Gamble

by Nicholas Bella

  “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to escape?” he asked.

  “Where are you going to go?” I gestured around the windowless bathroom. “There is only one way out and I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Are you afraid that I’ll just kill myself in here?” he asked, bringing up good points. But I had a counter.

  “Do you really think I give a shit if you do? You kill yourself, I’ll still go to Russia wearing your face. I’ll take my chances with what little I do know and take Zia down,” I pointed out.

  “You don’t even know how to contact her, only I know that,” Richard said smugly.

  Little did he know that our little secret interrogation of him had revealed the location spot. I may not know her number, but I knew that much. Question was, did I let him know that I knew? “I thought you wanted to live, anyway,” I said offhandedly.

  “I do,” he admitted.

  “So, what’s all this bullshit talk about killing yourself?” I asked, trying to see just what kind of mindfuckery game he was playing with me.

  “I’m just surprised to see you trust me now when you didn’t before.”

  “Who says I trust you?”

  “You’re setting me free.”

  “Now that you mention it, I think I’m going to watch your ass shower the whole time and when you dress. There, feel better now?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” he said as he rose from the toilet seat.

  I handed him a washcloth and nodded toward the shower. “Go, stop wasting time.”

  He took the cloth from me and stepped inside the shower, pulling the curtain shut behind him. I heard the water turn on. “Jesus!” he yelped, and I chuckled.

  “Yeah, the water will heat up in a few.”

  “So, this is how poor people live,” he remarked.

  “Hurry up,” I said and refrained from saying anything more. I mean, the shit Jordan could do with a computer could divert all his funds to a needy charity. As a matter of fact, that wasn’t a bad idea and something his pompous ass would deserve. To his credit, he didn’t take long to wash his ass. Then he dressed quickly in the clothes Bishop had picked out for him.

  He held his arms out in front of him, running his hands down the fabric. “I didn’t think you had the fashion sense to pick out something so nice.”

  I ignored the dig and grabbed the blindfold and headphones, putting them back in place. I then bound his hands behind his back and scruffed him by his neck and led him out of the bathroom.

  “Let’s use my car,” Bishop said, then popped the locks via his keychain.

  “Open the trunk,” I said. And he did. I tossed Richard inside the truck unceremoniously and slammed the lid down.

  “Son of a bitch,” I growled.

  “Good thing I put our suitcases in the back seat,” Bishop smirked.

  “That’s only because I told you he’d toss his ass in the trunk,” Jordan said.

  “And you know your boy here.” Bishop chuckled.

  I cocked both brows. “Suitcases?”

  “We’ll need to change clothes while in Russia, I’m sure. Also, Jordan packed us some equipment we’ll need. We took care of all that while you were babysitting,” Bishop explained, then climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “Smart. Of course, I should have known you’d think of that,” I said, walking over to Jordan and kissing him.

  “Someone has got to watch your backs out there.” Jordan smiled. “You be careful and watch each other’s back, you hear me?”

  I nodded. “Of course.” I walked over to Alexi. “Do we kiss?”

  “I don’t see why not. We did a lot more this morning,” Alexi said, then reached behind me, grabbing the back of my head and pulling me in for one hell of a lip lock. My knees damned near buckled, but I held myself together. When he pulled away, I had to stare at him in awe. “Come back to us in one piece, okay?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  “Even if you have to get ugly. I’d rather it be them than you,” he said.

  That was all that I needed to hear. “Oh, for sure.”

  He released me and I walked over to Bishop’s rental, hand on the door handle. “So, we got everything?” I asked, doing one last check before I climbed inside.

  Bishop nodded. “I have one of my passports that has an alias. You have yours.”

  “Passports? You do know that you’ll all need visas to get into Russia, not just your passports. Unless you take that cruise they have there, but something tells me that isn’t feasible,” Alexi said.

  “Yeah, I was already ahead of you on that,” Jordan chimed in. “The moment Bishop said he’d work with us, I made him a visa too.”

