Infernum Omnibus

by Percival Constantine

  She pulled the trigger until the gun clicked.

  The bullets slammed against Vincente’s armor, the force of them sending him over the edge of the garage.

  Tauna dropped to her knees and released her grip on the gun. She struggled to stand and limped over to the edge of the roof. She was losing blood and needed medical attention, but Dalton had her phone. Besides that, she had to be sure.

  She peered over but saw no sign of the assassin’s body. Was it possible that he survived?

  Tauna slumped against the edge of the roof. It seemed impossible for even Vincente to walk away from a fall like that. If he had somehow managed to escape, she imagined that with his injuries, he would have to get patched up before he came after them again. And hopefully by that point, this would all be over.

  But now, she could do nothing more than wait for Dalton or the authorities to arrive.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Dalton sped through the streets of Budapest, slamming his hand on the horn as he swerved in and out of lanes to avoid the traffic. He held the smartphone Tauna gave him in his right hand, his left hand clenching the wheel tightly and turning from side to side.

  His foot slammed on the gas pedal and when the phone told him to turn left, he did so, nearly causing a pile-up from oncoming traffic. Dalton sped ahead, but saw two cars in each lane driving slow. He hit the horn, but the cars wouldn’t move. Dalton looked at the GPS and saw Baxter wasn’t far ahead of him, but he didn’t want to risk him getting too far away.

  Once he was confident he could pass through the oncoming traffic lane, he turned the wheel to the left. Dalton passed the two offending cars, but the light was red up ahead. A car turned right into his lane and Dalton pulled even further to the left to avoid him, hearing the blaring of horns. Cars were speeding through the intersection, but he had to take a chance.

  He stomped on the pedal and raced through the intersection, swerving right and back into his lane, narrowly avoiding the oncoming cars that spun to miss hitting him. Dalton took a deep breath and looked down at the GPS.

  According to the indicators, he should be just a few blocks behind Baxter. The next light turned yellow, but Dalton hit the gas and sped through the crossing. The speedometer rose above a hundred and fifty kilometers.

  He saw Baxter’s car up ahead of him. Dalton pulled into the lane adjacent to Baxter, the speedometer rising more and pulling him up alongside his opponent’s car. Dalton looked to his right and saw Baxter in the driver’s seat. The hacker looked to the side and saw his former partner, then tried to go faster.

  Dalton jerked the wheel to the right, sideswiping Baxter’s car.

  Metal scraped against metal, sparks flying and Baxter gripped the wheel tightly with both hands to maintain control.

  Dalton pulled his wheel to the left and then rapidly yanked it back to the right. This sideswipe was stronger than the previous one and it pushed Baxter onto the sidewalk.

  Pedestrians jumped out of the way as Baxter’s car careened into the front window of a closed restaurant.

  Dalton skidded to a stop, the car spinning as he slammed on the brake. He wasted no time jumping from the vehicle and ran to Baxter’s. But when he got there, the door was already open and both Baxter and Fury were gone.

  “Damn…” Dalton looked down at the GPS and saw the indicator was moving. Baxter was on foot and still had his phone with him. Dalton ran from the restaurant and turned down the first alley. He turned right and then could see Baxter running up ahead.

  Dalton pumped his legs, pushing himself as hard as he could. Though Baxter was thin, fortunately for Dalton, he wasn’t much of an athlete. It wasn’t too difficult for Dalton to catch up to him. He grabbed Baxter’s jacket and yanked on it.

  Baxter slipped and fell on his back. He drew the gun from his jacket, but as soon as he pulled it out, Dalton grabbed it from him and pointed it down at him.

  “Don’t!” Baxter held the metal case above his face.

  “You know what that thing’s withstood?” asked Dalton.

  “Wanna risk it? In a populated area?” asked Baxter.

  Dalton lowered the gun and laughed.

  Baxter moved the case from his head and blinked, staring up at Dalton. He cautiously pulled himself up to a sitting position. “What the hell’s so funny?”

