by RT Lucas
“An how dae ye figure that oot, Einstein?” Shuggie put the glass to his lips, but still didn’t drink.
“Cos I’m the all-knowing, fuck handsome son of a bitch, that’s why,” Xavier stated plainly, “and cos I know you of old, Highlander – that female makes you happier than you’ve ever been.”
A resigned sigh emitted from Shuggie’s lips, then he took a sip of scotch before answering. “Ah cannae deny that, Commander. Ah would’ve gave her mah life…”
“Until you found out she nearly took it?”
Shuggie nodded.
“Look asswipe, you know she’s a good person – you know she saves lives and you know she’s a fucking geek who gets wrapped up in her work too easily. Let me tell you about when I met Teo, yeah?” Xavier didn’t wait for a response “You had gotten yourself fucking kidnapped and it took me just over month to find out where you were. I saved your sorry ass and as I was carrying you out over my shoulder, I heard the execution details being finalised for one of their own. Doctor Valdez.” Xavier’s eyebrows raised as he lifted his head.
Shuggie poured himself another drink as he listened. “Aye, so?”
Xavier leaned over and slapped Shuggie on the side of his head. “So – she was going to be used as a living autopsy, they were using the experiments they made her design against her. I rescued her because one look at that face and I knew she was good people Shug – just like you know it, regardless of what she did. You want my opinion…” and Xavier was going to give it whether he wanted to hear or not. “She’s paid for her crimes tenfold by saving our men and both of us countless times. By sticking by us through thick and thin – working without complaint or hesitation. When we lose one of our own, she grieves with us. When we bring someone in half dead and falling to pieces she works fucking miracles and brings them back. Let me ask you something, yeah?”
“Will ah git a chance tae answer – ya fucking blether,” Shuggie gave a wry smirk
“When I was lying in that bay, in a coma and brain dead – did Teo abandon me?”
“Course no.”
“Did she abandon you?”
Shuggie knew where this was going. “Naw she didnae. She comforted me an the youngling an practically worked twenty-four seven tae keep ye stable.”
“So be the Big Man, Shug, tell me what a fucking bitch she is. How she’s a monster and that she’s not the female you damn well fell in love with – go on, tell me.”
Shuggie lowered his head in shame. “Ah cannae.”
Cupping his hand round his ear, Xavier leaned forward “Couldn’t make that out – what was that?”
Shuggie looked back up, his left eye narrowing and his mouth tight. “Ah fuckin’ said ah cannae. A’right? Ah cannae cos ah fuckin’ love the lassie an am mad at masel’ fur being cruel tae her. Ah get it, Xavier – ah fuckin’ gettit.”
“Good, cos if you didn’t I was going to have to resort to hand fucking puppets and interpretive dance if it wasn’t going to go through that thick skull of yours.” Xavier didn’t smirk or grin. There was no victory here or point scoring. He and Shuggie had been through so much shit together that they were brothers. Not ‘like’; not ‘Brothers in Arms’; but as Alicia had said earlier – family. And what hurt Shug, hurt him.
“Fuck aff ya big tumshie.” Shuggie shook his head, returning the smile.
“Jesus Fuck!!” Xavier shouted as he leaned back, his eyes wide.
Looking around him sharply, Shuggie couldn’t see anything that would have alarmed the Commander. “Wit?”
“You actually fucking smiled and your face didn’t crack!” Xavier barked a laugh as he pointed at Shuggie’s face.
Scowling, trying not to laugh Shuggie retorted “Piss aff ya mingin’ mutt – yoo no got a lamp-post tae hump?”
Xavier grinned and in a stealth manoeuvre stole back the bottle of Scotch, his voice serious once more. “Tell you how this is going to fly, yeah? You are going to take over the Russian mission from Hawkeye – a.k.a. One-eye – it should be your job anyway, you need to be the one to tell that female’s family what really happened to her. Besides, it’ll take you away for a couple of weeks – put some time and space between you and Teo. You get your fucking act together and put an end to all this upset. But when you get back – you bring fucking flowers and all that shit with you and you beg that female to take you back. We clear?”