  “My boy, J, thinks of everything,” I complimented, because it was true. I’d never been to Russia before and didn’t even know about the visa shit. He did the research I didn’t think about. That was why we made such a dynamic team.

  “We have our comm equipment,” Bishop said as he resumed the items check off. “Some stuff to plant bugs if the opportunity arises. Our weapons are in secure cases to be checked. We have all the necessary paperwork to present proving that we are legit security, hired by Mr. Hinkly AKA Richard Tate. He has a fake passport and visa, too.”

  “Well, that is that,” I replied, impressed.

  “I can’t take the credit. Your boy, Jordan, worked his magic while you were out dealing with Alexi. He really is one hell of a hacker,” Bishop said, then started the engine.

  “And counterfeiter to boot,” Alexi stated as he eyed Jordan with a mixture of admiration and scrutiny. I supposed it was his newly formed vigilante brain and cop brain at work there.

  “That he is,” I agreed, then I opened the car door and settled into the passenger seat, which was an odd feeling. I was almost always the driver. I would get to sightsee.

  “I’ve got skills, what can I say?” Jordan stated, then blew on his nails before wiping them on his shirt as a boast. “I even got you three Global Pre-check.” He winked.

  “Spoiling us, damn.” I turned to Bishop. “Remind me to suck J’s dick when we get back,” I joked, even though I would suck the hell out of Jordan’s dick if we survived whatever was ahead of us.

  “You and me both… that is, if you don’t mind sharing.”

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Bishop pulled out of the garage once the door was open.

  “So, do you?” Bishop asked once we were on the road.

  “Do I what?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “Mind sharing Jordan?”

  “I don’t. But let’s explore the possibilities if we all make it back intact,” I said.

  “You’re bulletproof, I’m not, so I’ll be extra cautious for us both.”

  I nodded. “I’ve got your back.”

  “I’ll sit next to Richard on the plane first. I’ll read his mind while you rest. Then we switch after a few hours, deal?” Bishop suggested.

  “Deal.”

  We drove to the airport, parked, and I grabbed Richard out of the trunk very discreetly. I removed all the bindings. “Don’t get any bright ideas like trying to run off. I will catch your ass and fuck you up, you hear me?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, yeah… I’ve got you.”

  “Don’t try to tip security off, either. If you jeopardize this mission in anyway, I won’t stop this one from killing you,” Bishop said, and that surprised me. I wondered just how serious he was with that threat. He had said the shit with a straight face.

  “I get you.”

  “Better yet, you try to run or tip anyone off to who we really are, I’ll make sure my partner empties your bank accounts. Give your money to as many poor people as we can.”

  “Jesus H. Christ. I hear you loud and crystal fucking clear. Damn, how many threats are you two going to toss my way?” Richard complained.

  “As many as it takes to make sure you stay in line,” I said.

  “I’m in line. You two just better make sure they don’t k
ill me. That is our deal,” Richard reminded us.

  “Best to stay close to us, then. Let’s go,” I said, then I stayed close to Richard as we walked through the airport. Bishop had our luggage and he checked it in while we waited. The paperwork passed security and we made it to our terminal ten minutes before boarding. We looked every bit the part of a rich man and his two bodyguards, even catching some curious glances from those around us.

  We boarded and I sat opposite Richard and Bishop in the other aisle while Bishop ushered Richard into the window seat. This was going to be one long-assed flight, but at least we were moving forward toward taking out the Killing Game. So, I didn’t mind the travel.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I felt myself being gently shaken awake and the deep sleep I’d been under fell off me like a blanket slowly being pulled away. I cracked one eye open and turned to see Bishop smiling at me. “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Apart from you drooling, we’re at the first stop. Gotta switch planes,” he said.

  “Ugh, I hate stops. I much prefer non-stop flights.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re heading to Russia, can’t help it. Next flight, though, you’re on babysitter watch. It’ll be my time to drool and snore,” Bishop said with a slight chuckle.

