Conscienceness Beyond Relief

Chance helps a little girl that's a genius and hacker save her father with the help of an old foe he once encountered from his past.

They say a man really never knows himself until his soul is taken away. That’s a crock of s**t; I lost my soul a long time ago and I still don’t know who I really am sometimes. I know that I yearn for normality but it won’t happen for me because I have lived a life that was everything but normal. My name is Chance Montgomery but I go by the name of Louis Grey; a faked death caused the change as I retired from the life of contract killing. I stayed out of sight for some years raising my son, but for maintaining the lifestyle I put together with the money I escaped with instead of killing I became a contact for two hitters. It went good for a while but all good things come to an end, I fucked it up and paid for it badly. I had a price on my head so I called in an owed favor; fought with my protégé once again and ran into some faces of my past. In the meantime my son has been bounced around to three different safe houses while I make things right, I’m trying to get back to him but don’t know how I’m going to do it. But at the end of that fiasco I was left broke and in the middle of nowhere trying to figure out how I am going to make it happen. Sore and still in pain I hitchhiked to get to a small diner where I sit drinking coffee watching it rain outside stalling time just to figure out where I am going to sleep tonight. I have enough money to lay my head at a cheap motel but getting fifty miles away is the obstacle I have hurtle. Staring out the window I hear and feel the presence of two individuals sliding into my booth across from me. Observing their reflection I see a little girl and young lady; I’m hesitant but I slowly look at them both quietly peering at me with a smile.

 

“Hello Mr. Montgomery.” The little girl says.

 

I take a sip of my coffee first before I respond.

 

“You have the wrong person little mama.”

“I don’t think so; you are who I’m here to see.” She says smiling.

 

I’ve been in some strange s**t before and I could see this building up as another one of those times.

 

“I’m serious, you really have the wrong person little girl and I have my ID to prove that.”

“Falsified records don’t take away from who you really are Mr. Montgomery.”

 

The waitress comes back to the table to refill my cup and the little girl picks up the menu.

 

“Can you bring me two number fours please?” She asks.

She looks over at me asking if I wanted something but I decline. The whole time the little girl makes her moves the girl next to her never takes her eyes off of me.

 

“I know you have to be hungry; you’ve been through a lot and with limited cash and you haven’t ate in a while.” The little girl says.

The waitress looks at me like them so I concede and order something. Once she walks away I am past curious on what these two wanted with me.

“What do you want little girl?”

“First, my name is Anique and my friend next to me is Eva Nina,”

 

Eva Nina just looked at me with a smile on her face; she looked young too with her olive colored skin and big brown eyes but she appeared to be in her very early twenties.

 

“Nice meeting you both but what f**k do you want?” I ask.

 

Anique let out a mild laugh.

 

“I believe you know my father,” She responded.

“Who,”

“Des Horton, the one who just saved your miserable life.”

“Yeah I know him, what’s this all about?”

“He was kidnapped yesterday after getting you off the hook.”

 

Her father was the only one I knew that had the power to call off a hit on my head; he quietly ran a crime syndicate in which I had done multiple jobs for in the past, after I told him of a plot on his life he told me he owed me. After my mess up I had a price tag and he took care of it for me.

 

“He gave me your name before he left and told me if anything happened to him to contact you.” She said.

“What do you expect me to do about it?” I ask her.

“You’re going to go rescue him.”

 

I laugh at her looking at Eva as she just smiled at me.

 

“I don’t think so little girl, I’m sorry if someone took his a*s but your father had a lot of stuff going on if you didn’t know. Whoever took him could have been one of his many enemies; it had nothing to do with me.”

“I know what my father is into with his life, but you had a rather large price on your head and when he called it off it made the highest bidder very unhappy. So it’s on you to get my father back for me.”

“I don’t do stuff like that anymore and don’t have the connections that I used to, I think you might need the help of the law not me.”

“No, the police are in the pocket of one who took him.”

