NIGHT AT PRENTER'S

Garfield.

11:00pm

Everyone's wrist watch alarm buzzed off, signaling the time we've been anticipating since yesterday's meeting with Shy. Without a minute to spare, we put our masks on, did one last check at our guns and Bluetooth ear piece speakers and stepped out of the van.

We moved according to plan, in the dead of the cold night, walking against the large perimeter walls, blinding the glaring cameras as we approached the gigantic gate.

Just as Trey had said, Mr. Prenter's gateman, was a lazy fat pig. The fool had passed out on his chair while on watch, snoring loudly it irked me. The guy didn't even hear us jump over the gate and stood right in front of him for like ten seconds till I decided to wake him up.

Cammy, Sisco and Gar moved on to other areas, there were two more guards we needed to incapacitate.

"Psst! buddy, wake up!" I Slapped his right cheek.

"Huh- what!" sleeping beauty woke up, eyes beetroot red. He looked disheveled, brown hair ,laid flat on his sweaty forehead, mucus running down his nose.

"Hey there,"

Fool ,sat upright ,eyes blinking wildly and the moment he registered what we really were ,he tried reaching for his gun but I was quicker, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, pulling him on his feet and bent him over his messy desk, the other hand pressed the muzzle of my gun at the back of his head. "Hands where I can see them!" The guy shook as he rose his trembling hands up in the air.

"Move and I'll shoot." I hissed, his eyes were almost bulging out of his sockets.

"Are you calm?" Trey chuckled.

"Yes... yes. JesuschristI'msocalmrightnowiswear!" Rumbled fatty, Logan and Nessa chuckled at his pathetic response.

"Great, remain calm,"

I pulled him back up and pushed him to his chair, Trey and Christoff worked together, tying the large man up while Logan, did what he was great at : disarming the alarms on fatty's computer.

We left the guy taped on his chair, a fake ticking bomb strapped under his chair. As we walked up the drive, we met two more security guards, taped together, each with a fake bomb trapped to his chest. Scared shitless.

Grayson and the rest were standing by the front door, so we took the back. Step one, two and three crossed off on our To do list.

1. Infiltrate the compound

2.Incapacitate guards and disarm alarm

3.Block exit points.

Step 4..

I heard gunshots from inside the house, women screaming then footsteps coming towards the back door and as they got closer I decided to open the door, gun aimed at the front.

"No! No please! " One of the two women screamed cowering in fear as they came face to face with my gun pointing at them.

"Please don't hurt us," The second voice belonged to a man who very well fit our description of Mr. Prenter, black hair greying at the temples, creases on his forehead, brown eyes and a hooked nose.

Prenter had a beautiful family, a wife and two kids, a girl probably in her early twenties and a boy in his late teens.

With our guns pointed at the family, we moved them to the living room floor of the living room. Daughter and son were weeping in the arms of their tearful mother as Prenter tried to calm his family down.

"Okay shut up shut up, all of you!" Ordered Grayson while wildly waving his gun at the family. "Not a word, let's get to the basic, phones, watches any thing that can be used to communicate outside. I want them at my feet. Now!"

In an instance the panicking family, put their phones and watches as Grayson had requested. Nessa picked them up, switching each off and placed them on the dining table, Cammy was bus placing jammers around the house. The rest of us just kept an eye on the family. We had orders to shoot if necessary.

"We don't have any money, " Prenter pleaded," Just let me and my family go, please,"

"We are not here for your money old man, "Seethed Sisco.

Grayson let out a bored sigh and crouched in front of Prenter so they were on the same height level, "We know you have some dirt on Shy. You know, large dark guy, wears a lot of jewelry and a criminal. Heard of him?"

Prenter shook his head," I never heard of him. I swear!" He looked around at us, "What has this got to do with me and my family?"

"Tst tst tst! Wrong answer, wrong question," Grayson chided, "This is what we will do, I ask questions, you answer them correctly everyone goes home happy. So my question is, we need everything you have on Shy,"

"I told, you , I don't know who that is,"

"Wrong answer. Sisco,"

At the call of his name, Sisco roughly pryed the boy off his mother's arms pulling him up on his feet and pressed a gun at his temple. Mother and sister cried in horror trying to reach for their loved one but Trey had a gun pointed at them. They froze, just sobbing helplessly.

