by Newman, AJ
I raised an eyebrow teasing her, “You just blushed. Have you ever blushed in your life? Harry wants to get in your knickers and has a case of puppy love. If you ever want to find true love and not just one night stands, you’d better wall off scary Davi and show the sexy, caring, and thoughtful side of you. You can always pull the other Davi out when you need to slit a throat.”
Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “I don’t know how to do that. I try and fail every time.”
I had a brainstorm or a brain fart, depending on how Davi took my following statement. “Davi, I care for you and want you to be happy. Could you hold back your ego and show your soft side just enough to allow Ally to help you find that inner softness.”
Davi glared at me then smiled. “My first reaction was to kick you in the nuts for that, but I realize I need help. Do you really think Ally would be able to stop gloating and help me?”
I never lied to people I loved. “Davi, Ally will gloat a bit, but you will never see or feel it. She will be damned happy that you aren’t after me.”
Davi reached up and kissed me on the cheek. “Please talk with her.”
I nodded and then stuck a finger into her shoulder. “I told you to not be by yourself. There could be another attack.”
Davi only smiled, “If someone attacks, I’ll bring his ear to you? Remember you said I was scary.”
***
Davi only had been alone a few minutes when she saw the movement in the trees out of the corner of her eye. She pretended to add some sunscreen when she hefted her dagger. The two women came running in Davi’s direction from a hundred feet away. Davi squinted and smiled when she saw the lead woman was much faster and would arrive a few seconds sooner. Davi waited until the woman was twenty feet away and sprang upward like a leopard. She eviscerated the woman with one slash and stood ready for the next attack as the first woman died with her bowels spilled at Davi’s feet.
The second machete wielding assassin was a petite lady who had an evil smirk on her face. She screamed incoherent words just as Davi sidestepped and pushed her from behind. The woman fell forward, and she writhed in agony with the machete sticking out of her back. She’d suffered several sliced organs and blood vessels. Davi stood over the bodies, shaking her head. “Amateurs.”
Davi dragged the bodies into the jungle and used one of the machetes to bury them. She calmly took the big knives down to the beach and washed the blood from them and her dagger. Davi then washed her hands and checked her makeup before going to her cottage.
Davi knocked on my door, and I let her enter. She brought her right hand from behind her. “I have some trophies for you.”
I saw the ears and choked. “They sent two huge men with little ears to kill you?!”
Davi smiled, “No! They were women. One big one and a small one. They are buried in the sand where I was sunbathing this morning.”
“Davi, please tell the others and do not go anywhere alone again. Please get rid of those ears before I puke.”
Davi looked at the ears, yawned, and held them up to her ears. “You know, I might make earrings from these.”
***
The following day, I told the group why Paul and Callie were joining the secret team, and only Aaron’s eyebrows raised. I wrote, “How is everyone doing with their assignments?”
Aaron scowled and looked at me. He wrote, “I’ve been able to add two more spies from the farmers. Their leader wants to meet with us.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. I wrote, “Good, set it up for this week.”
Aaron still frowned. He wrote, “Their leader wants to know who our leader is.”
I chuckled. “People in hell want ice water.” Then I wrote, “We’ll both meet with their leader and tell him our leader wants to remain anonymous for now. To clarify – I am our leader. Aaron is the general in charge of our military. Aaron reports to me.”
Mike wrote, “We know that. One of the house staff let it slip that the Captain has become a bit … let’s say, perverted in taking his pleasures with the women staff members. He whipped one with a buggy whip a couple of days ago.”
Several wrote, “Damn!”
Davi wrote, “I received an anonymous note that led me to a cache of weapons and ammunition. There were a dozen older ARs, six 9 mm pistols, about five pounds of C4, and plenty of ammunition. The note also said, “My first deed.”
I didn’t react and then wrote, “So, we have some secret help. Did you hide the weapons?”
Davi looked at me a bit too long. She wrote, “No. I left them where they were. It was a good hiding spot in a hollow tree not far from my cabin.”
Mike wrote, “Davi and I have a plan to develop a spy in the anarchists. She’s a maid on Bassot’s staff.”
I wrote, “Great on the spy plan. Everyone check with all your sources to find out who’s trying to kill us.”
***
I watched Ally brush her teeth from the bed in our tiny cabin. “Darling, I have to ask you to do something for our team that might stick in your craw.”
Ally rinsed her mouth and pointed her toothbrush at me. “That sounds ominous. You’d never ask me to do something against my will, so shoot.”
I gulped. “I need you to help Davi develop her soft side.”
Ally’s eyes opened wide. “Tell me more.”
I jumped in and told her about our conversation. “She’s interested in the lieutenant.”
“Harry?”
I shook my head. “How did you know his name?”
She smiled, “I asked. He came up to me and asked about Davi earlier in the week. He wanted to know if she had a husband or was dating.”
My interest was piqued. “Well?”
Ally pointed the toothbrush at me again. “I told him that I hadn’t seen her with a man since I’d known her. I then said Davi focused on our survival and took her responsibility seriously. I wanted to say the bitch needs to get laid and find a steady fellow. I did say she is more relaxed now and would welcome his interest.”
