Chapter 4 She's a square peg in a square hole

                “I suppose you know what to do with this,” Richard said as he tossed a bag to Sarah. It contained all that she would need to put on for the mission they were about to set off in a few minutes time.

He drew closer and cut the rope that bound her hands as Sarah winced in pains. Her wrists had lines of red marks and swollen flesh which was clearly an evidence that Richard had meant to torture her to death and had made the rope so tight that her wrist could be cut off by the rope if she had done as much as struggle to free her hands from it.

At first, her wrist was numb and she couldn't reach for the bag that lay on her laps. Richard had no patience for this dilly-dallying. He yanked her up from the bamboo stick she was made to sit on. Sarah bit back the tears that wanted to pour down following the pains that greeted her when Richard pulled her by the hair.

               “You can at least disappear into tin air while I make some changes!” She yelled bitterly.

               “And who told you that wishes were horses that every beggar could ride? Now, hurry up with that or…” He was interrupted by a phone call. “Five minutes is all you have to get your ass into that cloth,” Richard gave his last warning before he moved few steps back.

But not actually because he cared to give Sarah a breathing space but to take his call. Sarah could not believe that she was forced to dress up for murder. Why the dickens did she not pass the bullet through this man’s skull when she had the chance? But would taking one man down stop the activities of the rest of these dark mafias? No, killing Richard, of course this was if she could, would have sent an alert to the gangs and would have spelled a great danger to the police force who would witness great brutality from the gangs.

Richard’s huge figure stood facing the window as he took his call. His large back was turned against Sarah. If Sarah must live a second longer, she had to corporate with this devil incarnate who would not even do as much as blink before releasing his trigger if she allowed a minute pass beyond the time he gave her.

She quickly changed into the new outfit that exposed her long sexy legs and fair thighs as it fitted into her skin. She untied her long dark hair and it fell down softly on her shoulders.

The short skirt that had two different shades of colors stopped above her kneels and perfectly fitted the sexy sleeveless top that never failed to expose her soft and appealing cleavages.

The black and white heal only made Sarah look like a painting by a professional artist. Her hands reached up to smoothen her hair as it flew invitingly in the air.

Sarah was transfixed when she caught Richard staring at her. He had finished taking his call and was now standing few inches away from her. Sarah had been too busy trying to beat time and could not notice that Richard had ended his call and slowly approached her.

There was no telling what was going on in the mind of this man. His face was blanker than ever. Sarah’s fear grew stronger as she could not tell if her looks was short of what Richard had wanted and if he was going to end her life straight away.

               “I…I can… I mean…” She fluttered about as her brain could not come up with any excuse on why Richard should extend her lifespan a bit longer.

                “I wouldn't have thought of a better person for this job, Jack. What do you think?” Richard asked, ignoring Sarah.

To Sarah’s surprise, Jack had entered the room too and had also taken a thorough examination of her looks. He stood on the doorway with his hands inside the pockets of his overcoat. Can this bastards be any less terrifying?

               "She's a square peg in a square hole, Rich," Jack responded. An angry outburst surged through Sarah's veins. She fought hard to silence the devil in her that kept urging her to tell these demons to rot beside Lucifer.

Sarah knew that she would be heading straight to hell if she ever let her insanity take control of her.

                “What now?” She managed to say with her hands clenched.

                “Richard will tell you what to do when the time comes!” Jack snarled as his jaw tightened, serving a serious warning that Sarah dared not take lightly.

                “You know what to do if she plays smart, Rich,” he said to Richard but his strong gaze was fixed on Sarah as if trying to drown her into an ocean by this simple act.

               “As sure as hell,” replied Richard as briefly as he had always been known for. He led her into the white Benz parked in an open space.

Richard studied the map of the hall where the banquet would take place meticulously again. He studied the entrance, exit, passages and the ante rooms carefully before breaking the long silence that had engulfed them since they took off.

                “You'll make sure that your acting is good enough to lure Prof. Williams to his room, by the left side of the hall. Keep him busy on the bed while I handle the rest,” Richard directed in a voice that gave no room for arguments.

               "Josh, as soon as we leave, park the car here and wait for my instruction,’’ he instructed, pointing at a direction.

                “You really don’t expect me to sleep with whoever that Professor William is, do you?” Sarah asked in disbelieve.

                “Afraid of the deadly disease, HIV, huh? You’ve nothing to worry about, young lady. There'll be no room for contracting such disease. After tonight's mission, you will be nowhere to be found when HIV comes knocking,” Richard said sarcastically.

                “You’re such a bastard, Richard. I should have sent you to hell when I had the chance,” Sarah could not help but yell. But Richard was too busy to mind her outburst. To him, Sarah’s threat was as insignificant as she was to him. He only had one thing in his mind—his mission which was taking down William tonight. His nonchalant attitude could not stir Sarah’s fury any less.

