"Hey there, Timmy," Richie said into his phone after giving the signal for his men to plant a substantial amount of coke in Benson's car. "Is it still kicking? That little toy I bought you last summer," he muttered.Timmy threw his eyes to his trophy sniper rifle sitting on a platter hanging on the wall in his office under the coffee shop. He smiled and said, "she's still kicking as good as she looks.""What's with you men of this age and naming every new toy a girl?" Richie whined, admiring the rings in his left hand. "Whatever…come over here with your girlfriend. I have a job that has to do with a check for certainty for you both. I'd like some people to stay dead after tonight," he shook his head sideways and pulled the phone from his ear and while looking at it in his hand, said, "Get here as fast as you can and find some high cool place to be at. In sending you pictures now." He sent three pictures to him as handed the phone to the bouncer that stood by the door, saying, "Can yo
“Why did you go off on him like that? You squeeze me to calm down just so you can do it? That’s savage,” Benson whined as he threw his hands around Alita’s waist and pulled her closer to him. “By the way, what is all this wealthy woman act you are putting on?”“Don’t mind me. I’ve always imagined myself a wealthy, independent princess that talks down to proud men that sees women as instruments for pleasure rather than humans with feelings,” she blurted as she slowly bobbed her head in sync with how she swayed from side to side. “It is about time he got his ego shoved down his throat, don’t you think?”“I should be worried then,” he jerked his head back as his brows rose.“No, it’s you who has me feeling like a princess with this dress you bought for me. I suddenly feel powerful enough to say whatever I want to whoever I want even though I will probably get myself in serious trouble if I don’t get out of it soon enough,” she bit her lower lip, with a dreamy gaze on her face as she obse
“Take cover,” Martha yelled as she dove to the ground and rolled behind her car. “There’s a sniper on that roof,” she added, pointing at the hotel a few blocks away from the hall on the other side of the street and all the backups she brought found places to hide away from sight. “Somebody really wants somebody dead,” she muttered to herself. “That’s the thing with these rich people. They’re always trying to outshine their selves even if it means killing the other or even hurting innocents in the process,” she twisted her face as she gritted her teeth.She tried to peep at the spot she had sighted the sniper and quickly retracted to save her face from being blown up and the bullet shot from Timmy tore the ground right by her side.“Great, I have been marked,” she blurted and rolled her eyes, then double-checked whether her gun was properly loaded and cocked. She was going to take one shot at him and it was going to be her bullet against his. She planned her jump and how she would take
As soon as they reached the hospital, David ran straight to Leo’s ward. He was the only one who could tell what from what in the box.“Which one is it,” David yelled pulling out his gun with one hand and handing the box to Leo with the other one. He was distraught from the events of the day. He had two of his fellow cops, Billy his partner, and his mentor shot and dying from the same poison. It was too much on his fragile heart and he had had it for the day. Any wrong move from Leo and he would pull the trigger. At that moment David was looking for who to blame all the mishaps on and Leo was the scapegoat at that instant. “Are you deaf or dumb?” David sparked with anger flaring in his eyes as he cocked the pistol in his hand and aimed it at Leo’s head.“It’s the green one,” Leo babbled, raising his hands in the air. He knew David was on the edge and the slightest misbehavior would lead him to his demise. He had wanted to negotiate his share of the antidote or steal one by opening the
“Take cover,” Martha yelled as she dove to the ground and rolled behind her car. “There’s a sniper on that roof,” she added, pointing at the hotel a few blocks away from the hall on the other side of the street and all the backups she brought found places to hide away from sight. “Somebody wants somebody dead,” she muttered to herself. “That’s the thing with these rich people. They’re always trying to outshine their selves even if it means killing the other or even hurting innocents in the process,” she twisted her face as she gritted her teeth.She tried to peep at the spot she had sighted the sniper and quickly retracted to save her face from being blown up and the bullet shot from Timmy tore the ground right by her side.“Great, I have been marked,” she blurted and rolled her eyes, then double-checked whether her gun was properly loaded and cocked. She was going to take one shot at him and it was going to be her bullet against his. She planned her jump and how she would take the sh
The hums and the horns of vehicles cars, the party boys and girls dreaming and dancing to jams that played loudly from the clubs, none of these noises could pull John out of his thoughts. He was worried about Martha. There had been a lot of times she would have been shot dead or seriously injured if he wasn’t there covering for her—and those times there were usually other cops that were supposed to be backups too but, in those moments, they were caught up in trying to save themselves. Maybe he didn’t care that much about himself.He usually watched studied the expensive cars that passed and sometimes mentally counted how many of a particular brand of cars passed him on the road, and when he drove past parties, he would slow down, listen and vibe to the songs they played. He was a party king back in the days when he was younger before the responsibilities of taking care of his siblings struck him after both their parents died in a plane crash on their way home after one of their numero
