tmp_2e400c932cd646dccd3ec2acdba43a25_mQf9rc.fixed.tidied

by BSmith

  Leone stared at her through the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut. Finally, he asked, “Did you ever love me at all?”

  For a moment, Victoria felt the sharp pangs of remorse. She slowly nodded. “Yes, yes I did.”

  Leone sighed. “That’s something, I guess.”

  “Answer the fucking question, Leone,” Olivia’s agitated voice echoed out.

  Leone continued looking at his wife, pointedly ignoring Olivia. “Did you fuck him in our house?”

  Victoria went very still. She couldn’t bring herself to admit to her wrong doings, even now. “Who?”

  “Amadeo. It’s him, right? Since you’re helping them.”

  Victoria lowered her eyes and said nothing. That was all the confirmation Leone that needed.

  “Three out of five nights a week.” Olivia pushed off the wall and stood behind Victoria’s chair. “And he’s going to do it again after your dead. Which can be a quick or slow process. It’s all up to you. Where are they?”

  Leone didn’t even bother glancing in Olivia’s direction, just continued looking at Victoria, sadly. “He’ll never love you. But you don’t care about that at all anymore, do you?” He sighed again. “Do what you want to me, Olivia. I’m not telling you a fuckin’ thing.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed. The smile that curled across her lips was like ice. “You know, I had a funny feeling you’d say that.” She pulled out her gun and pressed it against Victoria’s temple. The terror that shot across Victoria’s face went bone deep. Tears sprang to her eyes and quickly spilled over. “So, how about you tell me, or I’ll kill her.”

  Leone’s eye shot open. “What are you doing?”

  “Aww, you really love your wife don’t you? This lying, cheating, whore.” Olivia grabbed a fistful of Victoria’s long blonde hair and roughly yanked her head back, bringing a startled cry from the woman as Olivia ran the gun barrel down her cheek. “I bet you can’t stand to watch this? Can you?”

  Leone clenched his jaw. “How can you be so cruel?”

  “How can you be so naïve?” Olivia sneered, and then looked down at Victoria. “Open your mouth. I said open your fucking mouth, bitch.”

  Whimpering quietly, Victoria parted her lips, and Olivia shoved the gun between them. “I don’t give a fuck about you, and I really don’t care about her, so it’s nothing, Leone, for me to kill her and let you watch her die. So, who’s got your loyalty? The triplets, or your wife?”

  Leone’s brow creased. His hands tightened around the arm of his chair. His gaze remained glued on the barrel of the gun in his wife’s mouth. The silence sprang up, hot and thick. Olivia didn’t let it linger too long.

  “Guess that’s your answer, then.” She cocked the gun, and put four out of five pounds on the trigger.

  “Stop!” Leone jerked in the chair, but the restraints kept him immobile. A harsh tear mixed with the blood and grim that caked his cheek. “I don’t know where they are. But I know a small part of what they’re going to do.”

  Olivia watched him closely. “Are you fucking with me, Leone? Because your wife here seemed to think you knew where they were.”

  Leone shook his head. “No, no. It’s a compound my grandfather built, and I know it’s somewhere in Africa but what country I couldn’t tell you. Only Marcello knew that.” His lie, he prayed, would be convincing.

  That much they knew themselves. Olivia pursed her lips thoughtfully, her grip still tight enough in Victoria’s hair to pull a chunk of hair out by the root, the gun still shoved in her mouth. Occasionally, Victoria would whimper fearfully around it. “All right, Leone. What do you know?”

  “We don’t have this discussion until you let her go,” Leone said determinedly.

  Olivia laughed. “Not a chance. You don’t get to negotiate.”

  Leone glared. “Oh, no, I do. You need to know something about the triplets, otherwise your employers are going to know just how fuckin’ useless you are. And I don’t trust you. So you either let her go, or we both die and you get shit from me. Good luck figuring it out on your own.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “You fuckin’ weasel, I’ll kill her just to—”

  “Olivia,” Amadeo’s sharp voice echoed out.

