long but what puzzles me is why a pretty face like yours will be blown open in seconds for your stupid quest,”

Richard stared deep into Sarah’s two big eyeballs that gave no information away. Her expressionless look seemed to attract his curiosity the more.

         “Is there something you want us to hear or do we bring our meeting to an end here and now?” He asked casually as his gaze shifted and he stared into the distance.

His overcoat floated in the air and his eyes squinted under the cowboy hat. Although his voice was ever calm, it carried terror and haboured doom to anyone who mistook it as ordinary. 

Richard had always been a few words addict and hated raising his voice above 2 decibels. When he talked, his jaw stood at the same position as if he never talked at all.

But his eyes always conveyed more messages than his mouth and equally carried a large amount of horror and intimidation that could send chills down one’s spine. 

          “I wonder what the members of the brotherhood look like if all you could look like is a frustrated monster, or do you people recruit only ugly, jobless and hopeless men?” Sarah said sarcastically.

Was this lady mad and deliberately courting death? Which part of her eyes saw Richard as ugly? If only she knew that she was speaking to Richard Wilson, the world's most ruthless, powerful and business tycoon, perhaps, she wouldn't dare to be this careless. Again, Richard's lips curved into a wry smile as he seized Sarah up and stroked the rim of his cowboy hat before calmly saying,

         “I can’t guarantee how many pieces of flesh that will be hanging on your body before you finally make it to the brotherhood camp but am sure that it won't be enough to make a nice drum if you don’t tame your tongue and allow your brain run faster than your mouth,” he narrowly shifted his gaze on officer Ben who was violently shaking by now.

           “One more thing, the brotherhood has one thing for all cops—Hatred. So, you can be rest assured of your death,”

           “Still, I’m sure they will cherish my visit more than their dreamless lives. Not every hoodlum will miss this opportunity of meeting a lady who has a special offer for them like I do,” said Sarah.

She gave Richard a knowing and confident smile that got Ben confused about what game she was actually into this time. Could she be buying more time with this tactics?

Well, this was a great opportunity they could not afford to mess up with if their asses were to be saved from bullets from a creature with no heart like Richard.

Richard only took a quick glance at the duo before he walked few inches closer to them and said in a voice that was so calm and sounded almost like a whisper,

             “You choose the minute you try to act funny as your last moment on earth. Beware.” He swiftly headed to his car parked around a corner as Sarah and Ben followed suit.

If only Sarah’s car didn't break down, she would have caught up with him in matter of minutes. But it seemed the car didn't just break down. It was Richard's doings. He had noticed them earlier.

Ben who had withdrawn his stride, reached into his pocket and pulled out his pistol but a bullet flew from nowhere into his head as he unceremoniously lay silent on the ground. He was dead!

              “I warned you, the moment you choose to do anything stupid becomes your death hour,” said Richard as he calmly turned to look at the dead man.

               “Why don’t you finish me too, you bastard!” Sarah yelled.

              “Because all bastards want something in common, young lady,” he cut in sharply as he cackled.

             “Maybe to find out whom their real parents are. Who knows, you might know one or two things about my real parents. But, I might still reconsider killing you right away if your tongue rolls a little faster than it should one more time,” he said and pushed Sarah into the back sit and sat beside her as Paul did a u-turn and drove away, heading back to the route they had taken earlier.

This had been a deceit. Sarah thought. She had been fooled. She had thought that this was the gangs' hide out and that she would wipe them all out when the time comes.

Little did she know that Richard was a hardened mafia whose IQ was beyond normal? This man was, indeed, the devil. Sarah took a painful look at Richard who was staring outside the window undisturbed.

The cowboy hat shielded half of his face and could not let Sarah see all that she wanted to see but she knew for sure that this was one of the grand and dangerous leaders q of the mafias.

She swore under her breadth, not daring to breath louder than she should, that she would avenge the death of all the souls this man had taken down—Ben.

'How will his poor family who awaits his return cope with the news of his painful death?' Sarah thought bitterly.