Edge of Tomorrow (54 page)

“Well, we’ll see! I think I’ll fuck you
first, then give you some
real
pain.”

He yanked her off the bed, ripped off her
skirt and panties, and pushed her back on the bed, her legs
dangling. He spread her legs and stepped between them as he
unzipped his pants.

“That’s a nice looking pussy you have there,
bitch. I’m going to enjoy this!”

“No,
signore
! Please no!” she sobbed.

Sonny pulled out his erect penis and looked
down at Teresa’s spread legs with great anticipation, wanting to
hurt her.

“Not today, or any day, shithead!” snarled
Sara as she entered the room, furious at the scene she saw before
her.

Sonny turned in surprise, his erect member
now clearly in Sara’s view. The two 10mm slugs blew it off and what
was left of it flew across the room. Sonny screamed in surprise and
agony as blood gushed.

“What did you do, cunt?” he groaned in
English.

“Just wanted you to die as a eunuch,
asshole!” Sara answered as she put two more bullets in the bridge
of his nose.

“Another one down, Gunny,” Sara
broadcast.

Then to Teresa she said, “Grab a robe or
something to cover yourself, then let’s get the fuck out of here! I
need to find Syd!”

• • •

Tony finished his search of the first floor’s
west wing, finding nothing. He started up the stairs to join
Roberto on the second floor. He had not heard Gunny’s or Sara’s
silenced MP-5s fire a few minutes earlier, so he had no idea how
much trouble his people had already met.

• • •

Shadow-4 put Hatch and Coffer on the tower at
6:10 P.M., one minute before Tony started up the stairs. Bill
Coffer was armed with his sidearm and MP-5, and several stun
grenades. Hatch had his SigPro and ankle gun. They both wore
headsets and Coffer advised the Lexus crew of their arrival on the
tower. Hatch was frantic over not being with Syd to protect
her.

“You go down the stairs, Bill. I’ll go down
the secret stairs and exit on the second floor and check Syd’s and
Sara’s rooms. Keep in touch,” said Hatch.

“Wilco, Hatch,” said Coffer, and he was
gone.

On the Lexus network, Hatch asked, “Where are
you, Sara, Lexus One?”

“I’m just leaving Teresa’s room, Hatch,”
replied Sara. “She’s OK, just shook up. The fucker tried to rape
her!”

“Moving to first floor, west wing, Hatch,”
replied Gunny.

“Roger. Bill and I are coming down. Look
sharp! Anybody seen Syd?”

“No.”

“No.”

Hatch’s heart skipped a beat as he slipped
into the secret passageway and started down the steep stairway,
taking the steps two at a time.

• • •

Syd finally decided she had to try and
take the stalker out with her dagger—and the element of surprise.
She was afraid she didn’t have time to climb to the tower and back
before he did damage to someone. Of course, she had no idea where
he was. Where in the hall was he? She finally decided to move
toward the north stairs. She went to the next secret door and took
several deep breaths. She unsheathed her dagger and put her hand on
the latch and lifted it, letting the door open a couple of inches.
She flipped off the lights and moved the door slowly open another
three inches. She could see or hear nothing. She spotted a suit of
armor immediately to the left of the door. She slipped out of the
passageway and looked around the armor. Roberto was just exiting
the
King’s Chambers
,
muttering to himself. He started toward her position. She closed
the door behind her and snuggled against the suit of armor,
breathing shallowly and sweating again. Roberto was walking faster
now, sure that there was nobody on this floor. As he passed Syd’s
position he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye,
but it was too late. Syd moved quickly and the sharp edge of the
dagger opened his throat up, hitting bone. She pushed him away so
the gushing blood would not get on her. She walked to his prone
body and plunged the dagger into his heart. She picked up his gun
and checked it out. It was a 9mm Beretta fitted with a silencer.
She felt a little safer now. She reached down and withdrew the
dagger from Roberto’s lifeless body and wiped it clean on his
pants.

“I should mark you with a
Z
, asshole, but I won’t,” she said
to the corpse as she sheathed the dagger.

Using the suits of armor as cover, she
started making her way toward the north stairs as Tony was making
his way up them.

I wonder where Sara is.

