by K. T. Tomb
“Shall we?” she said.
Thorin escorted Antoine out to the car and slid him into the back. Chyna placed the crown in a canvas bag that she pulled out of the trunk, placed it on the front seat and slid into the back of the car beside Antoine, holding her SIG in her lap as Thorin started the engine and backed out of the driveway.
“That’s just for insurance until you realize that we really are partners,” she smiled.
Chapter Thirteen
Chyna was moving. Tony knew that she would. He was certain that she would move to recover the crown from any of three motivations: she believed him and was willingly helping him; she didn’t believe him, but couldn’t contain her curiosity and sense of duty; or she hoped that she’d be able to discover what he was up to, lead him into a trap and take him down. Of the three possibilities, he was pretty sure that she had gone with the last.
He deserved it. He’d been forced to treat her in a way that no one ought to be treated and he’d hated having to do it. He was sure that she would hate him forever or, at the very least, have difficulty trusting him again. The decision to make that sacrifice hadn’t been an easy one. It had been even harder to stick to it in Dresden and Cordoba. He’d overacted in both of those situations, fearful that even the slightest hint of how he really felt about her would blow his cover.
The iciness coming from her and the pure hatred he’d felt when he’d gone to speak to her in her bedroom had nearly undone him completely. In fact, as he’d walked away from her, he’d prayed that she would use that single bullet in the gun to end his miserable life, but she hadn’t. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that her failure to kill him had anything to do with her feelings toward him. Chyna wasn’t a killer. She had and would take a life as a last resort, there was no questioning that, but the heart of a killer did not pump blood through her veins.
Tony could only hope that the necessity for either one of them to end the life of the other would never come. He pushed the thought out of his head before he started obsessing over it again. He had a much larger problem to solve. He was running out of time on delivering a crown and another final item, which he didn’t have in his hands, to a madman who had designs and the means to do great harm to the world and, if what he understood was true, maybe even gain complete control of it.
The man’s identity was still a little bit sketchy to Tony, in spite of his efforts and the best efforts of some of the finest minds he knew. He’d seemingly arrived out of nowhere, referred to himself as Louis Charles Bourbon, but was located somewhere in or near Belgrade. The security around him was so tight that getting any information about him was impossible, let alone trying to get near him.
The only entity that even had a chance was the Illuminati and Tony had been forced to take on a very distasteful role among them. Through his deep cover with the Illuminati, he had been contacted by Louis and he’d become the gopher, more or less, as he began to fill an order for particular items, all of which, ironically enough, Chyna had been tasked with finding. He grew to hate the fact that Chyna was mixed up in it all, especially after he’d fallen for her, but it was very difficult to avoid it. Chyna was the best there was at what she did and she was always going to be the one that was called in. It was a cruel turn of destiny that their roles had led them into their current situation.
He knew that the odds of him coming out of the operation he was pursuing alive were heavily stacked against him. He was certain that the reason behind the requirement that his final meeting with his client be personal was because the latter’s plan was to eliminate him. It was a risk he was willing to take to keep the world safe. He only wished that he would be afforded the opportunity to explain things to Chyna before he met his fate. He pushed Chyna out of his mind again. It was something that he had to do on a regular basis in order to remain focused on the task ahead of him. “It’s probably better this way,” he told himself as he dialed the contact number he’d been given for his client.
“You appear to have remembered our terms,” Louis said, answering the call.
“I do not forget my commitments,” Tony responded in a grave tone.
“Yet, you are not always entirely forthright,” Louis responded.
“I do not know what you are referring to,” Tony countered, though he knew full well that Louis would complain about the fact that the person delivering the Rosary of Isabella was out of his mind when he arrived with the artifact. Tony had known that Louis wasn’t stupid, but Tony had hoped that his client would handle the rosary and lose his mind, saving everyone involved a great deal of further trouble.
“You failed to inform me about the effect the rosary has on those who handle it,” Louis replied.
“I wasn’t aware that it had such an effect,” Tony lied.
“Your lie might have been very convincing to a lesser man,” Louis chuckled. “But I am not a lesser man.”
Tony ignored the comment and pushed forward. “I need to make arrangements for the delivery of the final items.”
“You have the items, then?” Louis asked.
“I wouldn’t be calling you if I didn’t,” Tony replied with confidence, in spite of the fact that he still did not have the crown. He prayed that Chyna would produce it in time for the meeting, which he was about to set up with Louis. “I am ahead of your deadline, actually. That ought to boost your confidence in me.”
“Being ahead of the deadline is inconsequential. You will still be delivering the final two items on June 20th at 8:00 p.m. You will be waiting at Hotel Zlatnik in Belgrade at that time, precisely, when my men come to escort you and the final items to our meeting. Is that understood?”
“It is understood.”
The call disconnected the instant the last syllable had left Tony’s lips. It was going to be damned hard to penetrate the man’s security. He was probably going in alone and was probably going to do nothing more than get himself killed while delivering the necessary items for Louis to take over the world.
