by Paul Heron
‘So, Michael, let’s cut to the chase. Where’s the fragment? Tell me, so I don’t have to kill you.’
‘You mean so your boss doesn’t kill you for screwing up?’ Scarlett said. ‘We should have killed you when we had the chance.’
‘Oh, do I sense a bit of animosity, or jealousy perhaps? Still, Scarlett. After all these years?’ Couture strolled towards Scarlett. Scarlett had one of the Mancini agents standing right behind her with a gun pressed against her lower back. ‘You should let that go, Scarlett. Carrying that much hatred is not good for you.’ She sounded cold, like everything was normal to her.
Scarlett punched her in the mouth, opening her lip. Nursing her hand, she said, ‘wow, that felt good.’
Couture straightened herself up again, pressing her lip with her left hand, and pointing her pistol at Scarlett with her trembling right hand. ‘I should have killed you years ago before you became George’s little lap dog.’
George said nothing. He looked at Michael, face emotionless, as usual.
‘At least she’s not a traitor like you, you back stabbing bitch,’ Avril said.
‘What do you mean traitor?’ Michael said.
‘She used to work with us,’ Avril said. ‘She never liked George’s appreciation towards any other female.’ Avril laughed. ‘You just couldn’t handle not getting all the attention. You were so used to being the centre of attention all your life; you couldn’t believe Scarlett was as good, no better-’
‘Shut your mouth before I put a bullet in it.’ Couture turned her gun on Avril. ‘You and.... him.’ She gestured towards Pierre. ‘You two were nothing but homeless orphans when George picked you up off the slums of Marseille. Without the Sirani Foundation, you both would probably be dead. You were an embarrassment to the company.’
‘No, Mallory,’ George said calmly. ‘It was you that was the embarrassment. You know Sofia’s family have not had you killed yet simply because they appreciated all you done to help the foundation. That’s the only reason you’re alive - is because we have allowed you to be; but don't mistake the Sirani family’s kindness for weakness. Be grateful, after what you did.’
‘What did she do, George?’ Sofia asked.
‘She was the one who gave your godmother up to Garcia,’ Avril answered.
‘Yes, I did.’ She smiled over at Sofia with a callous expression. ‘And that’s why poor little Scarlett here is so upset because-’
‘She was my best friend,’ Scarlett said. ‘She was more like the sister I never had.’
‘And she was also your way of remaining close to the family of the wonderful Sirani.’ Couture spat.
Sofia ran towards Couture but went face first into the barrel of her pistol.
‘Don’t make me responsible for another Sirani death.’
‘You wouldn’t have the guts,’ Avril said. ‘You hurt her, and the entire foundation will come down on you. The Sirani family wants to rid the world of you all quietly. But you hurt Sofia, and all that will change. They will not care. They will crush you like the bug you are.’
‘That’s something I’m willing to risk.’
‘You shoot her, and you’ll have to shoot me, too. Because if you don’t, I'll kill you,’ Michael said, stepping towards Sofia, followed by the other five.
‘And the rest of us,’ Marcel said.
‘You take one of us, you take all of us,’ Mohammad said.
‘And I don’t think you want to kill us before you get the fragment,’ Eduardo said. ‘You’re not that stupid.’
‘So, killing us will only get you killed, you stupid bitch,’ Carolina spat.
‘I’ve enough bullets to finish every one of you off. And I don’t care about the consequences.’
‘You’ve always been a dumbass,’ Pierre said. ‘Ever since I first met you, I knew you were not Sirani quality.’
‘Says the guy who chased me for the entire three years of our training?’ She laughed. ‘I could wipe you all out now and run. I’ve no allegiance to any organisation. I’ve enough money to hide for the rest of my life.’
‘Easy, Mallory,’ George said, stepping towards her. ‘I do not wish to see any harm come to these guys, nor to you. Please, lower your weapon.’
She turned her gun to George. ‘Shut your mouth, old man.’ She was becoming more agitated, more unstable. It was only a matter of time before she shot someone.
‘Ms Couture?’ one of her agents said with a thick American accent.
‘What do you want, Leeroy?’ She shouted, still pointing her trembling gun at George. Then came the sound of four dead weights hitting the ground.
