by T. C. Clark
“What about you?” Eden found herself asking.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve gone this long without being shot. I don’t plan on starting today. Now Sandy I need you to do something.”
“You know my name’s the Sandman,” he repeated in a tired voice.
“Oh, I do,” she said placing a small hand on his massive arm almost petting him. The giant man seemed confused by this action and Eden almost laughed.
“Sandy, there are two squads. One has already headed upstairs and the other is trying to get into the lobby. Surprisingly, they have a pretty effective security team out there. I spoke to the officer in charge and they can offer us cover to the car park.”
“How can they offer us protection if they let a team get upstairs?”
“That was on purpose. We needed to split them up. We have a small window of time to move, precisely 70 seconds from the time we open the door. I planned it to the second. When we exit the building take twenty-one steps and to your right and behind a potted plant there will be a sniper rifle. Take it and head out of the East entrance. You will find a black Honda tag 9421. You’ll see my instructions inside.”
“When did we decide you would take lead on this?” he asked even as he pulled out a long heinous looking blade from his back pocket.
“We both know I’m the brains and you’re the brawn, so let’s go.”
They opened the door and separated in the foyer. Eden followed behind the Librarian closely and tried to walk with the same ease.
When the Librarian grabbed her arm and swung her down she didn’t resist. They crouched low while shots fired overhead. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Sandman. He was behind the lobby desk with the sniper rifle. He looked at ease with the destructive weapon.
That’s when she noticed the security detail surrounding them. This must be Nikos’ team. They flanked them. The Librarian separated from her and pulled out a weapon of her own and fired it.
Eden focused on her breathing. She needed to stay calm. That’s all she had to do. Her eyes stung with unshed tears and fear filled her soul. The Librarian tapped her on the shoulder and motioned to her to follow. Eden responded automatically, her body on autopilot. Survive…that’s what she had to do. She wasn’t surprised when the Librarian used her body as a shield for Eden.
She followed her outside with two members of Nikos’ team surrounding her. When two men walked up to them the Librarian ran to intercede, moving with a quickness that was both vicious and efficient. The men hadn’t stood a chance.
When they got to the car the two men stood guard as they got in. When one of them tapped the hood of the car the Librarian pulled away from the curb, her focus on the rear view mirror. Her eyes reflected the same determination she’d seen in Dmitri’s.
“Lay your head down, Eden, and breathe. Count your breaths and focus on staying calm.”
“I’m okay,” Eden said wondering if she thought she was going to fall apart.
“I have no doubt you are. Dmitri wouldn’t have fallen so hard for a weak woman, but we are about to be shot at.”
As if on cue bullets ricocheted off the rear window. Eden could see two cars chasing after them. She kept her mouth closed as the Librarian maneuvered through the busy roads.
“If Sandy followed my directions he should be just around this corner….brace yourself, Eden!” she yelled. Eden leaned down in the seat and tried to brace herself against the door.
The Librarian slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel to the right sending the car into a spin. When it finally stopped they were facing the direction of the shooting car.
The Librarian reset her gun and opened the door and took aim. As she did shots started raining down from the air. Eden braced herself as the gunshots sounded in the air, but none of them touched their car.
The two cars that had shadowed them since they’d left the downtown penthouse were now pulled over to the side with perfectly positioned bullet holes through their front windows. The Librarian sent out a salute to the top of a small Laundromat.
Eden’s eyes widened when she saw the glint of a gun. The Sandman was there. The Librarian had led the two cars into an ambush. When she left the car to search the other two Eden held her breath and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see any more death today.
Once she got back to the car she restarted it and pulled away. They drove for hours or minutes…Eden would never know, time had no meaning in this moment. She pulled into a parking deck and grabbed a laptop from the passenger seat.
“What are you doing?” Eden asked when she got her stomach under control. The adrenaline from before was wearing off. Her hands were shaking and her mind kept going back to Dmitri.
It took two of the Sanctuary members and a hired security team to get her out of that building. How in the hell would he survive going after them alone?
“Basically, I’m erasing our digital footprints. Any camera that may have caught us traveling between the hotel and here has to be checked.”
“How do you know what cameras to check?”
“There were 42 storefront businesses that looked as if they could afford high grade security systems. I’ll start there and work my way back. This is going to take a minute though, try to rest.”
“How in the world did you count 42 businesses while driving so fast?”
“I have what the folks down south would call a special brain,” she said with a smile. Her fingers moved effortlessly across the keyboard. “My brain is how I got the name the Librarian. Once I’ve seen something, anything it stays locked up here,” she said tapping her perfectly made head. Even after all that had happened she looked as serene and completely at ease.
“Is Dmitri going to be okay?”
“Dmitri has to do this. This is the life we chose, we don’t get to walk away, and start a new one. He has to finish this for you and especially for your child. I can’t promise you he is going to be okay, but I can promise you that whatever happens he will make sure you’re safe. That’s the kind of man he is,” she said her eyes focused on the screen. It took a while, but when she felt like she’d done a thorough check she restarted the car and drove to a secondary location.
