FRANK DANCE

FRANK DANCE


“Useless imbecile!” Jenny snarled and gave the table in front of her a tight slap. She stood up, folded her arms across her chest, and began to pace around the room with coordinated steps.

Her husband turned to the man sitting in front of him with a tightened jaw.

The man sighed and then shook his head. “Everything was supposed to go according to plan if only Michael hadn’t doubled his security team. I didn’t know he was working with Tony’s mercenaries,”

“Shut the fuck up!” Mr. Green snarled. He ran his hand through his grey hair and began to breathe very heavily.

“I’m sorry but I did my best. They outnumbered us and I lost a handful of men too,” the men protested. He tried to lift his slingshot. “I barely made it alive so I deserve some sympathy,” His entire face was covered in stitches.

Jenny walked back to the man and towered above him. “Did your best? We’ve been planning this attack for fucking six months and you failed. You idiot!”

Her husband took over. “You think we stayed low for all these months so that you can give us an incomplete task?” He stood up and began to tremble. “My daughter is in jail as we speak. She has no idea whether we’re dead or alive because one contact, just one contact,” he snapped his finger “could lead the authorities to us so we left her in the dark till this quest was over,”

Jenny took her head into her hands. “You’re worthless. I can’t believe I stayed in this rat hole for six months, all for nothing,”

“Give me time,” the mercenary leader pleaded. “Time to heal from my injuries, reinforce and this time, I promise that..,

“Time is what we don’t have, Victor!” Jenny yelled at his face.

Victor sighed and stared at his slingshot.

Mr. Green positioned his hands on his waist and cast a malicious stare at Victor. “We should have been celebrating by now. Michael and Madison should have been dead by now and at least, that would give my daughter the comfort she craves if she can’t have her freedom,”

Victor shook his head.

Jenny moved closer to Victor and began to roll up her sleeves. “You must try again tonight. You must call for reinforcements and attack Michael’s residence tonight. I didn’t stay hidden for this nonsense. If I’m to go down, then those who ruined our lives must go down as well, or else..

“Or what?” Victor retorted.

“Excuse me?”

Victor stood up. “You’re not going to stay in this shit hole and give me orders like you own me,”

“You work for me. You work for us. You work for my family so we own you,” Mr. Green spat with his index finger pointing to Victor’s face.

Victor broke into a laugh. “Seriously?”

The couple exchanged glances.

“I’m doing this for old time’s sake and without me, you both are going to rot here,” Victor said.

“How dare you!” Jenny raised her hand.

Victor looked her straight in the face until she lowered her hand slowly.

“Look around. You’re all alone,” he turned to Mr. Green. “Where are all your surbodinates and stewards? They all checked out and should we talk about your shady soldiers? They are nowhere to be found so I’m all you’ve got. You either wait for me to decide when we strike or we’re over. After all, you guys don’t have a single penny on you to compensate me so yes, I’m doing your family a favor,”

Jenny gasped.

Victor arched a brow. “What? The state took control of all your resources so if you don’t play nicely then I’m going to stop showing up here with food and supplies and by the time you guys starve, you’ll be left with no choice but to crawl out of this hole and submit your wanted faces,”

They were speechless.

Victor took another glance at them and aimed for the door.

Jenny collapsed on the chair. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe my life is so ruined that a commoner gets to call the shots,”

Her husband turned to her. “Get a grip on yourself and stop whining. Victor is right. If we don’t want to lose the only ally we’ve got then we have to stop treating him like shit,”

Suddenly, a knock landed on the door.

Jenny immediately sprang from her chair.

Her husband tiptoed to the door. “Victor? Is that you?”

No one spoke. The knock persisted.

Mr. Green cocked his head to the right. Jenny immediately went to the closet and pulled out a pistol. She passed it to him and stood behind him.

“Who is there?” He demanded after grabbing the door handle.

Mr. Green was about to open the door when it came crashing down on him and his wife. They fell to the floor and before they could get up, police officers trooped into the room.

