《Slam No Basuke》 Chapter 01: ¡°And the blond said, ¡®that¡¯s not mine!¡¯¡± Javier Montana laugh so loud he almost fell off the bench. Ben just smirk at him. His joke never gets old. But the idiot already heard the same joke at least 4 times and he still always enjoys it like the first time. Benjamin shrugged. If the guy enjoys it, then who am I not to let him. It¡¯s not as if we are doing anything here but warm the damn bench. Ben sighed again while the crowd roared their approval as Scott Vernon, the team star player drive to the hoop and was fouled when 2 defenders rose up to meet him. Ben watched sleepily while Jason Sollini from the opponent¡¯s side, swear his innocence to the referee who isn¡¯t even listening and shooed him away. They were not yet in the penalty (that is two fouls away) but it was a shooting foul and so the star goes to the line. Ben watched in amusement when the other sides coach first harassed the referee but when the guy just passed him disinterestedly, he turned his wrath to the guy who fouled Vernon. Privately, Ben thinks it was a clean defense, but the free throw is good for their side. Ben¡¯s team, the Phoenix Suns, is leading the Pelicans by a single point. The two free throws will make the lead hopefully by three. The importance of this could not be emphasized enough since this is the last game of the regular season, and both the suns and the pelicans are vying for the final spot in the playoffs since they¡¯re tied at 44-37 win-loss. At the start of the campaign, everyone had high hopes for the Suns since they just acquired the hot new player Vernon, and surrounded him with abled body veterans. Sadly it did not happen. The suns had been plagued by injuries after injuries. Just this month alone, both the starting center, Tyson Chandler, and his backup big man, Alex Len, both got injured days from one another, ending their season a bit earlier than expected. Power forward Jon Leuer took up the slack with a passion, but everyone can see he is struggling. And then there is Vernon. The guy is talented enough, Ben can give him that, but the guy was a douche both in and out of the court. He is better known for his antics in the clubs than his game on the court, and lately, he is expressing his disappointment with the management for misappropriating the use of his considerable talent on the court, making him unable to pull out his full potentials. But all this drama, Benjamin Sulla could not force himself to care enough about it, mostly because he is only a reserve player. He and Javier do nothing but sit on the bench and warm it all day long. All. Day. Long. They go to the same practice, train with the same players but once the real game start, they sit on the bench and watch the game. That¡¯s it. Benjamin has been a professional Basketball player for seven years now. He signed up for the NBA draft of that year but he was ignored for other players. He was accepted into the NBA D-league though. Mostly he is a regular player in the D-league for Bakersfield Jam, supposedly to improve your skills, but it¡¯s not easy to break through to the big league. Ben¡¯s contract had been taken by the Suns a few times now, but they always decide not to renew. Last year, he signed a ten-day contract with the Suns, and later that night, he made his NBA Debut, scoring four points and two rebounds in four minutes of play. He played two more matches and ten days later, Phoenix decided not to renew his contract. The following day, his back to Bakersfield. This year, as he prepared to play semifinals in the D league, again representatives from the Phoenix Suns offered him a three-day contract (2 days of training and 1 game) with the NBA team. He almost told them to go screw themselves but Ben hesitated and in the end, swallowed his pride and took the contract. Now, he is on that third day of his contract and nothing happened but an almost autograph when he was mistaken for Yao. For Yao freaking Ming! Ben thought smoldering. The guy is retired for more than five years and people still wants his autograph. I should have said I¡¯m Yao and signed it ¡®to the dumb ass who thinks I¡¯m Yao¡­¡¯ The home crowd groaned and Ben had to ask Javier what happened. ¡°D-bag missed the first free throw,¡± he answered, eyes glued to the game. D-bag was our personal nickname for Scott Vernon when the asshole purposely asks Javier once in practice to get him a soda like he''s his PA. When Javier mentioned that, Scott responded that at least this way, the team will get some use for us useless reserves. A fight almost broke out, and Ben had to pry Javier away from the star. Javier is lucky they kept the ten-day contract they got for him. ¡°All that for a free throw?¡± ¡°The guy air balled.¡± Ben blink then watches the game. Vernon is definitely mad and red around the face. ¡°Wait for your youtube, Vernon!¡± someone shouted at the crowd and Javier smiled coldly. Scott got the ball again and shoot his second free throw. This time, it reached the ring but it gave an ugly bounce and fell to the side. Players scrambled, Vernon, charged his own miss. Hands rose up but the ball was swatted to the side. Jon Leuer hassled but 2 blue players were behind him. They all dive for the ball but Leuer got there first. The body collided and hit the ground hard. The referee blew his whistle and when everything died down, Leuer is still on the floor, clutching his left foot. He was obviously in agony. The ref stops the game and doctor came out to see the unfortunate player. Our coach, Sol Ziegler was almost tearing what¡¯s left of his hair as he watches one of his key players go down. It was as if he can literally feel the pain of his own player. But everyone knew that his apathy for the player''s health is not a personal concern He is thinking about his chances in the playoff even if he wins today. The thirty-second timeout was extended another thirty seconds. Then one of the doctors shook his head, and a stretcher came to haul the player away. Bobby is still shaking his head as he watched the player go when the coach came near him and shouted, ¡°Sulla! You¡¯re up!¡± Ben stared at his coach stupidly with an open mouth before Javier good-naturedly push him to his feet. The coach put an arm around him and he almost staggered. Ben is Six feet, nine inches tall, a veritable giant in his old local village, but the coach used to be a power forward back in the 80¡¯s and although a bit smaller than him, can easily reach his ear. ¡°No heroics, lad,¡± He said. ¡°What I need now is a team player.¡± He waited until Ben nodded before continuing. ¡°Your teammates will do all the heavy work. Just don¡¯t freeze. If you get the ball, then just give it to our point guard or to Vernon. You get that?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ben answered. ¡°Good!¡± The coach said, nodding. ¡°Then make me proud! Go! Go!¡± Bobby marched into the court and then suddenly he is not a spectator anymore but an actual player. An actual stage actor and not just the playwright, an actual gladiator and not just one of the screaming peasants. He was at the stage and everyone can see him. Suddenly, Ben is terrified. Somehow he¡¯s in the limelight and he is exposed. He played in court a million times before but he knew this is different, like a start of something new¡­ or the end of a fucking dream. Either way, it¡¯s monumental, and now he is scared shitless. The crowd is chanting ¡°defense! Defense!¡± while the bored announcer introduces Ben to the crowd. The second announcer had an amused voice when he describes him like he''s eaten something bad and he needs to go to the bathroom. No shit. Ben closed his eyes. If seven years of basketball experience is not enough to calm him down, then maybe he can force calmness by getting his wa from some other experience. Like 16 years as a KI practitioner in his old village. Like the child prodigy that he was. ¡°Calm yourself,¡± He whispered silently. ¡°This is just another battle in the arena. And you are the ¡®Batoh.¡¯ There is nothing out there that can touch you. You are strong and you are free.