“Thank you. That was handled perfectly to fit into our plans. I need Davi to get in good with Harry and get him to spill the beans on Bassot’s military.”
Ally poked me on the shoulder. “Seduce is the correct word.”
I looked her in the eyes. “I hope she does get laid. She’s wound up tighter than an eight-day clock. It might mellow her out.”
Ally frowned. “Exactly what do I have to do to help Da … vi get laid?”
I swallowed and rubbed my jaw. “You need to help her tone the warrior side down and help her act like a normal woman when she’s not killing people.”
Ally broke out in laughter, stumbled into me, and flopped down on the bed. “She scares you shitless, and that’s why she didn’t hook up with you before I arrived. This is too funny! Our fearless leader and my hubs is afraid of a woman and didn’t jump in bed with her to keep his balls intact.”
My face was hot, and my fists clenched, then I snickered. “How long have you known?”
She chuckled, “Babe, the Zack I got to know was a horn dog before the apocalypse and would jump at a chance to get a good-looking woman in bed. Saving Callie and Geena’s death made a major impact on you. I think I also helped you muddle through some issues. Of course, I’ll help Davi get Harry in bed so she’ll stop making eyes at my hubby. Now make love to me like you mean it and forget about that Israeli hussy.”
*
Chapter 4 – Scheming
Fort de Ville, Martenvous
My new friend met with me at the farmer’s market. She had a fruit basket and was beautiful in her sundress with brilliant flowers on a white background. She had the island tan that was framed nicely by her white sundress. I walked up beside her and checked out some bananas. “Your first deed was great, but what does it prove beside you have connections. I don’t have anything against the Captain.”
She picked up some grapes and stuck one in her mouth. “You will have once Bassot sen
ds you to invade Grenada while he holds your wife and daughter hostage.”
I started to raise my voice but only squeaked. “How do you know this?”
She grinned, “The Captain’s male staff members like em young. They talk in bed.”
I looked at her and felt sad. “You love your country so much you’d sleep with those assholes?”
She sighed and said, “I’ve done a lot of things that leave a bad taste in my mouth since I learned of the Captain’s perversion and atrocities.”
Before I could speak, she grinned and said, “That didn’t come out right. I will do anything to rid the island of the Captain and his henchmen.”
I believed her. “I need to know how to gain the Captain’s trust while I work to stop the anarchists from Cuba and the USA. I think they must be stopped before dealing with the Captain or the other evil factions.”
She nodded and chewed on another grape. “I think you’re right about the anarchists, but the Captain has your boats ready to sail to Grenada. I know you’re meeting with the leader of the farmer group. Meet me at the end of Paris Boulevard on the beach tomorrow at noon.”
“What if someone sees us?”
She plucked another grape. “No one will. If they do, we’ll kill them if they aren’t friends.”
I began to think I’d met another Davi and could be playing with fire. I walked away, and Davi was hiding in the tree line. Shit! I walked into a crowd and walked around a corner. I ran to the end of the building and waited in a dark alley. I saw Davi in the light and walked up behind her as quietly as possible. Davi whirled around with a roundhouse kick. I caught her foot and dumped her on the sand. “Davi, it’s me, Zack. Put that knife away.”
I stuck my hand out and pulled her to her feet. “Why were you surveilling me?”
Davi kept a tight grip on my hand. “I’ve always watched over you even after you married Ally. You are important to me.”
I squeezed her hand. “Davi, you are important to me also. Go ahead and ask me what’s on your mind.”
Davi’s pursed lips and blush confused me. Then she asked, “Are you sleeping with that bitch?”
“No! Believe it or not, she is trying to convince me to keep our people on the island. She thinks we can help make her country free and prosperous.”
Davi’s head shook, and her eyebrows rose before she let my hand drop. “You told the truth and then lied to me. I can read you like a book.”
I came clean with her. “She is going to help us defeat the evil rebels, help the farmers, and overthrow Bassot.”
“Are you shitting me?”
I raised my hands. “Lower your voice. No. I’m not kidding you. She contacted me and delivered the weapons. I trust her. I do not want anyone else to know about her, even Ally.”
Davi sighed. “Zack, don’t get mad, but did you have to seduce her to get her on our side?”
I took her hand and placed the other on her shoulder. “No, I couldn’t do that to Ally. I know we have to do things that don’t feel right, but I won’t do that.”
Davi’s frown turned into a grin. “But you want me to sleep with Harry to pump him for info and help.”
She was a very intelligent person, so I didn’t try to BS her. Besides, she could tell if I was lying. “I do want you to obtain information from Harry. How you do that is up to you. But, don’t shit me! You are interested in him and wouldn’t mind at all sharing your bed with him.”
She chuckled. “You can also read my mind. I wasted too much time on you and now need some male companionship. Even I have a biological clock and would like to have a husband and rug rats one day.”
