by Cara Charles
TONY and two others stood over Carlos and Kenny.
‘D is out there,’ Carlos, thought. ‘And so was the million dollar bonus.’ Carlos arched his eyebrows to Kenny, signaling him to take them.
“Get real. Turn your face away from him,” Tony kicked Carlos with her steel-toed boot.
“Ow. That hurt. Love. I bet you’re an animal in bed,” Carlos said.
“When I was done with you, I’d skin you and wear you like a cheap suit. Now shut the hell up or I’ll shatter your jaw! Traitor,” Tony said.
KATE BURIED herself behind Mavra watching for D, the Rover, and Dez.
Joseph was beginning to think his strategy was endangering everyone. He was sure he was exposing Shanti to more danger than necessary.
Desiree had followed Dimitri east. He was fifty yards ahead.
Dimitri stepped around a cluster of tree trunks and doesn’t come out.
Desiree froze, heard nothing. She looked on the ground to see if he was crawling. No, he wasn’t there. She was clinching her PC muscle, planting the heel of her foot first and rolling the ball slowly, not to crunch her leaves. With professional stealth, she stepped behind a tree, and turned sideways, breathing slowly.
She could feel him, listening to every sound. She waited. She felt him coming, moving the molecules in the air toward her. She heard nothing, yet he was coming. One of them will end up dead.
A sniper shot at someone coming this way. But missed. Footsteps. Running.
Dez waited, listening. There. “Dimitri. Halt. I don’t want to kill you, but I will…”
D stopped and froze.
She recalled those silky black curls exploring her, owning her. ‘Such a shame to shatter his skull.’
Dimitri knew that voice. “Doctor Dez? Is that you? This is your operation?”
“Why else would I be here, D? Nice company you’re keeping.”
“It’s just money and… sex. Nothing more.”
“How many people have you two killed this past week?” Slowly, sadly Dez came forward, not wanting to look into his hypnotic eyes.
“No one. You know me. You’re my profiler. I’m not a killer. She killed, her hired guns killed. I’m the occasional research man.”
“You’re an accessory with blood on your hands, D. Just as guilty.”
Dimitri slowly turned now to face her, “Perhaps. Ah, you’re still as lovely as ever.”
“A certainty, D. An undeniable certainty.” Desiree was sick. ‘Why’d he turn?’
‘There she was her .45 pointed at my gut,’ D thought. “Perhaps, we can make a deal,” Dimitri said smiling at her.
“Not up to me,” Dez locked onto his eyes, shocked at how hypnotic they were, still able to churn her into putty.
“And why not? You’re the supreme commander.”
“No longer, just a consultant now. You’ll have to answer to Elise Andersen, you remember her. You and the spoiled party girl killed her family last week.”
“Madre mia. Smart choice and wise. I can’t catch a break,” D looked hard into her eyes. He walked toward her. He had to get to her before the others surrounded them. “Surrender again to me, Desiree. You know I’d never hurt you.”
Dez backed up. She didn’t want to shoot him, “Too late, D. I’m hurt now. No games. I will shoot you, D. No matter what we once were.”
“No, you won’t.” He was counting on her being soft. He kept coming.
Desiree stopped, but her training reminded her to be the aggressor, so she walked toward him.
“Yes, D. I will. Stop. Please don’t make me do this.”
“I didn’t kill anyone, but I know I can’t convince you. Therefore, lo siento. Sorry. You know I cannot surrender...” D kept coming, gambling.
She squinted her eyes.
He tucked, and rolled at a 45-degree angle away from her as she fired, hitting him in the chest. He lay still on his back, gasping, the vest absorbs only some of the impact.
“Why, damn you?” She walked up to him, the sidearm at her side. She sighed, regretfully.
He grabbed her wrist, angling the gun away, simultaneously pulling her on top of him, wrapping his legs around her hips and legs, his arm around her neck.
“Give up now, Patrona?”
“D? For God’s sake you can’t get away. Let me go.”
“Feels like old times, aye?”
“Yes, but you’re no longer the Dimitri I wanted. Stop it, D.”
“So you are punishing me, again.”
“This is not personal, it’s business. I told you…”
“It is business with me as well. I tried to stop it. We’re getting up now.”
