#LOVE_OVER_BLOOD
© Sir Zach
EPISODE 15
“Bangggggggg!” A gunshot echoed around the Hall. People were screaming and running for their lives. The women who were well dressed are fleeing leaving their heels around the hall.
“S-Sta-cy!” She heard Ethan grasp for air. He was kneeling while holding on to his side. He was standing infront of the pulpit earlier, giving an encouraging speech. He was outstanding. He was the star of the night. He was bloomingly handsome. And he was smiling at her from time to time. It made her heart skip a beat. But from a snap of a finger, he was kneeling, holding on to his side, grasping for air. He was trying to stand up but he can’t. He look at her with worry, but his eyes—- it’s beaming with unbelief. Suddenly he coughs an amount of blood. Blood is oozing on his side. He was shot! Aisha’s eyes wide-ned. Tears started to flow.
“DADDY!!!!!” Aisha heard a little boy scream. He saw the little boy run in front and embr@ced Ethan. The boy was crying. It was Eli..!!! She’s about to approach them but Eli looked at her with fear—— and full of contempt!! Ethan held her son ti-ghtly as they look at her in unbelief.. she was shock. She didn’t know why.
“I hate you! Go away!!” Eli yelled at her.
“E-Eli…!” She tried to get close to them.
“I hate you! You killed my father!” Eli shouted in disdain. Ethan suddenly collap-sed. He was bathing with blood.
“I-I… It’s not me.. Eli, sweetheart.. believe me its not m——” she tried to lift her hands to embr@ce Eli but she suddenly saw her hand holding a gun. “Did I shot Ethan?!” She drop the gun. No! She didn’t do it. She can never kill the man she love!
She shivered in fear. Tears flowed from her eyes. She saw Ethan breathlessly lying on the floor. She kept convincing herself. She didnt do it. Suddenly, she crawled near Ethan. She picked him up and embr@ced him. She cried for help.
“Please, somebody help.. help!!” She was sceaming at the top of her voice but no one seems to care. Her eyes were already clouded with tears. She tried to yell for more help. Then she raised her head to see the people inside the hall. There were people looking at them. Some with pity, some with judgment,some with hate—- towards her??? But why??
“She killed his own husband,” she heard them whispering at each other.
“Poor Mr. Williams. It must been ha-rd to see your own wife shoot you.” Others are murmuring.
“Murderer.. Murderer… Murderer.. ” she keeps hearing them..
“No, No.. I didn’t please believe me..”
“Good job Aisha!” A man behind her spoke as he tapped her shoulder. He was laughing continuosly. Is he crazy? She thought.
“Now, it’s time to kill the son.. she’s not your son anyway.. ” the guy pulled her hands and placed the gun on her palm. He guided her as she glided her fingers on her gun. The man hold her hand with the gun as they pointed it out to Eli..
“M-mom?..” Eli looked pitiful.
“No, Eli…” She cried.
“BANGGGGGG….!” she heard another gunshot. She opened her eyes. She pulled the trigger! Eli was already lying on the floor with his father.
“No!!!! Eli…!!!!!” She screamed.
***
” Stacy… Stacy!!! She heard a man’s voice but her body went numb..
“Stacy! Wake up!” The man shook her ha-rd. Stacy grasped some air as she woke up. She look at the man beside sitting beside her, holding onto her shoulders.Worry is written all over his face.
“E-Ethan!” She hastily embr@ced him. She sobs.
“It’s okay. You’re okay.. it’s just a dream..” he comforted her as he held her hair. Ethan opened the lampstand beside him. Aisha was w£t with sweat. She looks very exhausted. Whatever her dream was earlier, it is surely a very bad one.
Earlier, Ethan told her to sleep first since he has to finish some papers for tomorrows signing ceremony for their newly acquired hotel project. It was already 1 am when he came out from his study room. When he finished his bath, he went to bed. But he noticed that Stacy was sweating profusely. She was struggling. She keeps wiggling. Then he heard her whispered ,”No.. No.. please dont..” then a tear scape from her closed eyes. She’s having a nightmare! So Ethan wake her up. He’s been shaking her for more than a minute.
