Chapter six

“Am I wrong or am I right, El Diablo?” Drago asked, his men touching their guns on their waists, waiting for the order to strike. “I called you here, not only because I needed your help, but because I know you kidnapped my daughter, now, the only thing that would save your life, the only thing that would prevent my men from emptying their barrels on you is if you answer my questions.”

The man with his back to him smiled softly, he started picturing the places he saw the men standing and it suddenly occurred to him that if he should bend his bullet, he would kill more than half of them. His hands were itching, twitching, he was getting impatient to get to the killing, the demon in him have been demanding for the blood spill and last night wasn’t enough, perhaps he is going to satiate the hunger now. His fingers touched the butt of his gun, ready to pull it out from the holster.

“I just want to know who hired you to kidnap my princess and where you are keeping her.” Drago asked, his voice was turning chilly by each seconds, “all her life, I have been trying my possible best to give her the best of life. Ever since I lost her mother, I hardly let her out of my sight. The two men that tried this rubbish died the very day and I am ready to forgive you and let you go free if you tell me where the hell to find my daughter and which motherfucker hired you to deliver her!”

“You will know soon enough,” El Diablo murmured with a smile. Everything happened in a second, his hands reached to his holsters, pulling out his sliver guns and turning with the series of gunshots heard, more than half the men dropped dead and the remaining two fired at him. He ducked the bullets, letting out a few more at his opponents and they joined their colleagues on the floor. He stood straight with his gun pointed at Drago but the man remained calm in the face of it all and the one with the gun looked calmer.

“You are bleeding,” Drago notified, “I will give you an estimate, you open that door, you will meet hell, what are you going to do when you are injured?”

El Diablo smiled, he didn’t flinch when he was told about his wound neither did he look shocked when he was told of his doom, because one thing was for certain, this was not the end for him. “This,” he said followed by a gunshot.

Drago flinched, momentarily showing his pain on his face before concealing it again as the black haired man before him walked up to him. “Now we are both bleeding,” El Diablo said before placing his gun on Drago’s temple as he stood behind him, “and you will open the door.”

“Where will I find my daughter?”

“She is a package and she would be delivered soon, you can search for her once more after that,” he replied and nudged him to walk. Drago sighed and walked to the door, his wound on his arm hurts like hell but one thing was for certain, he is not backing down and El Diablo was not leaving that place alive without telling him where his daughter is. As he opened the door, gunshots fired and he shut his eyes, waiting for the pain that would soon come but nothing. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find some of his men on the ground and some just stood with their guns pointed and waiting for him to order.

“I want a clear passage otherwise I will blow his brains out,” El Diablo said, “trust me.”

The men looked at their boss but he only smiled and before anything could be said, he reached for his gun in the blink of an eye and aimed it at the man behind him and fired.

El Diablo had seen the movement but it happened so fast that the best thing to do was to dodge the bullet and ducking, he fired at the men opposite him that were getting ready to shoot at him. Only Drago would shoot at his captor despite his life at risk and he wasn’t surprise with that, he had been expecting it because he would have done the same as long as his guns were still with him. Bullets rained and he made a run for it, entering the next available door he saw.

“Lucian, tell me where to find my princess,” Drago yelled.

The man behind the closed doors shut his eyes and panting, he opened his barrels to confirm that he was almost out; he reached into his pocket and fetched his bullet pack. After reloading, he pictured the outside door in his mind and where the men could possibly be hiding; it was why he always studies his surrounding whenever he enters a place. Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out of his mouth, he leaned on the wall beside the door and opened it as gunshots rained. He shifted from his spot, waiting to draw their bullets out before showing up and when he got the slightest opportunity; he revealed himself, his fingers never leaving his triggers as men fell and blood spilled. He didn’t bother to go looking for them wherever they were hiding and just kept walking backwards to the front door as he fired at the remaining men.

When close to the front door, he opened it as fast as his could and it was like more men came out from who knows where and he made a run to his car. As he entered, he ducked, hearing as the bullets shattered his windscreen and the windows. He started the car and stepped on the accelerator, driving out of the driveway in speed and bringing his hand out of the broken window to shoot at his enemies.

From his rearview mirror, he saw cars coming after him and cursed, he needs to lose them in the city otherwise everything would be for nothing. He channeled his direction to the busiest road, it was the only place his plan could be possible. Shots still fell on his car and once in a while he would shoot back from the window. Jamming traffic, he didn’t think twice and drove into the building around, leaving pieces of broken glass on its wake.

He busted out at the back of the building and stepped on the accelerator, driving into the street and causing a lot of cars to run into each other and people screaming and running away. Finally on a freeway, he noticed he wasn’t being chased again and right when he was about to relax, he stopped, no, it was not possible for Drago to call back his men just like that. He looked down then and noticed a beeping red light right next to his feet, “shit!” he yelled, opened the car door and jumped out of the car as the car exploded, going up in flames.

