Unflappable

by Suzie Gilbert

  “Ow! Then she turned on the judge, and said in her sandpaper voice: ‘How dare you tell me to apologize! You think I’d apologize to those who would destroy us? You’ve spent your entire career sucking up to rich and powerful Canadians, now you’re going to suck up to rich and powerful Americans, as well?’”

  Ned and Stanley exchanged grins and Luna continued, her words beginning to slur.

  “The audience went nuts! And as the bailiffs towed her out of the courtroom, she shouted at the judge, ‘You’re poisoning your own country, you Judas bastard! You should be dragged from your bench and hanged!’”

  Stanley chortled. “One of her friends smuggled a tape recorder into the courtroom,” he said. “He ran out of the building and drove to the local radio station, and the whole thing was broadcast that afternoon!”

  “Let me guess!” said Ned. “No Chem-Dust!”

  “Thass right!” said Luna triumphantly. “An’ then the op-ed pieces on the judge began! He was gone in ten months!”

  When Warren, Beck, and Flagler returned she was slumped in her chair, smiling drunkenly, her jagged gash neatly sewn and bristling with black thread. “You are an artist,” she said, pointing her finger at Stanley like a conductor waving a baton. “As for you,” she added, shifting her finger dramatically to Ned, “I like you in that special way.” Ned’s heart leaped, and the three armed men entered the room.

  “Comrades!” she greeted them, saluting. “Stanley embroidered me! Don’t you think it looks like a hibiscus?”

  “No more for you,” said Ned, sliding the whiskey out of her reach.

  “No more for you, either,” said Stanley, sliding it away from Ned. “I’m going to bandage this up, then the rest of that bottle belongs to me.”

  Warren crossed the kitchen and stopped beside her. “You all right?” he asked.

  “Wern,” she said, peering at him and mangling his name, her voice soft with concern. “You look so upset! What’s wrong?”

  Warren touched her cheek and then straightened, blinking rapidly. He put a hand on Stanley’s shoulder, patted Ned twice on the back, and left the room.

  “Give me that whiskey,” said Stanley.

  Chapter 25

  “Morning,” said Roland, greeting one of the housekeepers. He walked through Adam’s townhouse, entered the office, and found Adam’s two long-time security men standing on either side of the desk. Paszkiewicz and Ortega nodded at him, and Roland gave Adam an inquiring look.

  “You guys can go,” said Adam.

  “Anything?” Roland asked.

  “No.”

  Adam worked on his computer, Roland on a laptop. A half hour went by. Adam’s phone stayed silent, but eventually Roland’s rang.

  “Yeah, baby,” said Roland, as if the call surprised him. He looked confused. His voice lowered. “Was I in what car?”

  He raised his eyes to Adam’s, wearing a terrible look of betrayal. “I’ll be there,” he said, as Adam pressed a small black device on his desk. Roland slipped his phone into his pocket, and his expression turned murderous. As he began to rise from his chair and Paszkiewicz and Ortega burst into the room, their handguns aimed at his face.

  “Come on, Roland,” said Paszkiewicz quietly. “Let’s go.”

  Roland hesitated, measuring the distance between his chair and the desk, weighing the odds of reaching Adam and breaking his neck before Paszkiewicz and Ortega brought him down. But then he thought of Lyllis and Michael, lying in their hospital beds.

  Adam held his gaze. “They were supposed to pull them over,” he said. “I swear to God, they weren’t supposed to crash.”

  “You and I are done,” said Roland, and left the room.

  • • •

  Ned opened the door, balancing a hot cup and a cold glass, and found Luna lying in one of the single beds, staring out the window. She rose to a sitting position, wearing the large frayed T-shirt they had found in a closet. Her shirt and pants hung from wire hangers, the bloodstains washed out, the rips sewn together. Resting on the dresser was the kitchen knife in its makeshift case.

  Ned had helped her into the bedroom after Stanley bandaged her arm. He peeled off her clothing, settled her between the sheets, and covered her with a wool blanket. She fell asleep immediately. He picked up her shirt and pants, wondering why they were so heavy. He returned to the living room, where Stanley was slouched with the whiskey on his lap.