Eden shook her head as they pulled up to a beautiful suburban home with a pristine yard. The Librarian motioned for her to come inside and she followed.
When they walked through the door the real adrenaline dump happened. Eden started shaking so bad that she could barely stand. The Librarian pulled her into the bathroom and sat her down. She grabbed a bag from the closet and put it next to her.
“I have everything you need to shower, a change of clothes, and nausea medicine that is safe for your condition. I’m going downstairs now. I’ve got to make sure Sandy took care of the rest of their team. You don’t have to be scared here. I specially designed this house. No one can get in or out without my permission.”
“How did they find me in the first place?”
“To be honest you weren’t hidden well initially. Nikos is a business man at heart. He paid a lot of money for that security team, but he doesn’t understand the basics of hiding someone successfully. Once Dmitri activated the Sandman and contacted me, we both located you within minutes. It’s better this way because I was able to send Sandy after the rest of them.”
“Do you think he’s okay?” Eden asked.
“Honey, the Sandman is the last man to worry about in a situation like this. He will be fine, and he will take care of anyone else that was left over from that group. I’m just hoping he gets some good information on where they came from and who specifically was behind all of this.”
“I thought all of this was from the Red House?”
“We are pretty sure that they are. Dmitri destroyed that place before he left. I mean there was no one that could have rebuilt from the chaos he left behind. So whoever this is must be after him for vengeance. I’m sure by now Dmitri has figured out who it is, but I want to see if I can help him in anyway.”
>
“You really care for him, don’t you?”
“Not like you care for him, but he is important to me. I’m not like Dmitri. My conscious is clear from the things I did, but I like how when he thought he’d done a great wrong, he tried to correct it,” the Librarian acknowledged.
“I love him so much and right now all I can see is something bad happening to him. How can he go back to that life and survive. He barely got away the first time.”
“If you love him, you have to let him try. Dmitri is a complicated man, but one thing is for sure. He will do anything to keep you safe.”
“Why are you helping him?” Eden asked.
“A few years ago before I was in the Sanctuary I was captured by a rival government. The men that caught me, were the worst kind of men. After a day with them I knew what real pain was. Their brand of torture was sadistic and thorough. Dmitri, was there on assignment from the Red House, when he overheard one of them talking about all of the things they were doing to me.”
“Oh, my god,” Eden whispered her eyes going wide. It was hard to imagine a woman as capable as the Librarian at someone else’s mercy.
“Dmitri followed him back to the base camp and got me out. For days he nursed me back to health and asked me where I wanted to go. He got me home. He didn’t care about the trouble he’d get into for interfering. He didn’t care that taking me with him affected his mission. He only cared that I was what he considered an innocent and he would do whatever he could to keep me safe. Now I’m not telling you this for sympathy. I found those men again and trust me I paid them back for what they did to me in the worst ways imaginable. I’m telling you this to say that Dmitri has a code he lives by and he won’t stop until he knows your safe.”
“Even if it costs him his life?”
“Would you love a man who would do less?” she asked before turning and leaving Eden alone with her thoughts.
She thought about everything she’d learned about Dmitri. She wasn’t surprised about his relationship with Librarian. She had a feeling he had a lot of stories like that. Despite the horror of this morning she was finding more reasons to fall deeper in love with him.
She needed him to come home. She would be willing to run with him if that was what it took to keep him safe. She didn’t know if that made her stupid, but she wasn’t going to lie to herself anymore. In a small space of time he’d become her whole world. He was the father of her child, the killer of her monsters, and the love of her life. She had to figure out a way to get him help.
She opened the bag and smiled the Librarian was really good at her job. She’d packed an assortment of things that Eden liked from the fuzzy socks to her favorite lavender lotion. She didn’t want to know how she knew so much about her, but the things she’d chosen did comfort her.
It took her exactly four hours to get herself back to a semi normal state. She’d cried and showered and now her mind was working on finding a way to help Dmitri.
When she walked downstairs she was surprised to find the Sandman sitting at the table going through some papers with the Librarian. They looked like every other sexy couple who’d walked into her bakery, but she knew better. They were more like a lion and a lioness taking a break from hunting prey.
She would never forget how the room went cold when they were in working mode. But now was not a time to let fear rule her mind. She needed help that only people like them could provide.
She walked into the room casually and sat down next to the Librarian. Although she knew the Sandman was only here to help she still felt a twinge of fear whenever she looked directly at him.
“What is all of this?” she said when she recognized her name on one of the documents. The Sandman and the Librarian exchanged looks and Eden’s heart dropped.
“This is Dmitri’s will,” the Librarian said watching her carefully from behind cat rimmed eyes glasses. There was sadness about her that Eden immediately recognized.
“And why are you going through this now?”
“Dmitri said if you were attacked to release the contents to you. He wanted to make sure that you had a safety net in place.”
