Chapter 181
Chapter 181
Chapter 181 A face in the crowd
With a smile on his face, Elijah held Piki with one hand, and in his other hand, his phone as he walked around the garden.
It took a moment for his call to get answered, and when Bryan’s face appeared in the video call, he blurted out,
“I can not believe I am saying this, but congratulations, Senator Checks on winning the election.”
It grew silent for a second, and then both men burst into laughter, excitement clear in each of their voices.
“Thanks, Bro,” Bryan said after they had caught their breath. “For everything. I mean it from the depths of my heart. Today wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”
“I was just paying my debt to you.” Elijah teased, and then said with a bit of remorse in his voice. “I am just sad that I couldn’t be there in person today to watch you speak to the public. But all of my men are going to be there to show my support.”
“I appreciate that. Also, you got Piki and Peach to be there for, so I understand.”
“Yeah,”
The call went silent for a split second, and then Bryan asked, “Where is our princess? Uncle had been so busy with running campaigns and the election that he had not visited. I feel terrible!”
“I understand. But your hard work has paid off. You finally got what you always wanted, your revenge…” Elijah said, giving Bryan a pride look
Then he pulled the phone away from his face and showed it to Piki, in his other hand, her eyes shining as she stared at the screen.
Immediately, she tried to snatch the phone from her dad, making a ton of baby noise as her saliva dripped from her chin onto her bib.
Knowing that she wanted to suck on his phone, Elijah gently pulled the phone away from her as Bryan said, “Why is she growing up so fast. Four weeks ago, she was still wrapped in a blanket, and now, she has a month old!”
“Believe me, no one wants to slow down time more than I do.” Elijah chuckled softly.
Frustrated that her father took the phone away from her, Piki turned around in his arms and started to cry, loudly as she made grabby hands toward the phone.
A soft chuckle left Bryan’s lips as Elijah said, “She wants my phone.’
Just then Peach’s voice made Piki stop crying, and Elijah turned and stared at his wife as she asked, “What’s up with you two?”
“She wants to suck on my phone,” Elijah said, smiling down at his daughter.
“Good morning, Peach.” Bryan’s voice echoed from the speaker.
“Oh, Mr. Checks. Congratulations on winning the election. And a pleasant morning to you too.” Peach said sweetly.
Then she stared at her husband, saying,
Let me take her off your hand.”
Calmly, Elijah handed Piki over to Peach who held her, and she then leaned over and kissed his cheek before walking off.
“Have you found the guy Dean was with at the courthouse that day?” Bryan asked, causing Elijah’s face to turn serious. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“No. The footage was the only lead we had on him. Ryan and the others are still trying to find him. Mr. Bamford and his men are also looking for him.” Elijah said, his expression hardening.
There was a brief pause when Bryan suddenly heard his dressing room door open, and he looked back to see his assistant, who said in a humble tone,
Senator Checks, the program will start at five.”
Sighing, Bryan faced the mirror, staring at the reflection of his burgundy velvet blazer combined with black wool pants and a black dress shirt, and then he said, I will be out soon.”
“After she left, Bryan focused on the call with Elijah and then said, “Remember that except the dead, resting in their grave, no one is invisible to the naked eye. You will get him.”
“I hope so,” Elijah replied, a small smile on his lips. “You should go and kill that speech. I will be watching from my living room.”
After their call had ended, Elijah put his phone in his pocket, and headed inside, going straight into the living room.
The moment he popped down on the couch, he reached for the remote and then turned on the TV, skipping channels until he got to the one showing Bryan’s inauguration ceremony.
The view of the entire hall was tremendous on his screen, and he relaxed in his seat.
Just then, Peach’s head popped beside his as she slightly led over the couch and whispered, “The ceremony has started?”
“Yep,” Elijah said, patting the space beside him.
Immediately, she passed around the country and sat beside him with Piki, and the three of them silently watched the event.
“There’s Matt, Ryan, Dice, Jerome, Rookie, Scorpio, and James in the right corner, on the second roll to the last,” Peach said, pointing at the screen.
A small smile tugged on Elijah’s lips to see his men present as he had asked of them, respecting his wish.
The grand hall was crowded with people, but when the ceremony began, the entire room grew voiceless and only the host’s voice could be heard echoing.
Calmly Peach and Elijah watched in silence for a couple of minutes, their eyes glued on the tv, while Piki napped in her arms.
Suddenly, Elijah’s brows snapped together when he noticed a face in the crowd, a face that he had been searching for weeks now.
“Why is he there?” Elijah asked, reaching for his phone.
“Who?” Peach asked with concern laced in his voice.
Pointing to the screen, Elijah frowned as he said, “The last row at the back… the tall man, who is built like a tank and with the thickest brows, wearing a black leather jacket.”
