Fallen Dynasties

by Nick James

  ‘What did you do?’ I asked, to which he shook his head and made a sign that I had to wait. What have I done? ‘Sammy, I need a favour?’

  His eyes opened wide. ‘I’ll get my sponge ready.’ He went to get up but stopped when I grabbed his hand.

  ‘Later,’ I said and saw him pout, so I took him by the hand, walked him into our bedroom and let him undress me. Things could be worse. A previous boyfriend had a foot fetish – now that was creepy. Plus, when he left, he stole half my shoes. One day I will find him and kill him. Within ten minutes we were in the shower and Sam was doing a wonderful job washing my hair. What a good slave.

  ‘So, what do you need, love?’ he asked as he massaged my scalp.

  I took a big breath as the hot water cascaded over us. ‘You know I’m checking out this Richard Head.’ I tried to ignore the giggle.

  ‘Dickhead,’ he said with a snigger, washing out the shampoo. ‘Yep, how can I help? Do you need me to follow him?’

  ‘No, I need you to see if he has a Dream’s account and go through it for me?’ I asked.

  That’s when he froze. He quietly put conditioner in my hair. ‘What for? What can that do?’

  ‘I think he’s linked with that bloke Sanderson in your building, and I think he used Head’s dreams against him,’ I explained as he rubbed it in. ‘I think that’s what he does upstairs alone.’

  ‘Shit, you do know I could get fired, don’t you,’ he said, but he had moved on to washing my body. I do love him, so much. If he could play the piano the same way he played with my body, we would be rich.

  I nodded as the steam started to mist up the cubicle, although he couldn’t see as he was working his way up my body. ‘And I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, but it would help to complete my investigation if I can get a link between them.’

  It was his turn to sigh heavily. Then we heard his mobile ringing the song ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials; it must have gone to voicemail.

  We stepped out of the shower where we lovingly dried each other off on the tiled floor. We used the big fluffy towels I stole from my last business trip, then it was my phone’s turn to ring. Sam had set up the ringtone to be the soundtrack to The Exorcist.

  ‘I’ll do it, love, just let me know the possible dates of his dreams, and what I’m looking for,’ he said, making me kiss him furiously.

  ‘Thank you, Sammy, I owe you,’ I said, and then realised my mistake. If you know Sammy, you never owe him. And if you do, make sure there are restrictions.

  He had a feral grin on his face. ‘Cool, you know what I want, and tonight?’ he said, locking eyes with me. I nodded back. ‘Then pizza?’

  ‘Of course, Sammy, anything for you,’ I purred and swayed off into our bedroom. ‘Give me ten minutes.’ I checked my phone, it was a missed call from Sharon.

  Then the home phone rang, it echoed throughout the flat. We both allowed it to go to answer machine. It was Sharon’s voice: ‘BUNNY! That was out of fucking order! I thought we were friends? I guess you set your “Walking Dead” of a boyfriend on me. Fine, it worked. No more texts, okay!’ she shouted angrily down the phone. ‘He sent a priest stripper to me, to our pub where we all drink after our shift. They’re calling me Sharon Nun already… Sam’s dead, I know it was him!’

  We both laughed, but I knew Sam was in real trouble. But when I make a promise to him, I won’t break it. I was still chuckling as I slipped on the blonde wig.

  ‘Bonjour, Sam, my name is Fleur Delacour, and I am in need of your ’elp,’ which caused a naked Sam to leap on the bed.

  We never had our pizza that night, but my debt is now paid.

  Chapter 19

  Mai Lee

  Beijing, China

  The time was coming. Blood would be spilt for the death of my family. Once again, I found myself in a rundown flat in the capital, Beijing. The neighbourhood was so bad, even the rats had guns.

  The funeral for Cheng Su’s cousin was getting closer. The leader of the Council of Five must pay. The killer of my family, Cheng Su, had already lost his cousin Han Su in a tragic accident, when a car jumped onto the pavement killing him instantly as he was on his way to have dinner with his wife. The fact that I was driving the car was just a minor detail, as was my having to kill two policeman who had pulled me over as I was trying to escape towards my rendezvous with Alexi. I would burn the world clean for vengeance for my family.

