Gamble

by Nicholas Bella

  That was a good way to keep my identity secret and also for Richard to tell the truth. I couldn’t help but appreciate the backhanded compliment of him calling me a “pro”. Fact was, he really didn’t know what I looked like. “Then we’ll stay close,” I said.

  “Not just stay close, check everything, did either of you bother to check that fucking cart for bugs?” Richard asked, and he followed it up with a wink.

  “I didn’t—”

  “What the fuck am I paying you for?” Richard fussed, cutting me off. “Nothing is to be left up to chance. I will not be taken down by this scum. He could be anyone, hell, he could have been the asshole who brought the food. Don’t let anyone pass your scrutiny.”

  “Holy shit,” Bishop blurted out, then he pried the little bug off the wheel of the cart.

  Richard climbed out of his chair and came over to examine the device. “Destroy it, now.”

  Bishop walked out of the room with some small kit from his suitcase. I wondered if he was about to dismantle it and see if he could trace its frequency. That was what I’d have had J do if he were here. Regardless, I let him do his thing while I kept my eye on Richard.

  “Told you, this is mother Russia where some of the biggest players are. They will leave no stone unturned,” Richard said, then settled back down to finish his meal.

  I was seeing that for myself.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  We were standing inside the most elaborate and beautiful church I’d ever seen in my life. I wasn’t much for religion, probably prayed maybe five times my entire life, but this place did make me believe in something far bigger than ourselves. The artist who had painted the figures and did the gorgeous mosaic work definitely felt connected to the spiritual, you could tell in how much love went into their art. To say I was in awe would be an understatement, but I couldn’t indulge the way the other tourists around us were. They didn’t have to keep eyes out for enemies as they walked around, chatted, and took photos. No, not I. I had to look like I was a hawk searching for my prey.

  Richard stood between Bishop and me, our bellies full from the very tasty food we’d eaten. Sure, I would have loved to have had Richard’s meal, but that sandwich and soup was better than I had expected. Guessed that just came with staying at a five-star hotel. We had our comms in our ears to make us look even more official. What nobody knew but Bishop and I was that Jordan and Alexi were listening in to every word that was spoken. Richard only knew about my one partner, but he knew a third party was listening and translating. We couldn’t hear them unless Jordan pushed the talk button, which was best so we couldn’t be distracted by the chatter between them on the other end.

  “Are we at the right place, sir?” Bishop asked Richard, since we’d been standing in the corner of the church for the past ten minutes without anyone coming up to us.

  “This is where we were supposed to meet. Just be patient,” Richard said.

  I was being patient, but I was also being cautious as I was sure they were too. I didn’t think they’d risk an attack in such a public place, but you just didn’t know. The only thing I knew about Russia was what I’d seen in movies and the bit I heard on the news. If that was any indicator of what I thought might happen, I was literally living in a James Bond film where all kinds of hijinks could ensue.

  “Heads up,” Bishop said and I turned to see a tall blonde woman approaching us in a white rain coat with heels that echoed on the marble floor, giving her an extra three inches, making her at least six-two. Her hair was slicked back and draped over her slender shoulders and, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have sworn she was a Bond villain. Pussy Galore or some other ridiculous name that referenced the female genitalia in a slick and very kinky way.

  She stopped before us and I was sure whatever color eyes she had was giving us a serious inspection behind her very fashionable sunglasses that were big enough to conceal most of her face. “Zdravstvuyte,” she said.

  “Hello,” Alexi translated.

  Richard said the word back, then proceeded to speak entirely in Russian. Fucking show-off. Either he was appealing to her by speaking her native tongue or he knew we didn’t speak it and was hoping to be slick. Maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, Alexi was making sure Bishop, J, and I were getting all the goods. So far, it was all pleasantries, nothing revealing. Zia asking about his travels and bullshit like that. It wasn’t until she slipped her arm around Richard and started slowly walking him away from us that the conversation began to move into the reason for why he’d come to Russia.

  She turned and looked at both Bishop and me as we kept close, then said something to Richard.

  “She wants to speak with him privately and insists that you two stay behind,” Alexi translated.

  Richard looked back at us, then smiled. He turned to her and spoke.

  “He’s telling her that at no point will he be without one of his guards by his side. For her not to worry, that neither of you speak Russian. But he can’t risk not having a shield.” Man, Alexi was on his business with this translation shit. “She’s now asking him if he trusts her. But he says that’s not the point. It's the guy who has put his life in jeopardy that he doesn’t trust.”

  I kept my mouth shut and stayed close so Alexi could continue to listen in.

  “She is now scolding him for allowing himself to be caught up. But he says at least he’s still alive. The same can’t be said about Walter and Mayor Danvers. And he wants to know what they can do to stop you. She told him the vigilante was his problem and that he was a fool to come to Russia. He is now telling her that the vigilante is their problem as it was the Killing Game that brought the vigilante to his door step and do they really think you will stop at him. Or once he’s dead, that that will be the end of it. No, he’s going to finish what he started and continue to work his way up the ladder until he finds the head of the snake,” Alexi translated and I could tell that he had gone from past tense to real time translation. Pretty damned impressive. I was guessing this wasn’t his first time doing something like this. I’d bet the fact that he spoke three different languages came in handy at the police force and even in the military where he’d first decided to serve his country.

