by L. T. Ryan
"Where are you staying?" Gianna asked. "I'll give you a ride."
Jack looked at his watch. Eleven at night. "Where's the nearest hotel?"
Her eyebrows rose high into her forehead. "You won't be able to get a room now."
Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders. "I'll be OK."
"Nonsense, you come stay with me tonight."
13
Gianna's small car sped through the country road leading away from town. Jack barely fit in the passenger seat. His knees pressed into the dash and his feet were standing up on the tips of his toes.
"How much further?" he asked.
"Not enjoying my company?" she asked. “Almost there,” she added.
Jack followed her outstretched finger and spotted a small light. As they got closer he recognized it as a porch light.
Gianna pulled the car onto a gravel driveway and stopped next to the house.
Jack followed her inside.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"Always," Jack said.
She led him into her small kitchen. An old fashioned fridge took up one corner. A bare countertop with a sink in the middle ran the length of the wall. At the end of the counter was a small two-burner stove. Jack sat down at a narrow wooden kitchen table.
Gianna grabbed two glasses and placed them on the table. She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of red wine. She opened the bottle and poured a glass for herself and a glass for Jack.
"It's homemade," she said.
Jack sniffed the wine. Strong. He took a sip. The taste matched the smell. He fought to hold back his reaction. “That code for smelly feet wine?”
She placed an assortment of meat and a roll on a plate in front of him. "Eat," she said.
She talked. Jack listened. He ate. They both drank.
"I need to make a phone call," Jack said after finishing his sandwich. "Is there anywhere I can get some privacy?"
"Checking in with the wife?" Gianna asked.
Jack smiled and said nothing.
Gianna frowned and pointed at a white door just past the kitchen.
Jack stepped outside. Looked around. Completely deserted. He took out his new cell phone and called Pierre.
Pierre answered the phone. "Who's this?"
"Jack."
"Jesus Christ, Jack. What the hell happened today?"
"You tell me, Pierre."
"What do you mean?"
"The damn police showed up. How do you explain that?"
"I can't."
"Wait a minute. Pierre, why’d you ask me what happened?"
"Your face is on TV. Again. But this time in conjunction with three missing politicians from Russia."
"Two politicians, one General," Jack said.
"Whatever."
"So who's behind this?"
"Hold on, the deckhand is talking."
Jack could hear the sound of the TV in the background, but the voice was muffled.
"What's he saying?" Jack asked.
"Said he doesn't know what happened. He bumped his head and when he came to, everyone, including you, was gone."
"Good," Jack said. "I threatened his family's life."
"Not very nice."
"Sue me."
"So if it wasn't me,” Pierre said, “and it wasn't him, that only leaves Oscar."
"How well do you know Oscar?" Jack asked.
"We've used him many times. But, there is always a risk--"
"Don't tell me about risks. Just tell me what you are going to do to clean this up."
"It's a touchy situation, Jack. We can control the media to a point, but this took place at sea. That's why our operatives didn't get involved. It adds a whole other dynamic."
The door opened. Jack looked up and saw Gianna standing in the doorway.
"Everything OK?" she asked. "You were yelling."
Jack covered the phone. "Yeah, I'll be right in." He put the phone back to his ear. "I gotta go."
"I heard," Pierre said.
"It's not what you think," Jack said.
"I'm sure."
"Screw you. Fix this."
Jack hung up the phone and lit a cigarette. He stared at dark night sky littered with sparkling stars. Missing. That's all they had at this point.
Jack walked through the doorway into an empty kitchen.
"Hello?" he called out.
"In here."
He left the kitchen and made his way into the main living room. Gianna sat in a chair wearing a black and red shimmering robe. On the table in front of her sat another bottle of wine and two half-full glasses.
"Have a drink," she said.
Jack sat down across from her. He picked up his wineglass and finished it off.
"What's the rush?" she asked. She rose to her feet. The robe slipped open from her neck to just under her belly button. She made no attempt to close it. She leaned over the table and picked up the bottle of wine. Jack watched as her ample breasts fought against the robe, forcing it open a bit more. She leaned forward and refilled his glass. She stood up, one hand on the bottle, the other on the red drawstring that kept her robe closed from her waist down.
Jack slammed his drink.
Gianna pulled the drawstring. The knot untied and her robe fell open.
Jack sat back in his chair.
She placed one knee next to his leg and leaned over him. Lifted her other leg and sat her knee outside of his other leg.
Jack leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He felt her lips brush against his and then he drifted away into unconsciousness.
Jack opened his eyes and checked his watch. It read four in the morning. He sat on the couch alone and fully clothed. A folded piece of paper with his name on it sat on the table. He opened it. It read, "Sorry you passed out so soon. Coffee is in the pot, just hit start. -G."
