17 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Charlie walked up to the man with the battered face; he glared at him with a hidden smile.

"-shame on you, a fellow man did this to you..." Charlie chortled and approached the next person.

The latter with the battered face glares at him as he walked past him and faced another.

"So tell me, where were you when your ally was being beaten...?" Charlie bellowed and chortled, waving his head as he walked to his seat.

If they know what's best for them, they'd remain in the shadows; for their opponent is not one to give up, if he could deal with them in such manner, perhaps next time they show up, he might kill them as well. Charlie thought as he sat fiddling with his beard. After he had given much thought on what to say, he took his wine and began to drink.

"-who was the bastard that did all these to you," he had his index finger on the latter with the battered face. "Who was it my boy…?" Charlie spoke again.

As expected, the latter didn't even stir, he was stiff all over.

"My boy." Charlie called, perhaps he's becoming irritated.

"Sir…?" the latter responded timidly.

"Who was it…?" Charlie seems tensed.

"I don't know..." he responded and glared at Charlie.

Charlie laughed out hard and suddenly turned nasty on the face.

"Good…all good," He brought out a pistol as he spoke. "My boy, who is he…?"

Still, there was no answer from the latter. Without uttering any words, Charlie shot the latter dead.

"-so, who will bail the cat this time…?" Charlie smiled warmly.

"We-"

"We-"

The remaining thugs spoke out at once.

"-what that…?" Charlie frowned. "Do you want to tell me something…?" Charlie inquired leaning over his chair as if he was paying attention.

"We wanted to tell you that we didn't move into the house with him…" the latter peered on at Charlie, "We were in the van."

"-doing what...?" Charlie waved the gun; he was having a good time.

The thugs remained silent.

"You knew very well that I can't cope with mistakes," He glared at the man lying dead on the floor. "I shot him and he died, was there anything difficult about that…?" he inquired.

The thugs shook their head negatively and continue to stare at the mad Charlie.

"You see," Charlie began, lifting his right leg against the left. "This girl called Carly, she's very cunning. Everybody seems to be on her side. All I want you two idiots to do is just simple. Kill the traitor for me…" Charlie chortled. "Is it so hard?"

The thugs shook their head negatively once more.

Charlie stood with his glass of wine tightly held in his hand. He approached the two thugs but didn't stop before them. He went towards the door and held it open.

"Take this son of a bitch outer here and make sure you kill Carly, whether she's with somebody or not; kill her!"

Charlie watched them as they hurriedly carried the dead thug out of the room. He slammed the door and went straight to his couch and settled down while drinking from his glass.

∆∆∆

Eddy flipped his cell over his ear; he was not wearing his Bluetooth as usual. He had noted the caller before he picked up. It was Charlie. He held the cell over his ear without uttering anything, he wanted to know what Charlie would say first and thereby follow suite.

"-my boy, how's everything?" Charlie voice was in whisper.

"Fine sir." Eddy replied without life.

"Somebody attacked my boys…" Charlie's voice reeled on.

"What? I thought we agreed that I should be on this errand alone?" Eddy inquired.

"-of course…! You are alone on this," Charlie's voice jeered on. "I meant to say somebody attacked my poise."

Eddy smiled; he was beginning to get the greater toll on the latter. He was in fact grateful, nobody knew it was him that dealt with the thug, and even the thug didn't know him. He was indeed grateful for that.

"-but my boy, are you falling in love with the traitor?"

"What! No...!" Eddy stammered.

"So why can't you finish her off already…?"

"I will sir, very soon…"

"-make it quick…! I'm losing my patience…!" Charlie barked.

"Okay sir…"

Charlie hung up.

Eddy noticed as Carly stirred on where he laid her, he quickly shoveled out of the room.

Carly shook her lashes. Slowly she parted them. She felt a weight on her forehead, she raised her hand to touch it; an ice bag lay on it. She sighed and dropped her hand. She felt lost; she couldn't recall where she was at the moment. The door opened and she saw somebody walk in with a tray. The person brought food but she couldn't see what was on it, his hands held them high.

He got to where she was, and sat beside her on the bed. Only then could she see what was on it. She was again served with her second favourite meal, an Irish potato with a minced meat source.

"Who are you…?" she grimaced.

"Eddy Bernard." He responded blankly.

"Are mine supposed to know you…?"

He helped her up.

She noticed the band that ran round his arm. She leaned forward and touched it with her palm.

"What's this? When did it happen?" she inquired.

Eddy ignored the question and took her hand off his arm.

"-very soon the barrister will be back and I'll be on my way..."

"-you know the barrister too? Who are you, please" Carly begged.

Eddy chortled, he doesn't want to disclose himself just yet, but what gain is in it if she doesn't know him.

"-you don't remember me…?"

"Of course I remember you, the question is: who are you!" Carly snapped.

"Okay, if you must know, I'm one of your saviors."

Carly glared at him sternly on the face.

"Alright, I'm working with Leonard."

Carly took her gaze away. How is she to know when men are saying the truth? Her glare returned to Eddy.

"-call him, I want to speak with him…"

Eddy smiled; he was not finding the conversation easy at all. But he knew what to do, he must not disturb Leonard. He could handle her alone.

