Dark Guardian

by Ammar Habib

  Katrina had always known that he would come back into her life one day. Even after everyone had told her that he was dead. Almost every night after he had disappeared, she dreamt of walking through a grass covered landscape in search for him. She would see him standing at the top of a hill looking down at her. They would stare at each other for what felt like forever, just smiling at one another, never touching. . Katrina had lost count of the times she had woken up in tears.

  And yet, every time she stared into his eyes, she felt like she could see a battle raging within him. She couldn’t tell what it was, but there was something there that she had never seen before. He was trying to hide it; trying to keep it secret. But she could see it looming in the background whenever their eyes met.

  In the depths of his soul, in the shadows of his heart, there was darkness.

  ***

  The golden doors of the elevator opened, revealing the entrance to Ethan’s penthouse. With a sigh, a tired Ethan walked into his home still wearing the clothes he had worn the night before. He took a few steps across the shiny, golden tiles and past the large plants on either side of the entrance.

  Hearing the elevator bell ring, Marion scurried in to the foyer. As soon as their eyes met, her hands went straight to her hips, her expression growing stern. “Where have you been?”

  “I thought I told you not to wait up for me.” His voice was overflowing with fatigue. Ethan took a few more steps as he looked away from her. Running his hand through his short, black hair and then against the back of his neck, he heard her voice once again break the silence.

  “I didn’t wait up. But when I came in this morning, you weren’t home and it was apparent that you hadn’t been home at all last night. I left several messages for you. Why didn’t you call back? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? I was this close to calling the police.” She said, making a show with her index finger and thumb.

  Ethan stuck his hand into his jacket as he searched his pockets. “Calling the police in this town probably isn’t the best idea.” He said as he pulled out a small memory card.

  “Why are your eyes so red?” Marion asked.

  Ethan wondered why she thought it was appropriate to badger him with countless questions. His tone changed as his weak smile disappeared. “Why are we playing twenty questions Marion?”

  “We’ll talk about this later. Right now there’s a reporter sitting in your living room.”

  “Yeah, I have that interview with William Jones today.”

  “You had the interview an hour ago. He’s been waiting there since noon. You can’t afford to forget about these things, Ethan.”

  “I didn’t forget. I just figured since he made me wait three weeks to get the interview, he wouldn’t mind waiting an extra hour.” He handed her the memory card. “Go down to the store and get the pictures on this developed and put them on my bedside table. I need them within the hour.”

  Ethan turned and made his way towards the living room, leaving Marion. As he passed by a large mirror, he stopped for a few moments and saw that his eyes were indeed bloodshot.

  Going by the kitchen’s entrance, he saw Emanuel working behind the stove. He obviously had heard the exchange and Ethan noted that he was hesitant to greet him. The chef always had a bad habit of overhearing conversations that weren’t meant for him and Ethan was sure that Emanuel hadn’t outgrown the habit. Coming to the living room, Ethan saw a blonde man in his late-twenties sitting on the long green couch with his back to the doorway.

  Ethan knocked on the open door, gaining the reporter’s attention. With a smile, Ethan took a few steps into the room. “William Jones, I presume?” he said in a charmer tone.

  The reporter came to his feet and met Ethan in the middle. The two men firmly shook hands. “Just call me Will. Mr. Daniels, thank you for arranging this interview.”

  “My pleasure. Please, sit down.” The reporter retook his seat as Ethan moved to one of the other couches. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

  “Not at all. You’re my only appointment today. I want to apologize up front for you having to wait almost three weeks for this interview.”

  Ethan leaned back in his seat. “It’s no problem at all. I heard your boss were upset that I had requested you.”

  William let out a quick chuckle. “Yeah, he was hoping that you would request a less…controversial reporter to do the interview. He made me schedule the interview so far out hoping you would request somebody else.”

  Ethan smiled. “Can I get you anything to drink before we get started?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Any more news on the death of that cop from last night? I heard it was pretty gruesome.”

  William nodded. “I was at the scene this morning. He was apparently tortured first and then hung right outside his balcony. Freaked the neighbors out pretty bad. The picture of him hanging is all over the internet now.”

  Ethan looked down at the decorative glass bowl on the table between them. “You had written an article about him a little while back. I read it. It was right after he was acquitted.”

  Again, the reporter nodded.

  “So, what do you personally think about it. Did he have it coming?”

  William was silent for a moment, but then finally spoke. “Eugene deserved to die, but not like that. Whoever killed him probably had good reason to, but I would have preferred if he had been taken down by the court and not by a murderer. Enough people get killed already.”

  Ethan remained silent.

  William searched his bag and pulled out an audio recorder. He looked up at Ethan. “But enough about my thoughts. Mr. Daniels, if you’re ready, we can begin the interview.”

  “Certainly.”

  Looking down, the reporter pushed a button on his recorder and then brought his attention back to his host. “So, Mr. Daniels, a lot of people are asking questions about where you’ve been.”

  “Yes, I heard your paper has been publishing several articles of speculation about it.”