¡± He opened his eyes and no one saw the sudden glowing of his eyes. He took a deep breath and absorb the Ki inside the basketball court, purifying it to his level. Luckily, the mop boys are still cleaning the place where Leuer fell and Ben realize that time went familiarly slow. Then he smiled coldly, for although they didn¡¯t know it yet, the people on the court and in the bleachers, are now in his world. ¡°Inbound! Pelican ball,¡± announced the referee. Every player began to mark their man, and to Ben¡¯s surprise, he was guarding Anthony Davis. Ben is expecting to guard the Pelican center but there are two power forwards in their team. The moment the ref blew his whistle, all hell broke loose. But Ben¡¯s Ki-enhanced eyes tracked every player on the court, and when he started focusing, the crowd went silent like he was inside a bubble. Anthony Davis started shaking him, but he stayed in the middle which Ben found surprising. Meanwhile Jrue Holiday, the point guard started running under the court where 2 picks were waiting for him. Then Eric Gordon, the shooting guard, broke free of Vernon and went high. Phoenix defenders separated and Ben was about to assist in guarding Holiday after he broke free with his defenders using the pick. But Davis remained in the middle ¡­ looking down on the floor. Then he realized the ploy. Both guards were baits and the real target is Davis. He continues to follow holiday but he is also fully aware of the passing lane between the inbounder and Davis. Finally, the inbounder fired the ball to Davis¡¯ direction. It was lightning fast, and everyone is still looking at one of the guards when he did pass the ball¡­ Except for Ben who lunged forward and grabbed the moving ball, right in the air. The crowd roared their approval as Ben made his first steal. He charged in the other direction but then a problem arose. His body at that time was Ki enhanced and his new speed, unfortunately, was way too fast for his current dribbling skills and he staggered at the half line. Suddenly two Pelicans were in front of him, blocking his way. The rest of the players went pass them and the possible fast break died with it. A hand slashed on ben¡¯s hand and he almost lost the ball. He grabbed it with both hands and he cursed. Now he can¡¯t move forward or he will be called for ¡°traveling.¡± He moved the ball around him, trying to avoid the snaking hands all around him, forcing him to throw the ball away. Two of his teammates were demanding the ball, including Vernon, but both players are covered tightly by their guard. The opponents coach is shouting ¡°Don¡¯t foul him! Let him choke!¡± His own coach is shaking his head and the crowd went louder. Suddenly he is angry. All he wanted was to play basketball, ever since that mysterious foreigner arrived at his hidden village and explained the game to him and the other kids. He even had an old sports magazine that featured the Bird-Magic rivalry. It was Ben¡¯s most treasured gift. He abandoned his village and his destiny as the next ¡°Ubbah¡± or Head Ki practitioner, to play the game for real. He accepted the endless line of ¡°Assistant coaches¡± who teach him ¡°team basketball¡± and how to properly pass, dribble, shoot. He obeyed like a good little kid because it is the way it is supposedly done. Not his own brand of basketball taught to him by the kind old foreigner. ¡°Fuck it,¡± He said under his breath. ¡°It¡¯s the last game of the season anyway.¡± Invisible Ki poured out of him and his eyes begun to glow. ¡°Let¡¯s play my kind of basketball for a change,¡± He said to himself, as he smiled coldly. He turned his back to his defenders, fake left, then turn right ¡­ to execute his beautiful Hook Shot ¡­ in half court. Ben started running backwards to defend his own court because even before the swoosh sound indicating his shot was nothing but net, he already knew that it will go in. There was a second of stunned silence before the crowd went wild. His teammates kept slapping his back and butt. ¡°You fucking noob!¡± Vernon said to his face. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that shit went in, or I would be fucking you up right now!¡± The pelicans gave their final timeout. All the coach said is to mark your man and not to foul anyone. Easier said than done. ¡°They¡¯re going for quick three if they can, so watch out rook,¡± Eric Bledsoe, our point guard reminded me. Again, Ben marked Anthony Davis and the moment the ref blew his whistle and gave the ball to the inbounder, Ben lost him. Ben release his Ki around the court and found Davis Ki signature. He burst into speed and went after him. He was too late to interrupt the pass but he was there right on Anthony¡¯s face when he grabbed the ball. He tried to shake him with an ankle breaker but Ben was with him all the way. Davis led him to a pick, but Ben smoothly passed the defender like oil and stayed with his man. Davis threat level grew the longer Ben was with him and he had no choice but to pass the ball. But the no-look pass didn¡¯t distract Ben and his hand whip out to tap the ball into Vernon¡¯s hands . The crowd roared as Vernon broke away and jammed the ball on the other side. The opponents tried to foul him but he was far gone before they can grab him. With a six-point lead, our victory was assured. The fans counted out the remaining seconds like it¡¯s the damn new year and then shouts of victory and curses and drunkenness erupted in the air. Ben smiled as his last game ended before his eyes. Chapter 02: ¡°Please come in, Mr. Sulla,¡± General Manager Arthur Gallagher said. ¡°Sit.¡± Ben nodded calmly to his boss and sat at the indicated sofa. ¡°I have brandy or gin here,¡± Arthur offered. ¡°Or maybe you like the harder stuff? We have them here as well.¡± Ben waive his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t drink sir, but thank you.¡± He said simply. Arthur raised his eyebrows. The general manager used to be a star player in his college days. He got drafted in the NBA and played for six years until a serious knee injury sidelined him. Family connection and with knowledge of the inner workings of the NBA, he become part of the expansion in the early 21st century and now he owns one of the NBA franchise. His 52 years old and as hard as a rock. He always wore a three-piece suit, his jacket now hanging in a drawer somewhere and his vest is immaculate. His blings are subtle but just as loud as any rappers, a gold chain hanging from his neck and a Rolex watch in his wrist. ¡°You keep surprising me, Mr. Sulla,¡± Arthur continued. ¡°Just like the game last night. Tell me, Mr. Sulla, do you think you can repeat that same hook shot again? ¡­ or was that a fluke?¡± Ben can feel the man¡¯s eye on him and he didn¡¯t look away. ¡°Well it depends , sir,¡± Ben answered carefully. ¡°Whether or not you are being guarded?¡± ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m being guarded in the same lousy manner.¡± Arthur laughed. ¡°I like you Mr. Sulla and I too believe that that hook shot is not a fluke. What would you say to an extension of your contract?¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ben blink, then smiled. He wasn¡¯t expecting this.¡°I would have to say: where do I sign? And who should I kill?¡± Arthur laughed again. This guy laughs a lot. ¡°Nothing drastic like that, and please, stop with the sir crap. Call me Arthur!¡± ¡°Only if you call me Ben as well. My mom called our third dog ¡®Mr. Sulla¡¯¡± Arthur blink. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Ben nodded. ¡°Dad is called ¡°Ubbah¡± in our village. It¡¯s an ancient title meaning ¡­ well, it¡¯s his title. So any outsider who call him Mr. Sulla automatically insults him since unknown to the visitor, they just compared him to a dog. So my dad had all the diplomatic excuses to kill any outsider he doesn¡¯t like.¡± ¡°I ¡­ I see,¡± Arthur said, not sure if ben is making a joke or not. He cleared his throat and smiled again. ¡°Well, I am offering you a flat one million dollars for you to continue playing for us in this upcoming playoffs. If you and the team passed the second round, then you will get a bonus of a hundred thousand dollars per game after that.¡± ¡°Like I said, where do I sign?¡± Ben said happily. The general Manager offered his hand and they shake on it. ¡°I have a feeling that this is the start of a wonderful partnership,¡± He said. Arthur invited Ben over for dinner and they a lot to talk about: how ben feels about the coaching staff and the other players and about training. The night ended without any other incident. Chapter 03: ¡°Jenna, did you hear me?