CHAPTER TWENTY

Leonard sat peering at the three individuals before him, he was not all happy.

"-you should've at least stayed for the final judgments…" Leonard faced Carly.

"What...?" Carly fixed at him.

Eddy nodded to what Leonard said.

"-if you were to be in my shoe, Leonard, you would have done worse than I…" Carly retorted fondling herself angrily on the couch she sat.

"At least, you should've waited…that's just my point." Leonard spoke again as he strode over to the exit and walked away.

"-that's what you just do, walk away…" Carly fumed.

∆∆∆

Carly stood in front of the secretary's door; she had come due to their agreement. She stepped forward and held the door knocker.

"Knock, knock…" she hit the door with the door knob.

"Who is that…?" A voice spoke from within.

"It's me, Carly." When she received no response, she assumed she was coming out and her assumptions were right when the door creaked open and she stood in front of her all set for work.

"Welcome miss."

Carly smiled. "I believe you know why I'm here."

"Yes... I'll join you soon."

She strode inside the room but didn't shot the door; Carly was seeing all she was doing. After applying some make up, she picked her hand bag and walked out.

They started out immediately the latter shot the door. The secretary had her own vehicle, so she didn't enter Carly's; rather, she entered hers and drove off first; leading the way. Carly started hers and followed suite.

∆∆∆

Charlie smoked his pipe as he listened to the thug narrate the story of how Carly was being followed by the policemen and how a young lady living in the outskirt of the city lead her away that morning.

After hearing the report, he sighed. He was already worn out, but he can't give up.

"-find a way to get past those police, bring me Carly…" he glared at the two thugs. "And tell my allies, all of them, that there'll be a meeting. I give you two days." He sipped from his cup. "We'll all meet at the empty commercial garage behind my mansion..."

"Okay sir." They chorused and left.

∆∆∆

At the house, Carly was dumbstruck at the sight of the doctor's report.

Everything was a match with the second will, all she needed was there. Her eyes widened in range as she thought about how Charlie and his allies had used her to get all they wanted and thereby soiling the name of her family.

Carly slammed the file closed. That was the height of it; she had seen enough. She has to act fast before she loses her own life, too. Everybody that mattered most to her was dead, sooner or later, they'll come for her, but she's not going to wait for that to happen. She picked up her phone and dialed Leonard's number, it wasn't reachable. She glanced down at her wrist watch: 9:00pm. She went inside her room and came out minutes later dressed in a black outfit. She had a small knife that she tucked behind her hip.

"I'm sorry dad, but I have to take law into my hands."

She walked out of the gate and was able to convince the policemen serving as her bodyguards to have a night off at which they agreed to.

Seeing that the policemen were out from the vicinity, she flipped her tinted specs over her face and marched out.

"-for all the souls resting in peace, I'm sorry Leonard…" she sobbed.

At the gate, a hand tapped her from behind; she shook and turned but was knocked out by a hit on her fore head.

∆∆∆

Carly woke up to darkness and pain. She looked around in attempt to know where she was, but everywhere was dark. She felt a drop on her hand; she touched it and brought her hand close to her face. It was blood, she was bleeding. The pain was severe, but that was not her concern. She kept on ransacking the room, checking for any possible means of escape. A second later, she heard footsteps approaching distinctly.

"Who's there?!" She hollered "Get me out of here you bastards! If its money you want, you'll get nothing from me!"

The footsteps got closer.

"Be fast!" she screamed.

The door creaked open allowing the bright light to penetrate into the room. A young man stood peering at Carly.

"Get me out of this damned room, Kidnapper!" Carly hollered.

"-just shut up already, bitch…!" the guy barked, "Or I'll blow your brains with this..." He brought a gun to his lips and kissed it.

"Oh," Carly chortled sarcastically. "-just blow it already, you good for nothing citizen. Kill me already…!"

As she was speaking, Charlie came to view and her voice trailed off.

"Carly..." He smirked "Long time no see."

Carly looked at him. She wasn't sure if she should cry or frown. "I knew you are the devil behind all these, Benedict..." She said with disappointment. "But let me warn you anyway, it's good you repent because you are heading to hell straight…!"

He smiled. "Well, you're just about to see more worst things happen." He turned to the man, "-take her and her belongings to the venue, the rest should be there..."

"Yes sir." The young man dragged Carly out. She struggled but the man was stronger.

"You'll pay for this Charlie!" She hollered at Charlie as she was forced out of the room.

∆∆∆

The men roared in laughter as they sat facing Carly who was tied to a chair.

As the laughter died out, Charlie strode over to Carly.

"-look at you," he glared at her face, she was not looking at him. "Only if you had not proved stubborn, we could have been allies by now…"

Carly spat on the floor, she was red all over. Charlie smirked and strode over to his seat and settled down.

"She's a tough hag…" Charlie retorted.

Carly kept mute, not that she didn't know what to say, but like the saying goes: 'speech is silver, silent is golden…'

'Dear Carly, what could be going on in your poor mind?" Dexter retorted, "After the merry, we kill you for good."

Carly looked at Dexter but didn't utter a word.

"-is she now deaf…?" Gordon chortled mockingly. "Perhaps, we need a mega phone to pass the message across…" He peered at Charlie.

