Price of Passion

Prologue: The Rat with Nine Lives

Cüneyt smirked as he stepped past the dead body of the prison guard and out into Istanbul's cold, misty night. A prayer call lingered faintly in the air. It has been ages since he last heard it. They denied him of this simple privilege for too long.

What is this luck? He thought. Cüneyt Koçak just escaped prison for the second time.

Fumbling through the guard's pockets, he found a mobile and dialled the number on the tiny piece of paper that he kept. The line rang for several seconds and went through without a hitch.

"Hayatım, it's me," he said. "Naber?"

"You're out faster than I thought," A female voice came through from the other side. "You little bastard."

"Yapma ya," he said. "You didn't even congratulate me."

"Kes," she said. "I ain't got time for your foolishness. It's time to take back what's overdue."

"Vallahi hayatım, what an impatient woman you are," Cüneyt grinned. "Take it easy. There is no one left in that house. My dictator mother-in-law Handan Sultan moved out long ago with that crazy wife of mine. Plus, Namık Emirhan is now dead. He even killed that little escort Jülide..."

"You talk too much," she said. "Meet me at the Beyköz pier at 10 p.m. tomorrow."

The line went dead. Cüneyt felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his veins. A sly smile crept onto his face.

Wait for it, Ferhat Aslan. This is going to be exciting...