¡± Cole said, a bit irritated. ¡°hmmm? Oh! Of course, you¡¯re definitely correct.¡± Jenna said, rallying. They were on top of a huge Ferris wheel, waiting for it to be full before the ride start. It was one of the things she always wanted to try when she was young and now that she is here, with a wonderful man nonetheless, she could not help thinking of another man and it annoys her. Cole sighed. ¡°I¡¯m asking about your case and how is it doing?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said, turning pink. ¡°It¡¯s moving great. I have a feeling that the other party will make a deal any moment now.¡± Cole blink. ¡°Really?¡± He said. He couldn¡¯t completely hide the surprise in his own voice. ¡°Why that¡¯s great news.¡± Cole Montague is the son of a Dallas oil baron. He grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. But he is now old enough to try and get out of the wings of his powerful family. He went to law school and started his own firm. And one of the first thing he did is to get this lovely young woman as a junior attorney. The moment he read Jenna Alsurna¡¯s files, he was already intrigue. It didn¡¯t help that the young woman was a drop-dead beauty with her Asian long black hair, deep tanned skin and petite features. What caught his attention though is her determination seemingly caught in her files. Jenna was an immigrant somewhere in Asia at the age of 15. She immediately took a US department of Education high school accreditation program. She passed that with flying colors then immediately took odd end jobs to finance her College education. She went to a small college with an accredited law school program. There was a ¡°BA to JD Program¡± that combined the undergraduate college and Law school and after six years, she was ready to take the Bar exam. She placed at the top fifty in last year¡¯s Bar exam results and Cole was only too happy to grab her. Her first case was about a Mexican hotdog vendor hit by a swerving drunk in his SUV. The vendor¡¯s left foot was severely damage. The hotshot attorney of the other side immediately offered a settlement for a six-figure price. With Jenna¡¯s guidance, the vendor stood firm even after the other side started looking at his family¡¯s immigration process. Jenna was demanding a seven figure settlement and privately, Cole doesn¡¯t think that was possible. Now Jenna is telling him that the other side is amenable to that negotiation. He didn¡¯t know what Jenna did, but that was great news. Something they can build on and base the reputation of their fledgling firm. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Someone signaled below that the ride is about to start and Cole and Jenna get comfy. Cole played with Jenna¡¯s hair as the girl smile at him. ¡°Maybe later after this, you and I can get some drinks and-¡± CLANG! That¡¯s when Ben decided to drop from the other cart into the metal bar right in front of the 2 lovebirds. The operators below started shouting warnings. ¡°Hello, Jenna Alsurna. My name is Ben Sulla. Nice to meet yah. Would you like to go out with me?¡± ¡°Ben?!¡± Jenna said incredulously as Cole almost shriek from Ben¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Hi Jenna!¡± Ben said brightly. ¡°Long time no see!¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°I thought it¡¯s obvious by now,¡± Ben sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m hanging over a Ferris wheel.¡± ¡°I know that!¡± She said exasperatedly. ¡°I¡¯m asking you why the hell are you doing that now?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a scene in ¡®The Notebook.¡¯¡± Cole said helpfully. ¡°A guy named Noah tried to ask the girl out on a date by hanging over ¡­¡± He stops when both Ben and Jenna started looking at him weirdly. One of Ben¡¯s hand slip and he said, ¡°Oh no I¡¯m slipping! I¡¯m asking you again, will you go out with me!¡± Cole looks at Jenna who didn¡¯t budge. Jenna simply stared at Ben. ¡°I¡¯m asking you one last time, oh great batoh, what the hell are you doing here?¡± Cole looks at Ben¡¯s single arm nervously. ¡°Ah, Jenna¡­¡± ¡°Relax,¡± She said almost disdainfully to her boss. ¡°His arm is Ki enhanced. He can stay that way for days if he wanted to.¡± Ben sheepishly scratch his nose. ¡°Aah, actually I needed a lawyer and so-¡± Ben was slightly thankful that his mouth was open when Jenna¡¯s foot hit him right in the face since the 3-inch stiletto went to his mouth and thus greatly diminish the damage in his head. Nevertheless, Ben flew 50 feet into the air in the dead of night, disappearing in the tree branches in the parking lot below. Chapter 04: Ben landed on top of an SUV, crashing all the windows from his impact. It took Ben a moment before he can reopen his eyes. He had to shake his head to drop the pieces of glass in his hair. He felt the incoming attack and his body was already reacting. He crossed his arm over his head and Ki shield surrounded him. Multiple invisible impacts hit his shield but the shield kept its integrity. He drop the shield and shouted to no one in particular. ¡°Hah! You call that ki blast?! Why I barely-¡° Another SUV fell from the sky directly toward his prawn body. Ben rolled to the side just as the SUV fell over his SUV and created an SUV sandwiched. Ben fell to the dirty ground below, coughing from all the smoke. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit excessive,¡± Ben said. Another SUV fell on top of him. By the Buddha¡¯s name, it was loud. More glass shattered everywhere and sparks flew out in every direction. More car alarms started blaring and people slowly walk over toward the source of the commotion, like moths going to fire. Jenna drops from the sky and landed lightly on her feet. She started walking towards Ben, when the SUV on top of ben whoosh pass the other direction, hitting two parked cars. There Ben stood, His eyes glowing white while an enormous amount of Ki enveloped his body. The ground underneath him started shaking, like a volcano barely controlled. And when he finally stared at her, she hesitated from the very sheer will pressing down on her. ¡°Oww!¡± Ben said flatly towards her. ¡°That. Hurts.¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes started blazing as well. She walked closer and closer, despite the massive ki that would force a lesser man back a long time ago. ¡°You threw me away like a used dirty ragdoll and now you have the nerve to come and ask for my help?! Your arrogance knows no bound!¡± Her own ki burst out of her, challenging Ben¡¯s ki that dominates the entire parking lot. ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Ben said, his words almost out wordly as raw ki even charge his voice. ¡°Your actions are not becoming of a Noble Ki warrior.¡± Jenna vanished before Ben¡¯s eyes. But Ben didn¡¯t need it since he can track the young woman through the ki that surrounds them. He raised his left hand to defend himself from the sudden blow from Jenna¡¯s kick as she reappeared behind him. She twisted her body until her arms grabbed the cemented ground and used her kick to deliver uncountable blows with her feet. ¡°I have not been a shul-altana for years! Thanks to you!¡± Ben easily block and sway away from the incoming attacks since the pattern and stance and forms are all so familiar to him, that he barely needed his ki to stop it. But when he felt the killing blows, he started disrupting the attack, taking Jenna off her attack sequence. When Ben felt her restart, his arm whipped out and his own ki blast pushed the young woman twenty feet away. ¡°Enough!¡± Ben said seriously, and Jenna felt the unbelievable and overwhelming amount of Ki that poured out of Ben. This is the reason why he is considered the strongest. The chosen one. The batoh. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. For a moment, Jenna feared for her life. But then she gritted her teeth and forced herself to make a step toward the man. Ben watched her with his dark sad eyes. It was then that he realize how much he had hurt this young woman as she made that determined first step. ¡°I never asked you to leave the village with me,¡± Ben said, almost sadly. ¡°It was the right decision for me, but not to you.¡± ¡°But I did leave the village! For you!¡± She screamed suddenly. ¡°I turned my back to the shul-altana, to my family and to everything I know because of you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And the first thing you did when we reach the new world is to throw me away! What kind of person do that!?