We just played a game, you won the first rounds but I won the last rounds.”
“And what do you mean by that?” Eddy asked in a frightened tone as he began to reach for the gun in his pocket.
“I’m Agent Carl Winston, ” he paused and rested his back. “I’m back from the dead to make things right.”
For a second, Eddy froze in shock and kept his eyes glued to Henry’s face. This man truly looked like the Agent Carl in terms of physique but his face was slightly different. He struggled in his mind to make the connection and in a second realized that the beards and moustache must be the reason for the difference in looks. His heartbeat increased and he dipped his hand further into his pocket.
“I could kill you in seconds if you take out that gun,” Henry threatened, even though he had no intention to kill him.
Eddy froze again. He already caught the handle of the gun and all he needed was to pull it out but he knew that the Agent’s words were not something to take lightly. He had never faced him before, except for the day at Turin Province where the Agent was under the influence of drugs and even on that day, they did not have a direct clash.
He took a quick look at the men who were in the hall. Almost all the former gamers had left during his long time with Henry, so it remained only three of his men and one gamer. He could see that his men’s eyes were fixed on him but he was sure they didn’t know what was going on. They could have just noticed that he was acting uncomfortable but none of them was going to come close until he gave them a signal. He wasn’t sure however, if he would not be killed by the Agent immediately after the signal.
“Who the hell do you think you are? You think you can just come here and scare me by saying you are the dead Agent.” Eddy decided to try his luck, engage Henry in an unnecessary talk and signal his men.
Henry did not reply verbally. Instead, he pulled off the attached moustache and placed it on the table.
Eddy was in greater shock. Every iota of doubt was cleared, the man sitting in front of him was one of the men that was attacked at the Turin Province with his family. His instincts told him he had to play wise if he wanted to leave the place alive. His men had no guns with them, as he was the only one allowed to bring in guns. This was put in place to avoid unnecessary deaths if ever a fight occurred in the place. The other people who could have guns with them were the security officials.
Henry leaned forward and stared at Eddy’s face, placing his both elbows on the table. “I only want to get the whole truth from you, if you do tell me the truth, you could get a soft landing.”
Eddy squinted back at him. With Henry’s hands on the table, he saw an opportunity to take the Agent off guard. Perhaps the Agent was too confident of the ability to scare him (Eddy) with his name.
Eddy dragged his right feet on the ground, making some slight noise to give a signal to his men.
“You ain’t getting anything from me, you would go back to hell where you belong,” he said to Henry as he grabbed the handle of his gun. His men were coming close already, in response to his signal.
Unknown to Eddy, Henry had noticed all his moves and leaning on the table was a deliberate effort.
He rested his back quickly when he noticed with his side eye that some men were already coming closer. At the same time he also saw the movement of Eddy’s hand and he knew the gun was being taken out.
Eddy’s men had seen the gun in his hand and they knew Eddy was about to go rough with the European gamer.
Henry saw Eddy’s hand moved, a sigh that he was about to raise the gun up. In a swift motion, he pressed his hands on the table and skidded the chair a meter backwards using his toes pressed on the ground. At the same moment, he raised the briefcase in his hands to his chest and and launched it straight to Eddy.
Eddy fired a shot at Henry but the bullet ran wide as the briefcase hit Eddy on the face. He almost fell from the chair but managed to keep his balance. He raised his head to see Henry already close to the table again. He fired another shot but Henry dodged it as he made a sliding movement under the table.
Eddy looked down quickly and tried to point his gun but before he could do so, Henry held the front legs of his chair, lifted it up and flipped it over.
Eddy crashed heavily into the floor, landing with the back of his neck, but he held on to his gun still.
He rolled over quickly and tried to get up with his broken neck but Henry was already beside him.
One of Eddy’s men tried to attack Henry from the back as Henry grabbed Eddy’s collar but Henry took a grip of his wrist and dug a kick into his belly. He released his wrist and followed with a punch on his face.
Eddy tried to use the gun in his hand but Henry was faster, he held his hand and turned it up, making two bullet go straight into the ceiling.
Henry stamped his foot on the chest of another man coming from the front, he then dug a blow into Eddy’s belly and turned his hand to the back and collected the gun. He pulled Eddy closer and wrapped his hand around his neck.