The scared boy looked at his father, wordlessly asking for help, eyes wide with fear.

"I didn't tell you this but every time you answer a wrong question, someone dies. Your wife or kids then of course you."

Prenter's Adam apple bobbed in fear as he looked helplessly at his wife, daughter then son being held at gunpoint. He finally turned back to Grayson and said. "I know Shy,"

"Bravo," Grayson clapped and told Sisco to lower his gun. The poor kid ran back to his mother and Prenter let out a small sigh of relief. "What do you know?"

"Not much, I know he runs a faction of the black market."

"Words don't matter to us Prenter. I want everything you've gathered."

"They're upstairs in my safe."

"Great, get up," Grayson ordered and Prenter got up," Lead the way, Logan, Christoff ,Nessa with me. The rest of you keep an eye on them,"

"You three stay down here," Grayson commanded, referring to Nessa, Cammy and Kristoff. Then he turned to , Logan ,Trey and I . "You four are coming with."

Grayson hauled Prenter up on his feet, despite his wife's complains . Gun pointed at the back of his head ,the guy obliged , leading the way upstairs. His study was impressive if I do say so myself. Books were stacked in shelves according to alphabetic order. It looked like a mini library. He had a nice white office desk at the center of the room. The desk held a computer, scanner, printer . A stack of files and a beautiful family photograph ,framed in a pricy ivory frame.

"Sit!" Grayson shoved the man on the seat behind his desk. "Where are they?"

without answering, the man calmly pulled open a drawer 'taking out the entire compartment then pulled out another. The safe . "Clever," I thought. After pulling out the safe, he keyed in the passcode and opened it then pulled out some files . He gave the files to Grayson. That's all I have on Shy.

The man was calm , way too calm for my liking. Normally I like it that when I have a hostage he/she would be shitting their pants begging for their worthless lives. Not Prenter. Were we not threatening enough. "Check his computers, who knows he might have soft copy," I suggested , "We have to do a clean sweep,

"That's all I have, I swear," He said in frustration. I found myself smiling at his frustration. Finally some reaction.

"Logan, computer," Grayson said then turned to Trey and I . "Look around , find anything of importance,"

That was how I ended up flipping through pages of musty old books, bored out of my mind . Most of the books were criminal investigation , the likes of : Hidden in Plain Sight

by Jeffrey Archer, AMERICAN FIRE: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse etc. Was easy to say the guy was more than just a successful business man ,probably a detective. Maybe it was just his hobby. Bottom line, I didn't find anything that sparked my interest.

"Hey," Someone whispered from beside me, when I looked up, my face twisted into a scowl at the sight of Trey. The idiot was smiling. Why was he smiling?

"What? " I hissed, returning "SHOT IN THE HEART ," By Mikal Gilmore back to the shelf and picked another.

"Nothing, " He flashed me a toothy smile, "Just wanted to talk.

"About?"

"Geez! When did you turn into a grumpy monster? I haven't seen you in years and when I do ,you are giving me attitude.

"Whos fault is it?" I asked, now fully turning to face him. Hands crossed over , my chest . "You're the one who disappeared on me ,no calls, no texts. So yeah I have a right to have an attitude."

"I got locked up in Miami," Came his straight forward reply . "That's why I disappeared," air-quoted disappeared. " Look, come over at mine after".. so we can talk,"

I looked at him in the eye for sixty seconds straight, trying to detect a lie or any mischief buzzing in his head but none. Trey was sincere . Problem was, I didn't want to talk to him. I already cut him off my life.

"Grayson, gonna check on the others downstairs. Cant find nothing here,"

Grayson mumbled a whatever granting me permission. Trey tried holding me back by grabbing my hand but the ice cold glare I gave him, made him take his hands off. The one thing that came out of his lips were "I'm sorry," Then I was gone