“Well it looks like your s**t out of luck ladies; you have the wrong person to do something like that for you.” I respond.

“Slysela jsem o tobe a o vecech, kterych jsi scohpna.” Eva Nina finally broke her silence speaking Czech.

 

She said she’d heard about the things I was capable of; I spoke the language because I have dealt with  people from the Czech Republic a couple times plus dated a couple of gypsies.

 

“Tyhle veci uz nedelam.” I responded telling her I didn’t do those things anymore.

“But the fact is that you still can and the financial state you are in you would be a fool to turn this down. Besides if you don’t and something happens to my father I will make your life hell and make sure your son’s future is fucked as well.” Anique said.

“Does your father know you talk like that, aren’t you like eleven?”

“I’m twelve.”

“Little girl I’ve had grown men that have tried to make my life hell and couldn’t keep me in that zone, what the hell can you do to me? And as far as my son if you don’t keep him out of this I will do what your father should have done to you a long time ago and put you over my knee and whoop your a*s.”

Anique just started laughing and Eva Nina joined her.

 

“Yeah I’ve been told about how much of an a*****e you are. And as far as you whooping my a*s; my associate next to me will have your brains on the plates of that family behind you if you make any advancements towards me.” She said confidently smiling.

 

I look at them both in silence for a second kind of speechless about this whole situation.

 

“Ladies listen, I am very sorry about Des but I’m not the man you need for this, I can get you in contact with a couple people I know that’ll do it and I’ll even make sure you get a discount.” I tell them.

“Don’t you think if I wanted any other that I could have it; my father has your contacts plus more Mr. Montgomery. You and another was chose if this situation had emanated for what he did for you. Please understand that I know that you won’t do this for free so you’ll get a hundred and fifty grand for your help.”

“Where did you get that kind of money from?” I ask her.

“I am a computer hacker; I can get whatever I want.”

 

The waitress comes back with the food and we quiet up until she walks away.

 

“Along with the money at my expense I am willing to get you back to your son.” She added.

 

This little girl was not normal; she was dealing with me like adults would and just grasping the moment had me stunned, and hearing what she was saying now had me tempted. She changed the subject and began talking about the type of music she listened to while we ate and even paid the check then it got to that moment when there was that awkward silence while she waited for my answer.

 

“I don’t know kid.” I say to her still unsure.

“Yes you do and we will be waiting in the car for you, it’s the black Bentley.”

 

With that said they both exit the booth in silence leaving me almost no choice so after sitting there thinking of the pros and cons of doing it for another ten minutes then I walk outside and stand under the pouring rain until the car pulls up in front of me. Anique opens the backdoor from the inside and I just get in seeing the other girl driving. Anique pulls out a laptop and starts typing something and I just sit there still curious about what my part in this was.

 

“Have you heard of a man named Tim Gelsomino?” She asked me.

“He’s the CEO of the Gelsomino Corporation.”

 

Me and my protégé attempted a job for him once; it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go but we still got paid. He is a wealthy and powerful man but he’s also very crooked when the sun goes down.

 

“He had my father taken.”

“How do you know he did it?” I asked her.

“The night before my dad came to your rescue he came to our house and met with my dad in his office. I tried to ease drop but Gelsomino’s body guards stood outside of it as they talked. When they left that’s when dad called me in there and told me what would happen if he did it and who would be the one to do it.”

“Why would he tell you that kind of thing and not your mother?”

“Mr. Montgomery my mother is bipolar and a sever alcoholic, she is currently a mental ward slash rehab center for trying to commit suicide. If she was to know about this then she would probably do something very stupid.” She responds.

“Okay but your father also has plenty of cronies that would jump to his aid if your mother is not around.”

“Most of my father’s men are not smart enough to tie their shoes let alone untrustworthy; they are mostly all of his so-called friends that spend most of their time either drinking or smoking weed. If they heard about this they would probably do something like take advantage of his absence and go to one of his enemies and sell any info they had on him.”

