by Jonas Saul
Maybe they’re hiding in the basement or somewhere at the course and this is all a waste of time.
The sign for Canal Road got closer. He was on an open stretch of the 400, surrounded by farmland.
An erratic car up ahead caught his eye and his hope rose that Rosina was in that car. The black Mercedes tore across three lanes and made a small zigzag as it snaked its way down the exit to Canal Road.
That has to be him.
Darwin pushed the ambulance into the slow lane to get ready to exit, but had to go around a slow truck that had pulled onto the shoulder to make room for the emergency vehicles racing up behind him.
After passing the rig, he hung a hard right and exited the highway with a quick hop onto the flat ramp that ran parallel with the 400.
In the flat area, it was easy to see the Mercedes just over five hundred yards ahead.
Darwin turned east on Canal Road and chased the Mercedes, silently wishing Rosina was in that car and that she was still okay.
The pain in his hamstrings had become almost unbearable from sitting and jostling with the violence of the wild ride. He wiped sweat out of his eyes and checked the mirror. The cop cars were still there, like faithful dogs following their master.
He hadn’t thought to flick on the ambulance’s sirens with all the noise from the cruisers behind him.
After a full minute of chasing the Mercedes, he wasn’t getting any closer. The vehicle ahead was moving away from him.
He checked his speed and pushed the accelerator down harder, even though it was already on the floor.
His vision wavered and he felt on the edge of passing out. He was in no condition to be driving. The face looking back at him in the mirror was pale white, the eyes bloodshot.
He slapped his face twice to bring himself around, but the drowsiness persisted.
A howl escaped his lips at the injustice. He was frustrated that the Russian was getting away with Rosina as a hostage while five police officers and an ambulance chased them.
Up ahead, the Mercedes swerved then righted itself.
“What’s going on?” Darwin asked out loud.
It swerved again.
Then he watched in horror as the Mercedes left the road and went airborne. It headed for the canal that lined the left side of Canal Road. The grill hit first, shooting a white spray high in the air. The back settled and the vehicle began to sink.
Darwin kept the ambulance barreling down the road. If Rosina needed medical treatment, he had brought the perfect vehicle.
When he squealed to a stop, only part of the trunk and the bumper were still visible. He jumped out and ran to the edge of the water on legs that almost couldn’t carry him. He stumbled at the edge and fell, skinning his knee and nearly passing out again. The sharpness of the pain all over his body woke him enough for a moment of clarity.
The muffled sound of a gun ripped through the air around him. What looked like an invisible spear shot out of the water from the passenger side of the Mercedes. Then another shot rang out, cutting a white line through the water.
Someone’s firing a gun from inside the car.
The police cruisers screamed to a stop behind him. Before he passed out, his head spinning from the pain and his stomach clenching like he was going to be sick, Darwin stepped close to the water and jumped in.
The cold of the canal shocked him awake. He opened his eyes, but it was murky. The water played with the hooks in his cheeks, moving them to and fro. It seeped past the holes, slowly filling his mouth. He expelled it, but held his breath.
The Mercedes had slipped below the surface, but Darwin knew roughly where it was. He pushed hard, the pain in his arms and legs tempered by the cold water. It was a hot pain like a curling iron pressed against his skin while an air conditioner blew ice-cold air on the wound.
The Mercedes popped into view when he was a foot away from it. He followed the trunk to the passenger side, but then had to leave the slowly descending car for air as his lungs screamed at him to surface.
After a couple of large mouthfuls of air, he dropped back under. The officers on the side of the road had shouted something at him, but he couldn’t discern what they said.
At the trunk, he worked his way up the length of the vehicle and tried to open the door.
It was locked.
The glass in the front passenger window was broken.
Must’ve been the bullet.
He reached inside the broken window, aware if the shooter from a moment ago was still alive or conscious, he could get a bullet for his trouble.
The water was so dark at this level that he couldn’t see more than ten inches in front of him. Already underwater for over half a minute and losing time fast, he reached inside the car, felt for the lock release, popped it and opened the door slowly. The water of the canal had already filled the interior of the car, so the door opened, but with great effort.
Someone was in the front seat. He unclipped the seatbelt and used his hands to feel the person’s face.
Rosina sat limp.
In a panic, his own lungs willing to kill him for the urge of a single breath, he yanked Rosina out of her seat and pushed off the rim of the open door headed for the surface.
It felt too long. Suspended as they were, floating upwards, the light of the sky so far away as it rolled lazily along where the water stopped and air began.