Immediately, Peach singled out the person he was referring to, and her jaw dropped.
“That’s the guy Dean left within the footage.” Peach cried, staring in disbelief.
“Exactly!” Elijah let out a bit of excitement.
Then he focused on his screen, dialing Matt’s number, and then stared back at the screen.
The vibration of his phone made Matt jump a little, and the others stared at him in concern.
“It’s boss,” Matt mumbled, which made them even more concerned.
After pulling his gaze off his buddies, he answered the call and whispered, “Hello, boss.”
“You guy’s search is over,” Elijah said immediately. “The guy in the footage with Dean is seated in the hall with you all.”
“Where?!”
“Look behind you. The last roll.”
Slowly, Matt turned, and after his eyes darted around for a moment, his sight rested on Deacon.
“No way,” Matt whispered, facing his front and feeling a bit dumbfounded by their luck. “What is he doing here though?”
“I don’t know, but tell the others that I want you guys should split up. One group waits on him from outside, and the others monitor him from within the hall.” Elijah told him.
“Got it.”
“Good. Make sure you follow his every move.
“Right, Boss.”
“And Matt? Don’t ever give him a reason to leave or try anything funny. He seems already dangerous. No matter what you do, keep your cool, and don’t let him know that you are aware of him.”
“Roger that, boss.”
With that, Elijah disconnected the call and then set his phone down. He glanced at Piki again, who was snuggled up against Peach’s chest before he met
Peach’s eyes, who smiled at him and laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand.
Looking at Dice, Matt leaned over and whispered, “I have eyes on our target. Boss needs us to split up and a portion of us should head out and wait on him, while the rest of us watch from the inside.”
“You mean the guy Dean was seen within the footage?” Dice whispered back.
“Yeah, that’s our guy. He’s at the last roll, in the back.”
“What is he even doing here?”
“I don’t know. 1”
It took a while, but the others soon caught on to what Matt and Dice knew, and then Rookie, Matt, and Dice stood from their seats, leaving Jerome, James, Ryan, and Scorpio seated.
The three walked out of the hallway discreetly, and Jerome and the others quietly watched the ceremony.
After a while of waiting in their car, Dice spotted Deacon walking out of the building, walking over to his car, getting in, and just sitting there.
Looking away from the windshield, Matt stared at Dice and asked, “Should we move on him now?”
“This is a very important event. If we start anything, it will cause issues for us and the boss. Let’s watch from afar and get an idea of what we’re up against first.
We’ll make a move then,” Rookie responded.
Finally, after waiting for a couple more minutes, people started exiting the building, and soon the front of the city hall was crowded with influential people, and among them was Bryan, who was busy with his interview with a reporter.
But Dice, Rookie, and Matt still had their eyes on Deacon, and a moment later they saw him wear a ski mask.
Immediately, Matt called Scorpio, and he blurted out, “He’s here to take out someone. This is an assassination!”
“But who?” Scorpio asked.
“It doesn’t matter. He just pull out a CheyTac M200 Intervention…”
“What!”
Following the direction Deacon was positioning the gun, Matt hastily said,
His target is Bryan Checks! Get Bryan out of there now!”
Not thinking it through for a second, Scorpio shouted in the crowd as he ran for Bryan, “Gun! Everybody get the fuck down, now.”
When Deacon noticed him moving for Bryan, he started to rush and pulled the trigger without setting the focus on his target.
Grabbing Bryan by the back of his coat, Scorpio pulled him backward with force, making Bryan slam into his chest, and
Scorpio dropped with him to the ground, causing the bullet to fly over them, hitting the door of the city hall.
Immediately screaming began from the reporters, the secret service instantly built a shield around the president, and chaos ensued.
Realizing his mission had failed and taking advantage of the distraction from
the crowd, Deacon stepped on the accelerator, driving at full speed out of the parking lot.
But Dice was right behind him, flying with the SUV on the Main road. The chase was on and both vehicles were speeding down the road.
Like a maniac Deacon tear through the red light without stopping, and Dice followed in pursuit.
Soon, Deacon cut down a dusty road, and then he stopped the car, jumping out of it with his gun.
The sound of his ringtone grabbed Matt’s attention from the windshield as Dice stepped on the break.
“Boss!” Matt’s voice echoed in Elijah’s ears.
But the sound of gunshots suddenly followed, making fear squeeze Elijah’s heart as he shouted, “Matt, what’s going on.”
The force of his voice snapped Piki awake and she started crying, making Elijah meet Peach’s eyes and say, “Can you please take her to the room.”
Even though she was just as worried as her husband and wanted to know what had happened to Matt, Peach nodded and walked out of the living room with Piki.
“Matt, answer me!” Elijah shouted, tears setting in his eyes.