He tumbled on the road and landed right where a truck was coming. He balanced himself in the middle and the truck sped off with him under. Cleared, he rolled off to the safety railings and stood up. He watched his car burning and anger rushed into him, he wanted to go back for revenge but he doubts if he could make it out alive this time and so decided to leave the debt unsettled till they meet again, and meeting again was certain for them.

He ran his hand through his hair, grunting at the pain that came with it and he looked at his tummy, sighting his wound for the first time. He placed his hand on it and soon, blood was trickling out in between his fingers. He closed his eyes and breathed out before opening them and crossing the road. To get home, he would need to hijack a car and that wasn’t very hard to do.

He hailed the next approaching car and the driver stopped, and it turned out to be a teenage girl at most nineteen years, she looked shocked seeing how he looked, “oh my God, are you okay?”

He smiled and leaned on the window, “yes, thanks.”

“Do you want me to take you to a hospital? There is one down the road and I wouldn’t mind giving you a ride.”

“The first one, no, the second one is what I need.”

“Oh, you want me to give you a ride?” she asked, her eyes going to his blooded hand.

“Yes.”

“Okay, hop on in, I can do that.”

He smiled and got into the passenger’s seat and she started driving, every once in a while she would glance at him as he took off his jacket and shirt, tearing his shirt and tying up his wound with it, “it reduces the bleeding,” he said, catching her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just…I don’t know why you won’t go to a hospital with such a wound,” she replied but he said nothing. “What really happened?”

“Drive.”

“I know, I know, I’m driving, I’m late even, my boyfriend is throwing a party and he chose his maternal home for that and I couldn’t meet up to go with him and now I’m driving on my own and…”

“Shut up.”

The girl looked at him in surprise but he had his eyes closed, she frowned but decided to give him his space, the man might be handsome as hell but his temperament scares her. She decided to concentrate on her driving, trying her best not to look at the man with her.

“The hospital is up ahead,” he suddenly said after a while.

“Huh?” she glanced at him, “um, yes, yeah, have you changed your mind?”

“No, stop the car.”

“Oh, okay,” she glanced at him once more before pulling over.

“How long will it take to walk to the hospital?” he asked, finally making his guns visible to her and when he heard her sharp intake of breath, he looked at her, “relax, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“But…you,” she looked from him to the guns on his laps and back at him.

“Don’t panic, like I said, I won’t hurt you but I will need you to give me your car.”

“My…my car?” she asked, petrified.

“Yes, you can walk to the hospital and get help and don’t worry about your car, I will return it to you, I promise,” he flashed a soft smile at her, his voice soft and sensual, “okay?”

With her lips trembling and her body shaking, she nodded and got down from the car and he shifted to the driver’s side and without a look back, he stepped on the accelerator and sped off.

***

Driving into his driveway, he opened the garage with his remote and entered. He got into the house with everywhere so dark and quiet, finding his way in the darkness; he walked to his room, opened the door and walked straight to the bathroom to clean up.

Ava had opened her eyes when she heard the door clicking, she had fallen asleep while staring at the moon. As she saw his shadow enter, she expected him to turn on the light but he didn’t. She heard the shower running, wondering what he must have done today and also the scent of blood he left on his wake told her it wasn’t something simple and she found herself wondering who might have lost their lives on his hand tonight.

The shower stopped running and soon, the door opened and he stepped out, she followed his shadow in the darkness as he walked to the door and soon, the light came on and she shut her eyes immediately before slowly opening it but he wasn’t there anymore. She searched around the room for him and saw him by the window with a hole in his belly. She didn’t need to be told to know that it was a bullet hole, “oh my God,” she whispered, bringing his attention to her.

He said nothing and just pulled out the chair and sat on it, a first aid box was sitting on the table and he opened it, fetching out bandage and a cotton wool as well as hydrogen peroxide and then he surprised her when he grabbed a forceps, digging it into his wound and scrunching up his face as he pulled. Ava didn’t know why she felt her heart constrict at that sight, she shut her eyes immediately and it wasn’t until she heard metal dropping on metal did she open her eyes.

She could see water beads on his back and didn’t know if it was really water or sweat, how could he do that? She had seen her father’s men extracting bullets from their bodies but they didn’t do it on their own, so how could he handle the pain and still know what he was doing?

He used a scissors to cut some piece of wool, dipping it in the hydrogen and rubbing it on his wound, he winced with all the veins on his forehead visible. Ava shut her eyes again, wondering why he chose to do that while she watched. Not able to take it anymore, she said, “let me help you.”