The Fugitives: There's always a plan

The Leverage

She stared at him with no response.

He removed the bandage used in obstructing her mouth and her outside view. She stared at him with so much annoyance running through her vein, but her dazzling blue eyes reflected the pity and weakness she didn't want to show.

“I asked you a question.” Daniel yelled at her as he slammed the outmoded table.

“How do you expect me to talk when my mouth was gagged, huh?" She scowled.

“And what are you going to do if I don't talk?” She squished her lips as she said.

“Then you will receive a series of beatings, trust me.” Daniel said with a harsh tone.

“I don't trust humans and if I should go against that, I will never trust you. I detest you and your fucking gang, let me out of here!” She yelled as she bowed her head despondently. 

“Haha… The real torture hasn't started yet, and you're already hopeless. What a shame!!” Daniel said, laughing as he brought his face close to hers. He was doing all that just to get pass the humiliation of a girl staging a fight with him and almost winning him.

“Screw you!!” She said, and spat at him.

“Shit!!! What?? What the heck did you just do??” He yelled as he nimbly stepped back.

Jones walked from behind with a cellphone when he heard the angry muttered. He saw Daniel walking towards him, cleaning the viscid mucus on his face with a handkerchief. His facial expression was one of disgust mixed with humiliation.

 Daniel was nothing like Alan, who isn't a respecter of gender. If it had been Alan who got those phlegms, then Helena could have been experiencing some nosebleed.

“What are we going to do with her because I'm not just in the dark…I'm annoyed as well.” Daniel stated with a mild expression of irritation. Jones already knew that she spat on him after seeing those blemish on his face.

“A little more time will unveil,” he replied, and went straight to her. She was breathing heavily, but that didn't deprived her from questioning Jones why she was kidnapped.

“Why did you kidnap me? I deserve to know.” She asked, staring at him, anticipating a convincing response.

“I'll let you go if you cooperate, and if you don't, you'll never see your sick mom again.” Jones stated.

“What?…How did you know my mom is sick? Who the hell are you?” She asked in surprise jumble.

“Danny…dial Melvin's number.” He said handling Daniel the cellphone.

“Melvin?? Did you just say Melvin?” Helena was anticipating a response frantically. She wasn't far from confusion.

“Yes. It's Melvin, your brother,” he replied with a phony grin.

“I swear… I'll kill him.” she grunted.

“I know you have problems with him. Yeah, no one prays for such a brother. Like I said, cooperate if you want to see your mom again, she's sick, and she desperately needs you by her side.” He said as he took the phone from Daniel. It was already dialed as instructed.

Ring!!!!!

Melvin had to pick up the call since it was Tomica's cellphone he was using.

“Finally… I got to speak with you. Do you know that you almost got everything ruined? Anyway, I got it all figured out.” Melvin didn't bother to exchange pleasantries.

“Melvin Otani... I think you should know who's in possession of the phone by now.” Jones replied as he slid a chair to sit.

“You…Ouch! I owe you a death, just have that in mind.” He grunted.

“Save it because if you don't cooperate, I'll wipe away your entire generation.”Jones replied furiously.

“Hahaha… My entire generation? Isn't that funny? Huh?” 

“Funny or not, I really don't care. I know you might try to track this phone but permit me to say that your lovely sister will be dead before that.” He paused for a second, before speaking at the top of his voice and with all seriousness, “It's a promise!”Jones dropped the phone on the outmoded table in front of Helena and put it on loudspeaker.

“Care to speak with her??. Mel-vin!” He asked, pronouncing Melvin's name slowly.

“Hel.helena…" Melvin's lugubrious tone tipped off Jones that some love for his sister lurked beneath his heart.

“Melvin… It happened at the mall, mom is sick and….” She couldn't finish up before he removed it from loudspeaker and moved it away.

“Yes? Helena… Helena?? Helena!!!!” Melvin yelled via the cellphone.

“You'll get to see her only if Holly Minard is alive”. Jones stated directly.

“How did you know Holly Minard and what did you want with her?” He asked, but Jones went silent.

“Tell me now. What the hell did you want with her?” Melvin's scream didn't charge him a bit. Jones got some perky beliefs in his plans progressively as he saw Melvin's anger when his conversation with Helena was interrupted. Indeed, she was the weakest link to him, as Jones thought primarily.

“My business with Holly Minard had nothing to do with you.” He stated, putting on a sly face.

“What if I decide to kill Holly Minard, what will you do?” 

“I know you won't do that.”Jones said with a crooked smile extended all over his face this time.

“And if I decided? Can you stop me?”

“No…. I can't, but that will be the end of Helena and the mystery behind the conundrum you seek to know.” Jones threw him into a confused state. That's what he does better.

“W-what?? What did you just say?” He asked with a trembling voice.

“Yes… The conundrum.” Jones repeated with a louder voice this time.

“What did you know about the conundrum? Speak up now!!” Melvin tried to hide the fussiness in his voice by yelling and putting on the cold attitude he had always had. Melvin waited for some seconds, but Jones gave no reply. He continued saying,

“Hey… Listen to me, I don't---” He didn't finish before he heard the disconnecting tone. Jones hanged up.

“Scumbag!!!, I will be find you and kill you myself,” he grunted and smashed the phone to the wall.

____

Holly Minard was awake. She tried to move, but something was holding her. She tried to see and hear, but something was trammeling her from hearing and seeing. She tried screaming, but something was preventing her from hearing her own screams. 

Walter; who was watching her, saw that she was physically okay, He sat down at the stainless-steel desk in the processing room beside her.

“Holly Minard. Nice to meet you! Holly's not totally unheard of, but it's the common handle you use. Everyone knows you as Holly Minard. But I know that's not your real name. So you mind telling?”

He continued as if she were going to actually hear him or respond, “So you were headed to the conventional center for the exchange. I bet you didn’t expect to be the exchange yourself.”

“You were carrying a good amount of cash. I figure close to 10000 bucks. What about credit cards?”

“Visa and American Express! You must be good with your money”.

“I wonder if I’ve seen you before. I’ll check it out later”.

“I’ll need to get some samples out for testing”.

“Now, this may sting a little. But it’s all necessary. And part of the services I provide.”

Holly felt her arm being held, the tightness of a band, the quick prick of a needle, the band being removed, and something sticky on her arm where she felt the needle prick.

“What is going on?” She said inaudibly.

Walter needed to call the lab courier to come pick up the samples before Melvin's call came.

“Hello boss…"

“Bring Holly Minard to the quarter.” Melvin's voice was laden with disturbance.

“But boss, I'm just about to deliver the samples.” Walter replied immediately.

“I said bring Holly Minard, NOW!!!"