by Suzanne Hart
“It’s getting late, we should get back,” Jack said, always the soldier, worrying about exposure and being out in the open.
“Get back to where?” I said, looking into his eyes, I could see a reaction and he looked suddenly lost, sad. A faraway look that went beyond where we were and what we’d just done. I smiled, patting his arm softly. “It’s okay, Jack. I bought the key. We’re quite alone, I can assure you.” He threw his head back and laughed, then shook his head, eying me sideways.
“You bought the key?” His smile was infectious. It was worth every penny to see him smile over that sad look I’d just seen.
“Yep,” I said, standing up naked and stretching my arms out, faking a boast. “I own the whole place now, well, this little key anyway. Everyone and everything has their price. Plus, I needed a new place to stay.”
I turned to see Jack staring at me intently. I felt suddenly self-conscious and slipped back into my robe. He had covered himself with a throw rug and propped himself up on some huge cushions. I felt awkward now that we’d done it. I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next.
He seemed to be far away again, thinking. I wanted to go to him, to snuggle up, to hold him. I thought that’s what people did. The vibe I got from Jack was different though. He seemed distant. I sensed he wanted to be alone.
“Do you want to be by yourself, Jack?” I asked, sounding a little more like I was whining than I wanted to. I was happy either way, and whatever Jack wanted was fine with me. But I just wanted him to tell me. My mind reading powers seemed to have been temporarily fucked out of me, so to speak.
Jack looked over at me and smiled again, softly. “Sorry Mia, I’m miles away here. Just trying to get my head around everything that’s happened in the past few days. Your father’s funeral, it’s tomorrow. I should be going to get things ready.” I didn’t say anything, only stood up to go out a bit and watch the waves crashing in the dying light.
I knew the whole Papa faking his death thing was for a bigger reason, it just always reminded me of Mama’s death whenever it came up. I didn’t like to think about it. I didn’t want to know. Papa was safe at my apartment in the Mia Bella building, that’s all that mattered. All that business with the institute, that body, the things they did to make it seem like Papa, it wasn’t something I wanted to think about.
“I’ll have the chopper come back for you, Jack. I won’t be going to the funeral.” I had resumed my business persona. I didn’t know how else to be, with Jack --or with anybody.
“Not going?!” he asked, standing up and getting dressed in a rush. “You have to be there Mia, uh… Ms. Leone…What do I call you now?” He looked angry and confused, like a little boy. I found it funny myself, to be reminded that technically, I was the boss here. Jack was security, I was the boss. What game were we playing though?
“I’ve already told my father, Jack. I know it was expected of me to be there, but other people expected it from me, not me myself.”
I rifled through my belongings in the tent to find my radio. I had a direct channel open with my new friends who provided the chopper, the snipers, all the behind the scenes security Jack probably wasn’t even aware of. We’d had some privacy in the tent behind the dunes, but that was only for a while.
“M-One request return flight.” There was some static and a little crackle from the handset.
“Roger that, ETA five minutes.” The handset cracked again, then silence. Jack looked at me with growing curiosity, then looked away again as he finished getting dressed, indifferent.
I remembered... the whole point of meeting with Jack had been to discuss his appointment to be head of my own security detail. I wanted him to work together with Parker and Giles, but now I didn’t think he’d go for it. He seemed too independent. Too stubborn and set in his ways.
Maybe I chose the wrong man? Maybe I just need a shower and a good night’s sleep.
I suddenly felt more confused than ever. Ordinarily, I would have been wishing that Jack was there to make it alright, to tell me or show me what to do. But Jack was there, and he was being, well, he was being a dick.
“Chopper will be five minutes, Jack. Pick you up from where it dropped you off,” I said, trying to sound cheerful but I caught the edge in my voice, even though it was muted by the growing wind off the surf over the dune.
Jack looked t me, then his watch. He looked embarrassed. “Will you be alright? You’re not staying out here all night, surely?” His concern was totally soldier, he’d put on his professional face as well.
