Teller of Lies (Gray Spear Society Book 13)

by Alex Siegel

  "There!" Marina yelled excitedly.

  She descended towards her enemy. He turned and fired a pistol at her using one hand while he kept the other on the wheel. A bullet punched a hole in the windshield of the helicopter. She made a quick evasive maneuver and went back to a higher altitude.

  She wanted to take him alive. She looked back but didn't see any equipment suitable for a water rescue. Plucking him out of the ocean was going to be tricky.

  Vulture made sharp turns in a desperate attempt to escape the spotlight. He caught a big wave the wrong way, and the boat tumbled. He was thrown into the water at high speed and hit hard.

  Marina descended again. She swept the light back and forth as she searched around the location of the crash. The speedboat had capsized, and it started to sink as she watched.

  Vulture bobbed to the surface but was obviously hurt. He was trying to tread water with just his right arm while his left arm floated limply. Waves kept smashing into his face. He sputtered water each time with less and less energy.

  "I can jump in, ma'am," Hanley yelled. "I might be able to keep him alive until you get another boat out here."

  Marina frowned. "I won't risk your life to save that piece of shit. It's night and the water is rough. You don't even have a life jacket."

  "But we need to interrogate him."

  "True, and I was looking forward to watching him suffer, but your safety is more important. Just shoot him."

  She heard the crack of a rifle. Vulture stiffened and went under. It was a much quicker and easier death than he deserved. She turned the helicopter around and headed back towards the Fearless Star.

  "What's next, ma'am?" Ipo said.

  "Tonight, we'll sweep the ship one more time, and then we'll go home," Marina replied. "Tomorrow, we'll come back and begin analyzing the evidence. I imagine that process will take several days. Vulture was running a big operation. Eventually, we'll scuttle the ship. It's tainted by God's enemies and must be destroyed. Of course, the remaining Guardians of the Pit still need to be exterminated, too."

  She sighed as she flew through the darkness. Even in victory, there was plenty of hard work to do.

  * * *

  Marina walked up to the home of El Toro for the third time this week, and she expected it would be her last for a long while. Bright sunlight rained down from a blue sky. The air was still and hazy this morning.

  She was accompanied by Wesley and his entire protection team. The boy's guardians were obviously anxious about taking him to see a crime lord, but Wesley had insisted on coming.

  Two Mexican men in brown suits were guarding the door. They were sitting on lawn chairs with very relaxed postures, and Marina smelled marijuana smoke.

  "Get El Toro," Marina said. "Tell him Ms. Couteau is here. He's expecting me."

  One of the men shook his head lazily. "Never heard of him."

  Wesley looked into the man's eyes.

  After a few seconds, he stood up and said in a humble voice, "I'll get him."

  Marina smiled with amusement. One didn't lie to the Voice of Truth.

  El Toro came to the door after a minute. Morning sunlight glared from his big, bald head. He was wearing a baggy, black sweat suit, and a bulge in his pocket indicated he was armed.

  "I lost three of my men yesterday!" he told Marina angrily. "Five are in jail."

  "I appreciate the sacrifice," she replied in a much calmer tone. "It wasn't wasted, and I'm here to repay you for your trouble. This very special young man is a therapist of sorts." She glanced at Wesley. "He can help your son."

  El Toro looked down at Wesley. "But he's just a kid."

  "Please, don't argue. Get your boy."

  El Toro gave her a dubious stare. He turned around and yelled, "Santiago! Get down here! Now!"

  After a minute, the teenager Marina had seen the other night came down the stairs. He was just wearing green shorts. Tattoos of guns and naked women covered his bare chest. His black hair was such a greasy mess, she was actually repulsed.

  "What?" he said in a rude tone.

  "Come over here," Wesley said. "Look at me."

  Santiago stomped over to the door. "Look at un niño pequeño? Why?"

  Wesley touched his own cheek. "There is something in my eye."

  The two of them stared at each other. Santiago's expression gradually lost all its arrogance, and fear replaced it. He began to shiver even though the air was warm.

  "You're wasting your life," Wesley said softly, "and it's the only one you have. You should make better choices."

  Santiago dropped to his knees and cried out, "Dios me perdone porque he pecado!" He wept openly.

  Wesley held his head and forced him to maintain eye contact. "The truth hurts, but don't fight it. Let it wash away the lies."

  Santiago moaned.

  El Toro was staring at Wesley as if the boy were an alien. El Toro looked up at Marina.

  She smiled. "Don't doubt me next time."

  The session went on for another few minutes. She felt some sympathy for poor Santiago. She had been in a similar situation and still remembered how painful enlightenment had been.

  Finally, Wesley released Santiago. He ran back upstairs, stumbling as he went.

  "Begin your new life!" Wesley yelled.

  "What did you do to my son?" El Toro said.

  "I just showed him the truth. It's your turn next. Hold him."

  Atalanta and Yvonne grabbed El Toro's arms. He was a big guy, but Atalanta was just as strong and Yvonne was much stronger. His men immediately moved to protect their boss.

