Nuclear Surprise

by Rob Carnell

  "Relax Matt, this is Arseny, I believe you are old friends yes?" said Natasha.

  "This is the guy who tried to rob me, don’t get in the car" said Matt barring the way.

  "That was a test Matt. You passed by the way. You gave Arseny quite a headache. Don’t worry, Arseny works for me. I told you nothing is as it seems in Russia" said Natasha with a grin.

  Natasha had a few private words with Arseny and away they went.

  Chapter 65

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  THE CLUB was obviously an exclusive place, but the Hummer limo bypassed the long line of prospective revelers. Two burly bouncers opened the doors and showed them straight to the metal detector archway at the door and they marched straight through.

  The Snow Leopard was true to its name, everything was dazzling white. The staff uniforms were all trimmed in Leopard skin and the bass beat of the live band was loud without being overpowering.

  No sooner had they sat at a small table close to the bar, than a slim Russian with spiky hair and dripping in gold chains and bracelets, came up and introduced himself. He was flanked by two large minders who remained within reach.

  "You must be our guests from Exxon, let me introduce myself, I am Vladimir Petrov, but everyone calls me ’the Leopard’. Welcome to my humble establishment" said the mafia man in heavily accented English.

  Matt took the lead "Thank you sir, you have a beautiful club, I am Matthew Harrison and this is my personal assistant Natalie Laurence." He was enjoying his new acting role, he wondered if he had found a new career. Slipping into character came easily for him.

  Thank you for accepting our reservation Mr. Petrov. Were you able to make the other arrangements? I spoke to your secretary earlier" asked Natasha.

  "Of course Miss Laurence, it is a pleasure to be of assistance to our new friends from Exxon" said the Leopard. He snapped his fingers and two of the most stunning women Matt had ever seen instantly appeared beside him. Each of the ladies grabbed one of Matt’s arms and dragged him to the dance floor.

  Matt glanced back and noticed The Leopard extend his hand to Natasha. She took it and stood up.

  Chapter 66

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  Upstairs private apartment

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  THE LEOPARD and Natasha had danced for a little while on the noisy dance floor before he offered to show her around the club. The minders followed them everywhere from a respectful distance. But they still stuck out like sore thumbs in their ill fitting suits with large underarm bulges.

  As they walked past the stage the singer stopped and introduced the host to the guests followed by rousing applause.

  At the bar, champagne was produced instantly by a well trained barman.

  Natasha was even keen to see the kitchen, in fact she was just determining other possible evacuation routes in the unlikely event that things went south.

  The kitchen was covered in gleaming stainless steel, and there seemed to be an open back door. Natasha guessed that this was probably leading to the trash bins.

  It did not take too long before the tour included his private apartment upstairs.

  The Leopard pushed a series of numbers on a keypad beside the door, and it sprang open.

  From a small bar refrigerator he revealed a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and opened it with a well practiced flurry and filled two Waterford cut crystal flutes.

  "Natalie, a toast to new friends" said the Leopard.

  Chapter 67

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  Dance floor

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  MATT WAS enjoying the attention from his magnificent female companions. He could not help but wonder if their chests were real or not, but then he decided that if he could touch it that it was real enough anyway! They really were Miss World quality and Matt was certainly enjoying himself. He could not even pronounce their names, but Miss Russia Brunette, the tall black haired one was all over him, while her blonde companion Miss Russia Blonde, danced back a pace. Matt was certain that this could be reversed if he so chose.

  He was sweating when he announced "I need more champagne, how about a rest?"

  The ladies grabbed his hands and walked him back to a booth in the back corner, where one snuggled under each arm. Miss Blonde filled the glasses and tried to begin a conversation, but they were under a loudspeaker, and it was impossible to hear a thing over the load bass dance beat. This did not stop Miss Brunette however from gazing into Matt’s eyes with fascination and stroking his inner thigh.

  Matt could see no reason not to give this role the best performance of his life, so he did determine that the chest on Miss Brunette was a costly upgrade, while Miss Blonde seemed to be all natural.

  Regardless of the close at hand distractions, Matt kept scanning the club every few minutes desperate not to get too into the mood and let down Natasha if he was needed.

  At midnight Matt’s cell phone rang, but the music was way too loud for anyone to hear it.

  Chapter 68

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  Upstairs private apartment

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  THE LEOPARD was a good kisser and Natasha seemed to be enjoying swaying to the beat of the music in an embrace.

  "Do you like my perfume?" asked Natasha.

  "It is very low key," said The Leopard "what is it?"

  "Let me put on some more and you can guess the fragrance" suggested Natasha.

  She removed a small perfume bottle from her teeny handbag and pretended to spray some on her neck. When the Leopard leant forward and began to sniff, she reversed the bottle and sprayed a good dose into his face, while she held her breath.

  Seconds later the Leopard grabbed his throat, spasmed and fell to the floor. The nerve toxin acted almost instantly.