“I don’t want it,” Eden said immediately.
“You will take it. It was his only wish,” the Sandman responded taking a sip of beer.
“Eden, it’s over twenty million dollars. Its clean money that he’s earned since leaving the Red House. This will help you and your child. This isn’t the time to be noble,” the Librarian said while she scanned the documents for errors.
“I’m not trying to be noble. I don’t want the money. I want Dmitri home.”
“We haven’t heard from him. That’s not a good sign,” the Sandman said.
“Can’t you go and help him?” Eden said to the Librarian.
“I can’t that’s not my type of work. I’m an expert at espionage and cyber security. I can fight and I can kill, but my skill set will only get in Dmitri’s way.”
“What about you?” she asked turning to the Sandman.
“I’m doing my job by being here. Dmitri isn’t my friend. He’s my comrade, and he used his last gold card to ensure that I stay here and protect you. That is my only obligation to him.”
“You said he will most likely die attempting this alone.”
“Yes, but that is his choice. He asked that I stay with you for six months and ensure that any person who attacks you in that time is completely exterminated. If there are any members left I will take them out myself.”
“I need you to go help him now. I will stay here with the Librarian. I won’t cause trouble. I won’t leave her side if you go and help him now. I could make this mission difficult for you if I wanted to,” she bluffed.
“You think you can blackmail me?” he said laughing.
“You know I’m not. I will give you anything I have to get you to help him. He’s a good man who would’ve helped you if you needed it. I know you know that and I get that his life isn’t your responsibility. But I will give you all of the money he left me and everything I own for you to go and help him. I’m not strong enough to fight for him. I wouldn’t even know how. Please, if you do nothing else. I need you to at least try.”
“He could already be dead?” the Librarian said needing Eden to know that was a real possibility.
“Then bring his body home so I can let my child know that its father died trying to protect us. I will still give you the money.”
“No, you won’t. Not all of it. Sandy, if you go after him she will pay you ten million dollars. She may need the rest to stay in the wind.”
“I didn’t say I accept,” the Sandman said taking another hearty sip of his beer.
“Come on, Sandy. You know he would have helped you and now you have someone, an innocent person begging for his life. You are as good as Dmitri when it comes to this sort of thing. I can stay here and keep her safe.”
“Why are you even here?” he asked suspiciously. Members of the Sanctuary were not all that giving. Most of them were loners who only acted for someone else when forced to by the decree.
“He helped me when I was at my worst. When people stronger than me…took me. He’s the reason I’m alive today and I owe him more than you could ever imagine.”
“What happened with you?” the Sandman asked and for once he actually looked concerned.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve worked through it, but I agree with Eden. You know I will keep her safe and it’s an easy ten million if you think about it. Dmitri, is probably fine,” she lied keeping her expression clear of the fear she felt.
She couldn’t tell them that she’d already cashed in one of her gold cards to send an assassin nicknamed the Surgeon to help him. If they could get Sandy to agree to help as well, it would be even better. If he agreed she would tell him via text message when he left so he couldn’t change his mind.
He looked at both women. The Librarian was the voice in his ear. For the last few years she had been there when he called, answering question
s and helping him with research without the benefit of using a card.
She pretty much helped anyone she deemed worthy and somehow he made the cut. She was extraordinarily beautiful in person. He’d had to work hard to keep his interest from showing on his face.
He never understood why she reached out to help him, but he knew he owed her a debt. And then, there was the beautiful sad woman in front of him looking to him for help.
Her eyes were sincere. She would give him anything to help Dmitri. He was sure of it. She looked fragile sitting with her hands clasped and her eyes filled with tears, but he knew better than that. He’d read the file on her. She was stronger than she looked.
He wasn’t a good man. He wouldn’t even pretend to be. He didn’t need the money. He had more than enough to spare, but he wanted something else. He was a man with limited time.
He knew he wasn’t going to live much longer. Dmitri wasn’t the only one with a past closing in on him. It would be good to have a hacker and fighter like Dmitri to call on when his shit got bad. He knew he could trust the man to live up to his word.
“I want something else in exchange for helping him… I would like to speak to Eden alone,” the Sandman said looking directly at the Librarian. For a moment she frowned, her brown eyes narrowing with a feral expression. She searched his eyes for something. Once she found it she stood and touched Eden’s shoulder.
“If its anything stupid let me know and I will handle him.” She sent the Sandman a saccharine sweet smile and walked from the room.
“Now about this deal….” he began.
* * *
The bullet wound in his leg was definitely infected. His right thigh was swollen and every movement he made sent shocking waves of pain through his body.
There were only two people heading up this team to find him. Contrary to the Librarian’s reports the Red House had not been resurrected. Rather, two of the former members had set up a team to bring him back in.
Apparently they wanted revenge for everything he’d done. That meant that the team while effective,was small. The people that they sent to bring him in were contract workers, which was why they’d been identified so easily