Chapter 25: Death Row
Locke smiled proudly at the two dead men on the floor a few feet away. He raised his hand, ordering his sniper to identify the two. The other men hopped off their perch and began to form a perimeter around the two dead corpses. The sniper, releasing his gun, stood up from his crouched position and began to cautiously walk forward.
Locke squinted in the darkness. The rest of his men had formed a perimeter around the two dead bodies, occasionally glancing over their shoulders for any onlookers. This assassination was to be kept under wraps. If this objective were completed as planned, no one would know anyone was here tonight.
The moon in its' tinted blue beauty shone a soft light towards the harbors. Locke looked around. Darkness was everywhere. Anyone could be hiding behind crates.
"Well…" Locke shot out. "Is that them?" Locke pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number of his boss. He would be expecting the good news. Once the suitor for the tablet is killed, Mr. Chang would open up his sales market towards others. The phone rang once…twice…Locke looked up, noticing that his sniper had stood back up. His face was showed signs of fear.
"Sir…" Locke closed his cell with a snap. "I think you need to look at this."
Locke shoved his cell into his coat. What now…he thought, this better be good. He's stealing my time for the prize. "What snipe." Locke stormed towards the two bodies. The darkness of the harbors still engulfed over the two dead bodies.
Locke walked forward, his feet thumping on the concrete platform, until the shapes of two bodies lying together were seen. They looked like the right targets. One had on a large fur coat, with scraggly pants. Gangs…Locke thought, they're disguises are pitiful. The other man was Caucasian, incidentally wearing a long overcoat.
"Nothing's wrong with them snipe. What's wrong with you?" Locke held his large hands to his hips. The sniper gulped before pushing the two dead bodies until their faces were clear to Locke. His eyes grew wide of shock.
"Who are these people snipes?" The sniper gulped again.
"I shot a drug lord sir." Sniper opened the Caucasian man's large overcoat. In there was all the evidence that Locke needed. He was starting to tremble, his fists shaking voluntarily.
"Whose the other man?" Locke's voice boomed over the harbor, temper being unleashed. A few of the men snickered. Sniper seemed to shrink right before their eyes.
"A hobo sir." Locke was infuriated beyond the wildest pennants of his control. One of his men sniggered. Locke glared at the sniper before he gave a sigh. Reaching into his pocket, he gave the sniper a few last words.
"You are not worthy to the Ling Triads." Before sniper could react, Locke had pulled the trigger, ricocheting the sniper back several feet. "Clean up the mess, throw him in the water." Locke walked stiffly back to their hiding spot, grabbing out a few bags of equipment. The remaining four men did as he ordered.
Dropping the dead sniper into the cold murky harbor waters, Locke stood by, putting on his black gloves and pulling out an automatic. The sniper was a new recruit. His loss can be replaced. Just another soul to sacrifice in the ways of Triads.
Locke was a trained gang leader, having served under the boss for a decade. Long, black hair cascaded down to his neck as dark, midnight black eyes pierced through every soul in the gang. The remaining men had a lot of work to do. Whoever this person that the boss had sent them to assassinate knew that they were here.
"In lines!" Locke commanded. The four members, all dressed in black, stood in a straight line. Their hands were folded behind their backs, eyes hungry for bloodshed.
The apparent leader, Locke paced in front of every member like a boot camp commander. He made sure to personally connect with every soul on his team. Locke rose to his full height, an impressive 6'6. Wringing his gloved hands over the silenced automatic,he informed his team. He reached into his pockets, pulling out a black and white picture.
"Here is the man we want. Get a good look at him. He will not be hard to find, for we are the only ones at the harbor this time. Find him, kill him, clean up, and leave." One of the remaining Ling's looked uncomfortable. Locke, noticing, walked straight up to the member, looking him straight in the eyes.
"The sniper is of no use to us anymore. Our presence is known." He grabbed a cartilage of steel encased bullets lubricated with a blue gel to pierce any kind of armor, jamming it into his gun. "Our target is still out there. It's our dire job for the boss to find him. Let no one leave this harbor alive."
The men all reached into their packs, bringing out numerous silenced guns and jabbing cartilages of bullets inside them. They brought out black gloves and special heat radiated goggles. Their target had no chance of escaping. Locke tapped his watch.
"Twenty minutes men, that's all we have before we attract attention. The nearest police station is ten minutes away." Glancing up at the moon, Locke glared at each man one more time. Their faces expressed animalistic hunger, their breaths coming out like fire radiating out of a dragon. Eyes expressing that of a hungry panther. Dark, illuminating, hungry.