“It’s fine,” I said, sighing a little, but managing a smile. I have a whole key to choose from, remember? Plus there’s some babysitters not too far away, in case I get stuck.”
“I see,” said Jack, looking like a boy again. “Well, call me, I guess.” That was the best he could manage. I reached out for him, but he passed me without a second glance.
I watched him go over the dune, following his footsteps until I reached the top, then watched him walk the rest of the way. I would have felt bad still, but I saw him shaking his head and kicking at the sand, muttering to himself. I breathed a sigh of relief. He felt just as weird about it all as I did. I hoped he felt the same as I did though, I hoped he liked it, and me, like I liked him. I couldn’t bring myself to use the other word. Way too soon for anything like that... wasn’t it?
I watched the chopper lift off after Jack had hopped aboard like a seasoned pro. I reminded myself, he was. It’s what he’d done his whole life; he was a soldier, not a lover or a cut-out boyfriend who would hang on my every word. I think that’s why I liked him. I liked his strength, his independent pig-headedness, even though, at that moment, it was driving me nuts. I wrapped my flimsy robe a little tighter, smiled to myself at the memory of what had just happened. It was all new to me, so I was up and down about it for a time.
I wanted to call Papa --just to hear his voice, to make sure he was okay, but I knew that wasn’t possible. I got daily updates from Parker and Giles, and he was doing fine. I would see him when I went back to the office, after my impromptu ‘vacation’ was over.
I heard the rumble of a Jeep, then saw Giles’ familiar face. I hopped in, making use of the travel blanket he had ready.
“Do you ever sleep?” I asked. I honestly didn’t know where he got his energy from.
“I gave Jeeves the night off. Did you have a good time? We didn’t peek, I promise.” Giles was a seasoned liar, but I knew he was telling the truth.
“It was nice, thank you.” I said, meaning it.
The Jeep trundled over some dunes and along a short track, within a few minutes we were stopped outside a spacious, single storey villa, well lit, with a few armed men making their way over to the Jeep.
“Is it always going to be like this?” I asked Giles, earnestly.
“No! God no! Even you couldn’t afford that, darling. Just until we can be sure there’s no more threats on you, personally. After that, we’ll leave you with Jack and his team. They seem… adequate.” He shot me a wink and blew me a kiss as I stepped out, the guards only taking me as far as the gate.
“All secure, Ms. Leone. You enjoy your night, and don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll be here if you need us.”
“Thanks,” I said flatly.
If only they all looked like Jack.
Once inside, I ran a bath and examined the trays of seafood that had been prepared, for two. I had hoped Jack might stay, but once the shock of him being the way he was wore off, I was alright with it. I was about as alone as I could get at that moment, and it was my last chance to enjoy myself for a while before heading back to the office full-time. I’d wait for Papa’s funeral to be over, and all the publicity that went along with that to dry up as well.
Flicking on the local stations, then the networks, the story was still everywhere. I switched to cable, chose a trashy eighties chick flick, grabbed some lobster tails and a mineral water, and waited for the tub to finish filling.
Oh, I’l
l be calling you, Jack. You can count on that.
Twenty-Five
Jack
I almost wished Mia was missing again. So I could replay the whole scenario, to have the time over to have made a better go of it. I had cherished the time with her; she was everything and more that I hoped she would have been, physically speaking. But, there was a gnawing gripe in my gut I couldn’t shake.
Killing Black didn’t make me feel any better, either. I thought a bit of actual work might lift my spirits, to stop me feeling so forlorn. Is this what they meant by being lovesick? I wanted to call her, to go to her again, to stuff her senseless, properly. I botched that first time, I knew I did. I came too soon, it was no good. There it was again, the old drill sergeant, grilling my drilling. I couldn’t do anything right, not when he was in my head.
Black put up a hell of a fight, and getting rid of his body was a task in itself. I had some help from my new friends at the institute; the same guys who did up the DNA copy of the now very dead, Don Leone. Chemicals, pressure and an unchecked biological waste facility had come in very useful. Mia Bella had actually financed the institute, as part of their perfume and skincare empire. I don’t think Mia would’ve even had a clue what else was going on in there, but her billions, and her sway over state and federal politics was much appreciated. The less she knew, the better.