• • •

Hatch reached the second floor and eased the
secret door open a few inches and listened. He heard nothing so he
eased out into the hall and plastered himself against the wall. His
SigPro was in his right hand, safety off. He intended to check
Syd’s room, hoping she had locked herself in there. He peered
around the suit of armor and saw a form on the floor just beyond
his chamber door. His heart skipped a beat again and his breath
caught in his throat.

Shit! Could that be Syd? Damn them! If
they’ve hurt her I’ll feed them their balls!

He moved quickly toward the body in the
middle of the hall, throwing caution to the wind, just as Tony got
to the top of the stairs. Hatch looked closely at the body and
determined that it was not Syd. He let out a sigh of relief.

Syd could have done this, but there is no
‘Z.’ Where the fuck is she?

He was still looking down at the body
when Tony raised his weapon and aimed it at Hatch. Hatch looked up
and had a feeling of
déjà vu.
He remembered holding Kat’s dead body in his arms as the
Stasi agent drew a bead on him. He didn’t freeze as he did in that
plaza in West Berlin, though he knew he was in big trouble. He
moved to his left and began raising his SigPro, hoping he could
avoid taking a fatal hit before he got a shot off. Then, he saw a
shape step out from behind an armored warrior of yore and shoot the
man in the left eye. The force of the bullet threw Tony back down
the stairway. The shape spun around toward Hatch and crouched, gun
at the ready, and Hatch’s heart leaped!

“Syd!” he yelled as he ran toward her. “Don’t
shoot! It’s me!”

She smiled as she saw who it was and safetied
her weapon. He swept her into his arms, pushed his boom mike out of
the way, kissed her on the mouth, then held her in a bear hug,
rocking back and forth.

“God! I thought I’d lost you!” he mumbled in
her ear, his heart pounding.

“I heard that, Hatch!” Sara’s voice said in
his earphone. “Where the fuck are you! I take it you found
Syd!”

“Yes, she’s fine! Two more bad guys down,
thanks to Syd! We’re near my chambers in the west hallway,” he
broadcast.

Sara came around the corner at the south end
of the hall with Teresa cowering behind her, a thin cotton robe
covering her nakedness. They joined Hatch and Syd and Syd put an
arm around Teresa.

“You OK, kid?” Syd asked.

“Thanks to Sara showing up when she did. I’m
scared though. Is this over yet?”

“I think so,” replied Hatch. “We’ll make
sure, though.”

“Bill,” Hatch broadcast, “there are four bad
guys down, but get some men and sweep the castle—every nook and
cranny. We’re going to the small dining room now.”

“Wilco, Hatch,” replied Coffer from the first
floor where he had joined Gunny. “Carmelo and Lexus Seven and Eight
are here now. We’ll start a sweep now, and check on Gina.”

Hatch hugged Syd again and kept his arm
around her as they all headed for the stairs.

“Where the fuck were you, Syd?” asked Sara.
“I was looking for you. I called your room, but you didn’t answer.
You had me worried. Shouldn’t have, I guess. I assume the one with
the slit throat is yours, right?”

“I’ll tell you all about it after I get
another drink. I spilled my first one, you know,” said Syd with a
wan smile, her heart still pounding.

• • •

While Coffer and his Lexus team searched the
castle, Hatch, Syd, Sara, and Teresa fixed drinks in the small
dining room. Syd opted for Stoli on the rocks this time, her nerves
jangling. Syd related her story and Sara told hers while they
gulped their drinks.

Syd said to Hatch when there was a lull in
the conversation, “I hope you punished Bocca good for this. That’s
the worst experience I’ve ever had, and poor Teresa should not have
had to endure what she did!”

Hatch looked into her eyes and saw the
mixture of sadness and anger there.

How does she know about Bocca? No one here
except me knows I was there!

The look on Hatch’s face ripped at Syd’s
heart.

I can’t beat him up over that now. I’m just
so happy I shot that bastard in time or we wouldn’t be sitting here
now. I’m just glad everyone is safe! I’m not up to game playing
now.

“No one told me, Hatch. We just think alike.
You did exactly what I would have done. How did it go?” Syd said
with a smile, putting her hand over his.

Hatch related what had happened at Bocca’s
place, including his threat to Lucchese.