¡± A person who loves you, Ben thought bitterly. ¡°Playing Basketball is my dream, not yours. I find my Wa playing it in the court of spectators, but you don¡¯t. Your Wa is elsewhere. You would have been miserable if you join me.¡± ¡°It is not your decision to make!¡± ¡°Actually, it is,¡± Ben said firmly, walking closer to the hurt woman. ¡°For you would have followed me to the gates of hell if I ask you too.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°By cutting you off, you had the chance to pick up the pieces of your shattered life. Something you could not possibly do when you are with me,¡± Ben said, more gently. ¡°Look at yourself. You are now an agent of the law in this new world. You did that all by yourself, without anyone¡¯s help.¡± Jenna did not say anything for a long while then abruptly she asked, ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Ben scratch his head sheepishly. Unconsciously his ki powers subsided gradually, something Jenna notice but not Ben. ¡°I¡¯ve recently made progress with my own dream. I am now playing semi-regularly in the NBA.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Ben cringed. I guess I deserve that, He thought sadly. ¡°I¡¯ve been recently given a new contract and I don¡¯t want to mess it up,¡± Ben said, deciding to be completely truthful and lay everything on the line. Jenna, at least, deserves that. ¡°I may be a lot of things, but a lawyer I¡¯m not. And ¡­ well, you are the only one I trust in this new world. So, ¡­ I¡¯m asking for your help.¡± Jenna stared at him. Her instinct told her to just scream at him to go to hell and proceed to kick his ass. Not that she believe she can do so. But¡­ this is Ben. Her childhood friend, her first love. Her Ubbah. He¡¯s right, Jenna thought bitterly. Even now, one word from him and I would follow him to the gates of hell. She sighed. All fight has gone from her system. ¡°What the hell,¡± she said helplessly. ¡°my firm needed all the client we can get anyway.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll help me?¡± Ben asked incredulously. She turned away. ¡°Come to my office early tomorrow and bring your damn contract,¡± she said as she walks away from the carnage they made in the parking lot. Chapter 05 Ben couldn¡¯t sit still. Two days pass after that unfortunate event in the carnival. He waited along with his entire team for the coach to arrive and so they can start the training because tomorrow they play their first game of the playoffs. But the coach is late. He received a good ribbing from the rest of the team except for Vernon who look at him in disgust. Jon Leuer is unfortunately out for the entire season because of the injury he receives and now Ben is the backup forward. ¡°Where the hell is the coach?¡± Tyson Chandler asked no one in particular. Bobby felt a strong aura and he turned at the gym door just in time to see a gorgeous lady in a business suit and pants walked over to the team. Gerry Crossman, the head assistant coach, sourly following her. Everyone quieted down when she step in front of the bench and coldly watched the team. The team watched her back, some with very appreciate glances, but the lady ignored them. Finally, she asked, ¡°Where is Scott?¡± ¡°And who the fuck are you?¡± someone asked in the background. She sighed. ¡°I am hoping to give the news in one go but since you are not complete right now, I¡¯ll just have to inform the rest of you later.¡± There were a lot of murmuring but in the end, people stop talking as the general concession is this girl looks important enough to stand in front of them then maybe she is about to say something important. ¡°My name is Aimee Gallagher and I will become the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns.¡± A burst of surprised came out from the regular players because of this unprecedented news. It is very uncommon for a team to change coach in the middle of the playoffs and a woman at that. ¡°Where in the world did I see this girl before?¡± Ben said to himself, scratching his head. Ignoring the general hubbub. ¡°She looks so familiar.¡± Ben closed his eyes and using Ki to enhanced his memory, he went back in time to remember. He remembers the fight with Jenna, He remembers the meeting with the boss¡­ Wait! That¡¯s it! The picture in the desk of the team owner Arthur Gallagher. One is middle age woman and the other is a younger version of the girl in front of him. Shit. She¡¯s the owner¡¯s daughter. ¡°Am I boring you, Mr. Sulla?¡± Ben opened his eyed and watch the woman staring at him. A few of the players sniggering at him. ¡°Not at all, madam,¡± He said immediately. The girl, Aimee raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do I look like a madam to you?¡± ¡°What happened to coach Mckillan?¡± an annoyed Tyson Chandler asked aloud. Aimee, the new coach, turned to him. ¡°Coach Mckillan partied last night with some err, local girls and consumed several cocktail mixtures of experimental drugs. According to the medical report, the coach reported to his companion a pain in his chest and thirty minutes later he is being evacuated to a nearby hospital. The doctors reported a heart attack. They were able to revive him but he is still in a comma. Obviously, he is declared unfit to work for the time being. Since we cannot find a proper replacement for him at this time, the management saw it fit that I take the helm for the time being.¡± The team obviously wasn¡¯t happy but they were professionals. They continued their routine to warm up by doing some exercise. Then some basic drills like running around the court and touching the court end to end. Then a series of layup drills and one on ones. Then assistant coaches separated the players to do a series of plays. Ben and a young guard named Brandon Knight are paired together to do a quick pick and roll pass. Brandon moved on top of the three point lane, Ben assist by offering a pick then as Brandon drive to the hoop, Ben positioned himself for the quick pass and for the 8 footer jump shot. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It was simple and quick, just the way Ben like it. ¡°Move your feet! Move your feet Sulla!¡± one of the faceless assistant coaches kept shouting at him. Ben didn¡¯t mind. And he was having the time of his life. Unknown to him, the new coach was looking at him, all throughout practice. Finally, they started a real practice game for one whole quarter. Ben is on the white team. And the scrimmage was brutal. Everyone was playing dirty. Hands holding you back, hidden jabs. Bodies hitting bodies. Elbows digging in your ribs. Then the trash talking begins. Ben always find the capacity of the players to keep talking despite running out of breath quite remarkable. And their interest in each other¡¯s mama always fascinated him. Chandler got the ball in the post and Ben was guarding him. The Black man tried to push him back but Ben didn¡¯t budge, even with the accidental elbows in the stomach and chest. Kick the ball back!¡± Aimee shouted at him. ¡°It¡¯s not happening!¡± Tyson Chandler cursed and throw the ball back to the point guard who set a new play in motion. Ben smiled to himself. Then it was all over. The new coach gave a speech and they were finally dismissed. Ben took a shower, said goodbye to few people that his friendly with, and he is out of the building. He senses her Ki even before he saw her leaning against the wall of the gym. ¡°Hey Jenna,¡± Ben said. She is wearing a blue dress with no other ornaments but her earrings and she look great. She lowered her sunglasses and shoved an envelope in Ben¡¯s arm. ¡°Here¡¯s your contract and it looks legit. I¡¯m heading down to their headquarters downtown and see if I can increase the deal a bit. It seems that they really needed you in your forward position after the other guy¡¯s injury.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Ben said, brightening. ¡°Let me drive you there.¡± ¡°Jenna stared at him. ¡°You are not gonna sit on the table. I¡¯ll do this myself.¡± ¡°What? But why? It¡¯s my contract!¡± ¡°Because one look at you and they will know that you will play for them even if they pay you in actual peanuts. Stay here and let me do my job.