by Arno Joubert
"Thank you, Allan."
Sonti snorted. "You've bought yourself an extra life, Mr. Dumas."
"Thank you so much, Allan."
He disconnected the call and shook his head. If you wanted loyalty, get a dog. He tossed the Alsatian another pretzel and the dog caught it with a snap and lay his head back down on his paws.
Alexa looked at Dumas expectantly.
“How did it go?” Bruce asked.
“I think he bought it,” Henrie Dumas said, steadying himself on the table. He lifted his hands and showed them to Bruce and Alexa, they were trembling. “That was one of the most difficult things I had ever done in my life. He told me to wait for my orders.”
Bruce nodded, scratching his chin, studying Alexa. “What do we do now?”
Alexa said, ”we wait.”
Nero looked up as Sonti's phone rang. Sonti tore his gaze from the stock ticker and pressed the answer button. "Yes?"
"She recently adopted a girl. Her name is Yumi."
"Interesting."
"I have her address. They're renting a place in Tassin, Lyon."
Tassin. He hadn't thought of her as someone who would live in suburbia. He chuckled. Where else would she live? In a tent in some park somewhere?
"They?"
"She has a partner, a Sergeant Neil Allen."
He knew about Allen, a former US Marine lackey. He didn't know what she saw in a man like him. His father was a gypsy who had gotten a gadji, a non-gypsy pregnant. "Send me the address. I want her alive. That'll give us some leverage with Bryden and Laiveaux."
"Got it. Who should handle it?"
"I was thinking of Iceheart. He owes me a favor."
Lance whistled softly. "East? You're sending a prize bull to a pony fair."
Sonti chuckled. "You got that right. I'm not taking any chances."
"All right then."
"Lewis, tell East he can do what he wants with Neil Allen. But I want Guerra alive."
"You got it, Mr. Sonti."
He disconnected he phone. At last things were heading to a conclusion. The game was halfway won. The puzzle pieces were slotting into place neatly, like he had planned for all those years. All those insufferable years.
Alexa took a sip of wine and opened the cherrywood box, her finger tracing the intricate patterns on the sides. She rubbed a thumb over the inlay pattern spelling out her former name.
NATALIE.
She shivered and tossed another log on the fire and listened to it crackle as the flames started licking at its prey, devouring it, like beasts from hell. She sat mesmerized for a couple of moments, then sighed.
She removed her first letter that she had written to Bruce, folded it open and briefly skimmed the contents. A faint smile played around her lips.
All those years ago.
She had told him about the Legionnaire training, how tough it had been. About the awful food and the lack of sleep. Her own little pity party. If she had only known that far worse was still to come.
NATALIE.
She recalled the memories of her and Bruce and her mom when she was still a kid, constantly on the run, always worrying if you would survive the day.
Lately, she had many opportunities for these moments of introspection. She had thought a lot, thought about her life, the lives of those souls she had sent to hell.
Thought about whether God loved her or not.
Did God love Winston Churchill? Mahatma Gandhi? Unintentionally they had caused the deaths of thousands, hundreds of thousands of innocent men, woman and children. But they had done it for the greater good of mankind.
She took another sip of wine, shaking her head. She was not a murderer, she was not a cold blooded serial killer.
She was the keeper of balance, the purveyor of vengeance for the innocent and the meek.
She looked up as Neil ambled into the room with another bottle of wine. He sat down beside Alexa, uncorked the bottle. She held out her glass and he filled it for her. She leaned forward and kissed Neil on his lips. "Thank you for everything, Neil. I don't think I say it enough."
He smiled, embarrassed. "It's my pleasure, Alexa. I like doing nice things for you."
She stared into the fire again. "And for Yumi," she said softly.
He nodded. "Off course, for both of you."
Alexa nodded slowly and smiled. "I love you, Neil Allan."
He kissed her again, tenderly, deeply. She felt her desire for him grow, but pulled back and put a finger on his lips. "Wait, I need to get rid of some old baggage first."
Neil's eyes locked onto Alexa's, a questioning look on his face. "What do you mean?"
She placed the letter in her hand back into the jewelry box and closed the lid resolutely. And then she tossed the box into the fire.
Sam East parked the car on the corner of Rue Basset and Le Clerc. The traffic on the roads were sparse, but people ambled on the sidewalks, chatting, laughing and holding hands.
The road was lined with leafy oaks that cast cool shadows over smart, double-story homes. Some had neatly manicured front lawns surrounded by intricate wrought iron fences while other gardens were open, flowerbeds sprouting bursts of color. It would be a nice place for a kid to grow up in.
A giggling bunch of kids whizzed by his window on bicycles and further down the road, and elderly couple walked their poodle, pooper scoopers held ready for any unexpected incident. How thoughtful. No-one looked in much of a hurry. There was a large park at an intersection a couple of blocks down Basset road, and people were laying on blankets or enjoying picnics, kids running and kicking balls or flying kites.
East hunkered down in his seat as he saw the woman and girl approach their home. They were munching on baguettes, talking excitedly and laughing. She was carrying a brown paper bag filled with groceries in her arms. He studied the black and white photos. It was definitely her. The girl opened the gate and they bounced up the stairs to their porch. The woman unlocked the door and followed the girl inside.
