Finally, he reached the bottom floor and flung the door open, his gun sweeping the foyer. Women screamed when they saw him. People in the lobby panicked. Some fell to the floor, some ran, and others just stood where they were.
Behind the crowd, Dzadzic saw the man he was looking for. He was leaving the building through the revolving front door.
Dzadzic noticed all this in a second, for no sooner had he entered the lobby than he was sprinting through the cowering crowd. He hit the revolving doors while they were still spinning and looked both ways along the sidewalk. To his left, he spotted the man running.
The captain took off after him. It was a long shot, but he pulled up to aim. He squeezed off three rounds. None of them hit. Then he was sprinting again.
~~~
Alina knelt on the floor and spied around the corner. More bullets chipped bits of wood into her eyes. She pulled back, trying to clear them. When she did, she got up. The move saved her life. Two rapid shots. Two holes appeared in the wall where she had just been.
Aiming at the wall, she judged where the bar should be and fired twice. Glass shattered on the other side followed by a small yelp. Alina ran through the doorway sliding feet first across the white tile floor and skidded to a stop in front of the bar. She leaned back against it.
She ejected her clip and winced when the casing hit the floor—a dead giveaway she was empty. Oric would know that sound. She fumbled for a fresh magazine from her back pocket. Alina had yet to insert it when Oric leaned over the bar, ready to shoot her in the head.
Alina dropped her weapon. She grabbed his extended gun hand in a wristlock and twisted hard. His gun clattered to the floor. She rose, still maintaining her grip on his hand and turned.
Oric screamed in pain. Forced to roll or break his wrist, he rolled on his back and onto the bar. Alina chopped down on his face with a forehand elbow. Three more times she hit him. By the fourth, Oric rolled again, easing the pressure on his thumb. Then he jumped onto the bar and kicked Alina in the face.
Alina tried twisting, tightening her hold. Oric just rolled with it and kicked her again. This time, the impact loosened her grip and she backed away, her nose bloody.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this,” he said with an evil grin.
“You’ve been waiting to die?”
“I’m not dying tonight. Right now, Captain Dzadzic is taking care of the sniper and I am going to take care of you, but you won’t die right away. You will tell me where my heroin is before you do. And trust me, you will want to die before this night is through.”
~~~
Dzadzic stopped in the sidewalk beside a back alley and looked around. He could not see his target, but he knew Itsakovic had sent him. When Itsakovic wanted a job done, he always called on his best.
Castle.
“Come out of hiding, Castle!” Dzadzic yelled. “You can’t hide forever. Come on out and fight me.”
No answer. Only the sound of bustling evening traffic.
“I know you’re not a coward. Stop acting like one. You came here to kill. Well, here I am. Come kill me.”
Castle stepped out of the alley shadows. “We will do this the old way, yes?”
“But of course,” Dzadzic said as he tossed his gun into a nearby trashcan. Castle dropped his briefcase. They began circling, sizing each other up. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go up against you, Castle. Now, I’ve finally got my chance. But I must warn you I am not a child or some woman you can kill with ease. You’re going to have to work for this.”
Castle charged him, coming in low. The muscular captain stood his ground and waited. Castle hit him in the stomach with his shoulder, but Dzadzic was ready. He bent, wrapped an arm around Castle’s head then flipped backward, throwing the man’s back against the pavement.
They were both up to one knee almost instantly, exchanging furious mixed martial arts blows and blocks. Castle threw a jab to the captain’s face, which he deflected with a swipe. Dzadzic tried his own jab with the same result. Back and forth, they went. Each one tried to out maneuver the other, to move faster than the other, to be the first to land that first solid hit.
Castle sprang to a crouching position and swung a knee at Dzadzic’s head. Expecting a sweeping leg whip, Dzadzic was unprepared. Castle’s knee powered through the spot, knocking Dzadzic sprawling on his back.