“Hey! Stay where you are or I’d blow off his brains,” he threatened as he put the mouth of the gun on Eddy’s head. The men held back and raised their hands.
Eddy trembled in fear in Henry’s hands. His heart was beating so fast and his legs were shaky. His already broken neck was heavy. He already knew the risk involved in trying to attack the Agent, and now that he took the risk, he knew there was no way to escape the Agent’s wrath except by a miracle.
“Step back or I blow off his brain,” Henry threatened as some security men entered into the hall. They were the three security men that searched him at the entrance and Henry knew they must have heard the sounds of the gunshots.
The three men stayed at the door but still held their guns pointed at Henry.
“We have to get out of here now if you want to live,” Henry whispered to Eddy’s ears.
Eddy took in a breath. He felt a gleam of hope with Henry’s request to go out. He believed that there was a possibility that he would still be rescued if they had to pass through all the gaming points in the gaming center and through the main club.
He was surprised when Henry turned him towards the back and whispered again into his ear. “Which of these men has your car keys, we’re leaving here in your car.”
“My car keys,” Eddy asked one of the men standing and stretched out his hand.
“Stay there!” Henry commanded. He cautiously moved with Eddy towards the back door. He took the keys from the man on the way.
Eddy watched, shocked and shivering as Henry pulled out the keys from the knob of the backdoor and stepped out with him. Henry locked the door from behind and took the keys. He never realized that Henry could have gotten information about a backdoor from Odio.
Prior to this time, only Eddy and his closest associates used the door. It was the fastest and safest way to get out of the facility. Now that Henry had locked the door from behind, it would take his men several minutes to be able to get to them from the other entrance or break the door. By that time, the Agent could have killed him and gone far away.
___
10 Hours Later
Eddy eyes popped open as the cold bucket of water poured on his head drenched his whole body.
His vision was blurry at first. He heard the sounds of footsteps around him but as he turned his neck to look back, he couldn’t tell if what he saw was a human being or an animal.
He tried to remember what happened before he closed his eyes. He remembered how Henry had driven with him out of the facility after handcuffing him, how they had stopped on the road and how Henry tied and gagged him and dumped him into the boot of another vehicle.
He recalled when they got to the present building they were in, how Henry had bundled and thrown him to the ground. He remembered the pain that surged through his body and how his broken neck made his head seem heavier. He remembered Henry asking him questions but he refusing to answer. He already resigned to fate and knew that giving the agent the needed information wasn’t going to save him from being killed at the end.
He also remembered how he passed out, how Henry had jacked him up and landed him a blow on the face. He had passed out from there and just woken up to find himself tied to a chair after feeling the water on his head.
After a few seconds, he was able to identify the figure in front of him as the Agent even though his vision was still blurry.
Henry dragged a chair and sat in front of him.
“Hey!” Henry called, leaning forward and looking straight into his eyes.
Eddy gave no physical response.
“Hey!” Henry called again and tapped him on the chin.
Eddy shook his head, thinking he could make his vision clearer that way but after shaking and shaking, his vision was still blurred.
“Hey! Listen up, I injected you and it is having it’s effect on you.” Henry held his chin up. “I know you’re not stable this way, and you’re feeling so much pains but the good news is that you would understand every question I ask you.” Henry said and paused to give some time for his words to sink in. “So, tell me how you got the information for your attack at Turin province.”
Eddy shook his head again and dropped it to the left like a drunk man but Henry slapped him hard on the cheek and his eyes popped open again.
“Tell me, who gave you the information required for the attack at Turin Province?”
“Richard did,” Eddy replied briefly.
“Who is Richard?” Henry asked.
Eddy raised up his head to see the Agent’s face. His vision was still blurry and even the Agent’s face was not clear.
“Richard is the man from the invisible Terrorists, he organized us and led us to Turin Province for the attack.”
“That’s a lie, Odio said you led them to the province.” Henry retorted.
“Yes, I led them but I was also led by someone else. I gathered the best of men I could and I gave them only information and instructions that Richard gave to me.”
“Who is this Richard?”
“Richard Brad, owner of the Braditt Firms, he gave all the instructions we needed that night.”
