by K. A. Lange
“It was something Galvez told me just before he died.”
“I was just a few feet away cutting through his restraints!” Gregory snapped as he threw his hands up. “I didn’t hear anything other than the fact he hated you! Care to try again?”
Closing my eyes I shrugged my shoulders as I knew the next words out of my mouth were going to sound completely ludicrous. “Have you ever watched Star Trek?”
He started laughing as he leaned back in his seat thinking I was obviously making some type of joke. “Everyone’s seen Star Trek at some point in their life. What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“I am just trying to find a frame of reference for you.” No matter how this came out it would always sound much cooler in my head.
“Remember when Galvez grabbed me?” Gregory nodded silently waiting for the punch line. “Well for conversations sake let’s just say he performed the Vulcan Mind Meld.”
Gregory’s face contorted into a mass of confusion as he continued to snicker. “You’re kidding me right?” Realization sank in and Gregory shook his head as he sat up straight. “You don’t expect me to believe that do you?”
“Not believing in something doesn’t make it any less true.” I intoned. “The fact is, he was dying and before he passed he shared some of his memories with me.” Opening my door to get out I shrugged helplessly. “That’s how I found out about George.”
Gregory whistled. “Damn, things are never easy with you are they?”
Thinking about that for a moment I shook my head. He of course was correct. “I suppose they’re not.” The good things never are! Giving him a reassuring smile I closed the car door. “At least its never dull when I’m around.”
Gregory rolled down his window as I walked around. He was chuckling to himself as he shook his head in disbelief. “I could use a little less excitement in my life.”
“Then you moved to the wrong city my friend.”
“I guess I did...” Gregory put the car in gear but kept his foot on the break. “So do you have any other shit job you want me to do now that I’m your lackey?”
“Sorry about that.” I blushed as he waved my apology away. Everything I found is in the file.”
Gregory took his foot off the break when I tapped my hand against his door. “There is one last little detail I might have forgotten to tell you.” I really had forgotten. “Creepy George, as I have taken to calling him, thinks we are killing off his creepy perverted buddies.” His face went ashen as shock set in. “I’m sure once he heals up a little he will want some payback.”
“That’s one hell of an afterthought there boss.” Gregory grumbled.
“If it makes you feel any better it would be more accurate to say he believes I am killing his pervy little friends.” I smiled as I threw up my shoulders.
“Actually that does make me feel better!” He turned his head to check if anyone had pulled in behind him. “Do you need me to assign some guards...”
“You remember I own a heavily armed security firm right?” I rolled my eyes and waved as he drove off.
Walking through the side doors I noticed the office was abuzz with people and tension filled the air. Justine waved me over to reception. “Yes, Justine?” I rubbed my neck wanting nothing more than to go upstairs to take a shower and maybe catch a nap.
“You might want to go see Ms Katherine.” Justine nodded her head in the direction of the second story balcony. “She is rather intent on seeing you right away.”
Crap! Katherine was here to give me a hard time about Kira’s assignment. After how my morning had gone so far I could only guess at her mood. “Thanks Justine.”
“Should I send security by to check on you in twenty?” Justine smirked.
I wasn’t sure if she were kidding or not as I shrugged off the suggestion. “That shouldn’t be necessary.”
“You’re funeral, sir.” Justine snickered as she turned her attention to the papers on her desk. “She’s in rare form today.”
When isn’t she, I thought as I made my way up the stairs. Katherine was leaning against the door frame ,dressed in a well tailored blue suit. The jacket hugged her every curve accentuating her assets, while the pencil skirt was cut just above the knee with a slit on the right thigh showing just a little skin. She had beautiful long legs and a perfectly shaped behind and very nice hips. Her waist was narrow which only exaggerated her feminine features. Today the delicate features of her face showed a storm cloud of emotions. She was one of those women everyone loved to hate because no matter how she dressed or what mood she is in she was always flawlessly beautiful.
She gave me a curt nod as I topped the stairs. “Viktor...”
Guessing from her gravelly tone she was past anger and well into furious. Giving her a polite nod as I closed the distance between us I leaned in and gave her a quick hug. “Good afternoon Katherine and to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?” I opened the door to the office as quickly as I could so we could have our little talk in private or more accurately I would listen to her rant until she ran out of steam.
No sooner had I shut the door her verbal attack started. “What the hell are you doing sending my daughter out on her own?” She turned suddenly as she pointed one of her perfectly manicured nails in my direction. “You didn’t even ask my permission!”
Making my way around to my chair I was getting really fucking tired of people wanting me to ask for their permission before I did something well within my rights. Turning on her I let my anger spill over as it washed across the room like a wave. “What is it with everyone thinking I need to ask their permission before I make any sort of decisions?”
“Don’t you dare compare me to Leonard!” She stormed toward as she held out her hand tightly wrapped around something. “How dare you make light of this situation?”
It occurred to me that we were suddenly onto a new subject. What it was I had no idea but I was sure it had happened. “I’m sorry, did I miss something because I have no idea what you are talking about?”