Locke smiled. Trained assassin specialists. He had the advantage. Location, numbers, and experience. They were ready to hunt. Any target of the boss, is a target to themselves.
"Spread out!" Locke spat out angrily. "Find them or I will personally have every one of your heads fed to my roosters!" Locke and his men spread out, disappearing into the darkness.
A shot was heard around the harbor. Harry and Warren both ducked behind a stack of crates, keeping their surroundings in sight.
"What in Merlin was that?" hissed Harry. He reached into his pocket to get his wand.
"No!" Warren spat out, realizing what Harry was going to do. "Number one rule of wizards in muggle area. Never reach for your wand until it is the last option." Harry nodded, sighing.
"We've been located Warren…and by the sound of the shots, they don't want to have tea with us." Harry shoved his wand back into his pockets. Warren gestured for Harry to crawl around the corner, getting a better look. Harry had to squint, barely able to see Warren in the darkness. Harry's sweater was starting to itch.
"It's the Ling's. We better leave this area immediately." Warren stood up, keeping his body within the shadows of the conclave. Harry hunched up against a few crates, peering around the corner. Thinking fast, he had the idea to reach for his cell phone and call the local police station.
He reached into his Khaki pockets, fumbling around. Shit Harry thought, I must've left my cell on the table! He peered around the corner again. A tall gangly male was barking at his men. Harry silently paced back to Warren, giving the Tsai member his insights.
He was just about to speak when Warren covered Harry's mouth with his hand. "Don't speak, they'll hear us. Here." Warren stuck a hand into his suit and pulled out a silenced PK9. He handed the silenced pistol to Harry. "You'll need this. The Ling's mean trouble."
Harry nodded, feeling the weight of the pistol in his pocket. Without another word, both men ran for it. Trekking through numerous mazes of crates and steel shipment carriages, Harry ran on the balls of his feet, making sure to keep his footstep sounds to a minimum.
He made sure to keep Warren in sight. His Chinese friend knew the harbors better than Harry did. Pulling out his PK9 in front of him, Harry crept along the shadows of the crates, keeping out of the light.
Warren was not very athletic like Harry was. Pretty soon, he started to pant, slowing down his pace considerably. Harry, noticing this, pulled Warren along into a small opening within the crates.
"Harry," Warren shot out between breaths. "I'm getting too old for this." Harry couldn't help but smile inwardly. Warren was no young lad anymore. He was already getting into his late forties, and counting.
"It's alright Warren, I just…" Someone's steps were heard nearby. Harry and Warren both shut up and strained their ears to listen carefully. The footsteps tapped onto the wooden board, sending the lower wood planks to vibrate under the rhythm. Harry pulled out his PK9 in front of him, preparing to fire.
The footsteps were from the left of Harry and coming in fast. He crouched down, aiming the silencer barrel towards the sound. He saw the intruder, keeping low among the many crates of the harbor. A short thin male came around the corner silently, an automatic clearly spotted in his hands. The guy meant business.
Harry aimed, keeping the gun's barrel at eye-point, making sure the pistol held straight on with his target. He pulled the trigger. The automatic lurched backwards from the aftershock, and clanged on the floor. The silenced shot hit two inches to the left of Harry's target, splintering the wooden crates.
The target immediately hunched down behind a crate, looked around, and pulled out a walkie-talkie.
Harry inwardly smacked himself. While shooting the gun, he had lost grip of the handle. Now the PK9 lay nine feet away from Harry, right in to the middle of an open clearing. On the other side, hunched behind a stack of crates, was the enemy.
Harry had never been good with a shot. The art of sharp shooting was not something in his arsenal that made him proud. From the look of where his bullet hit, Harry had been about a few feet off. Warren crept alongside Harry, holding out his own PK9. He saw Harry's gun lying right in the middle of the clearing, and gave him a you-need-work-on-your-skills look. Harry ran a hand through his hair.
Warren glanced around, focusing in on his surroundings. He saw a brief glimpse of the intruder. "He's wearing infra-red goggles. They already know where we are. We need to move!" Harry peered over the top of his crate. Indeed, the intruder was wearing infra-red goggles. A special set of night vision goggles that detect heat.
From the look of his surroundings, Harry concluded that they were the only things that would be able to produce heat. They needed to move, fast.
Both men crept silently along the many crates finding a small slit in the wall of wooden boxes.
Here, they bunked up, preparing themselves for what was to come.
The target bunked low, hunched under the crates. Pulling out his walkie-talkie, he geared up the silent radio, messaging to his comrades.