  When he awoke he was naked, on the floor propped up against the bed. He was unable to speak in anything but a whisper and could not move his limbs at all.

  "Welcome back into the land of the living" said Natasha this time in Russian.

  "I know you can’t really speak, so just listen. You have been a very bad boy Mr. Leopard. Buying and selling nuclear weapons is a very dangerous business. You will tell me who paid you for the weapons, and where you sent them. You will tell me the truth the first time. Do you understand?"

  Natasha could see the contempt and scorn in his eyes, "Fuck you American whore, you are dead." The Leopard was able to communicate in an out of breath whisper.

  "Let me explain the rules to you Mister Leopard. The nerve gas I administered will not allow you to move for one hour, but I am quite prepared to give you another shot if you do not communicate what I require. Also, I am not American, I am with Russian intelligence."

  "Never, you bitch" he wheezed "I will enjoy killing you".

  Natasha smiled and ran her fingers through the Leopard’s spiky hair "I am sorry you feel that way, I am trying to make this easy on you."

  Natasha pulled at the hem of her purse and removed a small razor sharp ceramic knife which had failed to cause a blip on the metal detector on the way in. This certainly got the Leopard’s attention.

  "There is nothing you can do to make me answer, kill me if you wish" whispered the gangster with mock bravery.

  "That is not my desire, but I will be happy to fulfill your wish later if you so choose."

  "Last chance to answer before pain" announced Natasha.

  When there was no answer, the shiny white blade flashed and Natasha immediately removed The Leopard’s right nipple with one swipe. A stream of blood gushed and ran down his belly onto the floor.

  "Do you want to tell me anything now?" enquired the Russian agent.

  Mr. Leopard tried to scream with a contorted face, but nothing but a wheeze escaped his lips.

  Next Natasha kneeled between hi
s outstretched legs, and pushed the point of the knife into his groin.

  "This really is your last chance, if you do not answer, I guarantee you will never father children" Natasha was losing patience.

  "Ok, Ok, but I am still going to kill you, you can never hide from me" whispered the Leopard.

  "Cut the theatrics. Tell me what I need to know or say goodbye to your balls."

  "The weapons were paid for by a transfer to my Swiss account of fifty million dollars. One was delivered to a man in eastern Russia, the other two were sent to the Middle east."

  "Keep talking quickly, I might slip with this knife. Who paid you?"

  Tears were streaming down the Leopard’s face and he was well past any further resistance, and began to relate more quickly as the nerve agent dissipated.

  "Where exactly did you send the weapons?"

  Natasha guessed he was starting to revive. So she sprayed him again, just as she punched him hard in the stomach. He inhaled deeply this time and was back to whispering again.

  "One suitcase was sent to the boatyard in Minsk. A man met my courier and he took the case. I know no more of this one. The other two cases were disguised as cases of caviar and delivered by refrigerated cargo plane to a Saudi six star Hotel called Caliph. That is all I know, please put down the knife." The Russian sobbed.

  "Who paid you?" asked Natasha quietly.

  "I was asked to send an invoice to The Caliph Hotel in Riyadh. It was immediately paid by a wire transfer, before I sent the caviar delivery" said Leopard.

  "I will make a deal with you Mr. Leopard, I will let you live if you forget about me and my partner and get on with your business. It would be a mistake to try and cross the KGB."

  Even though officially disbanded and renamed years before, most still used the old feared name.

  "Of course, I have money….."

  "Forget your money, sleep tight my dear" Natasha whispered in the Russian’s ear. With that she let loose with her elbow, smashing it into the Russian just below his ear. He was instantly out cold. She guessed that between the hit to the head and the gas that they had at least eight hours head start. Enough time to drive to Minsk if they wasted no time.

  She smoothed out her dress and slipped out the door "Thanks for a wonderful evening Mister Leopard. You are amazing, sleep tight" she said for the benefit of the bodyguards stationed outside.

  Chapter 69

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  Corner booth

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  MATT WAS enjoying the treatment of the lovely ladies in the booth. Whilst they could not communicate verbally above the noise of the music, they seemed perfectly able to communicate in other ways. But he did spot Natasha making her way down the stairs, he waved and she came over.

  "Grab a glass Miss Laurence. We still have plenty of champagne left. Come and join us" suggested Matt.

  "I am sorry sir, but I just got a message on my cell phone. We have a situation back at home. We need to get back to the hotel to read the emails" Natasha looked very anxious.

  "One glass wont hurt" said Matt, but the daggers look he got from Natasha brought him out of his euphoria.

  "No, I am really tired" said Natasha, Matt took the lead.

  "Ladies, thank you for a most enjoyable evening. It was wonderful to meet you. I am sorry I can’t stay longer, perhaps another time……" he suggested as he rose.

  The blonde also rose and passed Matt a business card for the bar with her telephone number written on the back.

  Natasha whispered in Matt’s ear, "let’s get going in a hurry."

  They made their way out past the bar. Matt settled the four and a half thousand dollar bill with his black credit card. The driver of the hummer had them seated comfortably before he pulled out into the night and put up the soundproof security screen.

