Chapter 3

Somewhere over the pacific ocean.

Huey watched from the compact window next to him, as woodcrest slowly disappeared from his sight. He was aboard the wunsler's private jet on its way to Thailand along with his brother Riley and gin. How did he get here? He didn't just suddenly accept wunsler's offer. no. A rather scandalous deal was made between the two instead.

It was a Thursday morning, Huey studied for his afternoon final while Riley sat on the living room couch flipping through the channels on T.V. Ever since the day before they ignored each other, with Riley giving his older brother frequent salty looks and Huey paying no attention to him. This irritated Riley even more he was still frustrated about the five hundred grand that was turned down by his ever cautious brother.

Huey met eyes with his younger brother from the far side of the living room while sitting at his desk watching the hate seething from Riley Huey could only shake his head and look away.

"What you looking at me for?" Riley snapped. Huey turned his attention back Riley closing his book,

"your dirty looks aren't going change my decision."

Riley rose from his seat confronting his brother once again.

"Why didn't you just let me go and get the money for myself?"

Huey sighed, "Because you are in no position to make that kind of choice, And as your older brother I have to watch over you and make sure you don't fuck up, like you're trying to now."

Riley raised an eyebrow outraged at the fact that Huey saw him unfit to think for himself, he always despised his older brother's attitude of arrogance towards him especially now that Riley was older. this had to stop now before Huey had full dominance over him.

Riley stepped closer to Huey who stayed seated in his desk and said, "Let me tell you somethin' motherfucker!" Riley slammed his fist down on the desk in rage. "I ain't no lil' ass kid no more, so don't go telling me that I can't make a goddamn choice! In case you haven't noticed you ain't the boss of me, I can do what I want when I want. Don't you ever tell me what to again nigga!"

Huey stood from his seat meeting eyes with Riley,

"Let me tell you something Riley," he said calmly, " I don't give a damn how old you are, since you're living in my house you don't have a choice. I stopped you from making this decision because you don't know Those people who kidnapped Ed, They're not some rag tag group out for money alright? Yesterday I did some research on that Russian lady in the picture, and guess what? Shes the head of the Russian mafia, A goddamn mafia! And that's not all they were all soldiers in the Russian army, so tell me. If I let you go how are you gonna go up against an army?"

Riley shook his head turning away from Huey, to him it was all a sham to make him chicken out. So he stood his ground.

"Huey, stop bullshitin'" he said; "you just made that shit up, or better yet you got that from of those crazy ass conspiracy sites on the internet."

Huey crossed his arms keeping a fixed glance on Riley.

"Made up shit or not, you won't be going and that's final."

Riley left for the door shouting "watch me!"

A kitchen knife flew into the wooden door just inches away Riley's hand, he glared towards his brother who was now standing in front of him. Huey gave Riley a knee to his torso causing him to buckle over, he then pushed him to the far side of the room. Riley tumbled and quickly regain his footing, blood dripped from his mouth staining his shirt. Huey blocked the main exit to the apartment getting into a fighting stance, "Where are you going Riley?" Huey asked; "You don't need to be at work for another four hours."

Riley Readied himself for a fight Just Huey was about to charge him, the door was kicked down. Five police officers rushed in knocking Huey aside, three of the officers aimed their guns steadily at Huey's face while the other two had a sharp aim at Riley. The brothers were still and silent. Lastly A well dressed Edward wunsler walked into the apartment signaling the officers to with draw their weapons. Huey slowly rose to his feet as wunsler greeted him, then he turned to Riley.

"I see you two were horsing around;" He chuckled; "Its good to know that you two haven't lost that youthful roughness of yours."

Huey sat down at his couch glaring at Mr. wunsler, who could see the hate seething from the young man's face.

"Do you you know why I'm here Mr. freeman?" asked wunsler as he took a seat in the chair across from Huey.

"yeah, I told your flunkey we're not interested."

Wunlser raised an eyebrow, "oh yeah, why not?"

"My brother and I have nothing to do with your grandson."

"Hold up Mr wunsler!" Riley jumped in taking a seat between the two, "I was down from the jump when your boy told us what happened, my stupid ass brother said no.

Wunlser lit a cigar taking a drag. "Did he now?" he asked. Huey glared at Riley then back to wunsler.

"listen kid, I didn't request you two so that I could save some money in my pocket, There's is at stake here. "

"And what's that?" Huey scoffed.

"My son has the knowledge of all of my bank accounts, Stocks, oilfields, And other parts of my wealth that could cause so much damage to me and god knows what more damage could be done to the economy if hotel moscow were to get their hands on this info."

"I don't give two shits about you or your money!"

Wunsler took another drag from his cigar.

" Well I already knew that since you rejected my five hundred grand reward, so I thought you would need a little push in the right direction. I know you're dying to know why I've asked the police to join us."

