POV: Raphael
Nathan lay unconscious on the floor, and a few feet away, his girlfriend lay limply on the floor as well. I gazed at them as their chest heaved with their breath. They were both sleeping peacefully, unconscious from my attack. I smiled in satisfaction as I no longer needed to take Claire hostage to draw her parents out.
“Are you really sure that this is not a trick to get me out of this house, are you sure it’s not a decoy?” I asked Carl as I called him to confirm that the information he had was not bogus. I have been thinking about it since I received that message from Carl, informing him that he had found her parents.
Yeah, I know Carl is always accurate and he does his job perfectly. But I can’t shake off the feeling that Austin and his wife may be trying to get me to leave her so that they could come and get their daughter and disappear from this city. She is the only leverage that I have right now, I can’t let her out of my sight until I confirm that his information is accurate.
“I’m sure boss, I’m pretty sure he is in his house. I don’t have eyes on him yet, but I could get someone there in ten minutes to confirm!” he responded sternly.
“Fine, Carl. Get someone there and get back to me as soon as possible. I need to get to him before he disappears, you know how important this deal is to me, don’t let him slip out of our hands if he is there.” I informed him sternly. It’s a forty-minute drive to Austin Kendall’s house from where I am, I need to be sure so I don’t make the mistake of leaving Cindy here and losing her too.
It will be impossible to get to that estate and then turn back here if I discover that he is not there. I paced the room as I waited for Carl’s call. I kept praying in my heart to be out of here before Nate woke up.
“It’s confirmed boss, he’s in his house right now, I have eyes on him. But we need to hurry before he leaves his present location, it seems he is getting ready to leave the city, I traced the last calls on his phone and I found out he’s been calling some private airlines to request for a private plane for charter. I think he is about to leave town, we can’t let him leave before we get to him.
So would you like me to get to him before you do, should I block him and have him wait for you!” he asked me.
“No, Carl. I don’t want him to know that I’m on to him. I want the element of surprise to be in my favor. I want to take him unawares so he doesn’t come up with a story to tell me before he even sees me. If he knows I’m coming, he would be prepared to lie his ass off to save his skin. But if we do it my way, he will not have the time to think about it and perfect his lying act.
I want to look into his eyes and read his reactions as he answers every question I ask him. I need to do this myself, Carl, I need to do this!” I told him firmly as I shut the door and sped out of Nate’s parking space.
I left Nathan’s house in anger, knowing that I had to break a few traffic rules if I intended to get to Austin before he left. If he gets on that plane, there is no telling where he would go. Using a private plane would give him an advantage because then he could get his travel log defeated and his destination withheld.
“Get the fuck out of my way, asshole!” I screamed at a car blocking my path. I have to deal with this as fast as I can because I know I will still have to face Nathan later. He is my cousin and I know him like the back of my hand. Trust me, he would not let this go easily.
I had beaten him in front of his girlfriend, humiliating him and making him pass out like a weakling. I don’t need a soothsayer to tell me what to expect from him. He will try to make me pay for this humiliation. He will get back at me for this and he will tell the entire family that I have been lying to them all this while.
This is not how I planned to tell them, I wanted to take my time to deal with them one after the other. Now I have no choice but to deal with them. It’s better to handle it now because stalling will only give them the chance to come up with another plot to get rid of me. And now that Nathan knows my secret, it will be easier to come up with a smart plan that could end me for good.
“Send someone to keep an eye on my uncles and cousins, I need to know what they are up to always. Nathan already knows I am a skilled fighter, I want to know what he does with that information, I want to know if he is digging into my past or just trying to kill me again. If he goes anywhere near my grandfather, I need you to stop him with everything you have and inform me immediately.” I ordered him.
If it were me, I would definitely try to find out what is going on, I would do a background check and find out what happened while I was out of town that made me tough and smart today. But Nathan is just a big tyrant and a bully. He will not think that deeply because his anger will not let him.
He may not even share this experience with his dad and Ethan because his Ego will not let him come out and tell the truth. I mean, how on earth will he explain to them that I beat him up and knocked him out in his own house. He will be too ashamed to say it and that will give me some time to deal with Austin Kendall and his wife.
I got to the estate in less than thirty minutes and I stormed into Austin’s house, anger boiling in my heart. His guards are not on duty, there is no one at the gate or in front of the building. I actually parked my car outside so I could sneak in, but there was no need to sneak in because the whole house looked deserted, there was no one there. I even met the guy Carl placed on the lookout, he was lurking in the garden before I arrived. He only came out when he saw me walking through the gate,
“Are you the only one here, where are the rest of the boys that Carl sent over here with you, and where is Austin Kendall?” I asked him firmly. As if on cue, the rest of the boys came out from hiding and stood behind him, bowing their heads in silent greeting whilst looking sharp and alert in case we were attacked.
“He is still inside boss, I think he is alone. You need to be careful boss, they say he is acting crazy. A while ago, I heard him yelling at himself and screaming so loudly. I think he has finally lost it.” He told me.
“His wife got a call and left a few minutes ago. She said something to the guards and they whispered something to each other and left before we could find out what was going on. I’m not sure, but I think she has something to do with whatever he is going through right now.” One of the boys reported.
“I told you it’s not true, he was this way even before she left the house. I think he sent her out because he wants her out of harm’s way. We need to be careful, he sent his daughter away and now he sent his wife out too. It could be an ambush, he could be waiting in there with some guards, we need to be very careful, I don’t trust that man!” Another one added sternly.
“Are you fucking insane?
Didn’t you hear him screaming like a lunatic and talking to himself?!
Does he sound like a man with an ambush plan, does he sound like someone who is with his senses?” the first guy asked them, scolding both guys at the same time. They listened to him and kept shut.
“Be on the lookout for traps, I will speak with him wherever he is crazy or sane.” I told them firmly. They nodded in understanding and walked past them to the front door while they followed after me with their gun held out in front of them.
They are right though, Austin was inside his house and I could hear him yelling at himself like a freaking lunatic. I wonder if he is truly going insane or just faking it to cover his tracks. I did not bother with the doorbell, I just pushed the door open and stepped in. He looked up at the intruder, and when he spotted me, he got up from his seat, screaming like a madman,
“You fucking bastard!
You meddling bastard!
It was you, wasn’t it?
You did this, you sold the company, Raphael Hawkins, and you fucking ruined my life and my family!
You had no right to sell that company and every other thing, they were my inheritance!
Mine!” He yelled at me, his eyes blazing in anger.