Knife's Edge

By Monique Singleton

Finding her might just kill me.

Nature created the five of us to save this dying planet and forge a balance between mankind and nature.
Now we’re pitted against each other. War and me against Famine and Death.
We tried to talk to them, bring them over to our side.
They refused... then they made it personal.

Now I need to find the only one who can fix all this and stop the apocalypse.
Primal; the most powerful of Mother Nature’s Forces.
She disappeared, went off the grid decades ago with a very clear warning. “Don’t try to find me.”
Well, I’m trying.
I have no choice, I have to locate her.
Then comes the real challenge.
I have to stay alive long enough to convince her to come back.

From International Bestseller Author Monique Singleton, Knife’s Edge is the final book in the Primal Series.
The content is 18+ and written in UK English.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monique Singleton
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781370018505

Monique Singleton

Being an “army brat” meant moving around a lot. It was a good way to live, to see the world and continuously broaden my horizons: to start cultivating my creativity and fantasy.And grow it did.From an very early age I have always drawn and painted a lot, making my own version of what was around me. Starting off copying reality, I expanded into a personal kind of augmented reality. Adding fantasy to the mix didn’t however relieve me of natural boundaries: the physiology needed to be right. 4 arms means four shoulders, for me even fantasy needs to be anatomically correct. This craving to combine reality with fantasy formed the basis of a career in art. Blending realistic full portraits with fantasy or animals became my trademark, and I did quite well for myself.However, living off art is not an easy task, so practical as I am, I continued my never ending education, now in the area of Information technology. Yes I went into IT. Hey, a gal’s gotta live.Ideas and creativity will not be denied their due and the stories, previously visualized in paintings, bubbled up and wouldn’t go away.In the few quiet moments my busy life offered about 6 years ago, actual scenes started to unravel in my imagination. Random scenes, or so it seemed. It turned out they were all scenes from one story, one idea that my subconscious had already formed into a coherent story line: Primal Nature.I decided to write them down. But where to begin? I wrote the first 20 pages and the last 2 in one go. In the resulting years I have been filling in the gaps. One story led to a book, one book led to two, to three. To new and fascinating storylines that propelled me to write and write and write.I have found my passion. I want to tell stories.Not just any story. Stories that will entertain, but will hopefully also give room for thought. Will encourage the reader to join me on my journey to explore the boundaries of who we are, what we are, what we could be.If only we dream. If only we accept that the impossible is only improbable until someone proves that it exists.The world is a big place. Who is to say that what I dream, what I write, isn’t out there somewhere.

Book preview

Primal Series:

Primal Nature

Nature of the Beast

The Beast Inside

Into the Lion’s Den

Warmonger

The Prophecy Series.

Assassin’s Choice (Release January 2020)

Contents

BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINTEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

CHAPTER FIFTY

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

CHAPTER SIXTY

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

PROLOGUE

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

I’m immortal. I’m a Force of Nature. Chosen to bring balance to the world.

What the fuck does that mean?

There’s no manual to all this shit. No one around anymore who can point me in the right direction or make sense out of the mess I’m in now. No one.

Not since Jess left.

Her departure left a gaping hole inside me.

The loss of not having her near, of watching her, being close. And more than that, the deprivation of another being who knows exactly what I’m going through.

I’m alone.

Sure, there are people around me. Day—and if I want—night. But they are only fleeting placeholders. Distractions. They have no idea what it’s like for me. They can’t answer my questions. They don’t know how I feel. And how terrifying all this is.

What if I don’t measure up to what is expected of me? And how can I, if no one tells me what the hell it is I’m supposed to do?

I feel empty.

Scared.

Do I really have to go through all this crap alone?

There are more like me.

Four more, to be precise, including Jess.

But I don’t know the others. Don’t know what they’ve been through and how they’ve come out of it all. Fuck, I don’t even know where to find them. Not even where to start. The Watchers won’t tell me. After all we’ve been through, a lot of them still hold on to their age-old beliefs that the Forces should be separated and that we should not find each other. They still believe that it would mean the end of the world; the Apocalypse.

They won’t help me find them. Not all of them anyway. Jess’ clan is more open to my requests. I guess they are the most progressive of all of them. But they can’t help much. They don’t know where the rest are.

