The Keepers of the Rose

by DJ Dalasta

  He pulled over a few blocks from his destination. His palms were wet with anticipation. Everything would happen in the next few hours and it all depended on a specific ordering of events. The first of which, was to get Sieb to move his pieces. Michael picked up his cell and dialed.

  “Very clever Michael,” Anders Sieb answered after the first ring.

  “Sorry, I know your capabilities. I had to find a way to neutralize them. But you’re in no danger. We still need each other.”

  “I suppose you want to talk about your brother now.”

  “Yes, but I have uncovered some new information. It would seem that he’s been scheduled to be executed.”

  “I thought he was being held. This could complicate things,” Sieb spoke casually.

  “Actually, though it sounds shitty, this is good. I know where they do these types of things and I know their procedures. I used to be the guy that carried them out. I’ll give you the address in a moment. I’d do it myself but I know you have men better suited to such a task and I may not be able to get there in time. A couple of your sharp shooters should easily be able take out the men that hold him. They’ll need to be at the location in no less than an hour and my brother, as they should know, looks exactly like me. After this is done and Malcolm is safe, my man will take you to Rock and your meeting.”

  “Ok,” Sieb said. “But my boys are not going to let your brother out of their sight until I say so. That’s my insurance.”

  “I’ll accept that, for now.”

  “Good. So I only have to wait another hour then.”

  “As long as your men do their part.”

  “Of that I’m certain.”

  “Then good luck tonight.”

  The phone went silent without a response. Michael quickly texted the address of the execution spot to Sieb’s number and put the phone back in his pocket.

  Now that Sieb was moving, Michael had to meet Elias. This part, he wasn’t looking forward to. Elias was a wild card.

  He started up his car and drove the rest of the way to the front entrance of Gavin’s old villa. It was the place Elias had been staying ever since killing the old man. Only a minute passed when two men came up to the vehicle and rapped on the window. Michael rolled it down, “Michael Cooper, Elias should be expecting me,” he said into a fat, frowning face.

  “Yeah, you’re on the list,” one of them returned and brought out a page of pictures and matched up Michael. “Ok go on in.” They opened the simple fence and waved him through.

  The front of the house was quiet. There were only two cars parked in a lot made for twenty. The outside lights were dimmed and nobody stood watch near the entrance. He quickly made his way to front and knocked on the door. When nobody answered, Michael pushed it open and stepped inside. The hallway was vacant.

  “Elias,” Michael called. No answer. He didn’t like this. It was very odd for nobody to be near the front. He cautiously started towards the back of the house, heading for the bar and entertainment room. That’s where Elias would probably be, and if not, Michael could use a drink anyhow.

  He came first to the open-air kitchen and silently slipped through. He stepped down a small flight of stairs and around a corner, entering the game room. A sweet cheery wood finish shined on the walls and there was a short but well stocked bar at the back. The golden accents and faded organic painting gave it an older feel, something out of the Wild West. In the corner, a large, seventy-inch television showed a European soccer match while the center was taken up by a full sized pool table, brightly lit by a one of a kind golden light, hung by two chains from an open ceiling.

  Beneath it, Elias was shooting.

  He looked up as Michael came into the room. He hit his shot but didn’t say a word. In the back, his two bodyguards sat at a round table. They eyed Michael but made no move to get up.

  Michael walked inside and came around the bar and grabbed a beer. He popped the cap and came back to the other side. Elias kept hitting the balls in one by one.

  “Do you know why I like soccer?” He hit another ball into the corner, stopping the white cue on impact. It sat in perfect placement for the next shot.

  “No,” Michael said, still trying to figure out this strange display. The tactic was meant to put him on edge. It was working.

  “It’s much like your game of football over here. Everyone on that field has to know exactly what everyone else on their team is doing. They need to work as one to get to their goal. If one person is doing their own thing and not in sync with the others, it puts that team at a distinct disadvantage and it is likely they’ll lose. That’s why you need a coach, that’s his job, to make sure his players know what it is they are to do together, to oversee their successes and their failures.”