  Olivia snapped her gaze over to the doorway where he stood. “What?”

  “Let her go.”

  Olivia frowned at him. “You care about this bitch?”

  “I care about the information,” Amadeo snapped back at her. “Let her go.”

  Olivia hesitated, but finally pulled the gun out of Victoria’s mouth and roughly released her hair. “Free pass, whore.”

  Victoria set her tear filled eyes on her husband. She touched his hand, a gesture that was both apologetic and affectionate. Leone’s lips quirked into a sad smile, and he nodded.

  “Come here Victoria,” Amadeo ordered.

  Victoria rose quickly to her feet and obediently stood next to him. Amadeo centered his gaze on Leone. “She leaves when you’re done. Start talking.”

  §

  December 10, 2012 - 10:10 PM

  Denver, CO

  Penthouse of Tony DeMarco

  Tyranny kept a person busy. Especially when that person was a double agent for such a regime. Tony glanced down at his watch, sighing. He was home just to shower and shave, and then he’d be going right back to the base.

  Climbing out of the car, he popped a piece of gum in his mouth. Gabriella had made him give up smoking. His guardian angel, whose presence had been a wonderful, constant light the last four months, took up her usual place underneath the collar of his shirt, humming to him in a pitch only he could hear. He kinda liked it. It kept him calm and clear-headed.

  “Hey, Ricky,” Tony called out hurriedly as he walked past the desk and over the elevators.

  “Um, hi, Mr. DeMarco.” Ricky kept his eyes glued to his computer screen.

  Tony pressed the button to call the elevator and glanced over at the kid. Ricky glanced in his direction, and then quickly looked back down. Tony quirked a brow. Stepping away from the elevators, Tony walked back over to the front desk. “What’s wrong Ricky?” he asked flat out.

  “I do not know what the protocol is for this, sir.” Ricky continued staring at the desk.

  “Protocol for what?”

  Ricky hesitated. “You outrank Mr. Medicci, don’t you, sir?”

  Mr. Medicci, Tony thought. Sonofabitch. With the triplets’ escape, the SVT offices empty, and the SVT Think Tank gone with the crystal, Caesar had been in deep shit; possibly awaiting his death. What the fuck was he doing here? “Is he in my apartment?”

  Ricky looked uncertain again, but slowly nodded.

  “Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to tell them you told me. I won’t say anything. Thanks, Ricky.” Tony smiled reassuringly at the kid, and then went back to the elevators. “This could get ugly, Gabriella. Move to a safer spot, honey.”

  As he stepped into the elevator Gabriella fluttered out from underneath his collar and perched on his shoulder. A second later, she faded from sight. Tony pulled his 9mm out from underneath his suit jacket when he got off on his floor. Inching over to his door, he pressed his ear against it. No movement inside. He used his keycard on the door, kept one arm behind him, and walked in.

  “Drop it, Tony. Slowly,” Caesar’s voice echoed out from the shadows.

  Tony stilled just inside the doorway. “You know, you’ve got a lot of fucking nerve, subordinate.” He took the step inside and kicked the door shut

  “You’re caught, you fucking traitor.”

  “That’s a big accusation coming from the idiot that just fucked up his last assignment.” Tony searched for him in the darkness, and saw the shadow of Caesar’s figure in front of him and just to the right.

  “Save it,” Caesar snapped. “I knew it had to be you when Kayla reported that Leone told us Simone’s going to blow the underground bases. What she knows she could have only gotten from you, or your brother.”

  “You’re poin
ting a gun at a member of the Illuminati. You better think real hard about what you’re doing. Drop it now, and I’ll think about asking them not to feed you to the Greys.” Tony took one step forward, keeping his gun hand slightly behind his back.