  And miles to go before I sleep, Stanley had said, eyeing Ned, the shirt, the pants, and the knife. Tell you what, he continued. You wash, I’ll sew. I like sewing things that don’t say ouch. As for that last item, let’s ask Warren.

  “Morning,” said Luna, sitting up.

  “How do you feel?” he asked, handing her the glass. “Here. Gatorade. Stanley wants you hydrated.”

  “Thank you. I’ve had better mornings.”

  “Me, too.” He pulled a bottle of aspirin out of his pocket and sat on the edge of the bed. “Best I can do for now.”

  She popped two aspirin and drained the contents of the glass. He put it on the nightstand, and offered her the cup of coffee.

  “Thank you,” she said, moving over. Ned inched carefully onto the bed, propped the pillow behind her, and stretched his legs.

  “Have you heard from Lyllis and Michael? Is Mars okay? What time is it?”

  “Lyllis called Warren. They’re okay. And no one’s found the guys who were after you.”

  “They won’t find them.”

  “It’s almost one o’clock. Mars is fine, Warren and Stanley are outside with the guys, and Elias and Wizzie and Banshee are less than an hour away.”

  She looked at him in disbelief. “What? They’re coming here?”

  “Road trip from Pennsylvania. They picked up Sean Callahan to help with the driving. They’ll get a few hours rest when they get here, then tonight we’re heading for International Falls.”

  She closed her eyes. “I don’t know how to thank all of you,” she said, taking his hand and leaning her head against his shoulder.

  “I need to ask you something,” he said.

  “Sure.”

  “Why did you marry him?”

  Luna was silent. She raised her head and her eyes returned to the window. “I used to wish for things when I was a kid,” she said. “A bike. A sparkly dress. A puppy. One night, I wished I could turn into a bird. After that, it was the only thing I ever wished for.” She sighed. “Then I met Harry and Rose, and I didn’t have to wish for anything anymore.”

  She put her coffee on the nightstand and pulled her knees to her chest. “Then Harry and Rose were gone. They left me the house, but I couldn’t live in it. I didn’t know where to go, so I applied for the job with Adam.” She paused. “He was different then. Or maybe I only thought he was.”

  Ned reminded himself not to stare at her. He stayed immobile, afraid she might stop.

  “I said I’d never marry him, but he wouldn’t give up. He said, ‘Tell me what you want more than anything in the world. Tell me your wish, and I’ll make it come true.’

  “I said, ‘I wish I could turn into a bird. That’s all I want.’”

  She paused again. “I love Cape Vultures. They’re endangered. He said for my birthday he wanted to take me to South Africa, and maybe I’d see one. I couldn’t resist. I thought we’d be driving around in a Land Rover, but he hired a paraglider to take me up in a tandem harness.

  “It was just before sunset. We flew above these enormous towering cliffs, and the sky was pink and orange and purple. There was almost no sound. I was flying. I was flying! In the distance, I saw a Cape Vulture. I was so excited. She flew toward us and looked us over, and then she flew away. A minute later, I saw another one. And then another, and another. And then the sky was filled with them.”

  Her face was rapt. “I could feel the wind, and hear their wings. I was one of them. And all of us were free.”

  Her look of joy faded. “I married him that night.”

  Ned felt an ache
in his throat. “But…” he began. “Was it because you’d made a deal? Did you want to marry him?”

  “More than anything in the world,” she said.

  • • •

  Roland parked his car, entered the hospital, and took the elevator to the third floor. The corridors were busy. He stopped at the front desk.

  “Excuse me,” he said. “I’m looking for Amaryllis Hart and Michael Edwards. They came in last night.”

  He glanced down the hallway, where a security guard talked to a nurse. The woman behind the desk checked her computer. “Roland Edwards?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry. No visitation. Request of the patients.”

  Roland blinked. “Excuse me?” he asked, as the woman caught the eye of the security guard.

  “Backup, third floor,” said the security guard into his device.

  “What are you talking about?” Roland demanded. “They’re my family!”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” said the woman. “It’s patient request.”

  “Then it’s a mistake!”

  Her co-workers looked up. The door to the stairwell opened, and another security guard emerged. He spotted Roland, and his face fell.

