The Fixers (Infernum Book 4)

by Percival Constantine

  The police guarding the rear of the alley went off to the source of the explosion, but a few remained behind. Tauna took one of the grenades and removed the pin, throwing it out. What police remained retreated from the grenade. The three women moved into the alley and quickly scrambled into the sewers, sealing the entrance behind them.

  CHAPTER 16

  “Sewers again,” said Angela as she closed the entrance and rigged it with the final explosive she brought from the Fixers’ small armory.

  “From here we can retreat to a safe location.” Tauna pulled the rifle’s strap over her shoulder and took out her cell phone, checking the GPS to figure out which direction they should head in. “This way, follow me.”

  They began walking, with Angela a few steps behind Tauna. “I still have to deal with Quartermain.”

  Tauna stopped in her tracks and spun on the former agent. “Excuse me? We barely escaped from there. This job is over. You take me to Samarin and you’ll get your payment. I understand Quartermain ordered Vincente to torture you, but—”

  “It’s not about the torture,” said Angela. “And forget what you owe me. Brennen had nothing to do with Jeff’s murder.”

  Tauna blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  “It was Quartermain,” said Angela. “The Agency ordered him to kill my husband because Jeff found out one of their dirty little secrets.”

  “Quartermain did it?” asked Julie, shaking her head.

  Angela looked at Julie. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in this. You’re going to end up on the Agency’s radar now.”

  “We can help you with that,” said Tauna.

  Julie glared at Tauna. “Shove it. Dante ordered the hit on my partner. Don’t think I’m going to forget about that.”

  Tauna made a move for the assault rifle, but Julie raised her own. Angela stepped between the two women, first staring at Tauna.

  “She’s not the only one who’s still pissed about what Dante did to Christian.” Angela turned her gaze on Julie. “And I still haven’t gotten over that whole you-trying-to-murder-me thing.” She looked back and forth between both women. “But we have to put all that behind us for now. We’re now forced to help each other out, at least for a little bit longer.”

  “And Quartermain?” asked Julie.

  “This is my fight, not yours,” said Angela. “I won’t stop you if you want to leave. In fact, it’s probably better that you do.”

  “If Quartermain is smart, he would have disappeared by now. Figure out another way to get at you,” said Tauna. “Our best move is to get out of these sewers and find a place to lie low. You can search for him after that.”

  Angela gave a nod and the three women moved on ahead through the tunnels, using Tauna’s GPS to guide them. The stench was unbearable and the lighting extremely poor. They moved from the water onto the ledges along the sides of the tunnels, but they were too narrow for them to walk in a formation other than single-file.

  The silence was filled with tension. Not one of the women wanted to speak to the other two. Each had sufficient reason to hate the other two, but Angela was unfortunately right—at this moment, they had no choice but to stick together until they could find a way out of the situation.

  Tauna was in the lead, moving carefully as they came to a junction. She held the rifle out in front of her, but just as she poked it into the junction, something grabbed hold of the barrel and pulled, taking her with it. Tauna’s grip loosened and she fell into the sewage.

  Quartermain had been waiting just around the corner. He held the assault rifle aimed at Julie and Angela. Tauna tried to move from the water, but an arm wrapped around her neck and she could feel the barrel of a gun at the small of her back.

  “Hey Tigress, good to see you again.”

  “Baxter,” said Tauna.

  Quartermain waved the rifle and Julie and Angela moved out into the knee-level water. “Drop your guns, both of you.”

  The women exchanged a quick glance and then did as Quartermain ordered, both of them raising their arms. Quartermain studied them both, but first looked at Julie. “I’m really disappointed. You had a pretty bright future with the Agency, Kim. I could have given you a commendation.”

  “Happy to disappoint,” said Julie.

  “And you.” Quartermain turned his gaze on Angela. “I should have killed you along with your husband. I knew Chandler made the wrong call. Looks like I was right. I’ll be sure to include that in my report.” His eyes chanced a look in the direction of the other two. “Bax, how we doing?”

  “Tauna’s not going anywhere, boss,” said Baxter. “Looks like we got this all wrapped up. Not only did we nab our target, but we also uncovered a mole. And as a cherry on top, we got Dante’s Girl Friday. Not bad for an honest day’s work.”

  Tauna snickered.

  “What are you laughing at?” asked Quartermain.

  “Your arrogance.” She raised her knee and curved her foot, activating a blade that emerged from the heel of her boot. A blade that she drove into Baxter’s foot. He screamed and his grip slackened. Tauna broke free of him and took the gun from his hand. She shot him in the face and he collapsed into the water.

  Baxter’s screams diverted his attention from his captives, which enabled Angela to lunge at him, throwing him back into the water. He dropped the rifle and Angela kicked it away, advancing on him.