“Pretty stupid fucking mess you’ve gotten yourself into, Tony,” he muttered to himself. He sighed heavily and then stared at his other phone as it started to ring.
Chapter Fourteen
Versailles, 15 November 1771
My dear mother,
I was touched by what you said about my birthday. I want above all to profit from your good advice, my dear mother. The letter from my brother Ferdinand gave me such pleasure that I cannot describe it; it seems to me that I love him even more for it; he will certainly be a good husband, and will make his wife happy. I do not believe I was wrong to give in to my immediate thought and tell the dauphin the little secret! I did not speak reproachfully; however, he was a little embarrassed. I am still hopeful; he loves me a great deal and does all I want and will succeed when he is less awkward.
I can certainly assure you that, although I showed you my sensitivity quite vividly, it was only sensitivity. The friends of that creature cannot complain that I treat them badly.
When I wrote to you, my dear mother, that I did not need advice on how to be polite, I meant that I had not consulted my aunts. No matter how much friendship I feel for them, I will never compare them to my loving and respectable mother; I do not believe I am blind to their faults, but I believe people exaggerate them to you.
Although the queen's condition often makes me think of mine, I still share my dear sister's joy.
Since summer, the trips and hunting have prevented me from doing regular reading; however, I have read something almost every day.
I cannot tell you, my dear mother, how much I desire and hope to give you as much sanctification and joy from my marriage as my brother and sister have.
Marie.
***
“I think he bought it,” Antoine announced as he disconnected his call with Tony.
“I agree,” Oscar commented. He’d monitored the call on his headset, recorded and attempted to trace it. It was useless to try and trace it, which was what he had assumed before he
even started, but it was worth a try. “No trace. Well, there was a trace, from South Africa to Madagascar to Fiji to Laos to…”
“We get the point, Oscar,” Chyna interrupted him. “When and where is the meet?”
“Varennes,” Antoine replied. “At 1:00 a.m.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Oscar laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Lana frowned. All eyes were turned to Oscar.
“That’s where they caught Louis XVI and Marie when they tried to escape to the Citadel of Montmédy. You see…”
“Save the history lecture, professor,” Chyna cut in. “We only have a few hours to get out there and get set up before Tony does. Before we do that, however, we’ve got to out-think him or we’ll walk right into a trap. Let’s brainstorm, people; that includes you, Antoine. Whether you like it or not, we’re all in on this together now. We’re going to nail this son of a bitch.”
The team spent an hour telling what they knew about Tony and how he operated. Chyna listened while they put all their ideas and speculation out in the open and began to form a plan.
“Tony has already prepared the battlefield,” she said quietly.
“Could you repeat that?” Lana asked.
“Tony has already prepared the battlefield. That’s why he wants the meet to take place at Varennes. We have to make preparations for that plan and move in that direction and then stop and force him to come to us. It’s the only way that we can even the odds.”
“Explain,” Mark said, moving up to the edge of his seat and focusing on her.
“We set everything in motion and move ourselves into place, but ten to fifteen minutes before the meet, we stop and change the meeting place. He has to have that crown, so he’ll have to comply, but he won’t have enough time to relocate his people. That will even the odds, because they’ll have to move onto our battlefield.”
“We won’t have much time to set up either,” Antoine pointed out.
“Then we’ll have to know exactly what we’re doing and move our butts,” Chyna responded. She looked at her watch. “We don’t have time to sit and talk about it. We need to set our real plan right now and then start moving toward the false plan. How good of a map can you get me of the area around Varennes, Oscar?”
“Do you want it with or without chicken poop?”
“Jesus, you’re so disgusting,” Lana responded.
With the highly detailed satellite image that Oscar provided, Chyna and her team laid out the real positions that they would take up and then coordinated how they would reach those places while appearing to go to the others. She repeated the plan several times until everyone understood it.
“Okay, Oscar, let’s start working on how to get to Tony’s meeting point in Varenne and let’s get our asses moving out of here. We need to make him think that we’re racing him to his own position.”
***
Chyna was pretty sure that she’d covered everything. They’d laid out a perfect plan to move Tony’s trap into their own trap. Her team had harbored a hatred for Tony equal to or exceeding her own. They had seen how he’d betrayed her—betrayed them all, really—and they were as eager to nail him as she was. Fifteen minutes before the time of the meet, they all switched their positions and hurried to set up their trap. Ten minutes before the meet, she turned toward Antoine.
“Okay,” she said. “Go ahead and make the call.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Tony’s voice called out from the darkness. A moment later, he strolled into the light with his hands raised above his head. “I’m alone, Chyna. No tricks.”
“You son of a bitch!” Antoine exclaimed, rushing toward him. “I’m going to rip your throat out!”
“Antoine!” Chyna called out, leveling her SIG toward him and moving to a position where she could cover them both. She spoke into the mic. “On your toes, team. The tiger has just surprised us. Sweep back this way and clear whatever you find.”
“Copy.” The replies came into her earpiece in rapid succession.
“Not a bad move, Chyna,” he grinned. “You certainly would have evened the odds, if I’d had anybody with me.”