I have nowhere else to go.

Well, that’s not completely correct. There is one place; Spirits Bay. That’s where Jess found some of her answers. Okay, not the ones she wanted, but still answers. Maybe I should go there. But not now. Not yet. Even the mere thought of meeting Mother Nature scares me to the bone.

If nothing else works out, then I can always go there.

I will one day.

Just not now, not yet.

First, I have some loose ends that I need to sort out.

Things from my old life.

CHAPTER ONE

I was back in Hawaii. My home turf.

It felt strange. Really strange. I was born here and experienced a great childhood to start with. My parents were wealthy, and I had everything I wanted. As the only child I was spoilt. Not just in a material way, they flooded me with love. I felt safe.

Native Hawaiian and Polynesian culture were a big part of my upbringing. My father instilled a pride in me for my heritage, one that I have embraced and continue to explore—even now. We were active members in the community and my dad even ran for office once. Not that he would be able to actually fulfil the obligations. His extensive criminal record prevented anything like that.

My father was a criminal clan leader. He led one of the underground splinter groups that flourished with the revival of the Hawaiian and Polynesian culture. Our wealth came from extortion, illegal firearms and smuggling.

The National Indigenous Act provided the native population the legal basis for self-control of the Island, practically rendering us self-regulatory. Though this was generally a good thing, it had a darker effect in that the criminal elements within our population were basically above the law. The law favoured the indigenous people. All of them; including the criminals.

The foreign gangs were hunted down by the police and for the most part banished from the islands. All except the Triads. These Chinese gangs were too strong and powerful to get rid of. The new government sat down with the Mountain Master of the Hawaiian Sun Yes Wo Triad and hammered out an Understanding as they called it. It was no more than a set of rules that the two parties would adhere to. The triad would stay within specific boundaries and, as a result they would be left alone. It was a play of weakness by the authorities, and everyone knew it. The Understanding and the National Indigenous Act had the effect of concentrating all illegal practices into two pillars; the Sun Yes Wo and the Native criminal clans. There was relative peace for three years. Then cracks started to form in the tentative status quo. All the way up till the whole thing erupted.

I remember the day that my mother was killed as if it was yesterday.

My life changed dramatically. Everything my father and I did from that moment onwards was centred around revenge. Revenge for the death of my mother, revenge for the enormous pain that we felt. She was the light in our lives. My father’s reason for living. We started on a violent road that could only end in more bloodshed and loss. Our clan openly fought the Triads in a bloody war that lasted four long years. We were oblivious to the decimation of our troops, the systematic murder of our soldiers. All we could see was revenge. ‘The Mountain Master must die. Then I will be able to sleep’ was all my father could say. He was obsessed. And he dragged me down into the pool of death and debauchery with him.

We were the minority; outnumbered ten to one. But still we fought. My father rallied his men and attacked again and again. There was no stopping him.

The outcome was inevitable. There was no way we could have won. Not even with the single-minded dedication that pushed us forward. We were doomed. It was just a matter of time.

The end came on a dreary day in April. Once again, we embarked on a mission to lure the Mountain Master out of his bastion. My father and his brothers captured the Triad boss’s wife and two of their children earlier in a daring and vicious attack on the children’s school. The brutality with which he treated the family was too much for me, and slowly I came to see that my father had lost his mind. Revenge and pain consumed him. There was nothing left of the man he had been—of the father I knew. The obsession devoured him and expelled any smidgen of empathy.

He sent some of the prisoner’s extremities to the Mountain Master in individual boxes. Every day; one more part.

It made me sick. I couldn’t go on with this. It went against everything that I was. Everything that my mother taught me and that my father stood for before she died. Family. That was the most precious—holy even—thing in the world and he was violating this to the extreme. Family was out of bounds. It always had been. My mother was a casualty of a mission gone wrong—an accident. Collateral Damage. What he was doing was calculated, deliberate. I tried to reason with him, tried to stop him from committing these atrocities, but he pushed me aside. He accused me of forgetting her. Of betraying my birth right. It cut me to the bone.

They came on the fourth day after the kidnapping. So many triad soldiers led by their leader the Mountain Master. He came personally, with his two eldest sons. All hell-bent on slaying those responsible for the brutality that had been bestowed on his family. In a short moment of sanity my father ordered me to leave, to save myself. I refused. He hit me—hard. My unconscious body was bundled into a dingy and his trusted advisor rowed me to safety on my father’s orders.