“That might be the case but to put this kind of pressure on a little girl is too much.” I respond.

“Mr. Montgomery I am twelve and have an IQ of 142, my father and I have discussed if anything was to ever happen to him what the next step would be for both the family and his syndicate. I am fully aware and prepared for what my father’s fate will be if not in the next forty-eight hours let alone in his life. I love him and would do anything for him hence why I am here and the steps on what I have to do next, so don’t classify me with normal kids because that I am not.”  

“What does he have to do with this?”

“He was the second highest bidder on your head.”

“Who was the first?” I ask.

“A guy by the name of Gone.”

 

I could understand why Gone would want me dead; we hated each other but I didn’t know I was on Tim Gelsomino’s s**t list too.

 

“So where are we headed?” I ask her.

“We’re going to Chicago where my father is being held.”

“And then what; you know I can’t just walk in there right?”

“The rest will be worked out when we get there. But just relax until then; my father has a mini-bar in here if you want a drink.” Anique says with a smile then pulls out her phone.

 

I didn’t turn down the offer grabbing a couple of shots for myself and until I dosed off we all stayed silent until I awoke in Chicago. It’s night and I got out stretching feeling the chilly wind cutting through me while looking at the outside of a high rise penthouse. We walk in and they both get instant respect from doorman to the concierges; the elevator man even gave me a warm towel while we waited to reach the penthouse at the very top. Stepping into it I looked around at how luxurious it was and the two girls just walking around like it was the norm. Anique spoke real short to Eva but she got it telling her she had already thought about it as they walked in two different directions leaving me standing at the entrance.

 

“You have the room at the end of the hall; I have things I need to handle so get comfortable. There is food in the fridge if you get hungry and Eva will take care of any other requests you have for the night.” She said texting on her phone.

I get to the room for me and take a shower in the bathroom it provided; when I come out there is a pair of hospital scrubs laying on the bed. I put them on and find my way to the kitchen where I find a beer in the fridge and decide to walk around admiring the place. While looking at pictures of their family on the wall I get to a room with a cracked door where I can hear Anique briefly talking before hanging up with an irritated sound coming out. I knock on the door lightly before sticking my head in the room. She smiled but I could see the pressure that plagued her.

 

“Hey I was wondering if you had some Tylenol around here,” I ask.

“A man like you doesn’t do Tylenol; my father has real pain pills in his room, you just gotta talk to Eva.”

 

I look around at the papers she has laying around because I’m still curious about all of this s**t and how it was going to go down, then I spot a familiar picture that I pick up and look at. She starts to tell me who he is but I already know; a guy that went by the name The Lost Ghost. The only reason I knew that was because me and my protégé had a contract on him once by Gelsomino. It didn’t go as we planned but the end result was that we still got paid and my friend learned a lesson in the game. But I wanted to know what he had to do with this now.

 

“I need his help too.” She told me.

 

I figure she already took care of that part like she came to me because since our last meeting I don’t really see us coming together on good terms so I kind of catch her up with our situation and find out something that makes me change my mind.

 

“I need you to go talk to him and get him to help us.” She says.

 

It makes me laugh first but I see she is serious and I can only think of a subtle way to let her down, but she is mature for her age and paying so I can only come at her as I would anyone else,

 

“Sorry, can’t do it.” I tell her and watch her demeanor drop even more.

“I know where to find him and…” I interrupt her though.

“Little girl you are in way over your head with this okay; first you come find someone like me that’s been in too much for someone of your caliber then you want to get to a masked man that already doesn’t like me.”

“But he’s the only one that knows the layout I need.” She says.

“I understand you’ve came to that deduction but I’ve already been through some stuff that reminded me why I was retired. I don’t have it in me to be chasing this guy over rooftops and least of all to be fighting him right now.” I tell her.

