Chapter Twenty-one–The Unscheduled Pickup

11PM

Khaid’s armored sedan, driven by Kael, was cutting through the night serenity. Everywhere was silent except for the chirpings of euphoric birds. Belg city’s bustle shuts down earlier in the night. Only the Mafia rule the night. At the back seat, Anna was looking decidedly irritated.

“Honestly, Nicholas” Anna sighed, adjusting her crimson suit jacket, “this convoy is utterly inefficient. Three of us for a simple pickup from The Specter? It's overkill, even for you.”

Khaid, seated next to her, barely glanced up from the Ipad in his palm. “Efficiency is secondary to respect, Anna. The Specter is old-world. Sending Kael alone is an insult. And sending you alone would make us look desperate. We need to remind him who runs Belg City now.”

“We need to pick up a box, not conquer a city. And I’m perfectly capable of handling Specter's ego” Anna retorted. “He practically kisses the ground I walk on. The real question is, why did we even drive out here? You could have had the item delivered.”

“Because he still holds residual influence” Khaid said, finally looking at her. “He thinks he has leverage. We retrieve the item personally, and we remind him that his territory is now just another address on my route. It's a statement, Anna. A necessary one”

Kael, driving the car, grunted a quiet agreement into the rearview mirror. “Less talk, more driving. The Specter's warehouse isn't known for its hospitality.’

The Specter's warehouse wasn't an industrial shack. It was a fortress disguised as a storage facility. Massive, gray, and ringed by a high, electric fence. When the Jager armored sedan pulled up, they were instantly surrounded by tons of guards, heavily armed men who emerged from every shadow and doorway carrying sophisticated guns.

Kael stepped out first then followed by Anna.

The Specter, towering and immense in his dark suit, emerged from the main double doors, flanked by his personal security detail. He had been expecting them.

“You two are welcome. Welcome. How was your journey” Specter's voice rang in an over-cheerful laughter and face beaming with smiles too genuine to be true.

“Why is the old man being fake?” Anna scoffed.

“Oh my Gosh, Anna. What a pleasant surprise. You were like ten when I last saw you or thereabout” He turned to his guards dramatically. “I heard that the small girl of yesterday is now causing chaos. . . I mean correcting bad manners” He laughed like a crazy person.

“That bitch!” That was Qye’s murmur at the back. Her fingers subconsciously touched the scar on her left shoulder that Anna had inflicted on her during a scuffle sometimes ago.

Anna stared nonchalantly and nodded. Understanding her, Kael went round the car and opened the car door while bowing deeply. Khaid's black and shiny loafers came into view first.

“You brought a guard? Common Anna, you know I don't bite…we are…”

Specter's words got caught in his throat as soon as Khaid's face shone in the dimly lit compound. He was dressed in a shirt in which the first three buttons were loose to reveal shiny and bulky abs. Specter's face betrayed a brief, microsecond flicker of genuine shock. A look that suggested the young king had violated protocol by showing up unannounced. But he quickly masked it with a paternal, booming smile.

“Nicholas! To what do I owe this extraordinary pleasure? This is far too grand a display for a simple arrangement.” Specter extended a hand toward Khaid.

Khaid returned the handshake, his grip firm and cool. “The item is of extreme strategic value, Specter. I prefer to secure it personally. And also, I wanted to thank you for your counsel in person.”

Specter laughed, a sound like grinding stone. He waved a dismissive hand at the heavily armed men surrounding them. “Dismiss! Lower the weapons! This is family, not a siege!” He turned back to Khaid, his hospitality suddenly cranked up to a maximum setting.

“Guards! Tell the maids to prepare a feast! We will not let the King of Belg City leave without breaking bread!”

Anna narrowed her eyes, watching the exchange with intense suspicion. She leaned in close to Khaid, her voice a low, warning hiss.

“That's a trap. A feast? He's trying too hard to assert dominance through hospitality. He's rattled, Nicholas. We get the item and leave. Don't play his little game.”

Khaid, however, remained utterly calm, meeting Specter's intense gaze.

“A feast, Specter? That is truly generous” Khaid responded, acknowledging the challenge. “But I think business first. Where is the item? I trust you didn't leave it in the storage area.’

Specter gestured expansively toward the hidden entrance of the private residence built into the warehouse structure. “Of course not! It is in my private chamber, safe. Come in, Nicholas. Let us retire to my throne room. We will discuss Metropaul's insolence over a single, quiet drink.”

Anna gripped Khaid's arm, urging caution with her touch. “Nicholas, don't. Just get the box.”

Khaid looked down at his sister, his eyes unwavering. Then, he looked at The Specter, who was waiting, an expectant, challenging look on his face.

“The throne room it is” Khaid agreed without hesitation. He walked directly toward the residence, forcing Specter to quickly turn and lead the way.

