What in the ever loving hell?
I mean after all the events which include being kidnapped, Taylor being here and Hannah and then this trip which no one has explained yet you would think I was now ripe and ready for any form of surprise. Yeah I was. But not for this.
‘Sorry to barge in—we knocked but no one answered.’ Detective Alice continued to ignore the shocked faces staring back at her. She turns to the intimidating man, ‘this is Spencer my partner.’
‘Hello.’ Spencer manages a polite expression and I can just guess that he is not pleased to be here.
And you would think one of us shocked ones would be discreet enough to take care of the current situation but no. none of us even blink as we keep staring at them. And Lawyer is the only one who manages to move a muscle though he pivots towards Taylor and I do too—the man is calm as a leaf under soft rain.
‘When you said you had people in this case you didn’t say you are bringing in the freaking police.’
Aren’t we glad he said that out loud?
‘Lawyer calm.’ Taylor says calmly. He rubs a hand on my shoulder before standing up and walking towards the police officers—er detectives. ‘Detective Alice, Spencer, so glad you could join us.’
‘Thank you for letting us.’ Detective Alice smiles and then turns to the rest of us, ‘please stop gawking at us—Spencer gets nervous easily.’
Yes the man does look like he has realised that he is way in over his head here. Especially when his eyes land on Taylor.
‘So what the hell is going on?’ Celine moves to sit on the empty chair next to Hannah who doesn’t look at ease at all. She is being held hostage she should be glad the law is here to set her home free. Besides she works with Alice right? A realisation comes upon me—oh crap, she thought she was working with Alice.
‘Children!’ Julian raises his voice, ‘we only have an hour and half left now please.’
Spencer meets Julian’s eyes and they nod at each other in acknowledgement. Lawyer looks at Taylor and the detectives disapprovingly before returning to his couch and I glance at Judith to make sure she is still there beside me. She gives me a well-what-do-you-know look as she sits back and watch everyone around the room.
When we all finally settle, another silence floats into the room. Taylor resumes his earlier sitting position as he sinks beside me.
‘Okay.’ Lawyer speaks first taking a deep breath to calm himself I hope, ‘now can you explain?’
Taylor nods mutely. Detective Alice nods at him to carry on.
‘The man-man contract is no joke.’ Is how he starts, ‘it’s a destructive evil tool once the wrong hands get their hands on it.’
‘By wrong hands you mean your family?’ Spencer raises an eyebrow. What kind of person who knows Julian but doesn’t like Taylor? Just saying—not that I had studied a pattern or anything.
‘I mean we can easily get away with murder.’ Julian says easily but the threat is clear enough. Spencer narrows his eyes at him but decided to keep quiet.
Taylor casts Julian a look, ‘look I don’t want to be in the same room as you either but we both want out of this as alive as we all can.’
‘Still body bags would be a noble exit.’ Lawyer says with a shrug, ‘just saying.’
Detective Alice takes a deep breath, ‘now, now men let’s all settle down and start over—I already knew you were all going to be here.’
‘Can’t say the same.’ Lawyer says pinning Taylor with a look that can freeze water.
‘But who is the new face and what the hell is she doing here?’ Detective Alice pins her gaze on Hannah. Julian of course answers coming to stand in front of the girl as a shield. Geez could he be any more obvious?
‘She just ended up here—now are you still interested or you want out?’ Julian is all business like as he eyes the two detectives. Spencer runs his eyes across the room and I swear he is counting the number of people he is going to have to take out if it comes down to it. Am I the only one who notices his hand going to his back where detectives supposedly keep their guns?
I mean did they bring their guns? I’ve already been accosted with guns before but damn if they did bring them here.
‘Don’t do anything you’ll regret Spence.’ Taylor’s voice is cool and full of painful torture for the already freaked out man. I mean Alice did mention he easily gets nervous. Then why the hell is he involved with the mafia?