Shuggie nodded once and put his glass down on the floor beside him. “Roger that, Commander.”
“No, you roger your female once you get to the ‘make up sex’, yeah?” to which Xavier collapsed on the bed laughing so hard that the scotch sloshed about in his glass and spilled over the top.
“Durty minded prick.” Shuggie laughed despite himself. He knew that Xavier was right about him being the one to tell Petra’s family of her fate, and of course he was right about a bit of distance between him and Teodora would be a good idea after the past couple of days. His body seemed to start relaxing, and he felt more like himself again. He would win the heart of his geeky lassie, and they would never let the shadow of that hellish Institute come between them again. He just needed time.
“Get the fuck oota here, if ye cannae hold yer drink!”
Xavier sat up, still laughing “Stop being an old woman and pour me some more then, asshole.”
“Yer cruisin’ fur a bruisin’ ya big dobber” Shuggie laughed as he refilled their glasses.
Xavier and Shuggie sat talking, laughing and drinking long into the night until the sun was about to rise. It had been too long since they had a session like that, and they both benefitted from it. It was easy to lose sight of the important things when life became complicated and started getting in the way of things that were taken for granted under different circumstances. And no matter how bad things got – they always had each other’s backs – and knew when to deal out a beating if the other deserved it for being an ass. It had taken a little vampire with a big attitude and bigger heart to bring them all together and realise that they all needed each other, and the importance of family.
As soon as Xavier had left, worse the wear for the scotch and singing loudly as he swayed on unsteady legs to his own quarters, Shuggie packed a bag and gathered the Intel he needed to pay Petra’s family a visit. The sooner that was done, the sooner he could get back and try to sort things out with his Teodora.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
As he unpacked his bags, Shuggie looked around the hotel room. He had to make it light-tight before he did anything – the same routine he followed anywhere he went in the world. He had to stop himself several times from picking up his cell and dialling Teodora’s number. What he had to say to her had to be in person, but he missed her – the sound of her voice, the touch of her hand, the warmth of her smile against his lips.
Once he was satisfied the room was secure, he took out his weapons and sat on the bed taking the guns apart, and cleaning them. He would go to Baranovsky’s mansion tomorrow – as soon as the sun was down.
****
Valentin Baranovsky hadn’t gone out of his bedroom for days – not since Martinez had dropped the bombshell on him about his daughter’s murder and he had still been reeling from Mabel’s attack. He was barely holding onto his sanity as it was.
As he rolled over in his bed, he caught what looked like a shadow out of the corner of his eye. Reaching out, to pull the blankets back, he looked closer and stilled.
“Ah mean ye nae harm.” Shuggie took a step forward, his hands splayed to show he wasn’t a threat to him, seeing the fear in Baranovsky’s eyes.
“Who are you?” Baranovsky sat up, pulling the covers up to his chest as though they were some sort of shield. He was trying to calculate if he would have enough time to reach into the bedside table and retrieve his gun, or if he could shout to alert help.
Realising that the other man was truly rattled, Shuggie reached slowly into his leather biker jacket and then threw one of his guns onto the bed. “Tae prove ah’m no hear tae harm ye.”
It was a show of faith, because what he needed to tell this man was going to bring his world crashing around him, so by giving him his weapon he hoped it would calm him down a little.
Baranovsky gripped the gun, shakily aiming it at the intruder. “What is your business here?” And how could he get in without his guards knowing? He needed new a new security team, because this should not be happening – especially after ‘Mabel’.
“Mah name is Lieutenant Hugh MacAndrew, an ah am here oan behalf o’ mah Commander, Xavier Raige…” Shuggie was about to explain, but the reaction of the man took him off-guard.
“Murdering mother-fucker!” Baranovsky screamed as his finger curled and shot the gun, hitting shuggie on his left shoulder, “You will pay! You will all pay!”
“Fuck!” Shuggie hissed through his teeth as he heard Baranovsky’s guards running towards them. Closing his eyes, he visualised himself duplicating and soon there were twenty ‘Shuggie’s’ outside the door fighting the guards to keep them from entering the room.
