Chapter 11: Chapter 11

I roamed around the hospital, looking for the venting machine. What kind of hospital doesn't have a venting machine? What do they suppose I should drink? Their crappy hospital coffees? I thought moodily.

As you can see, I wasn’t in one of my best moods right now.

When I finally found the venting machine, which was apparently on the third floor, I was ready to bang my head on something out of frustration when I saw the paper that was taped on the machine with red inked lettering printed on it that read 'Out of Order'.

I groaned out and stomped my way back to Drake's room, passing some bewildered and disapproving stares from the elderlies that I passed on the halls.

Screw them and their judgement. I don't need their shits, I got my own piled up in a plate. I grumbled under my breath whilst turning the knob to Drake's room and slamming it close. I didn’t expect to hear a yelp from the intruder in the room, so when I heard it, I gave out a small scream before turning around.

I didn't know what to expect but anyone who found a guy, probably no older than 19, bending over your unconscious brother with something that looked like an injection in his hand would have probably done pretty much the same thing that I had done.

My eyes shifted to the injection in his hand and I could feel my heart thumping loudly in my ribcage. The rate of my heartbeat spiked even more when I realized that the tip of the injection was already buried in my brother's arm. My panic and fear for my brother took over and I felt the anger that I felt at the sight of someone trying to harm my brother rush through me.

Before the guy could even comprehend what was about to happen, I ran towards him, picking up the stool on my way towards him, and lunged for the astonished looking man.

I saw his grip loosen on the instrument he was holding (I still couldn’t decipher what it is, only that it had a needle buried into Drake's arm) and seized the opportunity by swinging at his head with the stool. He went toppling to the ground and I gave him an extra whack to knock him out.

After making sure that he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, I rushed to pull the instrument out of Drake's arm and inspected it for a while before heaving a huge breath of relief when I found out that there was a lock button, that hadn’t been pressed, to be able to inject the liquid.

Thank the Lord. I mentioned a quick prayer of thanks and quickly remembered the knocked-out dude. Cursing under my breath, I made a plan in my head and nodded in determination to myself. He was the only trace I’ve got to find the guy who did this to my brother.

I left the room for a split second and ran to the small closet I found while I was searching for the venting machine earlier a few doors down the hall from Drake’s room.

I tried the door once and found it unlocked – guess it was my lucky day. I saw a string dangling over my head from the ceiling by the lightbulb and pulled on it. The light flickered for a bit before it lit the entire room with its brightness. I looked around for a second to see if I could use anything to bound a certain unconscious stranger and found spare white bed sheets.

“That’d do.” I thought to myself, grabbing five bed sheets just to make sure that I would have enough to bind him with. Before I left the room, I picked up a heavy looking object on my way out, in case the guy wakes up before I finish restraining him. I muttered a quick apology and thanks into the empty closet at nobody in particular before pulling on the string over my head once again to switch the light off and closing the closet door. I ran back to Drake's room and immediately got to work.

I made sure to pat the guy down, checking his pockets, his palms and basically every single part of his body; and I mean every single one.

Don't worry, I used the stool for that part. Don't ask how – I just did.

An hour later, I managed to finish tying him up with the bed sheets I borrowed from the hospital around his torso, his ankles, his hands and then around his torso again. I used up the last sheet to wrap around his head, including his face. I would have loved to let him suffocate but I didn’t want to be arrested for murder or whatever, so I used the pocket knife Drake gave me for my birthday to make holes for his nose and mouth.

What can I say? I’m a paranoid person and I watch TV shows.

When he woke up and I finally let him stay awake (I knocked him out twice while I was tying him up), he groaned and tried to move. When he found out he couldn't move his limbs, he started wriggling around like a worm, trying to get out of the bonds restricting his movements

"What the f-“ He muttered to himself, probably thinking that no one was in the room with him since the sheets I had wrapped around his head was covering his eyes as well. I made my presence known and cut him off by pinching his thighs, causing him to yelp sharply, his whole body jolted.

"You little-" He started to say, probably assuming that I was the same bitch he last saw when he was conscious and standing on his own two feet before I hit him with a stool.

*Pinch*

"Now, now. Since you're all tied up, I’ll be the one doing all the talking now. I'm going to ask the questions and you will answer." I told him in a slow but dangerous tone. My voice sounded foreign even to myself but I knew that this instance was different from any other times I have ever gone through. If I did my research right, this guy almost killed my brother.

"And what are you going to do if I don't give you any answers?" He sneered at me.

I smiled sinisterly at him despite his inability to see it, "Well, let's just say you'll never experience what they call father's day." I could see him visibly gulp, his adam apple bobbing up and down nervously. I smiled inwardly. He was scared. Good.

“You’re just bluffing.” He still managed to challenge.

I sighed audibly, looking around us. “Well, it’s not like I would need any of the things this hospital can offer but yeah, we are in a hospital. The equipment they provide in this building are meant to be surgical and I’m pretty sure they offer services for vasectomies as well. I’m pretty sure if I just looked around for a little bit I can find something I can use very easily.”

