Clocking with the hour.

: I found an irritating issue with the last chapter, thanks to one of the readers for notifying me through the app group. I'm sorry for the repeated content. It must have been an accidental copy-paste I missed the sight of.>>

*****

Mr Yumaa yanked the sheets over ready to seize Hao Ge and threaten him to silence but instead, his eyes just grew expansive.

"Who are you!?" Mr Yumaa saw the person under the sheets with a helmet over. He felt sure, this was not Hao Ge!

"Who did you expect?" The man with a helmet asked as he sat up.

The whole situation was bizarre. How could this be? So someone knew of his scheme, Mr Yumaa regretted it.

"Who are you?" Mr Yumaa asks more politely now as he saw the other two surround him. They had just tricked him by letting him get in easily.

"Hehe hehe." The man under the helmet never seemed to mind as he stuck out his legs, he was in full attire, head to toe.

Working for Xie Yu against The Gindi was going to be the greatest mistake of his life. He had known the Gindi had connections, on top of all, he had top info! The Gindi at a point also controlled the state's nations. Being a state donor had made them Nation gods.

"Yumaa..."

Now the man stroked his chin, but only his finger slid on the underside of the helmet.

"Yumaa, why are you after Hao Ge?" The question was easy but the answer was taboo. Sweat formulated on Yumaa's forehead as his adam apples romped. He could only swallow this bitter question as he went for rudeness.

"You guys kidnapped my friend!" Mr Yumaa yelled as he pointed at the three. Thank God he had not carried his gun but forgot it in his car.

"Kidnapped?" The man hiding his face in a helmet mocked? "Haha haha kidnapped?"

Dealing with this kind of person was going to be difficult. How he laughed at his accusation made Yumaa wonder what he should say next.

"I'm going to call the police!*" He terrified them but the man now stood up, and walked a step closer so their faces were just a foot apart.

"Take it." He had his phone in his hand, lending it to Yumaa to use.

"Or do you wish I make the call for you?" The situation was annoying.

"Just who are you?" Yumaa asked again as the man took back his phone. He had to play cool, he was outnumbered and armless.

"We? Or me?" The man asked in faint laughter that resonated inside the helmet. His voice was all but calm, and deep.

"You." Yumaa did rectify himself again as the said man gig chuckled.

"I'm a friend of Hao Ge." He was not going to reveal his face anytime soon but torture with words.

Yumaa remembered the man had courageously walked inside the Gindi compound with a locater in hand, saving Hao Ge from him.

"I'm also his friend." The man replied as he added. " I'm getting bored with you."

Yumaa knew he was trapped. These men just talked calmly but deep inside it he knew they were playing around with him

"I think I should leave instead." Yumaa absently turned round for the exit but the two men behind him had their pistols pointed at his head.

"This how you should have shot Hao Ge." The man in a helmet spoke now. He too had a pistol just an inch away from the back of Yumaa's head.

This was how Yumaa was going to die. He closed his eyes as he felt the terror of death, he had nothing meaningful to say as he stammered.

"Sir. I didn't want to shoot Hao Ge."

But this was all a time waste for the man in the Helmet. "You wanted to stop Bryan from signing the documents! And Hao Ge was not going to let you interfere with the situation!" The man spoke revealing everything.

Now Yumaa knew it was hopeless for him. This man had proved that he knew more than what he assumed. There was no way to beat rounds the bush.

"I didn't do anything!" Yumaa protests as he now started calculating his escape. He knew he just had to divert their attention and sprinkle his way past. A thought that made his heart beat thunder, he was gambling with his life.

"You shot him!" The man roared as he now pressed the nozzle against Yumaa's backhead. He was ready to shoot if Yumaa made any slight move, intentional or not.

*****

Erick was admitted to IHC just at the moment Yumaa was about to lose his life.

With the same order from the police, Erick too was going to get his treatment in the same room as Hao Ge, under surveillance.

After a successful ICU operation, Erick was now led to rest. The nurse who had guided Yumaa to the wards was the same one who pushed Erick to the wards. Now Erick sat in one of the wheelchairs as the nurse pushed from behind, slowly and strongly.