¡± Ben sighed. Jenna pops a cigarette in her mouth and lit it in a practice eased. Ben stared at her and wanted to say something but shut his mouth when she gave him a look. Again Ben sighed. He offered his hand finally. ¡°Thank you for doing this. I know you don¡¯t need to, but you did so anyway. And I¡¯m really grateful.¡± Jenna blushed and she hated herself for doing so. She lied to herself that she wore the blue dress because of the upcoming meeting and not because she knew she will meet Ben today. God curse all conscience! Ben said his goodbye and Jenna left in her GM. He walked towards his bike when his smartphone started vibrating. He looked at the number and saw that it¡¯s Natalina. ¡°Lina?¡± ¡°We have a job. Come to my place.¡± It was all the Russian bitch said before clicking the phone dead. Bobby grabbed his bag and look inside. The gleaming Glock is still inside it and he sighed. He grabbed his bike and began pedaling to his new destination. *************************************************************************** Author''s Note: Thank you all for reading! Remember to Follow, favorite, comment, rate and Donate if you find this story entertaining. This is the small things that keep an author going. Chapter 06: An hour later, Ben arrived in a posh apartment complex in his bike. He nodded to the old security guard named Buloy and pedaled himself to the last apartment in the complex. There he easily hopped the 4 step stairs and knocked at the beautiful mahogany door. The door opened at the third knock and Bobby step into a dark living room area. He stood in the middle of the room and sighed. ¡°Can you please stop pointing that gun at my head,¡± Ben said testily. A European blond stepped out of the shadow to his left and drop her suppressed .22 pistol to her side. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Benjamin,¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯ve even let you borrow one of my spare guns so that you can point it back to me and we will have a sexy Mexican standoff. That will really get my juice going!¡± Bobby rolled his eyes as he sighed. The girl could have been every heterosexual male¡¯s dream girl, with her classy long legs, Silky long blond hair and just the right amount of cleavage made her more than qualified to be the cover girl in sports illustrated. Except there is one itty bitty tiny little problem: the girl is a cold blooded psycho bitch killer. Three years ago, the two of them first met in a glamorous bar in California. Ben was a replacement bouncer and is watching in amusement when the fifth guy who made a move on her was coldly rejected. But his amusement slowly died down when she started to emanate a strong killing aura around her. Ben followed her gazed and it fell on an old man groping two underage working girls while two bodyguards covered him. Ben walked toward the Brigitte Bardot look-a-like, leaned over the bar and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± She said coldly, not even bothering to look at him. ¡°But I am not interested-¡± ¡°Get the fuck out,¡± Bobby said, interrupting her. The bartender looks at Ben curiously. Ben nodded to him as if to say ¡°I got this.¡± The bartender shrugged and proceeded to clean his glasses. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Look, in five more seconds, you are planning to do something that is not going to be good to the interest of the bar owner, my client. So-¡± ¡°Is this dude bothering you?¡± A body builder loomed between them. Before the hot girl can speak, though, Ben¡¯s hand swooped at the back of the man¡¯s neck and smashed his face at the wooden bar. Everyone in the near vicinity heard something cracked in the man¡¯s face before his body slowly slid down the grimy floor. Ben¡¯s eyes never left the girl¡¯s own blue eyes. ¡°So as I was saying, whatever is your beef with that old dude, I would appreciate it if you do it outside and away from the club perimeter.¡± Her eyes sparkled. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Ben.¡± ¡°Well Ben, I will do what you asked of me, but know that you received something that most stupid men will kill for but should never have.¡± ¡°Oh? And what is that?¡± Ever since he was a child, Ben hated riddles. The curve of her red lips rose slightly upward. ¡°My attention. And currently, you have that in full.¡± Ben raised his eyebrows as the blond stood up gracefully and left the club. Every man, and most women, watched her walked outside with the feline grace of a puma. When Ben¡¯s shift ended that day, he said his goodbyes to his fellow coworkers and then decided to exit the club by the side door toward the alleyway. He knew the woman was waiting for her in the shadows with a silencer. He barely remembered the fight simply because it wasn¡¯t actually memorable to him. Suffice to say that she put up a good fight, but in the end, he beat the crap out of her. He is normally a gentleman towards women, well, generally speaking anyway, but in terms of fighting women, he had a lot of respect for them to take them seriously, even far more than man, simply because of his experiences in the village. His Mom as well as his ever-present bodyguards, the Shul-Altana, reinforced that expression to him a long time ago. He did remember bringing her half dead body to a nearby hospital without being seen. She was forced to stay in that hospital for 4 months (3 months of that is in a coma) before finally escaping. That was Ben¡¯s first mistake. The psycho bitch hunted him for the next 12 months with at least 28 assassination attempt against him. The last attempt was in Chicago when his team checked into a third rate hotel. Ben sense her presence and after widening his Ki, found the bomb in his room. The Blond was sitting alone across the street and holding a remote control detonator when Ben showed up in front of her and drop the bomb on her table. ¡°I tolerated your shenanigans because you go out of your way to find me when I''m all alone and always kept the civilians out of harm¡¯s way. But I guess you are breaking your own rules today, so what¡¯s stopping me from breaking your neck right this moment?¡± That is when all hell broke loose. Glasses shattered as machine gun fire popped everywhere. Chaos began and panicking people started running. Ben didn''t also remember much about the fight, simply because the fight wasn¡¯t memorable to him either, but he did remember that a two 4-man team attacked the cafe in two different vectors. Ben slaughtered them all plus the two dudes in a van a mile away who is coordinating the teams. Ben dragged the blond back to his hotel room, while the rest of his team is gossiping and gawking outside, then started asking pointed questions. The blonde is Russian by birth but her parents emigrated to Israel. At a very young age, she became a Mossad operative but left the agency when she was 19. As a freelancer, she quickly reached the top and became one of the most sought after assassin in the world. And yeah, the old dude back in the bar when they first met was, in fact, her target. But after Ben interfered and then beat her up, she became slightly obsessed with Ben. Unfortunately, the former target is already paid for and her former client, a south American drug cartel, was not happy when she disappeared and started hunting Ben instead. The cartel was the one who attacked her and Ben in the Cafe. ¡°Slightly obsessed? Seriously?!¡± In Ben¡¯s total disgust, the entire Bakersfield Jam played so lousily that night that they lost by 30 points and incidentally, ended their season prematurely. The attack in the cafe was lauded by the media as one of the worst terrorist attacks in the United States since 9-11. The incident killed almost 20 people and severely wounded at least another 10. According to the report, the gunmen were killed by responding police officers. The following day, Ben took a flight to South America and two weeks later, the cartel was silently annihilated. Then he went back to the US, and made his second big mistake: He hired the psycho bitch to work for him. Before he left his old village, His mom gave him an old 20GB desktop hard drive. ¡°Our accountant overseas gave that to me and I¡¯ve been told that there is a substantial amount of money inside that. Use it when you arrive at the new lands.