Dimitri rolled up to his feet, and pulled her onto her feet and to his side, all in one motion. The others were coming. He smelled the nape of her neck and inhaled. “You still smell like I remember.”
“You were a delicious memory until now. What’s personal, let’s keep it that way.”
“Of course, Patrona. I don’t kiss and tell.”
DAVE AND MAC were the first to reach them. Sid told Trevor, Eamon, Elise, Shanti, and Sam to come back and to stay back with Kate, and Iain.
“Ah, amigos. The Patrona here is going to take me to the cabin and then, give us free passage out of here. Comprende, amigos?”
D thought he saw a glimpse of Sid. He looked again and Sid was gone. But the smile left D’s face as shame crept in again.
Desiree felt it in his body. This was no longer a game for him.
They all walked back to the cabin.
DESIREE WAS QUIET, angry at being his hostage.
When Dimitri shoved her to walk faster, Dez shoved her elbow in his gut.
“Still, with the passion.” D said. “I don’t want to hurt you. But I will, like you hurt me.”
He saw Kenny carrying Mavra to the cabin, Carlos held at gunpoint by…‘My God. Trevor.’ Now he began to feel like a shit heel bastard, lower than low. His Mate Trev was with Desiree. D was on the wrong side, but he wasn’t about to spend the rest of his life in jail.
Trevor turned and saw D. “What the fuck, D? I thought you were better than this, man? You’re a gigantic, fucking disappointment. You and Kenny. Carlos? Really? Do you know how hard it was to refrain from blowing your brains all over this mountain? Damn fucking hard, knowing what you’ve been involved in. A sweaty finger would serve you all right.”
“Thank you for the thought, Trev. It’s not personal, just business. I never pulled a trigger, neither did Kenny or Carlos.”
“You’re accessories,” Trevor said.
“So I’ve heard recently, Amigo. So what’s next?” D was smug, pissing everyone off further.
They assembled in front of the cabin, except for Sid and Joseph.
“Forgive me,” Dimitri whispered in Desiree’s ear at the same time he pinched an inch of the flesh around her waist, then shot her right there in the flank.
She screamed.
They all screamed.
“You fucking bastard!” Trevor yelled and took a step forward.
“Bring Joseph or else I’ll shoot her again. Kenny? Take the Princessa to their van.”
Carlos ran up the porch steps.
Sam and Elise run out of the front door.
“Which one?” Carlos asked, confused.
Dimitri recognized Elise, “Hello Elise, glad to see you survived. She wanted to kill you last year. I talked her out of it. Carlos? Remember? We’re after, Joseph.”
Elise says, “You killed a boat load of men in the sound. For that, you’ll pay.”
“No, they were drugged to sleep. They’d wake up and sail you back home. I assure you. That was the Captain’s order!”
“Who was in charge of the food and who was last out of the upper hatch?”
“Mavra.”
“The upper hatch in the escape trunk was propped open. You scuttled the ship to drown them. I was the lucky one, alive to tell the tale and prosecute you both.”
Kenny carried Mavra to the v
an, and noticed Joseph walking up behind Dimitri.
D is horrified. “God, no. Mavra served…”
“Jesus, really D?” Kenny says.
“Sit her up in the front seat. Now!” Elise said striding to him.
“D on your six. Nice try, Elise,” Kenny plunks Mavra in the back seat.
Kenny steps a few paces away. Left alone, Elise grabs Mavra by the top of her head and punches Mavra solidly on the nose then, clinches her fists together, and brings them down on the bridge of her nose, breaking it.
Kenny pulls her away.
Elise kicks Kenny in the nuts to give Mavra another punch in the nose.
Kenny expertly evades Elise’s moves and pushes her hard into the dirt.
“OK, you’ve got your licks in, now go stand with the others.”
Joseph is walking in on the crowd, gun aimed,“Drop your gun. Let them go. Authorities are en route.”
D pushed the gun into Desiree’s ribs. “We came here for you. Surrender to us now Joseph, and she lives. Best to give up and take her to the hospital. That way everyone lives to fight another day.”
“Fine. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt,” Joseph walks toward Dimitri.
Kenny was too absorbed in the conversation to notice someone was maneuvering closer. From between the cars, Shanti crept up on the group.
