Chapter 34 Planning For The Future
Nathan’s POV
Eight months,
Two weeks,
And two days…
That’s how long I’ve been stranded on this island with no chance of escape. It still feels like a dream, I mean, one day, I was living a perfect and enviable life and the next thing I know, I’m stranded on this island, being hunted like an animal.
After my near-death experience with those guys, I pleaded with Raymond to teach me how to defend myself, I want to be able to fight them off even when Raymond is not available. He cant come running to save me every time, when things get tough, I want to be able to stand and fight off these guys, I wan’t to hurt them as much as they have hurt me.
At first, he refused to train me, he said he was trained to serve the Trent’s, not hitting them repeatedly in the name of training. I had to force him to do it, I practically ordered him to do it, threatening him to do it or forget about serving the Trent. I know, I should not have threatened his job, but I really want him to give in and train me, I’ll be completely helpless and stranded without him, I need to defend myself, I want to be able to protect Hilly when I get back home, I can’t have her looking at me like some weakling or something, she may be tortured and killed in my presence and I wouldn’t be able to do anything to save her, I can’t live like that, I simply can’t.
Hillary…
She is the reason why I live and breathe, thinking about her has been my biggest motivation, I wake up every morning with renewed strength and hope because I always see her in my dream and she always assures me that everything is going to be okay. She tells me to stay strong and find my way back to her. In my dreams I always see her in our house, waiting for me as she promised. She always looks sad but when she sets her eyes on me, she pits her sadness away and welcomes me with a warm smile, telling me how much she has missed me. I miss her too, more than she can ever imagine. I’m not sure I would be alive today if I didn’t have her as a wife. Yes, it’s been Raymond that has been saving my ass on this island but I still wouldn’t have made it this far without her, she makes me think rationally, I fight so hard to survive because I want to go back home to her, I want to show her just how much I miss her and how much in love her.
I hope I get back home on time, I hope I find her safe when I get back home. Ray has said that the bad guys were sending someone after her, he said they were going to kill her too, that is why he had urged me to train harder so I would have a chance at saving her when we get back home. He hasn’t said anything about her after that day, I never even bothered to ask him if he has any news about her, I’m sure he would tell me if there is anything wrong with her. He has never lied to me since I met him, he has kept to his promise to protect me and keep me away from danger. He trained me without holding back, teaching me how to defend myself and how to defeat an opponent without looking like a complete idiot and not getting beat up like a spineless weasel.
We have been tracking the Schwartz brothers for the past three months. It’s been like a game of hide and seek between us, they keep searching for us all over the place while we kept running away from them, hiding in places where they would never have thought to find us, changing our hiding spot whenever they get close to us. One time we even hid at their campsite for days, disguising as one of them, they never noticed our presence until the day they decided to do a headcount and find out if any one of them was missing, injured, or dead. We created a distraction, setting their camp ablaze before running off into the woods again. We have been playing this game for so long and we now know all their schedules and routines.
We have searched everywhere on this island, there is no way to get out of here, except we can swim over three thousand miles through the open sea, battling numerous sea creatures that may or may not be dangerous to us. There is no way we are getting off this island, the only way out of here is to outsmart the Schwartz brothers and that is exactly what we are planning to do. We have taken our time to monitor the Schwartz brothers and we have studied all their routines and delivery plan. The aircraft brings in their supplies three times in a month, and they never default on their plans and timing. They are always punctual in their duties, they land on the beach, and offload their deliveries and then they set off, leaving the Schwartzs brothers to their mission.
We have their schedule, we have worked out the plans, all that’s left now is for us to carry out our plans, we are waiting for their arrival in two days, then we would hijack their plane and get off this island. We only need some disguises so we can blend in as one of the guys offloading their supply, when everyone is busy with their duties when nobody is looking, we would take out the pilot and other crew members, and then we are off, that’s the only way out. It’s risky, and the chances of success are very slim, but we are going on with it anyway. I don’t care if we get shot in the process, as long as I have a chance to see Hillary again, as long as I get out of this fucking island alive.
“What’s next boss?” Ray asked me, snapping me out of my thought. I raised an eyebrow in question, not understanding what he is talking about.
“I know we are leaving this hellhole in two days, our plan is foolproof and as long as we both play our part, we are certainly getting off this Island. But we haven’t talked about the future yet, Mr. Trent. We still have no plans for the future that is why I want to know what you are planning for the future.” He explained calmly, causing me to nod my head in understanding. You know, I haven’t really thought about this all along, all I think about is to go find Hillary and make sure she is doing okay.