  I didn’t even bother to try to play it off. I could feel the spittle on the side of my face, so I wiped it off with my sleeve. Couldn’t help it. I didn’t get that much sleep before Alexi woke me up. I did feel a little better rested, but could probably use about five more hours. However, something told me that sleep was going to be a rare commodity once we landed in Russia.

  I took a look at Richard to see him scowling back at me and I smirked and winked. I didn’t give a shit about not one feeling he had about what was going down. I felt the plane touch down and as soon as we were done taxing to the terminal, we all deplaned and again, I had my eye on Richard’s ass like a hawk. As did Bishop… turns out we were making a pretty good team. Thank goodness it wasn’t a very long layover before we boarded the second plane. This time, I sat next to Richard and made sure he was sitting in the window seat. The in-flight meal was tasty enough, and I was watching a movie to pass the time away.

  “If things get… dangerous, can I trust you to protect me?” Richard asked.

  I removed my headphones and looked at him. “That all depends on if you’re worth protecting. You keep withholding information, so I don’t really know how useful you’re going to be once we meet up with Zia.”

  “I know a lot more than I’ve been letting on.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, like what?”

  “I may know who the three board members are and where to find at least one of them,” Richard revealed, which told me he was getting nervous and trying to up his worth by revealing that info.

  “You lied then when you said you didn’t know,” I reminded him.

  “Well, yeah, I lied because you took out my bodyguard who was also my boyfriend. A part of me doesn’t want you to succeed, but I know that my life depends on your doing so. I have more information, like Zia’s last name. I know things they don’t know that I know.”

  I looked over to see Bishop snoring deeply and fought the urge to wake him up. He’d been sitting next to Richard’s sneaky ass for hours. I was sure they had touched at one point. So, I wondered if he had managed to gleam any of what Richard had been hiding, from the bastard. I had wanted to ask him that while we were at the airport, but with Richard right there with us, I couldn’t really have that special conversation without giving away our hand. I’d ask him at the first opportunity. For now, I’d play Richard’s game.

  “If you really do know where I can find the board members, then for sure… I’ll make sure you survive any skirmish. For now, how about some good faith on your part. What’s Zia’s last name?” I asked. “And her number.”

  He sighed like he didn’t want to say.

  “Tell me now, no more of your bullshit,” I snapped.

  He huffed. “Zia Ivanov.”

  “And her number?”

  He smacked his lips, but gave up the goods and I recorded it to my memory.

  “If you try to contact her, you’ll ruin everything,” Richard said.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t. But I’ll be listening when you do, trust me,” I said. Of course, I wouldn’t be the only one listening. Alexi and Jordan would be listening with Alexi giving us that authentic translation. The burner phone I was going to let Richard use was bugged with a listening device so we could hear both sides of the conversation.

  “That’s fine with me, it’s not like I don’t know you’ll be listening, that is only smart on your part,” Richard said, then he turned toward the window and got all snuggly in his seat before closing his eyes. A part of me kind of thought, under different circumstances, he’d be a cool guy to hang out with. But then I thought about how he liked to have fun and that thought got flushed down my mental toilet. He was an evil son of a bitch and I really didn’t want him to get away with a damned thing. I wasn’t used to compromising this way. If Zia knew more than him, then as far as I was concerned, I wouldn’t be breaking my promise if I didn’t bring my A-game and Richard caught a bullet.

  I kept watch while Richard and Bishop snored away on this six-hour flight. Three movies and two TV show episodes later, our plane finally landed at the Pulkovo International airport. Shouldn’t take us long to reach our hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia. I nudged Richard awake and shook Bishop until his eyes opened.

  “We’re here,” I said as both men yawned and stretched.

  “Finally,” Bishop said. “I’m not looking forward to the flight back.”

