Daniel:
I lay on the jail bed, facing the ceiling. I was in a little cell room waiting for my next assignment. I wasn't offered bail from this hole and I knew who was behind it.
Vance had offered to use his connections to get me out, but I rejected it. I wanted my uncle, Thomas Thompson to do his worst. Lure him out of his castle. It seemed this one wasn't enough.
I heard footsteps approaching me. It was the officer who had arrested me weeks before.
" Daniel Thompson, get up. It is time to go. " Good thing your father called and pulled some strings to let you off, " he said, and I scoffed.
" He is not my father," I replied, harshly. I couldn't believe Thomas was still playing the part that he was my real father to the world.
They were too quick to forget whose child I was.
" Who is your father then?" The officer snarled.
" Definitely not a loser like you. " I spat, and just then I received a punch in my face. My jaw cracked, and I wore a mischievous grin on my face.
" Next time, try harder. It felt like a soft pillow. Skank."
I didn't care if he was some officer of the law. They were all corrupt. Living life from the paycheck of my uncle.
I stood up from the bed and looked straight into his eyes. "Are you going to release me or what?" He gritted my teeth, and he held the back of my neck, pulling me out of the cell.
"Shut up, Thompson, get up and move your over-privileged ass out," the officer yelled.
I looked at him from head to toe. On a normal day, this decayed life would even talk to me. "You know you have too much guts. If we weren't in this precinct, and you weren't the lieutenant, you know you would not stand a chance with me. Gosh and what's with the rush to send me out?"
" Has your boss told you to set me up and gun me down on the spot? " I asked, mockingly.
"Maybe most people want to get out of here faster." he replied.
He opened the cell. I gave him a long stare before I walked out to get my things.
"Don't drive recklessly again. There are lives out there, and you have to respect that. "If you break the rule again, Thompson, it will not just be for a few weeks, but I will give you six months behind bars." He continued and I chuckled.
He walked closer to me, his face an inch apart from mine. "Don't think I am scared of you, " I'm one person in this city who doesn't give a damn about who you think you are. " You are acting like you are something, but you and I know that deep down, you're just like every other criminal roaming the streets unharmed, " he said.
I took a few steps back. "We both know it wasn't because of some stupid road safety policy that you chose to arrest me and torture me, and you know I can not make any promises." I smiled and walked out of the office.
I walked out of the station, and from afar I saw Vance waiting for me. He leaned on my car that he had just bailed out from the police. On seeing me, he opened the door of my car.
I smiled at him. " Vance, I hope we are on the right track. " Is everything going according to plan? "
"Yes, boss. " Your uncle is on a search for El Salvador. " He has literally turned the city upside down," Vance explained.
" I know. " The lieutenant has been trying to get his location from me, " I replied.
Vance sighed heavily and pinned his lips. " I know that look, what is it? " I asked instantly.
Vance dug his hand into his hair. " Well, Maria has been coming to visit you since you were locked up. " Why didn't you allow her to see you? " Vance asked with a frown.
" I know this is new but give someone a chance to love you and care for you," he added and I hissed.
"That's my problem, not yours," I replied sharply.
We got into the car and Vance continued. "Did you hear Maria got a detective arrested in the precinct the last time she was here?"
I was surprised. I did hear about a woman, but I didn't think it was her. "No," I replied with a lie.
"Well, apparently the detective harassed her so she gave him a resounding slap." Vance narrated as he described the slap as if he was there.
"Really, tell me about it," I said sarcastically.
Vance already knew I wasn't interested in the conversation, but he continued anyway, and I had no other choice but to listen to his own torturous words. " She's a very unusual girl, you know. " You should be grateful, I think she loves you. " I have been watching her too, and she's so hot. " he concluded.
" Get your eyes off my wife. I won't say that again," I replied.
Vance sighed and murmured like a child. "So boss, where to? " Home?" He finally asked.
"No, not home. Take me to the pit. " I'd like to see El Salvador," I ordered.
While I was gone, Vance and the guys were able to get to El Salvador. They put him somewhere we called the pit. Where we give punishment to those whom the police cannot handle.
"Don't you think it would be fair if you went home instead? Maria has been waiting for you all these weeks. The least you could do was to go meet her now you are released. " You could go meet El Salvador some other time, it is not as if he is going anywhere." Vance tried to advise me.
I was so pissed. I don't enjoy it when I give orders and he belittles it. Yes, we've known each other from birth, but Vance should know when I am dead serious.
He was the only person who could oppose my orders or talk to me the way others dared not to, but these days, since Maria walked into my life, he has been doing that quite a lot of times, and it was getting on my nerves so much that I needed to teach him a lesson.
"Stop the darn car," I said calmly but in a cold tone.
Vance stopped the car and I turned to look at him. "Get out," I ordered.
"Boss."
"Get out! " And meet me in the pit, make sure I don't get there before you do," I added.