"I have their location. Coordinates, 13-4-31. Two targets." The man checked his photo before looking back over the crate. Adjusting his goggles to zoom in on the source of heat. Close enough.
A reply was heard on the walkie-talkie, static buzzing around.
"Locke here." Static was heard. The gang member silently cursed the diminishing signals from the walkie-talkie. The harbor had an expanse range of communications able to jam any kind of electronic traveling over sonic waves. Cell phone, radio, etc.
"Stay where you are. We're coming. Hold targets in current position. Setting up ring of fire."
"Affirmative." The Ling closed his walkie-talkie before peering out over the crates. The targets were gone! Using his infra-red goggles, the member glanced around, observing his surroundings. A smirk held on his face. To his left behind three wooden crates was a large concentration of green light signaling heat from the background of red. The targets were spotted again.
The member took out a black GPS system from his bag. This little sucker tracked where all of his comrades were and where they were heading. Over a small red screen, four dots were signaling their approach to here.
Carefully, the four dots spread out, forming a circular perimeter around the area. They were slowly moving in for the kill. Placing the GPS on the floor and picking up his automatic again, the member moved into his position, slowly creeping up towards the two targets.
Harry and Warren lay hidden behind a stack of crates, straining their ears trying to locate any sound. No such luck. Warren held his gut, breathing in and out.
"Harry." Warren managed to gush out. "They're wearing those infra-red goggles. They know we're here." Warren's eyes emanated intelligence, trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess. Harry looked around before sighing and glancing up at the moon.
He had an idea. Pulling out his wand, Harry gave it a few flicks creating sparks to fly.
"Harry!" Warren hissed. "What are you doing?" Harry gave a reassuring look to Warren, easing up the old man a bit.
"Trust me on this Warren. Our lives are on the line." His next move would determine their future.
Locke observed the GPS system. Five green circles formed a perimeter around the center where all of his men have spotted heat. They were moving in quickly. Excellent thought Locke we'll have them in no time.
They were only about several yards away, the heat off the two targets swiveling around in the redness of the goggles. Locke glanced around, seeing other heated areas. His men were approaching fast.
Locke knew that his signals would be seen from the goggles. He raised a hand up into the air, jabbing two fingers in the direction of the target. His men motioned back, giving him a thumbs-up sign.
Slowly, inch-by-inch, Locke crawled forward. Once in range of a full attack, Locke positioned his automatic. Switching on the laser, he aimed at the back of one of the targets. Goggles on, lasers on target, men in position. The job would be done quick and silent.
After the men were revealed dead, Locke would waste them away in the deep harbor waters, never to be seen again.
Five mini strings of red light all focused on one target. Harry noticed the lasers coming towards him. Warren had explained this type of technique to him during their last few missions. Laser technology. Where the laser hits, is where you get hit. All five lasers were motioned at his head, ready to strike at any second.
I need to act fast Harry thought. Whipping out his wand, Harry put his knowledge to the test.
"Lumos Maximus!"
A blinding white light expanded into the sky. Harry and Warren both shielded their eyes as before them asa large gush of white heat and light blasted from the end of Harry's wand. Infra-red goggles detected heat, giving their wearers an exact position of where their target was located.
They had one weakness. Too much heat would cause the goggles on overdrive, blinding the wearers to extreme extents.
Locke screamed in agony as his infra-red goggles immediately shot out bright stingy lights into his pupils. Instinctively, he covered his eyes. This was no use. The goggles were radiating with heat as the light slowly began to diminish. Goggles off!
Locke swatted at his goggles, landing the eyepiece a few yards away, splintered. He was blinded. As the light was now completely gone, the darkness spread like a virus. Everything went completely black as Locke reached around blindly trying to get a feel for his surroundings.
Wobbling around a bit with his hands in front of him, Locke reached for his bag of supplies, anchoring him to a safe spot.
Locke reached around his belt, grabbing his radio. Blindly, he called his men.
"Current situation, reply." Locke released the speaking button, waiting for a reply. All he heard were moans of agony. Throwing down the walkie-talkie in rage, Locke closed his eyes, letting his pupils heal and return to their regular size. This would take some time, as Locke's eye-sight was badly damaged as of this moment.
While Locke was blinded, Harry led Warren towards one side of the set up perimeter. Peering behind the crates, he saw a man dressed in all black, carrying a pack of ammunition, and rolling around the floor in agony. Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had bought the both of them precious time.
"Harry, take out the Ling member. One down, one less to go." Harry nodded, whipping out his wand and pointing it directly onto the man's forehead.