              “Were you saying something, Miss,” he asked in a distant and unfriendly voice as the car came to a grinding halt.

                “No is the answer,” Sarah threw back at him.

                “Good. Then,I'll have to remind you that you may be lying next to William if your tongue runs faster than your brain again.” Richard masterily slid Sarah’s arm under his elbow as he presented his invitation card before the bouncer who was so pleased to behold such a unique couple and he gave them a warmly smile.

                   “You look good together, Mr.” He said.

                  “Most people say the same,” Richard replied curtly as he led Sarah away before she could utter a word.

Once inside the hall, Richard stole the show with his domineering and stunning presence. Most ladies could not resist his charming looks. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt inside and was standing six feet tall in the crowd. His blue eyeballs got the ladies horny instantly. But serious danger was emitted from these highly attractive eyes too and none of the ladies dared approach him.

He took two glasses of drink from a trolley and handed one to Sarah. Yes, he was really suffering from playing the role of a boyfriend or husband. But the mission had to be accomplished no matter what it took. Soon, his eyes caught a fair complexioned man in his early fifties who was having the best time of his life in the midst of ladies. He sent Sarah a sign instantly.

               “That man over there is your target,” he said softly. Sarah pulled off the overcoat that covered her half naked body as she walked awkwardly to the man described to her, biting back her tears. She had never , in her widest world, dreamt of playing a dirty role with the gangs she had dedicated her life to hunt down.

But this was the only way she knew that she could live some minutes longer and come up with a plan B. Not too sure of what her action should be now…to lure William to bed or let out a scream? No, no one would take her serious if she did, not with the way she was dressed.

Even if she succeeds in aborting Richard’s plan, Sarah knew she wouldn’t be alive to tell the details and she wouldn’t want the world to know that the once respected, detective Sarah, became a harlot as that was going to be the description of her going by her costume.

Besides, outwitting the almighty Richard would be an impossible mission. So, trying to do so now may be an attempt to commit suicide. She needed to cooperate with him at the moment until she finds a better way of bringing Richard to his knees.

As if possessed by the devil, she wriggled her waist in a captivating way that made other women around William feel inferior. They dispersed one after the other, allowing William the space to be the woman that he could barely resist the temptation of devouring straight away. He pulled her forward and brought his lips to hers.

                 “Not so fast William, why don’t we go to your room where we can have all the night to ourselves,” Sarah squirmed as she was almost squashed in Prof. William’s tight embrace. William could not think of a better offer than the one before him.

Swiftly, he slid his fingers beneath her waist as he brought her to his room, lust emanating from the depth of his eyes. Richard watched with great satisfaction as Sarah played her role masterily.

The room was spacious and carefully decorated. Alone in this large room, Mr. William wasted no time as he hurried to lock the door. His bare pot-belly pointed provocatively to the empty air. He boxers was soaked in sweat and was halfway down his tiny waist.

He ran to the bed like a hungry lion who had just seen a prey. Sarah didn’t know how much of this that she could take before Richard shows up or if she should cave in to her wild desire and outrightly get rid of this man she had learnt to distaste after recognising him as the same William she had suspected to have a hand in sponsoring armed robbers and kidnappers that raided the town in the disguise of a Minister of Defense.

Sarah had wanted to track this man down but he seemed to be too good in covering his trail. Secondly, she needed enough evidence if she must execute this plan. Hence, she worked relentlessly for information that could bring Mr. William to book. In one of her face to face confrontation with Mr. William, he had made it known to her that she would be chasing the air if she thought that she would uncover his trail.

Thank goodness that her costume had done so well in hiding the Sarah he knew. Yes, costume or lust! On sighting the two round breasts that the skimpy top did less to cover, William threw caution to the wind as he forcefully grabbed Sarah by the waist and pressed her to his sweaty chest.

                       “Patience, Mr. William and I'll satisfy your cravings,” Sarah managed to smile not knowing whether she should tear his face open.

                     “I’m not sure I have any patience left in me, so name your price, young lady,” He cut in huskily as his voice showed the dept of passion buried within him. My price is your life, you bastard! Sarah thought aloud.

William hurriedly tore the boxers hanging half way between his waist and his calf. He made to kiss her but Sarah shoved him away. He stood and examined the fair sexy lady before him and wondered what kind of lady she was that wouldn’t tremble at the mention of money.

Surely, this lady wanted more than sexual gratification or money. He gently bent over her again and tried to kiss her. Sarah avoided his mouth just on time.

William couldn't help but stare at the young beautiful lady before him. He was shocked by what he discovered.

                    “It’s you, detective Sarah!” He said thunderously. “You’re actually on a mission, aren’t you?”