Alice holds her partner’s arm, ‘please Taylor you omitted to tell us the situation will be like this.’ She gestures at the room, ‘it was to be a small meeting.’
‘Are you backing out?’ Julian folds his arms across his chest.
Alice looks around the room again weighing her options, ‘you lied.’
‘Things happened Al.’ Taylor goes on with what I want to tag as business tone, ‘take it or leave it, the front door is open. And do I need to remind you that you forgot to tell me you had a freaking spy live in my house?’
Detective Alice shoots Taylor a look before he stands up, taking me along with him of course and walking out of the room. I see a glimpse of the two detectives as they scurry out the door while they still can.
Moments later, Lawyer marches into the kitchen seething, ‘you crazy little bastard—them of all people?’
Taylor shrugs nonchalantly, ‘the tackier the authorities the better.’
Lawyer scoffs and I almost scoff along with him, ‘what does that even mean?’
‘Small rank police officers looking to make a name for themselves take things seriously. That’s what I need.’
Lawyer narrows his eyes at his cousin, not sure (I think) whether the man is still in his right mind or not, ‘you said you had bigger people on your side.’ He speaks sounding wretchedly tired, ‘and I should tell you that all this time I didn’t expect a little woman detective and her large teddy bear with serious nervous break down syndrome. That is just great. I am sure it will be safe to hide behind them when Mr. Abiwu and the great uncles come for our heads—well my head actually because you are his fuckin heir he can’t just kill you.’
Taylor lets go of me and walks to Lawyer, placing both hands on his shoulders, ‘Law calm down.’
‘I am not calming down.’ Lawyer raises his voice and settles his gaze on me. But whatever he is going to say is stopped when Taylor comes to block my view of him and pats his chest. I am not sure what the whisper between themselves before Lawyer throws his hands in the air and marches out of the kitchen. I decide I need some air so I also start marching out after Lawyer but Taylor grabs my arm and pulls me back.
I pivot around to face him, ‘please don’t.’
‘Please don’t what?’
‘Don’t do that—I need some air.’
Julian then easily walks into the kitchen, ‘the other ladies are in the balcony.’ He announces. Taylor glares at him and I just want to kiss Julian appreciatively as I pullout of his hold and start out of the kitchen.
***
It is less intense out here in the balcony where we are overlooking the sunset. That’s what we are supposed to be doing but here we are, four women in the house indirectly conspiring against the males.
I mean for half an hour we had just sat here in silence digesting what had happened a while ago in that living room.
‘So Taylor was setting up Mr. Abiwu this whole time?’ Judith is trying to wrap her head around it, hell even I am trying to wrap my head around the whole damn thing. It seems like my life is always full of one blow after another. It’s getting old. I mean really.
‘I figured that much.’ Celine says her eyes so alight I don’t want to know the kind of epiphany that has dropped upon her, ‘but he accepted his crowning.’
‘I know right.’ Hannah has finally figured that no one is going to murder her. ‘What is going on?’
‘That’s what I would like to know.’ Celine is bordering towards a grin now, I’d like to think it’s a nervous grin?
‘Well what are they doing now?’ Judith wonders loudly.
Hannah rolls her eyes, ‘making dinner. I didn’t know Julian can survive the kitchen.’
‘What is up with you and Julian anyway?’ I ask her the question I have been itching to ask her all day.
‘What do you mean?’ she blinks at me.
‘oh come on when I first came to the house, it was obvious he hated your guts—now this morning you walked out of the jet laughing like a bunch of naughty middle school kids.’
Celine and Judith look very interested.
‘This is news.’ Celine drawls, ‘how long have you been living in that house Hannah?’
Judith laughs, ‘oh don’t bother her—Julian is a flirt as we all know that.’
I nod agreeing with her.
Celine raises a palm, ‘I beg to differ—I know these guys better than you all do.’
‘I spent a year following then around.’ Hannah counters.
‘I’ve known them my whole life.’ Celine shoots back.
And the two start going back and forth about the Abiwu uncles and cousins. Judith comes to sit close to me.