¡± Two years later, after he arrived in America, he created a startup company with three other interesting people that he saved throughout the years. The company was an investigation agency. And now Ben hired this psycho bitch as the fifth member of his team. Ben asked her once, ¡°By the way, what should I call you?¡± To this day, Ben never found out why this woman, after trying so hard to kill him for an entire year, agreed to join him. Her smile would have melted any other man¡¯s heart. ¡°Call me Natalina,¡± She said. But to Ben, the only effect her smile gave him is to raise the hair on the back of his neck while his gut screamed at him DANGER! DANGER! I wish I listened to my gut back then¡­ ¡°Is there something in my nose?¡± Ben blink back to reality and shook his head to clear his memory of the past. ¡°Nothing,¡± Ben said tersely. ¡°So what¡¯s this big mission that you guys can¡¯t handle on your own?¡± Natalina slowly slid down the sofa in the dark room. ¡°The client is Amapola Vasquez. We already worked for her last year when she hired us to check her husband¡¯s fidelity.¡± ¡°And is he?¡± ¡°Somewhat.¡± ¡°Somewhat? What the hell does that mean?¡± ¡°The guy is a flirt and will chase anyone with a skirt, but he doesn¡¯t have a mistress or use the family credit card for hookers.¡± ¡°Okay, so the guy is loyal.¡± ¡°Or a cheapskate.¡± ¡°And our client?¡± Natalina shrugged. ¡°Mother of two brats. Been a teacher for like forever and looks good for a late thirties woman. Anyway, a year or so ago, Our client is in a PTA party and taken a bit of alcohol. When she drove home, she got involve in a hit and run scenario.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Ben raised an eyebrow. ¡°She killed someone?¡± ¡°Naah,¡± Natalina said, then pulled out a small notebook. She opened it and flip over some of her notes. ¡°The victim¡¯s name is Arturo Bayles, 62 years olds, and a carpenter. He too was drunk that evening. He got hit by the car but stood up later and walk himself to a nearby hospital. We have a copy of his medical records: some bruises but nothing permanent. That is also where we learned that he is drunk at the time.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the problem?¡± Ben asked, confused. Natalina sighed. ¡°The problem is that our client ran away from the scene of the crime. Unfortunately, a nearby hooker captured the entire scene with her smartphone. Did you know that Oplus camera phone can really take good videos even in the dark? I¡¯ll buy one with my next paycheck.¡± ¡°Focus Lina,¡± Ben admonished. ¡°Oh right!¡± She said. ¡°Well, it turned out that the hooker is also a junkie and when she needed a quick shot of pick me ups, she traded her phone to her pimp who turned out to be a freaking police officer.¡± Ben sighed and closed his eyes. He knew where this is going. ¡°Shit,¡± He said under his breath. ¡°The cop watched the whole video and traced the car with her license plate. Like I said, the video was really good. The cop confronted our client and demanded 25 G¡¯s,¡± Natalina reported then shrugged. ¡°Our client paid the cop and the cop promised to erase the video. For a while everything is quiet.¡± ¡°Let me guess, the cop didn''t erase the video.¡± Natalina nodded. ¡°He appeared 3 weeks later, that''s yesterday and demanded 50G¡¯s this time.¡± Natalina eyed Ben with piercing blue eyes. ¡°And that is not all: Our cop friend wants to invite our client to his friend¡¯s bachelor party and he is not taking no for an answer.¡± ¡°So where do we find him?¡± Bobby asked as he stood up. ¡°Marriott Hotel,¡± Natalina answered immediately. ¡°He and four buddies are already there.¡± Ben stop and turned back to her. ¡°Cops?¡± ¡°Naah, Miko already ID¡¯ed two of them as bankers, another as a lawyer and the fourth is a little vague, some sort of consultancy business.¡± ¡°And how does our cop friend contact the client?¡± Natalina offered Ben a slightly well-used smartphone With a rabbit-tail keychain attached to it. ¡°This is the client¡¯s phone. I borrowed it.¡± Ben smiled. It was not as if his team is incompetent, far from it. But if Natalina is left to her own devices in a volatile situation like this one, then more likely than not, there will be a bloodbath. That is why Ben imposed a rule a long time ago that the agency prioritized cases like tailing promiscuous wives and money trails, things that are boring but did not put his team in danger. But if they do take clients with possible danger in mind, then Ben insist on being called and be the one to handle it. Most of the time his people complied, Miko for one, had no problem with money trail investigation and seems to enjoy it since everyone in his group knew how passionate the boss is about his NBA career. But every now and then the agency receive jobs that are more complex than the usual jobs, and Ben gave the team a more grounded option. ¡°Keep the phone,¡± Ben said. ¡°If the cop calls, he will be expecting a more feminine voice. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where are we going? The Marriott?¡± ¡°No, 7-11,¡± Ben answered simply. Natalina was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I need a drink.¡± *********************************************************************** Two hours later, Ben and Natalina are walking toward the Lobby of the Marriott Hotel. While Bobby felt the awe and glamor of the new five-star hotel, Natalina was looking at him with a face that could not be painted. ¡°You said you needed a drink?¡± She asked sourly. Absently, Ben raised his bottled water for Natalina to see. ¡°Then why in the world did you buy all those hard liquor and left it in my car. ¡°Props,¡± was all Ben could say. Natalina sighed and covered her eyes with a sunglass. She knew that Ben is stubborn enough not to tell her his plan no matter how many times she bugs him. Besides, She will find out soon enough. Ben took his time checking out the lobby then nodded to himself, before turning around and started walking toward the reception desk, Startling his companion. ¡°What¡¯s the cop¡¯s name?¡± Ben asked slowly. ¡°Marcus,¡± Natalina said automatically. ¡°Sgt Marcus Veeno. A 12 year veteran of the force. A few complaints now and then and he even got investigated by IA, but all of them were squashed. This guy knows how to work the system." "And the client isn''t coming here, right?" "I''m not stupid, Benjamin." Despite questioning his comrade''s sanity every now and then, Natalina''s way of calling him with his full name while using that eastern European accent of hers is rather... stirring. The pretty receptionist gave Ben a fake smile and asked him how she can help him. Natalina raised one manicured eyebrow when Ben''s accent suddenly change to a latino one. "You can help me indeed chica," Ben said with a wink. "Me and my hombres are planning to do little partying in your fine establishment and actually I''m already late. Can you direct me to the room reserved for Marcus Veeno? He is a big time cop you know." A nearby consigliere pops his head from the notes he is studying and smoothly cut in the conversation. "I''ll handle this Marla, you may go." The receptionist named Marla shrugged and left, this gave her more time to gossip with her fellow receptionist if the big-boobed blond that accompanied the wealthy Arab guy is a wife or a mistress. The consigliere played with his computer for a moment then gave Ben an exaggerated frown. "I''m sorry Mr..." "Smith," Ben Offered and the consigliere nodded. "I''m sorry Mr. Smith," The man repeated. "But we don''t seem to have a name with the one you provided me in our database, Maybe he''d used an alias instead...?" The man prompted expectantly. "Yeah," Ben said, showing a bit of embarrassment. "He mentioned something like that, but I don''t remember." The consigliere showed a sympathetic face, but he is obviously also not gonna budge if Ben cannot give any concrete proof that he is indeed a friend of Marcus. "Tell you what, I''m just gonna call him right now, refresh my memory and get back to you." He turned around and walk away. Natalina hurriedly followed him. "What the hell was that?!" Said the blond completely baffled. Ben sighed as he slowed down. "Our boy Marcus has been doing this for a while now, and he could not have done this without developing a few contacts on the side. That consigliere over the desk is one of them. Did you see how he smoothly reacted after I name-dropped the cop?" Natalina surreptitiously turned back and watched the consigliere