The Mountain Master’s retribution was brutal. My father’s death was drawn out. He must have suffered tremendously. The clan was decimated. Few managed to escape and go underground. Others were executed where they were found. A major man hunt was initiated to find me; the heir. The Triad followed us to the mainland, where we managed to disappear. I was fifteen. Orphaned. In a strange country where I knew no-one except Peni, my father’s advisor. Even that didn’t last. The Triads found us and killed him. I escaped with two bullets buried in my arm and shoulder, and a renewed hatred for the organisation that had taken everything from me.

In hindsight, I understand that it had been my father’s actions that wrecked our lives, not the Triads. Sure, they made the first mistake. They accidentally killed my mother. All the crap from then onwards was on our tab. My father’s and later mine. He taught me well; I inherited his anger, his determination and his obsession. It dominated my life for more than twenty years. Revenge. A double-edged sword. Cutting me as much as it cut my enemies.

And yet here I was again.

Back in Hawaii. Back home. Back in the vicious circle of revenge and retribution. I needed closure and violence was the only way I knew how.

Back to square one.

CHAPTER TWO

The conference room was tastefully furnished with a massive light-oak desk and deep black leather chairs. They were the only colourful objects in an otherwise stark white environment. Nothing was out of place. The floor to ceiling windows were unobstructed and offered a fantastic view of Honolulu’s night life. Thousands of red and white lights moved along the highways like fluorescent snakes. The neon lights and flickering billboards promoted the best cars, the best perfumes, the best of everything that people were taught to want.

The contrast between the frantic oscillation of millions of lights outside and the simple peace of the office was astounding. This felt like a haven; a safe place in the insanity of the big city. The white Buddha and the shrine with the lit candles emphasised the effect. It was peaceful.

The same peace that Kane had come to change. To destroy.

Fei Hong sat in the vast swivelling chair behind the desk. He was an inconspicuous man. In his white designer suit, he looked no taller that Kane’s shoulder. There was nothing that stood out about him. Nothing remarkable. He wouldn’t warrant a second glance in a room full of people. He was ambiguous in every way possible. Every way except for the bright green eyes and the way he held himself. This was a man of power.

He was flanked by two large men dressed fully in black. Their eyes were locked on Kane. Bulges under their arms in the made-to-measure suits clearly indicated the guns they were packing. They felt safe in the knowledge that they were more than able to stop anyone who threatened their boss. These were the elite bodyguards of the Sun Yes Wo’s Mountain Man--the boss of the Sun Yes Wo triad.

This was not the same man as so many years ago. Not the one responsible for the death of Kane’s father. This man was a lot younger, probably somewhere in his early forties, more or less the same age as Kane. That was where the similarity stopped. They could not have been more different. Kane was massive, where this man was compact—small even. Though to be fair, anyone was small compared to Kane. His complexion was smooth. His skin fair. Kane sported his unruly long mane and bushy beard that made him look like a wild man. The man behind the table was impeccably dressed, no crease in his silk suit. Kane wore his compulsory jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket. The only thing they had in common was the look in their eyes. Both were fearless, steadfast and resolute.

Kane smiled at the determination he recognised in his opponent. He let his eyes roam over the man. From the precisely coffered hair down to the state-of-the-art prosthetic right hand that rested on the table. The fingers and mechanical muscles were exact replicas of the natural mechanisms of a human hand. Kane understood why he seemed familiar. Not just because of the resemblance to his father—the previous Mountain Master—but because of the prosthetic. This was one of the children who had been kidnapped. This was the boy whose hand had been severed by Kane’s father; an incentive for the triad boss to come and get them. The boy was now a man, and the recognition was mutual.

‘You’ve got balls. I’ll give you that.’ The man behind the desk said in accent-free English. His pronunciation spoke of extensive education in the best schools. A privileged upbringing. Maybe indulged more because of his handicap. This was an educated man. Not a fool to be underestimated.

Kane smiled. ‘Hey, what could happen to me?’ He sank down in the chair opposite the desk. His elbows on the armrests and his hands folded in front of his chest. He was enjoying this.

