An agonising groan echoed around the steel walls of the cellar.
Pain was evident in the voice that carried it; torturous and horrific pain.
Strapped on to a chair was a bruised and disfigured Diego. He was held caged by a rope which seemed to squeeze his entire body into one piece.
The pain from that alone was excruciating talk more of the cuts, wounds and broken bones he had gotten.
The cellar was cold, extremely cold. Diego had his teeth chattering. A rat ran passed his legs causing him to curse in italian.
Heavy thumping footsteps could be heard making its way towards his direction.
Diego needed not to be told who it was.
Cold and dangerous blue eyes carried his already swollen and weak green orbs in their formidable stare.
"Have you come back to finish what you started?" Diego asked slurry before spitting out loud.
Raphael crouched down and gave him a sadistic smile.
"You know me so well diego"
"Actually..."Raphael began.
"I'm not going to kill you now" he stood up and casually tucked out a dagger.
"So what's the dagger for?" Diego spat trying to sound brave.
Raphael maniacally chuckled. "I'll enjoy cutting you limb by limb every single day"
"You are making a grave mistake Raphael!" Diego yelled back at him.
Raphael at once connected his knuckles to Diego's jaws in such a swift but painful punch.
Diego let out a wail, his head down casted as blood trailed from his contorted face that oozed pure pain and broken features.
"Watch your tongue when speaking to me Diego"Raphael balefully commanded.
Diego coughed out, blood spitting and tainting his already creased and dirty shirt.
"What do you want from me Raphael?" His voice came as a groggy plea.
Raphael raked his appearance, his eyes sinfully blue in the dark.
"How did you know off my exact location in Mexico?"
A croaky laughter erupted from Diego's lungs. It irritated Raphael but he managed to control and pull himself together from not killing Diego right away.
Diego's laughter filled the walls of his cell, resounding and resonating.
"If i do tell you, you wouldn't believe"
"Try me" Raphael grinned.
"The Ghost"
The confession came as an initial shock to Raphael. His eyebrows were raised and his jaw hanged loose.
The Ghost was one villain he just couldn't fish out.
Responsible for the attack on caravella casino and killing Mario, Raphael just couldn't fathom who wore the mask behind the shadows.
One thing rang in Raphael's mind. How then did the ghost find out about his location in Mexico?
He made his location strictly confidential.
Who was the rat that was selling him out!?
Diego's coughing snapped Raphael out of his shocking trance.
"How do you know the ghost?" His voice was low and commanding. It shook the air around them.
"I don't" Diego abruptly replied before spitting out a loose tooth.
"What?"Raphael gave him puckered brows.
"I received a phone call from someone who said he was the ghost and he filled me in on all the information I needed to know about your arrival" Diego confessed.
Raphael smiled. "How does the ghost know that you are on my black list? He didn't just give you that information randomly. He already knew how strained our relationship was and how blood thirsty you are to kill me"
"I don't know. I've told you all I know!" Diego scowled.
"Who killed my mother?" Raphael switched to a different question.
"I've told you all I know" Diego hissed.
Raphael crouched towards him and dragged his jet black hair causing Diego to wince and snoot at him.
"Diego for your sake I hope you aren't lying else..." Raphael left the sentence unfinished and shot up at once.
Examining his dagger, Raphael walked his eyes to Diego's battered body.
"Why don't I take a piece of your body home today?" He devilishly inquired.
Diego had his eyebrows pulled up together in absolute horror as he watched Raphael advance towards him like a predator.
"You are making a very big mistake Raphael. I am not the culprit. I am not the one you should be facing" Diego attempted to justify himself.
Raphael's rich velvety laughter cut him short.
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. You won't be the first" Raphael menacingly uttered.
* * * * * * *
RAPHAEL
I gulped down on a bottle of Tequila. These days my frustration was taking control of my entire body.
I couldn't keep count of how many drinks I had sculled down.
Who the fuck was the ghost?
The fact that he was literally someone close by, some one within my circle got me more infuriated and madden.
Why was he so close and yet so far?
I thought when I had gotten a hold of his name, finding him would be less cryptic.
But reverse was the case. His name got me more confused.
How can he be Lev? Lev died years ago with his father.
Could Ivan be the ghost? Could he be trying to avenge his father's and brother's death.
But he can't be. All facts I have gotten so far shows that the ghost is someone very close to me.
Some one I know off but who?
That question got my head banging.
Was the ghost also responsible for my mother's tragic death? Did he send the shooter?
Mother mentioned she was attacked before she ran into I and Nicole back in Cuba.
Was the ghost behind that too?
Fuck!
My anger got the better off me and I flung the bottle of Tequila to the tiled floor, not caring where it hit.
The broken glasses littered all around me.
"Raphael I can see you want to kill me" Thomas voice cut into my foggy thoughts.
I whipped my face to catch the smirking profile of Thomas who stood by the doorway to my living room.
"The ghost" I whispered.
"Uh--what about him?"
Thomas came over to sit by me and I stared at him intently.
"He is within us. I mean he is someone close to me. Someone I trust. Someone we know off. He is so close yet so far"
Thomas clasped at my shoulder, "Was he behind..."
"Yes. He was the one who told Diego of my location in mexico" I interrupted him.
I studied Thomas features. I didn't doubt Thomas intentions one bit. On several occasions he had put his life on the line just for my sake.
"He must have been behind Maya's death" Thomas mused.
"Raphael, Maya did mention someone who is after her life but we never believed her" Thomas added.
"Who?" I queried.
Thomas had a faraway look in his eyes, "Your father"