Katherine tossed a thumb drive across the desk at me. “Everyone received this before lunch today!” She pointed at it as she glared at me. “What the hell did you get mixed up in Viktor?”
Grabbing the USB drive and inserting it into my computer I opened the video file. To my surprise I saw the surveillance video of me landing hard on Royal followed by me shooting Creepy George before giving chase. “Viktor?” Katherine growled.
Watching the video play out I had nearly forgot Katherine was in the room with me. Tearing my eyes away from the screen I looked at Katherine. “Please take a seat.” She did so reluctantly. “I sent Kira out on a babysitting errand.” Clicking the mouse I paused the video. “She is safer out of town right now.” Gesturing at the still shot on my computer to emphasize the point. “As you can see there are presently some bad people in town.”
Katherine’s face relaxed as she lost steam. “So she’s safe?” The look in her eyes pleaded for reassurance.
“She’s safer than she would be here.” Sitting back in my chair I gave her a broad smile. “You forget more often than not that she is my daughter too.”
Katherine squirmed at the comment as she blushed. “She’s my baby girl and I don’t like to share.”
“Obviously!” One thing about my ex-wife is that she is honest to a fault, especially when it worked to her advantage. “She’s my baby girl too and you should remember that the next time you want to storm in here and tear me a new ass.”
She wrung her hands as she blushed further. “When I worry I get angry.” She shrugged a little, and what she said next seemed to cost her something deep inside. “You’re an easy target. It’s alright to be angry with you or at least that’s what I tell myself most days.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just forgive me for whatever you think I might have done wrong?” I leaned forward placing my elbows on the desk with my face in my hands. “It got old before we got divorced. Now its j
ust annoying.”
“You don’t understand!” She growled.
“Until I know what you think I did, I never will.” I glared at her, furious we had fallen back into old habits so quickly. “Look, it doesn’t matter anymore. I need to find out where Kira is before I go home and clean up.”
“They’re in Texas as of an hour ago.” She shrugged. “Kira wanted me to let you know she should have this Owen person sometime around midnight if all goes well.”
It was the first bit of good news I’d had today. Allowing myself to relax a little as I leaned back in my chair. I didn’t want to fight anymore, especially with Katherine. Kira was safe and that was all I cared about. “You could have started the conversation with that.”
“If I had you wouldn’t have just walked out after I told you? I know that I would have!” Katherine smirked.
“I’m not fighting with you anymore.” I stood stretching as I did so. “I’m serious. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever again. I’m done.”
“She only works here to be close to you!” Katherine growled. “She worships you.” She stood as she stormed towards me. “You stole her from me!”
So that’s what she has been angry about all these years. “I’ve tried to convince her to do anything else.” I stood my ground as Katherine seethed before me. “Why else would she have so many degrees if I didn’t try to keep her in school to give her options.”
Katherine poked me in my chest, her nails sharp and painful. “She wouldn’t even consider anything else...”
“You know I’ve tried to keep her safe, but if she is going to be in harms way at least working here I can protect her.” I put my hands gently on her shoulders as tears welled up in her eyes.
Tears ran down her face as her voice trembled. “I know you try to keep her safe.” She sniffled. “I’m her mother and I worry about her is all. I’m scared she won’t need me anymore.”
I smiled at her as I pulled her close. “She doesn’t.”
“Ass...” Katherine chuckled.
“Just Kidding. You’re her mother and she will always need you.” I consoled her. “But she eventually had to go out on her own.”
“I just wish it had waited another decade or three when I wouldn’t be around to watch.” Katherine wiped her face across my shirt.
“What the hell woman?” I pushed her back as I looked at my shirt. “Did you really just wipe your nose on me?”
She shrugged and laughed. “What if I did?”
“Then you’re washing it for me.” I grabbed my jacket.
“Not in my washer, I’m not!” Just look at you! You’re covered in blood and god knows what else.” She grabbed her purse. “I will wash at your place or I won’t wash at all!”
She looped her arm through mine as we walked out of the office and down the stairs. I was much too tired to drive anywhere and thankfully my condo was less than half a block away. The real estate developer tried to convince me the sixth story flat was the penthouse. I for one think a building needs more than six floors to have a penthouse, but I bought the entire building anyway. My apartment consisted of the entire floor. Can we say very happy real estate agent?
Chapter 11
November 30th
It was just before midnight when I woke, Katherine naked form sleeping soundly next to me. Not wanting to wake her I took my time to slowly slip out of bed unnoticed. Looking down at her I realized that old habits die hard. We hadn’t been married for nearly a decade yet familiarity and a few glasses of wine... well let’s just say this wasn’t unexpected. Even though we were both single, we just weren’t compatible for the long run. Not that we hadn’t tried. While we loved each other, it wasn’t enough. Our personalities clashed during our marriage in such a way that it became unhealthy to stay together. So we parted ways amicably, mostly anyway. While it was wonderful to be with her again we both knew it was nothing more than a physical release.