Fei Hong returned the smile. He was confident in the overwhelming advantage that he had over this clown. How could the idiot even think that he would leave this building alive? He was unarmed. The metal detectors had confirmed what the guards at the multiple stations had encountered with their searches. No weapons. Not even a knife. Nothing. He must be suicidal.

After all these years, Kane was still the Sun Yes Wo’s most wanted enemy. Top of the list. Not just because of the showdown thirty years ago. The more recent violence Kane had initiated three years ago when he returned to the islands reawakened the hunt for the heir to the Hawaiian Conference; the newly resurrected indigenous gang. The renewed conflict had been bloody, with Kane continuing his father’s ruthless hunt for revenge.

Strange stories circled about this ruffian. That he was a demon; a devil. He had been shot multiple times, knifed, yet here he was. Outwardly none the worse off for all the times the Company tried to kill him. He had been absent for more than a year. All leads fizzled out and he was presumed dead. Few Hong interpreted this as an indication that the family had finally been eradicated.

The message came out of the blue. Kane was back on the island and looking for whoever was in charge of the Sun Yes Wo. He was here to exact his ultimate revenge. To close the chapter.

‘You are naive,’ Fei Hong remarked ‘if you think you will survive this visit.’

‘Oh, I’ll survive.’ That smile again. ‘And I’ll get what I came for.’

‘And what would that be?’ Despite himself Fei Hong was curious.

‘Revenge.’ The voice was cold. Deep.

‘Revenge for your father?’ Fei Hong laughed. It was cut short when he looked into Kane’s ochre hued eyes. There was no humour there. No insanity like his father. Just cold calculation.

‘For my mother.’

‘Just your mother?’

‘She was innocent. My father brought his death upon himself. He was the architect of his own demise.’ Kane answered. ‘Though we could debate the manner in which you killed him.’

Fei Hong looked at his metal hand. That was the ratification for the horrific way that Kane’s father had died. This and the fact that Fei Hong’s mother was now confined to a wheelchair, and that his sister missed an ear. The man had been vicious. Maiming children and a woman to entice the Mountain Master to a final battle. The atrocities had achieved their intended effect and their unavoidable result. The slow and painful manner in which he died was but a small atonement for what Fei Hong’s family endured at his hand.

‘Your mother was an accident,’ Few Hong answered. ‘Her death was not intentional and regrettable. My father offered retribution for the unfortunate outcome.’

‘Monetary retribution.’ Kane’s voice was low, soft and menacing.

‘Yes, monetary. A large amount. It was sufficient, because of the accident.’

Kane laughed. A sinister sound that chilled Fei Hong, despite the perceived predominance.

‘Money can never be sufficient,’ Kane continued. ‘She was my mother. His wife. Family. The one most important person in our lives. How can that value be expressed in money?’ He paused for effect. ‘It was an insult. Only blood will wipe the slate clean.’

‘There has been enough blood,’ Fei Hong answered angrily. ‘Your father killed many of our men, as did you. He took my arm. My sister is mutilated. My mother an invalid. All thanks to your father.’

‘No,’ his adversary stated. ‘It could all have been prevented if your father had handed over the one who shot her. Then all that followed would not have been necessary. An eye for an eye. The honour among honourable men. But your father refused.’

A silence followed. Fei Hong was acutely aware of what Kane was referring to. Both sides adhered to a strict cultural ideology and a set of rules they lived by. These determined their honour and lifted them above the common criminal. They were not animals. They lived by distinct morals and ethics. No matter how strange that sounded to the uninitiated, the outside world or to the law enforcers. Theirs was a culture that demanded loyalty and compliance to honour and internal codes. The sanctity of family was one, an eye-for-an-eye was another. And that was exactly where the dilemma had been. That was the reason why his father had not been able to adhere to the Hawaiian clan leader’s demands.

‘You know who killed my mother,’ Kane declared, observing Fei Hong intensely.

‘I do not,’ Fei answered. He had to lie. He was bound to protect the culprit, just as his father had done. Family ties were irrevocable, even if you despised the person involved. Even if the mere thought of the him disgusted you to your core. That was exactly how Fei Hong felt about is older brother Wang Jing. The original heir to the family business.