He thrust with his legs. He twisted his body, arched it any way he could, but they just weren’t rising fast enough.
Rosina was heavy, her clothes water-laden, where he was almost naked in his underwear.
The surface was an impossible distance.
Inside he cried for his wife, limp in his arms. He wailed that they had gotten so close to freedom and in the end it was water in a canal that would kill them and not a bullet or a knife in the hand of a Mafia executioner.
Bubbles raced past his face and tickled their way up his forehead as Darwin opened his mouth to scream. Then his lungs took over and he sucked water in. He would not let go of Rosina. Even to swim to the surface on his own.
He held her closer as they began to sink again, his ability to breathe gone.
Her lovely face to his, he took it in both hands, and said he was sorry as his chest filled and his vision clouded.
Then he kissed her lips and shut his eyes.
Goodbye, baby … I’ll always love you—
Chapter 23
Agent Williams sat in the office the RCMP gave him during his time in Toronto aiding in their cases against the Russian Mafia.
It had been four days since the raid at High Hills Golf Course. He was tired and ready to go back to the States, back to his life.
But there was one more call he had to make. A call he dreaded.
His desk was cleared off. The sun had dropped and he had a trip to the airport to make, but first, the call.
He dialed and after a minute of transfers, Carson Dodge answered.
“Agent Dodge here. Williams?”
“Yeah.”
“You doing okay?” Carson asked.
“I guess.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I hear you guys did a stellar job.”
“Not good enough, though, eh?”
“Canadian rubbing off on you?”
Williams appreciated Carson’s attempt at keeping things light. He got up from his desk and faced the window.
“I guess you heard everything by now?”
“I’m unclear on a couple of things, but I think I got most of it.”
“What are you unclear on?”
“How, after everything was secured, did Yuri get away with Rosina without someone seeing them?”
“We’re still trying to figure that one out. I’m convinced one of the men on our team helped Yuri, but I have nothing to go on, definitely nothing I could prove.”
“But you were there. I heard Darwin stole an ambulance and chased Yuri.”
“There was an exit door by the entrance to the conventio
n center. As far as we can tell, Yuri snuck Rosina in there, hid the two of them in a portable cabinet, almost the size of a bedroom closet. Then, when the coast was clear, we’re guessing he walked her out the back door where his car was parked in case he had to leave fast, and drove off. That was how Darwin, and the cops who followed Darwin, were able to catch him so fast on the highway. Yuri only had a minute head start.”
“Tell me exactly what happened to Darwin and his wife.”
“Well, you know about the stolen ambulance. When Yuri saw the convoy of cops on his tail, he pulled off the highway. All that we can gather, and we’re guessing here, was Rosina waited until the right moment and fought Yuri for control of the steering wheel. He lost control and veered into the canal. Darwin stopped the ambulance, ran to the edge and dove in after her.”
“That’s it?”
“No.”
“Let me hear the rest.”
“Are you sure? Weren’t you close to Darwin and his wife?”
“We only met here in Florida, but he saved my life. It was my fault Rosina was snatched. I owe him. The least I can do is hear what happened.”
Williams cleared his throat. “This comes from the report of the officers who followed Darwin in the ambulance. He dove in the canal and only surfaced once for air. After that, he didn’t come back up.”
“And no one tried to help.”
“Of course they did. The second they stopped, two of them tore off their gun belts, kicked off their shoes and even yelled at Darwin when he surfaced that they were coming in. Once underwater, our guys couldn’t see anything. It took them over five minutes to locate the car. Yuri still sat behind the wheel, but Darwin and Rosina were missing.”
“And they found them,” Carson cut in, “at the bottom of the canal beside the car.”
Williams bowed his head. “Yes. Darwin had somehow opened the door enough that he could pull Rosina out and started to bring her to the surface, but we figure he ran out of energy and they sank to the bottom. He was pretty banged up. They fucking tied him to a wall with meat hooks. He ripped himself off the wall to get to his wife.” He smacked the window for effect. “Sorry, it’s hard to deal with. I’m happy Yuri is dead. Darwin and his wife ended up a few feet from the car. That was why it took an extra fifteen minutes to find them. By then it was too late.”
“I heard the Russians really worked Darwin over.”
“They did. Poor guy. You should’ve seen him. Whole patches of flesh were torn out of his back and the backs of his legs.” He paused and rubbed his forehead. “At least the nightmare is all over for them.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” Carson said. “To come so close though …”
“What still rattles me was the diver said Darwin and Rosina were found locked in each other’s arms. It looked like they were kissing as they died. That’ll haunt me for the rest of my life. This fucker really loved that woman and would take down as many Mafia men as he needed to get to her. Too bad that kind of badass doesn’t work for us.”
