THE DRAGON DESCENDANT

Silver Lotus Triad

Chapter 9 – Silver Lotus Triad

“ No” Michael shook his head. With everyone staring at him including Sandy, his heart shifted uneasily in his ribcage.

“ What?”

“ I said no” Michael repeated, but louder

“Why don’t you join us too?” Jamie completely ignored Mel and Macey and shifted his attention to Michael

“ No”

“ What?”

“ I’m on duty”

“ Everything here looks secure to me. I have more than twice a dozen ex-military safeguarding this club, about fifteen of them outside, and ten inside here. I would say Charlotte is completely safe.”

“ No”

“What?”

Michael let out a frustrated sigh then took in a deep breath to calm himself.

“ I appreciate the offer but I won’t be joining you,” he said evenly

“ Then get the f**k out” Jamie snapped irately

“ I can’t do that” Michael replied

Visibly stirred and incensed, veins popped out of Jamie’s forehead. His hands were trembling frantically as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Michael judged that the guy was probably a chauvinistic ego-filled stereotype that expected submission from anyone in his vicinity. He didn’t have the physique to support his hedonistic character but his background and bank account were more than enough.

“Babe,” Jamie turned towards Charlotte “ tell him to get out”

“ You heard him Michael”

“ I’m sorry Miss but I can’t” Michael replied

Charlotte’s shoulders sagged feebly, apparently powerless in the face of Michael’s stubbornness. She seemed to have accepted the fact that reasoning with Michael was akin to talking to a goat. He wouldn’t listen to anything unless he believed it.

“Just who the f**k do you think you are?” Jamie chuckled frenetically

“ I’m just a bodyguard on duty”

“ A mere guard…do you know how easy it is to send you back to the streets? Do you really realize that I can make your life a living hell?”

“ Just leave him alone Jamie” Sandy spoke “ guards are normally driven by their sense of duty, they will stand in front of a moving truck if its required of them.”

Scoffing in vexation, Jamie stomped towards his seat, completely overlooking the two waitress’. In the short scuffle, they had retreated to the washrooms. He snatched the white powder from the table and did a quick sniff before the crazy smile returned to his face.

Turning his attention away from Jamie, Michael focused on the footsteps that were increasingly getting louder outside the entrance to the club. He would have rubbished it as that of fun revelers but the way the feet moved uniformly and in accord made him doubtful. To satisfy his inquisitiveness, he walked to one of the two guards in Charlotte’s detail – the other one had remained by her SUV.

“Something is happening outside that door, go check it out.” He whispered.

The man nodded then strode outside.

When a full minute went by without him reporting back, Michael instantly moved towards Charlotte, his whole body switched to high alert.

“ We should get going miss,” he said directly

“What? Now?”

“ Get the f**k back…” Jamie shot “ paranoid-ass clown.”

Ignoring Jamie, “ Miss, we should leave right now! I’ll explain later”

“noo” she posed, oblivious of Michael’s concerns

“ It’s now or…”

“Get back!” a deeper voice sounded, Michael didn’t have to look up to know it was one of Jamie’s guards. Currently, he was pointing his gun at him, finger already on the trigger.

Charlotte lightly gasped and snuggled closer to her best friend.

“ Hands above your head” he ordered

Michael hesitated as he attempted to figure a way out of the newly developed situation. The man stood a respectable distance away from him, there was no way he would cover that distance in time to disarm him. A bullet in that case would be much faster, and Michael didn’t want bullets to fly with Charlotte in the vicinity. His options were currently limited.

“ Make no mistake, I will fire.”

“Okay” Michael complied and stepped back

“Hands…”

“They are up, okay” Michael responded, his eyes never pausing in his search of any weakness

“On your knees”

Michael glanced at Charlotte who was just as baffled by the guard. Jamie was smiling widely on the other hand.