“Yeah, well, you just stay right where you are until we have a chance to figure out whether or not you’re telling the truth. If anything sudden happens, I’m going to drop you with a double tap. Don’t think I won’t.”
“I believe you,” he replied. “I’ll stand right here until you’re satisfied.”
“Antoine,” she ordered, “I’d prefer that you moved about three steps to your left and stay put until we sort all of this out as well.”
“I already told you that I hate the double-crossing bastard as much as you do,” Antoine replied.
“Yeah, well, until I am 100 percent certain, either my first pair or second pair of shots will turn your brain to soup, got it?”
“He’s not with me,” Tony pointed out. “It was a nice touch bringing him in on this, though.”
“Just shut up,” Chyna snapped. She was more dialed in and focused than she’d ever been in her life. A very long five minutes passed before the first of her team members, Sirita, began to emerge from her sweep, keeping her weapon trained on Tony as she moved in closer to Chyna. In the following minutes, each of her team members moved in closer, though the four guys from the security team stayed out of sight. Damn, those guys are good. Chyna lowered the SIG, knowing that Tony was well covered and in far more danger from her team members than from her.
Tony looked around at them and let out a long gasp. Taking note of the four weapons still pointed in his direction and the clenched teeth of those who were holding them. “I’m on the level,” he announced.
“Then you won’t mind if we apply a pair of bracelets until you explain this entire thing in intimate detail,” she snarled.
“Fine,” he consented.
The team members started to shift their positions as Chyna moved in to put the cuffs on Tony.
“Lana, keep your weapon on Antoine until I’m finished here, please.” Chyna couldn’t take any chances in that moment. She moved in closer to Tony, prepared for anything that he might bring. A part of her wanted to open up on him and just start kicking the shit out of him, but she stayed focused on the bigger picture. “Turn around and keep your hands where I can see them.”
Tony complied. He knew the drill and he knew what sort of movements would compel well-trained individuals to use deadly force.
Chyna snapped one of the cuffs on him, not worrying about them being too tight and then jerked down his other wrist to snap it in as well.
“Jesus,” Tony said, wincing. “I’m regretting getting on your bad side more and more every second.”
“Can the humor, Tony,” Chyna said. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Okay,” he said.
“Let’s go ahead and put some bracelets on Antoine until we’re damned sure that we’re safe, okay?”
“We’re not together,” Tony replied. “I burned my bridges with him the same way I did with you.”
“Yeah, well, you burned the one with me all the way down to ash, so you better be able to explain a hell of a lot or I burn you on a fuckin’ stake,” she growled.
Chapter Fifteen
Versailles, 14 June 1773
My dearest mother,
I absolutely blush for your kindness to me. The day before yesterday, Mercy sent me your precious letter, and yesterday I received a second. That is indeed passing one's fête day happily. On Tuesday, I had a fête which I shall never forget all my life. We made our entrance into Paris. As for honors, we received all that we could possibly imagine; but they, though very well in their way, were not what touched me most. What was really affecting was the tenderness and earnestness of the poor people, who, in spite of the taxes with which they are overwhelmed, were transported with joy at seeing us. When we went to walk in the Tuileries, there was so vast a crowd that we were three-quarters of an hour without being able to move either forward or backward. The d
auphin and I gave repeated orders to the guards not to beat anyone, which had a very good effect. Such excellent order was kept the whole day that, in spite of the enormous crowd which followed us everywhere, not a person was hurt. When we returned from our walk, we went up to an open terrace and stayed there for a half an hour. I cannot describe to you, my dear mamma, the transports of joy and affection which everyone exhibited towards us. Before we withdrew, we kissed our hands to the people, which gave them great pleasure. What a happy thing it is for persons in our rank to gain the love of a whole nation so cheaply. Yet there is nothing so precious; I felt it thoroughly, and shall never forget it.
Another circumstance which gave great pleasure on that glorious day was the behavior of the dauphin. He made admirable replies to every address, and remarked everything that was done in his honor, and especially the earnestness and delight of the people, to whom he showed great kindness.
Marie.
***
Back in the hotel suite in Paris, her entire team, plus Antoine, Demetri and Thorin, gave Tony their undivided attention.
He began to describe in intimate detail how he had gone very deep into his cover inside the Illuminati in an attempt to uncover a plot by the Illuminati to consolidate all of Europe and Russia under its control. What he discovered was that there was a plot that even went beyond the Illuminati and it was even deeper than his current cover.
“You understand that I had to play the role that I played and in the manner that I played it, don’t you?” They all heard the question, but he focused on Chyna as he asked it. “I didn’t want to hurt or betray anyone, but it was the only way that I could penetrate to the depth that I did.”
Chyna listened, took his words to heart, but neither acknowledged or granted any form of forgiveness. She remained silent and picked through every part of his story. Turning her trust back over to him wasn’t going to be easy, if it was even possible. His betrayal, whether true or false, had ripped her heart right out of her and crushed into tiny shards of sharp glass that never stopped cutting her, even after she had found closure; or, at least, what she’d thought was closure.