“Richard Brad?” Henry asked thoughtfully in low tones. He squinted at Eddy’s face again. “I know Richard Brad, he was special adviser to the Governor of Benuit during the last tenure.”
“Yes, he was. He’s the same man who led us there.” Eddy answered.
“You lie,” Henry snapped. “Richard Brad cannot be involved with you, neither can he be involved with the deadly terrorists.”
Eddy chuckled, in a kind of mocking way. “Eight months ago, I would have agreed with you. Man, you’d be surprised when you discover more people in the Invisible Terrorists.” He said, keeping a mischievous smile on his face.
“So, you know all of them?” Henry questioned.
“No, I don’t.” Eddy replied sharply. “I have only told you what Richard Brad told me the day I expressed my surprise on hearing that he worked with the Invisible terrorists.”
“So, if I get Richard Brad, can I get the rest of the terrorists?”
“I would say yes to that, but would you ever get Richard Brad?” Eddy asked mockingly.
Henry held his chin up. “What do you mean?”
“Richard doesn’t see anyone nowadays, he’s barely in town and even when you strike a deal to meet with him, you would only end up meeting a representative from him.”
“How did he meet you?”
“He came to my Club house just like you did and expressed his wish to play a game with me. The difference is that he never played any game, he doesn’t even know how to play the poker. He met me at the table and told me straight that he had a billion dollars deal for me.”
“A billion dollars?”
“Yes,” Eddy chuckled again. “You said I have grown more powerful in the last six months?” Eddy looked at Henry’s face to get an affirmation. “That’s what a billion Bethanna Dollars can do for you if utilized properly.”
“So how do I meet Richard Brad?”
“I don’t know,” Eddy shrugged. “Maybe you should try your luck by visiting one of his companies or his house.”
Henry drew in a deep breath. He sat back and folded his arms. He began to ponder on the answers provided to him by Eddy. He knew that the ingredient he had injected into Eddy’s body was no assurance that he was going to get the truth from him, it only made him more fragile and less thoughtful. It intoxicated deeper than alcohol and made the person do things he never planned to do and when used on a higher dosage, it inflicted internal torture which made the person under the influence confess to ease himself from the torture. However, some criminals had grown thick to torture and even the influence could never get them to confess except they were willing.
He leaned forward again after some minutes. “Are you sure of this what you’re saying?”
“I’ve never been so sure in my life.” Eddy replied him.
“And you want me to believe that you don’t know how I can reach Richard?”
“Whether you believe me or not, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the truth.”
Henry took in a deep breath. “So, can you make a list of the other men that worked with you that day?”
“Yes, I can.”
Henry brought out a pen and jotter to write.
“Odio from the Bethanna Sea Corporation,” Eddy began his list. He paused to see whether Henry was writing and repeated his first item again.
“I have Odio already, can you mention other names please.”
“We also had Julius, Frank, Lucius, David…”
“Stop!” Henry raised a hand. “Julius, Frank, David, Lucius, who are these men and how can I find them?”
Eddy chuckled. “Julius, Frank and Lucius are my men, they were at the club house today, the man that brought you in to meet me was Frank. David is a friend of mine.”
“Can these men provide me any information about Richard?”
“I’m the only one who knows Richard, I gathered the other men that came to Turin Province that night.” Eddy answered.
“But…” Henry narrowed his gaze. “You should be able to tell me how you got to know our plan to be at the Turin Province that night.”
“Richard told me, he had it all planned and I only relayed the plans he gave me to the other men.”
Henry was quiet for a while. He stared at Eddy’s face, wondering if he could believe him or not.
“So, tell me this. How long have you and your guys been working for the Invisible Terrorist.”
“What?” Eddy stared at him with widened eyes. “I don’t work for the Invisible Terrorist and I never knew Richard Brad came from them initially. I was told we needed to kill two tough people from the FOX but I never knew the connection between Richard and the invisible terrorists not up until we finished the job and and heard the news.”
“So you are not a member of the Invisible terrorists?”
“No, I am not, all of the men I brought to the Province that night aren’t terrorists, I only gathered them together for that night’s job.”
Henry remained silent for some few seconds.