“I know but…” I cut her off again.

“But I can’t help you. I’ll be out of here in the morning if you don’t want me to get pushing tonight but I wish you luck with this one; it’s going to be a trying one.” I say and walk out.

 

It is no way I could mess with this guy the way I felt; he’s not only younger but is former C.I.A. He’d been trained in Krav Maga and espionage techniques when I got the resume on him but in dealing with him was a whole different experience. He’s adept at Parkour and uses weapons like a wooden sword, throwing knives and smoke bombs. He was good when we first met and he got away because I underestimated him, but in the end I still gave him respect. But she doesn’t know what she’s doing and I don’t feel bad walking away from it. I go back to the kitchen area throwing away my beer bottle and grab another one before walking back to where I was sleeping for the night.  When I left it the lights were on but when I return they are off with only the bathroom light on and steam pouring from it. I enter slowly first until I see her silhouette and the devil tells me in my ear to close the door. I don’t make too much movement as Eva comes toward me with just a towel on and really don’t know what to say when she stands in front of me.

 

“When I first saw you, you were drinking with my uncle two days before he was killed.” She said.

“And how old were you then?”

“I was young.” She said.

“How old are you now?” I ask.

“Legal.” She answers and drops her towel.

 

Ok I admit at first I am very tempted she’s gorgeous; light beige skin tone, brown pretty eyes that screamed for you to peer back into them, and a lips that made you yearn to kiss them. Even in the dark part of the corner I stood in I could still see her naked body and I wanted to touch her but I threw my hands up backing away like she held a gun forgetting all about pain pills.

“You need to go.” I tell her looking away not trusting if I looked at her again.

 

She got closer and just looked at how she made me squirm with a smile on her face for a second.  After basking in some kind of glory she felt in the moment she picked the towel back up and covered back up.

 

“You know as smart as she is she is still a twelve year old girl that would do anything for her father.” Eva said.

“Yeah but I don’t feel I can do anything to really help her.”

“I’ve heard some of the things you’ve been through; you just haven’t tried to help her. Just do her a favor and don’t stay the night, be gone when she wakes up.” Eva says and rubs my face before walking out.

In my mind I still convince myself that I’m not going to do this and even get together a speech to go say to her on why I’m not going on this thinking of any connections I could throw in her directions. But when I get back to her bedroom I can hear her crying this time as I knock and enter slowly again head first trying to smile. She tries to wipe away the pain but I feel it in the air.

 

“What do you want?” She asks looking away.

“I wanted to tell you I’m leaving tonight and thank you for getting me this far.”

“You’re welcome and good luck with the rest of your trip, you don’t get paid thus far you know that right?” She tells me.

 

I get ready to walk away and she asks me something.

 

“How old would she be if she was still alive?”

 

I pause because I know she’s talking about my oldest daughter, I want to walk on but I step inside the room with her. It takes me a second to answer but I swallow first and look at her teary swollen eyes.

 

“She would be twelve like you.”

“With the things that you have done do you think that if she had the chance to help you she would do the same thing I am trying to do?” She asks me.

“I know she would.”

“Okay then you can’t blame me for my attempt at this. Mr. Montgomery my father is a narcissistic A-hole and being the head of an organization has made him worse but I love him. He’s said things to me that has broken my core making me vow to ever forgive him, but I always end up letting it go because I know him when he gets drunk. Although he gives me and my siblings anything we could ever want, when we do get to see him he’s drunk or high on weed except for Sunday; it’s our family day. I once hid in the back seat of his car and saw him shoot a man in the back of his head, when he found out I was back there he got very mad. While we drove home he yelled at me but when he calmed down that’s when I understood why he was who he was; he talked to me like I was the only thing that ever mattered to him in his life. He checked on my mind state making sure I wouldn’t tell a soul and even told me a joke that made me laugh then went to eat; just me and him. I am a daddy’s girl no matter where I am or where he is, but he needs someone right now and if I can’t then I don’t know who…  ”

 

She stops and turns away crying then I melt as I remember nights having bad dreams watching my own in arms as I try to comfort two dead bodies. I was always taught when you live by the sword, you die by the sword and until this day I worry about how I’m going to die leaving my son a b*****d. I try to maintain my composure and I reach out my hand touching her shoulder; she kind of jerks away but I gently lay my hand on it. I feel sympathy for the whole situation but he knows the life; I’ve spent a lot of time wondering who was going to con or cross me. She has very good intentions but she was now a puppy playing with big dogs. 