We both wanted more out of our lives than the occasional tryst. While temporarily enjoyable, it was less than satisfying. To find someone who completed us in such a way that we were content with our lives was the ultimate goal. We were many things when we were together; content was not one of them. In my mind I had a romantic notion of one day finding a woman that I could not only love but also completed me in such a way that I was content with my life.
It was a dream that motivated me to get out of bed some mornings, to actually find a woman who would still love me even after she got to know me. Someone who met me as an equal in all facets of life, emotionally stable and content with who she was. Contentment isn’t the dirty word everyone tells you it is. Being content allows you to maintain normalcy in your life without the manic highs and lows of most relationships. Contentment was the one thing that has always eluded me throughout my long embattled existence and the one thing I longed for almost more than life itself.
Wrestling myself from my reverie I grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt on the way out of the room, tugging them on as I went. Stopping in the kitchen I grabbed a drink before heading to the far end of the apartment to my sanctuary. It was a museum and library all rolled into one large room which occupied a full third of my sixth floor apartment. Books lined the shelved walls throughout the room. The shelves were intermittently separated by archaic weapons or armor, jeweled boxes or some other item I had admired over the years and added to my collection. The center of the room contained a large fire pit that burned twenty four/seven thanks to the modern wonders of natural gas. Around the pit were several overstuffed wing chairs with side tables. There were other chairs and tables strategically placed throughout the room when I wanted to work and not get lost in memories.
Passing through the maze of shelving I stopped when I found the book ‘The Lost Chronicles’ which I promptly opened. It was no longer just a book, but now had a tablet hidden inside of a book that I hadn’t really cared for. Unlocking the screen and entering the access code I waited for the marker to show me the way to the safe hidden in the room. The safe was on a hiddenconveyer belt which looped through all the shelves in the room constantly moving, only stopping when the proper code was entered. It would then be shunted to the nearest access point. I knew that it was a particularly useless security feature when I designed it but it amused me.
While waiting for the metal safe to appear I picked up an old battle axe that had seen better days. The aged wood handle was cracked, the once sharp edge was nicked and chipped from use in battle. Holding it tightly, I felt the wood shaft creak as it objected to being called into service again. Smiling I placed it reverently back on the shelf letting it rejoice in its well deserved retirement. Turning my attention to the safe I entered the digital combination and waited as the door slowly opened. Pushing a few leather bound tomes aside I pulled a black velvet bag from the safe’s dark recesses. After closing the safe door it soon vanished from view to continue its never ending journey.
The bag was warm to the touch as I made my way through the room to the fire pit. I sat down and leaned back in the overstuffed leather wing chair taking solace from the glowing flames before I opened pandora’s box. Pulling the side table around in front of me I carefully coaxed the contents out of the bag and onto the wooden surface before me. It appeared to be a beautifully cut teardrop twenty four carat diamond that was utterly flawless, gently rocking back and forth on the hard surface of the table for a few moments before coming to rest on one of the thousands of facets.
Tilting my head slightly I admired its beauty as it glowed a deep cobalt blue. Today not only was it glowing but strange symbols seemed to boil to the surface as if trying to escape. Over the years I had spent untold hours gazing at its normally transparent glittering surface, only to change about a year ago just before the MRI. The only way to describe the symbols were to compare them to the runes J.R.R. Tolkien made famous on the covers of his books, except these were more pronounced and lavish than anything I’d seen.
Try as I might I couldn’t resist the urge to ho
ld it in my hands. Stretching my hand out I slowly wrapped my fingers around its smooth warm surface. Warmth flooded my body as I pressed it hard against my palm. Involuntarily closing my eyes I slipped back in my chair as a sense of comfort and well being overwhelm my senses. Something on the outer edges of what I knew to be reality tugged at my consciousness. Suddenly causing me to panic, I tried to release my grip on the stone. It was then I realized that my body had betrayed me, as it refused to obey even the simplest of commands! I was paralyzed, sitting upright and blind and thoroughly helpless.
A voice boomed beside me. “I can’t have you releasing the stone just yet.” Pain wracked my mind. I desperately wanted to clap my hands over my ears to block out the booming voice, barely understanding the words that seemed several decibels too loud. “My apologies, I have slept for far too long.” Came the deep baritone voice at a more reasonable level.
After a few seconds of uselessly scanning the room hoping for some sign of my new visitor I gave myself over to the universe and accepted whatever fate was about to be dealt. As the words formed in my mind I could hear them spoken aloud. “I suppose good morning is in order?” I sounded calmer than I thought I would. “It would seem I am at a disadvantage as I don’t know who you are.”
“Ah yes where are my manners?” The voice cleared his throat dramatically. “I’m Mir, humble servant of the Allfather and you would be...” He hummed as he seemed to be lost in thought.
“My name is Viktor...” I responded.
“No, no that’s not it...” Mir replied. “Don’t worry dear boy I’ll remember your name sooner or later.”
“I don’t mean to sound rude but who are you and what are you doing in my house?” I tried to keep the anger out of my thoughts. Nothing like being in the dark and paralyzed to bring out the more polite and well mannered me.
“Oh my...” Mir started as he sounded nervous. “It would seem that we’re off on the wrong foot already.”