Mr. Green stood up and cocked his gun. Then he began to shift his aim from one officer to another. His wife trembled right behind him. The officers were pointing guns at them too.

“Don’t come closer to me. If you dare come closer then I’ll shoot,” he said and aimed at no one in particular.

An officer quickly grabbed him on the waist and Mr. Green fired the gun. They both crashed to the floor with the officer on top while the bullet pierced through the window.

Jenny wanted to run outside but there was no escape so she remained there, shaken like a victim of severe electrocution. The gun was snatched from her husband’s grip by the officer who pinned him. Two officers came forward and cuffed him and Jenny was cuffed as well.

Michael clapped his way into the room.

When Mr. Green saw him, his gaze toughened and he began to shake like a rabid dog that wanted to break free from his chains.

Michael walked up to him with a proud smile. “So this is where you two have been hiding?” He looked around the room and darted his gaze back to the couple. “Reminds me of somewhere,” Michael placed a finger on his lips. Then his eyes widened. “Ahah! Reminds me of the hole in which we pulled Savannah out of,” he turned to the officers behind him. “Right?”

They all laughed. “That’s right,”

Green veins popped out of Jenny’s forehead.

Michael sighed. “That was before we sent her to prison and I’m sure you guys are aware that she’s serving a life sentence and soon, you’re going to join her. A reunited family. I gave you guys the ending you don’t deserve. You’ll get to spend the rest of your lives together,” he said, and turned to Mr. Green who was boiling with rage. “You’ll be put in a male prison though,”

Michael moved closer to them. “I’m sure you two have lots of questions,” he said, opening his palms wide. “Like how we figured out your location despite keeping it a secret from your own daughter,” he sighed. “Well, all thanks to her. We were able to nab you guys,”

“Savanah sold us out? She’ll never!” Jenny spat.

“You’re right,” Michael quickly replied and faced her. “She will never sell you out but she was so desperate to get out of her situation that she indulged in my little game,”

Jenny arched a brow.

Michael smiled. “You see, I collaborated with the authorities and that was how we sent Frank Dance to work in the prison for three days. He became Savannah’s ally. Frank, my guy was able to secure Savannah’s trust. He even wrote a letter to her yesterday and sealed it with kisses, claiming it was from you too. He’s good. Isn’t he?”

Mr. Green couldn’t stop fuming. “How dare you?”

Michael walked up to him and stood so close to him that air could barely pass between them. He looked him in the eyes. “If you were content, if you hadn’t kidnapped my wife then none of this would have happened or maybe, if you hadn’t adopted Madison in the first place,”

Jenny broke into tears.

Michael turned to her. “You have your gullible daughter to blame for your predicament. She thinks she’s so wise and good at mind games but she had no idea that I’ve seen through her. You guys should have stayed low but you went ahead and collaborated with your minions to raid my home and that was how I knew you both were in town,”

The police chief suddenly received a call. He turned to Michael. “Our men across the area  just nabbed a guy called Victor,”

The Greens exchanged helpless glances.  

“I believe that’s the last of you,” Michael told them. He turned to the officers. “Get them out of my sight,”

\~~~~~

Savannah’s POV

There was a small clock hidden inside the clothes the warden gave me Last night.  I haven’t taken my eyes off it today.  

Now, it’s past 1 am and the warden wasn’t here to pen my room as promised.  Also, I’ve been putting my ears to the ground, waiting to hear the sound of a commotion or an explosion but I’ve heard nothing.

I stood up and walked to my door.

“Patience, Savanah,” I muttered under my breath.

I turned around and continued pacing and by the time I turned back to the door, I noticed a letter lying underneath my door. Looks like someone slipped it moments ago.

I stuck my hand under the door and pulled it. I quickly opened it and began to read.

‘How stupid of you to think your parents would raid a prison for you. Wake up from your slumber, Savannah. Many thanks for divulging their whereabouts anyway and special regards from Frank, the warden whom you’ll never see again,’- Micheal.

Reality immediately dawned on me.
 I’ve been tricked!
The letter slipped through my grasp and when I opened my mouth, I screamed so loud that the prison corridors shook.