***
Aaron and I were to meet with George Gagnon the following day at the place she’d told me to go. The location on the desolate beach was five miles from our cabin. We rode bicycles all but the last quarter mile and then walked through the jungle to the beach. We were four hours early so I could watch to see if it could be an ambush. We hid in the bushes and sat on the sand, eating some fruit for breakfast. I washed it down with a swig of wine and then scanned the beach.
Aaron looked across the water to the opposite side. “You’ve developed a habit that will help keep you alive. Too many leaders have been ambushed before a meeting.”
I looked past Aaron and scanned up the beach to the ocean. “Davi taught me well.”
The beach was in a sheltered cove that was an eighth-mile deep and as wide at the opening to the sea. A large creek flowed into the bay a hundred feet from us, and the water looked inviting. Only the lower class people came to this beach because it had brown sand thanks to the creek's mud that washed into the bay. The lower class folks worked during the week, so it was deserted that day.
Three hours later, two men broke through the trees only a few yards from us. We heard them walking through the thick undergrowth and hid when they got close to us. They scanned the beach with field glasses and then walked deeper into the trees and walked toward the ocean.
Aaron watched the men. “They think they’re being stealthy but sound like an elephant busting through the jungle.”
We waited for another thirty minutes until three men and a woman walked out of the trees on the same beach we were on but a couple hundred yards closer to the ocean. Aaron studied them through the binoculars. “I recognize one man and the woman. They are our spies. Let’s go to them.”
We walked out of the tree line and waved at the farmer group. They saw us and waved back. They were as wary of meeting anyone on the island as we were. I had Davi and Ally hiding in the brush with two of the rifles that my new friend had given us. They were my security. I wondered if the farmers had any hidden snipers.
We shook hands, and George Gagnon introduced himself as their leader. He was a short, stout man with dirty clothes and calloused hands. He spoke like a peasant using colloquial language for a few minutes. I was surprised when he started talking with much more sophistication. He saw my surprised look. “I was educated at Harvard and had a doctorate in sociology. I became a farmer when Bassot closed the universities and told us to find a real job. My family owned a small farm on the other side of the island, so I knew farming. I didn’t know how power would create a monster from a once good man.”
I looked around at his group. “Let’s get down to business. First, I want to offer our services to train your people on military tactics, hand-t0-hand fighting, and a few other basic military tactics that will make them much more effective and help them live longer.”
Gagnon looked at Aaron. “Is he your leader, or are you?”
Aaron pointed at me. “Zack is our leader. I am the leader of our small fighting force. I report to him. You need to listen to him.”
Gagnon huffed, “We’ve done well so far without your help.”
I motioned to my snipers. Ally then Davi stepped out of the tree line and waved at us. “We don’t want to insult you, but you need training in most fighting and security tactics. Always get to a meeting place several hours before the meeting to make sure there isn’t an ambush already set up.”
Gagnon balked and said, “Two of my men scoped out the area two hours ago.”
I shook my head. “We know. My snipers, Aaron, and I watched them look around for a few minutes and melt back into the bush.”
Gagnon tensed and cracked his knuckles. “I’m just a lowly professor. What do I know about fighting? Please provide the necessary training.”
Aaron spoke. “I will send two of our best to help improve your fighting skills. This will take two weeks. They will only train your trainers who will pass on their knowledge to the rest of your group. They will also train your team how to make explosives, set up ambushes, and run a guerilla war.”
Gagnon thanked us profusely, “Our people will use the training wisely.”
I glanced at Aaron. “Are you aware of any attacks on anyone besides Bassot’s men by the anarchists?”
Gagnon rubbed his jaw. “Yes, there have been several attempted attacks on the old
white ruling class. They all have personal body guards, so none of the attacks were successful, so far.”
***
My new friend was curious the next day about how the meeting with Gagnon went. “Gagnon is a strange bird. What was your opinion of him?”
I stood in front of the household goods in the small store inspecting a butcher knife. “That he is. He’s like most revolutionaries. Long on get up and go but not much ability to get the job done. He can stir up the people but isn’t an effective leader, or more importantly, he’s not a fighter.”
She only said one word. “Bingo!”
I looked into her eyes and blushed. “How do you know what it takes to fight in a revolt?”
She bowed and then whispered, “I don’t. I can’t open a jar of pickles, but I keep a big strong man around to provide the muscle. I know enough to know that the farmers would only last a couple of days in an all-out fight. They haven’t been crushed yet because the Captain sees the drug cartel as more threatening. The farmers are third in line on his hit list.”
Frown lines spread across my face. “Who’s number two?”
She selected a steak knife. “The anarchists”
“So, what’s next on your list to bother me with?”
My new friend stepped around me and motioned for the shopkeeper. “You are going to wipe out the drug cartel on Grenada and then the anarchists.”
“What the f …?” The shopkeeper walked up and interrupted me. She asked about the steel and would the knife keep its edge. He assured her it would.
I started over. “That sounds like the Captain’s plan. Why help him solidify his grip on the island?”
Her face looked angelic then a devious grin appeared. “If you defeat the Captain, you have to fight the drug lords and anarchists by yourself. Why not use the Captain to defeat them and then defeat the Captain when he trusts you the most?”