“I’m sorry Anique but I think what you have in mind might be good as a thought but you are dealing with some grown up stuff that may be way bigger than you are. I think if you think about this some more you’ll…” She cut me off.

“Goodbye Mr. Montgomery.” She said waving me away.

“But I might have some people that…”

 

She puts her hand firmly in my face.

 

“The next step is if I smack you it won’t be a slap; it will be me fiving your face.”

 

I couldn’t argue with it so, upon leaving the room Eva stood back in my face and gave me a simple smile.

“You better watch me like you watch the conversation on your cell phone.” She says with a swagger like she wished I would test her capabilities.

I just stand there wanting to tell I would put her down in more ways than in the bed. I was trained to fight by those kill first but I stop as Anique’s door slams shut. 

“That girl will serve it to you service with a smile.” She says from inside her room.

                                      

I look at Eva cautiously but the fact is that I envy Anique’s father and the love she’s showing for him; yeah my little girl would’ve done the same thing to save me and this has made me miss both of my daughters. I look beside me and see Eva standing there smiling at me with a creepy silence like she was ready for a fight. In my mind I told this little girl and the whole scene to have a good life but that just didn’t come out of my mouth.

 

“What the hell do you have planned?” Comes out instead.

 

I was taught a man that ever believed in himself wouldn’t be scared to take a chance. Hell I’d done a whole lot worse just to make a grand. She opened the door with a tears still running down her face but as the puppy brown eyes looked up at me I knew how she killed her father with them when the time was needed. We politicked on how she thought it would go and I put in my two cents to add extra measure. Eva added what she thought would even work with it and the conversation went until the sun presented itself early in the morning. Anique was still talking while she yawned saying things that would get everyone killed but it doesn’t stop her brain from coming up with the way she could save her daddy. Even though my body wasn’t ready for a physical fight my brain was used to thinking all night on things like this, so when it was time for her to rest I assured her I knew what to do; but I don’t walking back to my room laying down pondering as they both slept the day away. By night I had got a nap in and had a couple of ideas but she was ready and talking a mile a minute while typing on three different laptops that is connected to six monitors ,on her phone by Blue Tooth, and saying things to Eva in Czech. I try to catch up with her on everything but I can’t then it gets to a point when I just sit down and watch her work. She moves with grace on the keyboards of all three in a daze peering at each screen for only about five seconds before it is changed. She listens to music and sings beautifully in between phone calls. I walk up and look at what she is doing standing next to her in silence, she browses blueprints, layouts, pictures and security schedules.

 

“If we do this just right you can get in and out with my father without any trouble.”  She says to me.

“Do you have a plan B?”

“You don’t need a plan B when you’ve got me; you like that?” She responds laughing.

 

It’s good to see the kid doing it even though she has so much on her plate, I laughed along with her until a picture of the Lost Ghost pops up on all six monitors.

 

“So what are we going to do about him?” I ask.

 

Suddenly Eva calls her and she quickly leaves the room. I look at all the info she had on him; I was a hitman and I never had this good of detailed information. When she comes back in she quickly closes the laptops removing all of the flash drives and starts putting all of the papers into folders.

 

“It’s time to go.” She says.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

 

But she doesn’t answer walking out fast leaving me standing in the room.  Eva passes and looks back in at me.

 

“Come on we got to get there now if we’re going to get him to help.”