He got up and looked down the hallway. The door to her room was closed. He turned and went to the kitchen. Started the coffee pot. He checked the fridge and grabbed a pear. He recalled the map on the wall in the bar. Brugnato. The town had a train station and was only ten miles away. He didn't know the location of Gianna's house, though. He remembered a GPS unit on the dash of her car. He stepped through the back door into the chilly morning air and opened the car door. The GPS sat on the dash, just as he remembered. He turned on the device and panned the display out. The town was a little less than ten miles away.
He checked his watch again. Four-thirty. Only ten thirty at night in New York. He dialed fast and from memory.
"Hello?" the old man answered.
"It's Jack."
"Mr. Jack, how are you this evening?"
"Cut the shit. Where is he?"
"Italy," the old man said. "A town called Ameglia."
Jack said nothing. He punched the town name into the GPS. He smiled at the result. Ameglia was barely twenty miles from his location.
"Thanks," Jack said. "I'll be in touch."
He hung up the phone and went back inside, taking the GPS with him. He poured a cup of coffee, sat at the table and began sketching a map. He was roughly six or seven miles from La Spezia, a city about halfway between him and Charles. He'd travel there. Get a room and wait for Bear.
Jack grabbed a travel mug from a cabinet and another pear from the fridge. He stepped through the back door once again. Returned the GPS to Gianna's car and walked down the gravel driveway to the road.
Jack passed a tiny sign that read La Spezia. Checked his watch. Seven-thirty in the morning. He kept his head down as he stepped out of the woods and into town. He followed Via Sauro for half a mile, then made a right on Via Roma and walked another quarter mile. He stopped in front of the Hotel Astoria, a cream colored four story brick building that occupied about half a block.
Two hanging lanterns marked the entrance. He stepped through the door and walked up to the woman behind the desk. Her gold plated name tag said Jemma. Short brown hair framed her narrow face. Her nose looked a tad too wide. She had wide
set brown eyes and a thin upper lip.
"Ciao, posso aiutarti?" Jemma said.
"Sorry," Jack said. "My Italian is very rusty. I know you said hello--"
Jemma smiled. "Yes sir, no problem. How may I help you?"
"I'd like a room for a week." He looked at the sign over the desk. It stated check-in time began at two-thirty. "Do you have a room I can check into now?"
Jemma looked down at her computer. "I do have a room available for a week, and it is unoccupied right now." She typed some more, then leaned over the counter. "They really don't allow early check-in, sir."
Jack placed fifty euros on the counter and looked back over his shoulder at the door.
"Of course, what are rules for if not to break them?" she said.
He turned his head and the money was gone. He smiled.
"Do you have ID?" she asked.
"Stolen," Jack said.
Jemma sat up straight and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Name?"
"Smith. Mitch Smith."
It didn't matter.
"How will you be paying Mr. Smith?"
He pulled out a wad of euros.
"The total for the week is one thousand euros."
Jack counted out the money and laid it on the counter.
Jemma took it and tucked it into an envelope. She opened a drawer and pulled out two plastic cards, ran them through a machine and handed them to Jack. "Fourth floor, room 412. We have an indoor pool and exercise facilities on the first floor. You would walk past the elevators and turn right at the first hallway. Did you travel by car?"
"No." He tucked the green key cards into his pocket and walked to the elevator lobby.
He called Bear from his room.
"Jack?"
"Yeah. How's Clarissa?"
"Should be out of here in a couple days."
"Can you move her sooner?"
"Why?" Bear asked.
"Seen the news? Apparently my face is all over it."
"Yeah, I heard. You think our friend is behind it?"
"I dunno what to think right now. He says he isn't, but you know."
"What does he have to gain by setting you up?"
"Money?"
Bear laughed. "Risky gamble there."
"Find out when she can leave. Pay someone extra to bump the date up. I'm in Italy. La Spezia."
"Train run through there?"
"Yeah."
Jack hung up and placed the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. He stepped out onto a narrow balcony that overlooked the small town toward the sea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes Sal gave him.
I really need to quit smoking.
14
Clarissa stared out the window as the train pulled away from the Aulla station.
"Almost there," Bear said.
She smiled through the pain. Her chest hurt like hell. The stitches pulled every time she moved. But she was alive. Very lucky, the doctors told her, that the bullet missed her lung and all major arteries. It passed right through. Her head hitting the wall caused a concussion and was the reason she didn't wake up for nearly five days. None of that mattered today, though. She'd see Jack soon. She’d feel his arms wrap around her and hold her tight.
Bear briefed her on the situation during the ride through France. Jack had to lay low and it would be for the best if they all did.
"How long will we stay here?" she asked.
"A week, maybe longer," Bear said.
"What's special about this place? Wouldn't it be safer to head to Corsica or Sicily, maybe even southern Italy?"
"Probably." Bear paused and scratched at the growth of hair on his face. "But we got something to take care of near here."
Clarissa nodded and turned back toward the window. The lush, mountainous terrain kept her mind off of the pain in her chest. The scenery soon gave way to the outskirts of La Spezia.
"We're here," Bear said.
She lifted her head from the glass window and turned to face him.
"You know where we need to go?" she asked.