"Obliviate! Stupefy!" The member thumped to the ground, having been knocked out. Harry transfigured a nearby rock to alter into a long piece of rope. Warren shoved the stupefied man's hands together, tying them up tightly. Then, he moved to his legs. Once the Ling member was firmly tied to one of the crates, Harry and Warren moved on, preparing to take out another intruder.
Locke was meanwhile trying to control his nerves down. Slowly standing up, he tried to open his eyes. Stunning pain hit him as white splotches still plagued his sight. Stumbling over his bag of supplies, he didn't notice a couple flash bombs roll out. Within seconds, the harbor lit up in another engulfment of white light.
Nearby, a police branch office building sighted the several flashes of light. An officer immediately picked up his cell phone, dialing a memorized number onto the keypad.
A weary voice picked up.
"Commander speaking." The officer cringed. His commander of the police force was still at bed. The holidays were almost here. Chinese New Year in a month. Police forces and government officials were everywhere supporting local cop stations in time for the grand parade. The commander had a long, grueling day negotiating with the mayor of Hong Kong.
"Sir, several flashes of white light occurred near the harbor. I ask permission to maneuver several units towards the docks." The commander yawned.
"Do it, send the explanation tomorrow morning." He hung up.
"What the hell was that?" The officer said to himself. Picking up the microphone connected to the speakers, the officer sent out two units to check out current circumstances at the harbor.
Sirens were heard to be speeding towards the murky waters of the harbor.
Locke silently cursed himself again. He had set off multiple flash bombs. Anyone nearby could've reported this incident. Grumbling ferociously, Locke stood up, squinting. His eyesight was slowly healing, as he could partially see in the dark. Footsteps were heard in the background.
Like a panther ready to pounce, Locke pulled his automatic into ready stance, pointing at it towards the residing footsteps. Several silhouettes were seen in the moonlight. Locke took aim. If this assassination was to be left abandoned, then he would have to finish half of the job.
Aiming it at the target's head, Locke pulled the trigger. A loud clang was heard in the air as the bullet zoomed towards the target. A loud wail was heard. Locke smirked. Bulls-eye. He had hit the target. Grabbing his equipment, Locke ran over to the harbor, dumping the ammunition into the dark waters.
Running towards where he had parked his Toyota, Locke noticed one of his men tied up and gagged to a set of crates.
Leave him there Locke thought, there will be other men for me to command. Locke had to order his men to pull out.
Picking up his walkie-talkie from his belt, Locke spat into the radio.
"Abandon mission, repeat. Abandon mission." Locke waited for an answer. Static. Looking at his walkie-talkie, he found the problem. His set of communication was broken. While he had tripped, Locke had landed himself on his walkie-talkie, permanently damaging the piece of metal.
"Screw this." Locke said to himself. He made to leave. This was the game of survival. You're on your own now. Watch your own back. Locke ran stealthily towards his Toyota parked near the back of the harbor.
On the way running there, he saw a few cars pull up. Great, now local gangs know about this incident. I'm leaving before this gets messy. Locke saw a few men dressed in black jump out of the black car, pistols in hand. He didn't have time to see any more.
Lunging into his Toyota, he started his engines and zoomed off towards the freeway. Once on, Locke saw a flash of police lights and sirens heading right towards him. He pulled over, letting the convoy of police cars pass, heading their way towards the docks. Locke breathed in a sigh of relief.
The boss would not be happy, but he would be better prepared the next time. Next time, he wouldn't fail.
Harry stopped his pacing at once. Warren was hunched on the ground, grabbing his right shoulder blade. Harry saw blood treacle slowly from Warren's hand, flowing down towards his feet.
"Warren! You're hit!" Warren winced in pain as he tried to stand. Harry immediately set his insights towards helping his friend. He pulled a hand around Warren's waist and half carried the injured old man towards a set of crates located in a U.
This was a safe spot. He could hide here until the trouble was over. Dragging Warren, Harry hid his friend into the darkness of the crates, ripping off a part of his sweater to cover the injury.
Blue goop was oozing from the wound. Warren looked at his shoulder, wincing.
"Formulized bullet sterilizer. This thing could blast a bullet through armor like a hot knife through butter." Harry checked the wound. The bullet had zoomed right through Warren's shoulder blade, ricocheting off to somewhere else. Harry breathed in, pressing Warren's shoulder trying to apply pressure.
He put pressure upon the wound, causing a low shriek to form from Warren's mouth. The old man breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down.
Harry cursed himself for not learning any healing spells. They would come in handy right now.
