Crimson Chaos

Chapter iii

 Gregory fingered his empty glass of whisky as he gazed into a pair of paper works that shared his right hand with a cigar. His countenance wore a sullen expression, he was depressed at threatening reports he had gotten earlier. The first came through a telephone call and the latter is now printed in black and white and it sits in his grip, his white sleeves were folded to his elbow, his tie was loosed and his shirt was unbuttoned down to his abdomen, his grey curls was a mess and his eyes was bloodshot. He slowly abandon his empty glass of whisky and reached for the telephone on his desk with his bloodshot gaze throwing dead punches at the paper works in his hand. He punches some figures on the dial pad and held the telephone to his ears.
 "Get me Anthony, I mean before the short stick completes another three sixty degree rotation", he said as he lifted up his eyes to behold the wall clock that hung just opposite his desk in his study room. He carefully opened his drawer and placed the paper works inside.
 "You sent for me sir", a familiar feminine voice stole Gregory's attention, he looked up of course its her, his maid and favorite sex machine imported all the way from Ireland. The sight of her made Gregory's heart merry, at least for that moment.
 "You were suppose to be here like ten minutes ago".
 "Forgive me sir",
 "You know how I hate it when am been scoffed that way",
 "Am sorry sir, I was helping Cassandra with dinner"
 "OK, just get me another bottle of whisky will ya"
  Cynthia noticed Gregory's eyes and his odd smile, she could tell he wasn't in the best of moods. Although she is just a maid, Cynthia have been given the opportunity to interfere in her boss affairs, maybe because she is pretty and all sexy. Gregory loved her, he took her as a friend, a daughter, a sister and a wife.
 She walked towards Gregory and sat on his desk, she placed her soft hands on his chin as her smile silence the storm in his soul.
 "Whats the problem darling" she said, "you know i hate to see you this way".
 "My heart is a field of weeds, choking every joy within me"
 "Its ok my love, will you confine in me?"
 "Did I ever withhold my melancholy from your knowledge, my love"
 "Yes i remember once, when you suffered a stomach ache because you ate too much sweet"
 They both chuckled, "let me go get us something", Cynthia said as she stood up "then we'll talk"
  She walked out of the study and made her way to kitchen. 

 Anthony Gustavo walked into his favorite client's living room, as at now Anthony was already a member of the Crisantos family, he is always welcome anytime he visits, but this evening wasn't just any visit.
 Anthony has cancelled his appointment with his lover soon as he got a call from Monica that he was needed in the Crisantos mansion in less than an hour, she sounded so serious and formal that he can't ask for an hour more break. He is very familiar with his client Gregory Crisantos, he can be very  jovial, but once he means business, he can be very raspy.
 Anthony made his way down the hallway as he heads for Gregory's study, he heard a loud feminine scream from inside Gregory's study, he was sure it came from there, it seems someone is in trouble. He took long strides towards the study, the door was half opened.
 "Somebody help me", a cry came out of the study. Anthony quickly pushes the door open as he rushed into the room, sure someone was in trouble.
 "Oh my, Oh no, what happened", Anthony said uncertain of what to do. Gregory laid lifeless in Cynthia's arms with a tray of deliciously made nachos spilled all over the floor. Anthony watched in uncertainty with hands spread out and his mouth agape.
 "Don't just stand there, do something", Cynthia said.
 "Oh my, what do i do, ok I'll call 911, thats it, 911, great, i should call 911 right?"
 "Call anybody, can't you see he's dying"
 Anthony quickly searched himself for his device, he dialed up 911 and then a few guards rushed into the study to find their boss laying on a maid's arms lifeless and his lawyer making a phone call.
 "Whats going on", Bart, the head of the body guard asked with primacy. Both lawyer and maid ignored him, they felt there was no time to answer stupid questions. No member of Gregory's household liked Bart except for Gregory himself, he seems to be very arrogant and takes no pity when carrying out his assignments like beating or killing anyone.
 "please i need you guys to come over right now, my client is dying". Anthony continued with his phone call. Bart irritated by the response he got, slapped Anthony's phone off his face.
 "when i ask a question, i expect an answer". Bart raged out.
 "Can't you see your boss is dying" Cynthia screamed in between tears. Bart starred at her for a while and then turns to one of the other guards "go start up the car".
 "ok"
 Bart quickly got to where Gregory lay, and observe the nape of his neck with his finger for a hope in may (pulse), "he's still alive". He said as he took him from Cynthia's arms into his and lifted him up like a baby.
 "Where are you taking him", Cynthia asked
 "To your papa's county" he scoffed, "of course am taking him to the hospital, or what else does it looks like".
 He walked away with Gregory in his arms almost running leaving Cynthia and Anthony in the study. Cynthia wanted to go with them but Anthony held her back.
 "What happened", he asked.
 "I don't know whats wrong with him but he is not well, I left him earlier to go make him something to eat and when I got back, I found him this way", Cynthia broke into tears as she leans towards Anthony.
 "Its ok", he said, as he embraces Cynthia and tries to calm her, "He'll be fine, Gregory is a strong man, lets go after them shall we".

