Burnt Lies

Blood Diamond

Cameron

It was minutes before the agreed meet up time and I was still waiting on a call from Echo. My car was parked just outside Coven's Church hidden behind overgrown bushes and towering trees that provided enough cover whilst still leaving enough open air so I had a clear line of sight of the front of the Church. 

I glanced at the time, 6 minutes to 8 and still no call from the base. 

I raked a shaking hand through my hair to calm sparking nerves. This meetup had to go off without a hitch if I was to get Alara back. My mind whirled with what Laurier could possibly want other than to see my corpse. 

Only 4 minutes to go, I tapped the steering wheel in a steady staccato beat, each time my finger hit the leather I counted another second go by. 

It was then my phone flashed with Echo's caller ID, I immediately answered, "We've got a hit," Echo's smooth voice announced over the receiver. 

I let out a breath of relief, "Where?"

"Hammonds Hall," he responded. 

"Not too far from here then, guess he wasn't smart enough to move her out of town,"

Hammonds Hall was an old wedding venue that had gone out of business years ago due to the lack of brides willing to have their special day in what was essentially a glorified warehouse wrapped in ribbon. 

"Thanks Echo,"

"Anytime Cam," and then the line cut off. 

1 minute left and I was already exiting my car. I grabbed my pistol and reloaded the magazine muffling the sharp click with my hand. I slipped it into the band of my trousers and made my way to the front of the church. Timing my steps with each second remaining so I arrived in front of the gothic structure exactly at 8. 

Dane Laurier wasn't here yet, so much for punctuality. I waited a minute and then two and finally he decided to show. 

He was a brute of a man, with broad shoulders and a sickening grin that could make anyone's skin crawl. His build was his biggest asset but I still had a few inches on him. If we were to fight it would be pretty equally matched but I hoped it wouldn't get to that point though I think that would just be wishful thinking. 

"Grayson, Grayson, Grayson," he hummed in a mocking sing song voice, in his hand he clasped the signature silver pistol of the Bloodhounds. Waving it around carelessly and with a freedom I could never have with a weapon in my hand. 

"How nice to see you, isn't it just a lovely night," he craned his head upwards and laughed like a maniac into the night air. 

I gritted my teeth, "Where is she?"

"Oh Alara," his gaze became steely, "Well she's been a very," he paused edging closer to me so I could see that sickening grin plastered across his face, "very bad girl."

"Where is she?" I pushed out the words again anger flaring in my eyes. 

"And bad girls need to be taught lessons," he punctuated his grim sentence with another manic laugh. 

"What have you done to her?" I rushed forward ready to grab him by the throat and choke the answer out of him.

"Ah, Ah, Ah," he shook his head steadying his gun so it was pointed straight at where my heart was pummelling inside my chest. I stalled in my tracks. 

"It's more of a question of what I'm going to do to her," he bared his paper white teeth at me. Those crystal blue eyes alight with pride.

"What do you want?" I snarled at him, the words being more spat at the ground than said. I wanted to reach for my gun and shoot the motherfucker straight in the head. 

He grinned again, like a Cheshire cat that knew far too much, "Now we're talking,"

"Stop with these games Laurier, just tell me what you want,"

"Je veux le diamant rouge," he spoke in his mother tongue, French. 

"My French is a little rusty," I drawled out, getting tired of his antics. 

"I want the diamond."

I gave him a questioning glare, "That's all? A diamond. You want me to buy you a diamond," then just because I felt like it I added, "If you wanted me to propose to you Laurier you should've just asked. "

He wasn't laughing this time, his face became pinched with anger, "Not just any diamond. The Blood Diamond."

"I don't know what that is," I crossed my arms across my chest.

He edged closer to me, "Have you never heard the legend of the Blood Diamond? The power it will bring to the person that possesses it? How kingdoms have risen and fallen just to claim it?"

"It sounds like a fairy tale to me, don't tell me you believe in that shit," it sounded ludicrous to me, that really this supposed gang leader was chasing after a myth. 

"You fool. It doesn't matter if you don't believe in it, find me the Blood Diamond and I will return to you your precious fiancé,"

"No deal," I stalked over to him and pulled out my gun faster than he could react. Using my free hand I knocked his gun out of his hand and then grasped his throat. He let out a choked cry as I pushed him back against the rough walls of the abandoned church, my eyes darkening with rage as I pressed the barrel of my gun against his bobbing adam's apple. 

His face reddened with anger, as he struggled beneath my death grip, "Listen to me Laurier, this is what is going to happen. You are going to return Alara to me and then we can talk about your fucking Blood Diamond. That's option one, option two is I kill each and every one of your gang members until I get her back and I make you watch and then I give you the most painful death of all. You will rue the day you crossed me,"

He sputtered and flailed, eyes widening as I pressed my gun harder against his throat, I slackened my grip tightly so he could speak, "So which option is it going to be?"

"Neither." I pressed my gun even harder eliciting a painful cry. 

"Let's try this again," I ground out, "which option?"

I increased the pressure against his throat momentarily cutting off his airways, his hands clawed at mine but I would not relent all I could see was red as I pressed him harder against the wall, revelling in his cries of pain.

Finally he rasped, "One, option one."

I let him go but still kept my gun trained on him, "See, that wasn't so hard."

"Now take me to Alara."