Harry had to think fast. His friend was injured. There were still people out there that wanted him dead. If only he could get a boat.
"Warren, where's your cell phone?" Warren looked down, panting.
"Threw it in the water. The government is able to track your calls. Once the news gets out, they'll tap into my Cell Phone services, tracking me down." Harry sighed. Warren made a point there. But how can he get out of this mess?
Harry wrapped the cloth around Warren's shoulder, forming a knot at the end. "Come on, we need to get out of here. We're outnumbered, and outgunned. I'm going to try to get you home Warren." Harry was about to stand up…
"There you are." A gruff voice sounded from the opening of the alley. Harry looked up, shocked. There, three men stood, holding their silenced guns wobbling in their hands. Their eyes looked red and teary. Harry tried to move, but three red lasers immediately focused on his forehead. Harry sighed. He was trapped.
"We were sent here to assassinate you, intruder. The cops are coming." Sirens were heard in the distance. "Once we finish you, we clean up the evidence. No one will know who killed you. Your last night on Earth is in Hong Kong. I hope life has been good to you."
One of the men stepped forward, proclaiming himself the leader. The other two men flanked him, pointing their guns at Harry.
"You've cost us enough madness today. One is dead; another one of our comrades is forgotten out in the docks somewhere. Our leader has abandoned us. No matter. Once we kill you, our boss will rightfully promote us. This is a fine night for all of us!"
The three men breathed in the salty air of the harbors. Then, they all pointed their guns towards Harry. "Goodnight Sir."
A great way to die thought Harry. And on Christmas Eve too.
A loud shot was heard coming from behind the men. Harry sat frozen on the ground…motionless, too shocked to move. The leader of the three men wavered where he was standing, until he fell flat, face first onto the ground, lifeless. Harry glanced at the back of the dead guy's head. He winced.
Headshot. Whoever shot him skill with a gun. The two remaining men slowly moved forward, surprise evident in their faces.
Harry glanced up behind the remaining two men at the shooter. His eyes grew wide. Standing there, in all her glory, was Ginny. Her chocolate eyes blazing, her rich red hair flowing gently around in the wind. She had her pistol locked in her grasp, pointed directly at where the dead Ling member stood.
The two men looked at their attacker. They had surprise etched on their faces.
"A woman!" Both men seemed surprised at their killer. They made to turn around.
"Move and you-will-die." Ginny shot out coldly, positioning her gun towards one of the remaining gang members. Both men froze.
"You are outnumbered girl. Leave and you will not be bothered." The Ling member grabbed their guns, pointing them at Ginny.
Ginny didn't move, her pistol expertly pointed in her grasp. With a flick of her head, four bodyguards flanked her, each wearing a crisp black suit and holding pistols in front of them.
Harry saw Lucifer, standing to the right of Ginny. He couldn't be more impressed and proud of Ginny at this moment.
The bodyguards all released their safety locks as numerous clicks were heard. Five guns were pointed at the Ling members.
The two Ling members, having lost all hope surrendered, dropping their weapons to the floor.
"Slowly lay flat on the ground, hands behind you head." Ginny ordered. The two men did as she ordered. With them on the floor, Lucifer and his men walked forward, tying the intruders.
Ginny sighed and let out a breath of relief. She had come in time. Releasing her pistol from her grasp, she walked forward towards Harry and his companion.
Harry couldn't help but smile a bit as Ginny walked forward. She looked like an angel. A soft wail was heard behind Harry reeling him back towards Warren.
"Warren. Are you all right?" There was no answer. Ginny gently checked out Warren before pulling out her wand. A soft glow of pink light formed on the tip of her wand and shot down towards Warren's wound. Slowly, the wound started to heal. Warren's pain had been reduced dramatically.
Harry stood there, speechless. Being a healer required superior grades in school and large quantities of magical aura. Ginny never ceased to surprise him.
The old man stood up, wobbling a bit, before showing his gratitude to Ginny.
"Lucifer, carry him to our car." Ginny ordered softly. Lucifer nodded, helping Warren wobble to their car parked in the distance. A bodyguard stepped forward.
"On our way here, we found another one of them tied up to a crate. We'll let these two join them." Harry nodded. "What do we do with the dead one?"
Ginny looked at the bodyguard, her expression showing thought. "Leave him with the rest of his men. They are to be found together. Make sure to clear all evidence of us being here. Go." The bodyguard nodded, carrying one of the tied up Ling members over his shoulder, walking off into the darkness.
Harry stood up, before wincing slightly in pain. Ginny immediately noticed.