Castle went after him. Standing tall, he kicked Dzadzic in the side, the head—anywhere there was an opening. The captain did all he could to survive the onslaught, protecting his vital areas long enough to find his inevitable opening. He tucked into a ball, hands covering his head.
“The famous Captain Dzadzic,” Castle sneered as he kicked him in the back. “The one everybody’s so afraid of.” He kicked him again. “Where is that speed I heard about? Where is the power? All I see is another man cringing in fear.” Once more, he kicked him in the back, but this time the kick did not have as much power behind it.
Dzadzic grabbed his chance. His back aching miserably, he rolled into that last kick and locked both arms around Castle’s foot. Castle had no time to withdraw. Dzadzic continued his roll, forcing Castle to the ground.
Dzadzic leaped on him. Pinning the man’s arms with his legs, he pummeled his face with blow after raining blow. Castle tried to retaliate, deflecting some of the punishing hits. He lifted both legs, trying to grab Dzadzic’s neck in a scissor lock, but the captain just leaned forward. Dzadzic hit him with an elbow, bloodying one eye. Again, Castle tried the desperate move only to be denied once more.
Another elbow to the face followed by a left cross. Blood now seeped from a gash over the other eye and covered Castle’s face. His hand chanced upon a brick. He threw it into Dzadzic’s face. The captain reeled, holding his broken nose.
Castle leaned up to land a crossing right hand to the face. Dzadzic fell back. Castle hit him again, kicked, and then he was free. Then both men squared off on each other once more, each breathing heavily.
Castle wiped blood from his eyes. Suddenly, he turned and ran. Caught by surprise, Dzadzic at first was tempted to let him go but then decided this was his best opportunity to rid the world of this sociopath. He broke into a dead run, following him.
~~~
Alina stepped into the oncoming Oric and raised her right leg high above her head, kicking him in the face. He fell back against the bar, rattling the bottles on the other side. He came off in a rush, but Alina had seen this move too many times. She once more let the man in close then dodged left, using her right leg to hit him in the gut. She chopped down on his neck as he passed. Oric sprawled face first onto the floor, coughing for air.
Alina sprang toward him, but Oric turned and thrust both feet into her chest, propelling her back, and then he was up. Alina rubbed her sternum and circled him. Oric searched for something to use as a weapon. Alina saw the move. As soon as he dropped his defense, she swung another hard kick to his head followed by a straight jab to the face.
The vicious hits rocked Oric on his heels. Alina spun, feinting a whipping leg kick. Oric ducked and she landed a raised knee to the face. He staggered but recovered quickly. Alina spun again, intending to complete the leg whip. Her back now turned to him, Oric snaked a forearm around her neck and squeezed.
Alina stepped back, reached over her head to grab his shirt collar, and then bent forward hard, using her back to leverage him up and over. Oric’s spine took the brunt of the impact against the hard tile floor.
~~~
Dzadzic chased Castle into an office building. Castle headed for the stairway, taking them two. The captain followed close behind.
Bursting onto the gravel top roof, Castle turned around. Captain Dzadzic slowed to a stop. “There’s no place else to run.”
Castle bent to scoop a handful of gravel and threw it at Dzadzic’s eyes, but Dzadzic was ready for the ancient trick. He just closed his eyes for a split second and braced for the coming impact. He opened them in time to see Castle doing just that. T
he captain lanced a hard right into the man’s face, stopping the charge. He followed up with a left-right combination to the body and head. Each blow devastated Castle’s weakened condition.
Time and again, Dzadzic hit him, almost at will. Spin kicking. A looping overhand right. A side kick to the face. And every blow brought Castle closer to the edge. Deciding it was time to end this, Dzadzic ran at him and jumped, hitting Castle with both feet to the chest. Though Castle tried to deflect the blow, the sheer momentum forced him back too far.
His foot slipped on the edge. He balanced for a transitory moment and then fell to the pavement ten floors below in sheer silence. Dzadzic stepped forward and watched him crash into the sidewalk, crumbled into a broken mess. Satisfied, tired, and hurting, he slowly made his way back to retrieve his gun.
