Hi everyone.. I am wondering if anyone has any reviews for me? I haven't heard any comments, queries, or concerns for a while…hint, hint.
Chloe held her breath as she watched Joshua's plane land on the runway. She knew she had to stay hidden from view but every ounce of her wanted to confront him as soon as he stepped onto the tarmac. She watched from inside the terminal as Lionel's limo drove out to meet the planes passengers.
Lionel was confident that this would go off without a hitch. He had two of Metropolitan's finest police members with him to aid in detaining Joshua. For now he simply had to maintain his cool and meet Joshua with seemingly innocent intentions. He stepped out of the limo as the planes engines shut off and the props slowed to a stop.
He wiped away the few stray hairs that blew around his face and noted that the weather could not have been more appropriate. The wind was cold and the sky was over cast with the threat of rain. How fitting that this weather would mark the end of a good arrangement and the return of his annoyance of a son.
"Joshua!", Lionel called in greeting as Joshua and his men hit the bottom stair of the exit and onto the waiting tarmac. Lionel, his two guards and the two undercover police officers posing as a chauffer and a third guard closed the distance between them.
"Hello Lionel." Joshua curtly greeted shaking Lionel's outstretched hand.
"I trust that your flight was uneventful." Lionel continued.
"Yes it was a quiet trip indeed. I believe we have some unfinished business regarding some vases you would like cleared up."
"Yes, yes of course. Come with me and we'll head into the city to clear this all up." Lionel motioned to the car as he stepped aside allowing Joshua and his men inside.
"I will have my chauffer drive you to the bank in the city. My auditors will be there to meet us. I am afraid I have a quick errand to run before I can meet up with you. After our meeting at the bank I have a few things I would like to show you to make your trip worth while."
"You aren't coming with us?" Joshua confirmed as he climbed into the seat of the limo.
"No, I'm afraid not, but we will have plenty of time to catch up after the auditors are finished with us. Don't worry, I will meet up with you before you have completed your work at the bank."
"Fine then, I will meet you there. I think we have a lot to discuss." Joshua hinted at a conversation regarding Lex but didn't discuss the details in front of the other men listening.
With Joshua and his guards tucked away in the limo Lionel shut the door and turned to his men. "I want this problem dealt with before you reach the city. You have my directions, I want them dead and disposed of before you step foot in that bank."
The two undercover cops nodded at Lionel and his men.
"I am not messing around here gentlemen. I trust your payment was more than sufficient to ensure that he doesn't make it to the city limits."
"Yes sir, Mr.Luthor." One of the police responded on behalf of both men.
"Good, see you don't disappoint me." Lionel nodded and turned from the limo without looking back.
He drove towards the terminal regretting having to dispose of someone who could have proved to be a valuable ally. He stopped in front of the main doors where Chloe was waiting to be picked up. She and two other plain clothed policemen climbed into the limo with Lionel.
"So?" Was all Chloe said as she sat and stared at him. She had arranged for the police alone to transport Joshua into the city and for Lionel to spend as little time as possible with him. She didn't want to give him an opportunity to be alone with Joshua so he could tip him off.
Lionel laughed at her impatience; "They are meeting us at the bank downtown where your uncle and his men along with the city police will be able to arrest them without incident."
"I still don't understand why we couldn't just arrest him here and now." Chloe pushed.
"Because my dear, the airport is a place of limbo for foreign travelers. They are not completely on American soil until they have left the terminal and airport property."
Chloe looked dejected as she pondered the answer. It made sense and she knew this way there would be no room for argument about whether he was truly on American soil. The bank downtown was as good a place as any to arrest him she reckoned. She just hated the idea of wasting time traveling to and from the airport. She was anxious to get back to the airport and be on a plane to Sudan. Until they were on their way she felt like everything that could go wrong just might.
Joshua watched the lights of the airport disappear and the city lights come into view. He was slightly annoyed at having to make his appearance here again but saw the benefits of possibly obtaining the artifacts Lionel had spoken of. Besides that, he didn't need the US government investigating him for some minor paper trail issues. It wouldn't do for them to discover the real reason behind the money transfer.