Huey turned his attention to the woodcrest officers, They brought in c-4 blocks placing them on his desk ,Wunlser exhaled tabacco smoke as a wide grin was spread on his face.

"Apparently," wunsler said; " there was a bombing at the community college."

Huey gritted his teeth trying to calm himself. "seven people died, while eighteen other were seriously injured. Here's the good part no body knows who the bomber is. . . well not yet anyway, Do you know where I'm getting at Huey?"

Huey Reached under the coffee table that separated them both, swiftly taking his unsheathed katana to wunsler's neck. The police officers drew their weapons once again towards Huey as they shouted orders for him to surrender. Wunlser quickly signaled the officers to withdraw their weapons as if he didn't notice possible death at the young man's sword.

"Now calm down boys," wunsler chuckled Looking up towards an enraged Huey standing over him. "How 'bout it? Do this favor for me and anything linking you to this bombing will disappear. Hell I'll still pay you the five hundred grand for your trouble."

"You son of a bitch!" Huey growled inching the katana sharp blade closer to his neck. Huey hands were shaking desperate to slice wunsler's head with a single swipe, but he knew that was foolish the police either shoot him to death, or give him a disabling shock from a tazer gun. Which would result in his arrest and the alleged bombing would be thrown on him sending Huey into a life long prison sentence. The katana slipped from his hands as Huey slumped into the couch, his head hung in shame knowing that Huey no longer had a choice. wunsler put out his cigar and kicked the sword aside, "I'll a have a cab pick you up tonight at 7:00 P.M Sharp," he stated in a business like manner; "You have until then to make your decision, and as I promised anything connecting you with the bombing will be gone and you'll get the five hundred grand. If you're still too stubborn to accept this offer, then Mr. freeman rest assured the remainder of your life will be a living hell."

The police officers took the packages of C-4 leaving Huey's apartment, as wunsler followed he stopped to say one last thing.

"Just in case you plan to skip town, I've got several patrols watching your every move."

With that said wunsler left along with the police. In an angered huff Huey slammed the front door, and quickly switched on the T.V. A news report showing a leveled building formerly a college campus, the reporter announced the casualties: seven dead and eighteen injured, The FBI investigating, he never thought wunsler would take things this far and then pour the blood onto Huey's hands. Proving his innocence would be unlikely with all of the possible evidence against him, and due to wunsler's vast connections he couldn't even rely on Mr. Dubious to get him out of this pickle.

Shutting the T.V off and throwing the remote into a nearby wall, Huey stormed to his room brushing past his younger brother. "So do I start packing now?" Riley asked only to hear the slam of Huey's door.

Huey continued watching the endless sea under them, trying to pretend that the incident never happened. "what's the deal man?" Gin caught his attention but didn't respond to him; he turned his attention to the compact window next to him watching as the sun set calmly into the horizon.

I can't believe this shit. He thought to himself as his eyes slowly closed together.

After a few hours of torture, Ed finally managed to calm down. He was being held in the wine cellar of Ms. Balalaika's mansion, A single light bulb shined down on him Tied down to a rusty metal chair bruised, covered in his own blood. There stood Ms Balalaika looking down to her hostage taking a drag from hand rolled cigar.

"So you finally decided to calm down?" She sat down in chair across from him, " I've almost lost my paitence with you."

Ed wearily raised his head exposing his damaged face he was ready to spurt insults to his kidnapper, but the pain in his jaws restrained him. Attempting an attack was definitely out of the question, given his severe injuries and the guards hanging around he wouldn't last two seconds. All he could do was sit and wait hopelessly.

"Cigar?"

Balalaika held a fresh hand rolled cigar to ed's lips, he turned it down with the agonizing shake of his head. Looking into ed's eyes she could see the various painful things he wanted to do to her, but she was prepared for whatever he was planning. She pulled out a smith and Wesson revolver casually pressing the barrel against his forehead, an evil grin spread across her face to the sight of ed's sudden change from rage to fear. His eyes widened looking upward to the barrel, he began to tremble in an attempt to speak the pain was too much to bear. The Russian mob boss holstered her weapon and took another drag from her cigar, she rose from her seat looking down once again to Ed.

"Relax Mr Wunlser, I won't kill you" She said; "Well not yet anyway."

ed lowered his head hiding the tears seeping from his face.

" I have you here for the sole purpose of receiving the ransom money from your grandfather, if I wanted you dead I would have had you assassinated in woodcrest rather than being dragged all the here in Taiwan.."

she walked on leaving ed in his painful state.

"Rest assured Edward," she said; "if your grandfather pays the ransom you will live on to see another day. If not well . . . don't bother yourself thinking about it, hopefully for your sake your grandfather will comply." Ed listened to her footsteps exit the cellar follow by the slam of a steel door.

To be continued.