Page 8 of Potent Desire 5
The room is empty, apart from a large table running down the middle. It’s old, a dark brown wood, with a chair at the head, one at the foot, and two in the middle on each side. I don’t have much time to inspect it, however, as Oswald Braddock is sitting at the head of the table.
“Ah, Isabella, you made it.” he’s got a cigar in one hand, while the other lingers beneath the tabletop.
“If you’d please take a seat,” Oswald says, removing the hidden hand and exposing a pistol. Heckler and Koch – P30. The very same I learned to shoot with years ago.
How fitting it would be, to die from the only gun I’d ever fired.
“Oswald, what are you doing?” Benjamin says, getting up from his prone position. His hands are stretched out in front of him pleadingly, as he approaches Oswald.
“While you two were sharing stories of the good old days, I’ve been taking over this empire,” Oswald replies, pressing the end of the cigar between his teeth.
“This is madness. Maddox has thousands under his command. The Harrisons, the Slaters, the Romanis… they’ll all stand and fight for their King,” Benjamin says.
I get up, Oswald keeps the P30 fixed on me as I walk to my seat.
“Larry Slater was reduced to rubble a long time ago, and Quincy Harrison has never been a threat. You and the boy have called me a joke for years, taking land and growing my own little kingdom. Well, who’s laughing now? Huh?” Oswald takes the gun off me.
A breath of fresh air fills my lungs.
“Maddox won’t ease up,” Benjamin protests. “Not until Isabella’s safe.”
“Then he’ll die. A glorious death of fire and lead,” Oswald speaks through the side of his mouth, keeping the cigar clutched between his teeth. “Just like you.”
“What?” Is all Benjamin can get out.
Oswald doesn’t speak, just shifts the P30 to Benjamin’s belly with a turn of his wrist. He pulls the trigger with conviction. The distance Benjamin walked, put him only a few feet out from Oswald, making him a damned easy target.
“No,” I scream, jumping up from my chair. The gun is quickly trained back on me.
“Sit down, girl,” Oswald says, looking down at Benjamin, who is fighting to draw in oxygen.
“We’ve got a lot to discuss.” Oswald gets up, cautiously stepping over Benjamin, and walks to the door. He shuts it with a firm slap.
“A lot to discuss, indeed.”