  “It’s a lot like our organization too,” he continued, hitting another ball into the corner pocket. “We need to function together to reach our goal, which is so close, Michael. And I am our coach, I see what all my players are doing and try to get them to see that goal too. To try and get them to see it together, to do things as one.”

  Michael cleared his throat. “Since when do coaches hold their players hostage?”

  The comment elicited a sneer. Elias threw his cue on the table. “I am doing what I must,” he said. “To ensure that we continue as a species the best way we possibly can. And that’s to forget our corrupt governments and idiotic loyalties to countries gone bad. We must come together in the aftermath as one people with one leadership where everyone can thrive. And you.” He came closer. He pointed his finger at Michael and walked towards him until it was mere inches from his face. Michael didn’t flinch. “You Michael Cooper, thwart me at every turn.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michael backed up a step.

  “The fuck you don’t. Not one person was ever sent to the hotel where you supposedly found the black boy. Not one. You told me you found him hiding there and you told me you sent men to wait for Rock should he return. But you didn’t. What if Rock had returned?” He pause and spun back around, walking towards the pool table. He picked his cue back up and faced Michael.

  “But then I thought about it. You’re not that stupid to just leave it to chance. You’re anything but stupid. So that means you came across this boy somewhere, maybe you found him alone, Rock had abandoned him or maybe you found Rock and lost him and didn’t want to say anything. But you had better tell me the truth.” Elias snapped the cue over his knee breaking the stick into two sharp pieces. He tightly gripped the two shards, waiting. “And that means right now.”

  “You’re right,” Michael admitted. It was his only play. “I never sent anyone to the hotel because there was nothing that was going to happen. The truth is I was following a gut response and came across both Benji and Rock. I pulled my gun and cornered them.”

  “Why didn’t you call for back-up?”

  “Because I was in the moment, and we started talking. He didn’t have the copies on him, they were safe, he said. And if he didn’t check in every hour, they were ready to be sent to Delega. It could have been a bluff, but I had to take him at his word. The worst offense would be allowing Delega to have the copies. But then he made me an offer.” Michael took a sip a beer before he continued. “He wanted me to help him get back Anna. I saw it as an opportunity to enter in conversations with him, gain a little trust where there was none before. I told him I had an idea on how to get his lady friend, but I would need something to convince me this wasn’t a set-up. Benji offered himself as a sort of pawn. Why do think I asked you not to kill him or take his body parts, he wasn’t supposed to be hurt like that.”

  “So why not just tell me all of this,” Elias said. “And where has it fucking gotten you.”

  “I didn’t tell you because I feared what you would do to my brother if things didn’t move along as I expected.”

  “You’re right, I
fully expect to kill Malcolm in the next few minutes if I don’t like the rest of your story.”

  “That’s why I have come tonight. I was ready to tell you everything. In a little over an hour there is a meeting between Rock and Vitori Delega. A meeting that I have helped to set-up. Vitori believes he’ll trade Anna directly for the copies of the rose and the missing pages Rock has recovered. I have convinced Rock that Delega will do no such thing and I believe I am right. Delega will bring men and weapons and take what he wants. We both know that. And here’s the best part. I told Rock we would be there, to take out Delega and his men and leave Anna safely unharmed. At that point, he’ll hand over the copies as long as we let him and Anna go free.”

  “And he trusts you, after everything.”

  “I told him we have something in common, we both have a loved one being held hostage. And then I gave him my word. He gets Anna, you get the copies, and I get Malcolm, and we leave them alone.”

  Elias studied Michael. A slow smile spread across his face. “Ok Michael. Ok. But to make sure everything goes to plan, I’m coming tonight. This all ends tonight, and after I get what I want, Rock is being put down. I don’t like loose ends. Besides, he’ll be dead in a few months anyhow.”

  “I gave him my word,” Michael protested.

  “So your word is going to be shit,” Elias said. “So what?”

  “Is your word shit too? Will you let Malcolm go after all this? You said that to me, is that shit?”

  “Of course not. You do your part, head up my men tonight, make sure they take out all of Vitori’s crew and control the situation. If you do that, then my word is good. If you don’t, well, then we might have some things to discuss, I understand Michael, family is everything.”

