Cross Roads: Pick a Path (11 page)

“Where is Miran,” I asked with great
hesitation. It makes sense for us to make a stronger relationship,
especially with outsiders wanting the empire to fall. If we can
resolve our issues, it will benefit all of us. Maybe I will have to
come down a little bit; but knowing Miran, he is just going to be
furious with me. Marona looked in direction of the room to the
right; I understood that he must be in there.

Peaking into the room I noticed Miran lying
down in his bed, with a brace over his left knee, a few stiches and
a bandaged nose. I hated the guy, but watching anyone in such a
condition is hard; knowing that I was responsible did not help
either. To my disbelief Miran gestured me to come closer; I was
expecting a lot more anger, but he seemed rather cool. “Thank you,”
he whispered as I stepped closed. Pure confusion ran through my
mind. I was responsible for his state, yet he wants to thank
me?

“
You did the right thing, you made the
right choice by stopping me. I get that you had to hit me; what I
appreciate more was you saving me. You could have easily just let
me bleed out, or even get shot down by one of Khans men, but you
didn’t. You actually helped me get out of that place and get
medical attention. I’m indebted to you. I also heard of you getting
the commissioner off our case; I guess you’re alright.”

I could not believe that it was Miran
speaking; everything seemed so out of character. I didn’t want to
trust him, but he actually seemed like he was being true to the
words that came out of his mouth. I thought I was the one that had
to come down to make this relationship work, but he made things a
lot easier. Yet there was still a slight tension and pride that
stopped me from actually uttering a word to Miran, although I did
give him nod to acknowledge the words that came from his mouth.

When I came out the door I bumped into
Thambi, knocking over his plate of food. “Sorry brother,” I said,
desperately attempting to hold back laughter. The poor guy looked
as if he just went through a bad break up, the way he stared down
at the plate of food all over the floor.

“It’s okay, is everything cool between you
and Miran,” he questioned.

“Yeah, it’s all good,” I responded; I
noticed smiles across the faces of individuals around the room. I
guess everyone was hoping for us to eventually get along. Our bad
blood was just holding the empire from growing any further; it was
right to make amends.

It was great that we made amends and all,
but what mattered more was the fact that Khan is still out planning
the next hit. I was able to catch both Verone and Marona at once.
“I need to talk to the both of you,” I demanded; and as they gave
me their undivided attention I had to voice what had to be
done.

“
We can’t just sit around and do nothing!
Marona, from the moment we set foot on ground, Khan has attempted a
hit. He wants you dead, and he has made it clear on two occasions;
I’m pretty sure the whole situation in Toronto was his doing as
well. If we don’t take initiative and send a message soon, he’ll
surely get us all. Marona, I don’t understand how you’ve remained
so calm after all that has happened. Seriously, lets do
something!”

“Verone, this is why I love this kid,”
exclaimed Marona.

“
Arrun, always so quick to pull the
trigger. I heard you’ve been practicing your shot, are you already
so anxious to test your skills? Young blood let me tell you
something; I didn’t get to the top by rushing every decision I
made. Of course I want to get rid of Shekhar Khan, he’s been
bugging me for years. Plus he hadn’t only attempted a hit on me; he
tried to take my sons life as well. There is no forgiving that, and
so we’ve waited; I guess you’re right. It is time for our move
isn’t it? I’ve got a plan in store, and he won’t see it coming. Be
patient with me, we’ll go over the plan sometime today. Though the
main focus of the day is to celebrate, because it’s Verone’s
birthday.”

“Happy birthday brother,” I wished Verone. I
guess Marona was right; he is the wise one. I have been a bit
anxious to get myself involved in the business, and it could be
because I want to make a statement, but I was just tired of losing,
even when all others saw recent events as a victory. With every
passing moment, I could not help but think that I was going to lose
another life around me.

~

The time was 6pm when I stepped into the
shower, and fifteen minutes later I started hearing a call of my
name. I jumped into my sweatpants and made my way down the stairs.
Half way down I asked Remone to tell me who’s asking for me “You
have to see this for yourself,” said Remone. “Aren’t you going to
ask me to come in,” inquired a voice. It was Nilani, why on Earth
did she come here? This is the last thing I needed; I actually
thought I would never have to see her again.