  Guthrum and Charles sprang into action and defeated every threat with an efficiency that showed why they were elite fighters. The Mexicans were corralled into a corner of the room, and Guthrum and Charles used their guns to keep them there.

  "Bitch!" El Toro yelled at Marina. "You betrayed me!"

  "No," Wesley said. "She's saving you."

  Atalanta and Yvonne forced El Toro down to his knees, and Wesley stared into his eyes.

  El Toro's reaction was even stronger than his son's. The crime lord wailed with grief and begged for mercy. He moaned as if hot pincers were tearing his flesh. He even wet his pants. Apparently, he had a lot of issues to work through, but Wesley was relentless.

  The torment finally ended. El Toro was left lying on the floor with his face covered in tears. He curled into a fetal position.

  "Let's go," Wesley said.

  All the Spears hurried out of the house. Wesley's huge, gray bus was parked on the street, and everybody climbed in. Atalanta took the driver's seat and drove away.

  The interior of the bus was roomy. Marina sat with Wesley in the middle on well-padded bench seats. A large television screen was connected to a satellite receiver and a DVD player, but it was turned off. Further back, gray curtains surrounded bunk beds. The bus could serve as a home when Wesley wanted to take a long trip without stopping. The rear section was used for storage, and Marina had taken a peek earlier. An impressive number of weapons were packed into a small space.

  She tried not to fall asleep during the long drive back to headquarters. The team had spent most of the night on the Fearless Star, making sure the ship was secure. They would return later today to continue the work. Tons of evidence needed to be examined.

  Marina had almost nodded off when the bus arrived at headquarters. The door opened, and she walked out, but Wesley and his team stayed on the bus.

  "What's going on?" she said. "You're not coming inside?"

  Wesley stood on the stairs. "No. I need to get back to Washington, and it can't wait any longer."

  "Oh."

  Marina felt a little sad. Having Wesley around was a constant source of stress, but she would miss him when he was gone.

  He smiled. "Say goodbye to everybody for me. Take good care of Olivia."

  "I will. Oh, one more thing before you go. When I was crazy, I met a witch in the mountains. She called me the Lady of the Night and the Lady of Sorrow. She s
aid I'll walk among the stars and bring terror. Did that mean anything?"

  His blue eyes sparkled. "I'll have to meet this witch someday. It sounds like she has genuine talent. Maybe this winter..." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

  "You didn't answer my question," she said.

  "Tell Ethel I'll call her in a couple of weeks when it's time for her to go to Chicago."

  "Huh?"

  Wesley closed the bus door. The bus backed up the driveway and vanished around a corner.

  Marina decided she had changed her mind. She wasn't going to miss him at all.

  She went into the entry chamber of headquarters and almost bumped into the legate and Boreas coming the other way. The legate's bodyguard was carrying two big pieces of luggage. Ipo was trailing along behind them.

  "You're leaving already?" Marina said.

  "There is always a crisis somewhere on the continent," the legate said. "It's just a matter of picking which one to attend. The team in Seattle thinks an alien invasion is imminent. I have my doubts, but in case they're right, I should be there. Ipo will drive us to the airport."

  "Oh. In that case, goodbye, ma'am. It was nice seeing you, even if it was just for a little while."

  "And it was nice seeing you, too. I hate that haircut though."

  "It will grow out," Marina said. "Wesley just took off, but he had a message for you. He'll call in a couple of weeks when it's time for you to go to Chicago. Do you have any idea what that means?"

  "Not the faintest clue, but I'm sure it can't be good. Ipo, let's go."

  The legate, Boreas, and Ipo hurried out the door.

  Katie was in the security booth. Marina felt better knowing her own people were handling security again.

  Katie buzzed the back door, and Marina went through. Headquarters felt emptier without so many people around. Min Ho and Jia were working at their computers as usual. Hanley and Yang were sparring in the back, and Marina was reminded that Yang needed to begin his formal training as a legionnaire. Corrie was working in her electrical cage. Somehow, the scientist had avoided any heavy lifting during the mission, but she would accompany the team when they returned to the ship. Part of her job was forensic analysis.

  Olivia was watching television. Marina looked at the girl and sighed. Olivia would be a guest in headquarters until alternate arrangements were made, and that could take months or even years. God's enemies still wanted to kill her. Marina had to make sure that wherever Olivia went, she would be completely safe.

  Imelda was working in the machine shop.

  Marina walked over to the mechanic. "Clear out the small storage room near the bathroom. Let's make it a bedroom for Olivia."

  "Yes, ma'am." Imelda walked off.

  Marina's phone rang. The code number indicated it was an unsecure call on an open line.

  She answered, "Yes?"

  "Ms. Couteau?" It was El Toro's voice, and he sounded very tired.

  "What do you want?"

  "I want to confess."

  "Confess what?" Marina said.

  "Everything. My soul is rotten with evil and sin. I need to scrub it clean, or at least try."

  She smiled as she remembered another debt that needed to be paid. "Do you know where the Phillip Burton Federal Building is?"

  "Of course," El Toro said. "The FBI office."

