Lords of Underworld

The saga continues

Jeff's disappearance nudged Melly’s brain suddenly. She thought she saw him go out. Thought? She was sure saw him go out alone while they were singing. Where was he? She quickly walked to Kim who was drinking wine.

" Hey, Where is Jeff?"

" Oops ! He said...." She raised her eyebrow, " he was trying to tell me something. He went out. I am such an assho**."

Melly dashed outside at once. She remembered seeing him mute while they sang and he seemed not to join in the fun. Oh my God! He never attended Campty camp and did not know the song. He must have felt left out. Did he leave or just excused himself to get some fresh air?

" Hey." Steve called . She gave him a smile and said, "Just a moment."

She looked round the parking lots. She could see some boys and girls already getting dirty outside. She did not see any sign of him. She dialled his number, it rang but he did not pick the call. She asked a security man if he had seen a guy dressed in white and black.

" Sure ma'am. He went down the road."

She went after him. Why did he leave the scene without informing her? Did Kim hurt him? She invited him and he was her responsibility. He couldn't leave, she had to reconcile him and Fahad.

She had to make things right. She was almost running.  Poor Jeff. It was almost impossible to get a cab here and he was going to find it hard to get a lift. Oh, what's happening over there? I can sight policemen. Oh no! They are hitting someone. Was that not brutal and abusive? But that looks like Jeff. Jeff? It is him.

" Hey!" She screamed but they seemed not to hear . She felt something swirling in her head, a piercing pain savaging her heart as she broke into a run but it seemed too late. They bundled him roughly into their car and sped off.

She tried to run after the car but someone grabbed her hand. It was Steve. His hold was so firm that she felt pains.

" What the hell is going on?" He asked.

" They took him away. Why?"

" I need you to calm down."

" I invited him. They hit him, how can I calm down?"

Kim and two other guys joined them.

" What's going on?" Kim demanded.

" The cops arrested that guy you were flirting with and Melly is going crazy." Steve said.

" Oh my God!" Kim exclaimed. "We must do something…and don’t use the word  flirting  again"

Steve looked at Melly for a while, anger on his face.

" Why are you so agitated over him? I have never heard you mention him and I have known you all my life. I know all of your friends. We barely know him and we can't trust him. Let the law do their work. If he is innocent, he will get freed."

" Don't be a jerk, Steve!" Kim said angrily. " He is my friend and I care what happens to him."

"Good, then go after him." Said Steve sarcastically. He pulled Melly and they began to walk back.

Kim looked at them astonishingly.

" I can't believe you are leaving Licia." She said.

Melly said nothing.

Jeff was lead to a small stuffy room which made his intestines twist. He was made to sit  on a chair before a table. He could feel the pains as the handcuffs tightened. The more he tried to make sense out of it, the more obfuscated it became.

What government property did he have? Where did he trespass? It was driving him crazy. He could still feel the pain of the brutal hit. He was not given a fair treatment. This was unlike the American Police he knew. The door opened and a middle aged man with low brown hair dressed in mufti came in. He gave Jeff a dangerous intimidating glare before he sat down. He put his hand in his pocket, drew out two sticks of cigarette and offered one to Jeff.

" No, thank you." Jeff  said. "I don't smoke."

He nodded, put one stick back into his pocket and lit one. He inhaled smoke, and then puffed out a cloud of smoke condescendingly on Jeff’s face.

" I am Agent Harrison." He said calmly. " CIA. Who are you working for?"

" I am a sales boy at......"

"We know about that cover up job, boy," he said. "Are you representing a racket, or working for the Russians ?"

If this guy is trying to scare me, he was making a progress,  Jeff thought.

" I don't belong to any racket or organisation."

"Of course I don't expect you to admit. You are always hard to break but I always break you bums! Saboteurs! Enemies of the States."

" I need to see my lawyer."

He inhaled smoke, giving Jeff nausea with the repulsive odour.

" I said I am a CIA agent. I am not your local Police. I am brought here because we suspect an international conspiracy." He looked at the camera. " Get exhibit one."

Jeff was shocked when a police officer brought a laptop he recognised to be his. He was in trepidation, perspiring as the laptop was put on.

" Do you recognise this computer, Mr Jeff?"

Jeff nodded.

" Are you sure?"

" Yes."

" Good. Our intelligence report got us to your system. We found a police case file, which was not meant to be there. The 1996 heist by Richard Cliff and his girlfriend. How did you get this?"

Trouble.

" I did not break into the police files."

" I did not ask if you broke into police files. I asked how you got this classified information."

Melly. She got him into this and what did he get out of it? She may have been out there, having fun with her billionaire boyfriend and not giving a hoot where he was. Why should he bear the cross? He was innocent and it seemed this case was bigger than he thought.

" I found a flash drive under a tent and I picked it. It was right inside."