“Not bad,” she joked, as I placed my hands
over my chest feeling naked.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I
questioned.

“What? I can’t visit a friend,” she
replied.

“A friend? Are you serious? How’d you get
our address?” I asked.

“I’m the police commissioners daughter,
remember,” she answered in amusement.

“Good luck with this brother,” laughed
Remone as he walked out the front door.

Why me? Why me, is all I could ask myself.
With everything happening around us, the last thing I needed was
Nilani’s attention. “Why did you come here,” I asked walking back
up the stairs. “I just felt like seeing you,” she responded, as she
followed me up, and through the door to my room. I couldn’t help
but think that she was catching feelings for me. What else is a guy
to assume when a girl that he kidnapped came looking for him,
without the police?

“Are you looking for a shirt,” she asked
curiously.

“No, I’m just casually digging through my
clothes,” I replied sarcastically.

She must have noticed my irritation to her
presence, but she didn’t seem to care. She was a beautiful girl and
all, and sure if my mind were in the right place, I would have
probably made a move by now. Unfortunately I knew mentally I would
not be ready to allow another women into my life. The life I chose
was not of any help either; I could lose my life at any moment
these days. I would be a moron to let Nilani get close, leaving her
to deal with my loss.

“You should really leave Nilani,” I
suggested.

“But why, couldn’t we just talk for a bit,”
she countered.

My will was not strong enough to ask her to
leave twice. A part of me wanted to talk to her from the moment I
laid eyes on her. But isn’t it wrong? It has only been a few months
since Hasini passed, it wouldn’t be right to move on so soon.
Though Hasini would want me to; she wouldn’t want me to be the
emotional wreck that I am today. I asked God to show me a sign,
could Nilani be so?

“For a bit, but not too long,” I replied,
giving in to her pressure.

“
To be honest, I really wanted to hear
you finish off your story. You know, the one that you were telling
me of, on the balcony. I couldn’t sleep last night, I kept thinking
about you. I know how it sounds, but hear me out. I just couldn’t
understand why you went out of your way to help me, and then the
way you handled the situation with my father. You don’t seem to be
like the rest of them; obviously there’s more to you, and I just
want to know. Actually, I need to know.”

“
First of all, I’ve already explained why
I saved you. I have or had many important women figures in my life,
and I wouldn’t have let anything happen to them. If you’re
referring to me taking you home, instead of keeping you captive,
there’s reasoning for that too. I used you as my bargaining chip to
get your dad off our case; he was working with another criminal to
kill my boss. Who by the way is actually more of father figure to
me now, something I grew up without.”

“Why the hostility? I know you’re just
trying to push me away. I just don’t get why.”

“
Do you really want to know, because I’m
actually tired of keeping everything a secret from everyone. People
are always so lost, wondering why I do things the way I do. Where
did I stop my story? My Siblings? I have five siblings back in
Toronto, and a stepmother who passed. Life was hard but we moved
on, and then I met a girl. One girl, and every aspect of my life
came tumbling down. Hasini, she was the first girl I met that made
me feel complete. I was going to marry her; I even bought a place
for us. Unfortunately I lost her in a car accident a few months
back, and it condemned me to darkness. I came here after a series
of unforeseen events, and as odd as it may seem, the new life here
has been helping me free my mind.”

“Sorry, I didn’t see that coming,” she
responded regretfully.

“It’s alright, I wouldn’t expect anyone to,”
I replied; walking towards my pack of smokes I asked her to join me
outside. Nilani didn’t utter a word as she followed me to the
rooftop. She watched as I took seat at the edge of the house,
looking out at the city. “Well aren’t you going to join me,” I
asked, staring at her as she stood quietly. She smiled gracefully,
prior to taking a seat next to me. “So you’ll never love a girl the
same,” she questioned hesitantly.