"Harry, you're hurt!" Ginny's caring eyes met with Harry's as he tried to subdue the pain building up in his arm.
"It's just a few cuts and bruises. I'll be fine." Ginny quickly ran over to Harry's side. Lifting up his right sleeve, she noticed a large gash on Harry's right arm. She winced.
"Oh Harry." Ginny whipped out her wand before healing his right arm. A pink light emanated over Harry's skin, sending warmth to spread over his right arm. Harry watched in amazement as slowly, the pain subsided.
The gash was still apparent but now almost un-noticeable. Ginny lifted one of Harry's hands around her waist while she and Harry walked slowly back to the cars.
Harry looked down before smiling weakly.
"Ginny, where are your shoes?" Ginny looked down, noticing for the first time that she had only her nightgown on. She hadn't even bothered to put on shoes. So that's why those people in the hotel were looking at me funny.
The bodyguards came back, informing Lucifer of the current situation.
"We have the four men tied up to a crate. Three of the men had weapon bags on them. We confiscated the bags." Another bodyguard held up three black bags. Lucifer glanced at the bags. Sirens were heard coming closer.
"Put the bags in the trunk. We need to get out of here."
Once in the back seat of the car, Ginny sat close to Harry, tending to Harry's other cuts and bruises. Lucifer sat in the driver's seat, started the engine, and the car zoomed off. The black sedan behind them carrying Warren zoomed off into the other direction.
"They're heading back to Tsai headquarters." Lucifer explained noticing Harry stare at the other car from the back window.
Harry had a thousand questions to ask Ginny right now. But as the car drove back towards the Peninsula Hotel, he felt his eyelids begin to drag. Ginny let Harry rest his head upon her shoulder. He obliged.
Harry was now very close to her. He could smell the faint whiff of perfume Ginny had on. Harry's eyelids were becoming heavier by the second. Exhaustion overtook him asthe world went black.
The last thing Harry heard were sirens heading in the other direction, towards the docks.
Questions could be asked in the morning. Now all Harry wanted was some sleep.
Chirping birds were the only sounds heard as Harry began to stir. Blinking his eyes open, Harry shut them again from the white sunlight coming from their bay window. Reaching for his glasses, he put them on. Once the blurry images cleared, Harry yawned and made to get out of bed.
It was then that he noticed something was keeping him down. Harry looked down, and smiled. Last night's clothes lay there on top of Harry, adding along layers of silk sheets and comforters, made the weight upon Harry's chest quite heavy.
Ginny had sprawled herself halfway up against Harry, half of her body on him, the other half off. Her head lay directly on Harry's rising and settling chest. Her rich burgundy hair lay spread out like a halo. She looked adorable.
Wincing slightly, Harry cursed his right arm. Those cuts and bruises were pretty deep. Even though they had been healed, nothing could revive fully without time. All caused from the splintering woods from the planks. Maneuvering himself out of bed, Harry tucked Ginny in as she lay on her stomach, her arms cuddling the soft pillows.
Standing up and stretching, Harry noticed a card laid perfectly on top of the study desk located in the room. Confused, Harry picked the card up, reading it.
Harry,
Merry Christmas boss.
The Chinese are not very adept at the Christmas traditions, they have Chinese New Year.
Hope you slept well.
Mr. Chang will be waiting for you upon his ship in Victoria harbor at 8 p.m. sharp.
Lucifer and Co.
Harry smiled, putting the card back down. He slowly walked back to the bed where Ginny was still sleeping soundly. Slowly sitting on the edge of bed, Harry pulled down the cover a bit revealing Ginny's smooth silky nightgown. Ginny shifted a little in the sheets.
Harry laid a hand upon Ginny's back, rubbing soothingly up and down. Soon after, a happy sigh was heard from Ginny showing Harry that the girl was enjoying her treatment. Harry continued, rubbing his hand up and down Ginny's smooth back. Ginny purred in her sleep.
Before long, she woke up, batting her eyelashes at Harry teasingly with a happy smile plastered on her face.
"Morning Harry." Harry couldn't help but smile back.
"Morning." Ginny flipped onto her back and yawned, stretching herself out on top of the bed.
Harry couldn't help but notice Ginny's womanly features. Over the years, she had matured considerably from the shy girl who would blush every time Harry made eye contact with her, to the beautiful blossoming red rose she was now. Harry couldn't describe Ginny's beauty, there was no way to begin.
Ginny, noticing Harry's eyes roaming her body smiled teasingly at him after she finished stretching out like a cat.
"Like what you see Harry?" Harry looked up, surprise evident upon his face.
