Burnt Lies

Revenge Is a Meal Best Served Cold

Cameron

Alara was still asleep when I got the call. It was Owen and it sounded serious, "Hey Cam, we caught some of the attackers from the other night and we might need a little help getting information out of them,"

It was a little known thing that getting information from unwilling participants was my forte, some called it torture, I would call it an art form. 

"We've figured out that the attack was in fact launched in the hopes of getting Alara," It always lead back to her, Alara was so enthralling that anyone and everyone wants to get their hands on her. 

"It's that fucking Blood Diamond," I all but hissed into the receiver, my jaw locking in anger. 

"Yes, and out masked friends aren't they only ones looking for it, I found something quite disturbing on the Dark Web,"

He paused the call and sent over a picture to my phone, it was a snapshot of a listing on one of those deep web wanted lists. It held a picture of Alara, smiling brightly and in a flowing peach dress, I recognised it, it was the dress she had worn when we had first met and by looking at the background of the photo it was clear that it was taken just outside of my parents house. 

Beneath the picture was a short description of Alara followed by a bone chilling request.

Wanted Dead or Alive, Alara Mortello holds the secret to the lost riches of the Blood Diamond and the heart of feared gang leader Cameron Grayson, bring her body to us and we will pay you a sum of 100 million.

"What the fuck is this?" I snared anger flaring within me. 

"It's even worse," Owen began to explain. 

"How can it be worse?"

"That's not the only listing," I heard my phone vibrate to indicate another message had been sent to me, it was a picture of search results showing thousands upon thousands of results of the name Alara Mortello, each listing describing in excruciating detail how they wanted Alara, whether she was dead or alive even some listing mentioning that all they needed was her left arm. 

I inhaled sharply, "This is bad,"

"I've got most of my gang on the look out for any suspicious behaviour but I don't think its safe for Alara to be in your usual /home, it is too easy to find."

"What do you suggest we do" I pressed further, feeling the simmering rage boil over, as I clenched onto the phone. 

My eyes drifted over to where Alara was sound asleep, so peaceful and so unaware of the horrors of what was awaiting her in the outside world. 

"She can never know about this, it would destroy her she wouldn't be able to spend a day without being paranoid, she already suffers from nightmares I can't put more stress on her, not with all that has happened,"

"I agree," Owen began to explain what he thought the best course of action would be, "I think you need to make up an excuse of going on holiday or something, go to one of my safe houses and stay there for a while just while we try to figure out what to do."

I agreed with him, it would be much safer if Alara was out of the country, and away from all this. 

"There has to be some mastermind behind this, someone who has spread rumours about this Blood Diamond, someone who knew about the map on her birthmark."

"It is strange how people know about it, it seemed like Russo Mortello would have been very careful over who he told. For him to hide the location on his granddaughter only a few people would have known."

"And we need to find out who has leaked the information."

"Yes we do," Owen affirmed, "But what's more important is for us to get out hands on the Blood Diamond, the only way to make sure that Alara is truly safe is if we have it, then people will stop looking for her as the diamond will no longer be in the location that she would provide."

"If we have it we hold all the cards, we direct attention away from Alara," I added on. 

"It's the only way to make her safe, but first, we need to get as much information from the attackers as possible. I have a feeling that their leader may be the one who has spread the information regarding Alara being the key to the diamond."

"It seemed plausible,"

"I'm going to need your help grinding these motherfuckers down," Owen bit out, his anger as clear as day. It was nice to know that he cared just as much about Alara as I did. He had always been a moral guy who stood against all injustices. 

It was my chance to get revenge on those that dared to try and hurt my Alara. It would take time though, but I had all the patience in the world because revenge is a meal best served cold. 

"I'm on my way."