James (Teumessian Trilogy Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter

18

As the candidates packed, things were unfolding across the world that would affect James’s life and the lives of those around him. A short Chinese man approached an elegant mansion located just outside Beijing, China. The large metal fence and gates that protected the home stood before him. At the entrance, he was stopped by a masked guard, “What is your business?”

“I am here to meet with the Madame of the house,” he said, waving a thick white envelope in his hand.

The guard touched his ear then looked back to the man, “Okay, you are cleared to go in.”

The man placed the envelope in the breast pocket of his tailored blue suit and walked through the large gates. He made his way down the long paved driveway all the way to the two story mansion. Two large marble tiger statues sat guarding the front door. The man took a deep breath and approached the front door. As he got near, it opened. A young beautiful Indian woman dressed in a red kimono opened the door. The man smiled. He knew he was in the right place. She didn’t speak a word as she ushered him into the house. He followed her through the marble covered foyer. The diamond encrusted chandelier hung over his head. It was a new level of opulence for the man. He had never seen anything like it before. He was ushered into a large greeting room where a Chinese woman sat at a marble desk located at the far end of the room. A Siamese cat sat in her arms. She lifted her gaze from the cat to the man as he entered the room. Her beauty was greater than her reputation had given her credit. She looked younger than her age, but he knew she was in her fifties. An expensive silk Kimono was covering her body.

As she looked at the man, she smiled, “So I hear you have business for me?” she questioned, as she allowed the cat to jump onto her desk.

“Yes, Madame, my employer wishes to employ your services.” He pulled the envelope from his breast pocket.

“Come closer, dear, I can barely see you.” She reached out to pet the cat.

The man walked forward to within touching distance of her desk. He repeated, “My employer wishes to use your services.”

She smiled, “Which services, or better yet, which of my girls does he want?”

The man stood tall, “Not those services. My employer wants your real services, Madame Ming.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, dear. I run a simple business. I provide girls to lonely men, that is all.” Ming sat back in her large silk office chair.

“You can cut that crap with me. I know your real services and my boss is willing to pay for them,” he said, throwing the thick envelope onto her desk next to the cat.

The cat didn’t flinch, and neither did she. “Who’s saying I am for hire?”

“For a price, everyone is for hire.”

She smiled, “I like you, you have a pair on you. What does your boss want done?”

“Observation and protection.”

“Really, who does he want protected? It is not normally our specialty.”

The man reached back into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with James’s picture and information on it, “His name is James Gold. He is a member of the CIA who will be moving to the US Embassy in England for a mission. I believe you are aware of why they are there.” He looked deeply into her eyes as he placed the paper in front of her.

“I am aware,” the smile had left her face as her tone and eyes went dark.

“Not a hair is to be harmed on his head. My employer wants your best. They want Blossom.”

Ming’s eyes narrowed, “No, she is my best and you know it. I need to keep her to be free for myself.”

“My employer wants her on it and you don’t want to mess with my employer. You are being well paid to send her to England. I know you could use her there as well. This could be very useful to the both of us.”

“You are well informed and so must be your employer. Who is this person I must not mess with?” Ming asked with sarcasm in her voice.

“For your safety and mine, we will not discuss them.” The man’s eyes were serious and dark.

Ming read him clearly, “So if I were to, say, have my girls take care of you and just take this money, it would be a poor decision?”

“They would take you apart.”

Ming smiled, “Okay, I like making new friends. They can have my Blossom, but they will owe a favor in return for my generosity.”

“They are amenable to that,” the man replied with a smile.

“Then you can let them know that we are taking this and James Gold is going to be safe. I will make sure of it.”

“Your reputation will provide my employer with a lot reassurances that the job will be done. I can tell you that if a hair is harmed on his head, they will come for you,” the man said, turning and walking from the room and straight through the front door.

Ming sat back into her chair and looked to the Indian woman in front of her. “Get Blossom. I need to speak with her.”

The woman nodded and turned to leave the room. A few minutes later, a tall young Caucasian blonde entered the room. Her long blonde hair and light blue eyes were in stark contrast to Ming’s dark hair and eyes. “My dear Blossom, I have a job for you.”

Blossom smiled, “Yes, mother.”

“You have been requested to protect an asset.”

Blossom approached Ming’s desk. “Protection?”

“Yes, my dear, you keep him safe and I have a feeling we will have gained a very valuable new friend.”

Blossom smiled again, “I will not fail you, mother.”

“That’s a good girl. Pack your bags, you are going to England.”

“As you wish,” Blossom said with a bow as she left the room.