Sarah’s temperature became high and she could feel her heart pounding so loud that she feared that it may force itself out from her body and question her rationality for choosing to die by William’s bullet over telling Richard straight to his face that she was not going to be an instrument to whatever his mission was and joyously die by his bullet.

This isn’t the right way to die. Sarah told herself. She caught a glimpse of a gun resting on the chest of a drawer. She swiftly made for it but William was two seconds faster. Just then, the door was forced open as Richard pointed the gun at him. Mr. William cackled hard.

                  “You’re actually a team, aren’t you?” He throated.”

                   “What you should concern yourself with is actually your shameful demise after all the atrocities you committed.” Richard said as he leisurely walked into the room as if on an inspection.

                  “I can’t remember anyone without one or two atrocities attached to his or her name, lad. Now, tell me, will 20 million naira be enough to shift your attention away to other peoples’ atrocities?” William offered as he smiled wryly.

               “Sure. But I do not take from a dying man. Give it to your ancestors that you starved to death!” Richard muttered as he released 4 bullets into his forehead and William became permanently silent.

Like a lightning on a heavy rain fall, Richard and Sarah made towards a window at the right side of the hall and soon found themselves on the lawn in the compound.

The security alarm had started beeping noisily as Sarah briskly freed herself from the rope tied to the window several feet above the earth and from where they descended. Sarah wouldn't have imagined that she would one day, jump from a high building, entrusting her life to a tiny rope that seemed to question her rationality as it dangled in the air with her swaying along.

It was just like a miracle when Sarah saw herself standing on her feet. Richard was walking in long strides, living her to her fate. All Sarah could seen was his broad and thick shoulders that shielded every emotion away from his cold heart.

Sarah knew too well than to dwell in her wishful thinking that Richard would be a little human and help her out of the rope that got tangled up in her left leg. She hurriedly removed her heel and the rope came down freely on the green lawn. She wasted no time further as the footsteps of the security men and the army men became closer amidst the unorderly noise of the security alarm.

She caught up with him as they hopped into the car that Joshua had driven around and it disappeared in a flash. This whole incident had not allowed Sarah to think as they swiftly drove to the outskirt of the town.

                  “What the devil were you planning to do, you bitch! The instruction was to seduce him and not killing him by yourself, you idiot. You could have blown the plan all up and alerted the security!!” Richard yelled.

                  “He discovered my identity and wanted to kill me. Besides, I have always wanted to end the life of this scoundrel who has been in my book for all the crimes he had committed," she resisted the urge of adding, “Just as I wanted to gun you and your men down,” she knew what adding this would mean to the devil, Richard, who wouldn’t hesitate to end her life right there within a blink. Especially now that he had no use of her.

                 “Why, in the name of heaven, did you reject that huge amount of money that he offered?” Sarah asked, with her brow raised so high that Richard wondered if she was deprived of money in her past life and was now trying to make up for such denial.

                “You could have at least…”

                “I don’t kill or hunt people for their money!” He yelled with his teeth clenched.

               “Then for what? Oh, for the fun of it just like any monster would,” She said mockingly as she had made up her mind to find out what actually was behind these mafias operation. She had got to do this. At least, she would find out the mystery behind this people before her death.

                “Or perhaps, for…”

                “Shut your mouth up!” Richard could not take any more of Sarah’s stupidity. Those blue eyes emitted undiluted anger. His tin lips glued together as his jaw jerked involuntarily. His hand tightened on the sharp knife that he had used every strength that he had to hold himself from cutting off Sarah’s neck. The knife shimmered threateningly under Sarah’s neck. He was surprised to realize what he never knew existed in him when Sarah’s pink lips parted in shock. Those lips were madly inviting. Not that Richard seriously cared nor could not wave this aside for his job that had always been the love of his life and number one priority, but they were unimaginably tempting. He briefly studied those charming eyes that had mixtures of fear and courage and said;

              “You aren’t totally useless like every cop after all. You’re performance today has proven that there is something else you’re good at outside collecting bribe,” his voice showed the level of hatred he had for the cops.

               “You’ve been reading the wrong book, dude. The police are not bad as you paint it,” she defended, not knowing if she was doing the right thing opposing Richard. Shouldn't she be worried about Richard’s next line of action?

               “Don’t conclude yet. Now, get down from the car,” whether Richard’s earlier statement was a compliment or not, the reality facing Sarah now, only told her one thing—she was back in the vampire’s den were she should prepare herself to accept her death in good faith.

Everywhere was surrounded by darkness except for the dim light that could be seen through the windows as they entered the deserted building. Sarah would never have imagined that anyone lived in such a horrific and abandoned place. Like one whose legs were stuck in mud, she dragged her feet behind Richard as darkness swallowed the rest of their images.