Chapter 37
Archer POV:
We all get inside the van and prepare to leave the safety of the orphanage. I was comfortable with the cabin in the woods, but I had to agree that the place was difficult to reach. There will be no more sneaking in and getting out like kidnapping. It will be an outright battle and we need to be closer to the manor. Also Harken Speller has taken a step back which is very surprising and suspicious. I have watched the news reports already and he sold a pretty watered-down story to the investigators. He will surely get away by either buying his way out or using is social influence. Honestly, I don’t mind, but the thing that concerns me is he is kind of laying back. That is so not him as his stories that I grew up listening to state otherwise. Maybe he has developed a different sense of attacking a situation other than brutally murdering everyone. Still we got to be careful and be prepared. I sit on the driver’s seat and Dawn is next to me misty eyed. I put my hands on her hands to soothe her. Damien, Krista, and June sit at the back seat and when everything is secured we start our journey. Driving a car is not what I like but with her sitting beside me I feel the road trip to be magical, kind of wishing secretly to continue on forever. Because once we reach there in the safe house, everything will change.
“Are you nervous to meet Feng?” I ask her.
“A little bit. I will have to win him” she says. Then she scoots closer and leans in placing her head on my shoulder. “I just want it to end”
“Me too,” I say. “Can I tell you something?”
“Yes, you don’t have to ask. Just tell me”
“I don’t want anything to happen to you and I know I have no right to stop you, but it is going to be very dangerous. I don’t want you to be in the heat.”
“I know you are worried, but I know how to fight, a little bit. Rob used to teach me and now you can teach me to fight. I am glad you said what you said but you know that I am not going to leave you alone to fight. We are strong together and we will fight together.”
I kiss her forehead “Okay. I will protect you with my life”
“I know,” she says. “Do you mind if I sleep a while?”
“No. Take the rest because once we reach there it will be a hell of an experience.”
When I park the van in the underground parking area, Rosaline comes to greet us. I had been here before to Madame Lorraine’s office two blocks away from the shutdown garage we were in. “Boss is waiting for you.” Rosaline says “I must say she is in a mood today so just be careful”
The warning bells in me starts ringing but I keep it together for their sake. “Let’s get it done with” I say.
“Others will be led to sit in the drawing room. Only you and Dawn are allowed in,” She says.
We all follow her and then the others are ordered to sit on the couch in the drawing room while we are escorted in the inner office. Madame Lorraine sits on her grand armchair looking like a freaking gangster. Her brown skin is smooth and blemish free. Her hair is braided like a crown around her head, and it is hard to say that she is woman over forty-five. She is wearing dark maroon gown with silver accessories, looking regal and powerful. Her grey eyes add to the scariness of his entire persona because when she fixes his cool gaze on us, I feel a slight itch to take a step back.
“Well hello Archer. Good to see you” she says giving a pearly white toothy grin. I don’t fall for the hospitality and the open tone for one second. I admire this woman a lot but that doesn’t mean I am comfortable in her presence. She makes me want to shoot at something. Rosaline is very close to her, and she seems pretty comfortable.
“Hello Madame Lorraine. Nice to see you too,” I say.
“And this is the girl? Sit down” she says. We sit before her, and I sneak a look at Dawn. She seems to be nervous too but maintains her composure.
“Rosaline did describe you to me and I also saw the news broadcast. You look different than on screen I must say. You are pretty”
“Thank you” Dawn says “
“Well congratulations for making out alive from that hell. I would have liked to see Harken’s face when you massacred his men and his mansion. He has really taken up the role of a king in these past few years.”
“It would not have been possible without your help,” Dawn says, and I let her do the talking because I am not in the mood to answer anything. “Archer has said a lot about you”
“Did he now?” Madame Lorraine shifts her gaze at me. Oh no!
“Yes. I told her how you have helped me since I was a teen” I say.
“Well it was all a good investment and now that my boss has a bargain with you, I believe you will not disappoint me and him most importantly. My reputation is on the line you know” She says looking intensely at me and I fidget on my seat.
“I’ll try my best” Please make it end.
“Okay. Now you will be escorted from here to the den by our own truck. I don’t know if you will find the journey to be pleasant or not, but we have to go by our rules.” I don’t know what she means because I have only talked with Feng via cell phone and never been to the actual base of the Krakens. “You will be checked before you enter” she continues “While there don’t try to act smart and answer only when you are asked something. There will be killers and mafias running loose. So make sure you don’t get lost and stay where you are led to stay. Boss will meet the girl tomorrow morning and I will be there to. Let me repeat again, do not disappoint me. You have got your hands dirty and so you are not a bunch of kids anymore. Act like you are expected to. Convey my message to everyone else. Rosaline will escort you to your vehicle. See you tomorrow”
We make our way out the office and I relax a little bit. We are all lined up and taken to the basement again and I silently give a farewell to my van. Damien is still not in a good shape and Krista is supporting his weight. A camo-colored van parks in and we are led into the back of the truck where we are asked to sit on the long ledges opposite to each other. When we are seated we are all given black blindfolds to tie around our heads. Everybody looks tense but I think it is what they do when they take someone to the base so that no one finds out where it is and identify the route. Two armed guards sit with us making sure we don’t do anything funny. We all put on the blindfold and after sometime I feel the truck moving. Dawn and I clasp our hands and I hold it tightly not knowing where we are being taken but hoping that the trip works out in our favor.