The Rider (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Kade arrived back at Cali's place with a distraught look on his face.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Three men tried to kill me... or kidnap me, I'm not sure."

"Are you okay?" Cali said, rising to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm good. I managed to evade them, but one of the men, I took him out and approached him. I asked who sent him and he told me that there is a bounty on my head. Undoubtedly the same bounty you were once after."

"We knew this was a likely scenario," Cali said. "A bounty like that is going to attract nearly everyone in the city. It's only a matter of time before someone gets you."

"I can't live like that," Kade said, still pacing.

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Cali asked.

"This has to end. We need to go see Saigon."

Cali and Kade exited together and rode to Mr. Saigon's massive empire. Kade wasn't sure what to expect when they arrived. They pulled up much like he had done a hundred times in the past and were let in by security. Upstairs, Saigon watched on the monitors. He wasn't expecting to ever see Kade again.

Standing in the impressive entryway, Cali hadn't seen anything like it. It looked like a luxurious hotel. Crystals and chrome, polished brass and rich woods — the place was an opulent display of modern architecture and aesthetics, mixed with traditional textures. She felt a sense of awe as she looked around. She had been so removed from modernity that she felt a little out of place. She also had experience with evil dictator types and didn't want to fall victim to any traps.

While passing through one of the security checkpoints, Cali grew more nervous. 

Escorted by security, they entered the elevator and rode it to the top floor. The doors opened directly in Mr. Saigon's office. The large room seemed to extend endlessly in all directions. The floor to ceiling windows provided stunning views of Endocrine that few ever got to see.

"The prodigal son returns," Mr. Saigon said with a sinister smile.

The towering man with an impeccably pristine three-piece suit sat on a throne-like chair behind a beautiful rose wood desk. Kade didn't say anything, he was holding back. He was so enraged at the sight of Mr. Saigon and wanted to charge at him and rip his eyes out of his head.

"And who might you be?" Saigon said in a somewhat flirtatious tone, turning his attention toward Cali.

"You can call me Cali — the bounty hunter that brought you Kade Casey — alive."

Kade turned toward her in shock, but before he could say anything, Cali had jammed a taser in his ribs, flipped a switch, which sent a thousand volts of electricity through his body, not enough to kill him, but enough to incapacitate him. Kade's muscles spasmed uncontrollably as he collapsed to the floor and continued to convulse.

Cali stepped over him and demanded payment. "I believe the offer was two-hundred and fifty thousand units."

Mr. Saigon didn't look pleased, but played along as if he had every intention of paying the bounty. "Of course," he said. "Right this way."

Cali followed closely behind.

Mr. Saigon walked over to Kade, knelt down, and held a device to the back of his neck. Without saying a word, his face said it all. He stood up with a look equivalent to a calm before the storm and asked sternly, "Where's the implant?"

"The what?" Cali asked.

"One of you has it," Mr. Saigon said, stepping over Kade and walking right up to Cali. His towering figure and deep authoritative voice was enough to intimidate anyone, but Cali wasn't backing down.

"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about," Cali said defensively. "You asked for Kade Casey, I delivered you Kade Casey. I'm not leaving without my payment."

Mr. Saigon paused for a moment, almost as if he were attempting to read her thoughts. He reached out with the quickness of a jungle cat and snatched Cali by the neck and lifted her in the air. She looked like a small child compared to Mr. Saigon.

Cali shoved the taser into Mr. Saigon's armpit and squeezed the trigger expecting him to release her. But instead, he just flashed his devilish grin and threw her across the room like a ragdoll. Her body smashed into a table and knocked it over.

Kade was still on the ground, unresponsive, and not moving. Tanjoban was also in the room. He froze in the moment unsure when to reveal himself. He remained on guard, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Mr. Saigon became completely enraged. He first kicked Kade in the stomach and charged over to Cali like a bull. "Where is it?" he shouted as spit flew out of his mouth. By now, Cali had returned to her feet and realized she was outmatched. With no time to think and nowhere to run, Cali was cornered. Mr. Saigon grabbed a hold of her again. With the strength of a silverback gorilla, he pinned her up against a wall and began to squeeze her windpipe closed. Cali's face was starting to turn purple and a look of panic came over her. Her eyes looked over at Tanjoban, which prompted him to jump into action.

Just then, a loud gunshot rang out, echoing throughout the office. Shattered glass, the sound of whistling air escaping the room, the bustle of a busy metropolis many stories below. Tanjoban stood with his gun steadied, now taking aim at Mr. Saigon.

"Let her go," he commanded.

Mr. Saigon complied and Cali collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. He turned to look at the broken window, which was no longer acting as a barrier to the toxic outside atmosphere.

Tanjoban locked his eyes on Mr. Saigon while taking the necessary steps forward to his fallen friend. He crouched down and checked on Kade. He had a pulse, but it was faint. "Cali, get over here," Tanjoban said with urgency, still keeping Mr. Saigon at bay.

"You're a dead man," Mr. Saigon said with an expressionless face. "All of you are dead." His expression changed ever so slightly from melancholy to pleasure as if he was fantasizing about killing them.