“We could never have someone like that. Too much bad press.”
“Yeah, but we could send him in underground, off the radar.”
“Wouldn’t work. His love for Rosina fueled his rage. Without that, he would be useless.”
“True.”
Williams knew the small talk was a diversion from the grief they both needed to work through. At least that’s what Carson needed to feel.
“Look, Carson, I’m done here. I’m leaving for the airport but I thought I’d call you myself, fill you in.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I’m truly saddened by this.”
“Me too, man. Darwin Kostas will go down in my books as one hell of a man. The kind I would be honored to call a brother. Much respect.”
“Much respect.”
Williams clicked off and turned around. He set the phone down and met the gaze of his visitors.
“There,” Williams said. “It’s done.”
“Thank you.”
“He was the last one that needed to be told and it was more believable coming from me.”
“We agree. That’s why we suggested it.”
“You two ready?” Williams asked. “Feeling up to it?”
Darwin touched his wife’s cheek. “Baby, you ready for one more plane ride?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you, Darwin.”
The Kostas stood at the same time.
“Take us to the airport, Williams. I want the fuck out of this country.”
Ten minutes later, after exiting the back of the RCMP building with jackets over their heads and armed security flanking their every move, Darwin and Rosina sat in the back seat of a three-vehicle convoy en route for a military plane leaving the Toronto airport for Rome under heavy security.
The two most-wanted people in the world had multiple contracts on their heads from the Italian Mafia and the Russians as far away as Moscow. A Russian boss in jail was even credited with offering a hundred thousand for Darwin or Rosina.
The world thought they were dead. Only seven people outside of the Kostas knew the truth. Agent Williams, his boss who authorized their travel plans and covered the expenses, and the five officers who followed Darwin in the ambulance.
They had located Darwin in the murky water of the canal from the bubbles of his final scream as he started to sink back down with Rosina in his arms. Both of them were yanked from the water and revived within half a minute of Darwin taking the water into his lungs. Rosina took a little longer to recover and only got out of the hospital last night under security that had been military tight.
Darwin and Rosina hadn’t talked much yet, but they held hands and hugged continuously. Their lives would never be the same, but both of them were willing to start anew.
A house awaited them in the green hills of Umbria in a small city called Spoleto. Enough cash was deposited into an American account under their new names. It was accessible from Italy electronically for the two of them to live comfortably for more than twenty years. They were told that the house had a large garden, a car, and a wonderful view of the sunset. A vineyard backed onto the property where the aging owner offered Montepulciano wine from an old Badia at the price of five Euros for five liters.
They thought it was perfect.
With Yuri’s death came a flood of anger and Russian retaliation. The Italians had been calmer, but the Triads warned of a war after their representative had been detained at the meeting gone awry at the golf course.
None of that mattered for Darwin or Rosina anymore.
The world thought they were dead and both of them intended to keep it that way.
At the airport, Williams was flying back to the States, which explained his being there. With nothing left to arrange and nothing left to say, the three of them followed the lead vehicle in silence.
Then Kirk’s phone rang.
He picked it up. “Yeah?” After a pause, he said, “Okay.”
He touched the phone and then set it down.
“You’re on speaker phone. Go ahead.”
“It’s Carson Dodge,” Carson’s voice boomed from the car’s speakers.
“I know who you are,” Williams said. “I’m on my way to the airport. I’m flying out tonight. You asked to be put on speaker. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to have whoever is in the car with you—”
“I’m alone,” Williams interrupted.
“Don’t cut me off,” Carson shouted. “I just wanted to say safe travels to those in the car. I will keep my ear to the ground and if I hear of anything, well, let’s just say, I owe you my life. If the day comes, it is the least I can do for you, my friend. Take care of her as I know only you can.”
Carson hung up.
“How the hell?” Williams said out loud.
“Carson’s no fool,” Darwin said. “But we can trust him.” He looked out the window at the passing cars. “Having Carson back here watching our back makes me feel better.”
“Me too,” Rosina said. “He almost died protecting me at the safe house.”
Williams watched them in the rearview mirror.
“Then it works for me.”
Chapter 24
For three months, Darwin and Rosina settled into their new lifestyle, far from the city, in a little village in Italy. Their house was comfortable with plush chairs, a large kitchen with an island, and a loft bedroom that looked out over the garden.