"Uh…er…wh-…" Ginny giggled as slowly, Harry's face started turning red. A woman's best weapon.She could bring any powerful man or wizard to speechlessness with just stretching. Especially such a powerful wizard as Harry. He was mumbling silently while looking at his feet. Ginny inwardly smiled. Even Harry could be made into a rubble of goop.
Slowly, Ginny sat up and got herself out of bed. She walked over to Harry and teasingly batted her long eyelashes at him. Harry was still a pile of rubble on the floor, barely able to mutter any coherent language. She bent down and kissed Harry on the cheek, lingering longer than necessary.
Harry could feel her hot breath on his right cheek. The hairs on the back of his head started to perk up.
"Hope you slept well Harry." Ginny said in a husky voice. Then, without a word, she walked straight into the bathroom and shut the door. Harry sat there, stupefied. He felt a strong case of magnetic attraction towards his partner. Old crushes do come back and haunt you. Harry groaned loudly, stuffing his face into the pillows.
The shower started. Harry had to get some fresh air. Picturing Ginny in the shower was not a way to start off Christmas Day.
Rushing out of the master bathroom, Harry walked straight towards the living room where the balcony was. Opening the sliding doors, he walked out into the morning air of Hong Kong. Breathing in the crisp, fresh air, Harry relaxed himself as his head filled up with questions.
Why did the Ling's want me dead? That would be something that Harry had to find out. Something was going on.
Harry was reeled from his thoughts with a soft tap on his shoulder. Whirling around, Harry was now eye-to-eye with Ginny. She was wearing nothing but a bathrobe that clung tightly to her luscious body.
Harry felt his blood drain. Bloody hormones he thought.
"Ginny!" Ginny smiled at Harry, before she walked out onto the balcony, leaning onto the marble railing.
Harry had the extreme urge to hug the girl. An inner battle raged within himself as his conscience fought with his heart over what Harry would do next. His heart won. Harry felt himself walk forward and wrap his arms around Ginny's waist, pulling her tightly towards his chest.
Ginny was surprised at first, before leaning into Harry as his arms tightened around her.
"Thank you." Whispered Harry into Ginny's ear. Ginny stood still; enjoying one of the few hugs Harry gave to people.
"How did you know where I was Ginny?" Ginny's eyes turned thoughtful as Harry released his grasp from her. She walked back towards the living room, picking up the note Harry had left her.
"You're a terrible liar," Ginny chided Harry as she walked back over to the balcony. Harry knew that lying to Ginny wouldn't help matters.
"Dear Ginny," Ginny read from the letter, glancing at Harry every few lines. "I have some thoughts to think on considering the mission that we are both put on. I'll be walking around near the Peninsula Hotel's gardens. If you read this, which I doubt you will, don't worry about me. Customer Service will know where I am. Love, Harry."
Ginny folded the note in two, folding her arms in front of her.
Harry had to smile weakly. He was caught, bare-handed. Inside his head,he was wondering how Ginny would act on this. Flushing, Harry ran a hand through his messy locks. Considering the time, he didn't have the spare time to explain everything from Ginny. He had underestimated her.
Ginny was never the one to sit back and be left out of anything.
"You went to customer service?" Harry asked, backing up slowly towards the wall. Ginny's eyes blazed as she slowly started to walk forward.
"Yes, in fact I did Harry. They gave me this." Ginny reached into her white bathrobe pocket and pulled out a small envelope. Inside was a clean sheet of paper. Written on it, were the numbers, 8-1-18-2-15-18.
Ginny closed in on Harry's slowly shrinking height. It was like watching a sand castle slowly being disincarnated. "Big help this piece of information was." Harry backed up more. The wall was coming up fast.
"Do you know how much you worried me Harry? I walkedto the hotel entrance having no clue where in Merlin you were." Harry backed up more.
"And another fact Harry. The Peninsula has no gardens." Harry visibly winced.
"How did you figure out where I was?" Harry's voice was timid. Ginny opened the paper up again, continuing to advance on Harry's retreating figure.
Harry's back hit the wall. He stared helpless as Ginny slowly advanced towards him. Her eyes showed no signs of being happy.
"Harry, I hate the fact that sometimes, you think you can take on anything yourself. And to make it worse, you gave me a set of numbers when I was supposed to be informed of where you were. That front counter lady, she looked angry at me! What did you do to her Harry?"
Harry was speechless. Ginny's body was now flush against his, her chest rising and falling from her breaths. She didn't seem to notice their closeness, her eyes carefully focused at Harry. Harry, was not so lucky.