Alita wrapped her hand over Benson's shoulder for support after falling over and nearly being torn apart, and when she saw a man pointing a shotgun at him, the entire world came to a complete stop. She squinted her eyes and recognized that it was the same man who had shot Perry. At that moment, she knew she couldn't lose him. No, not the man that perfectly fits into her imperfections and brings out the best of her. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as terror gripped her features.She wished she could have intervened when she saw her father's car burst into flames and burn, but as a young child at the time, she was powerless to do anything but stand by and watch him die. Over time, she had dreams in which she had saved him from the fire at that exact moment. She cried after waking up to see it was a dream. Now, she was looking at a gun being pointed at Benson. She wouldn't survive it if she watched him die too. At that moment, there was only one thing on her mind, the one thin
Benson woke up from his long sleep after being sedated by doctor Chris. He observed himself and found out that the bullet from the sniper had only brushed against his skin and caused him a minor injury and his concoction had been because he had hit his head on the frame of the doors and now had a bandage around his head.After fully booting to a normal state of mind, his thoughts ran back to his last moments awake and he yanked himself off the bed and went dashed out of the room and headed down the hallway, where his body and uncontrolled speed took him. Despite the pain he felt, he still ran with every breath he had inside of him.“Alita,” he screamed and his voice echoed through the hallway. Soon after, he began gathering himself a crowd of both doctors, nurses and other patients. He screamed again both it wasn’t words that humans could understand. It was an outburst of pain, confusion, and fear of the unknown.He couldn’t even think about living without Alita. She couldn’t be dead
It took a few days for things to come back to normal between Alita and Benson. It almost felt like the getting-to-know each other phase of their relationship just with serious sexing and less conversations, and she was sleeping on the same bed with him, yet.Alita had changed a bit in about a month they were separated. She had gatherer enough money to start her dream styling firm to incorporate her into the fashion industry, where she had always believed she belonged, which meant she had no time for nannying, although it wasn't all that necessary because she was used to taking Julie with her already. The problem was that Benson missed her presence more at home.They managed and in no time, came back to full connectivity.Benson kept his break up with Alita away from his mother. He couldn't afford her drama. And she was going to scold him for letting Alita go.Alita too didn't tell anyone. Sarah thought her disappearance was because Benson impregnated his ex-wife. She was shocked when
Benson stayed in his house almost emptying his bar. He switched his phone off so nobody would disturb him. He was devastated. He had been living a lie all the while. Many times, Sarah and Luke came to look for but he never came out. It didn’t look like he was in the house.He just had to call off their engagement. She went too far and he couldn’t live with it. He couldn’t help but imagine how his life would have been if Alita came out and told him she Julie was his flesh and blood.It was unbelievable. Chris had assured him that he was impotent and that they had tried everything but nothing worked. He had to know for sure and the only way to that is to go back to the beginning.For the first time ever since that day, Benson went out of the house. He went to the hospital to meet and confront Chris about what Alita had told. There had been too many lies and falsehood around his life in the recent days and knowing this one truth or lie, whichever it would turn out to be, would be liberat
“I was scared you would leave me if I told so I didn’t. This is me as I am, covetous. I don’t regret keeping this away from you but I am sorry I did. I mean it when I say I would do anything to keep you with me forever, and this—this was something I thought I had to do. I love you and I don’t want to lose you,” he peered into her eyes. “Please don’t hate me. Don’t stop loving me. I there were many times I wanted to tell you but how does a man walk up to his dear love and tell her to forget about any dream of ever having her own children?”“I knew, Benson,” Alita looked down as she pressed her lips together. “I knew if I stayed with you, I wouldn’t have any children but it didn’t matter to me because I love you so I stayed. I got so wrapped up in my mind with jealousy and contempt that it escaped my mind. I felt threatened and intimidated by her that I let her get in my head with her selfish words,” she leaned of the wall and held her hands in front of her.“You knew. How?” Benson’s br