“Where are we going” I ask again.

 

But again the question goes unanswered as she walks away. I follow them all the way into the Bentley and sit in silence as she types away and texts. We get to a neighborhood of high rise condos and park, Anique looks up then back at her laptop pushing a couple of buttons.

 

“Okay he’s up there.” She says.

“And I’m supposed to talk him down to the car, you haven’t thought this part out yet have you?”

“I want you to keep him occupied for ten minutes and if you can keep him from leaving the rooftop.”

“You make that sound so easy.”

“Yeah but we all three know it’s not going to be.” She responds.

“Just go to the roof and meet him and we’ll take care of the rest.”  Eva says.

“Put this in your ear so we can communicate.”

 

She handed me a small earpiece.

 

“I know what I know about him, what do you know?” I ask her.

“I do know he’s completely cerebral.”

“Meaning,” I ask.

“The urban dictionary says absolute mind-f*****g insanity and having completely gone off the deep end. Almost like postal or mental cerebral is a whole new dimension of bonkers.” Eva says.

I look at them both for a second as they stare at me.

 

“I’m going to need a weapon.”

 

Eva reaches back and has a gun in her hand.

 

“If you want to keep him alive you don’t want to give me that.” I say to them both.

“It has rubber bullets in it; you’re right I don’t trust you with live ammunition.” Anique says.

 

I take it and Eva hands me a silencer to put on it.

 

“What happens when ten minutes are up?” I ask.

“Then we’ll handle the rest.” She answers.

 

We drive into an alley and park, she points out the building and I get out of the car looking up at a fire escape. I look back at the car knowing I was doing this for her and to get my son back then take a deep breath asking the Lord to be with me. I climb up a couple of windy flights then climb in the building through an open window. I take the elevator up the rest of the way and climb a flight of stairs to get to the roof exit. I check my magazine of fake bullets and tuck it away before going out slowly and quietly. He sits perched on the edge looking in the direction of the Gelsomino Corporation and I’m heard when I step on pebble and it grinds under my foot. He quickly jumps down facing me and the first thing I think of is if he remembers me.

 

“Mr. Montgomery can you hear me?”

 

I don’t answer at first checking to see if he’s going to make a move; he’s quick and if I even blink at the wrong time it’ll be the last time I close my eyes. He looks just like I remember; green cargo pants, black hooded shirt, his wooden sword, a utility across his chest and waist but what I’d never forgot is the mask he wears with green glowing eyes.

 

“Hello can you hear me?” Anique asks.

“Yes now shut up.” I respond.

 

He now knows I’m not alone and gets in a fighting stance pulling out the wooden sword. I figured it was time for me to say something to him.

 

“You remember me don’t you?” I ask him.

 

He doesn’t answer but quickly pulls out two throwing knives.

 

“You’re not going to need those; I’m not here for trouble.”

 

I know he doesn’t trust me, the first time I met him I was trying to kill him so I watch as he slowly starts to move his foot like he’s about to run. I can’t let him do it because the little girl is setting something up plus my body hurts so I couldn’t keep up with him right now hopping roof tops and everything. He goes to make an exit and I call out for him to wait but use the wrong body language and he quickly throws the knives. I dodge them both but in reflex I reach down at my waist and in three seconds fire three shots; they all hit him, the one to his chest I anticipated he would have blocked but the two I served to his unprotected legs says he wasn’t prepared for a confrontation tonight. He picks up the rubber tips then c***s his head to the side looking at me.

 

“Eva can you hear me, are you ready?” I hear Anique in the back ground.

“Not yet I’m in route though,”

 

I hear it but I’m more concentrated on the matter at hand as I just drop the gun now.