  William let out a chuckle. “The editors needed to fill an open slot in yesterday’s paper so they put in that article. Honestly, I found it insulting.”

  “Well, I’m sure you know how it goes. When the newspapers are too scared to publish the truth, they tend to publish trash that nobody really cares about reading. Just like our nation’s papers are too scared and intimidated by the government to publish the truth about the corruption that’s taken over. Instead they publish meaningless gossip.”

  Still leaning back, Ethan looked intently at William, waiting for his response to his statement. At first, he could see that William was visibly shocked by his straightforwardness, but after a few seconds of silence, his eyes told Ethan everything he needed to know. “Well, I really don’t agree with our editors to be honest. They’re too worried about their wallets to expose any real truths.”

  “But you’re not. I heard you’ve made your share of enemies during your short career.”

  William shrugged. “Most of my articles never see publication. My boss says that they’re too straightforward. He says he’s doing it for my own good.”

  “How many other reporters are willing to take a stand?”

  “A lot I suppose. I mean, that’s why people become reporters: to expose the truth. But most are just too scared right now.”

  “Maybe that can change in the near future.” Ethan paused for a moment. “Well, you’re not here to talk about politics. Let’s get back to the interview.”

  William nodded. “Right.”

  Ethan watched as William struggled to find a question to start with. Composing himself he adjusted his shirt’s collar and proceeded.

  “So, Mr. Daniels, can you please explain what led your late grandfather to sending you to work in China?”

  Ethan cleared his throat. “It started when David and I got in an argument the night after my graduation. I ended up running away and spent a few days on the streets.”

  “Wha
t was the argument about?”

  “…My father. David wanted me to try and reconcile with him…again. Honestly, that’s all we ever seemed to talk about and it always ended in an argument. But I had had enough and didn’t want anything to do with either of them, so I took off.”

  “This wasn’t the first time you’d run away, right?”

  “I’d done it a few times before. I always ended up coming back after a couple of days. But this time I ended up in a part of the city I’d never been to before. I knew how to take care of myself, but it was different this time. Turns out, it was the slum of Crown City. I saw so much crime. Things happened that I never would have imagined possible in our city and the criminals went unpunished.

  “And how did it affect you?”

  Ethan looked away. “I took a wrong turn. Fought a gang of thugs one night. They beat me unconscious and left me for dead.” His gaze fell back on the reporter. “It was the first fight I ever lost. But that’s beside the point. I was rushed to the hospital when I was found. Someone nearby must have called an ambulance.”

  “Is that the only fight you ever lost?”

  “No. I lost one more a few years later. But I was up against 12 men.” Ethan said, a sly grin lifting his lips as he remembered the vicious fight. He might have lost that night but he learned something important about himself, about what he was capable of.

  William didn’t probe further for details regarding second fight, instead returning back to the subject on hand. “So what happened next, Ethan?”

  Ethan let out a sigh. “David took me home when the hospital finally released me. We reconciled after that. I told him about what I saw and he said that it would be best for me to get away from everything. From my father and the city. From this part of the world, really. He wanted me to get a fresh start and have time to clear my head on my own. He sent me to China to work for Zhao with the intention that I return at the end of the summer before beginning college.”

  “But you didn’t come home after that summer as you had planned.” He said, more as a statement that a question

  Ethan shook his head.

  William leaned closer and spoke again. “Why did you disappear after Zhao was killed?”

  “I was scared, to be honest. I thought that I’d be blamed. I knew that his CEO had done it, but I thought that Cheng would use his influence to frame me, so I ran.”

  “The evidence against Cheng was overwhelming. You had no reason to be scared.”

  Ethan’s voice was filled with sarcasm. “Well, apparently I didn’t know that at the time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken off.”

  William rearranged himself in his seat. “Well, where did you go?”

  “I was out of China by the end of the week following Zhao’s murder. After that, I slowed down and spent the next four years travelling from northern India to central Africa. I had so much freedom. For the first time I was able to do what I wanted and experience what the world had to offer. I finally got the time I needed to clear my head and come to terms with a lot issues that had been plaguing me.”

  “And how was your experience travelling to that part of the world?”

  “…Insightful.”

  William was silent, expecting more of an answer. Seeing that he wasn’t getting one, he inquired further. “How so?”

  “It’s hard to explain, really. But my eyes were opened. Some experiences were amazing and some were terrifying. I travelled through places that were like heaven on earth and some that were a living hell. That’s not something you see here in Crown City. At least not yet.”

  “Care to share details on any of these experiences?”

  Ethan was silent for a long moment, as he looked away. After a few seconds he looked back at the reporter and replied, “I met a young girl, about half my age. There had been only a handful of happy moments in her short life.” His gaze grew distant as he continued, “Her parents had been killed by rebel insurgents right in front of her when she was six years old. She survived only because her mother had hidden her. Her home was burned down and most of her village was slaughtered. She was one of the few survivors. At the age of ten her foster family was murdered and then…we met.” Ethan took a deep breath before continuing. “But even after all this, she still had forgiveness in her heart for those who had wronged her, and peace in her life despite what she’d been forced to endure.”