  The plus point was that the deceased cousin was married to another of the boss’s daughters. That meant I had two targets in the same place. My first thought was to have Alexi fly over there and bomb the bastards as they gathered around the casket. He did smile, but we both agreed that flying a Russian jet into the city and bombing a funeral home was not the best idea. People can be touchy about such things.

  My ex, who worked amongst the Council of Five, told me they would be using a low-key family-run funeral home for the ceremony and cremation, then the Su family would take his ashes back to the family’s mausoleum on the outskirts of the city.

  The question was whether to kill them all or do it surgically? It was going to be tough, as the funeral home was always in use, the owners lived on the top floor and it was located in a busy residential part of the city. But I needed alone time with Cheng Su.

  It wasn’t until I arrived in the neighbourhood and was shown around the funeral home that I knew the precise layout of the place. They happily gave me a tour on the pretence of bringing my deceased fictional brother there for his eternal rest.

  The manager took me to the ceremony room, which had capacity for only about twenty people. The families would be turning up in stretch limousines, but Cheng Su would be in his normal blacked-out Range Rover with identical vehicles front and back. He changes which car he comes in, could be any of the three, so that cancels out a car bomb, and the security at both family’s homes were way too high-end. Too many guards and cameras. By the time I’d killed one, the others would be in hiding, but then it didn’t matter what I did; killing the five may bring me death, but not before theirs. I swear it.

  I looked around the ceremony room and told them it would be perfect for what I needed. They explained that all the doors would be shut and the windows sealed when the ceremony took place to keep out the city noise from such a heartfelt gathering.

  The same night as my visit, I returned to break into the building and check out all the exits and also to fire up the office computer. It was very nice of them to have the password written on a Post-it note at the side of the screen. Since the family lived on the third level, I had all the time in the world. But according to their diary and my secret contact, I had just two days. Surveillance completed, I made my way back to the flat.

  Once back, I picked up one of ten mobiles that I had recently bought and dialled Alexi. ‘Hello, my friend, are you dressed and sober?’ I asked, and then heard him laugh himself into a coughing fit, proving to me that he was a fine specimen of Russian manhood.

  ‘Of course I am. What are you wearing?’ he asked, flirting, thinking he was the silver-tongued devil himself.

  ‘Dungarees, and a helmet.’ I heard him moan in disappointment. Trouble was, this was the truth – all bar the helmet. ‘I need you to go shopping, and I need the stuff in the morning.’

  He swore in his native tongue, and then sighed knowing there was no point saying no. ‘Okay, what, you want guns again, a car?’

  ‘Yes and yes. I need a van, a MP5 machine gun with a suppressor, two pistols with suppressors, three magazines for each,’ I heard the scratching of a pen. I was surprised that he was sober enough to write, and not in crayon either.

  ‘Might struggle with the MP5, but I can get the pistols no problem, and the van is a piece of piss,’ he said, changing his accent to a London market trader, which always cracked me up. ‘Is that it?’

  I took a big breath. ‘I need some Kolokol-1, the gas your people used in the Moscow theatre siege, enough for thirty people,’ I explained, and heard him swear again.
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br />   ‘That didn’t work too well when they used it, people died,’ Alexi said.

  ‘I know, but understand this…I don’t care. I need it.’ My tones were as cold as my heart, and for that I blamed my job, and the Council of Five.

  The phone line went quiet. ‘Da, I can get it,’ Alexi said and hung up straight away.

  That alone brought me to tears. I needed to get back to my Mikey, just to regain some semblance of a decent life again. When this was over, I promised myself and the ghosts of my relatives that I would never take a life again. Unless they tried to harm my loved ones or friends.

  It wasn’t until nine at night when Alexi texted me to say that he had managed to get all of the goods on the shopping list. It would all be packed in the back of the van and left around the corner of an empty ground-floor flat close to the funeral home. It still amazed me the amount of people and sources he had worldwide.