~~~
Oric rolled off his back and rose slowly. He came at Alina, pausing outside the range of her feet to try a leg kick of his own. He was taller and had the length advantage, but Alina had the speed and agility.
She dodged the kick, stepped in, and hit him with a right cross. Oric staggered. Alina pressed the opportunity. With a stiff left, she held him up. With a hard right, she pounded his face. She followed up with a left cross and another right jab.
Oric’s eyes rolled. He blindly blocked her left hook but fell to his knees when Alina’s right fist clubbed his ear. He managed a cross-handed block of another kick and grabbed her boot. He twisted it, but Alina did a mid-air swirl to take the pressure off and jerked her leg free, kicking him in the face as she did so.
Oric rose shakily to his feet. He looked past her. His eyes held desperation now, looking at the ground. Alina knew he was planning to go for the gun that lay behind her. He charged forward in a bull rush, willing to take a vicious shot to the face for his efforts. His weight cracked her back against the bar, and then he dropped, going for the gun. But Alina was faster. She hit him with an upward knee to the chin that stopped his downward plunge. Then she grabbed the gun as Oric rolled onto his back, a beaten man.
Alina stood over him, the gun aimed at his head.
Oric got on his knees.
“Please, Alina. Don’t do this.”
“Don’t do this?” she sneered. “After what you just did to Goran and you tell me don’t do this?”
Her finger tightened on the trigger. “Say hello to your friends in Hell!”
Oric held up both palms. “Wait! Wait. Maybe we can work out a trade.”
“What do you have I could possibly be interested in?”
“I can tell you where to find Itsakovic.”
“He’s in Istanbul. I already know that.”
“Yes, but it is a large city. He...he has an estate mansion. One of the largest in the city. It overlooks the Sea of Marmara.”
“Not much to go on.” She shook her head.
“Please, it’s all I know. I’ve never been there myself. I know only what he told me.”
“You have his number?”
Oric’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes. In my phone. In my phone.”
“What about the others?”
“The only two I know of are Delic and Sokolovic. They’re in Kirkuk, Iraq. They’re working for Blackbrier. It’s a mercenary firm run out of Europe. They’re patriots, now. They’re fighting the insurgency.”
“Not for long,” she said as aimed the pistol at his head.
“Please, Alina. I thought we had a deal.”
“I don’t make deals.”
She pulled the trigger.
Chapter 19
Alina looked up. The bullet-shredded door stood ajar and people gawked at her. She searched Oric’s pockets and found his phone. As she ran from the room, she more of the guests huddled around Goran’s body. She stopped and looked at his still form a moment, half expecting him to get up and follow her outside.
Sniffing and wiping the blood from her nose, she tucked the gun into her back waistband and hurried down the hall. No telling when someone called the police. She could already hear sirens.
She ran down the stairs and into the parking lot and got in her car. The engine fired up on the first turn. Slowly, she pulled onto the road.
Behind her, a row of police cars filled the entrance to the lobby. More were on their way, their blue lights flashing. They passed by her on the way.
When she arrived at the designated meeting place, Maric was still in the parking lot, waiting—only now he had the trailer in tow. Wheeling her car to the passenger side, she climbed into the cab.
“What happened?” Maric asked. “You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago.”
“Something came up.”
He looked around then glanced past Alina at the car below. “Where’s Goran?”
She hesitated, and when she spoke, her voice quivered. “Goran’s dead. Let’s go.”
Maric stared at her a moment before putting the rig in gear. He edged out onto the main road heading south. Within minutes, they were hurling down the highway.
They rode in silence for the first half hour.
Maric finally broke into her trance. “You want to talk about it?”
Alina shook her head.
“It helps sometimes to talk things through, or so they tell me.”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it!” she snapped. “Let’s just drop it.” Another ten minutes passed before she finally blurted, “It’s my fault. I should have insisted he stay in the car.”