now busy on the phone. Ben continued speaking. "Maybe he blackmailed other women before or he used his own girls, but they developed a system a long time ago and obviously I don''t know anything about it, which made me a very suspicious person." In his first year in the US, Ben watched a popular sci-fi movie about a galaxy far far away with people who can manipulate the minds of weak individuals, and this gave him an idea to used his Ki in a somewhat similar fashion. What he can do though is simply erase a specific data, like blur his image, in the mind of someone. "uhmm, I don''t know how to explain this but once the cop comes down and interrogate the consigliere, he won''t remember much about me, except that I have a latino accent and that I am being accompanied by a fine young woman such as yourself." "Not even the fact that you have Asian features?" "Not even that." "..." "..." "Someday, you will have to teach me how you do that." Ben smiled. "Maybe, but right now what is important is that the cop will come down the elevator and the consigliere will only remember you. Watch them talk while you stay outside the lobby. Once the cop mark you then you lead him to his car, do you know where it is?" Natalina smiled. "Across the parking building at the side of the street. Level two. Bastard even brings his mobile to the party. So I lead him there and then I shoot him?" She said, hope in her voice. Ben sighed. "You just lead him there and I''ll tail you both. When it''s time, I will be the one doing all the heavy lifting." ****************** "Who the fuck are you?!" The heavy-set cop named Marcus snarled at the sexy blond leaning over the hood of his mobile. Bitch was holding something behind her and his years of experience as a beat cop told him that it was a weapon, so he jumped the gun, so to speak, and pulled out his own Glock and pointed it directly at the woman. The Bitch didn''t react and even kept that half-smile on her face that is making him angrier. "I asked you a question, bitch! Who the fuc-" A shadow slid behind him and when he turned it was already too late. Darkness engulfed him. Ben kneeled at the crumpled cop and shook his head. How could any of this people not sense the Ki around them? It is just so stupid. Just a small amount of ki flickered at the back of the neck and they are out for days if needed be. Without Ki, humans are just so... fragile. I wonder what it feels like living like that. "Did that bastard just called me a bitch?!" She asked, pulling out the Kukri knife behind her and walking menacingly toward the unconscious man. "Whoah, easy! No killing, I got this!" Ben said, projecting an absolute wall of authority that made Natalina stopped her blinding rage. "You are no fun, Benjamin," She said, a bit calmer. With one hand, Ben carried the 300-pound officer in his shoulder seemingly without any effort then placed him carefully in the mobile. Hurriedly, he grabbed the plastic bag full of hard liquor they bought earlier and dump it inside the car as well. When everything was set, Ben turned back to Natalina. "Go back to the lobby of the hotel and wait for me," He said. Natalina groaned but Ben ignored her. "Do it," He said. "I promised you''ll have your little fun when I get back." Eventually, Natalina walked away and he was left with the unconscious cop. He calmly sat in the passenger seat and studied the mobile''s wheel handle for a moment, satisfied, he started the car using the cop''s key and proceeded to drive the car. His long limbs and innate discipline made it possible fo him to drive the car despite being on the passenger side of the mobile. There was no guard at the entrance of the parking lot since everything is automated. A quick palm strike and the video camera pointed at the entrance simply exploded. Then Ben smashed into the thin yellow roadblock and while whistling a tuneless tune all the while, he drove the mobile out into the daylight street. While driving the car, Ben decided to look around the mobile and check every compartment. He already grabbed the guy''s phone plus the evidence and then tinkered with the cop''s laptop at the back of the car and stole 2 usb''s that he found in the computer case. He blinked in mild surprise when he saw a few stashed of weed in the side compartment of the mobile. He was probably six blocks away from the hotel when he activated his Ki around him, the plastic bag stirred and the bottles of rum and vodkas began floating around the mobile. With a little infusion of effort, ben popped the bottles and the liquid swirl out of its container and formed into this massive liquid ball floating inside the mobile. Ben guided the floating liquid until it touched the unconscious cop and slowly the skin absorb the alcohol into the man''s body. Every now and then, Ben stop the absorption for a few minutes for fear of killing the man in alcohol poisoning, but eventually the entire ball of alcohol was absorbed by Marcus. He gave one final check in the car and after gathering more Ki in his hand, injected it right at the back of the cop''s neck. The Ki instantly woke Marcus up. He looks around bewildered, and upon seeing Ben he started attacking him. Ben easily deflect the awkward punches directed at him then seemingly without any effort, he grabbed Marcus at the base of his neck and the man was suddenly paralyze from the neck down. "Relax, dude, this is almost over," Ben said as he eased the mobile toward a long alleyway. "Just to recap and make sure you understand what is happening: You try to blackmail our client and we are here to set you up so you will never be a threat to her ever again." "Client? You mean the teacher?! When I get my hands on that bitch I''ll-" "Are you even listening?! I told you, you won''t be able to get near her ever again," Ben said as he increases the pressure in the accelerator. "What the fuck are you doing?!" "Actually you are about to crashed your police car into that alley wall 2 blocks away." Marcus'' eyes widen, and despite himself, he tried to move, but the paralysis was complete. Meanwhile, Ben continued talking as if he had no care of the world around him. "Relax, I guarantee that you won''t die from this sad accident since I already strengthen with Ki your internal organs. But the pain will still be a bitch. Also, a concerned citizen already called 911 about a suspicious police car moving erratically in the neighborhood, so after the crash, paramedics should be here in a few minutes... maybe. Unfortunately, after they check you out, they will realize that your blood contains at least 6x the normal alcohol level and a few goodies in your pocket." Ben deliberately showed him the weed he found and put it gently into the man''s pocket. Ben just smiled at the cop''s incredulous look. "That should free our client from your influence." "I still have the video-" "You mean this?" Ben showed him the hooker''s smartphone that contains the video. "Or are you talking about the backup in your laptop? I already grabbed the hard drive and your own phone just in case." "Somebody will notice that the hard drive is missing." "After your tragic accident, the laptop will be in several pieces, and no one will really care to look for it." Ben could see the man''s mind working full time, trying to find a way out but there was none. "Come on man," Marcus pleaded suddenly. "I got a few money stashed away, you don''t need to ruin my career just for this!" Ben''s eyebrows rose. "You have no problem ruining a woman''s career, break up her family and make her your sex slave, and you believe you deserve to keep your job?" "They deserve it?!" Marcus screamed. "They are all bitches and whores! And they needed to be punished!" "Maybe, but not by you. I told you that you won''t die in this accident, but I never told you that you''ll be able to walk again for a while. With the disciplinary hearing, and then the physical therapy and counseling plus the legal mess, After this accident, you won''t be anyone''s pimp daddy anytime soon." Marcus was still screaming when the mobile smashed into the solid wall. As expected, the airbag deployed and Marcus'' head drive right through it and kept him alive. The rest of his body wasn''t so fortunate, though. Ben actually flew from the passenger''s seat and smashed over the wall outside. Groggily, he stood up, shook himself like a dog to clean his hair