“Jamie, tell your guard to let the man go. This is supposed to be a fun night.” Sandy said, her voice slightly trembling

“No” Jamie stanchly replied

“ I said on your knees,” the guard shouted, his trigger finger already starting to tremble

“Okay, I’m on my knees” Michael slowly went down

Swiftly, another guard put Michael in handcuffs.

“ Not so cocky now, are you?” Jamie smirked

“Jamie…” Charlotte started before Jamie put his finger on her lips. He proceeded to roll the sleeves of his shirt.

“I can’t be part of this” Sandy suddenly stood up and grabbed her bag. However, before she could even take a step, another guard took out his gun and pointed it at her.

With wide astonished eyes, she turned to stare at Jamie

“what is the meaning of this Jamie?”

“Put the gun down man” Jamie ordered, likewise surprised by his guard’s sudden move

To everyone’s astonishment, the guard outright grabbed Sandy’s arm and pushed her back on her seat.

“ The…”

“Sit down!” another gun was aimed at Jamie even before he could finish is sentence.

“ I’m sorry, what?”

“Sit down, this will all be over soon” the guard replied then took out another pair of cuffs. Swiftly, in conjunction with other guards, everyone was tied up.

“ do you know who you answer to? Have you forgotten your f*****g places? My dad will have you all killed…” Jamie kept on shouting profanities and threats until a tablecloth was pushed into his mouth. That was to everyone’s benefit because he couldn’t just shut up. So far, Michael had deduced that this was probably not Jamie’s doing, maybe an active crime scene orchestrated by his father’s or one of Robert’s enemies. Weirdly, they had perfectly planned the act, with every guard inside the club aware of the plan.

Five knocks with intervals of two sounded on the door after which more guards entered. Led by a masked burly man armed with a heavy machine gun, they set a perimeter on all exits and entrances inside the club. Astoundingly, among them was one of the guards in Charlotte’s detail. The other one was currently missing from the scene.

Tied to Danner, Charlotte was visibly frightened as she stared at the burly man who stood in front of them. Her whole body was shuddering and trembling in a night that had gotten a few degrees chillier. Danner Frey was trying to act brave but her juddering arms gave her away. Sandy’s face was showing regret and helplessness, she was currently glaring at Jamie Leed. She probably was accusing him of everything that had gone wrong so far. The guys on the other hand were lying face-first on the floor, not even lifting their heads for a moment.

After switching off the background music, the man approached Charlotte, his machine gun wielded at the ready.

“ Give me your phone” he ordered plainly and emotionlessly

“I…I…I left it at…” Charlotte stuttered, words lost in her mouth

“ I don’t want to have to touch you Jenkins” the man proceeded “ Just hand me your phone”

“ I left it in….”

“ It’s back at the campus,” Michael said, instantly drawing everyone’s attention “ Or don’t you remember miss? We didn’t want your dad perturbing you with calls tonight?”

The burly man walked towards Michael and assessed him inquisitively.

“I’m sorry sir but Miss Charlotte doesn’t have her phone, you can use mine though”

“You are the new guard, aren’t you?” the man outright asked

“Yes, why don’t you tell me what you want and we’ll talk it out like adults?”

The man paused for a minute then pointed the muzzle of his gun at Michael’s throat. Feeling the cold steel, Michael didn’t flinch. Instead, he stared right back at the machine gun-wielding man.

“ I have a nephew who is about your age, young, energetic and very ambitious. It’s actually impressive that you managed to be a security detail to the scientist’s daughter….really impressive.” He hesitated then took a few steps back.

“ Ten million.” He said

“ Excuse me?” Michael frowned

“ Ten million dollars in the Imperial currency. It is a one-time offer. Take it and get the f**k out of Glass City.”

“Sheesh” Michael smiled “ That’s a lot of money. And you just want me to walk away?”

“After you tell me a few things.” The man shrugged

“For ten million dollars? I’d do about anything; even give you a lap dance.”

“ Then we have a deal?”