Devil’s in the Details (53 page)

Unwinding the steel garrote in my right hand, I took up the slack with my left, raising the wire up to rest level with Bertram's neck. Without a second blink, I dropped the garrote, yanking hard on the wire around his neck. Twisting as hard as I could at the base of his neck.

I caught him by surprise, but it didn't give me the upper hand. He stood straight up, fingers slapping around at his neck, trying to grab at the steel wire cutting in to his fat flesh.

I tried to drop my weight down, using the edge of the couch as a bracing point to drag Bertram down to his death quicker. But he fought back and he was far larger in person versus the description and measurements included in his case file.

He suddenly lifted his body forward, flinging me with him. I tumbled over the back of the couch, losing some of my grip on the garrote, giving Bertram a gasp of air and a boost of adrenaline. The quick gasp of air allowed him to drag me over the couch as he rushed forward to a window.

Bertram was in a full blown panic, clawing at his neck as I stepped on the couch cushions tightening the garrote, trying to get a better grip and pull him back into my control. He was gurgling, gasping, wheezing and running towards the wall where a fireplace stood. I clenched my jaw, finding my footing again and finding the leverage to yank Bertram back, but I was two seconds too slow.

Bertram turned quickly, throwing him and I into the sold brick wall that edged the fireplace. I cringed, feeling my ribs crack from the force of impact.

I hissed, my anger rising, this was taking too long and it irritated me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles together I squeezed both my legs and the garrote. The gargling man continued to slam his body against the brick wall even as I squeezed the life out of him.

I continued twisting, finally getting the man to fall to his knees in a desperate attempt to get a breath of air or crawl away from me, thinking I would just let go when he fell to his knees.

As the flats of my feet found solid ground, I stood up quickly, yanking up with the garrote with all of my strength. Hearing the gurgle scream one makes as the last breath of life is leaving them, I looked down to see Bertram go completely limp, his hands dropping like wet noodles as a thin line of blood droplets fell to the floor.

"Fucking hell." I released one side of garrote, kicking Bertram to the floor and away from me. I winced when I lifted my arm on the side Bertram slammed against the wall. The ribs were definitely fractured if not broken.

I tapped the mute button on the earpiece, "Dani…."

"You don't have to say it, I saw everything. The clean-up crew is on their way up now. You’re free to head back upstairs." Her tone was serious, shaken, but serious.

I winced when I turned to head back into the kitchen to the dumbwaiter, "Tell them to scrub it for everything, it's bad enough I already have one lie I need to make up." I held on to my side, trying not to yelp from the immense pain from folding myself back up into a steel square box.

Closing the dumbwaiter door, Dani popped back into my ear, "Clean up in the apartment. Burn everything, shower and then leave normally. I’ll meet you at the White Horse for that drink."

I closed my eyes, trying to fight the pain and the hindering feeling that this drink had no good news behind it. "I understand Dani."

"Good. Meet me in the back room and I’ll take a look at your ribs." Dani took a breath as if she was about to say one more thing, but didn't. She ended the connection and left me in a nervous silence. A type of silence I hadn't experienced from her since we both sat next to each on a transport plane back to the states.

Thirty minutes later I was gingerly pushing through a pre-dinner drinks crowd. Laughing and smiling with large beers and cocktails that were making my mouth water at the sight. I needed something to take the edge off of the pain in my side and the rising anxiety of meeting Dani in public.

I found Dani sitting in a booth in the far back, dressed down in a plain t-shirt and blue pullover. Her red hair was out of the traditional high and tight bun, gathered up into a loose ponytail. She looked up when I sat down, holding on to angry ribs. "I ordered you a shot and a beer, Victoria."

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks."

She scooted closer to me, pointing at the oversized shirt I found to wear over the bandage I wrapped around the growing bruise. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was slammed into a wall by an oversized asshole." I leaned back in the booth, blowing out a slow breath. It hurt to sit, to breathe, to move, to basically do anything. I swallowed down a wince of pain. "Why I am here?"

Dani smiled at me and the cute bar girl who brought two giant beers and two shots of whiskey, waiting until the girl disappeared back into the crowd before shoving the drinks my way, "You're here because I need to talk to you before you go home and return to the life you want."

Dani slammed the shot, sucking air in between her teeth from the harsh sting of the alcohol and reached for the giant beer, "Your girlfriend's laptop went hot like the fourth of July in a redneck's backyard. Internet searches for SIS, Chimera, Bert, and a few other key words that fell across my alerts in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and trying to dream of a boathouse in Vancouver."

I closed my eyes, blindly reaching for the shot and downing it just as fast, "And?" I had a strange sensation that there was someone watching me the other night while I was reviewing the case, but it was too dark and I felt paranoid for no reason. I was positive I had left Alex dead to the world in bed that night, and picked up on nothing when I went back upstairs. Obviously she had seen something that caused her to search those very unique words, one of them being my operative code name. Chimera.

Dani sighed, leaning back in the booth, "I went to go see her, at your house of course. Made up an excuse of dropping off your outfit for Saturday." She paused, drawing a finger down the condensation of the beer glass, "Your nurse is smart, smarter than I thought she would be." She peered up at me, smirking, "Not that you would ever date a bimbo or give up this glorious life for a dipshit, but I have to say it like this, Victoria, she might be too smart for her own good."

I scowled, moving the beer up to my lips, "Dani, get to the goddamn point. You and I never have drinks, so why am I having drinks with you."

Dani chuckled, "We used to have drinks, back in the day when we were just war heroes trying to find a life outside of sand and blood, but, yes, we never have drinks and my goddamn point is this."