"I did nothing to her. I just handed her the letter." Ginny's eyes blazed again.
"You call this a letter!" Her piercing glare struck into Harry, weakening his composure. The letter was indeed a joke to Ginny. It had numbers on it and barely filled one tenth of the paper.
"How did you find me?" Ginny glared at Harry, her hot breath licking his cheeks.
"I'm an investigator Harry, I do these things for a living." Harry inwardly groaned. He had not thought about that. Inside, he wanted to keep Ginny as far away from danger as possible.
"Quite something too," Ginny continued, her voice raising. "Simple but hard to distinguish. At first, I thought they were coordinates. Then, something clicked in my mind. The English alphabet. The words spelled out Harbor." Harry had to give credit to Ginny's intelligence. It had taken Harry a while to decipher Warren's code. For Ginny, it had taken her mere seconds.
"How did you get there?" Ginny smirked at Harry. From his very close proximity of the beautiful woman standing flush against his body, he was able to notice every single detail of the girl's face. Ginny had blocked off any escape for Harry, pushing him up against the wall and using her body as a barrier.
She reached into another pocket of her bath robe. Her hand pulled out Harry's cell phone. Harry's eyes went wide. So that's where it went. From Harry's frantic state, he had left his cell lying on the living room coffee table.
"I dialed two." Harry was confused.
"Two?" Ginny pressed her face closer to Harry, eyes flashing.
"When Lucifer dropped us off, he specifically informed us to dial two in order to reach his cell phone. You, as I might conclude, weren't listening at all." Harry hung his head. During that time, he had been too busy focusing all of his attention on Ginny. Not that he would tell her anyway.
"Why didn't you wake me up Harry?" Harry down into Ginny's warm chocolate eyes. He was given an option out. If the reason he gave Ginny worked out, her anger would cool down. If he acted like an idiot again, Ginny was free to hex him into Japan. Harry gulped. Then, something in his mind shot out an answer.
"Well, considering the dream you were having, wouldn't it be rude to wake you then?" Ginny visibly softened as embarrassment clouded her once blazing eyes. Then, as if suddenly noticing that she had her body flush against Harry's, she backed away and slowly sat down in one of the comfy couches, flopping a pillow into her lap.
Harry sighed in relief. No Bat-Hex-Bogey from Ginny any time soon.
Ginny held her face low as Harry walked towards her and flopped down in the couch opposite of her. He had heard her dream. Her very hot dream. It had almost seemed as if what had happened was real.
Harry couldn't help but adore Ginny. Her face looked adorable when she was embarrassed. Then, tears welled up in Ginny's eyes, snapping the man out of his admiration.
"I thought that I had lost you again Harry." Ginny sobbed quietly as she held her pillow to her. "It was such a close call. If I hadn't been there when those two men pointed their weapons at you…" Ginny broke down in sobs as she held her crushed her pillow to her face.
Harry felt ashamed for his actions last night. He slowly walked over to Ginny's side, and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly.
He had worried her out of her senses.
"Shhh...Ginny, I'm sorry..." Harry continued rubbing Ginny's back soothingly until the girl's sobs slowly turned into sniffs. Ginny looked up into Harry's eyes, finding truth and comfort in those warm orbs of emerald.
"Harry." Harry looked down at the girl in his arms. "Promise me...don't leave me..." Harry looked down, and nodded slowly.
"I promise Ginny. Even if the gods want me dead, I will live until a ripe old age. Ginny's soft face broke out into a warm smile. Harry couldn't help but smile back.
They were getting deeper and deeper into the legend. Pretty soon, Harry's promise would be tested to its' extremes. The sky was orange, the sun just rising above the Hong Kong horizon. Whatever Harry and Ginny were going to get into, they were going to fight through it together.
Draco paced down the grand hallways of the lost chamber. Observing the different hieroglyphics and admiring the amazing artwork, the blond-haired man shoved his hands into his pockets. Knockturnal would rise again, destroying all life unworthy of living.
The ritual was to be started soon. Once the creature is unleashed, and the power measured, the world will lay bare for Silver Fang to claim. The ultimate prize for any power hungry individual. Its' fate will lay in the hands of two unsuspecting people. This creature was once summoned to save the world, now its' power will seek to destroy it.
History is what made us...little do we know...it will be the force that destroys us.
I will go back and edit my chapter of any typoes or mistakes I have made, to make reading thie story easier for my audience. No need to worry, my updates will still come. It's just that I hate how some typos just stick out. Thank you all for the reviews! If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to tell me.
-Apac