“
Nilani, I’ll never love any else the way
I did Hasini. Although there is no saying that I may love someone
more, someday. I’ve yet to meet someone more open-minded than her;
she thought of things in the most beautiful ways. With her I
believed I could’ve lived life to full extents. There was this one
time, she told me to find love even if she passes. How many girls
would desire the same? The depression I’ve gained over the past
months is not just a result of her death. I placed myself into a
dark world to further understand the beliefs she passed on to
me.”

“She is something else, I get why you miss
her so much,” replied Nilani. We remained quiet for a brief moment
before she delivered me with a shock. “Do you think it would ever
work between us?” she asked. I didn’t know what to say, she caught
me by surprise. I had a suspicion that things were going in this
direction, but I didn’t think it’d come so soon.

“
Nilani, think before you speak. I’m a
criminal Nilani; I’ve killed people. You’re the daughter of the
Police Commissioner. What makes you think that it’ll ever work?
You’re well educated, and you’ve got a lot going for you in the
future. Me, I walk out of the house prepared to die with every
passing moment. Just walk away now Nilani; it’s the best thing to
do.”

“Couldn’t you just give it a chance Arrun,”
she pleaded, as a tear stroked down her cheek. I didn’t know what
to say; my thoughts made me believe that if she were here any
longer, I maybe give the relationship a chance. “Nilani, I think
its better if you leave now,” I suggested, hoping she’d leave.
“Fine I’ll leave, but you’ll love me someday, I know it!” she
shouted. She got up and walked away, wiping her tears, as she took
final glance at me before heading down the stairs.

I listened as I heard Nilani storm out the
door, I assume she came here in hopes of things going much
smoother. Staring out at the city retiring for the day, I began to
question if she was in love? More over was I in love? No, it can’t
be possible. I hardly even know her, how am I to call this love?
Then again, why did I care so much? She was a just another person,
nothing but a job. That is all I did right, my job? It was the
first glance wasn’t it; she whirled me in. So easily, am I really
that vulnerable? Wait, what if it was the similarities; Nilani
reminded me of Hasini a numerous amount of times. Is it wrong for
me to run into her arms because she reminded me of Hasini? She
wouldn’t want to be Hasini; how can a girl like being compared to
another?

Forget me caring so much, how will I explain
this to Marona and the others. They won’t be pleased to know that I
have been getting close to the Commissioners daughter. I can’t
allow my personal life to collide with business; it will never
work. She’s going to get hurt, and people are going to meet ends if
this goes any further. It was right for me to let her go.

My battling state of mind was interrupted by
a phone call from Remone; he wanted to be picked up on my way to
the Duranji residence. It took me a few minutes to get ready and
head out, but Remone waited at a nearby street side coffee shop. I
guess we had some time for a coffee; we shared a cigarette while
sipping down some coffee.

“Arrun, look over there,” exclaimed Remone,
as he pointed in the direction of some stranger. “I didn’t know you
were into guys bro! Sorry, I have no expertise in this department,
but you got my support,” I responded amusingly. “That’s Khans only
son Abdul, you idiot,” replied Remone; it was obvious he didn’t
know what to do. I guess the stranger wasn’t much of stranger after
all.

“
Alright Remone, listen close cause this
is what you’ll have to do. Take the jeep, and wait for my signal.
When I give you the signal, drive towards us as I take out the man
next to him, and then toss Khans son into the car.”

If we can get a hold of Khans son, we’ll be
able to set some fear in Khan. Opportunity came and decided to have
a coffee across the street from us; we would be fools to turn it
down. I walked a bit down the street before crossing sides; the two
of them remained calm as I drifted in the back unnoticed. Standing
two meters apart from them both, I signaled Remone to drive by. The
next few actions must be quick; pulling out my pistol I didn’t
think twice before firing the first shot, it drove right through
the head of Abdul Khan’s companion. My hands were too deep in cold
water to care of adding another person to my list of kills;
remaining calm I pistol whipped Abdul leaving him to fall
unconscious. After throwing him in the jeep we drove off, watching
the pedestrians stare at us in fear along the street of the local
stores. It did not feel great knowing that I had become a monster;
nevertheless I knew that my emotions needed to be slain.