" What a kidology."

" I swear, that was how I found it."

" And you opened it, copied it and did what?"

" I did nothing."

" Talk to me, boy. Who are you working for."

Jeff knew he was angry with Melly, felt disillusioned with her method of brush up, but  could not be vindictive. He was already in trouble and there was no point involving her.

" I work for no one."

The Agent became angry, sprang up and smashed a fist on Jeff’s jaw. Jeff  thought his jaw was broken. He  imagined swirling stars as he crashed and hit his head on the floor. The police officer joined him and they spent twenty minutes torturing him. At a point, the excruciating pain got so intense and he  nearly mentioned her name. Somewhere along the line, he passed out.

*****

Jeff opened his eyes from a short nap as he heard someone call his name. He sat up, his body still ached, got off the small bed in the cell room and looked at the cop expectantly. The cop opened the door, accompanied by an armed warder and ordered Jeff to follow him.

Jeff followed him, not sure of his fate. It was his third day and  was not even given the privilege to contact his mother. He may rot in here if justice was not done. The operation looked clandestine and out of the norm. But they kept claiming international conspiracy. How could he conspire against his country ?

He was led into a large well furnished office where a bulky bald headed police officer sat. Sitting opposite him was another tall, slightly chubby handsome man who wore a very expensive suit . He was asked to sit down beside the man in suit.

" Young man congratulations," the officer began, " for the timely intervention of a respected citizen like Mr Grant. You have been granted bail but you are on our watch list. Make sure you stay out of trouble."

Mr Grant! That was Melly's father.

" Thank you, sir, for coming."

" My pleasure." He offered Jeff a handshake.

" I should be on my way." He said and got up. " I will like to offer you a ride, Jeff."

" Thank you, sir."

They shook hands. Mr Grant thanked him and they left. There was a tough looking giant whom Jeff guessed was a bodyguard waiting by the door. They went out of the building to a waiting Limousine . A chauffeur opened the door to allow Mr Grant go in, while Jeff joined him and the jumbo bodyguard sat at the front.

Jeff had never been in a limousine before and  realised one needed divine intervention not to be avaricious. Love for wealth and luxury was not a crime but derailing from the right track to get it was the problem but as he sat in this beautiful beast, he wondered how many could stay on track to acquire this.

" I am told you are a friend of my daughter." He said calmly. " She felt bad because she was the one who invited you for the birthday party. I did this for her. I am told you have a file that was stolen from the police. I have an integrity to protect and usually don't get involved with criminal case. I went out of my way to do this....for my daughter. I need you to promise me that you will never do anything that will get you back into their hands. If you do...." He shrugged. " It will be your call.

Jeff nodded.

" Okay, sir."

" You came up with a file to tell my daughter about a long kept family secret which could have changed our lives if not for the bond we had. You could have met me with the information and I would have given you a life changing gift and she would have been left out of it. I never knew she would find out. But we got over it. I believe that is the file you used to expose the secret and you did not just get money out of it, you went to spend time with her in my ranch, defiling her and trying to cause a rift between she and Steve. Why are you doing these? So, tell me how much you want so you will disappear from our lives."

Lord!

He was been accused of things he did not do, yet he could not tell the whole truth. It would have only complicated the whole thing.

" I did not collect money from her, did not sleep with her and did not do most of the things you say." Jeff said. " I will get out of your lives. I was out before you said this so there won't be need to pay me off. I mean nothing to your daughter now. What we had was platonic and it is over. I never intended to be a causative factor of a rift between she and Steve. I never qualified in the first place. They are in the league of billionaires, with the memories of Campty camps and yatch parties. We don't belong to the same world. Steve or you, Sir, have no reason to be scared of this toothless bulldog. I will appreciate it if I am allowed to alight here. Once again, thank you for getting me out on bail and know that your daughter loves you and no one can do anything about it.”

He looked at Jeff for a while, then said, " I will sign a check of one million dollars. It's not a pay off, but a gift."

" Thank you but I will not accept it."

He looked at Jeff again, somewhat surprised then asked the chauffeur to stop the car.

" keep your nose clean, boy."

"Thank you sir."

Jeff alighted  nodded with deference and watched the limousine move away .

Phew! It was good to be free. Three days in hell.

How did they get hold of his laptop? They must have been trailing him, discovered where he was living and ransacked the room. So, Melly asked her father to bail him out. He appreciated that even though she did it for one reason: she was the one who invited him. Maybe she did not know that it was her cross he was carrying.

It was at that moment a fawn coloured Lamborghini Centenario 2017 pulled in front of him. Kim alighted. These girls had a thing with posh cars. Looking all worried, she ran and hugged him, crying.

He appreciated it. Atleast someone cared. He held onto her longer than normal because he needed the hug. He had never felt this dejected in his life, plunged into an abyss of despair. It was like him against the world. No friends, no love, and the law was on him. Now here was Kim crying for him.