If I hadn’t been so fond of Rich, he was number two to be dispatched in the whack-a-mole season I had vowed to start. It wasn’t supposed to start until after the funeral, but the thing with Black, well, it just happened that way. I had to act fast when I saw the opportunity. Plus, I couldn’t wait to watch him die.
Unsurprisingly, I had a message from Gull at the FBI. He wanted to know if I knew of Agent Black’s whereabouts. It seemed that everyone they had planted in the Leone operation had either gone missing, or simply disappeared overnight. Weird. Rich was on that list as well. Probably for the best. I didn’t want to kill him. Not yet, anyway. Actually, I didn’t know what to do with Rich, really. Every time I thought about him, it was a window to a terrible past. Things and feelings I didn’t want replaying in my mind. For the time being, I had to focus on the Leone funeral and making sure Don Leone stayed out of sight; and more specifically, off the phone to his daughter.
Brown was my new favorite. He had picked up on how to read me, often doing things before he was asked, but never anything that didn’t require permission from me, acting in Don Leone’s place.
The family were understandably distraught. On Don Leone’s orders, no one except Mia had been brought in on the illusion of his death. He had even wanted Rollins killed after the switch, but I had convinced him that Rollins wasn’t too bad, and could be trusted. I hoped to hell he lived up to my own expectations. It had been a bloody week, and it wasn’t about to let up.
The funeral service was to be held in the biggest Catholic Church, the cathedral in Miami. There was a media ban on the event, but there was expected to be swarms of them lining the streets. Trying to drive by, in the small hours of the morning before the event. And it was already chaos. Media tents and scaffolding everywhere, cops by the dozen. It certainly was the night to commit any crime. It felt like the entire police force was scattered around the neighboring blocks of the huge cathedral in preparation for the funeral of somebody who, although probably wanted by them, wasn’t even dead. It was also costing a small fortune. Mia had personally signed a blank cheque for the whole thing, no expense to be spared.
I had to take a longer route to get back to my place, but I needed the time to think, or rather, to un-think a lot of stuff that was going through my mind. Rollins had signed off on the body of the fake Don Leone, but the feds weren’t buying it, they wanted their own tests before the funeral. So far, so good. The DNA and appearance would be --should be, enough to fool anybody.
Before I reached home, my cell pulsed. It was Rollins himself. “They’ve released the body back to us. It’s ready for the procession tomorrow from here to the cathedral.” He sounded worn out, tired. I could relate.
“Good news. That’s excellent, doctor. Be sure and rest up before the morning.” I heard a clinking sound and hoped it wasn’t what I thought it was.
“I’ll be fine. How’s…” He stopped himself before he said it. “How’s... your brother?” We’d decided, rather he’d decided to use “brother” as code for the real Leone.
Useless really, as anybody who could dig more than a spoonful deep would realize, they’d see I didn’t have a brother. I took that chance. Mia’s new friends, she had assured me, were keeping the feds at bay, while she herself was calling in a few favors via the wives she was close to. Not quite heads of state, but people with power, or rather, wives of people with power. Same thing really. It was a case of birthday blowjobs, or pictures wifey found of the senator and his mistress, or the choirboys that actually got shit done, sometimes.
Ah, Mia. What have I done? Am I really everything you would’ve hoped me to be? Time will tell, I guess.
I got to my house, looking at it again in the dark. The weather had warmed up again, but the wind was still a menace. The full tropical storm was playing cat and mouse with the Florida coastline, going out miles and miles, then lurching back in. I didn’t switch off the car. I just sat there, watching my own house. Like I was someone else, spying on Jack Slade.
I was glad for the re-con on my own house, even for those few minutes. I noticed a hooded figure, male, exiting the front door.
