07: On the Way to the Hole

Barrett struggled to lift himself up from the cold, hard ground, despite an incredible surge of anguish coursing through his body.

His eyes were fixed on the horizon straight in front of him, filled with purpose. He leaned down, his fingers scrabbling for a handful of the coarse, dry dirt underneath him, as he began to regain his equilibrium.

Barrett raised his hand high, clutching the earth within his tight fist with grit and resolve. Then, with all his effort, he tossed it across the gap, aiming straight at Mustafa on the back.

“Where are you going, fagot? I’m not done with you yet!” Barrett screamed out while maintaining a fake smile.

Mustafa looked at Sahid.

“Boss, if I pay his debt, can I kill him?” Mustafa remarked while maintaining eye contact with Sahid. At that very time, he was raging with fury.

Sahid shook his head and said, “You don’t have to pay his debt. Death is a possibility in this business….”

Mustafa’s eyes widened. They exchanged a look that said everything, and Mustafa couldn’t have been happier with how everything was going at that very second.

The moment he focused his concentration on Barrett, he launched an assault on Barrett.

He proceeded forward without crossing his legs, taking any particularly long leaps, or opening his compass. He exerted as much effort as he could muster in order to build up more force in his fist.

“Eat this!!” Mustafa said as he cocked his arm back and unleashed an all-out blow into Barrett’s face with the full force of his strike.

Barrett, however, leaned forward just as the punch was about to contact him, and by continuing to move forward, he was able to avoid being hit by the fist.

Mustafa’s eyes widened. He lost his target!

Barrett exerted pressure on his hand while his body was leaning forward, and then, without moving his body, he proceeded straight up your elbow and applied force to the back of your head.

The elbow went up towards Mustafa’s chin as he continued to advance recklessly, and as the hit came, a crack emerged in the jaw of the opponent, who then dropped to the ground defeated. Mustafa continued to advance impulsively.

Barrett took a few steps forward, and Mustafa drooled on the ground. He groaned and rolled his eyes as he watched Barrett come dangerously close to landing on his face.

“It seems that if I have victory in me, friend!” Barrett said, grinning at Sahid.

 “If Barrett escapes,” Sahid glared at Barrett before he looked at Bobby and then spat out. “You and your dear wife are dead!”

Mustafa was to be picked up and removed from the area as soon as Sahid gave the signal to his men. He turned his head to look at Barrett, who was still positioned in the exact center of the patio.

Barrett immediately lost all of his strength as soon as the other person left the house, and he fell to the ground after collapsing.

Bobby went towards him, grabbed him, and shook his head as he carried him inside the home. Bobby then continued his pursuit of him.

The man’s ability to stay conscious was on the verge of collapse. When Yumeko saw this, she got up and went to the bathroom to grab some medicine.

“You still have it, don’t you?” Bobby said. He shook his head, then continued, “Mustafa beat the crap out of you, and Mustafa is a useless Barrett!”

“But I won, didn’t I? I’m still undefeated!” Barrett replied, smiling smugly as he looked at his brother.

Bobby leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

“You’re a jerk, Barrett. Do you have any idea what the hell you’re doing?” Bobby questioned with unmasked concern and fear.

Yumeko had returned, and she immediately began attending to Barrett’s wounds.

Barrett pushed through the pain to get up, smiled at Yumeko, and mumbled his gratitude to her.

“Bobby, my daughters are in danger. That I put myself in danger to save them is only logical. Listen, I only have twenty-four hours. I need to see them and leave everything fixed, and I need to know that I count on you….” He said, looking at Bobby.

Bobby gave him an angry look. Yumeko, the young woman, flashed a grin whenever he cast his gaze in her direction.

“You don’t count on me. You are selfish and a traitor...”  Bobby said, glaring at Barrett. He sighed, “But your girls, they are not to blame for the dirty father they have. They have my full support.”

“Thanks, brother. I really owe you one!” Barrett said. As he struggled to keep his emotions in check, he turned away from him and avoided his look.

Barrett was familiar with his brother. He was quite talkative, yet no one could make him do anything against his will if he absolutely did not want to.

They went to the hospital once Barrett had recovered from his illness.

Rose was there, and by the time Emily was sound asleep, she was having fun playing with Melanie.

Bobby was the first one to enter the room. He looked at Rose for a short while, but he said nothing throughout that time.

“Who… Who are you?” Rose asked, fearful more so when Barrett entered with a wound on his face. “Boss, what happened?”

“Consequences reach us all sooner or later...” Bobby muttered. The situation felt ironic to him.

Bobby’s attention moved from the boys to the girls. He went up to them without showing any emotion. The moment he knelt down in front of Melanie, the young woman became frightened.

On the other hand, she did not avert her gaze from Bobby, and she did not ask anyone else for assistance. 

“Your daughter has guts!” Bobby remarked, smiling.

Barrett took a step toward her, and she immediately embraced him. After carrying her, he gestured toward Bobby and then stopped.

“Honey, this ugly and bitter man is your uncle Bobby. He is my brother, and I know it’s weird because you have never met him, and I’m much more attractive than him, but it’s the truth. He will protect you,” Barrett explained.

Bobby burst out laughing as a result of Melanie’s suspicious gaze toward him.

“Boss, what happened to your face?” Rose asked once more when she approached Barrett.

Bobby broke into a grin at seeing her, and the other female could be seen shaking her head at him. It was not immediately apparent that she was in any kind of pain; nonetheless, seeing a young woman in such a precarious position did not make anyone feel good.

“I am okay,” Barrett said as he put Melanie on the sofa. “Rose, I know I have asked too much of you, but I have much more to ask of you.”

“I can do it!” Rose said, determined.

 “Thank you,” Barrett smiled gratefully and said. “I need to work on something, but for that, I have to be away for a while. Bobby will take care of the expenses. But I need, if possible, you to help him. The girls know you and feel comfortable with you. He still lacks that… well, I won’t be in the painting for a while!”

“How long? And what happened to your face?” Rose asked as she stepped forward.

 “I will write to you and the girls,” Barrett looked at the ground. He sighed and said, “If I can, I will make a call from time to time, but believe me, Rose. I have no other alternative. I must do this if I want to achieve it. If I want to save my girls.”

Rose nodded, and then she gave Barrett a hug while her eyes welled up with tears as she expressed her profound gratitude for his assistance.

“Honey, Daddy has to go away for a while, but Uncle Bobby and Aunt Rose will take care of everything. I’ll write to you often and do my best to see you when I can. You know that Daddy loves you very much, right? You and your sister? That’s why you have to be strong and take care of yourself until I come back, okay?” Barrett said to Melanie.

Melanie embraced her father with all of her might. Barrett did not want to let her go in any way that was possible. But he has no choice.

Barrett got to his feet. He bade Rose and Emily farewell with tears in his eyes as he said his goodbyes.

He kissed her on the forehead and said, “I promise you, Emily, that I will save you even if it costs me my life. You will have a future!”

“Bobby will come back later. Thank you, Rose,” Barrett said.

As Rose saw Bobby and Barrett leave, she choked back tears while giving a small nod.

“Do it properly, brother!” Barrett remarked as he glanced at Bobby with an intimidating expression on his face.

“I will…” Bobby retorted. “You are that one who must do your part, asshole!”

And with those words, the way back to their previous life was once again opened before them.

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