  That night was a broken sleep; images flashed through my mind. Would I be found when I was in the funeral home? I would hide in an abandoned office on the second floor. It had dustsheets covering the furniture when I scouted out the home, which said to me that it hadn’t been used for a while, but things can change. I just hoped that Cheng Su’s security detail wouldn’t check the whole property. I looked at the picture of Michael until I fell asleep, wishing for a normal life.

  The next morning came. I showered and put on a wig and a business suit. I looked like any other male office worker after binding up Michael’s favourite playthings. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed out.

  I took the dirty white Skoda to the empty flat. I drove past the van and the flat’s entrance twice and then parked up. I walked past the van and all seemed good; nobody seemed to be watching the van or entrance. Clearly, the fact that I was back in China was still a secret.

  I entered the flat which Alexi had told me was virginal clean. What did a fat Russian know about anything virginal? I scoffed. I waited an hour checking the flow of traffic going past to make sure there were no hangers-on or suspicious people. Nope, just me.

  I settled down on the floor and opened my book and found myself lost in The Taming of the Shrew. I only stopped reading for occasional toilet breaks and police checks on the scanner which he had very kindly added to the goods. All seemed to be okay.

  I didn’t head out until about 6 p.m. when the car and foot traffic had increased enough for me to blend in. Although, I did get a few strange looks when I put my hand under the driver’s side front wheel arch and along its edge to find the planted key. But needs must. And there it was, so I quickly jumped in and prayed to any god that would listen that the van would start.

  ‘Thank God,’ I muttered when it did and I filtered out into the traffic, as every inconvenienced driver beeped their horns. I couldn’t complain as the vehicle was full of petrol and everything seemed to run perfectly. I managed to find a parking spot in a public car park, so I parked up and hopped into the back.

  Alexi had done more than I asked. There were a pair of black overalls, and a tactical vest with magazines for the pistols and MP5 already put in the pouches. But, of course, I checked they were all full. Always good to have someone else handle the bullets, as it throws an extra fingerprint at the police if they forget to wear gloves. The guns were on the old side, but the actions were clean and they dry fired nicely.

  The Kolokol-1 knock gas canister had a manual release or timer. Which was perfect as all the information that Alexi had sent to me said it would be lethal if overdosed. Also, it was tasteless and invisible, unlike the older version they had used on that botched raid in Moscow all those years ago.

  The ceremony room only had one set of doors, thanks to lax health and safety laws. The plans were for it to disperse twenty minutes into the hour-long ceremony, just as they start to relax, so they won’t think it odd if they find themselves getting sleepy.

  As that happens, I will try to creep down and take out any guards inside the entrance hall. Once that is done, I would jam the front door as well as the ceremony door for another ten minutes.

  Alexi had sent a tactical gas mask with a large visor, perfect for quick combat. And if it all went well, I’ll stick a bullet in Liu Zheng’s mouth, unless the gas has killed the old bastard first. And I’ll drag Su’s body to the waiting hearse downstairs, drive away, and transfer the shit to the van and then the flat. I crack a smile; it would then be party time.

  It was now 2 a.m. I left all but one pistol and snuck into the funeral home just to make sure everything was the same. It was, so I carefully crept outside and carried in the gas and guns, along with the rest of the kit, except the hammer. I needed that for fun later back at the flat.

  I moved the van a mile away and parked it in an abandoned office block car park. I touched wood that it would still be quiet when I got there later – timing and still breathing permitting.

  I headed back after setting the timers on the two gas cannisters, one at the front and the other at the back of the hall. It was a good job they liked their flowers; it made hiding them easy. What could go wrong? That did make me chuckle as I settled down for the rest of the night. This could be the last night of my life.

  The night dragged on, so I spent the time either checking the weapons, reading or looking at my photos that were held on a well-hidden cloud account. Mikey and I really were happy. If only I could get him off the coke. But our savings account was to help me become the woman I truly was underneath, rather than his drug problem. Although my input had stopped, my darling was still putting money in. Bless him.