Bear pulled out his phone and punched at the front of it. He held it up, facing her. "Just need to follow that red line and we'll be at the hotel in about half an hour."
The train came to a stop. A voice came over the speaker, first in Italian, then in French, and finally in English. Time to depart.
Clarissa stood and reached for her bag. Bear snatched it before she had a chance to grab it.
"No way are you carrying this," Bear said.
She nudged against him. Who needed family with guys like Bear and Jack around?
They entered the Hotel Astoria from the street and walked up to the front counter. Clarissa smiled at the woman and turned to face the door.
Bear did all the talking.
"Room for a week, please," he said to the woman.
"Yes sir," she said. "ID?"
Bear bumped against Clarissa as he reached into his pocket. She heard something hit the counter and assumed it was his ID.
"Mr. Schlater, I have a room on the fourth floor for you. The charge will be one thousand euros. How will you be paying?"
Clarissa looked over at Bear and watched as he placed a credit card on the counter. The woman tapped on her keyboard and clicked on her mouse. A few moments later Bear handed Clarissa a green key card to their room.
"Room 422," the woman said.
Clarissa walked to the elevator as the woman gave Bear the rest of the speech. She tuned it out and pressed the up button. The elevator doors opened. She stepped in, turned, and pressed the button labeled four. She looked at her reflection in the gold tinted mirrored elevator door. She quickly brushed her hair with her fingers, tucking one side of her long auburn hair behind her ear. She straightened out her clothes.
The doors opened. Clarissa stepped into the hall and found her way to Jack's room. She bit her bottom lip, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She heard footsteps approaching. Her stomach turned to knots as the door latch clicked.
Jack turned the handle and pulled the door open. His lips broadened into a smile at the sight of Clarissa. He stepped into the doorway and took her in his arms. Pulled her close. Held her tight.
She winced.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked.
"It's OK," she replied.
He placed both hands on her hips and stared into her blue eyes.
They said nothing.
He slid a hand up her side, around her back and settled it on the side of her face. He leaned in. Their lips met. Her hands wrapped around his broad shoulders and ran through his hair. Her nails scratched lightly on his neck.
"Break it up," Bear called from outside the room.
The two separated, smiling at one another.
"I've been waiting so long for that," Clarissa said softly.
Jack winked, led her inside and returned to the door to wait for Bear.
"Look like shit, Jack," Bear said.
Jack laughed and followed Bear into the room. Clarissa sat on the edge of the bed watching TV. Jack and Bear sat at the small table in the corner.
"What's the plan?" Bear asked.
"Lay low a few more days. Then we take down Charles."
Clarissa turned toward them. "I want to be there."
Jack shook his head. "No."
"Like hell no," she said. "You know that sonovabitch is the reason I was in the hospital. The reason my face still has these bruises."
Jack lowered his head. Rubbed his temples. He looked to Bear for guidance.
Bear shrugged.
Who are we to stop her?
"OK," Jack said. "You do exactly as we say."
"When are we gonna do this?" Bear asked.
"Friday night."
"Where?"
"Close to here."
"C'mon Jack."
"Sorry. Everything has gone wrong this week. No point in screwing this up too."
15
Jack unfolded a small map of northwest Italy on the s
mall table in his hotel room. He pointed to Ameglia.
"There," he said. "That's where Charles is."
"Not far from here," Bear said. "Taking the train?"
"I want you to find where to rent a car and get one big enough for the three of us. I'll call the old man and get the latest on Charles."
"Got it." Bear left the room.
"You going to be OK?" Jack asked Clarissa.
"Is there some reason I wouldn't be?"
"You know, I just --"
"You need to stop babying me," she said. "I can handle myself."
Jack threw his arms up. "It's just been a rough couple weeks. I don't want anything else to happen to you."
"You can't worry about that. It'll screw everything up."
He nodded. He would screw everything up if he constantly worried about her safety.
Shut it down, Jack. Just shut it down.
Clarissa stepped in front of him. Put her arms around his shoulders. She stared into his eyes. "We've got a while before Bear gets back, you know."
Jack lifted her arms and gently pushed her away. "I have to make some calls."
He slipped through the door at the end of the room and stepped onto the balcony. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number in the US.
"Hello?" a tired voice said.
"It's Jack. This you?"
"Mr. Jack, why are you calling me at five-thirty in the morning?"
"It's not five-thirty here. Almost noon. What's the latest on our friend?"
"He's in the same place. He eats dinner every night at a little place called Rosalita's. Gets there around six in the evening, stays until ten or eleven."
"How do you know this?" Jack asked.
"His right hand man, Alonso. He's still loyal to me. He has orders to let you through."
"Shit," Jack said. "How do you know this guy isn't double crossing you?"
The old man laughed. "After all these years, you still underestimate me Mr. Jack." The old man paused. "I have his wife and daughter. They are being held. Safely. Here at my place."
"Got it." Jack stared out over the town, into the sea. "This is it. I'm done after this one."
The old man didn't say anything.
"I'm serious," Jack said.