CHAPTER 4: A STRANGE TURN

 AUSTIN BRAD's

 I knew Adrian hated me so much but never in my wildest dream would I have expected him to agree to such an absurd request from our enemies. 

 It was unbelievable... I couldn't believe my ears for a few seconds as I stared at Adrian's determined face as he requested for his hands to be freed. 

 The talk about him and I being close friends from childhood was a blunt truth... A truth I've always wished was never right and that was the reason I've kept Adrian alive to date even though I've had many opportunities to get rid of him and avenge my father. 

 It was because one part of me kept telling me he might not be my father's killer although I saw him with my own eyes and even got shreds of evidence against him. 

 With my own hands, I kept the pieces of evidence that could have put Adrian in prison, all because of what?

 Till today, I was still just as oblivious but right now, I felt like I knew the reason. 

 It was to kill him with my bare hands because he was the wildest evil ever seen!

 As I continue to think about what to do, Adrian's hand had been freed and he was already dusting his trouser~

 "What do I do? I can't die here!" I screamed in my head as I thought about what to do. 

 There was no way I would allow myself to die like this! My father... I had to take revenge for him! I had to kill everyone who threatened me!

 Adrian turned to look at me and the smirk on his face irritated me. He collected the knife from the guy closest to him and walked over to me. "I'm sorry, Austin, but you have to die here." He said, making a voice full of mockery but no remorse. 

 The two middle-aged men stared at each other for a few seconds before they both nodded their heads and turned to the four huge men behind them. "Two of you should go and guard outside. We can't let anyone ruin our plan." One of them whispered and two of the huge men bowed before they both left the room, leaving two huge men and two middle-aged men. 

 Adrian turned to face me and bent down. "My biggest wish was to end your life one day but I never thought it would be this easy. I don't feel very comfortable ending you like this but I don't have a choice and as the saying goes, *Opportunity comes but once.* I won't want to waste such a great opportunity." He said and pressed the knife against my neck. 

  I looked at Adrian with hatred in my eyes and gritted my teeth. "I've always thought you wanted a fair fight but... It's a shame you are still a coward to the very end. I've always thought you would change your ways sooner or later and that was why I left you alone to continue living till today but you proved me wrong to the very end." I mumbled with my eyes void of fear or panic.

 I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "If there was anything I regret right now, it's the fact that I didn't confess to the police back then that you are the killer... The fact that I lied to them that you were innocent even though I knew you weren't! You are a murderer and a murderer you will be to the end of the day!" I cursed angrily and closed my eyes and I could see him seething with pure anger already. 

  One thing that made Adrian's blood boil the most was when I call him a murderer and that was the exact reason I called him that. Even if I would be dying here today, I would make sure to kill him with my words!

 I expected his knife inside me for a while but I felt nothing. I opened my eyes cautiously only to see him staring at me with bloodthirsty eyes but he still did not move his hand to stab me...

 "What are you doing? Are you going to stand like that forever?" I taunted him but to my surprise, his lips curved into a mischievous smile and he stood up. 

 He turned his back to me and face the middle-aged men. "If you won't mind, can I have a nice time with him before he dies? Killing him while his hands are tied won't be enjoyable enough. Can I release him and fight him head-on? As you said, We were childhood friends and as an honor to my old-time best friend, I will like to fight him like a man and kill him like a man." Adrian suggested and my eyes twitched. 

 What was he thinking? Why would he want to release me when he could just kill me the easiest way?

 The men glanced at each other for a while and they both burst out laughing. "Good! You're just like your father Beckett! You sure know how to deal with little puppies like this and what's fun, Austin is such a weak lad that can't even fight a woman alone. Watching him struggle to the death door would be the best punishment for what his father did! Hahaha," One of the men replied with delight in his tone and my blood boiled. 

 How could they be so heartless?! Were they even humans at all?!

 But there was something they were forgetting about and that was the fact that I wasn't as weak as they thought! And... Adrian knew that too!

 He walked toward me and cut the rope that tied my legs together, freeing my legs. "This might be our last chance, Austin." He whispered into my ears as he moved closer to free my hands and I furrowed my brows. 

 "Our last chance? Our last chance to do what?" I asked myself inwardly as I thought about what he said. 

  "Don't attack me first, that would be cheating." He mumbled again as he struggled to cut off the rope tying my hands together. 

 "What the hell..." I was about to scold him when I felt my hands free and a sudden sense of relief washed down my system!

 I closed my eyes for a moment and opened it back. "Take my hand, enemy." I heard Adrian's annoying voice and I raised my head to see him stretching his hand toward me. 

 I looked at the hand for a while before I rolled my eyes and stood up on my own. "Thanks but not needed," I replied coldly. 

 "With your brain and smartness, I believe you know what's next to do, right?" Adrian asked me and I chuckled. 

 I knew exactly what he meant. We had done this once when we were 14 years old and it was satisfying to know that the murderer still remembered that sweet moment we once had together!

 I stretched my body and groaned painfully when my hands touched the wound on my neck. "I've got to make them pay," I mumbled as we both turned to the men. 

 "I can take one of those huge men by myself but can you?" I asked Adrian. 

 We both knew I was more of a fighter than he was and he admitted that fact too. He looked at the men and shook his head. "Your skills have rotten, Enemy. The YOU of before could take the two all alone!" He mocked and I rolled my eyes. 

 I looked at the huge men again and my eyes went down to the face of the two middle-aged men who were staring at us with confusion in their eyes. They didn't know what we were talking about but they were sure we weren't planning to fight each other. 

 "Wait! Are you guys planning to leave here together?" One of the men asked us but we rolled our eyes and ignored him. 

 The other man also looked at us and laughed. "You two are clowns. Do you think you stand a chance before these two men of ours? Why don't you just bend down and start licking the dirt like dumbass dogs that you are?!" He retorted with eyes filled with mockery. 

 I scoffed and signaled to Adrian. "Let me deal with them alone for a while," I mumbled before moving closer to the closest huge man.