“I hope the son of a bitch bled to death!”
exclaimed Sara, referring to Bocca.

Coffer and Gunny entered the room accompanied
by Carmelo, and Hatch invited them to fix themselves a drink. The
castle was clean and Gina and the servants were safe. They had
locked themselves in when they heard the explosion. The bodies had
been collected and put in body bags, and the blood was being
cleaned up.

Hatch said, “Involving the police in this
would be counterproductive, Bill. Just have the bodies dumped
somewhere in Bocca’s area. The police will assume it was
gang-related. We don’t need the police looking into our business
here, or wondering why we are so well armed. They won’t do anything
about Lucchese anyhow. They’ll just be a pain in the ass.”

“I agree,” said Carmelo.

“I’ll handle it,” stated Coffer.

“Are Gina and her people going to be able to
do dinner tonight?” asked Sara.

“Yes,” answered Carmelo. “She’s business as
usual. She said eight o’clock. That OK with everyone?”

“Sure,” grinned Hatch. “There’s still some
serious drinking to do.”

“I think I’ll go shower and change clothes
before dinner,” said Syd. “Besides being soaked in the sweat of
fear, I think I peed my pants at some point.”

They all laughed, releasing some of the
tension they all felt.

“I’ll take Teresa back to be with Gina,” said
Sara. “She shouldn’t be alone right now.”

The group started disbanding and Hatch
followed Syd up to her room. She stripped off her wet tee shirt and
sat down on the couch to take off her sneakers.

“I guess we should talk,” said Hatch
quietly.

“Fix me another Stoli on the rocks first,
please. I’m so relieved that we’re both alive—that everyone’s OK.
I’m in no mood to bitch at you now,” she answered in a tired voice.
“You really don’t owe me any explanations about what you do, you
know.”

“Somehow I feel that I do. Thanks for being
there to save my life, by the way. That asshole had the drop on me,
but I thought that body was yours at first and it freaked me
out.”

“I’m glad I was there, like you were
for me at
The Blue Grotto
. I
couldn’t let him shoot you—I’d really miss you,” she smiled. “Right
now I just want you to hold me for a minute.”

She stood and he took her in his arms,
holding her tight, saying nothing for a moment.

Then he finally said, “About the Bocca visit:
Carmelo says you’re going to cut me off because I didn’t tell you
about it.”

“Cut you off what?” she asked.

“Sex.”

“You’re kidding! Why would I do that? Why
should I punish myself? That punishment must have been invented by
frazzled housewives or frigid women! If I wanted to punish you,
that wouldn’t be the way I’d choose,” chortled Syd as she stepped
back and stripped off her bra. “Besides, it’s not my place to
punish you for anything. It would please me if you could learn to
be honest with me, but I understand you must do what you think is
right. Now, how about a shower? I’m no friggin’ frazzled housewife
and I’m horny as hell!”

She went to the bathroom and stripped off her
jeans and panties and turned on the shower. Hatch followed
sheepishly, but greatly relieved that she had not made a big issue
of his deception.

• • •

After their delicious shower, Hatch dressed
and went to retrieve his briefcase while Syd did her nails. Hatch
thought that her sexual gyrations had been more tender than
usual—almost loving. Syd had thrown on a light shortie robe, and
had added ice to her Stoli so she could sip it while her nails
dried. She was beginning to unwind from the tense action earlier in
the evening. The great sex in the shower had worked its magic on
her.

Hatch returned with his briefcase and sat
next to her on the couch, a grin on his face. He poured himself a
Stoli on the rocks, took a sip and opened his briefcase.

“What’s with the shit-eating grin?” giggled
Syd. “It must have been as good for you as it was for me.”

“Oh, yes, it was! You were superb!”

Hatch took out the expensive, long leather
case and put it on the table in front of her.

“Something else I didn’t tell you about: I
took some time today to buy you a present. I hope you like it,” he
said, with the silly grin still on his face.

“Wow! How sweet of you! You took time out of
your clandestine day to think of little ol’ me?” she said in a
girlish voice.

She leaned over and kissed him on the
cheek.

“No need for the sarcasm. Please open
it.”

“This isn’t a guilt present, is it?” she
laughed. “If it is, you may want to take it back, because I’m not
mad at you, as you should know after our shower.”