 

“Like I said, there’s this little girl…”

 

He rushes in swinging but I block and dodge until it pushes my back against the wall, I bring down a quick elbow and a hard knee and it backs him away for a second. He knows out of all of battles he’s been in he remembers me and now it was just between me and him not an extra. I Attack him now coming at him with a series of combos only connecting half then he backs me away to get control of the fight. He fakes me and gets a good shot to the stomach and it hurts like hell but I grab him in and give another shot that even with his armor made him respect me for the night. For a quick second I wondered how long it had been, but my adrenaline was pumping and I knew this was far from over. He tries the smoke bomb effect but I measure the wind and am able to block a couple of shots then he catches me off guard. Another fake then two hits to an old wound leaves me open for him to kick me back to where am landing on the ground and jumping up ready but not ready at the same time. He rushes in and attacks but I take to the defense this time and am to get a couple shots in then push him off for what could be next. He takes off to the ledge and I chase him to the edge and look at him.

 

“He’s on the move.” I say out of breath.

“Eva,”

“I’m on it.” I hear.

 

I watch for a second before I hear a loud pellet gun sound and I saw him slow down until he fell under a lamp light getting ready to take the next leap into darkness.

“I got him baby. Chance can you get him off the roof for us?” Eva asks.

 

I tiredly agree and when we get back to the penthouse I saw how far her father’s money went. Three bellboys and a valet brought him through the back and took us up by a freight elevator. Eva paid them and I drug him to a room where she had me zip tie his hands and feet to a chair. We walked out of the room and she asked Eva for a knife and she had it in her hand I ask what she plans to do with it, she responds telling me either decision he made she still had to cut him loose. When she walks back in the room I sit on the sofa and rub my sore muscles, when Eva walks in with me I tell her to go get me some pain pills. After taking some we sit and talk about how it is for her working for them,

 

“They treat me nice plus I’m able to send money home to my mother.” She tells me.

“So you watch her all the time I take it?” I ask her.

“No, we started as online pin pals then her father hired me to keep an eye on her when he couldn’t.”

“Is she that bad?”

“Do you remember hearing about the eleven year old that hacked into the white house emails?”

 

I remembered hearing about it on the news.

 

“Yeah I do.”

“Well she’s in there right now talking to that lunatic.”

“Do you think she can get him to help her?” I ask her.

“She got her genes from her mother and father; a mob boss and a master manipulator. It took a lot of money for the lawyer to get her out of that white house s**t.”

 

I laugh it off because I don’t know what else to say and we talk about just life in general for an hour then go to the balcony to finish as I smoke a cigarette. We hear the door open and see her come out first before I flick the butt and walk back in. He walks out behind her and looks at me in silence as she smiles.

 

“He’s going to need the backpack before he leaves.” She says to Eva.

He doesn’t stay long before leaving and I go to Anique to ask her what is going on. She lets me know he is down to help and tells me it is going to happen tomorrow night while a gala was going on at the corporation where he is held. I was told the plan of him going as part of masked security that was in the lower level of the building and I would be going in as part of the janitorial company. I listen to her and put in my on input to make it go by a lot smoother and I try to make sure she goes to bed worry free like I would do for my own daughter. I slept until morning when I was wake up to breakfast just getting some water. Anique and Eva sit laughing about something and I’m not in the mood so I go back to the room with my plate and watch the news until I get dressed. When I come out they are in Anqiue’s room going over some more of the plan, I catch up on what I already know before I leave and just take a tour of the city. By night I’m in in a janitor’s uniform and they drop me off where I get in and pretend to clock in. The Lost Ghost was already in here somewhere and I was still in contact with Anique through the earpiece where she sat in a parking lot with her laptop and Eva. She’s going to direct me to him while The Ghost helps keep security off of us is the way it’s supposed to go. I grabbed a cleaning cart and hit the floors mopping and spot sweeping listening the time to make a move. I don’t know where he is but I see plenty of people arriving for the party as I clean the lobby. I see Tim Gelsomino come in with a woman and he doesn’t recognize me as I empty a trash can.