“So, why did the news read that members of the invisible terrorists were caught by the FOX a week after?”
“I don’t know what they did, and it doesn’t concern me. Nobody caught me or my men because we aren’t terrorists.”
Henry heaved a deep sigh. His quest for answers only made him more confused.
Why would the FOX lie to the world? Why did they claim to have nabbed the killers of Agent Rex and Carl when the killers were still roaming about in Bethanna freely? These and more were the questions running through his mind, and as he thought more about them so did they become more complicated.
“So, who in the FOX works with the Invisible terrorists? Is it Agent Paul Edwards?”
“I don’t know.”
“The invisible terrorists had some deadly recent attacks, in which they targeted family members of the top FOX executives. Do you have an idea of why this happened?” Henry asked again.
“I DO NOT HAVE A BLEEPING IDEA!” Eddy replied with a shout. “I’m not a terrorist, I don’t know anything about the Invisible or the FOX, I only know Richard.”
Henry remained silent. He seemed not to have anything to ask anymore. His eyes were fixed to the ground and lines of worry were formed on his forehead.
“Let me tell you what I know. The Invisible Terrorists had you and the other Agent well planned out. They knew you and your partner would be sent to them, so they only brought few of their men initially and you wiped them all out excluding the top executives. After your death was confirmed, they returned with the rest of their army to complete the job which they started…”
“And what job is that?” Henry cut in.
“I don’t know, what I’m telling you my deductions from the clues I got from working with Richard.”
Henry heaved another sigh.
“Okay, do you remember that night well?”
“What night?”
“The night at Turin Province.”
“Yes.”
“How was Agent Rex killed?”
“The other agent?” Eddy questioned again. He closed his eyes and shook his head, then he drew in a breath. He opened his eyes again but he still had a blurred vision. “He was killed just like you were. His wife and two kids were also in the vehicle your own wife and child was taken out from and after we took your wife and child into that building to burn it. We drove to the place the other Agent was to have his wife and children also killed in his presence.”
Henry felt a rage building inside him as Eddy spoke. He clenched his fists as his body trembled but he managed to keep himself in.
“So, you supervised all those killings?” Henry asked.
His mind flashed back again to that night and he remembered Eddy’s face instantly. He could now recall Eddy as the man who carried his child that day.
His rage grew and he sprung up to his feet. He walked away from Eddy to suppress his rage for that moment and went to face the window. He grabbed the burglary proofs and performed some deep inhalations and exhalations. After two minutes of trying to keep himself calm, he returned to Eddy.
“So, who was that man that came out last from the building with the fuel?”
“The man who came out last?” Eddy squinted. “Ermm… He came with Richard. I don’t know him.”
“So, Richard is the only one who I can get further information from?”
“Yes.”
“And when was the last time you met with Richard?”
“We didn’t meet, he sent me instructions to confirm your death.”
Out of rage, Henry stepped forward and threw a heavy punch into Eddy’s belly which sent Eddy and the chair he was tied to flying back two metres and finally crashing to the ground.
He felt like following to end Eddy’s life completely but he remembered he still needed him alive for few more days or hours, if for no other reason but to retrieve the One million Bethanna Dollars that was left at the game center.
10 Hours Later.
Henry was still sitting in front of the laptop after two hours. His eyes were hurting and he felt the need to rest but he remained sitting and unwilling to give up until he got a reasonable solution.
His phone rang and he picked it up quickly.
“Hey! Sheila, have you had any success with it?”
“No Henry, it doesn’t seem possible to book an appointment with Richard Brad at this moment. I kept getting the reply to check back in two years time if I really wanted to meet him in person.”
“Oh D–n it!” Henry cursed.
“Hey! Don’t get yourself worked up. I think it’s time to return to Anthanna.” Sheila said.
“I…I need to fix this before returning,” Henry stammered. He buried his face in his palm.
“You need to come back, we can reach Richard but maybe not directly, we can go through the Governor he served under before.”
Henry raised his head sharply. “That’s true, ” he squinted thoughtfully. “But have you found a link?”
‘Yes, but we need to build a profile for you quickly.” Sheila replied.
“I’ll return to Anthanna as soon as possible
Tbc
