THE RETURN Of the LEGENDARY KING of WAR

Whispers In The Shadows

In a secluded part of town a black salon car finally stops, the heart of a woman beats slightly with the sound of the frizzing rain. She is filled with fear, and holds her breath as she has no idea of where she is at the moment.

Just a short while ago, all she could remember is trying to get a call through to Lizzy McCall, and in the next moment, this silhouette is standing right in the doorway.

Now, the same man is towering over her as he stares out at the sky that looks so dark. She couldn't count the hours since they have been here, she didn't care… All she did was fear for her life.

“Get down." His voice, unlike the aura he carried, is calm.

“What do you want? Please, don't hurt me…I'd… I'll do anything you want.” She whimpers.

The man before her says nothing as he run his hands through his hair feeling frustrated. It is as though he is waiting for something, or someone. But whatever it was, she couldn't wait to get away from this unknown location.

There are no signs to tell her where she is, but it lools as though she is right there in the outskirts of the city.

“How well do you know Lizzy McCall?" He asks again.

The woman thinks for a while if that is what this was all about. She swallows the lump that has long formed in her throat.

"I have no formal knowledge of her, I just used to know her back at Verizon…” she mutters, still trembling visibly.

Baron, who has been interrogating her, takes a step back, walks back to the car, and soon returns with a bottle of water.

"That is weird." He mutters to himself as he takes a step closer to where she is, and then hands her the bottle to which she reluctantly accepts.

“Are you telling me you've never had anything in common with her, maybe grant her a favor?” He questions with narrowed eyes.

She vehemently shakes her head. “Nothing at all." She answers again, sipping water from the bottle.

He takes one more step closer, his shadow lurking around where she is.

“I am going to let you go." Baron whispers leaving her there again.

She hear him walk towards the car, and breathed a sigh of relief. At the moment, she isn't ready to process her thought, yet as she was still uncertain if he meant what he said earlier.

He returns with a bag and drops it close to where she is. She opens it and her jaw drops in shock.

“What is… What is this for?” She laments.

She turns to see him staring at her suspiciously. “See this as a little payment for you to get out of town, I meant totally out."

" Well… I —I." She stutters, not knowing the exact words to say about all that was unfolding.

"In there, it is enough to help you start a new life. Take it and never come back.. " he mutters..

"Is...cis l that all?“ She asks.

"Yes, it is as simple as that."

Both stare at themselves for a while.

“Fine. I will do exactly what you ask." She mutters finally.

Meanwhile, Andrew restless, paces around the room, he looks around at the flurry of events that has no doubt taken place, and he wonders if he is doing the right thing, or this was just him overreacting.

Despite all the feeling that the entire situation left him with, he has to tell himself that all he is doing is trying to protect his legacy.

Anger combined with shocked disbelief at Lizzy's attempt to find out who he is again filled him, and it takes him a moment to push down the desire he is feeling deep inside of him.

Those few moments of thinking about her had left him with a feeling that looks to disturb his mind greatly. He is distracted by shimmering light from a headlight filling the room.

He knows who it is without turning, yet at that moment, he didn’t feel inclined towards having a conversation. All he wanted to do was stay by himself, and wallow in the very state he was in.

Baron walks into the room in company of Mason who is trying to stop him. Andrew waves the latter off while letting his gaze linger on his friend.

“Have you taken care of her?" He asks the moment the door shuts close.

“Yes, she is probably on a plane out of town. She won't be a bother to us anymore." Baron mutters.

As conversation started off between the two men of how everything had transpired, he didn't pay too much attention to all Baron said. Instead, he let himself be dissolved into the mood as stared unseeing at the passing memories at the back of his mind, lost in thought…

Shrugging, he pushes the matter from his mind and stands up to walk to the window, only to come up short with a maid who had just walked in.

"What?" he questions..

The maid lowers her head. “Just came to ask what you'd be having for dinner. The table is…”

“I am fine you can leave." He cuts her off.

“But-"

"I thought I asked you to leave." His voice was filled with fury, his emotions heightened by all that was running through his mind.

She bows timidly and walks out of the room, and Andrew turns to see Baron frowning, totally pissed at what just happened.

"You know that is a bad way to handle all of this, you can't treat everyone like they caused this." He whispers.

"Well, what would you have me do?” he asks.

"You just need to stay calm. Don't work yourself up over this." Baron advises.

“Well, you know what? I am done talking…Shut my door and leave when you are done.” Andrew hollers.

"Andrew.” Baron calls after him.

He storms off to his room, throwing a fuss and slamming the door behind him. His emotions seem to be all over the place after he leaves.

Meanwhile, Back at Lizzy's Residence...

The night outside is too still at Lizzy McCall residence, where Lizzy sits in the dim lit study, the only light coming from the table lamp, and the faint flicker of her laptop screen that is still open.

Her fingers hover over the keyboard, hesitant, while she groans again for the umpteenth time.

All evening, she has been trying to get the connection back on as there is a deeper part of her that wants to know who this person is, and why he is keen on hiding who he is.

She hadn’t told her mother everything—not yet. Some part of it, she is still keeping to herself till the right moment.

Her phone buzzes and the number is private when she stares at it.

At first, she thinks about answering it, but thinks about it again.

Her chest tightens as she stares at the phone that wouldn't stop ringing.

“Hello." She answers after she finally picks it up, only to listen to a distant redialing sound.

She kisses her teeth before dropping the phone back to the table, running her fingers through her already ruffled hair in frustration.

Meanwhile, Liliana is in the next room, speaking with an old contact from her early corporate days.

“They’ve already compromised two of our sources. If we move too loudly, they’ll see it coming,” a masculine voice answers from the other end.

“I’m not asking you to make a noise about it, just find me someone in Verizon,” Liliana replies coolly. “Just whisper… to the right ears.”

She ends the call, eyes glinting with something sharper than vengeance. It is survival now. She crosses into the study just as Lizzy stands from the table where she has been tired and frustrated.

“Anything yet?” Lizzy asks.

Liliana sighs... “Same old story. No one is willing to give his identity away.”

Lizzy’s voice dropped to a near-whisper. “What is it about this person that no one wants to talk about? Everyone seems scared of him.“

Liliana didn’t react at first. The silence hangs in the air.

“We must find out who it is,” Liliana mutters more to herself than to Lizzy.

Lizzy's eyes widened. “How do you expect us to find…”

The phone buzzes again distracting the women.

“Who's that? Your phone has been ringing all day."

Lizzy held up the phone, her voice shaking but strong. “I have no idea, I am confused and the caller isn't saying anything.”

Liliana closed the space between them and took her daughter’s hand. “Then pick it up and find out who it is ”

Before Lizzy could respond, the front door bell rang.

Once.

Then twice.

Soon, the sounds coming from it become sharp with impatience.

They stared at each other, not knowing what to do… Both of them were cautious, their hearts thudding erratically.

“Expecting anyone?” Liliana asks, voice barely above a whisper.

Lizzy shakes her head. “Not that I remember, you?"

They move together, quiet as shadows, toward the door.

They stare through the window. Outside stood a young woman, hair matted, coat soaked from the rain. She is trembling, eyes darting behind her like she escaped from something or someone and is now being followed.

“Katrina!” Lizzy exclaims in disbelief.

Katrina looks up at her.