Our Version Of Events

It was raining outside, it felt so peaceful watching the rain fall through the window I sat close to, I watched people pass by as the wind blew softly on my face. I sat in a small cafe down the street; didn't know what it was called, hell I couldn't read Chinese. As always I had Sam with me

"What's the time?" I asked Sam, I was waiting for Don Park. Normally he never came late to an appointment but then again this wasn't really an appointment he'd normally arrange.

"10:36, Sir" Sam replied, he sat on another table directly behind me. He had ordered a coffee so not to be so auspicious but then again it was not everyday you see a person of his built walk into a cafe with a suit and order a coffee.

The door suddenly pushed open, I looked up it was Don Park

"Finally" I muttered, he stood by the door with his eyes gazing over everybody before finally spotting me, my guess wass he probably saw Sam first. He slowly started walking towards me. Nothing felt right as he slowly approached, the Don I knew always came with at least 2 guards but this time he was alone. He got to my table and took the seat opposite me, he didn't even bother taking off his raincoat.

"Thought I told you to come alone?" He whispered.

"I did" I replied, believing he hadn't noticed Sam.

"So am guessing that guy behind you is just here for coffee then." He retorted.

"What's going on? Why would you want us to meet alone?" I asked, he never kept steady eye contact he was always looking at everyone's movement in the cafe.

"When last did you hear from Samson?" He asked, still looking at people walk by

"Last week I believe, why do you ask?"

"Wrong answer, he's body washed up on the shores a few days ago" he replied. I was confused, it could not be I was sure we spoke over the phone, then he asked again

"Samson's crew, Zack, Larry the other guys from the states. Have you heard from any of them lately?" I didn't know how to reply I was still stuck at body washed up on the shores.

"After this months package got delivered I haven't spoken to them" I replied.

"They're all dead, all of them" he said, he turned around to see who just entered the cafe.

"There's a new power at play." He said after checking that the person who walked in wasn't a threat.

"Who?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure, I've only heard rumours...." he said.

"....they call her the iron cat"

"We're being hunted by a woman?" I had to ask. I couldn't, not even in my dreams fathom that men who owned and controlled empires could ever cower because of a woman.

"Not just any girl, she somehow turned everybody against us. Those who had refused her are being eliminated" he said.

"How come I haven't been hearing of it or ran into any of her people?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You've worked only for me. This lady started her attacks with big time associates, I didn't even hear about her till I got her message"

"What message was that exactly?" I asked, in this line of work when you get a message it is never a piece of writing in a perfectly double folded paper.

"I......I woke up to a slaughter house, my entire security were slaughtered like cows. Th......Their blood was used to paint a location on my bedroom wall. 'The golden tavern. Sunday 20:00' that's all it said " he said, I was starting to see the fear in his eyes.

"When did this happen?" I asked, I was beginning to feel jumpy

"This morning" Came the reply, I jumped out my seat. Whatever was going down I wasn't a part of it and I didn't plan on being part of it either. I was just a retailer, multiple genocide was a step too much for me.

"Sam! its time to go" I said. As I grabbed my coat from the chair I was seating on.

"Please, you need to help me. You're the only one that can help me" he said trying to grab on to me.

"With f**king what?! Uh?! With what?!" I yelled, I could see now unlike before why he was jumpy, in that moment I understood why he came alone, why he kept checking the door and why he kept whispering. Don Park had at least 30 security in his premises of which I knew and yet they were all wasted in a single night? Hell no, who ever this lady was I was in over my head.

I didn't care as he tried to hush me down to take my seat again I was not sticking around to be part of his war, he better consider this a farewell meeting.

"Sam!" I yelled again, still no answer. I turned around and saw him sitting still on his seat, his head bowed.

I walked over to him and gave him a gentle push,he leaned sideways and landed on the floor with a loud thud. Don Park saw this he slowly got up from his seat I was frozen, still in disbelieve.

"Sam, are you fucking sleeping right now!" I yelled, there was a bit of a crackle in my voice it was fear slowly gripping and choking me. I looked up, people in the cafe had slowly started to gather around me but my eyes were focused on Don Park; he was slowly trying to back his way out of the cafe.

Someone was here I couldn't say who but I wasn't going to wait and find out. I rushed towards Sam, quickly checking his coat till I found his gun. I pulled it out and fired one in the air before instructing everyone to step away from the entrance including Don Park.

"Staffs to the corner" I said. My finger firmly on the trigger, I was waiting infact you could say I was begging for the slightest resistance from anyone at all

"There's no need for that" a calm female voice said. I looked towards the direction of where the voice came from. A lady walked up to me from the crowd of scared people.

"You did this right?" I asked. Her calmness, the little smile she gave, her right wrist being held by her left arm as she stood there looking at me. This Asian b**ch was confident too confident for someone who was standing in front of a loaded gun.

"Yes" she simply said.

"Why the f**k should I not kill you right now?!" I asked. I needed to know what she had up her sleeves.

"You should. But think about it for a second, what exactly will be your next line of action" she said then took a brief look at Don Park.

"You've made your choice Mr. Park. We would have been excellent partners" she said to the Don

"Go to hell!" he yelled. You could hear the trembling in his voice even though he stood there totally calm.

"Are you her?" I asked. I needed to know why I shouldn't just pull the trigger already. She felt confident, maybe enough to be the woman I was just told about.

"Her?" She asked, unsure of who I meant.

"Oh, do you mean the Iron Tigress. No, sadly I am not" she said.

"Thought it was cat" I said trying to stall her for a bit unsure of what to do.

I thought about pulling the trigger and just walking out the door but I knew at this stage it was already impossible to leave. People passing by had seen me holding a loaded gun, if they didn't they probably heard me fire it so I probably had a few seconds before the closest police vehicle arrives.

"Where you see a kitten I see a Tigress" I noticed it for the first time since we started talking, her accent changed at the world 'kitten' for some reason it wasn't any Chinese accent I heard, I was sure it was British.

She slowly walked back in with the crowd standing at the corner, as she approached them they paved way for her unsure if either to fear me or her more. At that moment the siren light flash at my face I could see the police car now blocking the entrance to the cafe. Another arrived almost immediately and after a while more followed. I looked back at Don Park, his face held no emotion, he already knew his fate. The police officers outside soon brought out a megaphone and started telling me to drop the gun else they would open fire, or atleast that was what I thought they yelled in Chinese. I never did, not even for a single moment took the gun away from the face of that lady. Anytime I looked at her she had that smile on her face, it vexed me, I definitely wasn't going to let her have the last laugh. I slowly smiled back at her.

"Eric, don't" Don finally spoke, he knew what that smile meant. I didn't bother looking back at him. I was sure how this was going to end.

It felt so calm for a few seconds almost as if the world had been put on pause, the sirens had stopped ringing in that very short span of time. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger and instantly everything came back; first the gunshot, followed by the screaming hostages as they ducked in fear of being shot next. She was dead before she hit the ground and then I felt it hit my chest, that sharp hot pain. I looked through the glass doors and saw the second bullet smash another hole through it and into my chest. With a loud thud I hit the floor, I tried breathing very slowly but I had accepted by then that it was my turn. It was always like my mom said "nothing good ever last" I took my last breath as I saw the hostages run out the building and the police officers rush in. I thought I still held Sam's Colt but I must have dropped it when I landed. Anyways it didn't matter now.

I slowly closed my eyes.It was beginning to sound peaceful once more.