  “Let’s pout about that when we get to it,” I said as I rose.

  It didn’t take us long to deplane, but it took longer to get through customs and I exhaled a deep breath of fresh air once we left the airport. Jordan must know that he was a master at counterfeit shit. Had his paperwork and passports not been top notch, we would have never been able to leave the United States, let alone enter Russia under their tough scrutiny. We were standing outside in what looked to be a torrential downpour. Shit, it was raining like we just hit Armageddon, what the actual fuck? I tightened my grip on my umbrella, then stepped beside Richard, being nicer than I should be by shielding him from the rain.

  “It’s good that you’re playing the part of a bodyguard,” Richard said.

  “I’m being a human being,” I countered, and rolled my eyes while I watched Bishop fumble with his umbrella.

  “Well, if you two are supposed to work for me, we need to keep up appearances. This is what bodyguards do. We don’t know who’s watching us. So, no manhandling me or any aggression that you’re so prone to. It needs to look like you two are my actual bodyguards and not my kidnappers,” Richard pointed out.

  “He’s ri—Oh shit!” Bishop yelped as his umbrella folded backward with the gust of wind that held as much attitude as our captive. He was pelted with rain as he fought with the umbrella and the wind. He turned in the opposite direction and was able to fix his umbrella. “Fucking cheap ass piece of shit.” He looked at me, frowning with dripping wet hair. “You weren’t any fucking help,” he complained, exasperated.

  I shrugged as my chuckles died off. “I was too busy laughing at you, sorry.”

  “Back to what I was saying. He’s right.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, I figured that’s what you were getting at before Mother Nature kicked you in the balls.”

  He laughed and rolled his eyes. “So, we play this your way, Richard. We work for you, but don’t even think of leaving our sights.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. Remember, we are all in hostile territory,” Richard said. “Well, as appearances go. One of you can hail a cab, while the other watches over me.”

  I nodded at Bishop and he took the honors of aggressively hailing a cab. A few minutes later, one pulled up. I opened the back door for His Highness to climb inside while Bishop loaded our luggage into the trunk
. I took my place on one side of Richard, and then Bishop joined us taking the other side, sandwiching Richard in real nice.

  We both let Richard take control from there, giving directions to the hotel in Russian. The only reason I knew what he was saying was because I recognized the name amongst the foreign words. The cabbie nodded and took off driving a little wild for my tastes. And apparently, Richard’s too as he said something else in Russian and the cabbie nodded and slowed down.

  We rode along in silence, for two reasons. We didn’t have much to discuss with Richard other than this Killing Game business and secondly, we were still drying out, especially Bishop. It was nice of the cabby to turn up the heat a little, must have seen Bishop shivering a little. I took the opportunity to do a little sightseeing as we traveled through the streets. It was a pretty popular city, busy, and it had that old world feel to it and fully loaded with opulence. A lot of the buildings were packed tightly together, but it all had a certain charm to it. The architecture alone was something to behold, there was a building in the background with ancient looking onion-shaped domes, very colorful and beautiful. I wondered if I’d get the chance to see it up close and personal.

  “Excess” was the word that kept popping up in my mind as I looked out of the window at all the grandeur of St. Petersburg, Russia. You could still see remnants of the Soviet Union here and there, like the numerous statues of Lenin. I wished I could really enjoy my visit here and that I was here with better company, Bishop being the exception. Maybe one day, I could return with Alexi. I cleared my mind of all the lovey-dovey shit and refocused on the task at hand. We climbed out of the cab once we reached our hotel and when we entered, my mouth dropped open. I couldn’t help myself. The Four Seasons was amazing, a lap of luxury fit for a king. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, there were marble floors and columns, and a grand staircase lined with handcrafted railings. The artwork alone looked like it belonged in a museum. Again, Jordan knew what he was doing when he booked this place under Richard’s fake name. Richard handled the check in as we kept up the charade. When we were in our hotel room, again, I was in awe.