“E-ethan… ” She keeps repeating his name while hu-gging him ti-ghtly. She didn’t let him go for at least 5 minutes.
“Shhh.. it’s okay.. it is just a nightmare. Don’t worry, I’m here..” Ethan as-sured her. After a while. She released him. Ethan looked her in the eyes.
“Tell me what happened?” Ethan asked. Aisha look away. She dont know if she will tell him or not.
“It’s okay. Just te me what happened,.” he probed.
“I-I had a bad dream. A very bad dream.” She said with her head bowed. “I– you… You were shot. I saw you died,..” she sobbed. She can’t continue anymore.. Ethan didn’t asked further..
“Ssshhhh… Don’t worry, look at me. I’m alive. Everything is just a dream., Okay. Dreams are meant to be the opposite.so dont worry too much..” he ed her hair and ki-ssed her forehead. Ethan wiped away her tears then he ki-ssed her li-ps.
“It’s just a dream. Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Aisha nodded. Ethan cuddled her as she pushed herself closer to his . Then they both closed their eyes to sleep.
**
Aisha got up early in the morning. She looked at Ethan who’s sleeping soundly. She took her phone and dialed Hunter’s number. She has to act before its too late.
Ethan woke up late. Anyway,its weekend. He made sure to clear his schedules on weekend as per Stacy’s request.
“Have you seen Stacy?” He asked Eli who was sitting at the dining table munching his pancake. Eli shook his head giving him an idea that his son haven’t seen her yet.
“She went out the mansion at 6am. She said she will visit a friend and she will be coming home late..” one of their maid answered.
“Dad,are we going to greet paps today?” Eli asked.
“Not now son. Daddy will be going somewhere today and mom will be coming home late. Next time, I promise.” Ethan explained.
“Okay dad..” Eli nodded in un-derstanding.
***
Aisha was in the pet shop with hunter at 6:30am. They went down and entered a secret door where armours and weapons are well hidden.
“I never expected to use these weapons in this city. I thought I will live a normal life. Good thing I bought some with me..” Aisha said while looking at the different kinds of firearms displayed. She only bought her personalize handgun. But she nee-ded more so she asked hunter to show her an AR 15 rifle and a .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle.
Aisha roam around the room looking for possible hand carry weapons. She come across some types of Damascus steel knife.
“I nee-d this..” she pointed out the custom hand made Damascus steel hunting knife. Hunter reach it for her and handed her the knife carefully.
“The blade is very sharp. Just so be careful because it can pene-trate someone’s body easily. ” He warned her. She nodded.
“Did you tract the call history of the phone I gave you?” She asked seriously.
“Yes. But there’s nothing unusual on it. I think the client is not directly in contact with the bounty hunters.” Hunter sighed as well as Aisha.
“I have to get them as quickly as possible!” She was frustrated. She hit the wall beside her.
“Easy.. they will show theirselves sooner or later.” He as-sured her.
“Hunter, I nee-d to ask you a favor.” Hunter nodded, “I nee-d some tracking devices…make sure to connect it to my phone as well as on your computer. I might nee-d your help sooner.”
Hunter look at her intriguingly. He doesn’t know why but she might have a good reason for it.
“Okay.. you can get it as early as tomorrow.” Hunter answered.
***
After spending some hours at hunter’s shop, Aisha decided to check her apartment. It must have been an off limit place since there was a crime scene before. however, to her surprise the apartment is clean. No off limit notice from the police. Since it was daytime, she sat on the benches where elderly people are playing chess against each other. She look at the window of her apartment. It’s already close, but she can see 3 holes on it.