  "Meet me in front in an hour. Come unarmed and alone." She paused. "And you might want to say goodbye to your son before you go."

  "He already left. He swore he would never speak to me again, and I don't blame him. I'll see you in an hour."

  "Bye." She hung up.

  * * *

  Marina checked her watch and frowned. She had a lot of work to do today, and she was eager to get started. All the corpses on the Fearless Star would start to stink soon. It was a ticking biological time bomb.

  Special Agent Joshua Harp approached her at a brisk walk. His suit was a generic dark blue, but the fabric was a few grades better than what most FBI agents usually wore. His hair was brushed over his bald spot, and Marina didn't like how it looked, but she was hardly in a position to comment on haircuts at the moment. He was wearing black sunglasses even though he had just come from inside the federal building.

  "Ms. Pointu?" he said. "What did you do to yourself?"

  "I'm wearing a disguise," Marina said. "It's not important."

  "There was some very bad business in Sunnyvale yesterday. Shootings. Deaths. Multiple explosions. Some victims were butchered like animals. It turns out they were members of a violent Christian cult, and coincidently, the Marin Civic Center victims were from the same cult. I suspect you know the explanation."

  "And if I did, do you think I could tell it to you? It was messy, but the good guys won in the end. That's all you need to know. Now, I promised to reward you with the bust of a lifetime, and that's what I'm going to do."

  "Where?" he looked around.

  They were standing near Golden Gate Avenue. Steady, continuous traffic was flowing along the three-lane, one-way street, and people were also walking in and out of the federal building. It was a busy environment.

  El Toro approached Marina with slow, heavy steps. He was wearing a formal black suit appropriate for a funeral. Black leather shoes were polished to a high shine.

  "Here," she said. "I believe both of you know each other's work, but you've probably never met in person. This is Joshua Harp, Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Division of the FBI, perhaps the Bay Area's most powerful law enforcer. And this is El Toro, the South Bay's most powerful gangster."

  The two men stared at each other with wary expressions.

  Marina went on. "El Toro wants to confess. He's going to turn over his entire organization to the FBI, every last crook."

  Harp turned to her with astonishment on his face. "Why?"

  "He was enlightened, but in return, you have to give him immunity. He needs to start a new life and rebuild his relationship with his son after all the legal proceedings are over."

  "I can't."

  "Promise me." She gave him a warning look. "El Toro has been helpful to me, just like you, and I never abandon my friends. If you put him in prison, I'll get him out, and neither of us want that kind of bother."

  Harp looked back and forth between Marina and El Toro.

  "I guess I don't have much choice," Harp said.

  "That's correct. I have to go. I have a busy day planned. You two have a lot to talk about, so you might as well get started."

  Marina walked off with a smile. In the end, everything had worked out well. She had a new legionnaire on her team, and the enemy had been destroyed. For a while at least, Olivia would be like the daughter Marina had never had. Marina was looking forward to teaching Olivia how to fight and kill.

  Marina wondered when she would see Wesley next. Another encounter seemed inevitable, but she didn't expect it would be as interesting as the last one. How could it possibly be?

  * * *

  Erika looked across the red, crystalline table at her fellow Pythagoreans. A total of fourteen figures in red robes were attending this hastily called meeting. Vulture's seat was empty.

  "It's safe to assume Vulture failed even if his body is never found," Erika said with a certain amount of satisfaction. They hadn't been friends. "At least he discovered the name of the target: Olivia Bellar. One of us must step forward and take over the mission. I volunteer myself..."

  Orange light abruptly flooded the room. A tangled ball of twisting fire hovered over the center of the table. A feeling of weakness and cold gripped her heart. She got down on her hands and knees and stared at the floor humbly.

  "No!" the benefactor said. "Another will have this task." Its voice bypassed her ears and went straight into her mind.

  Erika felt profound disappointment. She had looked forward to the reward she would receive for killing the girl.

  "Me!" Iris said. "I'll do it."

  "Very well," the benefactor said. "Go to San Francisco. The Pat
hokinetic is there."

  Erika risked a glance at the ball of fire. "What's wrong with me, Master? Why can't I do it?"

  The benefactor moved closer to her. "I have another assignment for you, one even more important. Go to Chicago and start building a strong base for a military operation. You're going to fight the Chicago cell of the Gray Spear Society. It will be a substantial battle."

  "May I ask why?"

  "The Great Adversary is hiding something from us. We suspect it is located in the cell's headquarters where we can't perceive it. We do know it's extremely important, and we must learn the secret. It could shift the balance of the entire war and have repercussions across the universe."

  "Then why not destroy all of Chicago with an atomic bomb?" Erika said.

  "Because then we wouldn't know the secret, and the Great Adversary would try again somewhere else. Your objective is gathering intelligence, not destruction. Locate and penetrate the headquarters of the Chicago cell. Discover what is hidden there. Your reward will be better than any in history."

  "Yes, Master. I understand. It will be done."

  The orange light faded.

  Erika stood up. She felt like she had won the lottery.

  Those assholes will never know what hit them, she thought.

  THE END

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four