"-and you won't eat your meal?" Eddy eyed her.

Despite the fact that she was hungry, she maintained a stern look without even glancing at the food; her gaze was on Eddy all the while.

Now Eddy was hoping that the barrister would come back soon. If the barrister could identify him by his name, Carly will have to worry no more. He knew that's the only way out and that will help lessen Carly's suspicion on him. All he had to do is to keep her talking till the barrister arrives. Eddy drawled a fragile breath, he was ready to get Carly talking; but then, the doorbell rang out madly

They glared at the door.

Carly watched as the door opened, the barrister walked in with a smile.

"Eddy…? What a shocker…" the barrister walked up to them and gave Eddy a hug.

Eddy beamed, his wish had come true, and now Carly will trust him. He glared at Carly and she looked the other way. He beamed again.

"-can you eat now…?" Eddy inquired from the latter.

She still has some unanswered questions, if only Eddy will tell her all she need to know she wouldn't have to be gloomy all over. She took the tray and relaxed it on her thigh, without looking at them, she began to eat.

Eddy and the barrister watched her as she ate the food bit by bit. They all knew what it looks like for one to lose ones relative. Carly was like a new relative to them, and as people protect their relatives; they had vowed to protect her. They will be just great, just four of them. They will expose Charlie, just four of them, they are the magnificent four.

∆∆∆

Carly halted her car in front of the law office; she had sneaked out of the house without informing anyone associated to her security. She needed to put words straight to Dexter, that crazy fellow. She came down from the vehicle. She had taken the Barrister's other vehicle since she had dropped hers for Charlie. Ignoring everybody in the law office, she walked into the hallway, where she would possibly meet the traitor.

Everybody in the law office had looked at her wildly, but because no one had the courage to stop her, soothingly, she walked into the hallway without sparing them a look.

Carly walked straight to the senior lawyer's chamber, she stood at the door for a while contemplating if she should knock or not. Feeling her hatred for the fellow, she pushed the door open startling the lawyer's secretary. She peered at the secretary, without turning around; she used her leg to slam the door closed.

Carly still ignoring the latter walked into the barrister's private chamber without caution. She slammed the door closed again; overlooking the lawyer who was in fact surprised.

The lawyer rattled in his chair as he tried to face his august visitor properly.

"-how may I help you, miss…?" Dexter inquired.

Carly ignored the question; she walked to where he sat. She stood face to face with him with her gaze tight on him.

"There's still more to come." she muttered and took her hand into her purse bringing out a paper folded in two. She raised it to Dexter's face, making it fall to full length. "-now if you don't mind, explain this…?" she waved the paper at the barrister's face.

Dexter's eyes widened as he took the paper from the lady in front of him. He stared at the paper. It was it, the original document. Confusion drew across his face. Dexter kept on peering at the paper without looking at Carly, he was caught unaware; the birth certificate was not supposed to be seen by her, so how come?

Carly snatched the certificate out from his hands, but his gaze was still on it. Feeling a bit nervous, he returned his gaze at Carly.

"-how…?" he fidgeted with his finger and then paused without completing his sentence.

"-did it gets to me, right…?" Carly arched a brow.

Carly took down her hand bag and let it sit on the lawyer's desk, and then she drew the visitor seat backward, entered between the chair and the barrister's desk. She dragged the chair close to her legs and settled down on it. All the while Dexter was looking hard on her.

"So it's true after all…?" Carly folded her hands into each other. "Why did you lie to me…?"

The barrister took his gaze away from Carly, but returned it sharply.

"-why so cruel…!" she barked and banged on his desk.

"-sir is everything okay…?" the secretary voice ranged out behind the door.

"-yes...!" Dexter hollered.

Carly waited for him to recover from the shout.

"-of all he had done for you, all you could payback was to destroy him…?" Carly continued.

She tried as much as she could to hold back her tears, but she couldn't. Her eyes welled up with hot tears which began to drop effortlessly.

"I'm going to expose all of you, all of you…!" Carly raged.

With tears still in her eyes, she stood up, dragged her purse to her shoulder and walked away.

Dexter began to drum his finger on his desk, he was tensed. He's now an ally to the devil, there's nothing any man could do to charge that. Of course he could end Carly's misery, but that should be the last thing that will happen. His mind raced through all Carly had spoken; all his mind could get hold of was Carly bitter utterance. He glared around as the word hit him_

"I'm going to expose all of you, all of you…!"

The word kept on hunting him.

To relief his spirit, he picked up his cell and dialed Charlie's number.

"Hello...?" Charlie's voice bellowed.

"Charlie, we've been caught…"

"You've been caught," Charlie corrected. "What happened?"

"Carly already found out her birth certificate..."

"Your fault, you allowed her"

"-is that all you have to say...?" Dexter inquired.

Charlie kept mute.

"You know if I get caught, we'll suffer together."

"-okay, perfect. What do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know."

"Don't worry, my boy will take care of her, trust me…"

"-okay"

"But make sure the will is secure, alright…?"

"Okay." He hung up and continued to drum his finger on the desk.