When he spotted me, he took off back through the house, closing it behind him. I hoped that he thought I hadn’t seen him. I drew my pistol, killed the ignition, and went around the side of the house, scaling a low wall to get around back. I couldn’t see anything from the ground, so scaled up to the balcony, peeping over as I held on with my fingertips only. Empty. The place was lit up, but empty.
Whoever they were, they were gone. I felt it.
Why go out through the front door?
Once inside, I scoured the whole place. Nothing. I went to the security recording, it had been wiped clean.
Interesting. Somebody knows how to drop in on Jack, uninvited.
I had some hardware in the closet, which I took out, scanning the place for bugs, explosives. Nothing. I was pretty wound up so far, sleep wasn’t going to happen for me. I was considering where I could move to, when I saw it. It was on the kitchen bench.
Jack,
I’m not sure what to say, or even how to say it.
Just… Thank You.
Mia XX
I re-read it about eight times. The paper was scented. It even smelled like her. I had no idea what her handwriting looked like, but this seemed like the real thing. I breathed out, realizing how much I had primed myself for an intruder, a host of attackers, or an atomic bomb in the living room. Nope. Just a love letter from my new boss and billionaire girlfriend?
Nah. Get a grip Slade. Next time, if there is one, rub one out before you fuck her, then you can show her a really good time. Until then, bury her fake dead dad and figure out who the fuck was behind the whole kidnapping thing. Find her brother, too. If you find Mikey, you’ll find the Bernardi’s you want. Then you’ll get some answers.
As if on cue, the phone rang. I kept a landline to the house, but never used it. Hell, I didn’t even know the number. It was set up with the house, for ids, credit cards, all that stuff.
Who the fuck?
“Hullo?” I tried sounding a little foreign, not using my own voice.
“Jack, it’s me.” It was Rich.
Fuck. Awkward.
“Oh, hi Rich!” I gushed, trying my best to sound upbeat and, hopefully piss him off, like he had done to me these past few days.
“Say, when you get a second, call the FBI, they miss you. Also, you didn’t happen to kill Agent Black at all, did you? He was skulking around the Leone place, but has gone missing. Just thought I’d ask if you did it. They seem to think it was me, for some reason.” I heard Rich sigh loudly, bitterly.
/> Asshole. You fucking hurt me, Rich, you lied to me and you hurt me. I thought we were better than that to each other.
Rich wore my sarcasm, then cleared his throat. “Jack, I’m not even going to say sorry. You wouldn’t believe me if I did, no matter how much I tried to convince you otherwise.”
You got that part right, motherfucker.
“Besides, there’s bigger fish right now, Jack. I have some intel on the Leone kid, the brother. I want to meet with you...”
“I’m hanging up now, Rich. Next time you see me; there’ll probably be my gun in your mouth, you fucking asshole. Go fuck yourself, and your FBI boyfriends.” I slammed the phone down, then smashed it to pieces with the butt of my gun.
Probably not my most diplomatic moment, but I had told myself I was done with Rich, and even more than done with the feds. I would have to find somewhere else to live now, as well. People walking in, leaving notes, calling me on numbers I didn’t even know I had. It was too much. I had to call it all back to center.
But Mikey, Jack. I need you to find him. To bring him home.
Goddammit. I had her in my head now, too. She could maybe saddle up next to the drill sergeant and Rick, and we could have a foursome as I curl up into a ball and try to figure out who the fuck I even am anymore. I can’t let my emotions keep getting the better of me. Get a grip, Jack, get a fucking grip. Hotel tonight for a few hours sleep and a cleanup, then to the Leone funeral.
I was tempted to torch the place, but it would come in handy yet. Plus, I needed to check if the insurance was paid up. Waste not, want not. I packed some things, all of my things. My whole world fit inside a duffle bag. Everything else was just for show, to make it look like a regular guy, living in a regular house.
Saying goodbye didn’t exist for me anymore, I just turned a place or left. I just thought of the army and how I’d pulled the trigger, I just made a call and the mess would go away. There was no sentimentality in my life, no real emotions, I reasoned to myself.