***********************

  "You should have seen your face, it looked like a granny's butt"
 They all broke into uncontrollable laughter. "Forget it you two, will you" Marvin said in between laughter, "now Brian be honest, thats your shit, how come you saw it before everyone else".
 "wow!" Angelo exclaimed, "you must be very smart to figure that out". They all broke into another round of laughter. All three of them had gotten quite fund of themselves throughout their flight down to Los Angeles. Angelo can count the number of times he had been to Los Angeles with the fingers in only one hand, but being here again made it feel like a totally new experience, every sight, every breath was a wave of new escapade, brushing through his veins. He couldn't take his eyes off the city from the window.
 "Be quite you guys", Vanessa cautioned them, "You know Gregory doesn't like noise". They were already in the Crisantos mansion, where peace and tranquillity is the motto. Without another word, they all walked from the garage into the living room. It was night and Angelo couldn't make much of his new surrounding, except for a couple of guards on every side of the building and camera's on every corner.
 "Wait here" Vanessa said to Angelo soon as they got into the middle of the living room, "I'll be right back".
 "No problemo".
 Vanessa walked into the hallway and Marvin went after her, leaving the familiar stranger all by himself. Angelo looked around and found two body guards gazing at him as if they just got a new job of watching him. He ignored their presence and went on exploring the living room, he loved the sculptures and paintings around him, he smiled as he felt most of them with his hands, but then his eyes fell on something, and this made him feel he had gotten closer to the answers to most of the questions that tortured his soul. On the wall hung a portrait of two men, both wearing a lab coat, one of them wore a warm countenance, but the other seems to be despondent and he was not unfamiliar, he was Miller Howells, Angelo's dad.
 "Any news about his status yet", Vanessa's voice knock Angelo's attention off the beguile portrait, her heels clapping fiercely against the floor with a maid running after her.
 "Am afraid not ma" the maid replied. They both seems to be anxious about something.
 "Whats wrong?" Angelo ask.
 "Its Gregory" Vanessa reply, "he was taken to the hospital just this evening, I hope he's fine".
 "Lets go check on him, what do you think?"
 "Thats where am off to, the hospital, Cassandra ask Marvin to meet me up OK?"
 "Can I come along?"
 "Sure Brian".

 "From the look of this, you're very vulnerable to Mr Stone, he's got you by the balls" Anthony said as he study a set of paper works in his hands, moving from one end of Mr Crisantos hospital room to the other. Anthony looked defeated on this one, he is one of America's finest attorney, he barely loss a case and he's never afraid to take on any case at all.
 "You're the least person i expected that from", Gregory expresses his disappointed.
 "Am really sorry sir, but I think we'll have to lay low on this one, Stone is really out for anyone who tries to oppose him, one finger snap and you could loose everything you've worked so hard to build".
 "I'll give that bastard a good fight, he won't be able to kick me out that easily"
 "The situation here is not so hopeless, all we need is a little patience"
 "I don't have anymore of that stuff, Stone is getting closer than you think, Octopus is starting a legacy, the world will worship him if he succeeds". Gregory's sighted heavily. "Get me a cigar will you?"
 "sure". Anthony deep his hands into his pocket and brought out a packet of cigar, he took it to Gregory and Gregory picked one out with his eyes locked on Anthony's eyes.
 "You have cancer", Anthony said as he helps Gregory light up his cigar.
 "I met this guy over the net", Gregory continues after puffing his cigar in the air "he knows a lot of things about Miller".
 "Miller Howells?" Anthony asked
 "Miller Howells, only things a close companion or a relative should know, I have a feeling he knows where to find SPECIMEN X".
 "What's his name?"
 "Ange475"
 "What makes you so sure about this guy"
 "I don't know, i just feel he has the key, at least even a clue to our gold mine would do"
 "Uncle!" Vanessa's voice broke the conversation as Gregory and Anthony's attention turns towards the door from which Vanessa's voice came out. She dashed into the room and to her beloved uncle and gave him a hug, and she was accompanied by a stranger. The stranger slowly walked into the room gazing at Gregory like they've met before. "Are you OK, whats wrong with you", Vanessa asked with wide open eyes.
 "Relax pumpkin, am fine", Gregory replied with his eyes glued to the stranger, "You found him?", Gregory whispered.
 Vanessa only replied with a nod to indicate yes.
 "Ange475 I presume" Gregory said as he stood up from his bed and slowly walks towards the stranger.
 "Then you must be Craine66", Angelo gave a firm reply.
 "What goes up into the sea and down to the mountain". Gregory asked with a smirk.
 "Its non of my business" Angelo replied.
 "Well done pumpkin", Gregory said as he turned towards Vanessa who seems to be dumbfounded, "Well done".

A/N: Thanks a lot guys for reading this chapter, hope you enjoyed it.
I wonder what SPECIMEN X is, maybe we'll find out in the next chapter, lots of love guys!
xoxo!!!