∆∆∆

Leonard smiled as he viewed Charlie through the surveyor attached to his sniper's gun. So it was true after all, the three men teamed up against one. From Charlie, he viewed the rest of the men, and finally to Carly. He took the gun out from his face and peered at the building where Charlie and his allies reside.

He peered at Eddy, and the latter in turn glared back at him.

"-she's held captive by them."

"-what are we to do…?" Eddy bellowed.

"-relax, Eddy... They can't harm her while I'm here with this…" he pointed at the heavy gun. "The best they could do is to mock her, nothing more…"

"-you think so?" Eddy retorted.

Leonard smiled and fixed his eyes into the surveyor.

"-believe it man, they can't harm her…" Leonard focused the lens at Charlie.

God, he was holding Carly roughly. Leonard focused on Carly, she seems not afraid. Leonard relaxed the surveyor back at Charlie.

∆∆∆

"-you're pathetic and I pity you."

Enraged, he slapped her really hard on the face and she cried.

"How dare you speak to me in such manner…?" Charlie glared at her.

"-now for the last time," Dexter spoke from where he sat, "Will you be our ally…? We could spare your life you know…"

Carly ignored the barrister. Still looking at Charlie, she shook her head sympathetically.

"I wonder how your offspring would cope, it will certainly be hard on them…"

Charlie drew his tobacco and exhaled the smoke on Carly's face, making her to cough slightly.

"-my offspring would be strong and not as weak as a hag like you," Charlie held up his pistol. "Now, make a good wish to at least see your weak parent in the hades, okay…"

He pointed the gun at Carly and tried to pull the trigger, but Leonard was faster.

The rest glared at the man who was their boss lying face first on the floor with his blood rushing out from his skull.

The rest soon got a bullet between their hearts as they made an attempt to evacuate the room. Carly now freed, and surprised also, struggled with her bondage. She was afraid, and therefore tried her best to escape before the unknown killer takes her life also. She kept on struggling with the bondage.

At last, it loosened. She threw the cords which she was bounded with and ran out of the room without even looking at the three corpses.

∆∆∆

Crying, Carly ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She had seen and heard a lot, she prayed that she would be able to forget all she had seen. Terrified at the occurrence, she prayed to get to the road quickly and find a helper.

Finally, she got to the main gate. Just when she was about to open the gate, a firm hand pushed the gate madly. She withdrew her hand and waited for the intruder to enter.

Her eyes widened as the police men pointed their gun at her; they were so numerous to count.

"-your hands behind your head, now!" Rick hollered.

She did as was instructed. She in fact did not know who Rick was; she believed he was the district police officer. If only she had known that Rick had a deal with Charlie, she would have challenged him.

"-what did you do…!" Rick hollered at her again.

Her gaze distorted. What is he saying? She peered at him rather lamely.

"-what do you mean by that…?" Carly inquired.

"-what I'm saying, right? You will know soon…" Rick turned to a sergeant. "Take her to the station."

"-what...?"

"-what…?"

Carly and the sergeant arched a brow.

"-take the damned lady to the station...!" Rick hollered. "Can't you see that she had killed three men…?"

The sergeant went over to Carly. He took hold of Carly and dragged her along with him.

"I didn't touch those men, sir…" Carly directed her gaze at Rick. "They were the ones who tried to kill me!"

Rick ignored her. He knew the truth, but he was meant to carry on from where Charlie had stopped.

"-hey...!" Carly hollered at the D.P.O who was walking away.

Rick ignored her and walked into the building with few sergeants.

The sergeant in charge of Carly dragged her into the van and drove off.

From the angle at which Leonard occupied, he could see all the happenings with the aid of his surveyor. He couldn't do anything to the sergeants; he believed the rest would be settled in the law court.

He arranged his gun neatly into a sack; he took it by the hand and walked to where Eddy packed the vehicle waiting. He quickly entered the car and Eddy reversed the car and drove off madly.

∆∆∆

A year later

"I've been talking to you but it seems like your mind is elsewhere. It's Carly, right?"

Christophine nodded sadly. "I feel burdened. I believe she's innocent of all the crimes she's been accused of."

"Dear," Eddy patted her. "It's been a year now, we will surely work this out, trust me..."

"The murder suspect of the crime that happened at the Pa-Ben's residential quarter last year is yet to give up in her cry for justice." The news caster's voice called them out of their discussion. They turned to the TV and she was there. She was worn a lunatic garment and handcuffed at both limb. "She claims she doesn't know what the people are talking about and that all the crimes were not committed by her." The news caster shook his head. "-thanks for watching the news at three…"

"Shut the fuck up…!" Eddy barked as if he was being heard. "She'd not committed any crime." He stood up and kicked hard on the couch opposite to him. "Damn it…!"

Christophine arched her brow as she stood up and grabbed her car keys.

"Where are you off to…?" Eddy held her.

"The station…" she freed herself.

Eddy shook his head.

"-ever since Carly was arrested, Leonard disappeared too…"

"I don't care." Christophine retorted and walked out of the room.

Eddy observed her in silence not knowing whether he should follow her to the station. He was not afraid again, his tracks were well covered and there was nobody to report him to Charlie. Even if there's somebody, the boss had been murdered.

He peered at the door, the barrister was not there. He kicked the same couch again and slumped on it.

"Damn it!"

He took his phone and dialed the barrister's number, it went but she did not pick up. Feeling so frustrated, he stood up and began to pace around in the room.