“Hey, Ellen!”
The two looked up as Toby Whitfield elbowed his way back to the table, with a giggling young woman who reeked of intern-in-tow. Ellen had given up on the notion of warning them about Toby years ago. She figured if they were still this stupid by their age, they deserved what was coming. Any lawyer who wore sandals and surfer gear after work should set an intelligent woman’s alarms ringing like a klaxon.
“Hey, Toby.”
“You’ve got to come see this!” He hitched his thumb back over his shoulder at a knot of people in the back corner of the restaurant. “There is a fortune teller back here who is incredible! She just told Arnold Jackson the names of his kids by reading his palms!”
“Aw, Toby. Maybe some other…” Ellen looked helplessly at Tony as Toby grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up out of her chair and toward the knot of people. “Apparently I’m going to see the fortune teller.” She liked Toby as a friend, and suffered this indignity as simply part of the “Toby experience.”
“Go ahead,” Tony laughed after her. “The woman is impressive. And you have to see her to believe her. Maybe she can predict you a rosier future than the one you are dreading. I’ll wait here for you.”
Ellen sighed and allowed herself to be led through the throng. The first margarita was kicking in anyway, and she had come here to try and unwind a bit. The festive atmosphere of the crowd back here was contagious, and the fact a skeptic like Toby was excited piqued her curiosity.
“Ma’am!” Toby called over the music and the din of the crowd, “I’ve got one here you haven’t read yet.”
“Well, bring her forward!” an elderly voice called back, “Bring her forward! Let Grandma Lilah have a look at her.”
The crowd laughed as it parted, and Toby pulled her forward toward an empty chair at the back corner table. Ellen sighed anew as she took the chair and composed her features. She figured she might as well make the performer earn her money, and not be too easy to read.
“Here, dearie. Let me see one of your hands.”
Ellen smiled and extended a hand, then nearly recoiled as the old woman looked up at her from beneath her shawl.
The holes in her eyelids still had dried blood on them from where they had been sewn shut.
###
“He’s coming,” Antonio warned as he rolled down his sleeve and passed the syringe to Olivia. “Remember, he’s armed, scared, and the last person who very nearly killed him was a woman…so I’m afraid your gender may only be of limited reassurance to him.”
“Yes, Uncle.” She snapped the syringe back into its case and handed it back to him. “I will endeavor to be as non-threatening as possible.”
Antonio shook his head, staring intently at the door.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to this. Your presence isn’t required and it’s exposing you to too much risk.”
“It was the terms he set,” Olivia replied primly, “and I have the same duties to The People as you.”
“You,” he glowered as he put the case into his breast pocket then checked the .45 auto in his shoulder holster, “will remain sharp and stay out of the line of fire if this meeting goes sour. For all we know, our adversaries may be completely justified in wanting him dead.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Shhh…he’s here.”
###
Adam took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his cane, and then opened the door.
The couple on his porch wasn’t what he expected.
Antonio’s formality over the phone had him imagining a dark-suited, officious individual—sort of an FBI character—accompanied by a dour secretarial type in glasses and a business skirt. Maybe even sunshades and briefcases to round out the ensemble. But other than the fact they were well dressed, he couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“Mr. Sellars!” Antonio beamed at him in his cream colored sports jacket and pants. “It is so good to meet you.”
He wore a white button up shirt, open at the collar with no tie, and the type of straw hat one would see out on a beach or golf course. Standing at a muscular six foot, two inches tall, he was obviously in top shape, even for a man in his fifties. His iron gray ponytail only heightened the impression of a man comfortable in his own masculinity, and thoroughly at home in the role of an alpha male.
But despite his slightly overwhelming presence, it was his partner that Adam found his eyes drawn to.
She was a knockout.
Her long ebony hair and olive skin spoke of a Latin or Native American heritage, but they framed a pair of startling green eyes that regarded him with cool appraisal. At about five foot, eight inches, she stood only an inch or two shorter than him, and her slacks and black turtleneck showed off an elegant figure most women would kill for. She wore no ornamentation except for a simple turquoise necklace and earrings, and Adam could tell makeup was something she had little need to dabble in.
If Antonio was an alpha male, then this woman packed a presence of quiet femininity that hit like a velvet gloved punch.
“Mr. Antonio.” Adam recovered. “If you really come bearing information on the people trying to kill me, then the pleasure’s all mine. But before we go one step further, I’m going to have to insist you show me the camera you have hidden in my room and remove it.”
Adam knew it was confrontational, but he felt the need to establish himself as something other than an ignorant victim, submissively conceding all power in the situation. He felt slightly nervous pushing things like this, but the only other option was to sit down and let this Antonio call all the shots right from the beginning. And he had the feeling that was a role his visitor would naturally slip right into, if allowed.
But whatever worry he harbored about offending his guest turned out to be unfounded.
“Of course! And it’s just Antonio, Mr. Sellars.” He grinned broadly and tipped his hat, “May I call you, Adam?”
“Might as well, you certainly have the advantage of me.”