  The whole time Ethan spoke, William’s eyes urged him to go on.

  “Meeting her and learning from her helped me find peace in my life too. I came to terms with the death of my mother. I came to terms with the fact that my father and I had no relationship. I gained an acceptance that I wouldn’t have found without her. She’s actually the person who convinced me to come back to home, to Crown City.”

  William was clearly surprised by how open Ethan was. “And what happened to her?”

  “I was going to bring her back with me, but she died.” The last part of Ethan’s words were barely above a whisper.

  The reporter’s eyes widened in shock as Ethan looked away, sorrow seeping into his expression. “I’m sorry to hear that. What was her name?”

  “Naira…her name was Naira.” Ethan looked back at William. “Her death brought me back here.”

  There was an awkward silence and the two deliberated how best to continue. The interview had clearly taken a turn that William hadn’t expected and Ethan felt no need to help guide him.

  Before either could continue Ethan’s phone let out a loud chirp that echoed through the room. He looked down at his watch and considered the time. “I’m sorry, William. I have to run to a meeting so we’re going to have to cut our interview short. I hope you don’t mind.”

  The reporter quickly turned off his recorder as the two men came to their feet. “Not at all. I have more than enough to write my article. I’m sure this one will be published.”

  The two men again shook hands. “Marion will show you out.”

  With a smile and a nod, William turned and hastily left the room.

  Ethan put his hands behind his back and looked down at the crystal bowl on the table, allowing his thoughts to drift.

  Eugene’s death was making headlines, exactly as Ethan had intended. Every news channel was talking about the execution. It was a good start. The deaths of the other drug dealers were also receiving press. If Anthony had half a brain, he would soon figure out that he was the target. That the men beneath him were only the first of Ethan’s quarry.

  This was all a game of cat and mouse and it was one Ethan intended to win.

  There was only one thing wrong, something Ethan had not expected. This whole morning, Ethan’s thoughts had been centered around Katrina. He couldn’t think straight, or keep his thoughts on the task at hand. He didn’t know why this was happening. He didn’t know why he had agreed to spend the evening with her yet again tonight. He berated himself for the recklessness of his decision but still couldn’t bring himself to cancel their evening plans.

  In a way she reminded him of Naira but not in a childlike way. His response to Naira’s companionship had been positive, healthy even. Surrounding himself with Katrina made him feel less of a monster. Her presence even seemed to make his revenge less important in his eyes.

  What were the chances that she would happen to be in town when he returned? She had waited all this time, thinking that he was still alive when everybody told her to lose hope. Maybe it was a sign, a love that was meant to be. Maybe God was showing him a different path; one that wasn’t full of death.

  Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

  It didn’t matter right now. He had promised to keep Naira safe. He had promised to raise her and bring her back. But he had lived, while Naira had died. After all the promises he’d made to her, he had failed and now was reminded of it every waking moment.

  It was like the punch line to some bad joke.

  He had somewhere he needed to be. If the police had any sense, they would be able to guess his next target. By t
onight, they’d have police officers shadowing the two people above Nicholas in the chain-of-command.

  But, he’d be sure to pay Jacob Potts a visit before evening came.

  He needed to have a talk with him, man-to-man.

  Chapter 10

  Jacob Potts

  Jacob Potts stuck his hands deep into the pockets of his grey coat. It wasn’t that chilly today, but he always seemed to catch a chill in the cold. The fact that the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of rain clouds didn’t help. His gaze stayed steadied on the empty sidewalk in front of him.

  Almost all of the buildings near the docks were boarded up. In fact, most of them hadn’t been used by their owners in years, a perfect opportunity for the cartel to use the buildings for their own purposes. Ten years ago, the value of the land here had been projected to skyrocket. A lot of people had bought property here, hoping to cash in. But nothing ever happened. In fact, the value of all the property here had declined. Now, the owners were just sitting on the property, still waiting for the right time to sell. A time that would likely never come.

  This was good news for those in Jacob’s trade. The emptiness meant that it was easier to complete exchanges, and it helped that the cops were on his side.

  Even from here, Jacob could hear the seagulls as they soared above the nearby docks. A black and white patrol car suddenly zoomed by him, kicking up some debris off the side of the road as it passed by. Jacob’s gaze left the sidewalk and followed the car as it drove off to the next intersection and then turned out of sight. Jacob looked back onto the sidewalk and saw another person turn the corner and make his way towards him.

  This stranger wore a pair of aged blue jeans and a green sweater. He had a blue and white hat on with the emblem of the local soccer team: the Crown City Bears. If Jacob was remembering correctly, they were last year’s champions. But then again, he didn’t really keep up with soccer. Keeping his head down, the hat blocked Jacob’s view of the stranger’s face, but he seemed to be minding his own business. And should he change his path, Jacob reminded himself of his added security as he gently put his hand on the pistol resting in his pant’s waistband.