  “No, I’m pointing a gun at a traitor to his God. Drop the act. I knew you’d find the bug on your balcony, that’s why I put one on the roof.” Tony could hear the smug smile in Caesar’s tone. “You can imagine what I have recorded. And I know that all the information we’ve been collecting from the triplets HI-MENS are going to a dummy server. Enlil isn’t getting any of those reports is he?”

  Fuck, Tony thought. This would be a big kink in the plan. Caesar had to die before he told anyone else. “You know what, Caesar, you were a real lousy agent. I bet you can’t use that weapon, either.” He didn’t remain standing to find out. Tony dropped to the floor, whipping his arm around him and fired at Caesar, just as Caesar’s bullet lodged itself into the door where Tony’s head had been. Tony’s bullet didn’t miss, though. He heard Caesar grunt and fall to the floor.

  “Fuckin’ mook.” Tony clambered to his feet, walking through his dark house and over to Caesar’s motionless form. Tony kicked his gun away, pointed the muzzle down at Caesar’s face, and was about to put one in his temple, when Caesar’s eyes suddenly sprang open. He kicked Tony’s legs out from underneath him. Tony released a startled grunt as he landed on his back. He brought his gun up again, only to feel something that felt suspiciously like a needle stab into his calf. Three seconds later, he couldn’t feel a thing, and he couldn’t move, either.

  Caesar stood over Tony, smirking. He pulled apart his shirt, exposing the Kevlar underneath. “You really thought you were going to win, didn’t you?”

  §

  December 11, 2012 - 12:12 PM

  Somewhere in Egypt

  Terenzio Compound

  Caleb jogged down the corridors until he reached the veranda doors off the kitchen. Throwing them open, his gaze centered on Simone’s back. He walked quickly up to her and touched her shoulder. “Madame President? You’ve got a video conference call. They found Isabella.”

  Simone tensed. It felt like a very long time since Caleb had touched her. His words spurred her into quick action, though. “Is she all right?” Simone asked as she followed him back into the house.

  Caleb’s brows drew together. “No. She escaped Alcyone Island in Kyle’s old seaplane. It ran out of gas about twenty miles from Cape Verde. Someone, maybe our friends from our air fight, found her and hid her until word could get to Xavier. He had her moved to a more secure location. It’s a goddamn miracle she survived the crash, and she was unconscious for a few days. She’s awake now, but she’s in rough condition. Real rough.”

  Simone had always been fond of Aunt Isabella. She’d always felt a very strong connection to the woman, and after her little past life regression session, she understood why. Those past connections deepened her affection, and now would heighten her pain when Isabella died. Simone rubbed her fingers against her temple, frowning deeply. She was tired of loss.

  Caleb pushed open the doors to the security room. Vasco and Lucien were already there. He hadn’t been terribly close to Isabella this lifetime, but that didn’t matter anymore than it had with Christopher. Caleb had grieved that loss privately.

  On the central screen was Isabella’s face. She looked beaten up, beyond exhausted, yet triumphant. Simone’s brows pinched, and she struggled to get control of the expression on her face as he walked past Caleb and over to her brothers.

  “Xavier has the journal. It’s on its way to you,” Isabella said.

  “Thank you for getting it,” Vasco said. That was no small thing. If Kayla or any of the others had gotten their hands on it first, checkmate might not occur.

  “No thanks needed, Vasco. I’m glad to go out this way. Though Christopher might have crashed with more finesse.” There was a mixture of sadness and amusement in Isabella’s aged eyes.

  “Do you need anything, Aunt Isabel? Can we do anything for you?” Lucien asked, his voice cracking slightly.

  “Win.” Isabella smiled and closed her eyes. “Just win.”

  “You bet your ass we’re going to win,” Simone said, coming to stand next to Vasco. He and Lucien nodded in agreement.

  Isabella’s gaze snapped open, and her smile deepened. “I imagine that you’re very much like mother used to be when she was younger.”