  “Get one of them on the phone!” said Roland, his voice rising. “Right now!”

  “Goddamn it, Roland!” Lyllis’s voice cut through the silent hallway. “We’re in 406!”

  Roland hurried into the room and stopped at the sight of Lyllis and Michael, the curtain between them drawn back. Michael lay in the second bed, his head bandaged, his arm in a sling. Lyllis lay in the bed by the door, her leg resting on a stack of pillows and encased in a cast. “What do you want?” she snapped.

  “I…I want to see you’re both all right.”

  “Do we look all right?”

  “I swear I didn’t know he would do this!”

  “You knew he was capable of it! You’ve known it for years!”

  He shifted his gaze. Michael’s cheerful, open demeanor was gone, replaced by one of sadness and disillusionment. “Your damned boss nearly killed me, that’s one thing,” said Lyllis. “But he nearly killed Michael, and he’s your blood! How are you going to explain this to your sister?”

  “I’m not with Adam anymore! I just quit!”

  “How long will that last? Until tonight?”

  “Lyllis…”

  “It’s too late. You want to talk to Michael? Go ahead. I got nothing more to say to you.”

  She closed her eyes. Michael stared at him, his lip trembling. “Michael?” said Roland. “You really thought I’d watch you crash, and then leave you there?”

  Michael’s voice was barely audible. “Leave me alone,” he said, and turned his face away.

  Roland crossed the hallway and took the stairs, then slammed through the heavy door to the parking lot. He had quit Adam over the two people he cared most about in the world, and they had abandoned him. They believed the worst about him. He should have known. Why had he ever trusted them?

  Adam would take him back.

  He squeezed his key, and a pair of headlights flashed in response. Roland reached for the door handle, but instead he slammed his fist into the side of the dark blue BMW with such force the metal gave way. The pain in his hand snaked up his arm. He leaned against the car, his head spinning with loss and regret. He raised his to his eyes, and his fingers came away wet.

  There’s only one way to set this straight, he thought. He opened his door, slid into the car, and tapped his phone.

  “Roland?” came a voice.

  “Justin. You gotta do something for me.”

  “What?”

  “I need some info from Adam’s phone.”

  “What happened?” Justin asked. “You’re locked out. They shut you down.”

  Roland clenched his teeth. “I got you that job! You wouldn’t be working for Adam if it wasn’t for me!”

  “I know! It’s not like I haven’t said how grateful…”

  “I don’t want your gratitude! I want you to monitor Adam’s phone and tell me if anyone finds his wife!”

  “Come on, man, you’re putting me in a really bad position!”

  “You have my word it’ll never come back at you!”

  Justin sighed heavily. “All right. All right. Just please…be careful. I’m never gonna get another job like this one.”

  Roland dropped his phone on the seat beside him, and drove out of the lot.

  • • •

  Luna pulled on her clothes and slipped the knife back into the side pocket of her cargo pants. Ned hadn’t asked about it. She wondered how much Warren had told him.

  Just for a moment she recalled the past weeks, something she had trained herself not to do. You ever start losing your way, Warren always said, concentrate on completing the mission. She was so close. Once she completed the mission she could assess the damage, which was growing by the day.

  She left the bedroom. She found Ned waiting for her in the living room, and Warren walking in the front door. “Come here,” said Warren, sitting on the battered couch and gesturing to the coffee table. “Right leg.”

  Complete the mission, thought Luna, as she rested her foot on the table and rolled up her pant leg. “Hold this,” said Warren. He handed her a small black Ruger, then fastened the velcro straps of a holster snugly around her calf.

  “Wait a minute!” said Ned. “What are you doing?”

  They heard the sound of a car. “That’ll be Elias,” said Warren, without looking up. Eagerly Luna looked out the window, and saw a gleaming hearse coast to a stop. A wave of dread and confusion hit her with such force she swayed, pulling her leg from the table so she didn’t fall, time and place spinning away as grief burned her like a hot stove. A faceless crowd gathered, and the predatory black car turned toward her. She dropped the gun, and Warren snatched it before it hit the floor.

  Ned reached out to steady her. Warren looked at her ashen face and followed her gaze. “The hell is that?” he snapped.

