Love Began with the First Meeting novel Chapter 1386

"Hah...hah… Let's go get a present for the boy." Richard chortled. "Or he is going to throw a tantrum."

"Yes, sir." The secretary answered with a smile. He swerved the car around and headed for the nearest mall.

He pulled up in the underground parking lot and then respectfully followed Richard into the mall. Richard bought some expensive toys and requested that the sales assistant deliver them by courier.

It was not until they were back in the parking lot that Richard discovered that he had left his phone in the store. He frowned. "I forgot my phone in the store."

"Don't worry. I will go get it, sir. You can wait in the car," the secretary said quickly.

Richard nodded and accepted his considerate advice.

After Richard got into the car, the secretary left to retrieve the phone. Richard set up another video chat on his iPad with his grandson. He talked and joked with the boy to kill time, letting him guess what presents he would be getting.

Just as Richard was laughing aloud in the car, a dark figure emerged from behind a pillar in the parking lot. He moved very slowly. The man was dressed in a black suit, a black coat and black shoes, with a black hat shadowing his face.

He lifted his head slightly. Under the brim his thin, sexual lips came into light, and the day-old stubble on his face created an air of indifferent isolation about him. As he narrowed his eyes a feeling of callousness shrouded him. He stared straight at the car window and at Richard, his eyes icy cold with a thirst for blood.

A chilly smile played about his lips. Slowly he pulled his hand out of his pocket. Something silver flashed in his fingers. Then a gun with a silencer appeared and aimed at Richard.

His smile deepened. For a long while he just enjoyed the pleasure of aiming at Richard but didn't pull the trigger. Then he lowered his arm fractionally. The gun was now pointing at a bomb which had been secretly planted in the side panel of the car. No one but the mysterious man knew how and when the bomb had been planted there. With a slight quiver of his finger, the trigger could be pulled. The bullet would hit the bomb. The car and Richard would blow up into pieces.

His pulse quickened as he visualized this scenario with great enjoyment. Excitement seized him as he fractionally increased the weight on his finger. The trigger slowly moved under the pressure.

He found that the parking lot was so quiet that he could almost hear the scrape of the firing pin and springs moving. With only a little more pressure, the bullet would split the air and... His flinty eyes darkened with relish at the thought. Just as he was about to press it harder, something cold touched his temple.

He froze. His eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Put the gun down!" the new gunman said.

The dark garbed man sneered. "We can have a try to see if you're quicker than me." His eyes darkened. "I've risked my life to be here. I don't intend to leave here with him still alive. It will be nice to have Richard joining me in hell."

"Then try it!"

The man frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Just try it. Pull the trigger." The voice behind the dark garbed gunman held a hint of laughter. "Let's see what will happen first, the explosion or your death.'"

The man's eyes gleamed with suppressed malice. He grounded his teeth, his voice cold as he asked, "Aren't you supposed to be even happier if I kill him?" There was a pause as the two gunmen faced off in a stalemate.

"I hate people who stick their noses in my business," the man answered as a small smile twisted his lips. "Richard will die, but not in this way."

"Cain, you are going to regret this," the dark garbed man retorted spitefully. "Everything you wanted to lay your hand on has been destroyed. Do you really believe you will get yet another chance to kill Richard? No matter how talented you are, you won't get a chance like this again if you let him return to the base."

"Well, we will just have to wait and see." Cain's frigid voice was a melody of sinister ruthlessness and curt domination.

Either because of Cain's words or due to the stress of the situation, the man loosened his grip on the gun. "I hope this won't be something you will regret."

"I rarely regret anything," Cain replied indifferently and also dropped his hand which still held a gun.

Then the secretary returned with Richard's phone. At the sight of the car still in perfect condition and the passenger safe, he froze visibly. The secretary looked around. For a moment, he couldn't make up his mind whether to get into the car or not.