José rose from the spot he was crouched behind and slowly descended towards the meeting spot with Tuari close on his heels. Both held their guns pointed at the ground.

  She came out of the mist like the angel of death itself. A small petite frame dressed like an eighteen-century doll walked up the path. A frilly red petticoat matched the skirt that bowed out before her. She clutched a little red umbrella that did its best to fight off the elements. Two bodyguards flanked her. They carried no visible weapons.

  José looked up towards our spot and Willis began to move. “Well, I guess it’s time for us to make a move.”

  “But he didn’t say anything,” I said, getting up confused.

  “The longer you’re with a crew, the more you understand the unspoken things. There will be situations where you may not be able to speak, so a look is all you can give. A look may very well save your life one day,” Willis said, moving past me and walking down.

  I followed close behind with Poppy alongside me until we reached the group.

  José gave us a nod as I turned my gaze towards the newcomers. At first glance, the guards appeared to be ordinary thugs but on closer inspection, I could see they were much more. Their eyes shifted to every vantage spot that surrounded us with the readiness of trained soldiers. One hand stayed underneath their coats at all times and they were never more than a couple of feet away from their boss.

  Oceans of the darkest blue.

  That was the only thing I noticed as I stared The Lady’s way. Her eyes drank me in and I found myself drowning in them. They didn’t seem right on her. They didn’t match the petite body. They didn’t match the doll-like dress. They belonged to a predator. A monster only found in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. A monster who would be at home in the seas behind me.

  “Well, if you’re going to show all your cards, then I guess it’s only appropriate I do the same thing,” she said with a smile, as she clapped her hands.

  Movement around us made me redouble the grip on my shotgun, but a steady hand from Poppy got me to relax.

  Four men emerged from foxholes around us.

  They were covered in grass and moss with camouflage paint covering their faces.

  Unlike the guards who protected The Lady, these men’s guns were visible. They held long assault rifles and appeared to be grenades were strapped to their waists. These men were not merely thugs, they were soldiers, through and through.

  I turned my head back to The Lady, who had eyes only for me. I felt uncomfortable under her gaze and wanted to take a step back but stopped myself. She watched me with the curiosity of a big cat. It made my insides turn cold.

  “Mr Blake, I presume. My name is Lady Isabella Ivanov,” she said with a hint of a Russian accent, “but many people call me The Lady. A name I detested to begin with but now have grown to love. You can call me Miss Ivanov.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you; I guess it’s you I have to thank for all the unpleasantness that has taken place in my life up until this point.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She tilted her head to the side and shrugged slightly. “I would apologise but when needs must…”

  “Needs must, huh?”

  “Look, you’re a businessman; when a buyer offers you enough money to finance your operation for the foreseeable future what would you do?”

  “I wouldn’t endanger the lives of people just for profit and gain. I would act like a reputable business and—”

  “A reputable business like Xcorp?” she asked, the corners of her mouth pulling up into her smile.

  “I… well…” I tried to find the right response but failed. I knew she was right, that certain big businesses would do anything for a profit, that my life had been damaged just as much by Xcorp as it had been by her, but I would be damned if I told her so. Not here on this rain-swept cliff, with a shotgun in my hand and surrounded by a bunch of thieves, murderers and gang lords.

  “There will come a time, Mr Blake, if it hasn’t come already, when your way of life is threatened, when the people you love the most are placed in harm’s way and you will do anything to protect them. Anything. When that time comes you will understand human nature like no other. You will understand what the employees of Xcorp say to themselves to help them justify the actions they have taken.

  “You will understand what some of my men say to themselves at night so they can fall asleep. When that time comes, I pray the fall from that high horse of yours doesn’t break too many of your bones.”

  I thought back to the last nightmare I had and shuddered as Mr X’s bloodied face leapt out of my subconscious.

  I hadn’t given those deaths much thought. Too much had happened. I had focused my attention on other things. But standing here now, I knew what she did was different for me. I had killed for self-preservation. I had killed because no other option was given to me. I had killed to survive.

  While she had killed for profit.

  “I am nothing like you, Miss Ivanov, nor will I ever be,” I said, head held high.

  She gave me a smile halfway between a smirk and a snarl and turned her attention to José. “So good to see you, my old friend. I wish it was in better circumstances but alas we are only boatmen along the river of fate. I do hope you have my little package.”

  “That I do, mi Se?ora, that I do. But there were certain unseen complications we encountered, as you well know, that we may have to be reimbursed for.”

  “Come now, Mr Battle, you’re not insinuating what I think you are, are you?”

  “If I didn’t, mi Se?ora, then you wouldn’t trust me.”

  The blues of her eyes sparkled as she tilted her head back and laughed. It was gentle, soft, pleasing to the ear.

  “Fair enough, Mr Battle. Shall a ten percent increase in the original deal be adequate?”

  “Five percent should be more than enough.”

  Confusion crossed my features but I held my tongue as I looked towards the rest of the crew.

  I was surprised when I saw none of them react. There was no anger, confusion, annoyance or even surprise on any of the crewmates’ features. All I saw was neutral faces.

  “You, Mr Battle, are one savvy negotiator; that is why I love dealing with you. You shall have my business as long as you want it. Vlad, please retrieve the device from Mr Battle while I pay him,” she said, tapping on the computer attached to her wrist. The bodyguard to her right stepped forward while José rummaged in his back pocket.

  I saw the movement before anyone else. It was a faint dot against the rainy background. It was hard to distinguish against the sideways rain. I took a step forward and squinted my eyes as it got closer and closer. What was that? Then I saw it in all its glory as a flash of lightning tore across the sky and highlighted it.

  I began moving long before my brain started screaming warnings at me. In hindsight, I should have guessed what the image looked like. Me running towards one of the most feared people in Safe Haven with a loaded shotgun, right after she had paid us more than the agreed amount without our giving her what she wanted.

  To say it must have looked bad was an understatement, but I didn’t think of that.

  I just acted.

  Launching myself forward I saw the guns raised up at me. I heard the shouts. But I was moving too fast for them to target me safely.

  I smashed into Lady Isabella Ivanov and bore us down to the ground as the first bullets tore through the earth from above.