ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN

SHIMMER'S POV

Nervously I clutched on to my glass and took a sip of my juice. The waiting was becoming painful. I checked on my phone again and realised that it had been close to two hours, yet it seemed like I had waited for two whole decades!

Slowly the door to the hotel private lounge pushed open, and a very familiar wheelchair wheeled in leisurely.

"Oh I was scared that you would never come." I stood up and when I realised the man's very cold face, I quickly sat back in my seat.

He slowly took off his shades and said, "it's done."

I did not know what to say or do. A sort of sadness gripped my heart. I was not sure what he meant by 'it's done'. Was Logan dead? Dead or…or maybe Israel had managed to scare Logan into silence? I wanted to ask, yet I was too scared.

As if reading my mind, Israel spoke, "he is dead."

"Oh!" I did not know how else to respond.

"I expected you to be happier than that," Israel smirked.

"I don't know….I don't know if I should rejoice at the death of another." I found myself saying that.

Slowly I picked the bag of money beside me, and handed it to Israel. Israel did not take it, but instead he pointed at the table. I slowly placed it there and waited to hear what else he would say.

"Now this is how it works. I want your phone; the one you were using to communicate with me. You and I don't know each other. I'm going to lead my own life; you go back to your own life." He spelled out the terms clearly.

"Understood," I nodded.

I could not help but wonder where he would go.

"Where will you go? I mean...the police are still after you. Are you going to fake your own death?" I asked as I failed to handle my curiosity.

Israel glared at me and did not say anything. I started to feel a mixture of sadness and regret. But I knew very well that I was in it, and I was in it too deep. There was no other way; it was too late to have any regrets at that moment.

"When you went to the place…the …umm…I mean…the place where Logan stayed…did you go like this?" I had to ask.

"Like what?" the annoyance in Israel's voice could not be hidden.

"I mean, like this? Appearing as a rich old man in a wheelchair."

"If you must know, I appeared as the young handsome man that I am," he answered flatly.

"Oh OK. Umm, can I add more money ...I mean, I can pay you more? I am grateful…" Again I found myself saying, for I had no idea what other words to utter. Immediately I cursed myself for blabbing on and on. I told myself it was probably time for me to go.

"I guess it's time to go now. I will forever be grateful for what you have done for me." I smiled in fear.

Israel looked at me but did not smile back.

"Your royal highness, you are acting weird. At this rate, by the time the story comes out on the news, you will immediately sell yourself out. And let me warn you, if you sell yourself out, you will not include me in your mess. Do you understand me?"

"I…I understand", I responded as great fear started to get a grip over me.

"If you happen to say anything about me, and if by any chance I get caught, I might go to jail yes, but one day I will come out. When I come out, I promise you, royal highness; I will find you, and I will take my revenge. I believe in revenge. At any cost. At all costs. With me, it's always an eye for an eye."

"Sure…sure I understand" I shivered pitifully in my chair, again starting to regret why I had ever gotten myself into such a situation.

"You and I are not friends," Israel continued. "We were just business partners, and now that the business is done, I don't know you, and you don't know me. We're not friends. As such, expect no favours from me; I will expect none from you."

"Of course," I nodded my head profusely, wishing for the meeting to end at that very moment.

However, it seemed like Israel still had a lot to say to me. He continued in his low, cold and merciless voice,

"If you are unable to control yourself, just like how you're behaving now, you better keep yourself away from the news channels until this blows off. It will just be spoken about once or twice. This Logan guy was no big criminal. I believe the police have bigger issues to deal with."

'Like finding you', I said to myself in my heart; for I dared not speak out that thought in front of that monster. I wanted to thank him and leave, yet when I opened my mouth to speak, no words came out. I fidgeted a lot in my seat, and for a moment I feared that I would pee on myself, for I was very scared.

Israel's ringing tone sent me jumping and letting out a small scream. Quickly when I realised it was his phone, I sat down and folded my hands on top of my laps.

"Yes?" Israel spoke into the phone. "Yes….no, I can't travel now….let the police cool down first…..who?....no way, I'll have to make sure that bastard is dead….of course…..of course....see you soon."

I shivered even more, as I faced that man who had just murdered someone, and yet he appeared as peaceful as ever. He was even talking about killing someone else, was he? I wondered how many people in total he had killed? Did he even know, or maybe he had lost count? I felt fear as I tried to imagine what a nightmare I would have to live, if I were ever to cross Israel's path. Alone in that room with Israel, I felt like I was clutched in the hands of a monster, and I really wanted to leave. I was scared to talk, yes, but I needed to gather the courage to tell him that it was time for me to go.

Again as if he read my thoughts, he lifted his eyes from off his phone and stared at me. A chill ran through my body; for I felt like his eyes were piercing through my soul. I suddenly lost all the courage that I thought I had gathered, and I had to calm my breathing.

"I'll be off now", he spoke. He slowly pulled the bag of money and tucked it into a compartment under his wheelchair.

"You must stay in here for a while after I'm gone. Don't just follow me immediately. I don't want to be seen with you. I'm sure you don't want that as well." He slowly wheeled himself towards the door.

"Israel," again my mouth spoke without my consent.

"Yes?" he turned to face me.

"Don't get caught." I suddenly felt like a mother bidding farewell to a child.

I wondered if my worrying over him was due to caring for him, or it was for my own selfish reasons? For I feared that if he gets caught, he would also bring me down with him? His rules, as he had stated them, had only clearly stated that I could not, under whatever circumstances, sell him out. And the same rules had not stated anything about him selling me out; or the consequences thereof.

"A…are...are you going to fake your own death?" I really needed to know.

"I am past the stage of faking my own death, your royal highness. They must know that I must alive. And the knowledge that they are worried sick as they fail to find me is what keeps me going."

He turned his head and I asked again, "if I should ever need your services again, how do I get in touch with you?"

He seemed surprised at my question, but still he answered it.

"When you need me, go pick any old people's home, and donate fifty wheelchairs. Once I see on the news that the de Milo Group has donated fifty wheelchairs; on the following day, I will land on the Lakeworld soils. Without fail."

"Oh!" I gasped, for I had not expected that.

The way in which he flawlessly narrated his plan sounded like he had thought about it for a long time.

"W...what if you miss the news? I mean...what if I donate the wheelchairs, and then it's announced on news, and you miss it…how will I get hold of you?" I stammered.

"I never miss the news. Once that headline pops; stating that the de Milo Group has donated fifty wheelchairs; I will be at your service."

"Ok...so…what if I need help urgently? Is there anyone else, for smaller jobs?" I asked in a small, shaky voice, not knowing why I even asked that question. It seemed like my mouth was getting used to opening on its own and uttering things that shocked even me.

"If you ever need some small jobs done, get in touch with Toast. I will send an audio on your phone, your usual number. Listen to it on instructions of how to get hold of Rama."

Without waiting for my response, the man wheeled himself out.