‘Drop your gun, before I blow your pretty head off,’ the American shouted.
‘Good to see you, Leeroy Jr, I trust you found Ringo and Ahmad?’
‘He did,’ Ringo shouted from Adrianna's kitchen. ‘All their cars, as much as it broke my heart, are beyond use.’
‘Good work,’ George said, calmly taking Couture’s pistol from her. ‘Tie them up. Let’s get out of here before something else happens.’
‘I’ll look after her,’ Scarlett said, gesturing towards Couture.
‘No, Scarlett,’ Sofia said. ‘Let me.’
‘What the hell is a spoilt little brat like Sofia Sirani going t-’
Before she could finish her sentence, Sofia punched Couture on the mouth, the pain causing her to crouch down. Before she could respond, Sofia kneed her in the head. Couture fell to the ground, knocked out.
‘I’m impressed,’ Carolina said.
‘Well, you taught me.’
‘Leeroy, where the hell did you come from?’ Scarlett said. ‘I haven’t seen you for years.’
‘Yeah the last time I seen you, you were only sixteen,’ Pierre added. ‘What age are you now?’
‘Nineteen,’ Leeroy said. ‘It’s nice to finally meet you guys.’ He looked at the group.
‘Since when have you done all this growing up,’ Avril said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
‘Might I suggest we chat in the chopper?’ He pulled the keys from the pilot. ‘Let’s go.’
‘I like this guy.’ Michael said.
‘Yes, Leeroy,’ George said. ‘Get us to Marseille. Quick.’
They all jumped in. The guy who had just been holding a gun on them, posing as a Mancini agent, had saved them.
Michael, more than ever, struggled to trust someone who had switched from being a Mancini agent to a Sirani agent. After his father being kidnapped by Mancini Corporation, Michael’s level of suspicion was heightened.
‘So, without being too obvious, and addressing the well-built American elephant in the room,’ Mohammad said. ‘Who the hell is this guy?’
George smiled. ‘Leeroy Jr is the son of a leader of an elite special forces team. His father – Leeroy Sr is one of the most sought-after military specialists in the world. He’s worked for the US president, he's been a consultant for British Intelligence and he’s recently turned down a job leading the security within the Vatican guarding the pope.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ Sofia said. ‘I think I remember this guy being at our home in Tuscany. He's huge. My parents wanted him to be my bodyguard, but for some reason, he turned it down.’
‘That’s right, Sofia,’ George said. ‘Your parents offered him the job, but he turned it down because,’ George gestured towards Leeroy Jr, ‘our friend here was still at school, and his dad didn’t want to take him away from the states until he finished school.’
‘If he’s been taught even half of what his father knows, then he’ll come in quite handy,’ Avril said. ‘We'll all be grateful.’
‘I’m grateful, already,’ Marcel said.
‘Me, too,’ Eduardo added.
‘What skills does he possess?’ Carolina asked.
‘Special weapons and tactics,’ George said. ‘Leeroy Sr wanted to pass all his knowledge onto his son while he was young, and it looks like it’s worked well for us.’
They all sat quietly for a while, speechle
ss upon reflection of the rollercoaster ride that was their French mission.
Michael was happy to be seated and on his way to the last stop of the journey before going to Ireland. He shut his eyes, imagining what the cave was like inside. This cave that possessed so much power, which had been living right on his doorstep his entire life. He couldn’t believe something so powerful, so unreal, was a part of what he called home. He was, however, honoured that he was, in fact, the first Irish man to realise his land, his tiny part of the world, played such an important role in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Four
MICHAEL WOKE BY SCARLETT’S soft voice and gentle touch. ‘Wake up, sleepy head. We’ve arrived.’ He opened his eyes just as the doors opened and the cool sea air flooded in.
‘What, no crash?’ Mohammad shouted.
‘Leeroy, I nominate you to be our new pilot, or at least teach Alban how to land without almost killing us,’ Ajit shouted.
‘Let’s go, chief.’ Mohammad tapped Michael on the leg as he passed.
‘We’re not staying for long,’ George shouted. ‘We get the fragment and go. Michael, lead the way.’