Ming reached out and picked up the paper the man had left on her desk. “James Gold, who are you, my dear, that someone is willing to pay a fortune to protect you? How valuable could you be to me? Maybe I will take you for myself.”

The man had moved swiftly to leave Madame Ming’s estate. He made his way down the road. As he approached a line of trees, a voice called out to him, “You can stop right there.”

The man froze in his tracks, “I did exactly what you asked. She took the money and the job.” The man raised his hands up in a surrender pose, “I was not harmed and she didn’t get any information about you. She is odd. She was wearing a kimono. An odd thing to wear for a Chinese woman.”

The man heard a rustle from the tree next to him and he stepped back. Suddenly, a thick envelope was tossed to him from the higher branches on the tree. The man caught the envelope and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“She is only half Chinese. Her mother was Japanese. She wears it in honor of her mother, a black widow. I am sure you know what that means. Her mother lured and killed men for money. Ming continues her tradition, her girls are trained to seduce and kill. Now, your contract is done. Thank you for your prompt and discrete work,” the voice called out.

“This is a life saver for my family. Thank you, and if you need anything else, I will help,” the man called back.

“You will not be needed. Take care of your son and stay away from everyone you have met in the last few days.”

The man nodded. He heard the trees rustle again and looked close to see if he could find the person he had been talking to, but there was no sign of them. He had never seen his employer since the day they met outside the hospital two days earlier. Only a voice and the envelopes with money were known to him and he felt it was safer to keep it that way. The man clutched the envelope tightly and made his way into the night.

Chapter

19

James, Chessy, and Greg arrived in London, England the following day. They were dressed the part, wearing black suits with black ties. Only Chessy’s high heel shoes set her apart from James and Greg’s outfits. They had a car waiting for them at the airport. It was from the embassy. The three of them were driven straight to the US Embassy. As they pulled up, they marveled at the site. The US Embassy sat along the Thames River and was surrounded by beautiful parks. The car drove them straight up to the front entrance. They didn’t even have time to open the doors themselves before the car doors were opened by two US Marines. They stepped out of the car as the doors were quickly closed behind them. A grey haired woman dressed in a blue dress was waiting for them.

“Welcome to England. Please follow me.” She turned, walking toward the front door.

James turned back to the car to see it pulling away, “What about our things?” he questioned.

“They are being taken to your residence. Please follow me. The ambassador is waiting for you.”

They followed the woman as she entered through the glass doors. Their amazement continued as they observed the large metal pillars and the internal gardens before them. They were taken straight to the elevators and the woman pressed the number 6. The woman was silent, they followed her lead and didn’t say a word.

As the elevator dinged, James was getting antsy in the silence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” he said, turning to face the woman.

“My name is Angela Turner and I am your representative from the Secret Service. While you are here, I am your contact. Everything you report to your bosses, you report to me.”

James looked to Chessy and Greg. This was not what they were told back home, they were only to report to Ray and John.

James looked back to Angela, “Yes, Ms. Turner, we understand.”

Angela looked him up and down then back to the elevator door. It dinged, and the doors opened and they stepped out. They followed her down the hallway and to the large double doors with the US Seal on the doorway. She didn’t knock, she just opened the doors and walked in. It was a large open space with large glass windows lined at the back of the office. An open terrace sat behind the glass. They could see two men sitting there. Angela went straight toward the door to the terrace and opened it. The tall bald man sitting on the terrace stood up.

“Calm down, Brandon, it’s just Angela,” the greying red haired man barked from his seat.

Angela smiled as she walked toward the three men. “Ambassador, these are your new translators,” she said, gesturing her hand toward James, Greg, and Chessy.

“Oh, I love new people! Come on over you three and have a seat. Brandon, sit down as well. We are having tea, or at least I think that is what this stuff is,” Huntsman said with a chuckle in his thick Texas accent.

James smiled and walked straight over to the metal chairs that formed a circle around Huntsman. Chessy and Greg followed and took seats next to James. Huntsman looked straight to James.

“I have names and information on each of you and by the looks of it, you must be James Gold.”

James smiled, “Yes, sir.”

“I had the honor of meeting your father once. He was quite a man.”

James’s face lit up. He loved hearing people talk about his father.

“And I heard even more positive things from others. He was never one to back down. If he wanted something, it was his. Are you as driven?”

James was about to answer, but Huntsman interrupted, “Of course you must be. You are the youngest CIA agent in recent history. You must be driven.”

Angela was upset, “Sir, they are translators, not CIA agents.”

