Chapter 96: Chapter 96

Damien increased the speed of his car, racing through the narrow blinding streets, intent on reaching Madison’s house quickly.

He was having a gnawing foreboding feeling at the back of his mind, that something bad was about to happen or had already happened and he didn’t like this sneaky hunch one bit.

He’d tried to blame the waning thoughts on the fact that he’d been stuck in traffic for almost an hour, and the cloudy skies that was still grey, looking like a storm was about to happen but then he was just overthinking.

Yes! He was just overthinking things, but even with that sore reminder his heart sped up as if in response to the trepidation inside of him, and he could hear the organ beating loudly enough.

The air around him was electrified and thick with tension, as if something was going to go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye, and only then would he be at ease maybe?

Why was he even thinking this way? His head was supposed to be filled with the things he would say to Madison if he saw her.

He glanced at the car seat, where a bouquet of different types of flowers lay, and a small smile lit up his face.

He’d stopped at a flower shop on the way, ordering a large bouquet of flower mixtures ranging from sunflowers, rose, hibiscuses and all the type he knew she loved so much.

Apart from hoping she would accept his gift, Damien couldn’t wait to see her reaction to it too. Would she smile in that beautiful way she normally did? The cool breeze billowing through, sweeping her strawberry blonde curls and she would tell him thank you… For once maybe they could go back to those years when they’d been carefree and…

“Fuck!” Damien cursed out loud, hitting his fists on the steering wheel, causing the car to honk loudly even while he drove.

His imaginations where wild, and considering how they’d parted the last time he’d seen her, he could rightly guess just how she would relieve the bouquet.

She would accept it, and then she would throw it at his feets and maybe bang her door on his face. That was exactly what she would do, he couldn’t even think otherwise.

Focusing his sights back on the road, Damien tried to be calm for once but he was still feeling uneasy; the dread in his stomach spreading into his limbs and through every part of his body, as if he were being pulled down some deep dark hole.

He was just streets away from her house, inching closer and closer, and he kept looking around noticing people in their house porches staring up at him, in awe of course.

This was the way they always stared whenever he drove by with an expensive car, and well what did he expect. He was basically in a slum, and vehicles like this rarely came up to this part of the town.

His grip tightening on the steering wheel still, Damien shut his eyes briefly as he spotted the compound that housed Madison’s home from afar.

The compound was small, neatly communed and perfectly rectangular, nothing special about it, but still Madison’s rickety door front stood out amongst everyone else.

What made it stand out? Her flowers of course, and he smiled wearily for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, he soon got close to the house and parking his car in front, he turned off the engine sharply.

Taking in a few steadying breaths, his hands shooting by his side and grabbing the bouquets of flowers he’d brought, Damien said a small prayer of faith before opening his door, and stepping out.

“I can do this. I can do it.” He kept saying to himself, taking slow steps to her house, gripping the bouquet tightly also.

He looked around the neighborhood, and even as the eerie feeling from earlier returned within him, he surveyed the area and saw that nothing was really out of place.

Women and kids stood at their houses, talking and playing and no one seemed to be paying him any attention at all.

Nothing was wrong, and his anxiety was gradually reducing. Surely Madison would be inside her house, and he would see her, go down on his knees and start to beg her.

He didn’t care that it was afternoon still, and she might humiliate him in broad daylight. All he cared about was her giving him a chance to speak, and accepting to give him a second of her time.

He just wished she would have gotten past all the hurtful things she’d said to him two nights ago, and today she would be in a much better mood.

Damien could only hope, and as he lifted his hands to knock, the doorknob turned and the rickety furniture swung open much to his surprise.

“Mrs Connor?” Damien called out, his jaw opening as he stared at the elderly woman in front of him.

This was the first time he was seeing her in ten years, and feeling nostalgic all of a sudden he noted just how different she looked. More old, more frail, with lines on her strained forehead and her long grey hair strands framing her still beautiful face.

She had changed of course, but she was still the kind old woman he’d known back then, and at the reminder, a smile lit up his face again as he called out gently, “Mrs Connor, I don’t know if you can still remember me but I’m…”

“I might be old boy, but I haven’t lost my sense of sight. What are you doing here Damien Daniel!”

Damien Daniel? She still recognized him? That was much evident, and now as he stared intently at her, that’s when he noted the frown marring her face and then he knew something was wrong somewhere.

She wasn’t looking at him the way she did back then… like her son or something. Instead now, she had an angry pained look, and Damien could only wonder what was happening?

Probably she was angry at him because of Madison, but if that was the case then he would prove to the both of them right here and now that he was ready to change. He was going to show them that…

“Ma, who is that?” Damien heard a familiar voice from inside the small house say, and his eyes lighting up instantly, he craned his neck trying to see if it was Madison but lo and behold to his disappointment it was Gina.

