The Edge of Honour

Chapter 48

Gorran's POV:

"Hi April," I replied. I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible when I spoke, but the nervousness edged its way through nevertheless. I was acutely aware of how much information April would be trying to gather from my words, without needing me to give it to her. If I sounded too anxious or upset, she would be at the compound before she had probably planned out the rescue yet. April was one of the smartest people I had ever met, but she was always going to be willing to put her life on the line for me and this would be no exception. I could not do anything that would encourage her to do such a thing.

"Are you okay Gorran?" I could tell that she had lots of questions prepared for me that she was aching to ask. However, for her my well-being was the most important one to begin with. She needed reassurance that I was safe, for now at least. It was strange to hear her voice again especially as I knew that she was in a different country, I had become accustomed to her standing beside me. However, it was an extremely welcome reminder to know that she still cared for me. It gave me hope in my current state as a hostage in a foreign country.

The phone had been put on loudspeaker so that the boss could hear our conversation as I spoke. He laughed lightly at her question and then with a nod of his head, he indicated that I could answer it.

"Yes, I am fine," I answered. My reply was short because the fear was still coursing through my veins. I was fine for the time being, but I had no guarantee of what would happen to me in a few minutes.

"That is very good to hear," she replied and I could imagine the small smile creeping across her face. "Can you tell me where you are?"

The phone was immediately taken back off me after that question. Although, I was not certain of our location, the boss was not willing to risk it. I could no longer tell if he was trying to lure her into a trap or if he was demonstrating that he was in control of my situation.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want your star agent giving out any information that could put him in danger, would we?" he cooed into the phone. He was the only person who could see the humour in the situation. I could hear a light sigh from April echo through the phone.

"Jacob, what are you planning to do with him then?" Her question barely registered with me. She had called him by name. None of his own employees knew his name, it was a secret. I wondered how she could have known him. I was troubled by the fact that she did not disclose the information to us, even though it could potentially have helped to avoid the current situation that I found myself in. April had always appeared to be completely honest with me, I could not fathom why she would withhold such vital information from me. The boss on the other hand did not seem to be surprised by her knowledge in the slightest. It was as if he had expected her to know his name.

"So, you haven't forgotten me April. It is nice to know that my memory still lives on with you," he retorted. His words only served to increase my confusion. It sounded like they had once been very close. I knew however, that April would never become friendly with a criminal. It would have been a complete contrast to her character or at least who I thought she was. Suddenly, I began to question everything that I thought I had known about her. It could have all been lies and I had swallowed it and chosen to believe it all.

As I contemplated whether or not April had indeed lied to me or whether I was worrying about nothing, I could not believe that I would doubt her. She had stood with me through so many things. I knew that there would be an obvious explanation for how they knew each other. I had to trust in her for now. It was the only thing that I could do. A lack of faith in my only chance of rescue would not benefit me in anyway.

"Do you understand?" he questioned. I immediately returned to the situation. While I had been wondering about April's legitimacy, I had missed out on a large extract of their conversation. The phone had been turned off loudspeaker, so I could no longer hear her reply. It appeared to have been the most important piece also because soon after Jacob hung up the phone.

I would have loved to have had the chance to speak to her again. Her voice alone would have been able to bring my belief in her and I had to believe that she would do the right thing. My biggest hope was that whatever she and Jacob had just agreed to or planned would not put her in any danger. I had already caused so much destruction to those around me. I was not willing to be the cause of anymore even if it benefited me.

"I find it very ironic that April Waters's newest recruit would end up as my hostage. If only I had known that this would have been the key to my success all those years ago. Everything would have been so much easier then. I could have just waited for this time to come. I would not have needed to ordered half as much murderers as I did," he said thoughtfully. I could not tell whether he was just thinking back or whether he was saying those words solely for my benefit. "I guess we just have to wait and see how things play out.

I desperately wanted to ask him questions so that I could gather more information, but I knew it would be a bad idea. He would never tell me anyway and it would show the deep fear which I had. He would almost certainly work out that I was beginning to doubt April. If he knew that fact, it would be a huge convenience to him. I knew that it was something which he would be willing to use to his advantage at every opportunity possible.

He looked expectantly at me, knowing that I would want to ask questions. I bit my tongue however and managed to keep quiet. I was not going to give in to him.

Shortly afterwards, I was ordered back to the room that I had come from. Francois led me back through the hallways, I could see the sad, mournful look on his face as he walked back holding my hands tightly.

"You know what is going to happen to me, don't you?" I questioned. His eyes nervosuly flicked around the halls to assure that it was safe. He took a long deep breath in before he spoke. I knew there was bad news coming, but his actions increased my anxiety further.

"Sadly, I do," he began. It was evident that he was uncertain as to whether he should tell me or not. His own safety would be on the line if he got caught, but I knew that was not what he was worried about. He was as aware as I was that I had no way of escape. I was trapped here. Whatever the boss had planned for me was eventually going to happen for me and there was no way for me to escape it.

"Please Francois. Just tell me, I need to know," I begged. At the final word, I heard a rush of footsteps heading in my direction.

He was too late. As the people rushed  towards me at full speed, I instantly understood that whatever plan Jacob had was already being put into action.

I could only stand motionless and stare as they hurtled in my directions. Nobody screamed, it was so silent that I could hear my heartbeat thundering through my chest. I wished that it would not be the ultimate punishment. The thought that those seconds at the bottom of the staircase could be my final ones was petrifying.

This was it. Jacob had begun his chess game and the first piece he was going to move was his pawn. Everything that had happened to me over the years flashed back through my head. Every terrifying ordeal that I had experienced except one paled in comparison to what I was feeling at that moment. The only one that stood out was when I heard that Alma had been kidnapped.

As they drew closer to me, I took solace in the fact that my family were safe. Whatever was about to happen, I would be the only victim of it. I would be the cause, the victim and the catalyst of what was about to unfold within that compound.