  Zia was looking at Richard as if he’d made a personal threat to her. She then began to speak.

  “You barely make it out alive from his attack, yet you can’t tell us anything about this guy who killed your lover, not to mention your other guards and a very lucrative client for us. You’ve cost us money, Richard.”

  I watched as Richard laughed and shook his head before responding.

  “That’s bullshit and you know it. The only reason why he even found me out was because Walter or Cecily couldn’t keep their fucking mouths shut. Remember, I don’t have a paper trail this guy could follow. That’s how he found out about the others. Had they kept my name out of their fucking mouths, he would be coming after the other people who bet in the Killing Game, not me. This is your problem and you need to fix it. If he kills me, I wonder who will be next?” Alexi did his thing and again, the two of them stared at each other. I could feel the tension between them and there was no love lost.

  “What do you want us to do with no information?” Alexi translated for Zia.

  Richard shrugged, then spoke.

  “Don’t you have people who can look deeper into this than I can?”

  “We do.”

  “Well then, I’d start there.”

  “We already have his DNA.”

  “You do?”

  “We had operatives enter your home and airplane, and we took samples.”

  “And?” Richard asked, Alexi translated, and I could tell by the tone of Alexi’s voice that he was getting very invested in all of this.

  “We’re having it analyzed. He is an Enhanced Human, breaking down his DNA is no simple thing.”

  I kicked myself as I thought about all of my blood I had left behind. I thought back to the fight I’d had with Takahashi and how s
killfully he’d swung that blade and remembered that I had taken one slice to my arm. Not to mention, all of the blood I’d left behind in Richard’s apartment. Shit. I should have set that damned plane and apartment on fire, but hadn’t had the time. Fuck! Why hadn’t I thought of that? Truth was, I wasn’t used to bleeding, and until I had met Richard, nothing had been able to weaken me. Now, I needed Alexi more than ever. I was sure forensics had my DNA on file or in some plastic baggie locked in a police locker. I needed to make it disappear, then I was going to have to find out where these Killing Game bastards were having my blood tested. I didn’t think shit could get more real than it already had, but yet… it was more real.

  Richard tossed a slight glance my way, then continued the conversation.

  “Who do you have analyzing the blood?” Richard asked as if he were reading my mind.

  “Information you don’t need to know,” Zia said. “What else can you tell us about this vigilante? His eye color, hair? Height, anything?”

  Richard huffed and ran his hands through his hair.

  “Both attacks happened so fast, it was hard to see anything and, by the way, I didn’t stick around to see who’d win. I got out of there the first chance I saw to make a break for it. You don’t understand, this guy is super strong, fast, and vicious. I can’t even tell you anything about his features because he was wearing a different mask and hair color each time we had our run-ins. If he’s not here tracking me, that means he’s out there looking for the next player in the game. Are you getting me now?”

  Zia nodded, then replied, “Once we have stripped his DNA down to something we can analyze, we’ll be able to compare the sample with DNA in all of the databases we have access to. If he’s there, we’ll find him.”

  “What about fingerprints?” Richard asked.

  “There are quite a few, but we are looking into that as well,” Zia said.

  I wasn’t worried about the fingerprints, either in the apartment or the plane. I hadn’t been there as myself. But, I still needed to be more cautious.

  “Eric, I’m already on this,” I heard Jordan say through our comms. “Jesus, I wish you had destroyed both of those places before you left. I know, I know… you didn’t have the opportunity. If your blood is the same as it was before your transformation, they will be able to locate you through your military records.”

  That was the thing, wasn’t it? Was my DNA the same as it was when I was just a mere human? And was the fact that I’d been drugged both times I bled the thing giving them trouble? I had no idea. Another thing I’d failed to do before jumping into the vigilante business. Speaking of drugs, I needed to learn more about what Richard had used on me.

  “If you find out who he is, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to bet on him when you catch up to him,” Richard said and thanks to Alexi’s translation, I now knew I had that honored distinction of being Richard’s first jump into the Killing Game. If they ever caught me and he got to live, he’d get off the bench for me. Awwww, that was kind of sweet.

  Zia said something then turned to leave, but Richard grabbed her arm and began to speak.

  “She was about to leave, but he wants to know who planted the bug on his room service cart. Who’s watching him,” Alexi said.

  “Be grateful we have our eyes on you.”

  “I don’t want to be spied on. If you’re protecting me, then I need to know.”

  “Of course, we’re protecting you. You’re our asset, Richard. You’ve brought us very big game, losing you would be a powerful blow. The Collective has interest invested in you.”

  “But…”

  “Well, like you said, this vigilante is after you. Best we let him know you’re here so perhaps we can succeed in taking him down when you couldn’t.”

  “By using me as bait?”

  “Of course.”

  “And if he does find me and kill me, what about your interests then?”

  She shrugged. “You are not our only broker, just the best. It will be a loss, but one of you for him saves the Game. You understand, dear. It’s not personal, just business.”