She decided to enter the apartment complex. She open the door to her room then went inside. She cannot see any trace of blood. Did someone come to clean her apartment? But there are no yellow tag around so she’s very sure that no one reported the incident to the authorities. What happened?
It seems like the un-derworld cleaners came to clean the mess. That’s the most closest explanation she can think of for now. Of course she knew those kind of transaction. Her father Demetrius educated her about it since she was young though she didn’t see and experience it for real. She knew the facts but not the world itself. But she knew that it is very dangerous. Bounty hunters are rumored to have clas-sess. The higher your clas-s is, the higher you are paid. The clas-sess depends on someone’s ability on the field.
So these bounty hunters are said to be wicked, heartless and equipped. Most of the powerful people in the country relies on them for clas-sified projects.
Aisha released a heavy sigh as she roam around her apartment. They are not easy to deal with for sure.
Aisha went near the window where she jumped. She examined it. She saw a hole on the window. She’s sure that a bullet came throu-gh— from the outside! She recalled that someone shot one of the bounty hunters when he was about to kill her. Then she remembered that she heard few gunshots while she fled for her life.
“Who could that person be? And why did he helped me?” She was in de-ep thought when she heard someone stirring the doorknob. She run behind the door as she hide herself.
The person outside kept on stirring the doorknob. Suddenly the door opened. She held her breath. She saw someone entered. It’s a man! He’s wearing black leather shoe. The man is about to close the door when aisha quickly kick the man’s side. He growled in pain. Before the man regain his stand, Aisha pointed her pistol behind his head.
“Who are you?” She asked. The man was quick to snap her hand so she accidently drop her gun. She quickly kneeled to pick it up but the man kick her arms. She was swift to hold the man’s foot then she pulled him down. The man is now lying on his back on the floor. Aisha hastily held his throat as ha-rd as she can, the man is having a ha-rd time to breath. She’s about to hit him but she haulted. She was surprised.
“Caleb?” she was puzzled to see his friend. she released his throat,then Caleb cough a few times. Caleb sat on the ground.
“Caleb? What are you doing here?!” Aisha yelled. She stood up.
“Coming to see you,” he playfully sm-irk.
” damn you caleb. What if I accidentally killed you?!” She was angry.
“Haha, don’t worry. I did that on purpose. I saw you entered the apartment earlier. I’m about to surprise you but you suddenly attacked me without giving me time to speak “. He joked.
Aisha pulled him up the floor. She glared at him.
“Since when were you here?” She ask.
“I’ve been here for a week now. I am staying on that apartment building.” He pointed out the apartment opposite her building. It’s one block away.
“I’ve been watching your apartment for a week now but I haven’t seen any suspicious person who entered since the last incident.” He explained.
“You knew?” She was stunned. Caleb laugh.
“Of course. I have my eyes and ears in this city.”
“Hunter.. !” She was mad.
“Don’t blame him. He only confirmed my suspicions. I knew something was not right even at your father’s organization. There were secret groups who opposed the decision of uncle Demetrius when he appointed you as the next heir for our Mafia organization. I still dont have their names, but I know they are targetting you.” He became serious all of a sudden. Aisha sighed..
“I know.. that’s why I am trying to get them myself. ” She sat on the couch. “Does my father knew about it?” Of course she knew that if Caleb knows what happened to her, it will never be hidden to his father, she just want to be sure.
“Yes. And he is looking into it in the un-derworld.”
Caleb saw Aisha’s frustrated eyes.
“Aisha, don’t take the blame alone coz you are not alone in this fight. This is OUR fight also. As well as your Father.”
Aisha sob. The truth is, she doesnt know what to do. She doesnt know how to protect Ethan and Eli against her foes. Caleb un-derstood her worries so he embr@ced her.
“Aisha, don’t worry. I’m here. We are all here, ready to back you up.” He held her hair.
“Thank you..” she whispered. Unknown to them,someone was looking at them throu-gha telescope from afar, reporting everything to someone over the phone.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 16