Owen Able and the Two-Headed Dragon

Chapter 17

Battered and bruised, Owen unfastens his Kevlar vest and lets it drop onto the bedroom floor. An aching desire for a cold shower wells up within him, but his body has different intentions. The adrenaline has vanished, leaving fatigue and pain to dominate his senses. He collapses onto the bed, and his body surrenders to a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Around ten a.m. the next morning, the ringing of Owen's mobile phone wakes him up. With his eyes still closed, his hand searches for his phone in the direction of the noise. He finally finds the phone under the sweat- and blood-stained bed sheets. Flipping the phone open, he brings it close to his ear.

"Owen here," he says, half asleep.

"Hi Owen, it's Michael."

"What's up?" Owen says.

"I have some information in regards to the case. Can you come and see me? I'd prefer not to talk over the phone," Michael says.

"Yeah. About that," Owen says. "I hit a club last night and I feel a bit beat. I am taking the day to clean up and recuperate."

"I did not take you for the party type," Michael says.

"Yes, me neither. I haven't partied this hard since my army days," Owen says. "I guess you want to tell me that Andrew is in Mauritius. Right?"

"How do you know this?" Michael inquires surprised.

"Someone at the club told me."

"You took the word of some liquored-up clubgoers?"

"Not exactly. They were mostly all over the place, so I couldn't get any answers from them. But there was this one man in the office who felt the need to inform me of Andrew's whereabouts. He only had a phone number and no address," Owen says.

"Did you take the phone number? We can always trace the number to his location. Well, for cross reference in any case, as I did manage to get an address for him," Michael says.

"No. Shortly after I asked him for it, it dawned on me that Andrew's address in Mauritius is already known to me," Owen says. "Andrew was pretty stoked when he first bought the place a few years back, and if you know me, you will know that I cannot forget any information I hear or put my eyes on. It should have crossed my mind that he might have gone there, but it did not."

"I see," Michael says. "Come see me tomorrow, then I can show you all the intel we've gathered on Andrew, including the questionable businesses he owns. Andrew is not the friend I thought he was," Michael says.

"I hear you. Speak to you tomorrow, Michael."

"Bye, Owen. Tomorrow then."

The call ends and he snaps his mobile phone shut. Setting it gently on the bedside table, he gets up from the bed and pulls off the dirty sheets. Aches and pains shoot through his body.

It feels like my body was used as a piñata, he thinks. I must be getting old.

Owen walks over to the bathroom and runs a shower. His favorite movie soundtracks play over hidden ceiling speakers while video footage from each movie appears on the dome-shaped shower-glass panels. Touching his left rib cage sends a stabbing pain through his body.

Yep, at least one rib is busted, he thinks.

Red shower water swirls down the drain at his feet, mingling the blood of his enemies and his own. He looks at the wound where a katana sliced open his arm. It's bleeding a bit, but fortunately is only a surface scratch. He exhales a sigh of relief, grateful that stitches won't be necessary. If there's one thing he can't stand, it's the sight of needles. The shower water automatically turns off as he steps out. Owen inspects his busted lip and bruised eye in the mirror on the medicine cabinet, gently touching the damaged areas. He opens the cabinet and retrieves some Steri-Strips, bandages, and antiseptic spray. A burning sensation spreads around the cut on his arm as he applies the antiseptic spray to the wound. Oddly, it's a sensation he enjoys. He carefully sticks three Steri-Strips over the cut on his arm, pulling the wound closed. All kinds of pill bottles line the top shelf of the cabinet. Rummaging through the various bottles, Owen retrieves two aspirins from a bottle and swallows them down with some water. For the finale, Owen wraps the bandages tightly around his midsection and secures them with two elastic bandage clips.