“You can’t keep a good man from doing what he wants for the woman he loves.”
Alina looked at him. “You knew?”
“Of course I knew. The whole world knew you two were in love. Why else would he throw away his career if it wasn’t for love? I’m sure he didn’t feel obligated to go up there with you tonight. He did it because he loved you. He wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me? He said he came to watch my back, and he took a bullet for it.”
Maric thought a minute and said, “I think he did what he did because he just wanted to be with you every minute he had the chance.”
“You think so?” For the first time, Alina felt like crying, but she did not. She would not allow herself to cry. What Maric said made her feel bittersweet. She was happy she had found a love like that, sad in the way she lost it.
“So Oric’s gone, then?” he spoke abruptly.
She nodded. “He’s not going to be ruining any more lives.”
“Good. What about his captain?”
“What about him?”
“Is he dead, too?”
“I have no idea. There was a second shooter. A sniper. A man that must have been the captain ran out of the room the second the shooting started.”
“Well, for our sakes, I hope he’s dead too. He was loyal to Oric. Seemed he was always around, a trusted confidant. Man like that takes things like this hard. Could be trouble for us in the future.”
Alina looked out the window at the world going by. “I don’t think he’ll be bothering us. He didn’t see Goran and me. If anything, he’ll be going after Itsakovic.”
They drove in silence for a while until Alina finally noticed the trailer behind them. “When did you get that?”
“When you were in the hotel. I’m not leaving that heroin behind!”
Alina did not feel like arguing that moment, so she let it go. They went another 200 kilometers in silence when Maric announced he was hungry. He pulled the rig into the parking lot of a greasy spoon restaurant. As usual, Maric had the briefcase tucked tightly under his arm.
“We should have gone to a fancy place,” Alina said, managing a smile. “I don’t think this one takes thousand-mark bills.”
“Been here a time or two. It isn’t fancy, but they serve good food. Besides, fancy restaurants don’t have places for truckers to park their rigs.”
They went inside and slid into a booth. A waitress came to take their order. When she left, Alina said, “You can put the briefcase down, Maric. No one is going to take it.”
/>
Maric seemed surprised he was holding the case so tight to his chest. He put it beside him on the seat, staring at it the whole time.
“So what’s the plan now?” he said.
Alina waited for the woman to finish putting their drinks on the table before she spoke. “We go to Istanbul, find Itsakovic, and kill him.”
“So you made up your mind then? You’re going through with it?”
Alina nodded. “I’ve got nothing left to live for.”
“Not much of a plan, though. I mean, how do you intend to do it? How are you going to find him? Istanbul is a large city.”
She pulled Oric’s phone from her pocket. “His number is in here. I figure we match it up with the phonebook to find his address, then we go pay him a visit.”
Maric shook his head. “Men like Itsakovic don’t have listed numbers.” He paused. “Why don’t you give him a call?”
“What for?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’ll agree to meet us somewhere.”
Alina looked at Maric suspiciously. “Why you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you mixed up in all this? Your fight was with Oric. I could understand you wanting to help bring him down, but Itsakovic? You don’t even know the man. You didn’t even know he existed until a few days ago.”
“Well, maybe I’ve become a believer in your cause. Ever think of that?”
Alina looked at him a while longer as realization dawned on her. “You want to meet Itsakovic to sell that heroin back to him.”
Maric’s eyes opened wide. He was about to say something, then admitted, “Yeah, so? What’s the harm in that? If we can make some money out of this, why not?”
“Why not?” She leaned forward. “First, let’s not forget getting past customs with a trailer loaded with drugs—and in Turkey, no less. If they catch us, we won’t see the light of day for the rest of our lives.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it covered.”
“Got it covered? Maric, you can’t think every guard at every roadblock is willing to take a bribe. Handing out a few thousand marks won’t help us cross this border. And then there’s the second thing.”
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