Richard's POV
"It has been too long Tiffany. From what I gathered, you have been hiding in the nuthouse." A small smirk made its way towards my mouth as I watched my past love stare calmly at me. Tiffany was one woman you could never read easily but whatever tricks she had up her sleeve, I'd be one step ahead of her. There is no way her family is going to leave here alive tonight. Its what she deserved after betraying me all those years ago and withholding my key to power. I was still maddened by the fact that my men haven't been able to track Jasmine and her illegitimate child. It had already been almost forty eight hours without a single knowledge of their whereabouts and boy was it pissing me off. Everything had been falling into place, the key had been delivered to me, the poison was to kill the little midget, I was to marry Jasmine. I tried to keep down the anger bubbling inside me, everything had fallen apart but no matter, I would retrieve them all back. Power is something I siphon from people, I'm an expert at it.
"The only reason I ended up in a nuthouse was because you killed my husband and was plotting to kill my son and his grandson, what's a woman gotta do Richie?" We were currently in front of the mansion. Tiffany had arrived at exactly 9:00pm, she was alone and had come in a black Audi, she still had taste even in her old age. I had spotted her hand folded, she had the key. We were waiting for Bob to bring her sons out for the swap. Of course Tiffany knew only of one and if she indeed had some sort of ploy, Pharell was my back up. I watched as Tiffany's eyes widen at the sight of her sons. They even got teary, this was going to be fun. She quickly covered it up and took a bold step forward. "If you want your stupid formula instruct your men to hand over both my sons alive." I saw the glint in her eyes, she was a feisty woman I wouldn't underestimate her. I noticed two queer things about her; she had no sort of back up and neither did she look scared. I could easily tell my men to capture her. Only the front yard separated us. Tiffany had driven up to a specific position in the yard, it was a good distance from where me and my men were standing but not so far that we couldn't hear each other clearly.
"Why so far Tiffany, don't you want to invade my personal space?"
"I don't want to be near scum, sorry I got allergies." Tiffany said easily. I heard a low chuckle erupt from behind. I turned to see José smirking. He thought this was funny? I'd show him funny. How again did I help conceive such a maggot? I gestured Bob to bring José forward and kneel him before me. I heard Pharell offer a struggle but I had made sure he received a thorough beating, he was too weak to put up a proper fight. One of my men used the butt of his gun and hit him on his back causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. I heard a faint whimper coming from Tiffany's direction. Finally, I had hit a soft spot. Jose was now kneeling in front of me facing his mother. She was a fair distance away from him and I could see Tiffany's eyes moisten at the sight of him, I guess a mother's bond is indeed strong. I mean I looked at him and felt nothing yet his blood is as good as mine. Oh well, time for a show.
"Well how about that "stupid formula" now?" I asked air quoting the key. Her eyes averted from her son as she regained her cool. "You killed my husband, now you want to kill my sons too?" She asked her voice icy. I waved her off. "Now is not about the past, now its about the present, give me the damned half key...for one son." I saw fear pass through her face. I felt the siphoning of power. The only reason Pharell was in town was because of his son, somehow Jasmine contacted him, if Jasmine wouldn't be found, I'd use her epic love to lure her out, it would be a win-win, José for the key, Pharell for Jasmine.
"This wasn't the deal." Tiffany said, her voice shaking. I was curious which son she would choose but I would make it easier for her and trade José, or at least pretend to trade José.
"The deal was the key for your son, not sons." I said easily, it was after all the truth. Tiffany started mumbling under her breath, probably cussing. She was wasting my time, I was a little over the edge, just a snippet. I removed my gun from my waist band and cocked it pointing it directly at the back of Jose's head. "Tick-tock Tiffany, bring the key to the middle if the yard and one of my men will lead your son of choice to the middle." I said smugly. I gestured for Pharell to be brought next to José. They were both in front of me, waiting for their fate.
"You son of a bitch! You murderer! You want to bleed me dry? I hate you!" I was shocked by the outburst, Tiffany is one bubbly calm woman. Now she loses her cool?
"Please don't kill them, don't kill them as you killed Ambrose. Your not a murderer, I did not fall in love with a murderer all those years ago." I stiffened at this. Me not a murderer? Didn't she think I was capable of taking life? I take power, I was not weak.
"I killed Ambrose then a couple of nameless people, I sold a weapon that wiped out a whole town, I even went ahead and killed one of Pharell's friends in New York, oh and I remember killing a father and a daughter, I think the father's name was Jefferson. Point is I am a killer. I'm good at covering it too, now believe me when I say I will kill your sons if you do not give me that formula in the next twenty seconds!" I was tired of fooling around. "Twenty...nineteen...eighteen...
Jasmine's POV
We watched from the police car well hidden in the trees as Richard started the countdown. Both Samantha and I had refused to remain at bay with no knowledge of how Pharell was. There were four cars full of armed men, trained armed men. After a lot of questions from Junior, the man detective Brian referred to as Mr Unknown, fessed up and said he was from CIA. The agents were now surrounding the perimeter without Richard's knowledge. Pablo had been keeping Tiffany posted and after finding out that Pharell had actually found people from the government who weren't under Richard's pay roll, she agreed to help them take down Richard. Tiffany had been wired, her mission was to get a confession from Richard. She had already done it, so why weren't the agents swooping in to rescue the two men at Richard's mercy?
"Sir, we do not have a clear shot at Richard and he could actually pull the trigger. Miss Ryan has nothing in her palm and once Richard finds out, he will kill them." I gulped at one of the agent's words. I was in the car with Mr Unknown, detective Brian and Samantha. She was quiet and listening keenly to the men's discussion. "We need a distraction before he finishes his countdown." Mr Unknown reasoned.
"Remember what I said?" I turned towards Samantha who was looking at me quizically. She was no longer in her disguise and I had to admit, she was beautiful. Her hazel eyes widened in realization as she shook her head in disagreement. "No Jasmine you can't." I smiled at her warmly. I could tell she loved Pharell, even though she hadn't quite come to terms with it. Her genuine concern for my safety showed me how good she was as a person.
"Send me in, I believe I'm the perfect distraction."
