56. How it ends

Her phone beeped and she glanced down and smiled, "On that note I have a gift for you," she said standing up and pulled him to his feet. None of them had changed from the official office wear and his eyes had strayed to look down at her body every curve displayed by the blood red knee length dress. Her blood red heels accentuated her figure and he leaned down to kiss her with desire. She pulled back laughing, "After, I promise," she said. She led him past the kitchen in their mansion to the stairs leading down to a panic room and a four walled, sound proof, interrogation room. After all those were essentials in a crime lord's home. Two of her assassins and Levi, Adrian's personal bodyguard stood in front of the door. They bowed to her and opened the door. A man sat on a metal chair in the middle of the room, his hands zip tied to it. He was big and all muscles but what was memorable about was not his size and his 6'4 feet tall, no, it was his eyes they were sadistically cruel. "Meet Brian," Shirleen said to Adrian, "He is the one who breaks the girls they traffic." She turned to look at Adrian her eyes full of sympathy at what she was about to tell him next. "He is Rao's right-hand man and also the one who tortured and raped Liz to death." Adrian's mind blanked and only cool rage remained. He took of his suit jacket and calmly handed it to Shirleen followed by his tie. As he started folding his shirtsleeves, she knew the man will live to regret the day he met Liz. "I will leave the two of you to discuss the finer points of life," she said and walked out closing the door behind her. She turned to look at Levi, "Give him all the time he needs and passing him some torture tools will be wise. After it is done call me. I will be in the living room."

She placed the coat and the tie neatly on the sofa before she poured herself a glass of wine. She brought the whole bottle with her, switched on the television and relaxed on the sofa knowing it will take time. Four hours later Levi called her back downstairs. The room was splattered with blood including the ceiling. A body lay in one corner in a foetal position as if at some point he had just curled into himself and started crying and praying for death. Bits of skin and muscle were scattered around the room and the body was unrecognisable. Adrian sat on the metal seat holding a hand that looked like it had literally been torn from the body. He was leaning heavily on the chair his head back. "When I met you and started falling in love with you that was when I realised, I had loved Liz more like a sister than anything. She was always by my side since we were young, so I adored her. She was gentle, kind and sweet and couldn't harm a fly. With my personality I couldn't passionately love a girl like her. That was why I never felt desire for her." Shirleen walked further into the room and pulled his head to rest on her belly trying to comfort him not minding that his whole body was covered with blood. He released the torn arm he was holding and his hands wrapped around her tightly.

***

Shirleen watched Adrian laugh with Juma close to where the goat was being slaughtered in Angela's back yard. The heirs and their parents sat or stood around the backyard the backyard laughing and drinking. She could tell they were happy the human trafficking had been taken care off. The building belonging to the traffickers had been raided and everyone involved arrested. Nearly a hundred women had been recovered ranging from the ages of ten to twenty-five. The children looked traumatised some had lost their minds due to what they went while some were broken. She wondered how many of them would choose suicide when they get home, how many will be shunned by their societies and how many will survive and become stronger? It was truly tragic to say the least. They had not let Rao be arrested instead they had given him to Adrian. She did not ask and neither did she want to know what Adrian did to him. She had asked him once what he would do if someone killed her and his eyes had glowed with pure malice when he said 'they will suffer so badly; Rao's and Brian's suffering will look like foreplay'. She believed him. Deep in her heart she knew Adrian was cold and heartless. It was not that he was a psychopath it was more like something in him had broken long ago before he knew what it was. His facial expressions changed with what he wanted the person he interacted with to see. He was heartless because she was his heart and she can't imagine what he would do if someone managed to kill her, his heart. A part of her suspected he would burn the world down until someone put him down. He turned to look at her and the lost cold eyes turned to warmth, a genuine smile appeared on his face and he started walking towards her. Angela chuckled beside her on the sofa and leaned in to kiss Shirleen on the cheek, "Welcome home my little angel," Angela said softly before standing up and went to join Adrian's grandfather. "I am glad to be home mum," she said loudly so Angela could hear. Adrian sat next to her pulling her close to his side nuzzling her neck. In that man's arms she had found an extraordinary life and home.