This time, his response came in a rush as he began his word vomit. "I swear, I don't know anything. I needed the money and t-they offered a lot. T-they told m-me that if I do this, I will be rich." He sputtered out. I narrowed my eyes at him. He did this for greed. He almost took someone's life because he wanted more money. This- this piece of filth almost killed my brother for money.

"Names. I want names and a place." I spat out angrily at him and he gulped, licking his lips nervously. "Craig Gaston."

Everything froze and I dare to swear the world stopped spinning. I stifled a gasp as my hand flew to my mouth and my breathing turned shallow as my heart dropped at the mention of the familiar name. Drake mentioned that name as one of his closest friend in campus. I even met him once and Drake would only let people he knew meet me if he trusted them a hundred percent.

"You're lying," I spat at him, finding it hard to believe that someone my brother trusted so much would betray him and even go as far as to try and kill him. I didn’t know the liquid in that instrument was exactly but it would only make sense that whoever did this to him wanted to silence him to get away with it. Drake probably saw who jumped him and they probably wanted all witnesses gone. It all made sense when I thought about it like that.

"Believe anything you want, Princess, but that's the name who hired me." I glared at him for using that nickname, not wanting the asshole to taint it.

"Give me a place. Where are you planning to meet next?" I demanded and this time, he looked more relaxed.

"And why would I tell you?" He asked, probably feeling like he had the upper hand now. I smirked at his question. Although he couldn't see me, I still took the pleasure in fishing out the phone I found in his pocket and waving it in the air while inspecting it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Because I gave your sister a call and she's currently waiting in a cemetery in the outskirts of town and I have about five hooligans surrounding the area, waiting to kidnap her and do God knows what to her." I told him in a calm voice. I could sense the tension in his build but he held his ground and tried to scoff, "You're bluffing."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Am I?"

I waited for a while before I continued, "You don't know me. You might want to take the underestimation down a notch." I advised him.

"Why should I trust you?" He asked.

I shrugged, fair question. I opened his phone and opened up his contacts and pressed the only name there besides his mother’s.

I put it on speaker and muted it so that when she picks up, she won't be able to hear her brother's cries.

"Hello? Tony? Where are you? Are you alright? It's been an hour. If this is one of your pranks, it's not funny, Tony!" She sounded young. Possibly my age or even younger and she sounded so scared that I felt sorry for her, she didn’t deserve this but I had no other choice. I had to catch whoever was behind this, and to do that I had to crack her brother.

"Reyna! Reyna, get out of there! Run!" Tony screamed but of course she couldn't hear him. She wasn’t really in any type of danger but he didn't need to know that.

I hung up before she could say anything else and give me away.

"Alright, you’ve made your point. What do you want?" He sounded so desperate and defeated that I almost felt guilty but I reminded myself of why I was doing this and that I didn’t really put anyone in immediate danger.

"A place. Where do you usually meet this guy, where were you supposed to meet him next after you get the job done. Don't even bother lying. Your sister is at stake here." I added the last two sentences as an afterthought to remind him and he sighed, naming a warehouse not far from this place. They were going to meet at midnight.

I asked for details, what clothes he usually use and how does he address Craig, if there was any secret signs I should do to not raise suspicions; I made sure to find out everything I needed to know – anything that'd prevent me from getting caught.

After I got what I needed, I untied him and made sure to get my point across. "Don't ever come back, forget that you've ever met me or have done any of this. Go take your family out of here and don't ever look back. You'll be hunted and killed for this so make sure you run to somewhere far away. Change your identity and fake your names, anything that'll keep you under the radar," I told him quickly and handed him a card.

"The pin is written behind it. That'll be more than enough to keep you going." I told him before rushing him out of the door. He looked astonished and disbelief was written all over his face.

"You're giving me money after I tried to kill your brother?" He asked me whilst I pushed him towards the door.

I couldn't blame him. Anyone who does what I was doing was probably insane was possibly insane but remembering his sister's voice and thinking of how much he told me he needed the money was enough to make me sympathize with him. I was never one to do nothing when I knew I could do something for someone.

I don’t think he was a bad person. He was just a cornered man that was offered an exit and he took it.

I smiled, "Keep your sister and mother alive and make sure you don't get involved in anything like this ever again." I told him sternly. He looked at me as if I’ve lost my mind for a second before he gave me a small and weak smile and nodded. "Thank you and I'm sorry."

I just nodded and ushered him out the door. After he disappeared out of sight, I leaned my back on the door and looked up, sending a quick prayer for that guy before pulling myself together and gathering all my things to start executing the plan that I came up with in my head whilst listening to Tony speak.

I pressed a quick kiss on Drake's forehead before heading out of the hospital and towards the warehouse.

Don't worry, brother. I'm going to give that guy a piece of my mind.