  “Well for one, the fact that you think I’m afraid of what’s in that case.”

  “Of course you are!” said Baxter. “If Fury gets out, it could infect everyone here!”

  “Sure, if it could get out.” Dalton gestured with the gun. “Go ahead, open it.”

  Baxter blinked a few more times but decided to take a chance. He opened the latches and then realized something was wrong.

  “Figure it out yet?”

  “No biometric lock,” said Baxter. “This isn’t the same case.”

  “And inside?”

  Baxter raised the lid and saw the inside was empty. He shut the case and his head snapped up, eyes staring at Dalton. “Where’s the weapon?”

  “Gone,” said Dalton. “You already know I figured out your betrayal back in Romania. Why would you think I’d be stupid enough to bring Fury with me?”

  Baxter tossed the case aside and rose to his feet. “What the hell did you do?”

  “Should be obvious by this point,” said Dalton, a grin spreading across his face. “I made sure it was destroyed.”

  “You sonnuva—! Do you have any idea what they’ll do to you? To us?”

  “Should’ve thought of that before you turned on me, mate.” Dalton raised the gun up again.

  “Whoa, now come on…wait just a minute…!” Baxter held up his hands. “I was just trying to do what was best for both of us. And besides, you wouldn’t kill me, would you? You can’t kill some nameless guards, so why would you kill your best friend for the past few years?”

  “I’m disappointed, Bax. After all this time working together, I expected you would know something about me by now.” Dalton pulled the trigger twice, the bullets slamming into Baxter’s gut.

  The hacker fell to his knees and then slumped, falling on his face. Dalton stepped closer, looking down at his old friend, pointing the gun at his face. He was tempted to pull the trigger again, put a final bullet in Baxter’s head. Instead, he stuffed the weapon into the waistband of his pants.

  “I make exceptions for people who betray me,” he said. “But I’ll give you a fighting chance. Consider it your severance package, mate.”

  Dalton walked down the alley, returning to the street where he left his car. He knew it wouldn’t be long before the police arrived, possibly with ambulances. If they got here soon enough, he was sure they could save Baxter’s life.

  But as for him, he had more important things to worry about. Like getting back to Tauna and making sure she was okay. And then figuring out just how he would explain all this to Dante.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Dalton and Tauna opened the roof entrance of the Budapest hotel Dante had arranged for them to stay in. Dalton’s shoulder was bandaged under his suit and Tauna moved a bit slower than usual as a result of the stabbing she’d endured from Vincente.

  They heard the sound of a Zippo lighter flicking open and then the scent of burning tobacco. Dante circled around from the side of the entrance, wearing his trademark leather jacket and a bright green button-down shirt underneath. He held a cigarette between his ring-adorned fingers and fixed his crystal eyes on the pair.

  “To say I’m disappointed would be something of an understatement,” said Dante. “You had one job, Mr. Moore. Just one, simple job. And you managed to fuck it up.”

  Dalton scoffed. “Are you really going to blame me for Baxter? You know, if you hadn’t forced this job on us, found someone else to steal Fury for you, none of this would’ve happened. No betrayal and you’d have your little weapon in your hands right now.”

  “Sutton’s just part of the problem,” said Tauna, fixing her gaze on Dalton. “You destroyed Fury.”


  Dalton gave a nod. “Yeah, I did. And frankly, I’d do it again.” He stepped closer to Dante, pointing at the man. “You were the one who stressed how dangerous Fury was, how people would die if it fell into the wrong hands.”

  “Precisely, which is why—”

  “Which is why I saw to it that it can’t fall into anyone’s hands.” Dalton stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. “You have to ask yourself a question, Dante. Did you really want to grab this weapon to save people, or did you want it so you could use it as a bargaining chip against the Agency at some point in the future?”

  Dante offered no response, just took a slow, long drag on his cigarette. He never broke his eye contact with Dalton, and the thief maintained his own gaze as well.

