CHAPTER 91It was a White Christmas. After four years, the sidewalks were filled with the snow that fell in the morning. Michel watched the turkey grilling in the oven while Kate attended to the cranberry sauce. The two women chatted in the kitchen while Denzel and his father discussed plans to gain back the company. Michel was pleased to have her son home for Christmas and it pleased her more that Kate had been the one who suggested it. After much work, they sat at opposite ends of the small family dining table in the kitchen and ate apples.“There’s a nice shopping mall around the corner – Littman Stores. We should check it out this weekend. What do you think?”Kate smiled slightly. Michel was inviting her to go shopping with her.“We could start buying some bridal items,” she added with a grin.“I’ll be here by the weekend,” Kate responded.“We should also take a little walk and get to know each other, Kate.”Kate nodded. It was heart-warming that Michel was making her feel at home
Abigail rode a 2016 Tesla Model S to the substation where she was supposed to meet up with Denzel.Denzel sat in a small restaurant that served only coffee in the mornings and watched the crowd of New Yorkers that trooped in for a morning shot of coffee before rushing to their offices. From where he sat, he could view the rail trail and passersby, either waiting for the morning train or going about their business.He sipped the watery coffee that had turned lukewarm and waited for Abigail. Denzel was not a patient man and he considered himself patient enough after waiting for five minutes. But it wasn’t like when he was CEO and his meetings were with clients who needed him. Now he needed Abigail if he wanted to become President. He took the bland coffee to his mouth and sipped again. His attention was drawn to the Tesla car that pulled up a few meters ahead and the woman that alighted from the vehicle. She wore dark sunglasses, a fitting office gown, and black heels. He watched her u
Karen returned from Florida when she heard Denzel was back in New York. She asked John who secured the penthouse if he had visited. He replied negatively. Good. She explained a second time that she was visiting her mother who had lung cancer and was due for surgery. John nodded nonchalantly.In her room, she wrapped one of her pants in a white envelope, inscribed some words, and sent it to Denzel’s mansion.Kate had left for her fashion school and Denzel was still asleep, feeling unmotivated. The news of Abigail’s death sent chills through his body when he thought of it. He couldn’t tell Kate. He couldn’t tell the police what he knew. It was a clean kill that was indisputably marked as suicide. McNeil warned him to lay low. Ray was a mad man. For three days, Denzel did nothing. His fight against Ray Dantley was no longer because he wanted the company back but because he wanted to put him behind bars. But Ray was guiltless. He had appeared during the wake keeping calm as a dove. Denzel
The sizzling heat waves that sauntered over the finely arranged cuisine were gone in their ascent and what remained was an aromatic, delicious, but cold display of what Kate had spent hours preparing. She was now fast asleep on her chair with her head hanging out of her neck. Before now, she would wake from her slumber periodically and check her phone for any calls, but now nature had taken its full effect on her, and although her posture was uncomfortable, she slept soundly. Denzel had driven at 80 mph when he stood up from Karen’s bed and saw the missed calls from Kate. Now, he drove quietly into the compound and hoped Rico wouldn’t bark at his arrival. It was almost midnight and he hadn’t come up with a perfect excuse for why he was late. He had thought of a thousand things to say but they weren’t good enough. If he was lucky enough, he thought. Kate would be asleep already and he’d have all night to think of a suitable lie. Maybe he would wake her with vigorous rounds of sex while
The men were dressed causally and moved on with their duty of lifting tons of packaged milk into the large van discreetly. Stephen watched the men, memorizing Ray’s plans for the package. The company’s van would carry the milk cartons stuffed with hard drugs and illegal money safely to the seaport by night. A speedboat would be waiting at the shore to convey it to its next destination until it was at the reach of Raash who was waiting eagerly in Bangladesh. But the exchange was not going to happen.His stomach churned in excitement. Today was the day he and Barbara had planned for.He walked steadily towards the van and slapped the door. “Be quick,” he instructed the men. They nodded and increased pace. Stephen stared at the boxes with a stifled smile.“You know what to do?” he spoke with the driver.The driver, Sam, a man in his late forties, stared at the open sky. “If it doesn’t rain, we’ll be crossing the ocean earlier than Wednesday morning.”Stephen nodded.Sam drove the van and
Kate stood behind Denzel and rubbed his shoulder. They exchanged knowing glances and smiled. “Mind if I disturb the match?”Denzel glanced at the television screen. “Football game comes second to you, babe.”Kate moved to sit on his lap.“At this rate, we might make babies soon.”Kate smiled. “No babies, babe.”“Yes, mummy. No babies.”They kissed. Denzel rubbed her breasts and noticed they had increased in size. “You’re damn sexy, babe. You know it?”“Uh-huh?”“Uh-huh.” They kissed again. Denzel squeezed her breast underneath the light gown she wore. Kate smiled and they continued to kiss. He pulled down the left arm of her gown and kissed her exposed shoulder. “You’re damn gorgeous. I love you, Kate.”“I love you, Denzel Hobbs.”He took out her breast and fondled it. Kate moaned.“You like it?”“Yeah.”She tilted toward him and they kissed. This time, their tongues twirled together in a passionate dance. Denzel ducked down and attacked her left breast with his mouth. Kate sighed and
Kate stepped into the scene in time to see Stan throwing a punch on Denzel’s cheek and Denzel taking three steps backwards. Kate rushed to the scene and buoyed Denzel. Stan’s hand was still tightened to a fist and the angry glare had not left his face. He took a step forward and Kate intervened by stepping between the two men. “What’s wrong with you, Stan?!” Stan ignored her and dared towards Denzel. Denzel who had regained his composure, steadied for a duel. He shoved Kate aside gently and from his vantage point, he got Stan unawares. A blow of equal strength landed on Stan’s face. Stan wasted no time nursing his pain. He threw himself towards Denzel and both landed on the ground. It was enough advantage for Stan and he used it maximally. Denzel couldn’t escape any of his harmful blows. Kate was lost for what to do. She knew it was futile trying to stop the men from dueling and Stan was punching dangerous blows to Denzel. Denzel was barely retaliating. It wasn’t time to ponder on w
“Who the fuck are you?” Denzel asked.“Who I am is not your concern, Denzel Hobbs. I am a man who wants to bring Raymond Dantley down and I can do it without your help.”Kate sat beside Denzel and listened quietly as the conversation continued.“What do you have on Ray?”“Proof of illegal businesses run by Raymond Dantley.”Denzel readjusted in his seat and cast a quick glance at Kate.“I’ll be a witness to testify against the incriminating acts of Raymond Dantley. I’ll get a sentence too…but my goal is to see him rot behind bars.”“Let’s meet tomorrow. We’ll discuss it properly.”The following day, they met at a café downtown. After a cup of coffee, Denzel walked him to his car and the two got in. McNeil had been briefed about the situation the previous night, so when he met Stephen, he composed himself properly, and they chatted in his library.“What do you have?” McNeil asked.Stephen took out a file from the bag he had clutched to his chest all day and spread some bundles of paper