But that should not be the plan, there are more important things that need to be done, I need to find out who is responsible for all of this, I need to know what their next move will be, besides, I still have to find my way back to the Caribbean, I still need to undergo the training from the elders so I can have total control of our resources and then I can command the respect of every everyone in the family. There are a lot of things for me to take care of, but the only thing that comes to mind right now is Hillary. I want to be with her right now, I want to hold and cuddle her in my arms, showing her just how much I adore her. It’s all I can think of, it’s all I want to do when I get out of here, every other thing can wait.
“I know what you’re thinking Nate, but trust me, that would be a huge mistake.” He told me calmly, making me squint my eyes at him in question, wondering how he knows what I’m thinking about right now. Sometimes I wonder how much information this guy has about me, he makes me seem so predictable. He knows what I’m always thinking about, he can predict an attack and it would happen exactly as he said it would. I can’t begin to imagine how hard he must have trained before he became so perfect at this job. My grandfather must be a fool for letting them go the way he did, I would be a bigger fool if I followed in his footsteps as my father did.
He is so efficient and effective, he gets the job done even before I give the order. Costello would never have been so calm and thoughtful if he was stuck here with me. It’s true that I’ve been using the Mafia and they have been sorting out all my for as long as I can remember, but there is a huge difference between the Mafia and the Hartfords. Costello had other families to protect and he has a business to run so he doesn’t spend much time on me and my problems, but with the Hartfords, it is way different. They spend every waking hour thinking about us and trying to figure out more ways to improve our security system. With the Hartford, I don’t need to worry about myself or my family, it’s their job and they are more than happy to carry out their jobs effectively, with or without me being present.
“You can’t just run back to your wife and continue living your life acting as if nothing happened, you have to teach your adversaries a lesson, show them that you are no longer the Nathan that can be bullied and tricked. You have to outsmart your adversaries this time, Mr. Trent. I wasn’t confident in your skills before, but after spending these few months with you on this island, I am now confident in your skills, I now know that you can handle anything they throw at you. You don’t have to hide out and play the cool kid anymore, show them who is boss, Mr. Trent. Mark your territories and flush out all your adversaries, make them pay for everything they have put you through.” He advised sternly.
“I can’t just leave Hillary to face the brunt of their anger and hatred, Ray. I can’t bear to leave her alone anymore, you know how much I love her, I just can’t live without her, not anymore.” I muttered softly.
“There are many ways you can handle this situation without showing up in front of her and exposing yourself. You can hide in the shadows and carry out all your missions secretly without getting seen.” He explained emphatically.
“What would you have me do?” I asked calmly when it sank into me that he is saying the truth, I need to be calm and smart about this movement otherwise I will fall deep into another trap that I won’t be able to get out easily. I get what he is trying to tell me, he wants me to keep my survival a secret until I fish out all my enemies and expose their plots. I love his plans, it would do me a lot of good if nobody finds out that I’m alive, they would go about their normal lives thinking that I’m dead while I’ll hide in the shadows, carrying out my investigations.
“What would you have me do?” I asked him once more, looking at him intently.This is from NôvelDrama.Org.
“First, you need to reinstate the Hartfords, we are the only ones that can serve your family. I’ve worked so hard to prove to you that we are worth it, we would never betray you, you have to give us a chance to work for your family again, help us regain our honor.” He pleaded softly, making me chuckle softly. He is trying to force my hand, he wants to trick me into reinstating his family as our submissive. He has no idea that there is absolutely no need for all that, my mind is already made up. Ray would continue working for me no matter what happens. Neither my grandfather nor my father can stop me from giving them back their jobs, if it weren’t for the Hartford, I would have been dead already. I owe them more than their jobs, I owe them my life.
“You don’t have to ask twice Ray, I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you. You don’t just have your job back, you have my trust as well.” I told him with a warm smile, watching as he heaved a sigh of relief, smiling so widely. He has never mentioned it to me that he is doing all this just to get his job back, but deep down in my heart, I have always known that that was his end game. Even if he hadn’t told me about our family’s bond, I would have still offered him a job in my service, I need men like him around me, men that are willing to fight and die for me.
“Thank you, Mr. Trent, I owe you my honor.” He let out excitedly. We would come up with a plan on how and where we would create our base of operations, but, right now, we have a plant to hijack. That is our number one priority now.