Michael rose up, feeling groggy. ‘We really need to get a proper night sleep; this sleeping on the go isn’t going to do us any good.’ He stepped into the back garden of the estate, happy to see the flowerbed where he left the fragment. ‘It’s over here,’ he shouted, leading the way across the garden towards the beach.
‘You buried it at the beach?’ Mohammad asked, taking off his jacket and tie.
‘Not the beach, but almost.’ Michael stepped into the flowerbed, looking down at the darker patch of soil where it had been disturbed. He took his jacket off and handed it to Mohammad. ‘This is it.’ He rubbed his hands, grinning.
‘Here, Michael,’ Ringo handed him the spade that was lying in between the flowers.
Michael dug his way through the soil until he felt it. The sound of metal hitting metal rang through his sensitive ears. ‘That’s it.’ He scraped the soil off the top of the box to expose the matte black top. ‘This, my friends, is what so many people are in such a panic over.’ He tossed the spade back to Ringo. Crouching down, he rolled his sleeves up and pulled it out.
‘Can we see it?’ Ajit said. ‘I want to see what’s causing such a fuss.’
‘We can’t risk exposing it,’ Sofia said. ‘When we return it to the cave, then we can look at it.’
‘Well done everyone,’ Ahmad said. ‘We have taken our first step in stopping the Mancini Corporation.’
Michael handed the container to Sofia. He dusted the soil off his trousers. ‘Right, let’s get to the cave.’
‘Alban, is the chopper ready?’ Scarlett asked.
‘It’s ready. We’re good to go.’ Alban turned on his heel and made his way across the garden towards the chopper.
The group all passed the box around, all wishing they could open it and touch it. All knowing that what they had in their hands was a part of what would eventually save the world.
‘It’s an honour to be a part of something so big,’ Carolina said, passing the box to Marcel. ‘Can you believe when we left Brazil last week that we’d be involved in something like this?’
‘No. Never,’ Marcel said, feeling the weight of the box. ‘After all the running around, pain, suffering, sleepless nights, this will be worth it.’ He handed the box to Eduardo.
‘Si, amigo. And to think nobody in the world, not even our families and friends at home, will ever know it was us.’ Eduardo shook the box close to his ear as if he was shaking a Christmas present to find out what was inside.
‘It’s not a ticking time bomb,’ Ajit griped, snatching the box from Eduardo as if taking something from a child. ‘Your ancestor will be happy once we’ve finished the job, Sofia. Maybe Michael, once you have your next dinner date with Elisabetta, you can assure her that we’re getting the job done.’ Ajit handed the box back to Michael. ‘And say hi to her for me.’
Michael laughed. ‘Yes, of course.’
‘Somebody has a crush on Elisabetta,’ Scarlett teased. ‘Right. Let’s get going.’ Scarlett ordered them to make their way towards the chopper. ‘Alban, get this bird in the air.’
‘I guess we’ll say goodbye then, and take care,’ Avril said.
‘Yes, it’s been great to meet you guys. Hopefully we'll see you again soon,’ Pierre said.
‘Hold on,’ Michael said. ‘You aren’t coming with us to the cave?’ He spoke in French.
‘Yes, you must,’ Sofia added, ‘you’ve helped us too much to stop now. You deserve to see the French mission through to the end.’
‘Yes, come. Avril, Pierre. Leeroy, you too,’ Carolina said.
George’s phone rang. ‘It’s Nicole.’ He put the phone on loudspeaker. ‘Nicole, where are you?’
‘At the farm. The jet’s ready,’ Nicole said. ‘Get your asses here now. In the last hour, Marseille has become a hotspot for French police. Mancini agents are descending on you. Get out of Marseille. NOW!’
‘You heard her,’ George said.
They all hopped into the other chopper. Once strapped in, they took off. Michael handed the box to George, but George gave it back.
‘This is yours. You’ve all been thrust into this mess. It’s for you seven. You’ve all earned that right.’
Michael looked around the cabin, tired and emotional, the other six sitting close to each other being watched by all the Sirani agents.
There was an uncertain silence in the cabin. After everything that had went wrong, they didn’t dare accept it was over until they’d physically seen the cave.