  A cockerel gave its wake-up call somewhere nearby. ‘Somebody kill it,’ I muttered as I managed to drag myself out of the arms of sweet Morpheus. I stood up and stretched, hearing the sound of cracking joints assaulting my ears. My watch told me it was 6:37 a.m. The upstairs living quarters had started to awaken for another day of work.

  This is one reason that still having my manhood was a blessing; it meant I could pee into a bottle that once held the water I had drunk last night. So that was soon tucked away in the small rucksack I wore, which in total had my phone, a book and now pee. Just hope the thing doesn’t come undone. I checked the guns again and took a seat and waited with nerves afire.

  The noise of the funeral home increased as time went on. It was nearly show time. At 9:30 tearful voices could be heard filtering up from the entrance hall. I tried to calm my breathing as the minutes ticked by. I decided to use the pistol first and only use the MP5 if things went wrong, which it normally did.

  I stretched all my muscles without moving too much and keeping the noise to a minimum. I had to work quickly, so they needed to be warmed up.

  Music filled the property, which allowed me to open the door and look around. If it wasn’t for the lack of time, I would normally have checked their routine on a typical business day. But I had to do this on the fly. I just hoped I wouldn’t meet any of the workers on my way down.

  I checked my watch; the gas would be dispersing about now. I just hoped they didn’t notice until it was too late. Time to go. I slipped on the gasmask and moved towards the stairs while crouching down. The music was still going, which was a good sign.

  Then things went wrong. A door opposite opened and a man in a white jacket with a gold name badge walked out. He was fiddling with his fly, and that cost him in the end. Before he could say anything, a bullet sent him to his eternal rest. Hopefully his family would get a discount from his employers, if they survived the day.

  I now had to hurry, so I remained crouched and edged onto the stairs. Luckily, the music was doing a fine job of covering my sounds. I slowly moved down the stairs. I knew the double front door at the bottom was straight ahead, the ceremony hall was a pair of doors to the left, and the manager’s office was to the right.

  The pistol was slid back into its holster and the MP5 was brought to bear, keeping the solid stock in my shoulder, I clicked it to burst fire, which would send three death bringers, with every press of the trigger.


  The music was still playing as I moved down and saw the first man-mountain standing by the front door. He was wearing no vest and a typical black suit which was too tight and would slow his movement to his concealed gun or the comms unit on his wrist. His head looked up at me before dropping as the German-made bullets destroyed his heart.

  I turned to the left as I continued down the open staircase and could see two identically dressed man either side of the ceremony doorway. One was reaching for his weapon, the other his comms unit. The latter didn’t get to warn anybody as the three-round bursts took him in the throat and face. I kept moving and breathing hard as the last guard struggled to get his gun free. Big men do look scary in their tight suits, but they can’t move quickly, hence why this one never even got one shot off as my last burst took him high in the chest, dropping him dead like his colleagues.

  The entrance hall was awash with blood and music. I wrapped a plastic zip tie around the front doors handles to stop visitors, but it would only hold for a few moments, if put under strain from outside. I scanned the area, which was clear, thankfully. I reloaded the pistol and machine gun; the latter was back on my shoulder as I entered the ceremony room. It had worked: bodies were still in chairs and on the floor. As my weapon scanned the room, I saw some were still holding on to consciousness.

  I slung the MP5 around onto my back, pulled the pistol again and ventilated the two unconscious men who had guarded the inside of the room. I stilled when I saw the two Council members who were sat a couple of seats apart. A young man at the back groaned and tried to stand up, but the bullet in his chest made him go back down for good. I didn’t know the man, but at this point I didn’t care.

  First, I walked over to Liu Zheng who was sat next to his daughter. The old man was hardly breathing, but her eyes were wide open staring at me, tears streaming down her face. She was mouthing, ‘No, no, no, no.’ I was sorry about this, but I sent her to be with her husband, and her parents, her mother had died years ago, and the father died thirty seconds after his daughter.