His mind wandered to that day that Wang Jing had been brought before his father in disgrace. Bloodied and anxious. But still hostile, still defiant.

CHAPTER THREE

‘You blithering fool,’ their father raged against the eldest child. ‘Do you have any idea what you have done?’ The Mountain Master didn’t wait for an answer. He strode up to his wayward son and backhanded him, knocking the younger man to the ground. Fei Hong remembered the surprised look on his brother’s face. The instant reflex to get up and attack his father for this perceived humiliation. The bodyguards stopped him, stomping him in the sternum before he could stand.

‘You killed Akuma’s wife. Your misbegotten plan backfired in the worst possible way,’ his father shouted. ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Fei Hong was mortified. He had never heard his father cuss or shout for that matter. Barely ten at that time, he’d moved behind his mother’s skirts. But still the events were branded into his memory. He had never seen such anger in his father. His mother’s hands reached behind her and touched his shoulder, reassuring him. He wanted to leave this place. Run away. Get back to his normal life. But he couldn’t; he was his father’s son. It was time that he was slowly initiated in the family business—the Triad. At ten years old, he couldn’t quite fathom what was happening—what the impact was of his brother’s actions. The only thing that registered was that their father was mad. Mad as he had never seen him before.

‘It was an accident,’ Wang Jing managed to say through the pain that flashed through his whole body.

His father came closer to look him in the eye. ‘An accident? You idiot. How can you be my son? Did you not calculate the impact of your actions? Did you not think that your stupid play to get rich would backfire on you? What the fuck were you thinking?’ He turned his back on his son, disgusted to the core.

‘It was a good plan.’ Wang Jing was oblivious to sense. Caught up in his own world where he alone would prove himself worthy of his father’s love, he desperately tried to justify his actions. With catastrophic results.

The Mountain Master cringed. How was this possible. Was his first-born so stupid that he could not see what his reckless actions had caused? Was he so insensitive to action and reaction?

With a pain that weighed on his heart he understood what he must do. Wang Jing would never lead the company. He would never succeed him in the organisation, in the family. He would be an outcast. Unworthy of the status of first son of the Mountain Master.

‘The plan sucked. As do you,’ he answered, his voice heavy and cold. ‘You are unworthy of our family name. Unworthy of the title of heir. You are stricken from the Company. There is no future for you here. Leave now, before I do something that I will regret.’ With that he dismissed his eldest son and designated heir.

Fei Hong sighed internally, careful to stop his emotions from showing on the surface.

His brother, Wang Jing had continued to be a bane on the family. The burden of his actions now came to rest on Fei Hong after he ascended the throne to the Company, when of his older brothers died and the other one abstained from the honour. He was responsible for his brother’s stupidity and still protected the idiot. Kept him safe. Buried all his stupid mistakes.

Once again, he would cover for him. He would not tell this man the name he sought. He would never reveal his brother. Not even if it would finally mean peace for him. He would at last be able to close the book on the chapter that had started a war, had cost him his arm, and his mother her mobility. Maybe he should just let this Kane find and kill Wang Jing. It would be a relief. Solve his problems. But he was his brother. Blood. And that meant that he—as the family’s head—was responsible for him. He was duty-bound to protect him.

Fei Hong finally looked up and observed the man at the other side of the desk. Kane looked lost in thought. He concentrated, on what? Fei Hong didn’t know. What was the man up to? It would not make a difference. Duty forced Fei Hong to answer as was expected. ‘I cannot help you,’ he said in a strong even voice.

‘You already have.’ He heard the words clearly. How was that possible, Kane’s lips had not moved. No sound emitted from his mouth, yet he heard the words clear as day.

‘I will take care of your family’s embarrassment.’ The words in his head continued. ‘You will not stand in my way. You will let me exact my revenge and solve your problem. Your brother will die. That is inevitable. Don’t stand in my way.’

Throughout the conversion, no words were spoken aloud. It all happened inside Fei Hong’s head. He was astounded and blinked several times to make sure that he was not imagining it all.

‘You will now let me leave.’ The voice resounded inside his brain, scaring him to his core. He knew this was Kane. Somehow, he was speaking without words. Planting sentences and thoughts in his mind. The impact was much much more profound than if they had been spoken out loud.

‘You are in my head!’ Few Hong thought astounded, struggling to keep his face composed.

