Room 258

When Monique entered her room in the hotel it was dark. When she switched on the lights she was scared by the shadows thrown in by the lamp shed. She was excited, too excited after her interaction with her husband. Rupert was in love with her and was waiting for her. The thought sent shivers down her spine. Henry's story was reaching its conclusion and she was gaining her place on her moon. Herb was asleep in her arms. He was almost two years old and had started to talk. He had his mother's nose but the rest of him was very distinct from her, perhaps from her father. What Monique could not ignore was that Herbert resembled Henry very closely.

Monique was six months pregnant and wondered who her child would resemble. A part of her wished for it to have Rupert's eyes. Rupert had been waiting for her for the last six months,that was a hard hitting realization. But she did see him with her sister. Then what was it that she saw and why would Shinjini lie about it to her? All these questions were churning in her mind when there was a knock on the door. Shimonthini had been expecting room service to come up with her glass of warm milk. The warm milk helped her to calm her nerves. It was the room service alright but behind him was a dark figure holding a gun to the waiter's forehead. Monique felt like screaming but then she thought it would perhaps be safer to keep quiet. The dark figure shot the waiter on the head right infront of her eyes. She did not understand at first what had happened as the waiter slumped to the floor. Only when blood pooled at the floor did Monique notice the silencer attached to the muzzle of the gun. The dark figure pointed the gun at her and scanned the room.

"We want the baby. Hand him over and we will let you die peacefully." Said the man. As the man entered the room others followed. Shimonthini went towards the child and picked him up. The three men kept close to the wall. The man with the gun pointed his weapon at her. A smaller man beside him said, "Wait, we can't risk the cargo. Let's wait. She will give up eventually." And so the men stood facing her. Towering over her till she cowered down and abandoned her responsibility. That was not what she had taught herself over the years. She may not be Bert Monnet but to her responsibilities came first.

About half an hour passed by and there was another knock on the door. The tall man who had been guarding the door signalled her to open the door as he stepped aside. The muzzle of his gun stuck her aginst her floating ribs. The metal felt cold and heartless through the layers of cloth. A stranger, a man stood outside the door. He was dressed in a brown crisp suit and appeared Latin American in origin. He had the kind of moustache reminiscent of Spain. His head was shaven and a tattoo of the yin and yan could be seen on his neck. "Is everything alright ma'am?" he asked.

Shimonthini nodded in the positive while mouthing the word no. The man understood and snatched the child from her arms and made for the exit. Before the men could understand what had happened he had made for the stairs. The men fired after him while the man went dodging the bullets. One of the bullets hit his leg and he felt. The child woke up with the force of the impact.

When Fernando finally picked the child up from the stairs a force on the skull blinded him and he fell unconscious. When he woke up he was in the room along with Monique and the boy. From his conversation he gathered that they were leaving with the boy but someone had notified the Hotel security and all exits had been closed off. The sound outside told him that there was a gathering of police outside as well. Fernando tried to stand but found his world sway.His hands were tied behind him. His leg was hurting and from the throbbing in his head he guessed he had a cracked skull as well. Monique sat solemnly on the bed before him clutching the boy tightly. The men who held them hostage discussed possible escape routes.

Another knock on the door made them alert. The knock was followed by a man's voice. "Open up Moni. I need to talk to you." It was Rupert. Tears of relief streaked down Shimonthini's face at her husband's voice. Perhaps there was little that the unarmed man could do in this situation and his coming here was perhaps his own doom but the fact that a loved one was there in the time of distress made a lot of difference to a woman's panickstricken heart. Shimonthini was again forced to the door. The boy was kept with Fernando near the bed.

"Go away Rupert. There is nothing you can do here." Shimonthini told herself more than she told the man facing her. Rupert gave a smile. He had seen the trail of blood that led to her room. He scanned his wife from top to bottom. She was not wounded. "Is Herb all right?" Rupert asked.

"Yes Herb is fine Rupert. It is past midnight. How did you get in? The entrance and exits are all locked" Monique asked.

"I have friends in the Hotel administration." Rupert said a bit loudly than was needed.