  Matt noticed suitcases in the back and Natasha explained before he had a chance to ask.

  "The Leopard was quite co-operative in the end. One case went to a shipyard on the coast, the other two went to Saudi Arabia" explained a grinning Natasha.

  "How the hell did you get him to tell you that?" asked Matt.

  "I can be very persuasive" cooed Natasha.

  "How do you know he was telling you the truth?"

  Natasha pulled out the bloodstained dagger, "No real damage, but his balls were toast if he didn’t tell me. I drugged him first. I have no doubt that he told me the truth. I cut off his nipple just to make sure."

  "Remind me not to piss you off" said Matt with a shake of his head.

  "I think we have enough time to get to Minsk before he wakes up and gets really mad. I asked Arseny our driver to get us packed for a speedy getaway. He works for my father, and this vehicle is well armed and armored. We need to get going right away. It will take us around five hours to get to the boatyard where the weapon was delivered."

  Matt’s phone rang. When he glanced at the screen he saw eleven missed calls and he remembered he forgot to check-in.

  "What the fuck is happening?" asked Bill Simpson.

  "We had a bit of a situation, but we are ok" said Matt.

  "I bet. I could hear the music. What is happening?"

  "You could hear the music?" asked Matt surprised.

  "Your phone is setup to transmit if you miss your check-in call."

  "Sorry Bill, it won’t happen again. We were in a mafia nightclub. We have a lead."

  "Excellent, tell me more."

  "Let me put on Natasha, she will give it to you first hand."

  "Hello Mister Simpson" said Natasha.

  "Please call me Bill. What did you find out?"

  "One of the weapons is here in Minsk. The other two were sent to a hotel in Riyadh."

  "I am guessing I know what happened to one of the items. Find the one in Russia first. I will do some research on the others. Where in Riyadh were they sent?"

  "To a luxury hotel called Caliph" explained Natasha.

  "Ok, I am on it. Make sure Matt calls me every day."

  "Will do. Thank you for keeping an eye on us Bill."

  Chapter 70

  The Snow Leopard Nightclub

  Upstairs private apartment

  St Petersburg, Russia

  * * *

  THE LEOPARD started to revive only three hours later. Because his lungs were still mainly paralyzed, the additional dose of nerve gas didn’t really get sucked in properly.

  He floundered on the floor like an upturned turtle, until eventually he pulled at the bedside table. The glass lamp fell from the table and smashed to the ground making a huge noise.

  The bodyguards were startled, and started punching numbers into the security pad to get inside.

  They were horrified to see their charge naked and holding his chest. He had blood all over his body, and was waving his other hand. He was shouting, but there was hardly any sound coming from his blue lips.

  The guards called for medical assistance, and half an hour later the now one nippled Leopard had sixteen sutures in his chest, and was wide awake and plotting revenge.

  Chapter 71

  Shipyard

  Minsk, Russia

  6.00am

  * * *

  THE TRIP in the Hummer was quite comfortable, but they realized that they were way too visible. There were few of these metal monsters in Russia. Arseny the driver had radioed ahead. They pulled over to the side of the road about twenty miles from Minsk and swapped vehicles with another driver for an ordinary looking Zil.

  They pulled into the boatyard and Natasha got out, Matt stayed in the car. Natasha had changed into an army sergeant uniform and tucked her hair under her cap.

  "Wait here for me. I should be able to get what we need inside fifteen minutes.

  Matt waited thirty minutes before he decided to treat the fifteen minutes as a SARTIME.

  "Arseny, I am going to take a look. Natasha should be back by now" said Matt.

  "Sir, it is better that I go" said Ar
seny the driver, but Matt was insistent.

  "We may need to make a quick getaway, you wait here."

  Matt pulled up the old clothes that he was now wearing and headed for the shipyard office.

  He opened the door and walked in.

  He woke up tied to a chair fifteen minutes later with a hell of a headache and a lump on the back of his head. Beside him was Natasha in a similar situation, but with a bloody nose instead.

  "Hello Mister Exxon" began the leader of the three overweight goons in the room, "it seems you have upset my good friend Mister Leopard. He is on his way here in a helicopter. Relax, he will be here soon. I don’t think you are going to enjoy the rest of your time in our country" he announced with a deep belly laugh.

  The head bad guy had acne scars all over his face which a close cropped beard was unable to disguise. His breath smelled of cheap alcohol.

  Natasha explained "we are here on government business, you should release us and we will forget this misunderstanding."

  The leader replied with a backhanded slap to her face that knocked Natasha out cold.

  "Do you have any more questions?" the leader spat to Matt, but he elected to remain silent.

  The Mexican standoff lasted for as long as it took Natasha to revive.

  She again suggested "You do not know what you are getting yourselves in for."

  The leader stepped forward to administer another dose of hush when his head erupted into a red mist and he slid to the floor. Seconds later the same thing happened to the other two henchmen as they reached for their weapons.