“D…” Kenny says.
Dimitri turns into Shanti who slaps Dimitri hard across the face, simultaneously in a bold training maneuver, takes the gun from him.
“Enough! Enough! Hear me? Take me wherever you want, but no one else will die! Because of me. Give Dr. Richards to Joe,” She pushes Dimitri toward the van. Kenny follows.
Everyone yelled, “Shanti, no! Oh my God! Why?”
Dimitri says, “Well the legend lives. Hello!”
“Are you sure?” Joseph asks.
Shanti kisses him. “Yes. This has to end, Joe. Now.”
SID HAD BEEN HIDING in the trees opposite the van. He had a bead on Dimitri but when Shanti got in his line of sight he couldn’t do anything.
Dimitri handed Dez off to Joseph then, walks to the van, Shanti’s gun in his back.
Mac, Eamon, Dave, Sam, and Iain carry Dez toward the cabin. Mac is holding pressure on her wound.
Carlos, and Kenny jump into the van, Mavra remains unconscious. They sped off. Shanti waved good-bye.
“No!” Joseph and Elise yell. Joseph and Elise shoot at the tires.
But Sid yells. “Hold your fire. You’ll hit her!”
Kate says, “I know where their van keys are. I’ll bring their van here.”
“Hurry you two,” Sid says, running inside in a panic.
Trev joins Kate. They run to the weird tree to get them.
INSIDE, they’ve laid Desiree on the dining table.
Dez says, “We can still catch up to them.”
Mac has checked her wound. “It’s a through and through, Not bad.”
Sid kisses her brow, “He could have killed you. I’m not leaving you. Not until you’re stable and the Doc says you’ll be OK.”
“I’ll be fine. Continue with the mission Sid. You must,” Desiree says as Mac applies clotting powder.
Mac adds pressure dressings as Dave hands off supplies to him from his camo bag.
“In a minute,” Sid kisses her forehead. It’s already cold and sweaty. “Joe get her a blanket, please.”
Mac says, “She needs the E.R. and IV antibiotics. Sam? Let’s get broth down her. It will keep her pressure up, until the ambulance comes. How are you doing Dez?”
“I’ll live.” Dez takes Sid’s face in her hands. “Go. Now. All of you. Rescue Shanti. Joe will take me to the hospital. Go darling. Please. She really needs all of you,” Desiree begs, rushing his decision.
Joseph steps up. “Of course. Wish I’d been more successful.”
Sam brings a cup of broth.
Elise helps hold it to Dez’s lips to sip it.
Sid kisses Dez. The van screeches into the driveway. Trevor’s honking.
“Load her up. We’ll take her to the hospital. Then, onto the airport. We can’t wait on the ambulance.”
They loaded Desiree into the van, then sped off.
THEY’VE PULLED up to the door at the emergency room. Elise ran to get an attendant with a gurney. The men lifted Dez onto the gurney as Sid and Dez said good-bye.
“Good hunting, my Love and all of you. Sultans of METAPHOR.”
Eamon and Iain say, “You can count on us, Mum.”
“You are all so remarkable. I know you will be successful.”
“I love you my brave, masterful woman. You’re my life. We’ve got many more sunsets to share,” Sid said, as tears filled his eyes.
“I love you more than you’ll ever know, Sid Allen.”
“You can count on us to honor your dedication and be victorious,” Elise said
“I have every confidence in you, darling. Good Luck.”
Elise kisses her cheek. “I believe in us. Don’t worry.”
“I won’t, now that you’re at the helm darling. Now go!”
“I’ll take good care of her,” Joseph says.
“I know you will, thanks Joe. I love you, Dez,” Sid shakes his hand, kisses Dez one last time, then runs to the van.
They speed to the airport.
MAC SAYS, “She’ll be fine Sid. No worries needed.”
“Thanks, Mac. I fail her even when she needs me. I swore I’d never put duty before family again, and I am doing it again. It’s so unnecessary. D will pay for hurting her.”
Iain says, “he could have killed her, sir. He chose the flank wound. I’ll see to it.”