She sat back up, resting her arms on the edge of the decrepit wood table with initials carved over every inch, "You need to be careful, you need to make sure Alex isn't sticking her nose in places that could get her throat cut. It's bad enough that you're going to have to lie about Bert's actions, which I apologize for. I had no idea he would become the incredible hulk at the last minute. He seemed puffy and slow in all of the recon."

Rubbing at my temples, I closed my eyes, "Dani, what did you tell Alex?"

"I know you’re mad." She sighed, "I talked to her. She confronted me about our relationship and I told her the clean truth. That you had saved my life and I have been trying to repay you ever since and make up for the stupid mistake I made of getting you into Voltaire in the first place." Her eyes fell to the edge of the glass, "I should have known about the Colonel, I should have known he was full of shit."

I opened my eyes, shifting to rest on my uninjured side, "Dani, you gave me the choice, and I took the wrong one. You're not to blame for me getting locked into Voltaire and becoming this." I took another long sip of the beer, "Did Alex think you and I were sleeping together?" I had the sinking feeling that Alex would pick up on the strange closeness Dani and I shared.

Dani's eyebrow rose, "I think she might have thought that way, but I told her that as much as I love you, I couldn't stand to touch you with a ten-foot pole." She grinned at the dirty look I gave her, "I told her that I wasn't your inept secretary, but that you worked with me. I threw myself under the bus and revealed that I’m an intelligence officer and I often call upon your brilliance to help me look over cases or intel to find the pieces I would need to save the world."

Dani paused again, her grin fading, "Like I said, Alex is smart, she has a hunch about you that is dead on and I don't know how many more lies and covering make up is going to keep her away from finding the eventual truth."

I groaned, covering my face, feeling the tears build, "I hate lying to her. I know she is smart, I know she is picking up on my odd behavior and it's getting harder to lie when I am no longer interested in lying anymore." I bit my bottom lip, looking up at Dani, "Are you any closer to what we discussed?"

Dani shook her head, "I need a few more months. I was able to move some of your jobs around, claiming that it was time the other newer plumbers got a chance to spread the wealth. The old lady bought it. The old man, I don't know about him yet, he keeps talking about brining Dante on board to work with me. I can’t get much of a read when he switches into work talk.” Dani paused, sighing quietly, “When we have our yearly with the two, I can go from there."

I nodded slowly, draining the rest of the beer, "Can she be protected?"

Dani nodded quickly, "She can, and she will be. I have taken it upon myself to keep Alex off the radar. I’ve encrypted her phone and laptop, her activity there will just bounce around in cyberspace until it fades off. Her apartment was zapped a while ago and I keep tabs on her from afar whenever she isn't with you." She shrugged, "It's creepy stalkerish, but if Voltaire sees an innocent idiot, they’ll leave her alone."

I swallowed hard, whispering, "Thank you Dani."

"No problem Professor, like I said, I owe you." Dani waved at the bar girl, asking for another beer and shot, "One more thing, stop talking about Voltaire with her."

I raised my head up, my eyes locking on Dani's, "What?" My heart pounded on its quick descent to my stomach.

Dani glared at me, "She told me I should talk to you about investing in Voltaire to help with my retirement goals. She said you’re a stock holder, and that you told her about how it helped buy your house and set you up for a worry free future after you've hung up your books and lesson plans."

She held the intense stare, "Stop talking about it, stop hoarding the envelopes and don't bring it up again. I will find another way to get you the payments while the old lady is being a spaz and avoiding electronic transfers or deposits. If Alex asks again, tell her your broker sold off all the stocks and you've reinvested in a cable TV network, or something."

The intensity in Dani's tone told me I was getting too close to the invisible line Voltaire drew in the proverbial sand. Drawing attention to it through Alex, would put Alex and I in danger.

Dani and I sat, staring at each other as the girl brought the next round. Dani broke the silent stare after slamming the second shot, pointing at my ribs with the empty shot glass, "So, I was thinking that we tell her I hit you with the car door when I picked you up from the airport?"

I shook my head, sighing hard, "I don't think she will believe that, even if it was true." I spun the shot of whiskey, "I can tell her I tripped in the bulkhead and fell on the edge of a porthole." I cringed at the memory of the first time I had actually done that on the boat over to the desert. I cracked two of my ribs and couldn't breathe deeply for a week.

Dani chuckled, "I remember when you did that on the boat back to Germany, lucky for you, I was there to catch you." She met my eyes, hearing the true sentiment in her final words. Dani had been there to catch me a handful of times and was doing it again by protecting the woman I loved while I sought out my freedom.

"Yes you have, Dani." I picked up the shot, "The next round is on me then I have to go home."

Dani smiled, "Are we actually going to have a drink like old times? Not a coded drink where I tell you secrets and lies?"

I half smiled, "I think it's time we both start looking for the reality we both want and need in all of our code talk." I motioned to her beer, "Non sibi sed patriae."

She grinned, shaking her head and raised the beer glass, "Non sibi sed patriae."

I took the shot and asked Dani about the farmhouse she was restoring in Maryland, letting go of the world her and I lived in for a minute. Try and reconnect as the friends we started out as so many years ago, before the Colonel and Voltaire tore apart our lives and rebuilt them as they saw fit.

Standing in the doorway to my bedroom, I stared at the lump in my bed, snoring lightly as she took up the full expanse of the queen sized bed. I had a lingering buzz from a few more rounds with Dani, relaxing me and edging back the pain from the bruised ribs the in-flight nurse diagnosed me with. I had no cracks or fractures, just a healthy bruise on both the muscle and ribs, which I was thankful for. It would be easier to explain away a bruise than a full set of cracked ribs to the nurse in front of me.

I had ended up on the very late flight back home but was grateful to have the real moments with Dani and a chance to unwind with her rather than drag it back home. Back home where I would stand in front of the fireplace as my routine demanded and fall deeper into my head, sorting out the fact I had just killed again and felt little to nothing about it.