Vance opened the car and stepped out. I unlocked the car doors and turned to go to the driver's seat. I stopped and gave Vance a long stare. "Gosh! "Get in, I'm driving," I said.
Vance immediately walked over to where I was sitting before. "Sorry boss," he pleaded.
"Uhmm.."
In a few minutes, we got to the pit. There wasn't anything special about it, therefore not making it noticeable or suspicious to people. But immediately when you go inside and pass through the high standards of security passcode, it becomes another place entirely.
As we approached, some boys ran over to me. "Greetings boss. Been long, you're welcome back." They bowed.
I silently nodded, and they showed me where they had kept El Salvador locked up. The room was dark and I loved it.
I moved towards him and I could hear him panting. "Daniel? Daniel, please, I'm begging you to spare me. "To be honest, I never sent them after you when you left." He cried.
"Uhm, the Almighty El Salvador begging. I told you to hold on to your thoughts, right? Then breaking the rear glass of my window isn't a bit of what pains me. " Did you know I was performing sacred ordinances with my wife when your boys obstructed it?" I asked.
His eyes widened in the dark. "No, no, I'm deeply sorry sir."
"You know what happens when you take meat from a hungry lion, right? That's how I felt. " You didn't only disrespect me, but you disrespected my wife," I added as I bent down to his height.
I touched his long beard. He always goes crazy about his beard. " I'll have to punish you. "By taking a part of you that you love most, " I sounded cocky.
"I won't cut it, because it will grow back quickly, and I don't want it to ever grow back, so I will burn it," I smirked devilishly as I used my hands to comb his beard.
His eyes were trembling. "Please, please spare the beard. Not the beards, please. I have grown it since my mama passed away. It's something I used to remember her by. Spare it, I beg you. Take anything else, take anything, please."
"Wow, it makes me want to do it even more," I said to him.
"Boys! " Light the woods and bring them to me." I ordered with a loud voice.
Within a few minutes, they brought in Woods with fire, just like I had ordered. I collected one piece of wood from them and brought it close to El Salvador's beard.
He tried to move backwards. "Please, please wait, wait, Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. " I will give you all the information, everything, every damn thing I have about your uncle."
I halted, and I handed the wood back to the boys. "Where do we get it?" I queried.
"It's," he paused and continued. " It's in a safe, the device is in a safe right under my bed in my house, " He revealed, panicking.
I asked the tech guy to do some digging and sent some of my men over to get it. "That was one El Salvador, but you know, I still have to punish you for my wife. Instead of me burning all your beard, I'll just burn a little."
El Salvador boiled, and I could see the anger in him which made me burst out laughing. "Maldita Perra! I just sold out one of my top clients to you, and you still want to burn my beard, huh?! For your information, I have big people backing me up. " Wait until I get out of here, you'll be hearing from Mr Hudgen!" El Salvador threatened.
"I see Mr. Hudgen. " You mean Vance Hudgen, right? ""I think I know how to handle him." I said with a big smile. "You don't know what's going on El Salvador, you're way behind," I whispered in his ears as he shivered.
I turned away from him and faced the boys. "Burn the entire beard down. " Make it fresh and grilled," I said, and walked towards the door.
The boys went closer to El Salvador. "Puta!" He screamed at the top of his voice as I shut the door.
Vance was behind the door, and he gave me a big smile. "We got it, it was right where he said it was," he announced.
"Mr Vance Hudgen, I'm here to report myself to you. " I might have kidnapped your guy, El Salvador," I said to Vance with a meek face.
We both looked at ourselves and laughed. "Jesus Daniel, you sure do know how to mock a man. " I'll send word to the police to get you arrested again for kidnapping my guy." Vance teased and we both walked to meet the gang members.
After communicating with the rest of the crew and seeing all the databases we had covered. I decided it was time to finally go home, to meet another unresolved issue.
"I'm going home," I said to Vance.
Vance's face lightened up. "What I was hoping to hear all day. "You really need a proper shower," Vance said, sniffing my shirt.
We left the pit and Vance dropped me off at my place. "Bye boss, good luck," he bid.
I raised my eyebrows. He was acting like I wasn't going to make it to meet Maria after what I did to her all these weeks. She was a woman after all, which meant she was going to make a drama out of it.
Immediately, I opened the door to my house. Sarah the help rushed towards me. "Sir Thompson, Madam is not okay at all. " She came home looking all rough. " Forgive me if I say she looked absolutely horrible," she explained.
"Where's she now?" I asked.
"Upstairs in your room." She replied quickly.
I didn't say anything else again as I made my way to the room. I turned the doorknob and Maria screamed at the top of her voice.
"Hey," I said to her.
She didn't move for a while and just as I got close to her, she stood up and punched me in the face, and it was so much harder than the lieutenant.
"Damn you! Daniel"