Sid called airport’s FBO, “Activate flight plan for Zurich on the Lear 85, I’m requesting an immediate push-out. Did the other BBJ take off?” Sid listens. “Zurich, too? How funny is that? See you in fifteen.” Sid turns to Iain. “Iain? IM Janitor we’re coming. Approximate our ETA.”
“Yes sir.” Iain texts, ‘on our way, to you. We’ll need more for the party. MK has a 30-minute head start in her BBJ. D, Carlos, Kenny with MK, sad to say. Dear down with flank wound, she’ll be OK. We’re heavy. Need a bigger bus.’
“Get some shut eye, Wondrous Woman. We’re gonna need it., Dave said to Elise who stared ahead as he put a blanket around her. “You’ve had a grueling 24 hours. And we’re not done yet. Your adrenalin will eventually dissipate. Just be prepared for it. There’s a lot you can learn on this long flight. I’ll always have your back,” Dave pushed the hair out of her eyes.
“Ditto. Let’s go over the manuals again. I’ll recite. You listen.”
Dave settled in beside her, trying not to let his feelings show, but she’d already picked up on them. He didn’t care how inappropriate falling in love with a fresh widow might seem. It was too late.
Sid knew. He said, “You two rest then carry on with your cram courses. We have ground resources that trump hers, any day. We will get her back.”
“Thank you Sid. I feel better now, knowing that,” Elise said.
BACK AT THE FDR airport Sid’s jet was refueled. Food and drink loaded on. All was ready as METAPHOR One and Two hit the tarmac running.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN -- THE EPIPHANY
MAVRA SMILED. Even in her drugged sleep, she was the triumphant, ruthless bitch as she dreamed of the worldwide accolades to come.
The Mavra group was somewhere over the Atlantic cruising at 37,000 feet en route to Zurich and her Muse Corp Lab. The flight time was twelve and a half hours.
Shanti was out cold from the 10 mg of IV Valium given to keep her sleeping.
While Shanti was out, Kenny also an EMT had taken lots of blood samples when he started Shanti’s IV. Mavra’s Muse Corp Lab would take a unit of blood from her for the pharmaceuticals. Kenny felt sad as he labeled the last of the vials with her name, the date and put them in the frig.
Shanti had begun her life as a lab animal.
Eight and a half hours to go. At first, they all slept. Dimitri
crashed hard and had nightmares of his old life… the one that was always right behind his eyes.
Kenny, still wired and awake set Mavra’s shattered nose the best he could while the tranquilizer kept her out, before he could settle down for his nap. The break would require surgery. If and when Mavra woke up before they touched down, the camera would be waiting on her order, ready to record Shanti’s deprogramming induced by Dr. Arden’s drug.
Carlos had D’s orders to wake them after his six-hour sleep.
D woke up and looked at the sleeping Shanti, Kenny by her side.
Kenny had coffee waiting. Camera on a tripod, Mavra’s syringe ready.
Dimitri toasted Kenny, “Good work, man. How long was I out?”
“Aim to please, Mate. Five hours, thirty minutes.”
“OK. Good. When is change of shift?”
“Carlos takes over in an half hour.”
“Let Princessa sleep it off. Hand me my computer. Gotta transfer your pay.”
“Send her blood money to V.A.I.C. VETERANS OF AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ CONFLICTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND. I don’t want it.”
Dimitri, smiling at the irony, took a long slug of coffee, and got to work. Within two minutes, Carlos and V.A.I.C. had $500,000 US deposited into their accounts.
“Done. Gave your charity a nice surprise. Considerate of you, amigo. Get some food ready for the Princessa. Like any woman, little things add up. You know the drill.”
“You’re a walking greeting card.”
Kenny got up to fix food trays, steam hand towels, and set up a lap tray with the Limoge china and think. He’d make Mavra and Shanti a comforting stuffed omelet breakfast, his version of “the little things.” If they still slept he’d warm it in the microwave.
Dimitri watched Mavra sleep for a few breaths, but his eyes were drawn back to beautiful Shanti. He had had a hard time looking at her until now. He’d begun to feel ashamed being in her presence. It started in Warm Springs, when this exquisite woman appeared out of nowhere to surrender and save Joseph and Desiree. Dez. He wished he hadn’t hurt her now. He’d had such a weird thing for her, for years.