“Excellent! Olivia, please demonstrate how we managed to spy on him like we did.” Antonio gestured grandly at his assistant. “And Adam, please allow me to apologize for the act. This is a delicate situation, and I assure you I have a multitude of reasons for approaching it with the utmost caution.”
Adam nodded but watched the woman snap open the laptop she carried. The fingers of her right hand flew over the keyboard, then she turned the instrument where he could see the screen. Keeping an eye on Antonio, he leaned forward and looked at the small monitor. He caught a whiff of her perfume, the scent of sandalwood and juniper, as he leaned in close, and fought to keep his attention on the things that mattered.
At the same time, he realized Antonio may have brought this dark beauty along for the sole purpose of distracting him. And with this pair’s intentions unknown, coupled with the fact there were people trying very hard to make him dead, Adam knew it behooved him to keep his mind focused. He tightened his grip on his cane, moving his finger closer to the tear gas trigger, and squinted at the monitor of the woman’s laptop.
It displayed a video of the three of them standing at the door.
He frowned at the display, looked up into the cool eyes of Antonio’s assistant, then refocused on the screen. After a moment’s study to get an idea of the angle, he did a slow turn to look in the direction the surveillance device must be…
…and found himself staring at his own laptop on the coffee table.
“Yes, Olivia has a real talent when it comes to computers,” Antonio confirmed. “Hacking into the built-in webcam on your laptop was a far more elegant solution than something so crude as breaking in and placing surveillance cameras.”
“I see.” Adam didn’t know whether to feel violated or betrayed. Somehow the idea of his own computer being turned against him in such a way felt like a knife in the back. He knew blaming a tool for betrayal bordered on silly, but he had just bought the damn thing. The woman must have first hacked his wireless connection, then his
computer itself.
“But,” Antonio continued, “we will have no further need for that, as I hope to bring our relationship to a slightly more open level. Olivia, please sever the connection.” Once again her fingers flew over the keyboard as she complied, then snapped the laptop shut and put it back under her arm. Antonio nodded at his assistant then turned back to Adam. “Now that we have cleared that matter up, may we come in?”
“Come in and have a seat.” Adam stood aside and gestured for them to enter. “I’m afraid I wasn’t expecting company, so you’ll have to ignore the mess. I’m going to assume your assistant had a keystroke logger going while also hijacking my webcam, so you’re probably well aware I was busy.”
Adam noted the small gesture Antonio used to direct Olivia to sit in the chair at the end of the coffee table, as opposed to beside him where he took his own seat on the couch. The move bothered him, because it could either be read as putting her in a flanking position or removing her from the line of fire. Either way, it spoke of preparing for trouble and Adam made a mental note to keep his right hand free and near the pistol in the waistband at his back.
His stomach roiled as he realized he was readying himself for a gunfight in his living room.
“Yes,” Antonio removed his hat and held it in his lap, “and your current task is one of the things I want to discuss with you. If you are hunting what I think you are, then you are putting yourself and those nearest you in grave danger.”
“It seems I’m already in danger.” Adam sat back down in his own chair. This put Antonio on the couch to his right, and Olivia directly across the coffee table from him. “Now I’m trying to figure out who it is I’m in danger from. Since you claim to already have the answer to that, you can save me some time.”
He leaned forward and looked expectantly at the big man on the couch. Might as well get straight to the point.
Antonio didn’t answer right away, but turned his hat over in his hands and stared into it as if judging his next words with care. Suspicious, Adam looked from him to his assistant. She just sat there enigmatically with her computer in her lap.
“Well?”
Antonio looked up from his hat.
“Well, Adam, it’s like this…somehow you have managed to get on the bad side of a very reclusive, very secretive, and very dangerous group of people. A group who has been around for a very long time. And what I’m trying to figure out is what in the world you could have done that has them wanting you dead this badly.” Antonio leaned forward himself, resting his elbows on his knees and looking Adam straight in the eye. “Because, believe me, it’s a miracle you are still alive…and if something doesn’t change fast, they will get you.”
Adam tried not to swallow. Failed. Then settled for holding Antonio’s gaze without flinching.
“And you know this how?”
“I know this,” Antonio smiled dryly, “because I belong to a different group of secretive, dangerous people…a group that has been in conflict with the people trying to kill you for centuries.”
Again Adam glanced at the woman across the table from him, but her demeanor gave nothing away. She simply sat there with feline poise, watching him and Antonio with interest. He looked back and forth between the two, remembering to keep leaning forward so he had access to the gun in the back of his pants.
“Oookaaaayyy!” Adam drawled, “Do I need to tell you how chock full of crazy that sounded?”
Antonio grinned.
“As crazy as a lone woman shooting her way through an entire armed and armored squad of trained police officers, just to kill little ol’ you? She’s still out there, you know. And I don’t think she likes you very much.”
“I noticed.”
“Why do you suppose that is?”
“I have never seen her before in my life,” Adam measured out. “Besides, I thought you were here to tell me why she wants me dead.”
“No,” Antonio replied, “we’re here to exchange information, but I’ll give you this one. The woman who tried to kill you in the hospital did it because her father died trying to kill you at the pool. At this point it’s probably personal on her part, and I would advise avoiding her in the future. She strikes me as the type who holds grudges.”