The IHC was empty this week apart from Hao Ge and Erick who had been admitted, the rest were all patients who got discharged.

Now Erick felt better, his head was wrapped in a white bandage for his ear which he had shot off. His left leg and scapula too were dressed the same.

Just the next turn and the nurse will have Erick safe, under the protection of the previous cops who had yet left.

This side of the ward was quiet until Erick and his nurse turned the next corner and faced the wards.

'Bang!'

That was a real gunshot! The nurse who had been there during the kolagi hideout in IHC screamed. It had passed several months now after the government discovered that IHC had been the Kolagi hideout and base, even patients had avoided this place.

Now she stood transfixed on the spot, in a dilemma. She had Erick under her care but her life would be in trouble if she kept standing here like a statue. She had to run back to press the emergency button and alert everyone.

"Don't leave me." Erick managed to whisper as the nurse drove him fast back the way they came.

'Bang!'

Another gunshot echoed through the wards. This time the nurse didn't have to think of saving a patient's life anymore as she ditched Erick and screamed her manners away.

*****

Back at the Mansion in the highlands.

Xie Yu had just wiped her mouth clean as she drank down the last drop Of water from the glass after the meal.

"The food was delicious." She praised but Abi had yet to come back. Not to say, Bryan and Mae too had not had dinner either.

"I will say the same." Inspector Joe Ken acknowledged. He looked around the room as he remembered the day Old Miss Gindi had tied him up to a chair. That old lady was a wolf for sure!

Now he even shared a meal with Mrs Yumaa who had also once fought against him. If only they did know, they would have collaborated back then, all this might not have ever happened.

Joe Ken was leaving back for his home, he denied the invitation to sleep over. He knew he won't make it back to Westlands but he had a secured room back at the station downhill.

"Thank you Mrs Yumaa, but I have stuff I have to take care of early morning." His excuse was said lame but he couldn't be forced.

"Safe journey back Joe." Mrs Yumaa found herself rising to walk him out, a habit she only did for her husband months ago.

They both talked of nothing important but just work as Inspector Joe Ken now opened his cruiser to settle himself in.

"Don't let her out of sight." Inspector Joe Ken whispered to Mrs Yumaa as Xie Yu walked out of the mansion too.

It was not late but darkness had flowed over the hills and covered the whole slopes.

"I won't." Mrs Yumaa promised but Xie Yu had long walked past them with a smile.

"I'm going to borrow this. I need to drive out." She said.

'At this hour!' Both Joe Ken and Mrs Yumaa exclaimed.

"Why don't you drive tomorrow?" Mrs Yumaa asked as Xie Yu choose the van for the night.

"I want to club. That's all." She was confident in her answer as she tucked her bra properly.

There was nothing the latter could do but wave goodbye.

"Let a guard accompany you." Mrs Yumaa offered but again Xie Yu denied stating that she doesn't love being followed all time like a child.

Well, she was a grown-up and capable of taking care of herself. She knew the downhill centre well from her past strolls.

And so, like that Xie Yu left minutes before Inspector Joe Ken.

"I'm going to follow behind." Joe Ken proposed as Mrs Yumaa remained back.

Xie Yu checked her phone again, she clicked once before putting the phone back in her purse.

"Yumaa can't be serious!" Now Erick and Yumaa had gone silent, none answered or sent back an SMS. 'He must have gone for Hao Ge!' Xie Yu was wise enough to think of dropping by IHC first before moving on.

*****

Back at the highland.

Mrs Yumaa decided to call the rest of the house down for supper, she assumed they had left upstairs to give them some privacy, now was time for them to emerge.

As she walked up to Bryan's door to knock, she hesitated.

'Was that the sound of... ' she couldn't avoid the temptation to listen closely as the noises behind the door got clearer.

"Yes! Like that babe... Aaaaaarrr mmmm babe!!"

'All three at the same time!' Mrs Yumaa wondered as she couldn't stop wondering how this had escalated.