The next twenty minutes were without words. Michael felt Sofia’s head drop onto his shoulder. She managed to fall asleep. Michael closed his eyes, still clutching the box with both hands.
Then it came. ‘Brace yourselves!’ Alban screamed from the cockpit. This was followed by Alban’s usual crash landing that would be good enough to destroy the aircraft’s suspension.
The door was pulled open, and in came Nicole’s voice. ‘Let’s go. Alban, the engine’s running. Jet’s ready.’
They disembarked the Black Hawk, ran across the farmyard, towards the one-and-a-half-mile long driveway which Alban would be using as a runway.
‘Nicole, you’re coming too?’ Michael said. ‘You’re as much a part of this as any of us, so I think we should all be there to see the fragment returned. This is a massive thing we’re doing here, and I want all Sirani agents from each country to have the honour of watching the fragment being returned.’
‘Of course. I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland,’ Nicole said.
They all boarded the private jet. The hum of the twin Rolls Royce BR725 engines marked the end of the French journey. The luxurious cream leather seats of the cabin made Michael feel like someone special. He enjoyed being able to sit down on these seats, surrounded by luxury. He felt like someone deserving of it.
‘Alban, do you know where the cave is?’ Michael said, peeking his head into the cockpit. ‘It’s on a tiny island called-’
‘Rathlin Island. Yes, we’ve practiced the route many times. Go and relax,’ Alban said. ‘Get some sleep because you will be waking up on the Spanish coast tomorrow.’
Michael closed the door and returned to his seat. The main cabin was bigger than usual. The bedroom was converted into an extended cabin with more seats for everyone. Every seat was a recliner. Michael sat beside Carolina.
He sat down and looked at Carolina, who was trying to focus her exhausted eyes on her phone.
‘What’s happening in Brazil, then?’ He asked when he saw her expression. It was one of sadness and probably longing for her native country.
‘Nothing to worry about,’ she said. ‘Everything’ll be fine once we’ve finished what we need to do.’
The cabin fell silent. Michael was drifting off to sleep when he heard Scarlett whisper across the cabin. ‘They’re all sleeping like babies.’ She laughed.
Avril and Pierr
e began laughing quietly.
‘Yeah, babies with such a tremendous responsibly.’ George added.
Michael heard this and nothing else. He drifted off to sleep, with such ease it was as if he was in his own bed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
AFTER AN HOUR’S SLEEP, Michael woke to find everyone out for the count.
He glanced out his window and could see Belfast, lit up like a Christmas tree. He watched in silence as the giant bird soared along the coast of Antrim towards Rathlin Island and the mysterious Bruce’s Cave.
He thought about how he loved the movie Brave Heart as a young boy and how King Robert the Bruce played a secondary role to the legendary William Wallace. But in this story, this real story – the story of Michael’s life – the Scottish king and friend of William Wallace was who the cave was named after.
It was Robert the Bruce and his story that brought Elisabetta to Bruce’s Cave. And it was this cave that changed the life of Elisabetta, and of the world; for better or worse, only time would tell.
Michael wondered if this was the greatest story of how greed can destroy the closest of friendships. Elisabetta Sirani and Pietro Mancini were the closest of friends, as close as brother and sister perhaps.
He closed his eyes again and was falling asleep when he heard a whisper in his ear: don’t forget the past, Michael. Then came a deafening scream from a horse followed by a crash. His eyes shot open and the lights had come on in the cabin.
‘Sorry!’ Alban shouted.
‘Alban, you’ve got to get over this landing business,’ Mohammad screamed, clearly unhappy with continually being jumped awake.
Michael checked that the backpack was still under his seat. The fragment was still there. He lifted it and stood up, his legs shaking, his heart pounding.
‘You know we need a boat to get into the cave?’ Michael asked, walking across the cabin towards the door. ‘We could get the ferry that takes people from the mainland.’
Michael quickly disregarded what we just said, realising they had in fact landed on Rathlin Island. Stepping down from the jet onto a stretch of road that led up to a newly built house, which resembled the other Sirani mansions, he realised the Sirani Foundation had clearly prepared for their arrival and had made their stamp on the island.