“How is that my fault? Damn right, I’ll avoid her. What’s her name?”
“I have no idea!” Antonio leaned back with a dazzling smile, “Now it’s your turn.”
Adam gaped at the other man, not knowing whether to be surprised, outraged, or both. His visitor seemed determined to continue to be the opposite of everything he expected. A quick look over at his partner revealed she still appeared content to do nothing but sit there and watch…and be ridiculously attractive. He forced himself to look back at Antonio, who still grinned at him from the couch.
“Okay,” he gritted out, “that wasn’t very helpful, but I’ll play along. Go ahead and ask your question.”
“Very well.” Antonio crossed his legs and hung his hat on his knee. “Why did the man at the pool try to kill you?”
Adam shook his head.
“We’re not sure. We think it might have something to do with David’s disappearance, and me sending out a detective to look for him.”
“David?”
Adam saw Antonio shoot his assistant a look, who only lifted a single eyebrow at him in reply. Apparently they didn’t know about his brother and the disappearance of him and his family.
“Well, Antonio,” Adam started to lean back, then stopped because of the gun in his waistband, “that would be a second question, and I believe it’s my turn now.”
“Mr. Sellars.” His visitor looked irritated. “This is serious.”
“Indeed it is, and now it’s my turn to ask you a serious question.”
Antonio stared at him for a moment, then waved his hand with a sigh.
“Go ahead.”
“You mentioned earlier this mysterious group had somebody even worse than the woman at the hospital. On the chance they send that person next, how will I recognize him so I can see him coming?”
Again Antonio looked over at Olivia, this time getting a shrug in response. It must have been answer enough, for he turned back to Adam.
“First of all, it’s a her, an old woman. And if you’re fortunate enough, or unfortunate enough, to see her coming, you’ll recognize her easily. She’ll have her eyelids sewn shut. But if you actually do see her, it really won’t matter…because you’re as good as dead. We only know her as Grandma Lilah, and that old witch may very well be the deadliest person on the planet.”
Adam looked for any hint of a lie in the man’s face, but Antonio appeared as serious as a heart attack. A glance over at Antonio’s assistant only yielded an ironic look from her.
“Do you realize,” he finally replied, “everything you have told me since coming in this house is absolutely insane?”
“Nevertheless, it’s all true.” Antonio leaned forward again, picking up his hat and uncrossing his legs. Despite the smile returning, he rolled the straw hat in his hands in obvious agitation. “Now please be so kind as to tell us about this ‘David,’ as it might help us answer your questions with more clarity, or even help us keep you alive.”
“Are you honestly interested in keeping me alive?”
Antonio turned up the wattage on his smile, yet somehow managed to not make it look phony.
“We aren’t averse to the notion, Mr. Sellars. You have done us no injury, and the fact the people who seem to want you dead are adversaries of ours doesn’t hurt your case either.”
That seemed straightforward enough.
“Okay.” Adam shrugged. He started to lean back then remembered the gun, so settled for leaning an elbow on his leg instead. “David is, or was, my brother. He disappeared last June, along with his wife and son, while I was in the hospital. I only know they were going out on a family outing, I think to pick dewberries. About two weeks later, after I got released from the hospital, I found out he had called me,
apparently by mistake, and sent a couple of pictures. That was the last anybody heard from them.”
“Really,” Antonio looked honestly curious, “and why do you think this is what it’s all about?”
“Because the man at the pool said they were taking care of Tucker, David’s son. He made it sound like David and Karen were dead.”
“Hmm…Okay, I guess that answers that question. Did he say why?”
“No,” Adam shook his head. “He just seemed really sorry about everything, not at all like the woman in the hospital. But not sorry enough to stop shooting at me.”
“Odd,” Antonio stroked his chin, “but probably consistent with the idea he was merely selected for the job.”
“Mr. Sellars?” Olivia’s soft voice startled Adam; she had been so quiet up until now. Like her uncle, she spoke in mildly accented English. “You mentioned your brother sent you some pictures and a message. Is it okay if I see them?”
“I guess so.” Adam quickly called up the relevant files on his laptop and pushed it over to her. She drew the laptop to her and peered at the pictures while Adam turned his attention back to Antonio. “Selected for the job? So he was an assassin after all.”
“I suppose,” Antonio frowned in thought, “in the strictest sense of the word that would be true. But a more apt analogy might be to imagine a large clan sending out one of their seasoned old timers to deal with a threat. But why would they consider you a threat?”
“I’m guessing because I had a private eye hunting David and his family. He said he had turned up a lead, and then he turned up dead himself the night before this guy arrived at my pool with his shotgun. They said there was a fire but…”
That was when his cell phone rang.
###
The tableau froze in Adam’s living room, three pairs of eyes staring at the cell phone on the table.
Adam noticed the slight jerk of Antonio’s hand toward his jacket when the phone first rang, confirming his suspicion of a weapon in a shoulder holster. Olivia had merely looked up from his laptop, but she still watched him with sudden wariness, as if awaiting his next move. A glance back at Antonio revealed the man to also be regarding him with a serious expression.
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