  Tauna looked back and forth between the two men and stepped forward, moving between them both. “This isn’t going to get us anywhere.” She looked at Dalton. “I understand why you did what you did. You kept the Agency from acquiring Fury and that’s definitely a good thing. But the truth of the matter is that weapon could have been very valuable in our fight against them.”

  “Your fight,” said Dalton, casting his eyes in her direction. “Not mine.” He again met Dante’s gaze. “It’s because of this job that I’ve lost a partner.”

  Dante opened his mouth, blowing smoke rings from his lips that struck Dalton’s face. The thief blinked but otherwise barely flinched. Dante grinned. “Let’s be realistic, okay? Sutton was willing to betray you for money. If he was willing to do it for the Agency, he would’ve been willing to do it for someone else. It was only a matter of time before he got an offer he couldn’t refuse. Perhaps you should instead be grateful.”

  Dalton jerked his head back at that statement. “Grateful? How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “Because had Sutton turned on you at another point down the road, you may not have had back-up.” Dante raised his arm in a gesture towards Tauna, bringing the cigarette back between his lips and sucking on the end. The embers burned back the tobacco and paper. “Tauna stayed by your side, even when you ran off on your own to leave her to the wolves.”

  “So what happens now?” Dalton waved his arms to the sides once. “You kill me?”

  Dante took another drag on the cigarette and blew the smoke through his nostrils as he spoke. “Tempting proposition. But no, I’m not going to kill you.”

  Dalton had a look of incredulity on his face. “Maybe I’m missing something.”

  “Despite the difficulties you’ve caused me, you did manage to keep Fury out of the Agency’s hands. Would’ve been better if I could still use it as a bargaining chip, but I’ll take what I can get.” Dante took a deep breath. “So to show you how magnanimous I am, I’ll still give you your fee.”

  “Keep it,” said Dalton.

  “Didn’t have you pegged as a man to turn down a payday.”

  “I’m not, but I can get money from any one. And there’s one thing you can do for me that no one else can,” said Dalton. “Get my father out of prison, as you said you would.”

  Dante turned away, walking to the edge of the roof. He dropped the cigarette on the ground, crushing it below the heel of his boot. Dalton gave a curious look to Tauna, but she kept her eyes fixed on her feet. Dalton shrugged and moved beside Dante, who stared out over the city of Budapest. Dalton looked up at the power broker’s face.

  “My father’s not in prison, is he?”

  Dante shook his head. “He’s been dead for five years.”

  Dalton sighed, looking away. “I had a feeling.” He looked back at Dante. “So why did you tell me he was still alive and that you could get him released?”

  “I felt you needed the proper motivation,” said Dante.

  “You said I owed you. You offered me money. That alone wasn’t enough of a motivator?”

  Dante looked down at Dalton. “I like to see how people react. If your father’s freedom was at stake, I felt it would cement your cooperation.”

  “Guess you were right.” Dalton gave a sigh. “How’d he die?”

  “He was in prison, that much was true,” said Dante. “Got caught in Germany. While inside, he crossed some bad people. It played out as you imagine it might.”

  “And what about you? With Bax’s intel, the Agency is sure to know you were behind the theft,” said Dalton.

  “Wouldn’t be the first time they came after me, but they’ll be in for quite a shock,” said Dante. “A bigger concern is whether or not they’ll try to replicate Fury.”

  Dalton turned his body so he faced Dante. “They can do that?”

  Dante nodded. “If they still have the scientist who developed it, you bet they can.”

  “So what will you do?”

  “Our mole has a lead on his location. We’ll find him, take care of the rest.” Dante turned and met Dalton’s gaze. He gave a smirk. “Interested in a job?”

  Dalton blinked, then chuckled. He stepped away from Dante and the power broker moved after him.

  “Something funny?”

  “After everything, you really think I’m going to work for you again?” asked Dalton. “Moreover, you want me to work for you?”

  “I admit, we’ve had some differences. But you proved you could handle yourself out there.” Dante looked over in Tauna’s direction. “You come highly recommended.”

