Chapter 3(The Price Tag)

"Sorry babe but that price belongs to me" a husky voice muses in the background as Henry saw a man bouncing out of a jeep with a pistol in his hand.  

Another man jumps down hasting towards where he laid with the corpse on him. These two men were dressed in blue shinning suits as they looked polished. Certainly gentlemen of highways.

The second man searched this girl's body to find the keys to the handcuffs, he uncuffed Henry and aided him up.

"Hey boss, it's an honor touching you" the second guy praises shyly while adjusting the collar of the suit he wore.

"Hey Bob, no formality! We need the price on his head!" The first points out beckoning on him to bring Henry into the car.

"Yes Mike, it would be a pleasure for us to bring the king alive!" Bob compliments. He was of average height and had a young appearance, perhaps a juvenile. Covered with tattoos and a bald head.

As for Mike, he looked more matured and acted with cautiousness as his eyes were everywhere. There was a slight resemblance between them.

"Hurry bob!" Mike furthers sitting back in the car and turning the steering wheel to reverse.

Henry was speechless as he was lost and dumbfounded. Why did he go on a surprise visit when it was like a trap? Who was he in this country? 

Bob dragged him inside the car and slams the door hard. Quickly, Mike ignite the engines and began to ride. Darkness filled this vehicle and Henry could barely see their face.

"Oh I thought the king lost his life last night?" Bob began a conversation with Mike who was concentrating on the road.

"Yeah, it was just a ploy, who knew he would be in our home country!" Mike cracks as they burst into laughter.

"Boys, who is the king?" Henry chips in frustrated. They both glanced at Henry and then snicker. They had thought he was putting on a play.

"Wow, bro, he looks so calm, I heard that he was death himself" Bob snaps, touching Henry's groomed hair.

Henry snaps bob's hand away from him as he breath hard, almost suffocating because of the sudden turn of event.

Why were almost everyone referring to him as the king? It was so difficult to understand these men. If only he could get a chance to call the cops and his family.

"He must be on drugs, that's why he's calm and adorable" Bob replied himself chuckling and making jestful face at Henry who frowned at him.

Henry tugged his hand into his pocket to get his phone but realized it wasn't with him.

"Looking for this?" Bob whispered shoving Henry's phone to his face. Bob had stolen it without henry noticing. He sure was a smart thief.

The devastated man sighs softly, convincing himself that it was all a dream and he would wake up. He was still jumpy over the blood stain sticking on his white shirt.

He had seen too much blood on his first night to a foreign country and just couldn't muster up strength for the next surprise waiting for him.

If it were money that they want, then they got the wrong person because he was a broke guy.

Henry tried to snatch it from his hand but bob hauls it away quickly having fun for teasing him.

"I guess billions are locked up here" Bob pressed on trying to hack Henry's phone. Henry had to stay relax because he couldn't tell if they would do something ridiculous to him if he tries fighting for his phone.

"I swear! I am the wrong guy here, I'm just here to see..."

"We've got the king, all our worries are gone, knock him out for a while will ya bob?" Mike beckons grinning as nothing of what Henry was saying makes any sense.

Mike tune in the funky music playing on the radio as he demonstrates to the beat while driving. It eluded Henry's voice as he increase the gear of his car.

For a moment, Henry feared that he would die due to the high speed mike was driving at, especially the way he overtook vehicles on the highway.

Bob tossed his phone into his breast pocket, brought out a hankie filled with chloroform and intended to cover Henry's nostril when suddenly a big truck rams over their car.

2 MINUTES LATER...

The wind made eolian sounds as car exhausts smells, his body pressed between the car seats as he coughs.

Blood drops from his head and trickles down his face. His eyes were shut as florescent lights shone on his face. His whole body was aching.

He could suddenly see her, the woman who was the reason he came over. There was love in his eyes as he manages to smile.

He saw his family smiling and waving at him that they were proud of him despite the fact that he acts like a fool.

They were dressed in white sitting at the pew along with some people who he definitely do not know. Everywhere was white and glowing eloquently.

They were suddenly cheering for him and beckoning on him to kiss the bride. He shifted his gaze to her. There she was, opposite him, covered in a veil and smiling.

Though, he couldn't see her face clearly but he sensed she was the girl who made him leave his country to another. The girl who made him go through a tunnel of abusive assassins.

He was wearing a white suit, standing at the altar and gazing at her, her white gown made her look like a princess.

Her grip on the bunch of flowers in her hand was firm as she seems nervous. His thoughts on her were distracted when the congregation began to chant

"Kiss the bride!"

Just as he was about to kiss the bride, cold water splashes on his face and he was drawn back to reality.

He squints his eyes and narrows his brows. Henry presumes that he was somewhere else. 

He couldn't recall much from the car accident he experience but all he knew was that he survived.

Henry could see faint lights illuminating the room he was. It had different weapons hung on the wall. It was a small dingy basement, smelt of earthly wood and cigar.

Henry was tied to the chair where he sat, his head bandaged and his face pale. He could still feel pain coursing all over his body.

He gasps as the cold water poured on him made him quiver, his body temperature was very hot as he haven't recovered from the accident that almost cost his life.

Henry was subconscious of the new environment he was. He could hear whispers behind him and it got to his knowledge that he wasn't alone in this confined room.

"You sure are the king, even death is scared of you" a sonorous voice calls. Henry raised his head to meet the gaze of this man.

"Not again" he laments tiredly. He was sure this man too was after the whatsoever price tag on his head.

"Delivering you draws a huge amount, can't wait to be swimming in money" this man rings with a spanish tone stuck in his tongue. He was Diego, a bounty hunter and very good in delivering human packages especially one which brings abundant wealth.

Henry speculates that he was the cause of the accident. The two brothers didn't survive the crash but he did and was rescued almost immediately by Diego and his men.

"What do you guys want from me?" Henry questioned faintly as his eyes were dimming. He was whined, perplexed and anxious. His clothes was worn out as he looked like a living corpse.

Diego scoffs, this man was different from the tales he had. He talks weakling and looked like a responsible young man. His expectation was caught off but he guessed that the bounty hunters who tried capturing Henry before him were dead. Certainly, they could kill just anyone in other to capture the king.

The man he heard of was scary, intimidating and not scared of anyone. His appearance brought terror. He was the king of crimes and Mafia lords. They often called him "the devil", while some termed him "the king of killers"

Tales had it that wherever he appears, head rolls, blood streams like river and hell is risen. It was like though he held the world in his palms so were the laws backing him up.

Politicians used him as a weapon of destruction and he was difficult to be sighted. Most people assumes that he wasn't human as he had no emotions and was a psychopath.

He talked with authority, walks like a treading lion and no one dares looks at him because his eyes blaze fire. 

Diego glanced at Henry whose head was bent lazily. He was completely opposite the tales that gave people sleepless night for fear that he never crosses their path.

Henry rolled his eyes as he found out 5 other men were in that room. They were silent as Diego took the lead, besides he was their boss.

"My apologies "the king", but that price is mine" Diego murmurs stretching his body as he paces towards where he kept all his weapons hanging.

"I was so eager to meet the man that shook the world of the mafias, the king himself and here you are, at my den" he began taking a dagger from the wall.