He had observed them for a couple of days, trying to ascertain a routine. They had none. Sometimes the guy would walk the kid to school, sometimes she would.
He had instructions to kill the man if he wanted to. He glanced at his notes, Sergeant Neil Allen, US Marines. He was highly trained and probably still on active duty. A big brawny guy with stubble on his face and short cropped hair. He had the look of a man who had been in a couple of bare knuckle fights in his life.
The Captain was an enigma. Trained by the French Foreign Legion, but she had no track record, none whatsoever. Sonti said she was a member of some secret organization in Interpol - which made him laugh. Interpol? Cops without guns, that Interpol?
Sonti had warned him to be careful, but he couldn't get over the Interpol angle.
She was a keeper. She had dark hair she wore in a short bob at the back and a long fringe she tucked in behind her ears. She was taller than average, probably five-eight or five-nine, he guessed. It was a pity it was winter, she was always wrapped up, he would have loved to see her in a summer dress. She often laughed when she spoke to the girl, it echoed down the street like chimes.
She walked like an athletic model, almost on her toes, gracefully, sensually. He sipped his coffee from a polystyrene cup. He liked the voyeuristic aspect of his job. Ah, what fun she was going to be. He had decided on the location. He would eliminate the little girl first, he had no use of her.
Guerra was going to be fun to play with though.
Sonti wanted her alive; he hadn't said anything about unharmed or unmolested.
Alexa peered through the lace of the drawn window. "How long has it been?" she asked Neil over her shoulder
He chomped on an apple. "A couple of days."
"Every day?"
He nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I didn't want to alarm you." He ambled towards her and took the groceries from her, started unpacking them into the cupboard and fridge. "What should we do?"
<
br /> Alexa took an apple from the bag and bit into it. "Let's go find out what he wants."
He looked up from the crisper. "Good idea, I'll go."
"Over my dead body."
"That's what I was afraid of."
Alexa sauntered to Neil and put her arm around his neck, taking another bite of the apple. "Don't for a moment think I can't still kick your ass, Sergeant."
He had a concerned look on his face. "It's just--"
"It's nothing Neil, just because I had a breakdown doesn't make me weak."
"I know, Alexa, I cannot allow you to experience something like that again."
She looked up at him. "You make it sound as if it ruined me, somehow. Like I'm damaged goods."
"You know that's not what I meant."
She stood back. "Neil, my body needed a rest. I know the signs now, if I feel like that again, I'll tell you." She tossed the apple into the pedal bin. "Trust me, its was the most wonderful couple of weeks of my life. I plan on doing it more often in future."
Neil smirked. "The last week was the best for me."
Alexa punched Neil's shoulder. "Yumi's here, keep your bedroom talk to yourself."
"What about my bathroom talk?" he said, grabbing her around the waist.
Alexa giggled. "And your bathroom talk, and your passageway talk and your dining room talk."
"And my kitchen table talk?" he asked, turning her around.
"All of it dammit," she said, casting him a sly smile.
He hugged her. "I love you so much, baby," he said, kissing her neck.
Yumi bolted out of her room. "Can I get a hug too?"
Neil picked her up and hugged them both. "I love you too, Neil," Alexa said, running a finger over his lips, then kissing him. She kissed Yumi's forehead. "I love both of you."
She turned around. "I'm going to find out what that guy wants."
Neil nodded. "Okay, I'll take Yumi to the park."
Alexa opened the back door. "Thanks." She closed it with a wave.
She saw Neil watching her through the window, a concerned expression on his face. She smiled and blew him a goodbye kiss, then vaulted the fence.
Sam East saw the front door open and sat up in his chair. Allen and the kid left the house and strolled in the direction of the park. Maybe this was the best chance he was going to get to find her alone. He slammed the clip into the Luger and climbed out of the car.
He spun around as he heard a female voice call to him. "Excuse me, why are you watching my house?"
He smiled. His target had come straight to him. He started raising his gun, but she was at his side in a flash. She twisted it in his hand, and he had to bend to his side because his finger was caught between the trigger and the trigger guard. Shit, she was fast.
He shrugged, so be it. He pulled up straight and heard his finger snap. It was still in an uncomfortable position, but at least he could get hold of her.
He grabbed her throat and started strangling her, pushing her back against the car. She shoved him forward, twisted her body to the side, causing him to lose his grip. Then she did the most unladylike thing he had ever witnessed in his forty-five years on the planet. She slammed her forehead into his face. His went for her throat again, but she grabbed his thumb and twisted it back. He was much stronger than her, but she was using wrist locks, and she was fast, mighty fast.
He wondered if he had underestimated her.
"I asked you a simple question," she said with a cocky smile.
He sighed as the blood ran into his left eyes. Oh well, here we go again. He slowly twisted his hand back until he heard his thumb snap. At least he could still use his fingers.
Her eyes widened when he grabbed her around the neck again, this time with both hands. He couldn't apply as much force as he wanted to, thumbs were important in circumstances such as these.