“What the hell are you?”
“Ah’m fucking shot is wit ah am! Lower the weapon!”
Against his will, Baranovsky’s hand lowered and Shuggie reached over and took the gun back, the wound in his shoulder already starting to heal.
Shuggie wanted to be honest with this man – after all his family had been through, he deserved honesty. Besides, he knew he would mesmerise him and his men before leaving, so that his secret would be safe from being exposed.
“Ah’m a vampire.”
“I’ve lost my mind. It’s finally happened! My sanity is broken!” Baranovsky rocked back and forth on the bed.
Shuggie felt sorry for the Russian. He knew all too well about thinking you’ve lost your marbles – especially after his fights with Teodora. “Naw, yer fine. I’m a vampire, bit that’s neither here nor there. Ah’m a soldier first an foremost.” Outside it sounded like a battle was raging.
“Look, Baranovsky, ah huv come tae tell ye summit, an there’s nae easy way o’ sayin’ it …”
Baranovsky stared at Shuggie. “My daughter is dead and your Commander was the one who killed her,” His voice was as dead as his eyes.
“...Yer daughter’s de…say what? How the fuck did ye know?” Shuggie pushed his chin back, his hands on his hips as he was interrupted by Baranovsky. “Naw the Commander had fuck aw tae dae wi’ it! It wis Mart…”
“Martinez” Baranovsky interjected
“Aye, Martinez wis…” Shuggie was getting a bit pissed off at the constant interruptions.
“Martinez came here and told me your Commander kidnapped and killed my Petra. He told me what you all did to her.” A shudder ran down Baranovsky’s spine as he tried to push out all the sick images he had in his head.
Shuggie did a double-take. “Shittin’ little lying snake,” he muttered before taking a deep breath. “Look, ah dinnae gie a shite wit that lyin’ bam told ye – he wis tryin’ tae save his oan skin!”
Baranovsky took a few seconds to understand Shuggie’s accent. He didn’t know what to believe – who to trust.
“Belcastro an Martinez, they took yer lass an forced her intae prostitution.” This was something no man should ever hear about his own daughter and Shuggie couldn’t imagine what was going on in his head. “They tortured her an then killed her as a warning tae the others no to try an escape – she wis trying tae get oota there.”
Baranovsky couldn’t hold back the tears. “And how do you know this? If you weren’t involved?”
“Ah wis followin’ them tryin’ tae find oot wit they were up tae. Ah wis too late tae save Petra – they’d killed her before ah could go back an try tae save her. It’s a regret that’ll stay wi’ me aw mah days.” Shuggie’s words were heartfelt.
Baranovsky sunk his head back against his plush headboard. “So Martinez played me? He killed my Petra and lied about it to save himself? How do I know that I can trust you?”
“Well, fur one ah cud huv killed you an all yer men wi’out blinking,” Shuggie stated plainly. “An fur another, ah’d nae reason tae come here otherwise. Ah hud nothing tae gain by lying tae ye – me an the Commander didnae know that Martinez had been feedin’ ye shite.”
It was true, Baranovsky thought. The Greek’s Lieutenant didn’t need to come in person to tell him, but Martinez did have his life at stake when he framed them for his daughter’s murder.
As Shuggie saw Baranovsky put everything together in his head, he left the room and mind-swiped the Guards so that they wouldn’t remember any intrusion, gun shots or fighting. Returning back to Baranovsky, he forced him to look into his eyes as he mesmerised him to only remember being contacted at a pre-arranged meeting with him, and finding out that Martinez had lied and that he had killed Petra.
Shuggie recalibrated his ‘versions’ back into his body, and flashed back to his hotel. Once the dust had settled, he would let the Commander liaise with Baranovsky – between them they could decide the best way to get their revenge on Martinez. All he wanted to do now was get a deathsleep and then head back home, to make things right with his wee geeky lassie.
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
Two tiny fists slammed down on the antique, cherry wood desk. Alicia Carberletti was fuming as Sgt Ciaran ‘Hawkeye’ Paterson stood and told her of his findings. Her growl was low, her eyes scanning the evidence he had laid on the table for her to see.
