"The Virtuoso"

An enemy revealed

As soon as Pearl finished speaking, Mona looked towards the door and saw Raymond and Dembe walk through. As if in slow motion, Raymond looked at her, going toward her. Before he could get any closer, the music stopped and the lights went off in the club. The patrons groaned in disapproval as they voiced their protest. Everyone from the team froze. All of a sudden a voice came out of the speakers "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" " It's him. He's coming for me" Mona said, turning on her earpiece. Aram scrambled in the van, trying his best to interfere with the communications to figure out where the Virtuoso was transmitting from. "What the hell is going on?" Ressler shouted. "Is he in the club?" "Agents Ressler and Navabi, I need you to survey the area." Aram said, trying his best to stay calm. "Try again to not draw too much attention. Don't take your eyes off Mona." The agents were walking towards where the commotion was, right into the middle of the crowd of people, pushing their way through. Mona and Pearl were frozen in place, standing next to their table, looking like statues. A voice boomed over the loudspeakers once again. "I need your attention once again, good people. We can get back to the festivities soon. I just want you to know that I lost something. A precious jewel, a rare piece of art. A woman. And my girl has come back to me. Here of all places!" His voice was menacing but charming. "Aram, where the hell is he?" Ressler screamed. Suddenly they heard a blood curdling scream. It was Mona. She had a gun to her head. The Virtuoso had her in his grasp, his arm clenched across her shoulders and around her neck, almost choking her. Pearl, her sister, the one she had thought was going to join her in escaping, simply stood by her captors side, not looking her in the eye as she screamed and struggled, hysterically crying. The patrons of the club stood back, scared for their life. " Oh come on now!" he said, laughing. "Don't stop on account of me! I found my lost lamb." He waved the gun above his head, making people gasp in fear. "Virtuoso! FBI!" Samar yelled, gun drawn. "Drop the gun! Let her go!" "Oh please Agent, stand down. You don't scare me." he replied, his menacing grin piercing through his otherwise threatening manner. " I am simply taking what is mine. Which as a matter of fact, where is the man of the hour, the concierge of crime himself? He took my girl from me. He killed my right hand man" He tightened his grip on her, forcing her to be silent. " I know he wouldn't send you here alone. He's helping you out, isn't he? It takes a criminal to know one, after all." The agents froze, trying to remain calm and professional. Finally Ressler spoke up. "Listen, we don't want anyone to get hurt. Please just hand over the girl. We can avoid all of this if you just come with us." "Do you really take me for a fool agent?" he said, laughing maniacally. " I have been right under your radar for years. I have brilliantly done terrible things and you all were too stupid to notice. I will be ignored no longer." At the utterance of those words, he held up in his hand and made a signal with his fingers. At that moment, there was the sound of what seemed like gunshots. The patrons of the club started scrambling for the doors, but they were bolted shut. Suddenly, the smell of burning caught their attention. The lining of the trim at the bottom of the walls caught fire. Ressler and Navabi worked quickly to try and help out. As they did, the Virtuoso took the girls and started to escape out the back entrance to the club.

Once they got to the back entrance of the club, Raymond and Dembe were waiting, their guns drawn. "Let her go," Raymond said, his voice demanding and angry. "I really wouldn't do that if I were you" he said, gritting his teeth and pressing the gun to Mona's head. "I got your attention. If you dare try anything, she dies." Mona looked at Raymond with wide eyes, the terror written all over her face. "Please don't" Mona mouthed the words, trying her best to remain calm. "I'd like to see you try and stop me, Raymond Reddington." He reached up and grabbed the necklace Mona was wearing. He dangled it in the air as if to tease them all and threw it to the ground, stepping on it with the heel of his shoe. With that, he shoved the girls into a waiting van. Dembe and Raymond shot at the windows, but it was too late. It sped away into the night, lost in the darkness.