  Julie picked up one of the discarded rifles and aimed it in Quartermain’s direction. But Angela was blocking her shot and she couldn’t risk shooting Quartermain without also hitting her. Before she could make a decision, Tauna appeared by her side and placed her hand on the barrel, forcing Julie to lower the gun.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You know what he took from her,” said Tauna. “Angela needs to do this on her own.”

  “And if he gets the better of her?” asked Julie.

  “Then we step in.”

  ***

  Angela’s blood boiled with rage. She threw wild kicks at Quartermain’s body, pummeling him with her feet. Her ferocity made it hard for him to even stay on his feet longer than a moment before she took him down with another blow.

  “You took everything from me!”

  In her mind, she kept seeing Jeff’s face. The last time she spoke to him. His smile. Hearing his laughter. Images intercut with how she found him. Lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Eyes fixed open.

  She imagined Quartermain sneaking into the house. Shooting Jeff in the back of the head. Not even giving him an opportunity to fight back. And her rage grew even more.

  Quartermain grabbed her leg and swung her into the wall of the sewer. Angela’s back exploded with pain, the impact even worse on the wounds she endured from Vincente. She fell into the water on her hands and knees, but a blow on her back sent her face-first into the water.

  When she tried to pull herself up for air, something held her down. She felt Quartermain’s strong hands on the sides of her head, keeping her face pushed down into the water. She struggled for a hold, her hands scrambling around for something to give her an advantage.

  Quartermain fell off her and she was able to surface, gasping for breath. She looked at the others and saw Tauna holding the gun that belonged to Baxter. The assassin lowered the weapon and gestured with her head in Angela’s direction.

  Angela turned and saw Quartermain rising again, clutching the wound in his shoulder. His eyes burned with anger at her and he drew his revolver from the shoulder-holster.

  She rushed at him as he moved for the weapon, slamming into him with as much force as she could muster. Quartermain struck her across the face with the gun and she fell to the ground. He pointed the gun at her just as Tauna readied her weapon for another shot.

  “Drop the gun or Lockhart dies,” he warned.

  “I’ve never cared much for her anyway. She’s expendable,” said Tauna.

  “Yeah, but without her you can’t find Samarin.”

  “As long as you can
’t, that’s fine by me,” said Tauna. “Regardless of what happens to her, I promise that you won’t walk out of here alive.”

  Quartermain’s hesitation allowed Angela to grab his weapon. She pulled the gun from his hand and stood, aiming it at his face. Quartermain cautiously held up his hands. “All right, I give up. You got me.”

  “What makes you think you can weasel your way out of this?” asked Angela.

  “Be smart! I’m a high-ranking operative in the Agency. I know things about them.” He cast Tauna a look. “I can help you hurt them. Tell you what they’re up to. Provide you with inside information.”

  Tauna looked at Julie. “Is this true?”

  Julie gave a nod. “He’s right about his rank. I can promise you that he knows more than your current inside man.”

  Tauna lowered her gun. “Well then, perhaps we can—”

  Shots echoed in the tunnel, cutting off Tauna in the middle of her sentence. Bullets tore through Quartermain’s body until Angela’s gun clicked on empty. The Fixer fell into the water, the blood seeping out from his wounds, his eyes fixed in an open position of shock and horror.

  “I’m done being mixed up in your little war,” said Angela, tossing the revolver at Tauna’s feet. “You promised me the man who killed my husband. You finally delivered.”

  EPILOGUE

  A knock came at the door. Angela stood from her seat, taking her gun with her. Tauna already moved to the front door, the balisong knife in her hand. She looked through the peephole and then unlocked and opened the door.

  Angela kept her gun pointed at the man who stepped through the door. As soon as his crystal-blue eyes spotted her, he raised his ring-adorned fingers, a smirk on his face causing a shift in his facial hair.

  “Easy, love,” said Dante. “I’m just here to conclude our business.”

  “You’ll understand if I feel safer keeping the gun pointed at you.”

  “Suppose I can’t blame you for that. Hope you won’t shoot me if I reach for a cigarette?”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  Dante chanced it and reached inside his oxblood leather jacket. He produced a gold case and took a cigarette from it, placing it between his lips. With a gold-plated Zippo, he lit it and exhaled the smoke from his nostrils.

  “Good to see you again,” he said. “Even if you’ve got a gun pointed at me.”

  “Let’s just finish this,” said Angela.

  “Samarin is in the shower,” said Tauna.

  “Tell him to hurry it up,” said Dante.

  Tauna nodded and walked over to the bathroom. She knocked on the door and conveyed the message. A confirmation came from the other side of the door and Tauna leaned against the wall beside it, folding her arms.

  Dante’s free hand reached inside his jacket, causing Angela to raise her weapon. He paused and frowned. “It’s all right, I’m just getting you your payment.” He reached inside the jacket and pulled out a long, stuffed envelope, which he tossed on the floor at her feet.

