A dead Houston Night.

"Trouble?"

Bryan felt relieved now that his assaulters had stopped the beatings. But what kind of trouble could it be? Did Hao Ge track him? Hope so. Bryan slumped in the seat letting the now loose rope hold him upright as he felt the soreness all over his body.

The three had now left, slamming the door shut before locking it from the outside. He feared for his life at this critical moment. Just what had happened? Why is Erick torturing him? He had lots of questions but right now the pain that cruised through his veins up his head distracted him from thinking clearly until he started struggling to get free.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Gabriel saw his mother sprawled on the floor near the rungs. Someone had indeed stolen his way inside the Houston house.

"Jos?!"Gabriel called out as he left Harrison to take care of his mother. "Jos?!"

Erick couldn't believe that it was now going to end in pain.

"What the fxck are you doing?" Harrison shouted back at Erick who just looked at his phone. "Tell your girlfriend to check this. We had a deal with her!"

The person Harrison referred to as Detective Jane. Now that they did need help here, help to hide the cops from making any move against them, they remembered Jane.

"She won't help uncle." Erick almost lost himself in tears as he dialled his once-upon-a-time lover.

"Hello?"Her sweet voice drowned over his tears.

"Jane? Is that you?"Erick lit up just as the phone connected.

" what is it?"Jane kept her voice low, and straight to the point.

"I need you to help me, Jane... We are in trouble here." Erick conceded.

"I fear I'm not going to get myself mixed up with you guys. I'm sorry Erick but this time you are alone." Jane stood her ground firm. She had vowed not to help Erick in no way.

"Jane please..." Erick tried to beg as a huge flashlight lit up the front of the building.

" Honey please."

"Shut up! When you abandoned me and chased after your whore after impregnating me you never called me honey!" Jane shouted over the phone. The situation was getting worse.

This was the very night they had to eliminate Gindi from existence. Now they had Bryan but they had lost his tricky Old grandma.

"Give me the phone!"Harrison roared snatching the phone from his nephew's hand.

" Detective Jane! I have your share of One million US dollars." Harrison used this as his open formula to get Janes's attention.

"Haha. So?" Jane mumbled something else inaudible before hanging up.

"Sh*t! Just what did you do to this woman?!"Harrison cursed as he redialed the number.

The only hope now was help from Jane. It was already clear that they had been fooled by someone. For over 20 years Houston had survived on what was not theirs and none had ever revealed them. This was going to be the fortieth day?

" Jane, listen up now! This is Harrison the senator's advisor. You have to call off the police at this moment now!" His voice ended nowhere as Jane hung up again and worse yet, switched off her phone.

This was doomsday for Houston.

Erick let's leave now! Harrison dropped Mrs Houston who landed with a heavy beat begging to be helped.

"What about auntie?"Erick asked as Harrison dragged him. Gabriel and Jos were still upstairs, no word from them yet.

"I'm going to get Gabriel! We can't leave them here.!" Erick dodged his uncle and dashed for the stairs up to his cousins.

"Erick! There is no time for that!" Harrison warned his young boy but it proved null and void.

'Fine. I will escape by myself.' Harrison true to his greed and ego, forsaken his only family for his life.

Upstairs in Harrison's room, Gris paced around the room with her phone in hand. Jos sat by the couch in the room with a face full of regret.

"What did you do!" Gabriel shouted from the door. The moment he arrived he learned that Gris had made a call to the police centre 911.

"Why did you do that for!" Gabriel grasped Gris by the neck suffocating her. She was not going to live, not after what she had done.

"Speak.! You called the police!" Gabriel fumed with anger as Gris begged helplessly.

"Jos.." Gris tried to call out but Jos just looked at them stressfully from the couch.

"Jos! Let's get out of here!"Gabriel finally let go of his rage.

" I'm not leaving Gabriel." Jos shocked Gabriel.

"I'm going to surrender. I'm tired of running bro." His voice was steady, a decision he had long made.

"Don't hurt her anymore. I'm the one who told her to make the call."

"What!"Gabriel looked around the room. Time was not in his hand now.

"Why?"

His heart raced harder and he felt his stomach twist, three more minutes and those cops would bang through the door.

"Let's get out of here! You are being foolish!" Gabriel still insisted on his brother who ignored him and instead helped Gris up.

"You have to leave if you want to be free," Jos advised his brother.

"Didn't you ask me to take you to Moonsun?" Gabriel cooed.

"I don't want to anymore," Jos replied.

"Fine, then I'm just going to leave. "Gabriel with a heavy heart turned his back ready to leave but Erick came calling his way in.

"Guys! We have to leave now!" He panted as he studied everyone. "Now!"

"They are not leaving. Jos called the police on us." Gabriel informed Erick who didn't believe it at first till Jos admitted.

"Jos! Traitor!" Erick yelled pulling out a knife. His action was swift and Gabriel could not save his brother in time.

"You have to die!" Erick cursed Jos as Gris now yelled and screamed in terror as blood oozed out of the stab spilling over her.

"Why did you kill him!" Gabriel raged with fury attacking Erick but got stabbed too in the chest.

"I will spare you, " Erick said pointing the knife at Gris who had coward to the corner.

"For the bomb!" Erick added the last part as he ran out of the room and down the stairs. There was nothing Gris could do as she stared at the corpses in the room.

The rescue team had to make it on time or else...

Bryan finally made it out of bondage and wriggled on the floor. He had to flee before they came back. His body ached from all edges and he couldn't stand properly. He knew help was on the way. But he had to help himself outta here first. The door was locked, there was no other way out.

"Help..." He tried to call out but his voice was faint. His body was getting weaker with each second ticking away.

"Somebody help..." He banged before he felt himself falling.

*****

Gris sat amidst death. Her frozen nerves melted and her sense flowed through, 'run.!'

She ran her way almost tripping down the stairs before remembering the captured burglar. She had a feeling she had to help the man.

She could hear gunshots outside the house as Erick opened fire. On the corridor leading to the trapdoor down the cellar, Mrs Houston's body plopped there, cold as ice. She had seen death too much of a time for today and her soul was abused.

With nothing to do to help, Gris jumped over the body screaming her way to the cellar. The door opened after using the keys placed next to it.

"Hello? Anyone here?"Gris walked down the dim dark. She saw the empty wooden chair in the middle of the room. No one was there.

'Did they perhaps set him free? Or was he truly a dangerous man?' Fear gripped her. She looked around the messy room filled with farm tools and cookery. She had to go back, she regretted having thought of coming down here as she saw the blood under her foot.

" Help.." A faint need filled the air from under the ruck.

"Hey!" Gris saw the badly injured man trying to move his broken body around.

"Let me help you." She placed her hand around him and brought him to stand on his feet.

"Careful. Let's get out of here." Gris took the burden to rescue him.

"Thanks. Please...police." Bryan heaved heavily as they walked up and into the room upstairs.

"I've called the police. Let's go out. Fast" Gris urged the harmed man to move faster as she helped him maintain balance. The police had long captured most of the workers for Houston and broke into the house.

Mr And Mrs Houston's bodies had long been killed and delivered to the head of the police who let the forensic do his work. The situation was messy and the law was still in search of Erick.

"Hey. Help here!" The voice of a plump lady supporting a man out of the house caught the leader's attention. "Help..!" Gris yelled as the police ran to help them.

"What happened?" The officer in charge questioned before almost breaking out. "BRYAN!"

His face had long lost liveness and his body swayed with creaks from a broken joint.

"Inspector Joe..." Bryan summoned his last bit of strength before falling into Joe Ken's protection.