The lady he’d seen with Madison that night at the club. Her best friend obviously, and he was tempted to ask her something, but then he closed his mouth abruptly when he noticed the sullen angry look on her face too.

What was going on? Where was Madison?

“Gina right? Hello… How are you doing?” Damien asked after a brief moment of silence, waiting for her to reply but her response was cold and not what he had expected at all.

“What are you doing here, Mr Daniel?”

Damien raised his brows in confusion, wondering why they were being this formal with him all of a sudden.

Being formal, and cold. Giving him despicable looks, like he wasn’t supposed to be here, and once again that foreboding feeling from earlier resurfaced deep within him.

“Are you deaf or something Mr Damien? What are you doing here?” Mrs Connor asked this time, and Damien could only open and drop his jaw close in shock.

He’d been right all this while that something bad was happening or had happened, and he was already seeing it now.

“I… I…” Damien began, stretching out the bouquet of flowers towards them, but taking it back he finished his sentence, “I… I came here to see Madison. These are for her. Please is she in? Can you tell her that I’m here to see her. I promise I mean no harm.”

“Like the harm you’ve done in the past isn’t enough. Oh pffft…” Mrs Connor hissed, her words coming out in a whisper and Damien’s brow shot up defensively again.

“Mother… Ma’am, what are you talking about? What did you just say?”

“I said you’ve done more harm to my daughter, and why are you really here? To cause more? What do you want?” Mrs Connor half yelled at him, and Damien swore inwardly.

“I’m sorry ma, for everything that happened in the past. I’m here now to right my wrongs and talk to Madison and that’s all. I mean. I… I brought her the flowers she likes and…”

“Madison has left London.” Both Mrs Connor and Gina said in unison, and as he heard those words without even saying a thing or asking any question, the bouquet of flowers in his hand dropped to the floor.

Damien blinked twice, a small weary smile on his face as he asked gently, “I don’t understand. She has left London to where? You mean she is not in the house now and…”

“Yes she isn’t in.” Gina answered, hands folded and as Damien stared straight at her, he just didn’t believe what she’d just said.

“No, you must be joking right? I mean, she left London too? She has a gig somewhere or what? I…”

Before he could even finish, the door of the small apartment was open wide for him to see inside, and true to their words, as his eyes roamed around, he didn’t see a trace of Madison at all.

Instead he saw that the house was disheveled, scattered almost and it looked like they were arranging the room or something. He just didn’t know.

They seemed to be saying something, but for the next five or more minutes Damien seemed to loose it.

His eyes staring at the room, his gaze sweeping through every corner, he noted in strife the place where Madison stayed.

It was a very small flat. Just one room, and even from where he stood he could see her narrow bed, the little chairs in the middle, and a small door by the corner that led to where might be the kitchen probably.

His chest tightening in pity and pain, Damien felt a lone tear fall down his cheek, but he wiped it quickly not caring if the women standing in front of him noticed or not.

This was where she lived… A far cry from the luxury and lavish lifestyle she’d been accustomed to while she was younger. A stark opposite of what he would give to her, should she accept him back into her life.

He continued to stare around the empty space for a while, before shaking his head and coming back to reality, he turned to face the women, his eyes filled with so many feelings that he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Where did she go to? Where is Madison? Don’t tell me she left me?” He asked the last question with a whimper, his husky voice breaking shamelessly.

“I can’t say a thing. I’m sorry.” Gina said, and she walked back inside, leaving Mrs Connor with him.

“Please ma. Please tell me where she went to. When did she leave? Can I still catch up with her? I need to tell her I’m sorry once again and I… There are so many things I need to say to her.” He trailed of, his throat sore already but the elderly woman said nothing, just staring at him, with arms folded.

She wasn’t looking at him coldly anymore, and if he could read her facial expression well, it looked like she pitied him or something and he didn’t want that at all.

He didn’t want her freaking pity for goodness sake! All he wanted was for her to tell him where the love of his life was? Where the hell was Maddie?

“Ma’am, please…” He begged again, almost going down on his knees.

“I’m sorry Damien, and I wish I could say a thing and tell you where she went too but I can’t go against her last wish. I’m sorry, and even though I’m fond of you, I just can’t divulge information about her whereabouts. She made me swear I wouldn’t say a thing, and I won’t.”

“No!“

“I’m sorry Damien. I’m sorry son.”

“No!” Damien let out again, his whole body shaking, as his knees gave way.

His worst nightmare had come to pass, and now it hit him.

Madison had left him. She was willing to drop everything that concerned him, and just leave.