  Angela knelt down, keeping the gun aimed at him. She picked up the envelope with her free hand and stood, opening it and seeing the bound bills as well as a United States passport.

  “Consider it a severance package,” said Dante. “You’re free and clear now, love. Got the man who killed your husband.”

  “There’s still the matter of the man who killed Christian,” said Angela.

  “Julie Kim took care of that,” said Tauna.

  “But he gave the order,” said Angela.

  “Yeah, I did,” said Dante.

  Angela heard the sound of a gun cocking from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Tauna standing behind her.

  “Let’s not ruin a good thing, Angela,” she said. “Quartermain is dead and you have a shot at a new life.”

  “Maybe I don’t care what happens to me,” said Angela.

  “What about Agent Kim?” asked Dante. “She’s in the hospital being treated for wounds saving your life. Right now, my protection is the only thing keeping her safe. Anything happens to me and either she’s killed by my people or the Agency finds her. Helluva way to pay back the woman who rescued you.”

  Angela wanted to pull the trigger, but she knew Dante was right. If she tried to take this to the end, that would only mean killing Julie as well. She couldn’t allow that to happen, not after Julie sacrificed her own security to help her escape.

  She dropped the gun.

  “That’s my girl,” said Dante.

  The bathroom door opened and Samarin emerged, looking at the situation in surprise. “What’s going on?”

  “Viktor, so good to finally meet you,” said Dante, walking from Angela to Samarin. He offered the scientist his hand. “My name is Dante, and I’ll see to it you can put all this nastiness behind you.”

  Samarin accepted the handshake. “So what happens now?”

  “We help you out of the country, get you somewhere safe. Somewhere neither the Agency nor the Russians will be able to find you,” said Dante.

  Samarin nodded and moved over to Angela. He held his hand out to her. “Thank you. You’ve saved my life.”

  Angela managed a weak smile in response and shook his hand. Tauna holstered her weapon and moved behind Samarin, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Come, there’s a car waiting downstairs.”

  Tauna led Samarin from the small apartment, leaving only Dante and Angela staring at each other. Angela looked away from him to her weapon lying on the floor. Dante clucked his tongue at her.

  “Are we really going to try this again so soon?” he asked.

  “I can’t promise I won’t come after you in the future,” said Angela.

  “Fair enough,” said Dante. “I can’t say I blame you. But I will say it’s in your best interests not to. I’ve something of a soft spot for you. Can’t say the same for Tauna. She’s hardly the forgiving type.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “A word of advice, though—enjoy retirement. It’s so rare for one of us to get out of this game in one piece.” Dante gave her a quick bow. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure doing business with you, but I imagine you’d take that as an insult.”

  “One more thing,” said Angela. “Brezhnev helped the Fixers set me up. Gave them what they needed to know to bait me into a trap.”

  Dante nodded. “I’ll see to it he’s dealt with. Goodbye, Angela.”

  He turned on his heel and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Angela knelt down and picked up her gun. She opened the envelope and took the passport out. Opening to the first page, she looked at the photograph staring back at her.

  After all this time, she finally avenged her husband’s death. But in the process, she left several bodies in her wake. Could she really hope to find peace after all that? Could she finally rest? She closed the passport and dropped it into the envelope. Angela rose and walked to the safehouse door. She stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her.

  The gun remained on the floor.

  ***

  “Quartermain is dead.” Chandler picked up the shot glass and in one gulp, emptied the golden liquid into his mouth. He sucked his teeth and closed his eyes for a moment, then set the glass on the table. “And Samarin is missing. We’ve lost our chance to replicate Fury.”

  The man across from Chandler reached for the carafe in the center of the round table. Inside the golden grain alcohol was a preserved cobra. He refilled Chandler’s glass as well as his own and then set the bottle of ruou ran back in the center of the table. Taking his glass, Johnny Venom leaned back in his chair and slowly sipped the liquid.

  “Dante?”

  Chandler nodded. “Who the fuck else? This man’s been a thorn in our side for years, John. We have to put a stop to him. The council is getting nervous.”

  Venom nodded. “I’m all in favor of killing Dante. But how do you propose we do it?”

  “Every man has a soft spot,” said Chandler. “Something that makes
him vulnerable. Even someone like Dante.”

  Venom finished the drink and rose from his seat. He took the cobra-topped cane that rested by his chair and leaned against it. With his one good eye, he stared at the fountain with the giant cobra in the center.

  “I’ll need every piece of information you have on him.”

  “That’s not a lot,” said Chandler.

  “I’ll find something I can use. But it won’t come cheap.”

  “Just kill the bastard,” said Chandler. “And I’ll see to it you get whatever you want.”

  ***

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  THE SAGA CONCLUDES...

  Thank you for reading The Fixers! The story of Infernum concludes in Shadow Brokers!

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