‘That’s right. I am,’ Kane answered without sound. ‘I’ve read your thoughts. I know who is responsible. I know where to find him.’ He paused to let Fei Hong digest the information and the repercussions. ‘No one will know of our little conversation,’ the voice continued. ‘No one will know what we shared.’

‘They say you are the devil,’ Fei Hong said out loud. The sound of his voice after the perceived silence was akin to a scream. His men stepped up to protect their leader. Their guns pointed at Kane.

Kane smiled. His lips tight. His ochre-eyes looked at his opponent from under his thick eyebrows. They sparkled with menace. He was secretly enjoying this—what was said out loud and what was only in the mind.

‘Maybe they are right,’ he finally answered out loud. Then continued in Fei Hong’s mind. ‘Don’t try to stop me. You cannot. You cannot kill me, no matter what you do. In the past your people shot me, stabbed me, all with the same lack of results. I do not die. You and your family will, if you keep up this feud. I am giving you one chance to put an end to this vendetta.’

‘No one else dies?’ Fei Hong’s thoughts were clear as day to Kane.

‘That I cannot promise. There may be casualties when I take my revenge—guards. I will not kill any more of your family, except your brother. Not if they stay out of my way. Hinder me, and all arrangements are off. It is up to you.’

Kane felt the dilemma Fei Hong was going through. It was tough. Family would die which ever choice he made. Fei Hong had no doubt that what Kane said was true. He even felt Kane pushing him towards one option in his mind. The sensation was strange; not exactly unpleasant, just very strange. Like his thoughts were physically removed from his head. He let his mind drift for a moment and felt the push more pronounced. Felt the decision being made for him. He understood that there was no real choice. Only one option. He gave in.

Kane placed his hands on the armrests and pushed himself upwards into a standing position. He laughed softly at the impossible predicament his adversary was in. The man was terrified. He felt it in everything—saw it in his mind. Still Fei Hong had to look strong and in control. It was counter-productive to belittle the man even more. He needed him in control of The Company, to stop an all-out war before it started.

‘Tell your men to stand down,’ he passed his thoughts to Fei Hong. ‘Let me through.’

The Mountain Master waved his hand. The action was immediately acknowledged by his minions who moved back a step and lowered their weapons.

‘It was a pleasure.’ Kane smiled as he left the room.

He had what he came for. A name, a location and the Mountain Master’s reluctant blessing.

CHAPTER FOUR

My target was inside the house in the compound directly opposite from where I was parked.

It was finally time to exact my revenge on the man who murdered my mother. The one who was responsible for the war that resulted from that one action, and ultimately ended in the loss of my father. I was an orphan and it was his fault. My feelings were ambivalent. Relief—that it was finally happening—and stress about the validity of what I was about to do. What the fuck was happening to me? It was simple. I would finally exact the retribution that was mine. I earned it. Worked most of my life towards this day. Why was I hesitating? Why was I doubting my resolve?

Did it have anything to do with this past year? My evolution to the Force of Nature that I was becoming? Why couldn’t I just push aside the voices in my head that doubted the legitimacy of what I wanted to do? I had no trouble doing that in past years. What really happened to me in the past months?

I shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts and make sense of the reasoning that bounced around my brain. It didn’t help. Pushing away sentiments of compassion, I opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. The sky was grey, mirroring my mood. Wind bellowed over the island, heralding another tropical storm. It was rumoured to grow into a hurricane. Another natural phenomenon that was the result of man’s transgressions.

I knew better. Nature was pulling at me. Urging me to take up the gauntlet she had prepared. I was a Force. It was time for me to act as one.

But first I needed to get this out of his system.

This one was for me.

I walked the short distance to the compound that was almost completely shielded by the incessant downpour. The rainfall quickly grew to monsoon standards, curtains of water cascading down to the muddy streets. I pushed through the deluge; my body strained against the wind. This was ridiculous. Nature was throwing everything at me. She was trying to stop me from what I knew I had to do. I needed this closure.

Let her try—nothing would stop me now.

Not the two guards who stood at the gate—I fried their minds before they could raise the alarm. Not the other three in the mansion that I convinced to kill each other. My mind is a formidable weapon. And I used it to its fullest.

The front door opened; the zombie behind it