‘You think Hannah and Julian is a good thing?’ she asks
I scoff, ‘I couldn’t care less what happens to those two, it’s their own funeral.’
Judith shakes her head her face expression somewhere between surprise and humor, ‘you have grown cold.’
I stare at her for a moment weighing her words. ‘I was never mother Theresa Judith.’
‘Yes but you’ve never stopped caring.’
‘How would you know?’
She is surprised by my question, ‘I am your best friend.’
I nod, ‘that you are Judith—but maybe I wasn’t yours.’
I want to take those words back. I really do.
Judith heaves a sigh pushing away feelings that almost embedded her face for a moment there, ‘I know you had closed yourself off Heather but I was still glad that you felt comfortable enough to be close to me. Before I learned your story I thought I would be your friend even if you had worse skeletons in your closet than Hitler.’
I should appreciate that kind of friendship but what do I do? I go on to use her words against her.
‘Is that what you did with Lawyer?’ I ask with a raised eyebrow, ‘you just decided to ignore his dark side?’
‘I really like Lawyer—we are way past the time of trying to run from our differences.’
‘Differences? He is a criminal with no regards to half of your moral codes and doesn’t seem to care about the trouble he’s brought upon you.’
Judith gives me a defiant look then, ‘and the kettle calls the pot black.’ She laughs humorlessly, ‘you know what Heather—I appreciate your concern for me. In fact it’s such a touching quality for someone who hasn’t always been a friend.’ She air quotes, ‘I am not a child—and I seriously don’t know what you are so worked up about me and Lawyer as if you didn’t marry the devil’s son himself.’
Celine and Hannah go silent and look at us with raised eyebrows while I take note of Judith’s first burst of anger towards me. I open my mouth and she raises her palm at me.
‘Just don’t Heather... I’ve had enough of your lectures and judgmental views.’
And with that she walks out of the balcony back inside.
‘What just happened?’ Celine asks.
I just sigh. All these months and days I have been doing one thing. Feeling. Reeling in my moment of impending disasters and maybe I figured being hard headed would help me through. I hadn’t realized how deep Judith’s feelings for Lawyer were.
All in all I just wanted to protect my friend from all this because I believe she wouldn’t have been mixed up in all this if I hadn’t gotten mixed up in all of it.
Maybe I should stop.
A sharp screams startles us and three pairs of freaked out eyes turn to stare inside the house with our bodies so still you’d think we are marble statues. It is Celine who moves first, Hannah closely behind her while I move with measured steps while figuring out why Judith could be screaming besides her obvious desire to chop my head off for putting my foot in my mouth.
I am inside the warm colored living room while Celine and Hannah have already dashed into the kitchen shouting what wrongs—I don’t know why but I just stop in the middle of the room waiting for a howl of laughter or something.
The breeze coming through from the open doors behind me caress my back with gentle icy strokes. That is before I feel a tickle behind my neck. Like someone is watching me. Of course I do the only instinctive thing a person would do in a moment like this (unless you are one of those notorious spies in the movies of course)
My body turns and I see Alex. I gasp and take a step back. I should have screamed because I swear with the speed of a snake the man was already hovering over me. And before I could even say ah he had his hand over my mouth—or a damp cloth over my mouth.
I struggle of course but he is just strong and I am in no condition to try any kungfu business obviously not to mention I am confused as hell right now though my mind is telling me that the bastard is kidnapping me.
How did he even get here anyway?
I faintly hear voices in the kitchen as I continue my feeble struggling. I think Alex is whispering Ssh’s in my ear or something I don’t know. My fingers grab his hand, trying to latch it off my mouth and I am aware my body is kind of weakening. My eyes are closing. You know that feeling as darkness starts clouding over you. Yeah I am very familiar with that feeling.
And the last thought I have as my knees give out is that—I can’t believe those guys are laughing their lungs out in the other room while I am falling into Alex’s arms.
Of all people.