 

“Mr. Montgomery I’m going to lead you to the corridors of where I need you to be in the basement when I set off the fire alarm.”

 

I don’t say anything as I follow her lead in my ear to a freight elevator that leads me to the dock where the trash compactor is.  I throw some trash in while smoking a cigarette and suddenly the fire alarm goes off,  a security comes in and tells me that I have to exit the building and hands me a key to take the another elevator down to the next level down and I know who it is. Anique gets back in my ear and tells me how to get to it as I run when I get in I carry my mop and unscrew it as it goes down so I just have the stick. When I reach the bottle floor the action begins; I quickly take out the first one taking his gun then shot the other four I came up on in the arms and legs leaving them unconscious with the handle. The Lost Ghost came around the corner and put his hands up showing me it is him; he picks the lock to a door at the end of a hall and ran away after it was open. Her father sits with his hands zip tied behind him and a pillow case over his head. I grabbed him and lead him back to the elevator where we go back up as the alarm continues and lights flash when the doors open a guard stands there.

 

“Stop right there.” He says.

 

I want to attack with the mop handle but he has his gun pointed right at me. Then he looks beside him and is quickly hit with the butt of another guard’s gun. He motioned with his head to follow him and I did until we were stopped by three guards in front of him and three behind me with stun batons. We both take them out with blunt force and poetically with no problems.  Then he leads me to a dock where the car sits. I thought he was getting in but he didn’t walking away before I stopped him.

 

“It was good working with you; you’ve got some skill on you.” I say to him.

He looks at me for a minute then nods his head before heading back into the building, I get in and the car quickly drove out as fire trucks and paramedics arrives. Des looked surprised at the whole thing as he hugged his daughter and stared at me wondering where I came into the whole scene. When we got to the penthouse and her and Eva explain everything to him as I get my bag together in the room for me. As I walk out Anique runs up and gives me a hug squeezing me tightly.

 

“Thank you so much Mr. Montgomery.” She said.

“Call me Chance; and your money and a train ticket to my son are thanks enough.” I respond.

“I already added your money to an account for you and my father has the ticket for you.”

 

Eva walked up to me and shook my hand first before giving me a hug as well.

 

“Thank you for helping us Chance.”

“It was nice to meet you shorty.” I say and she walks away smiling.

 

Des walks up to me next and tells the girls to give us some time alone. When they leave he stands in front of me looking serious.

 

“You let my daughter get involved with this whole thing.” He said to me.

“She would’ve done all that without me.”

“I know she would’ve; she’s stubborn like her mother.” He laughed holding his head in disbelief.   

 

He handed me a train ticket and shook my hand.

 

“When I told you last time I saw you to never find me again I take it back; if you ever need my help call me and I’ll be right there, thank you again.” He says.

“Why’d you give her my name?”

“Because I knew you needed the money but I didn’t know about the other guy. Hell I didn’t even think you would even do it.” He answered.

“You have a special little girl in there don’t take that for granted, it could come back to bite you in the a*s someday.”

He agrees with me and calls his driver to take me to the station so I can get to Indianapolis where a trusted friend of mine is taking care of my son for me. Anique makes me miss both of my daughters but she makes me think of my oldest Iyana; she was my daddy’s girl and if I would’ve by some chance been dumb enough to stay in the life and she could save me walking through hell for me, I believe in my heart until the day I die she would have done it, but who am other I than just another father.

 

-007

 

 

Author's Note

Fist I wanna thank three people for helping me with this; My daughter Anique, my good friend and excellent writer Sheherself also on the writerscafe, and the artist and creator The Lost Ghost Darryl Thomas without you guys this story wouldn't have been possible.

Reviews

[Dez H.]

I had fun with this story especially because I got to use my Cuz's character my friend and my daughter.

[sheandherself]

Daaamn that's amazing! Really digging this. The "shorty" was great.

[Dez H.]

Thank you I couldn't have done it without u.