Anna and Kael exchanged a quick, worried glance. “What is he doing?” before following their brother into the luxurious, yet ominously silent, chamber.

★

Specter's Throne Room

The Specter's private residence was a surreal blend of warehouse functionality and archaic luxury. The ‘throne room’ was a vast, circular dining hall dominated by a massive, ebony dining table set for a small army.

Khaid, Anna, and Kael sat rigidly in the opulent space as Specter sat himself down at the head of the table. Kael was at alert as he scanned the environment with eagle eyes. Anna, on the other hand, looked on nonchalantly, not hiding her disinterest.

Immediately, the door opened, and a stream of silent maids began filing in. They carried platter after platter of food, whole roasted chickens, tiered trays of exotic fruit, towering heaps of rice, and huge bowls of steaming stews. The flow was relentless. The maids, working with a choreographed efficiency, continued to place the dishes until there was literally no remaining space on the large dining table. The sheer quantity was obscene, a blatant display of excess designed to humble the guests.

Khaid watched the spectacle, a slow, cool smirk spreading across his face. “Specter” Khaid finally drawled, his voice cutting through the silence of the bustling maids, “my compliments on the spread.”

The Specter beamed, expecting praise. “Only the best for the King of Belg City, Nicholas!”

“Yes, but I must ask,” Khaid continued, leaning against the back of his chair with calculated boredom, “Are your maids too daft to not cook an elephant for me or is it you that's not buoyant enough to get one?”

Specter, who prided himself on his immediate grasp of status and power dynamics, was momentarily taken aback. His smile evaporated, his eyes narrowing in confusion. Did Khaid find the abundance insulting? Then, the true nature of Khaid’s sarcasm, the veiled insult that suggested even this excessive feast was too small for him dawned on the old boss.

The Specter threw his head back and roared with laughter, a deep, guttural sound that shook the crystal glasses on the overloaded table. “Ah! Nicholas, you are a clever boy! A quick wit! You know, your father used to speak this same way. It is true the apple doesn't fall far from the tree”

Anna and Kael looked on, their expressions a study in suspicion. Anna crossed her arms, analyzing every detail of the room and the food, searching for a hidden trap. Kael remained stone-faced, his eyes constantly scanning the doorways in a subtle manner. One would think he was admiring the artifacts sprinkled across the throne room.

“Thank you, Specter” Khaid said, cutting the pleasantries short, his voice now returning to business. “The joke was enjoyable, but we have a Clan to run. The item, if you please.”

The Specter nodded, clapping his hands once. His right-hand man, a large man named Borris, immediately stepped forward, carrying a heavy, unmarked briefcase.

“The transfer you requested” Specter stated, pushing the case across the table toward Khaid.

Kael stepped in front of Khaid, intercepting the case mid-slide. He took the briefcase, snapped it open, and ran a quick, expert eye over the contents, confirming the item's identity and checking for any hidden devices. Satisfied, he snapped it shut.

Khaid didn't even look at the case. The moment Kael nodded confirmation, Khaid pushed away from his chair and stood up.

“Thank you for the meal, Specter” Khaid said, offering a curt, final nod. “We are leaving.”

Specter rose slowly, his disappointment palpable. “Leaving already? My apologies, Nicholas. I fear my hospitality was not enough to hold you.”

“Call me when you have an elephant feast” Khaid replied, offering no more explanation.

Specter’s eyes flashed with fury but he quickly masked it with a very broad smile. The veins on his forehead bulged. He clenched his fist tightly as he said. “Very well. Come. I will escort you personally.”

Specter led them back out through the warehouse and into the bright morning light. The perimeter guards remained attentive but were now holding their positions.

Khaid, Anna, and Kael walked quickly toward their waiting car. The air felt heavy, charged with the unspoken tension of two kings parting ways with business unresolved.

Khaid opened the door to his sedan and ushered Anna in. Kael moved to the driver’s side of his vehicle, placing the briefcase securely inside.

“My diamond earring just fell. I need to pick it” Ann said and pushed open the door. Khaid stood beside her, watching her do her findings. “I've seen it. There was no way I was going to leave this expensive stuff in such a dump. Let's go brother”

Just as Anna was about to enter the car, a sharp, loud crack of a gunshot sounded from a distance, echoing off the concrete walls of the warehouse. It wasn't aimed at the car or the immediate group, It was a clear, unmistakable warning shot aimed at Anna.

Specter, standing at the warehouse entrance, froze, his face shifting from disappointment and anger to raw shock.

“Anna, watch your back!” Kael shouted from the driver's seat, his voice immediately dropping into a tactical alert.

Khaid pushed Anna inside and shut the door after her. He targeted the dark rooftop building and fired a shot back. He quickly entered the front seat and yelled at Kael. “Drive”

Within seconds, Kael zoomed off leaving behind a gust of smoke.