  “But, you will do everything in your power to prevent that, right? I’d prefer my soul in my body.”

  “And not in hell?” Both Zia and Alexi laughed at that joke.

  “I’m serious,” Richard said. Alexi was lightning fast with his translations and I could follow their conversations perfectly.

  Zia sighed, then spoke.

  “Everything in our power, Richard. We want this guy dead as much as you do. But you said he has a partner, we want to find out who he is, too. Go back to your hotel and we’ll keep in touch.” Zia walked away after saying that and gave both Bishop and me a passing glance as she continued on her way.

  I looked at Richard. “So, what do you think will happen now?”

  “They’re going to kill me. They want to try to cut off whatever trail you’re following after me.”

  Well, that was an interesting take on it. “Did they say they were cutting you off?”

  Richard smirked. “Not in so many words. But I’ve become a liability to them, they can’t be safe until you’re dead or I am.”

  “What was that drug you used on me anyway?” I asked.

  Richard smirked. “BX-9 and Rubotal. The Rubotal is what we made you inhale since it works as a gas and liquid. The BX-9 is something that should have killed you, but your healing factor is truly something to behold. Perhaps if Takahashi had been able to get more of that into your system, instead of what was on his blade, he’d be by my side, you’d be a threat no more, and I wouldn’t ever have needed to smooth things over with the Collective in the first place.”

  “Well, I’m happy to ruin your life,” I said with a smirk of my own.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Bishop said. “Probably best if we don’t stay at the hotel. Maybe we need to go somewhere more isolated.”

  “It won’t matter,” Richard said, then he started walking and both Bishop and I had to put a little pep in our step to catch up to him.

  “Did you at least get a chance to plant the bug on her?” Bishop asked.

  Before we left the hotel, we’d given Richard a tiny tracer that was wrapped up in a ball of paper. Something we hoped he could easily slip inside her pocket and that she may not immediately take notice of.

  He nodded. “Right before she was able to walk away, I managed to do it. But Zia is smart, she may check herself before she goes anywhere, and discover it.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Let’s hope for the former,” I said as we made our way outside.

  We’d taken a cab, so Bishop flagged one down. A guy with a regular car pulled up, smiling at us. He said something in Russian and Alexi translated. “He’s offering to give you a ride. Pass on that, only get in legit cabs,” he warned.

  “No thank you,” Bishop said.

  The guy politely nodded, then pulled off.

  “So, regular people just offer to give tourist rides here?” I asked Richard.

  He nodded. “It’s a part of the culture and a way for people to make money.”

  Bishop managed to flag a legit cabbie down and Bishop climbed inside. Richard walked toward the cab to climb inside beside Bishop when I heard two muffled gunshots ring out. Richard fell back against me, his body slouching to the ground. I grabbed him and watched as he touched his chest and his hand came away bloody. Some people who witnessed the assassination screamed and ran, others who heard the gun shots ducked or lay flat down on the ground.

  Holy fuck! I looked inside the cab to see Bishop fighting with the assassin. I didn’t have time to worry about Richard at this point, he was dying with two shots to the chest. I had to help Bishop. So, I opened the driver’s door and punched the ever living shit out of the assassin, knocking him unconscious. I turned to look at Richard to see that the bullets had done their job. He lay half on the street, half on the sidewalk lifeless, eyes still open with blood trickling from his parted mouth. I could hear sirens approachin
g along with several officers running down the stairs toward us. We had to lay low, but first, get our shit from the hotel. I pushed the cabbie over, climbed in behind the wheel and took off, punching it all the way.

  “What the fuck just happened?” I heard Alexi yelling in my ear.

  “Richard’s dead. Fucking assassin was a cab driver. Shot him right on the fucking street in front of a crowd of tourists,” I said.

  “That is one way to alert the vigilante that he was in Russia,” Jordan said. “That is, if they want to lure you there.”

  “As Richard’s bodyguards, we’re loose ends, they’ll be after us now,” Bishop said. “And they know my fucking face.”

  “Some of your face, the glasses do help hide something,” I pointed out.

  “Not like you, though. We need to end this,” Bishop said.

  I nodded as I drove awkwardly through the city streets. I wasn’t used to driving on the right side of the road from the right side of a car. It felt so wrong, unnatural, but I managed to pull into an alleyway. I turned to Bishop. “Get back to the hotel and gather our shit. You know what to do. I’m going to take this guy someplace and get back with you. Go.”

  We weren’t too far from our hotel, so I knew he could hoof it on foot just fine. Me, on the other hand, I needed Alexi’s help and Jordan’s to find someplace to interrogate our new friend. First things first, though, I had to ditch this fucking car. I pulled into an underground parking garage and next to a black sedan. Breaking into it wasn’t an issue for me. Finding something to tie the assassin up with was, unfortunately. Well, some jumper cables would have to do. Once he was secure, I tossed him in the trunk of my stolen sedan. I went over the cab with a cloth, wiping away finger prints, and the only blood in the cab was from the assassin when I’d punched him and knocked out one of his teeth.