  “I’ve drawn a few comparisons,” Simone said softly.

  “You don’t know what it meant, to Christopher and I, to see you two again before it all ended. Even if you look different.” Isabella gazed at Simone, and then lifted her eyes to Caleb. “Sorry about the plane. Dad.”

  Caleb gave Isabella a trembling smile. “Frankly, Bell,” he said, using the nickname that Kyle had for his daughter, “I’m surprised you didn’t crash it sooner.”

  Simone pressed her fingers against her mouth, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. Isabella laughed, but the motion caused her face to quickly contort with pain. She took a few deep breaths to work through it, and then dropped her head back against the pillows. “We missed the two of you so much when you left. To watch Caleb look at you, Simone, the way Dad use to look at mom, it just reminded us what we were fighting for.”

  Caleb couldn’t find his voice, so he smiled. Simone lost the battle and the tears came, sliding silently down her cheeks. She didn’t look back at Caleb, but kept her gaze on Isabella. “I’m glad we could give that to you.”

  Isabella suddenly looked more alert. Frowning, her gaze darted between Simone and Caleb. “Oh, for God’s sake, you two can’t possibly be playing that game.”

  Vasco refrained from comment, though he did slide his sister a sideways glance. He was not surprised when she ignored him. “We’ve got a job to do right now, Isabella,” Simone said quietly.

  “There’s always a goddamn job to do. You and Dad died together doing a job.” Isabella threw a hand up in the air. She set the full force of her gaze on Simone. “The past is just a memory. The future hasn’t even gotten here yet. The only thing that’s real is the now. Why are you wasting it?”

  “Because she wouldn’t be Simone or Lil if she wasn’t sabotaging herself,” Lucien said, sniffling as he glanced over at his sister.

  Simone didn’t bother shooting Lucien a murderous glare. She was too busy being proud, and heartbroken, and terrified that everyone was right. “Lil was very proud of you. And I’m so lucky to have gotten to know you this lifetime, too.” She smiled through her tears. “I love you, Aunt Isabella.”

  Isabella’s eyes shone wetly. “Regret hurts more than loss. Remember that.” Thoughts of John, briefly took up space in her mind. Kayla had shot him as they were trying to escape. Swallowing back her own tears, Isabella pushed the thought away so she could smile at Simone. “And I love you, too. You, too, Caleb.”

  Caleb swallowed hard, searching for his voice. “Kick ass and take names your next lifetime, too, Bell. Your mother wasn’t the only one who was proud, and I love you, too.”

  “Sir, that’s time. We’ve got to terminate the connection per Mr. Xavier Zhane’s instructions,” said one of the Security officers.

  Vasco nodded. “Try and hang on, Aunt Isabella. Your son is on his way.”

  Isabella smiled. “I’ll wait for him. Good luck, you three.” Without lingering any longer, Isabella pressed the button to terminate the connection on her end. It would be the last time they saw her.

  Caleb cleared his throat. “Excuse me.” Turning on his heel, he quickly left the room.

  Simone continued to stare at the blank screen, biting her bottom lip as the tears ran down her cheeks.

  Lucien dragged his hands over his face. “I really can’t wait until we end this.”

  “Me too, brother,” Vasco said quietly.

  Lucien looked over at Simone and nudged her with his shoulder. “Isabel was right, yah know.”

  Simone closed her eyes, slowly
shaking her head. “What’s the point of getting close to someone if you’re just going to lose them?”

  “Loss sucks, Si, but it comes with the territory. Besides, our remembering past lives proves that we don’t really lose anything. Apparently, we get to do it all over again, anytime we want to,” Lucien said.

  Simone’s face pinched as she wrapped her arms around herself. “That doesn’t change the now.”

  Lucien glanced over at Vasco, and Vasco stepped closer to his sister. “You were right about me, about last lifetime, and this one. Well, semi-right. There’s no denying that SVT loved himself and his ego, but we loved other people, too.”