"Aw, shit no," he groaned as he felt the bone in his leg crack and stick through the skin. What had she done now? He looked down at his leg. Sure as hell, there it was, the bone sticking out. He looked back up at her. "Why, you little bitch."
He sprawled to the ground as something else snapped. His legs were useless, she had probably kicked him again, he guessed. She was damn fast.
She looked at him disdainfully, slipped a phone from her pocket and began dialing a number.
Not so fast, lady, this wasn't over yet. He crawled forward and grabbed her ankles, plucking her legs from under her. She smashed to the ground, hitting her head against the pavement with a nice, solid thud.
She moaned, holding the back of her head. Blood seeped down her arms and dripped on the pavement from her elbow as she propped herself up. Shit, there she was, up again. She was strong. He felt in his pocket for his taser, but his thumb kept getting hooked on the edge. He took his thumb and pushed it back and managed to fish it out.
CRACK.
His vision blurred. Stunned, he pushed himself up off the pavement, he hadn't seen what had hit him. He shook his head and refocused. His jaw fell funny. Like it was skewed or something. He pointed the taser at her and fired, catching her in the chest. The thousands of volts made her body spasm and convulse, but she stood, not going down.
He shook the taser gun, trying to get more juice out of the thing. Okay, here was another first. She was grabbing the wires together and pulling them out of her chest. "What the...?"
She had a snarl on her lips and he saw her fist grow larger as she pivoted her hip to land the blow.
CRACK.
This bitch was superman.
He opened his eyes. He couldn't move his body, he was numb.
She grabbed him by the chest and lifted him. "Who the hell are you?" she shouted.
"Screw you, angel,” he managed to mumble before he blacked out.
Alexa and Neil stood around the man, looking down. "He doesn't feel any pain, Neil. I had to break his damn legs."
Neil knelt down beside the guy. "But he bleeds like a pig."
"We better call an ambulance." Alexa looked over her shoulder as she heard the door creak. "Yumi, back in you room."
She took a photo of the man's face and sent it to Laiveaux with the message: Do you know this guy? He was still in hospital, unable to get out of bed, but his brain was working just fine.
The man propped himself up on his arm.
"Who are you?" Neil asked.
He stuck out a hand. "They call me Sam Iceheart East."
"Your real name, pal," Neil said.
The guy shrugged. "That's it, Sam East."
"Why were you watching us?" Alexa asked.
The guy chuckled. "Two things. First thing, I don't feel pain, don't think you're going to torture me into telling you anything. Second thing. If I tell you, I'm dead anyway."
"Well, you're busy bleeding to death, your wish may come true," Neil said.
"Sooner than you think." Alexa removed her Glock from its holster. She fired four times, twice into both of Sam East's thighs.
East looked up at her in amazement, then back down at the smoking holes in his legs. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?"
Neil grabbed the gun from Alexa.
"What?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. She turned around again. "Yumi, stay in your room." The door closed again.
"Alexa, our damn floors, how am I supposed to fix these bullet holes?"
"I told the landlord, I wanted carpets. Now he can lay it for us."
Neil stood, his hands on his hips. "Alexa, you can't go around blowing up other people's stuff. His going to kill us."
"Carpets? Carpets? You two are quarreling over carpets while I'm bleeding to death," Sam shouted.
They turned back to him. "We'll finish this discussion later," Neil said, casting her an angry glare.
Alexa snorted. "Okay, what do you want us to do?" she asked East.
"Call me a freaking ambulance."
"You're going pale," she said, glancing at the floor. "And you're losing a lot of blood."
Sam slapped the
floor with his palm. "I know, that's what I've been saying the whole goddamn time."
Neil crouched next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "You don't want to die now?"
The man shook his head, his eyes large.
"Why were you spying on us?"
"Someone sent me to kidnap the lady."
"Who?" Alexa asked.
"Oh screw this," the guy said, squinting his eyes. "His name is Allan Sonti."
"How do we find him?" Alexa asked.
"Here," the guy said, handing Alexa his cell phone with trembling hands. "His number's on my phone."
"Why thank you." Alexa searched for the name.
"Now get me a damn ambulance."
Interpol HQ,
Lyon, France
General Laiveaux looked up from his computer screen as he heard a rap on the door. "In!"
He stood up and smiled as Alexa and Neil entered the room. They saluted smartly.
He waved at the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, please, sit down."
Alexa removed her Kepi and placed it on the table. "How are you feeling, General?"
He chuckled, pulling his jacket straight. "On top of the world, Captain. How are you?"
She tucked her fringe behind her ear and sat down. "I'm fine, thanks."
Laiveaux studied her for a while but said nothing. She looked good, her cheeks had color to them and her eyes had that mischievous sparkle he had grown to love. But was she better? "Alexa, you risked your life to save mine and for that, I thank you."
"I almost got you killed," she whispered, looking down.
He stood up and marched to a metal filing cabinet, pulled open a drawer. "Nonsense." He removed two sheets of paper and placed one on the table in front of her. "You are awarded the Legion d'honneur for your bravery on the battle field." He winked. "You are the youngest recipient ever."