The moment long waited for was there, and Alita wore a smile that evening as Charity stated she was leaving. It felt unreal that the whole ominous atmosphere was clearing already.“It is nice having you,” Alita waved her hand at Charity. “You can pop and high any time you want,” she lied.I don’t want to ever see you here again.As the door slid open, Alita shut her eyes and drew in a long breath, absorbing the relief in the air. She had missed the feeling. Her joy was cut short when she heard Charity’s voice.Haven’t you left?“I can’t go like this,” CHarity exclaimed, shaking her head as she shut her eyes. “I wanted to keep it to myself, but I just can’t,” she sniffled.Alita glanced at Benson, and he bobbed his head. “What are you talking about?” she held her hand to her chest.“He knows,” Charity pointed at Benson.Alita turned to Benson and batted her lashes numerously at him.“Know what exactly? Where are you driving?” Benson inclined his head and folded his hands across his che
Alita was shocked to see the door slide open. Benson just walked to his room, and they were the only two people that could open the door.She balled her fist, waiting to see the figure standing in front of the door. She couldn’t see the face of the woman but as the door slid wider, she recognized who it was.Freaking Charity!Charity was the least of people she could expect to see. Many questions raged through Alita’s mind but the most outstanding was how she could open the door.“Benson,” Alita Bellowed crossing her hands on her chest as she jotted her hips, giving Charity a once over.“Yeah, babe,” Benson answered from his room.“You have a visitor,” Alita pushed her lips forward as she swayed her body from side to side.“I don’t have plans to—“Hi there,” Charity flickered her fingers in the air, smiling excessively as she looked over at Benson. “I let myself in,” her eyes went round. She looked around and observed the living room. “Things have changed here, haven’t they?” she snic
At Sarah’s wedding, Alita wasn't the only one wishing to enjoy the bliss of a wedding day and, after it, the certainty that comes with elevating their commitment to a more permanent situation.Benson had the intention to propose to Alita the day he came back and met her in a pool of blood. He had planned it all head in his head. The band, everyone involved.He wanted it to be a prestigious surprise. She had always said she wished she was a princess, and he wanted to make her feel more than that. She was his queen, and he wanted to show her that she deserved to have everything she wanted.Benson felt he was ready to move forward with their relationship. She was perfect for him, and he needed to ensure that she remained his till the end of time.Before the morning he had intended to propose to her, he had planned how everything would go with everyone he thought necessary to involve. He would ask her out for a date and then surprise her when she got out of the house with her favorite ban
"Let's go on a date," Benson said pouring wine into two glasses form them. "We haven't gone anywhere, we haven't gone out ever since…" his eyes snapped close as memories of almost losing Alita to the jaw of death flashed through his mind–not sonething you wouldn't want to remember, not even randomly. "What do you think?" He asked.Alita's face lit up and she giggled sharply. "Are you serious right now?" She squinted at him as she extended her hand and collected her drink. She gingerly whirled the glass before a sip and moaning to the taste that surprised her. "This is amazing," she nodded and took another sip. "What in God's name do I say to that?" She pursed her lips and raised her chin, playfully scowling at him."I don't know," he laughed softly, looking the other way as set himself on the arm of the chair she was seated on."You must be high," Alita jabbed her finger into his side and he yelped moving away. "Should you when ask me about it? You could have surprised me," she scrunc
126Julie was Alita's only company as the days went by. As expected, everyone around her was distant. She would sit on the bed in Julie's room and talk to her, even though she knew Julie wouldn't understand what she was saying, it was comforting that she could talk to someone about the burden in her heart and how everyone all her loved ones were avoiding her.Sarah blocked Alita and cut all contacts from her. Alita went to their apartment and saw that Sarah had changed the lock. She went to Luke's house but didn't find anybody at home. It was while walking back to Benson's place that she realized they would have gone for their honeymoon.They say no mother could hate her own but it wasn’t looking like it for Alita. She hadn’t heard from her mother ever since her confession. He called but got no answer, texted but got no reply. She tried to go and see her at Chris’s apartment but couldn’t. One time, she was standing right in front of the door but froze when she raised her hand to knock
Dumbfounded and dwindling between anger and confusion, Benson cleared his throat. The place went absolutely silent. “Why didn’t you say anything about it? You could have told me. I feel betrayed right now,” he face-palmed. “I just want to go home,” he breathed heavily. “I can’t believe it at all. I just can’t believe our friendship was built on lies all this while. We promised to…” Sarah whined and cried. “All this while, Alita, I thought we were best friends. I told you everything and I thought you did the same,” she turned and wrapped her hands around Luke, looked up at him, and muttered, “please take me out of here.”“Please don’t leave me like this,” Alita extended her hand as she moaned. Her throat patched as she watched Luke lead Sarah out of the room. She was too weak to move and she couldn’t possibly follow after Sarah when Benson was there also preparing to leave.“Let’s go home,” Benson looked at Alita with pain in his eyes. She wiped her face and dragged herself up.Ivy sa