A hustle bustle was soon heard behind the door and Rupert was dragged inside by the collar. The door was slammed shut behind him. Rupert scanned the room. There were three of them. One was the tall and broad one who carried the gun with the silencer beside whom stood a shorter, thinner one. A third one kept a blade pointing at the child. Rupert guessed from their build that the third man was the leader of the group and the rest two were hired thugs. Fernando sat infront of the bed. There was a small pool of blood aroundhim. There was a little clotted blood on his head. Beside the door lay the dead body of a uniformed waiter. "What do you want from me?" Rupert addressed the third guy.

"You will let us out of this mess." said the guy with a gruff voice. He had a scar on his face that resembled his face having been split into two.

"I will let you out peacefully if you leave my wife and grandson alone." said Rupert.

The people assembled in the room started at the word grandson, including Shimonthini. Was Rupert really Rosaline's father. But there was no common feature that they shared. They were as different as night and day.

"Are you crazy? We hold the gun here." The man with the gun said.

The leader was however weighing his words. Rupert ignored the man with the gun. "The hotel security has locked you in on my word. You have been surrounded by the police. Heinrich Monnet is battling for his life in a hospital in California. Even if you kill us all you are doomed to fall into the hands of NYPD. If you kill us and take the child you will be traced and caught eventually. So the best option for you is to surrender to the police and hope for an early parole."

"You know what you are man? You are a dirtload of lies." said the man holding the knife.

"Really?" Rupert smirked. "Why don't you call your boss and tell him that Rupert Mornington is challenging his authority over his son and see if your boss is in any position to answer you?"

The guy holding the gun took out a burner phone and stared from one of his team mates to the other looking for a signal to make the call. "How do we know you will not trace the call to find boss's whereabouts?" said the leader of the group.

"Good thinking" Rupert said. "Now why didn't we think of that? Oh yes, because we already have your boss. Dial the number. If it is your boss's voice, alive and clear, cut the line. No technology can trace a burner cell that fast."

The leader nodded his head. The big guy dialled the number. No one received the call. The man dialled again and again he found no response from the other end. The thinner guy panicked. "I told you this guy wasn't sound Ron. Why did you have to take this job?" he addressed the bigger guy.

"Shut up Simon. Don't." warned the bigger guy.

The leader looked from one of his thugs to the other. "We are not leaving any witnesses to identify us." He declared.

Shimonthini panicked. Rupert nodded his head. "I assumed that might be your decision in the situation."

In all the ensuing conversation no one observed the fact that Rupert now stood face to face with the leader of the operation. He knocked the knife out of his hand which fell outside the one open window. The trigger happy guy was ready to shoot. The first bullet he fired went into his boss's chest. Death was instantaneous. With the leader dead the others panicked. Ron emptied the gun trying to hit Rupert in someway but Rupert held the dead man's body as a shield. When the gun was finally empty Rupert dropped the body and made for the gun before he had time to reload it.

A scuffle started. Just then men in uniforms filled the room. Paramedics followed with a wheelchair for the wounded Fernando. "That was reckless boss." Fernando told Rupert. Shimonthini overheard. "He works for you?" she asked. Rupert nodded. Shimonthini tried to approach the officers and give an account of what happened. "We already know ma'am. Your husband was wired. We recorded the entire incidence." They assured her.

Shimonthini looked at her husband who was talking to a blond man in a suit. Rupert felt her gaze and asked her to come close. He introduced the man as Rupert Thomas Monroe, his namesake, classmate and owner of Melinda international. "I'm pleased to meet you Mr. Monroe." Shimonthini said shaking his hand.

"Pleasure is all mine Monique and please call me Tom. Rupert and I are old friends." He said.

"Now we must leave." Rupert said. "Rosaline is in the hospital."

"Is she alright?" Monique asked, concerned.

"A bullet grazed her by. She is mostly in shock. Seeing Herb will probably take care of that. Dave is with her. He was shot too." Rupert said.

"We better get to her as soon as possible." Shimonthini suggested.

"I have asked Henry to keep the jet on standby." Rupert said.