Ticket To Paradise

"Like I said, it won't be happening."

The man's words rang inside his ears as Blake stared back at him. His eyes were filled up to the brim with hatred. How did he dare to use an innocent girl for his own protection? He was thinking of taking these two men as captives so that he could force some useful information out of them. But it looked like he had to do with one now.

"Close your eyes." He shifted his attention to the girl who seemed to be frozen like a statue as her eyes refused to blink. Blake couldn't tell what was going through her mind, but based on the way tears were rolling down her cheeks he could tell that she was afraid, afraid for her life.

"Close your eyes." He repeated the same words when he didn't get any response from her. "Trust me." He added while holding her unmoving gaze. Her eyes were glued to his face though they seemed to be lost somewhere else.

As if she heard him this time, she slowly closed her eyes. Despite the fact that they were closed now, her tears refused to stop pouring out.

Seeing that she had listened to him and would not be able to witness the gore which was supposed to unfold around now, Blake shifted his eyes back to the man. Unlike before, his face was like a newly bought canvas, devoid of any splashes of paint which would give away the painter's thoughts. But the stillness on his face had a dread about it which could instill fear in the mind of the other person.

"You shouldn't have done that." He muttered out softly, but before the other person could process his words, it was already too late for him. He raised his other arm which was holding the hand gun and aimed the muzzle across her. Without blinking or hesitating about his mark, he pulled the trigger. His movements were so fast that it barely gave the other party any chance to retaliate.

A loud bang was heard which was followed by a thud as the man's body dropped dead on the ground. A hole could be seen in the center of his forehead with blood oozing out of it. Before his lackey could do anything he was shot in his right knee by Jeffery which resulted in him rolling on the ground, groaning in pain.

Blake's eyes trailed to the girl's figure who was lying next to the lifeless body on the ground. With a hastened pace, he made his way towards her to check on her. Seeing her lying on the ground just like the dead body next to her, he was starting to get worried about her.

His steps came to a halt next to her body before he went down on his knees. He slightly tapped her shoulder to get no response. She was lying there unmoving like a lifeless doll. Using his index and middle finger, he first checked that she was breathing or not. He heaved out a sigh of relief as he felt warm air brushing against his fingers which was placed below her nostrils.

He then moved to check on his pulse as he pressed the two fingers lightly over her carotid. Though it was slightly erratic, it was still strong so there was nothing to worry about.

"The shock of hearing the gun being fired from such a close distance must have gotten to her." He muttered to no one in particular but still got a reply from Jeffery.

"I believe so. Judging from the quietness, I believe our men have done their job." Jeffery was now standing next to the body of the other man who was still groaning in pain. He had deliberately aimed at his knee. The bullet must have shattered his knee cap, leaving him without the strength to even move, let out alone to run away.

Now that their boss was gone, he knew that they would need someone alive to extract some information from. The lackey was the perfect candidate for it. They wouldn't have to worry much about the others being alive or not.

"You did a good job." Blake mumbled softly, complimenting Jeffery for his presence of mind.

"Just doing my job, Boss." Jeffery shrugged his shoulders as if it was a big deal. He still had his gun aiming at the man's groaning figure even though there was already a red dot marring his chest.

"What do we do now?" He questioned Blake who was still curiously looking at the girl's unconscious figure. More specifically, it was her face he had his eyes fixed on.

"Ask our men to get all the children out safely and shift them all to the orphanage we discussed. Turn the entire place upside down to make sure that no pesky fly of this man is left alive. If there's any, ask them to transfer them to our base." Blake answered him. He was still sitting in the same position.

"I will convey the message, but what about her." Jeffery nodded his head before questioning him about the unconscious girl. He was sure that Blake would not send her off with the rest of the children. The intrigued look on his face was enough for him to be sure of his speculations. He only got to see his face wearing the same look every time he discovered a new piece of music which was melodious enough to tug at the strings of his heart.

"We will take her to the base as for now and get her checked first. I need to make sure that she hasn't suffered any injuries." Blake answered him.

"You are right. It's better to make sure that she is fine before sending her off to the orphanage." Jeffery spoke up. He deliberately added the latter part to cross the doubts which were clouding his mind.

"No. we won't send her off with the other children. They were only taking her along , which makes her a different case. They left the other children behind, but not her. If she wasn't here just for being trafficked by them, then there has to be some other reason. And the reason is important enough for them to take her along with them." Blake shook his head.

"Alright, Boss." Jeffery couldn't help but smirk. Blake's curiosity in her alone made her special and his interest in her would only increase by the day. He doubted that she would be going anywhere any time soon. "I will ask them to bring a jeep around her." he added before he busied himself with shouting orders into his wrist watch which was synced with everyone's ear piece.

'Let's find out why were you their ticket to paradise.' Blake thought to himself.