He became slightly concerned when the limo turned sharply off the main freeway and onto a dirt road. He saw the lights of the city fading in the distance and tapped on the glass separating the passenger compartment with the driver's. His concern peeked when the doors locked on either side of him.
"Where are we going?" Joshua shouted as he tapped the glass window again repetitively. "Hello in there. What is going on? Where the hell are we going?"
There was no answer but the car started to slow to a stop along side of the road. Joshua settled back down into his seat momentarily until the doors unlocked again. The chauffer opened the door and Joshua saw the muzzle end of a handgun pointing in through the opening.
"Get out!" The chauffer called from outside.
Joshua nodded at his men who followed him out of the car. The two undercover police officers met him. The three men stood guns drawn and pointed at Joshua and his two guards.
"Turn around."
"I don't think so." Joshua replied as his two guards sprung into action.
They quickly responded by drawing their own guns and before they had a chance to fire the policemen fired at them. Joshua's guards fell to the ground as Joshua ran around to the far side of the vehicle. He heard second shots fired as he stood to run into the ditch.
He quickly covered the distance to the tree line beside the ditch and ran deep into the blackness. He finally crouched down behind a large fallen over tree. He fumbled with his cell phone and quickly dialed the one person he knew could help him gain some leverage.
"Get me Amir right now." Joshua breathed into the phone as he watched Lionel's two men search the bush for him. For the first time in his life he cursed his stupidity for not carrying a gun. He had always naively relied on guards to protect him so he had no reason to carry a weapon. He definitely had a reason now.
"Amir here." Amir's voice came through the phone loud and clear.
"Amir, Amir it's Joshua. You must listen to me. Go to my house and take the boy and his partner to your home."
"What? Why? Joshua are you in some kind of trouble."
"Listen to me!" Joshua hissed into the phone. "Go and get them. Call Lionel Luthor and tell him to call off his men or you will have them tell their stories to the police and then have them killed."
"Joshua-"
"Just do it!" He snapped before hanging up the phone with care not to make too much noise. He looked around and was unable to see Lionel's men.
He hoped that Amir could contact Lionel in time with Lex and Clark as leverage and convince him to call off his men. He didn't know exactly what was happening but he had no doubt that this meant that Lionel was reneging on their deal and wanted Lex returned to him. With Clark and Lex tucked away with Amir, Lionel would not be able to retrieve them without his help.
He flipped his phone open again and scanned the forest looking for Lionel's men. He hit the speed dial to Lionel's phone and quickly covered the light from the face of the phone with his ear. He waited as the phone dialed and then rang repeatedly.
In the limo Lionel's cell phone rang from inside his pocket. Chloe watched him as he took the phone out, looked at the number and answered it.
"Lionel here." His voice remained calm as Chloe looked on trying to hear the voice on the other end of the phone.
"I don't know what you are playing at Lionel but you had better call off your men."
"I'm sorry but I am on my way to a meeting I'll have to call you back." Lionel replied making eye contact with Chloe hoping inwardly that she couldn't hear Joshua's voice.
"You son of a bitch. I will have your boy killed for this! He will be made to pay for the sins of his father."
"Yes well, I'm afraid I am terribly busy at the moment but if you would like to schedule an appointment I can give you my secretaries number."
Joshua's response was cut short by the feel of cold metal being pressed into the back of his skull.
"Get up!"
Lionel could hear the command on the other end of the phone and tried to stifle the smile that threatened to crack. He watched Chloe as he listened to the events on the other end of the line unfold.
"I said get up!" The police officer repeated.
Joshua slowly stood and turned to face the policeman standing in the darkness.
"I don't know what Lionel is paying you but I will pay you triple." Joshua's hands slowly came up to shoulder height still holding the phone in his one hand.
"No deal." Lionel heard the guard reply in the background.
"I wish to speak with Lionel." Joshua attempted to bargain.