  “It’s the car Elias borrowed so he could get past Gunderman,” said Ned. “I thought you knew.”

  “Shit!” said Warren.

  The sky was pink and orange and purple. Luna felt the rush of the wind and the warmth of the fading sun, the peace of belonging to a silent and boundless world. She heard her name, but didn’t respond. The sky was filled with birds.

  “Where is she?”

  The excited young voice startled her. Once again Luna focused on the window, and this time spotted a small figure with a long red braid. “Wizzie’s here!” she gasped. “And Elias and Sean!”

  “It’s all good,” said Warren. “You can see them just as soon as we finish this up. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, nodding.

  “You can’t give her a gun!” Ned sputtered. “The knife is bad enough!”

  “Listen, man,” said Warren. “Edwards lost her twice. You know how pissed he is right now? She knows how to handle things. Right, Luna? What are the rules?”

  “No body shots,” she replied. “No one wearing a uniform.”

  Warren raised his eyebrows at Ned. ”Satisfied?”

  “No, I’m not satisfied!”

  Warren held out the Ruger. Wordlessly Luna took it, pressed the release button, removed the magazine, and checked the seven bullets. There was a solid click as she replaced the magazine. She pulled the slide, peered through the empty chamber, then snapped it back into place. Lifting her foot to the table, she slid the pistol into its holster and rolled down her pant leg.

  “Good girl,” said Warren. “Your professor gives you an A.”

  “How do I get off this train?” Ned demanded, glaring at Warren. “Don’t they have metal detectors at the border?”

  “Probably, so I’m giving this job to you,” he replied. ”Knife?” he asked Luna.

  “Right here,” she answered, patting the pocket of her cargo pants.

  “Normally they don’t put eagles through metal detectors,” Warren said to Ned, “so befo
re we leave here, I’m going to wrap the weapons in a towel and put them under the perch in Mars’s crate. I need you to make sure that once you’re out of the border station and into Hélène’s vehicle, you put them back in the pocket and the holster before you leave the parking lot. This is very important. Are we clear?”

  “But where will you be?”

  “Around.”

  Luna felt waves of stress rolling off Ned, who seemed to be upset about the knife and the gun. “Don’t worry, Ned,” she said, as if she were talking to Mars. “It’s okay. It’ll be all right.”

  Warren thumped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go,” he said, and led them out of the house.

  “Luna!” cried Wizzie, and raced toward her. “Watch her arm!” ordered Stanley.

  Luna hugged Wizzie tightly. “I’ve missed you all,” Luna whispered, then turned to embrace Elias and Sean.

  Luna tried not to look at the hearse as Elias opened the back door. In place of a coffin was a covered eagle crate, wedged in place with blankets, duffel bags, and a large cooler. Luna lifted the cover, and Banshee returned her gaze.

  “Time for a reunion,” said Elias.

  Elias and Stanley carried the crate to a small cabin a hundred feet away. Luna opened the front door and found a single room, devoid of furniture, and Mars on his collapsible perch in the corner. Elias and Stanley slid the crate inside the door and retreated. “Can I come in with you?” asked Wizzie. “Don’t forget, Mars likes me!”

  Ned, Stanley, and Elias stood outside one of the windows, and Warren, Beck, and Flagler outside the other. Luna closed the door behind Wizzie, and opened the crate.

  Banshee hopped off her perch, her eyes focused on the eagle in a dominant position on the other side of the room. The feathers on her head rose aggressively. She let out a combative call. She stepped from the crate, and Mars landed with a thud before her.

  Her snowy feathers relaxed. His beak touched hers with a heavy click. “Awww!” came a sigh from each window, and Luna felt a sob rise in her throat.

  “What is it, Luna?” asked Wizzie, and hugged her unbandaged arm. “Look! They’re back together again!”

  Chapter 26

  The metallic blue Alpha Romeo inched down a rutted driveway, and Darcy pushed back a lock of black hair. She fixed her eyes on the road, picturing the look on Adam’s face when she dropped her dress in the hotel in Charleston. One wheel hit a pothole. Neither of us were made for this, she thought, feeling solidarity with her car.