" I am so sorry." She said while he wiped tears off her face. " I did not know where they took you to. Melly only told me today and so I rushed down. Oh my baby," she caressed his face like a caring mother. " What they must have put you through."

He forced a smile.

" It's nothing much."

" You need to see a doctor. Our family doctor is one of the best. He needs to see you. "

" I am fine."

" Come on, get inside the car."

He obeyed her, and they got on the road. He looked at the interior design of the car, saw the smoothness at which it moved with the powerful roar of its engine and realised these girls just knew how to spend money.

" Melly, how is she?" He asked for want of something to say.

" She is fine. She was worried. She told her dad. If not for Steve she would have been here."

" How?"

" He wanted her to go with him for his match."

" What match?"

" Steve is a dabhand in football. He is one of the best in school and represents us. We are playing against one of the universities in New-York and he says her presence is his good luck charm."

He got angry at himself for feeling jealous. So, she could not see him because of a football match. She was catching fun while he was defending her in jail. Was this love? Was he not just been a sucker and a numb skull?

" So, if you are not going to see a doctor, or a therapist, then we should go have a nice lunch. "

" I should have loved to but I feel dishevelled and need a good wash before eating."

" Alright then, let's go to your place."

No! That was not a good idea.  

He did not want anyone to know where he lived. Besides he had to remember that this girl thought he was some kind of big time architect. But did he have an option? He could not send her away now. The police just proved  that someone could always find where he lived if they worked hard. And somewhere in his subconscious mind, he needed her company.

" Okay then."

She smiled happily.

" We can have takeaways then. I know an eatery around here."

They drove to Licker’s and she got full load of variety of food. Jeff then directed her to his one room apartment somewhere in a lonely avenue. It was cheap, poorly furnished but very clean. The room was big, with a lot of space, then a kitchenette, a toilet and a balcony which gave him a clear view of the beach.

As he pulled the door and they got in, she looked round and could not hide her astonishment.

" You live here?"

" Yeah, just of recent."

"Why? You are an architect and not a cheapskate. You must be parsimonious then."

Melly told him, she was blunt. No prevarication.

" Parsimony means when someone has money and does not like to spend."

"I know that."

" Then that word does not apply to me because I don't have the money I don't want to spend. I hope working for Melly's father is going to be my break through. I am not yet a big time architect and I am sorry if you feel disillusioned. This is me. I don't know how to sing the Campty song, remember."

" Hey, it does not matter. Oprah Winfery can't sing it too."

That made him laugh.

" I'm serious, she wasn't born a billionaire. She never had the Camty Camp childhood." She added

She moved and sat on a sofa, still trying to adjust .

" I need to wash." He pulled off his jeans, shirt and singlet and was left only in boxers. As he made his way to the toilet, she bore her eyes into him and he saw pure burning, desire in them. He had been told a couple of times that He had the stature of a model. He was moderately built, not over rippling with muscles but had a stout broad chest, and stomach bricks.

He quickly rushed into the restroom embarrassed by her stare. He had a hot intensive bath, scrubbing his body as if the prison cell made a coat on his body. Immediately he came out, Kim gave him an unexpected attack. She pushed him to the wall, eyes on fire and sent her lips to his. He made a quick move by pushing a glass jug which was on a table to the floor. The crashing sound extricated him. He could see adrenaline and libido in motion. He quickly bent over to pick the broken pieces, while given her the chance to regain her control. He was not made of wood. He wanted to have her but  had always felt the true strength of a man was in  his ability to control his emotions be it positive or negative. His desires, intentions and actions were in constant conflict.

" I'm sorry." She said. "We can get another jug, right?"

"It's alright." He said putting the broken pieces together.

" Let me help you."

"No. It's dangerous. I got it under control."

He packed the broken pieces and threw them into the trash can. Coming back, they ate.

" I need you to tell me why you are holding back." She broke the silence.

" I don't get it."

" There is something keeping you away from me."

" Nothing. You know I just got out of jail and I'm kind of traumatised. I just need time. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

" I can't believe I'm doing this."

"You are sweet, darling." He said in consolation. " It's just that a lot is going on in my life right now and I just had a  break up with my ex."

" Licia told me you just broke up with her. I'm sorry about it. I just broke up with mine too. What a world."

His phone rang and he picked it.

" Is that Jeff Simon." A female voice emerged.

Jeff hesitated. " Yeah. Who am I speaking with?"

" I need you to trust me. I have something for you. It's about the death of Melly's parents. I was there in that hotel that day."

" Hey, how did you get my number and name?"

" I knew they had a daughter and I have been watching. My time is almost up. Hurry and meet me in Mandigos nite club by 8:00 PM tomorrow." And the line went dead.

Just when he thought it was over, the saga continued.