"Mr. Luthor doesn't wish to speak with you." The policeman answered coldly.
"It is regarding his son."
"All the more reason not to talk with you."
The sound of the handgun going off resounded through the quiet of the forest as the bullet entered Joshua's skull, killing him instantly.
Chloe's eyes shot to the direction of the phone as the sound resonated through the speaker. Lionel didn't say a word as he flipped the phone shut and stared out the window.
"What was that?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with my dear, just tying up some loose ends.
Joshua's body was slumped lifeless on the forest floor as the second police officer appeared at the first ones side, " Mr. Luthor will be very happy."
"He should be for what he is paying us. We better get back to the car and call this in."
"What do we say?"
"Simple, we were headed into the city for the arrest when they asked to pull over to go to the bathroom. A struggle ensued and we were forced to shot them."
"That's all well and good but how do you explain him." Jeff pointed down at Joshua's body lying in the fall leafs. "He was unarmed and shot point blank. You were supposed to make it look like he was trying to escape."
"We'll just have to say that he attacked me from behind while I was searching for him. We struggled for control of my weapon and it went off." The other man answered as he headed towards the car to radio in to control.
Chloe's uncle and a few of his men were still at the bank when Lionel and Chloe finally arrived.
"Where is he? Did you get him?" Chloe bubbled with the need to know Joshua was behind bars.
"Oh we got him alright." Her uncle eyed Lionel up suspiciously.
"Oh that's great! Isn't that terrific!" Chloe jumped up and down slightly with excitement as he grabbed at Lionel shirt cuff.
"He is dead Chloe." Her uncle continued before turning back to Lionel with an icy stare. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with this would you?"
Lionel chuckled slightly, "I assure you I had no participation in his demise. I was looking forward to confronting him about the kidnapping of my son."
Chloe's expression said it all. She knew Lionel had arranged this whole thing; she didn't need his confession to confirm that. That was the sound she had heard on Lionel's phone in the car. Her stomach rolled at the realization that she had heard someone's life being taken. She thought she had covered all the bases by ensuring that he was accompanied by two police officers. He must have paid them off, not surprising really, he had half the police force on his payroll or in his debt she reasoned.
"Well either way he is dead and so is our case." Chloe's uncle sighed.
"No! No it's not! With Joshua dead, the police in Sudan can enter his palace without worry same as they could if he had been arrested." Chloe urged.
Lionel rolled his eyes in the background before he forced himself back into the roll of the concerned father for the sake of those standing around watching on. "She is right you know. Now he is gone the threat to them and their families have been removed. I intend on bringing my son home so I ask that you contact the local Sudan police and let them know that I am on my way."
"We are on our way." Chloe corrected.
"Yes of course." Lionel pacified her as he turned and strolled from the room. How he wished he could have arranged for her disappearance at the same time.
He could hear her shoes falling quickly on the tile floor of the bank behind him as she ran to catch up. They were silent until they were inside the limo and on their way to the airport.
"You were behind his death weren't you?" Chloe confronted Lionel.
"Oh stop. You and I both know that if he had gone to court he would have implicated me in his arrangement for Lex. The money transferred to my account would be proof of his purchase and I would accompany him in his court trial. This way Lex and Clark still come home without the political bullshit that accompanies a trial."
Chloe sat watching Lionel with amazement at his words, he truly was insane but genuinely genius at covering his own tracks. She reasoned it must have been all those years of practice.
"Come now my dear, you and I both know the intricacies of the American judicial system would allow him to walk free within the year. This way he never poses a threat to Clark or Lex again."
Chloe couldn't deny that he was right about that. She sat looking out the window watching the airport draw nearer. Her stomach twisted in knots with the reality that within a few hours Clark and Lex would be free. She looked back at Lionel with worry that he had other plans up his sleeve. She was filled with instant self-doubt as she watched him carefully. Had she covered all her bases? She thought she had until Joshua's murder, what if Clark and Lex shared the same fate?