Xavier had given her Hawkeye as her right hand man, with the unease on the Asia mission and Shuggie dealing with the Russians, neither of the males could be with her during her business hours. Xavier had seen a new side to his female when in work mode – she was ruthless and did not suffer fools gladly. She was focused and on top of her game so he agreed to relax the rules a little – and as long as she was guarded at all times when away from the compound he and the wolf could be at ease…a little. The fact she was operating from her fathers’ former building in Italy was an issue he would need to address.
“You caught them trying to steal from the warehouse?”
“Yes ma’am, the cameras captured their every move.”
“Fucking mortals! This is why I hate them and the Hocus Pocus fuckers, they cannot be trusted.”
“What are your instructions GC?”
“Let’s show them a little lesson in respect shall we? They think they can fool me into buying fake goods?”
Hawkeye gave Alicia a salute and exited her office, making his way out to the front of the warehouse. She took her time ensuring her ‘babies’ were in place, knives were secured in the waistband of her pants and her hair clips were in place. Satisfied she was ready, her pink booted foot kicked open the door that led into the derelict warehouse, a table was sitting in the middle of the room, where three human males were being watched over closely by Hawkeye.
Alicia casually walked over to the table where a large box sat, her finger slowly ran over the top of it. She ignored for now the snickering that came from her captive audience about how they were ‘shaking in their boots’… and ‘what harm could a small, fragile woman do?’.
Alicia raised her head to make eye contact with all three who were trying to communicate with each other with eye signals. Hiding her smirk of amusement, she opened the box, which was a cache of firearms. The fidiots thought they were about to make the deal of their lives with a naïve little female!
Clicking her tongue three times – her signal to Hawkeye to stand back – she was in control. Alicia popped a lolly into her mouth, her left hand reaching into the box, pulling out a gun as if she had never held one before she spun around to face the trio, the weapon erratically wobbling in her unsteady, trembling hands.
“I’ll take them all please.” Their eyes were full of amusement as they watched her, knowing only too well that the shipment were fakes. Allowing the gun to fall from her hand and slide across the floor, she turned her back to them and bent over at her waist, allowing the third male to let her think she didn’t see him dart behind her. Alicia pulled her Glo
cks from her boots and rose, turning around as he tried to restrain her. She sidestepped him quickly and fired at his feet.
The other two males lunged towards her, Alicia stood sideways as her fingers pulled on the trigger, both of them dropping to the ground like flies as the bullets penetrated through the back of their heads.
Alicia started to circle around the stunned last mortal, her pink baby twirling around her forefinger as she done so.
“Any last requests? I am fair but also extremely pissed off! You three tried to lie to me by telling me that crate was full of high quality goods. I always shoot between the eyes so that last thing the fucker sees is little moi, their killer, but it shows respect – and none of you fucking deserve that.” Alicia stopped for a moment to rise onto her tip toes where she whispered in his ear. “The tales are true, there is a female in charge and you have just crossed the wrong family.”
Shoving him away from her, Hawkeye came into sight and hauled him by the scruff of his collar. Hawkeye instructed him to return to his crew, with a warning that they were to leave Italy or be slaughtered. With a final fire of her gun, the man ran out of the warehouse as fast as he could, and Alicia flashed away with Hawkeye. Once they arrived back at the compound her laughter echoed around the office Xavier had given her as her own.
“That mortal will get locked up, imagine the looks he’s going to get when he recalls his encounter with a parrot and a female who overpowered three males!”
“It’s ‘pirate’, GC.” Hawkeye was about to point out that it’s not normal for a female to have a pink and purple gun that are kept in pink Doc Martens either but he valued his balls. “I’ll order the Italian clean–up crew to go in and remove the bodies.”
“Awesome, thanks Patcheye, you can have the evening off! We have a shipment due in the morning.” Alicia let out a loud yawn, kicked her boots up on her desk and took a cat nap, it was hard work being her she smirked as she drifted off.