The Bagman's Direction

Chapter 22

"Chop Suey is an interesting codename"

"Shutup" I hissed, not in the mood for Tara's teasing.

There was this man from my past and it was like I was drowning. It wasn't fair to say I was the one in pain because of the state he was in but I couldn't help feel it. It wasn't fair but I couldn't suppress that the air from my own lungs had been knocked right out of me and replaced with the most delicious, most poisonous water. The water kept filling up those fleshy bags inside my aching chest and all I was trying to do was gasp for some damned oxygen. The sight of this man was killing me, it was drowning me.

There he was. His feet firmly on the filthy tainted tiles with his feet tied together with the harshest of fraying ropes that lapped around so tight he wouldn't even be able to wiggle a toe. His knees were apart as he sat in his wooden prison. He was trapped in but he still had a bit of freedom. The wooden, creaking chair wasn't a complete cage. His hands were pulled back and cuffed behind the head of the chair, his white shirt was stained with blood and vomit and probably tears.

He stank. I couldn't imagine how long he had been tied to that unstable chair for. I couldn't imagine how he excreted his wastes, if he was even allowed to. I was gagging again, this was where that smell was coming from. He smelt like death. As for the burning flesh, it wasn't him but there was a running fire place against the wall and it scared me to think of what Tara was turning to ash. Who Tara was turning to ash.

"It's a terrible codename" He spat, "Trying screaming it while you're fucking. It sounds ridiculous"

"You've slept with this guy?!" Tara gasped, her eyes widening as she looked between the both of us.

It was then I wished Temper's foul, drying and shrivelled excuse of lips were gagged. I suppose Tara had a reason for allowing him to talk, she wouldn't have just let him say what he wanted when he wanted unless there was a reason.

"Yes" I breathed, still so shocked.

"Well maybe you can clear something up for me" Tara mumbled.

She strolled over to the bound Temper and stepped behind his back. She took something off of the bench behind her and slithered her arm around his neck. She raised what looked like a jutted knife to his throat and looked at me with a grin. Temper seemed un-phased as if he was used to this sort of behaviour from her. It appeared I was the one freaking out, as sweat ran down from my brow and into my eyes.

"Henry Lackerman, codename Temper, aged twenty five. I was unable to retrieve all his files as they appeared to be deleted before I could catch them. I was under the impression he recently joined the mafia after being fired from his job as a banker after doing illegal deals with a mafia member and Daddy had offered a job in the mafia to him due to his own family messing his life up. Temper tells me that it was all a charade, a big fat lie and that he's an undercover cop and really he's on our side. He wanted Daddy to go down. So tell me, Louis, you're smart. You would've been able to tell. Is he telling the truth? Because I don't like liars very much" Tara elaborated, tightening her grip on the blade and it slightly cut into Temper's skin.

"I only worked with Temper for a week. It was the week of the masquerade ball and I was forced into training him. The first day I had him, I guessed it and I even confronted him. He denied it. So I slept with him and that morning Daddy called me into his office. Daddy confirmed he was an undercover cop and I was going to send somebody to kill him but later that week Daddy gave me the instruction to delete his files, specifically his police records. It was to save his life in case anything went wrong"

"Why did he want to save him?"

"Yeah, what?" Temper growled.

"If Daddy were to die and I wasn't able to take over, everybody would've gone rogue. All the systems would've been torn apart or shut down and somebody tech savvy would've read everybody's files. Of course Daddy had your police file and if it got into the wrong hands, the mafia would've slaughtered you and all your family. I saved your life deleting that file but don't ask me why Daddy wanted me to because I don't know. I don't know" I explained, shaking my head out of stress.