She had told him that she was tired of the back and forth, and maybe she’d ran away because of that.

A single sob escaped his lips, his gaze on the flowers he’d brought her, watching the cool breeze scatter it all.

Damien had never felt this kind of pain. It was way worse than the hurt he felt when he lost a business deal, or something tangible. This pain was unmatched and he still refused to accept it.

No way! Madison just couldn’t leave him like that! No freaking way! He wouldn’t allow it.

If he was going to burn down this whole city, and raze the grounds just to get to her then he would! He would be damned if he just let her go like she wanted him too.

He never gave up, and if anything she’d just egged him on now.

He would go to different lengths to get her and…

The sudden vibrating of his cell phone in his pocket, brought Damien’s senses back to the present, and he scrambled up, his hands in his pocket.

Who was calling him now? He wondered, sniffing as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hands.

The call had better be important cause if… It was Alvarez.

“Hello…” Damien began, “What’s up?”

Without even replying his greeting, Damien listened as his best friend dropped a bombshell, panicking at the same time.

“Wait what? Madison? You heard gunshots? Calm down and speak to me?” Damien asked, his voice high pitched and behind him he could hear Mrs Connor barraging him with questions as she wanted to know what he was talking about.

She had heard him mention Madison’s name obviously and she was already panicking.

“I heard some strange noises. Some gunshots and then she stopped talking to me. I could hear some men yelling and then all of a sudden the phone went off like someone had cut it abruptly.”

“Alvarez? Tell me you’re joking. Tell me you areeeee!” Damien screamed, his feets already walking away from Madison’s house briskly as he listened to his best friend.

This was why he had been feeling so scared and negative on the way here. That foreboding feeling in him increased, and he became more than anxious now.

Fuck! He wouldn’t bear it if anything happened to Madison. He just wouldn’t be able to.

He could hear Mrs Connor shouting at him from behind, wanting to know what had happened to her daughter but Damien didn’t say a thing.

She would only be more hurt and that was bad for her age.

“I… I” Damien started to say after a while, but he didn’t finish his statement as the line went dead.

Opening his car, and getting in Damien started the ignition, driving away speedily as he dialed Mr Rudiger’s number.

He could see the small frame of Mrs Connor’s dainty figure from his rear mirror, and she looked so worried as she watched his car drove away, but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t tell her what he’d heard, and worse still he still didn’t believe what Alvarez had just told him.

Probably there was a mixup somewhere. This had to be a mistake. An expensive one!

…….

KATHERINE

“We outran a police car, and had so many setbacks, but overall we made it, and we’ve gotten to the warehouse, just like you instructed.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Katherine squeaked, getting up on her feets as she did a small happy dance in her room.

Damn! She’d waited for this day for so long, and now that all her plans were coming to pass she had no idea how to feel or what to do about it.

“Damn! Is she there with you?” Katherine asked again, and the man on the phone speaking to her confirmed positively.

“Yes she is. We hit her gently on the head, but enough to make her pass out and now she’s unconscious. She’s also blindfolded and since she has not woken up, it’s safe to say that she has no idea where we are or what had just happened.”

“Good! Nice job. You’ve done well.” Katherine applauded, and then she said after a while rubbing her hands on her forehead, “I’ll be at the warehouse before evening.”

“Okay ma.”

“In the meantime, make sure you begin to torture her before I get there. If she tries to be stubborn don’t hesitate to increase her pain. Do you get it!”

“Yes ma.”

“Good, that’s all for now. Take care, I’ll soon be there.” She finished and not waiting for a response from him, she cut the call.

Her whole body itching excitedly, Katherine took few menacing steps towards her bedside drawer, and on getting there she opened the furniture slowly.

It was like she was afraid of doing anything in a rush, and almost comically another smirk graced her lips as she stared down at the double barreled gun she’d already bought and kept there.

Her hands shaking, she brought out the gun, and bringing the weapon to her nose, she sniffed slightly, inhaling the cool metallic scent, and basking in the comfort it gave her.

This was the gun she would use to take out that bitch and closing her eyes, Katherine pictured just how she would pull the trigger and kill her enemy.

“Yes! Haha…” She let out a harsh laughter, as she also took out the small sack where she’d kept the gold bullets she’d use too.

Bullets which had the alphabetical inscription of M on them, and Katherine couldn’t be more happy.

She squealed yet again, and due to much excitement her chest and head started to bang agonizingly again.

Letting out a small hiss and dropping the gun and bullets on the bed, Katherine walked to the fridge to take out her medicine and a glass of water.

Once she’d taken her daily overdose as usual, and had some sleep too only then would she begin to prepare.

Now, she had to rest and enjoy herself. Later, she would deal with that antagonizing bitch!