  “That so?” asked Dalton, following Dante’s gaze. “Pity it can’t happen. Think I’m overdue for a vacation.”

  “Perhaps a smart choice.” Dante turned his gaze to Dalton. “I don’t think the Agency will come after you again. They’ve got enough to worry about. Venom, on the other hand…”

  “I’ll keep my eyes open,” said Dalton.

  “Good. I’ll see to it the money is wired to the account you gave me earlier. You’ve earned it, even if you weren’t very good at following orders.”

  “Never was, it’s why I went into business for myself,” said Dalton.

  Dante smirked. “Same here.” He looked to Tauna again. “I’ll give you two a chance to say goodbye.”

  Dalton watched as Dante walked over to Tauna. He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered something into her ear. When he pulled back, Tauna gave a nod. Dante turned to Dalton’s direction and gave a final wave before he entered the rooftop entrance of the hotel.

  Tauna walked up to Dalton, the two of them standing just a few feet apart. There were no words for a few moments, they just stared at each other. Dalton couldn’t tell if she was trying to think of something to say or waiting for him to speak first.

  “Who knew we’d have a chance to talk without a psychopath trying to kill us?” he asked.

  Tauna smiled.

  “Are you going to find this scientist guy for Dante?”

  “I’m not sure, probably not. Dante will likely send someone else after him,” said Tauna. “Thank you.”

  Dante arched a brow. “For what?”

  “For coming back for me after you took care of Baxter,” she said. “Didn’t expect you to do that.”

  “You’re my partner, right?” asked Dalton. “Besides, you helped save my life, too. Had to return the favor or your ghost would’ve never let me live it down.”

  Tauna covered her mouth to hide the quick chuckle that slipped out. It made Dalton smile.

  “Nice to hear you laugh, even if it’s just for a half-second.”

  Tauna looked down, the smile fading from her face. Dalton moved his hand beneath her chin, tilting her head up so he could look into her brown eyes. He wanted to move in for a kiss, but was afraid of how she’d react.

  She was the one to make the decision for him, pressing her lips to his. Tauna wrapped her arms around his neck and Dalton placed his hands on her waist. They closed their eyes, both of them falling into the kiss for a few brief moments that were over all too quickly.

  Tauna pulled back and opened her eyes. Dalton met her gaze and she sighed, resting a hand on his chest.

  “I’m sorry about that night. And
this,” she said.

  Dalton placed his hand over hers. “Complicated, right?”

  She gave a nod. “Something like that.”

  Tauna stepped back and turned away from him, moving to the rooftop entrance. She paused at the door and looked over her shoulder at him.

  “Take care of yourself, Dalton.”

  She opened the door and entered the hotel. Dalton took a deep breath and sighed, turning around and looking at the city. It was finally over and now he’d have to find something else to keep him busy.

  EPILOGUE

  Baxter’s vision was blurred and he felt like he had just come out of a daze. The man blinked a few times until a fluorescent light above finally came into focus. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult.

  “Take it easy.”

  He felt soft hands on his body, holding him down. Turning his head slightly, he saw a nurse smiling down at him.

  “You’ve been through a lot. Gunshot wound’s nothing to scoff at. Fortunately for you, they managed to get to you in time.”

  He heard a knock on the door and the nurse walked away to answer it. Baxter’s gaze followed her and though his vision wasn’t that great, he could see an outline of a tall man at the door to his room. He spoke to the nurse for a few seconds and she looked back at the bed before nodding and leaving the room.

  The man came closer, his face coming into focus. His skin was dark brown and his head bald, save for the thin black beard. He offered his hand to the man in the bed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sutton.”

  “Who are you?” asked Baxter.

  “My name is William Quartermain,” he said. “You mind if I have a few minutes of your time, Mr. Sutton?”

  He nodded. “And call me Baxter.”

  “Very well,” said Quartermain. “I’m here on behalf of the Agency.”

  Baxter shut his eyes and covered his face with his hands. “Oh fuck… You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?”