Deceit. [COMPLETED.]

Chapter 66

"Duped." 
PART ONE.

We travelled in silence broken only by a few minutes of instruction on how to use my 38 special.

I was told how to cock it by pulling back the hammer. A dangerous move only unless I was about to shoot. I was shown the chamber revealing all six bullets.  I was also given another six just in case.

Uri asked me how I was feeling.

'Okay,' I said with a shrug.

'Nervous?'

I nodded.

'Good,' said Uri. 'It helps to focus the mind. Makes you less likely to waste your ammunition.'

He then offered some advice.

'If the time comes and you need to use it then aim slowly at your target. Wait until you are happy. Hold your gun firmly and squeeze the trigger gently.'

He explained that I needed to be careful of being too wasteful and that I should only discharge a maximum of two bullets at any one time.

'Too many,' he said looking at the road ahead, 'and you could find yourself empty and staring down the barrel of someone who is still loaded.'

It was a horrible thought and the more he talked, the more I was having second thoughts as to what exactly was I doing here.

He turned to face me.

'Remember,' he said in the tone more used to being that of a teacher to his pupil. 'In any gun battle everyone will be just as anxious as you to survive and so it is most important that you aim for their chest. It is the biggest target. Refrain from running or moving too fast. It will only stop you from taking careful aim and twist your body if you can. It will make yourself as small a target as possible.'

He then added that he would only ever go to ground if there was time.

'You cannot shoot while you are running. You cannot shoot if you are distracted and thinking of what to do next. You can try,' he added ruefully. 'But you are rarely successful.'

My heart was pounding against my rib cage and it was difficult to stop my hands from shaking.

Uri saw my unease and reiterated again that we were only carrying guns as a precaution.

'We talk first. We find out what they have to say. We try and negotiate a peaceful resolution.'

The house, when it came into view, was at the end of a long open lawn surrounded by trees on either side. It was two storeys in height and similar to the one we had just left.

We stopped mid way up the drive allowing Uri to go over the plan one last time.

Four men would enter; Mr Peng's brother would go in first. We would then wait until he gave the all clear. Once it was deemed safe then Uri would then enter followed by my bodyguard Mr Nakamura and last but by no means least by me.

It seemed straightforward but what did I know about being a gangster.

We watched as the brother passed in a second car and then stopped a few feet from the front door.

He knocked and was shown inside.

We waited.

My mind raced.

I went through all kinds of crazy scenarios none of them good and all involving dead bodies so it was with a mixture of both relief and then fear when I saw an outstretched arm waving us inside from a downstairs window.