of the tempered glass pieces. He immediately checks Marcus who is now unconscious then winced at the guy''s broken legs. Ben cleaned places in the car that he remembered touching and then walked away with the evidence like nothing happened. Chapter 07: Ben smoothly slide past the pick as he continued to follow the ballhandler. he sticks with him as he cut through the paint. then waited for the last moment before jumping with him for the block. Gotcha! The bastard knew he had no shot as Ben''s entire frame covered his shot window. ...and then the shooter twisted in the air and pass the ball to their big guy who jammed the ball with emphasis. Another freaking highlight of the week. The bulls were killing them. 68-90 in the third quarter. Ben played solid minutes and he had 11 rebounds, 6 assist, and 6 points. all in all, not a bad work, but still kinda pathetic compared to 32 points by Scott Vernon. The problem with the guy is he is also trying to smash the record of turnovers in one game. He already has 13. Ben inbound the ball and the point guard brought the ball to the other side of the court, then he gave the signal for play box-11. Everyone scrambled as Ben''s team went to their assigned position and the defenders scrambled to cover them. The play was simple. Ben goes near the paint for a postup with the other team''s power forward. It was already established early on that Ben have the power advantage against the guy. He smirked. If they only knew how much... Ben boxed him out into the proper position and if there is no help then he can just bore through, but if double or triple team arrives he is to pass it out to a waiting Vernon or another outside shooter for a jumper, hopefully, a three. That was where Ben got all his assist so far. And so Ben pushed his guy inch by inch and kept getting closer to the rim. His defender kept cursing as he gets pushed around and started to "accidentally" smack Ben more and more with knees and slapped in the arm or an elbow at the back. But Ben kept his concentration and focus on his goal. So far, so good, he thought. Keeping his eyes at his flank, and watching for a snatcher. Finally, the double team came and hands flew all around his vision. He waited until the second guy was committed before he bounces the ball outside to Vernon who is waiting ten feet away. Vernon had an open shot but choose to drive the ball into the paint for a dunk. The center from the other team met him in the air and there was a foul. The ball was nowhere near the net. Vernon cursed and pushed the other guy and a brawl almost started. Everyone was pushing and shoving and the mouths were moving almost a thousand miles per hour, firing rapid description of once heritage, sexual preference, and graphic description once mama. The referee sorted everyone out and gave Vernon and another guy on the other side a technical foul. The bulls shoot their free throw from the technical and it went in. Vernon shoots 3 from the line and it also went in. When it was the other team''s turn, they were able to move the ball around quite efficiently. Ben''s guy tried to shake him by moving all over the court from one corner to the other, but Ben was right behind him. The ballhandler noticed Ben''s tenacity and ignored his teammate despite that he is asking for the ball. Besides, another guy became open, Vernon''s guy, after losing Vernon in a pick.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The guy grabbed the ball, step back into the three-point line, got a good look at the basket, then shoots in one fluid motion. Ben was about to go and help when the guy releases the ball. Ben wanted to swat the ball before it reached its apex, but apparently, no professional athlete can jump straight up for 20+ feet in the air. So he just watched the ball arc in the air and hit nothing but net. Ben groaned silently. They just have enough time to inbound the ball before the horn announced the end of the third quarter. Dejectedly, he and his team huddled for the break. Vernon is still angry with what he called an illegal pick but the rest is already talking about what they can do for the last quarter. "Those 3''s are killing us. We have to be in their faces to stop those shots." "Easier said than done. Those bastards are good with those picks." Ben nodded, agreeing with his teammates. being the newest guy in a group of veterans, Ben barely gives his opinion in this first few games. "Just give me the damn ball!" shouted Vernon to be heard in the noisy crowd. Then he turned to Ben. "Backup over here is taking his sweet time before he passes the ball. No wonder we can''t get near them. Do your job, fucking replacement!" Ben just smiled at the superstar which irritated Vernon even more. ben wondered what would actually happen if the guy takes a swing at him. He already decided not to retaliate, only to position his face just at the right angle to break the bastard''s arm and hopefully take him out for the rest of the season. That will be a- A flash of killing Ki activated in the crowd and Ben whirled to face it. Someone is out there, he thought. He let his own aura spread out and he found them near the lobby. Ben turned to hiscoach and whispered. "Coach, I need to take a piss," He said. The coach looks at him in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She roared. "We are in the middle of a fucking game." Ben smiled back at her sheepishly. "Game jitters," was all Ben said. Aimee Gallagher sighed and dismiss him with a wave of her hand. "2 minutes, Sulla. If you are not here after that, you will not play for the next week. You got me?" "Yes, ma''am!" Ben saluted then run out of the court. Ben''s feet... and Ki brought him to an out of the way lobby on the second floor. And there he saw a man wearing black silk robes who is just standing there, waiting for him. The moment he saw the man, he sighed, for he knew who he was dealing with. "Hello Benjamin," The man said, his eyes boring into Ben''s own. "Hello, little Brother," Ben replied, as he walks towards the man. The fake smile on the man''s face slowly vanish. "Only a clansmen can call me that," He said in a low voice. Suddenly two women dress in black from head to toe materialized in Ben''s side and grabbed him with powerful Ki-enhanced arms to disable him. A sudden burst of his own pure Ki came out of Ben and both Shul-altana warriors slammed at the walls on either side of him. The walls actually created a crater from the impact and both women were suddenly unconscious from the Ki display. The man in front of him barely moved. Now Ben''s eyes are glowing in a golden light from the outpouring of a massive amount of ki from his body. 4 more shul-altana female warriors materialized around him but none was brave enough to approach him again. One young female warrior was looking at him with fear in her eyes. "Tell your warriors not to surprise me like that again or I might accidentally kill one of them." "You are as barbaric as ever," the man said. "You never deserve mother''s trust nor the right to lead our clan." Ben sighed. "What the hell do you want, little brother, I have a game to finish." The man stared at him with an incredulous face. "So you actually went through it?! threw away your honor for that stupid game?!" Ben sighed then turn around, "Leave this place right now before I throw you all out." "Four of the Shul-Altana warriors are missing for the last 2 weeks. All of them are assigned to watch you." Ben stopped, he wasn''t surprised that the clan was still monitoring him, but 4 elite warriors are missing? Ben slowly turned back. "And you think I have something to do with this? You have some nerve, Michael," Ben said coldly. "We don''t," Said the man named Michael. "At least not anymore. Another Shul-altana was checking up on you when the last warrior went missing. So we knew you have nothing to do with it. But still, the fact remains that they are all missing while assigned in following you is too much of a coincidence. We need your help." Ben stared at him. This man''s hatred of him is only surpassed by his commitment to the clan. He knew how much personal pride must the man swallow to asked for his help. And so he sighed, then look at his watch... and started panicking. "Crap! I''m gonna be late!" he said. "Meet me at the bar called "Sanzo" at 11th street!" And then he ran back to finish the game.