  “It is. I want mine back.”

  Elias threw the broken pool cue on the bar and walked around, grabbing himself a beer from the fridge. He opened the top and strolled over to where Michael stood. He clinked his bottle.

  “Well then, here’s to family,” he said and took a long swig. “Let’s be on our way, we shouldn’t waste any time. You said a little over an hour, right?”

  Elias called for ride and in minutes the four of them were in the back of a limousine. Michael gave the driver the address where Rock was located and they pulled out of Gavin’s estate.

  They rode in silence for ten minutes when Michael noticed they were making some odd turns. “Where are we going,” he asked.” This isn’t the way to the location. I gave the driver the address, this isn’t it.”

  “We have one stop before we go there, we’re picking somebody up,” Elias said.

  “Who might that be?”

  “Benji, the boy. I think it would be good to reunite him with Rock before we kill him.”

  “If you say so.” Michael was unconcerned about Benji. He was more concerned for his brother. Elias was too talkative, too engaging. In all his dealings with the man, he never volunteered information. Now, he was a regular chatterbox.

  “Who all is going to be there,” Elias asked.

  “I think you know. Rock, Delega, Anna. That’s unless Delega was able to bring more men.”

  “What about your other friend?”

  Michael drew in a deep breath. “And who are you referring to?”

  The car came to a slow stop. Michael looked out the window and knew exactly where they were. The plain brick building was the main headquarters of the keepers day-to-day operations. It was isolated, near the water and always fully manned. A second set of headlights pulled in behind them.

  “Who’s that,” Michael let his other question go without an answer. He slowly eased his hand towards his weapon.

  “My team.”

  “Only two cars, that’s a small team for such a big event.”

  “I figured too many boots make more noise, I don’t want to scare them off before everyone is in position.” Elias followed his movements. “Where’s that hand going, gun or phone?”

  “Just shifting. My gun isn’t even loaded,” Michael lied, “And who would I be calling?”

  “You might want to warn Anders Sieb.” Elias immediately pulled his weapon out and pointed it at Michael. “Keep those hands high.”

  “How did you know,” Michael asked, raising his arms over his head while Elias’s bodyguards took his weapon.

  “You went too long without any results. I looked over your record, that’s unlike you. So I had you followed to Barrion Imports this afternoon. If it’s any consolation, I was going to kill you and your brother tonight anyway. Your help was becoming unnecessary and for some reason I got the feeling you didn’t like me.”

  “Your powers of perception are unbelievably acute,” Michael rolled his eyes.

  “It’s nice of you to wrap everything up for me in a sweet little gift. I get Rock, Delega and Sieb, all in one place. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

  “Sieb will have more men than you.”

  “Really Michael, still playing games. After you left Barrion Imports my men watched Sieb leave without backup. They’ve kept an eye on things and it appears as though his men are running around trying to find him. You did a remarkable job in making him disappear. I expect that you cut some deal with him and he’ll be there tonight as well. An extra cherry for me.”

  “You have it all figured out Elias.”

  “Harper, Grimes” Elias addressed his bodyguards. “Take Michael around back and shoot him in the head. Then go inside and watch to make sure Dr. Redman has no trouble when he starts dissecting the rose. Oh, and you can kill Malcolm as well, if you’d like.”

  “Yes sir,” they said in unison like a couple of parrots.

  Michael was pushed from the vehicle and then slammed up against the brick wall. When they turned him around, Elias stood before him. “Thanks for making it interesting,” Elias said, then lightly slapped him in the face. “Good boy.” He chuckled to himself and walked away.

  Michael watched him head towards the newly arrived car, he opened the passenger door and sat inside. The car pulled out and drove away. Michael counted five men in total.

  Michael felt himself being pulled. “Easy big guy,” he said looking up at the man’s fat face.

  “Just come along, this won’t take but a moment,” Grimes said. “We’ve done this many times before. We’ll make it quick.”

  “I know you will,” Michael replied. “It’s just that, I have somewhere else I need to be.”

  Chapter 46

  Florida, August 2012