“Oh, relax, we are all up to speed here. They are my newest level of protection. I wish all of you would bring me up to speed by yourselves.” Huntsman glared back to Angela.

“Sir, it is better you don’t know.”

“Right, so I get Brandon here from the Secret Service and these three from the CIA. I didn’t realize I pissed anyone off that much,” Huntsman laughed.

James smiled along, but Chessy and Greg sat silently.

“Now you two must be the serious ones. We don’t do that here. You must learn to relax and enjoy. London is a beautiful city. You will love it here.”

Chessy spoke for the first time, “Yes, sir.”

“Now, you three get yourselves settled in. There is a party tonight at my home. I will expect all three of you to attend.” Huntsman looked to Chessy, “And please, my dear, find a dress. It is a black tie affair and I just won’t stand for a beautiful woman such as yourself wearing pants.”

Chessy flashed a half smile. She was disgusted.

Angela interrupted the conversation, “Sir, I will point her in the right direction.”

“Very good, then. I will send a car for the three of you at 7pm. Be ready.”

“Yes, sir.” James said with a smile. Chessy and Greg were silent.

“Seriously lighten them up a bit would you,” Huntsman said with a laugh, patting James on the shoulder.

“Please, follow me,” Angela said, gesturing for them to stand up.

They followed Angela back to the lobby and out the front door. There, two cars were waiting. “Boys in one, girls in another. You two will go to your new residence. I will take Franchesca to get a suitable outfit for this evening.” Angela reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys and tossed one set to each of them. “Flat 1401, Ambassador Building, Embassy Gardens.”

James and Greg got into the car and Chessy reluctantly entered the other with Angela.

“She looks pissed,” James said with a laugh.

“Yah, well, she isn’t the only one,” Greg said with a huff as he sat down.

“Now, why are you mad? That went well.”

“Yah, for you. He didn’t even acknowledge me.” Greg paused. “Actually, that might be good for us. If he isn’t paying attention to me, it may be easier for me to get information on him.”

“Or maybe he is not up to anything and this will be a cakewalk.”

Greg frowned, “We are here for a reason, don’t forget that.”

The car made a few turns and then came to a stop. James and Greg looked out the window to see a large, red toned brick building.

“I guess this is home,” Greg said, getting out of the car. James followed. The driver quickly closed the door and went back to his seat in the front of the car and pulled away.

“We are on our own,” James said, putting his arm around Greg’s shoulders.

The two walked into the main lobby of the building. It was even more extravagant than the embassy. James had not seen such beauty since his childhood home with his father.

Greg was in shock. “They are not sparing any expense on putting us up, are they?”

“I’m okay with it,” James said, pushing the button on the elevator. They stepped into the elevator and James pushed the number 14. “My guess, that’s the correct floor. If not, we can wander till we find it.”

Greg smiled.

“Finally dude, look at this place. We are in paradise.”

“We will see.”

The elevator arrived at its destination and the doors opened. They could see their apartment as soon as the door opened.

“Yay, I was right.” James ran to the apartment door. He swiftly unlocked the door and threw open the door. “Wow!” James let out as he entered the apartment. Black leather furniture lined the apartment. The carpet was black and white and red accent pillows lined the three couches and two chairs. A marble top table with four chairs sat in the dining area. James saw their bags in the middle of the room. He ran past the table and saw the kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances and porcelain tiles. Greg followed James in and moved to the hallway just off the living room.

“I found the bedrooms,” Greg said, reemerging from the hallway back to the living room. “One of us will get the suite. It has a tub,” Greg said with a chuckle.

“Okay, call me smart, but let’s give it to Chessy. She was already in a bad mood. It may cheer her up,” James said, picking up his bags.

“Fine, but I get the other bedroom with an attached bathroom. You get the detached bathroom,” Greg said, grabbing his bags.

“No problem for me. I don’t mind it,” James said, following Greg down the hallway and going into the bedroom across the hall bathroom. James laughed as he entered the room.

“You find it funny too? Good, I thought I was the only one,” Greg called from his bedroom.

James took a breath as he stared at the bedspread with the US seal on it. “I guess they want to remind us what country we are here to protect,” James called back, setting his bags down on the bed. He opened up his smaller black duffle bag and reached in. He found what he was looking for, his teddy bear. James held it in his hands. Hearing about his father today and in a positive way had made him miss home even more. James sat down on the bed and just stared at it. He laid back onto the bed and clutched the teddy bear against his chest as he dozed off.

James was awaked by the slamming of the front door.

“Fucking Pig!” Chessy yelled as she stomped into the apartment.

James hopped out of bed and moved quickly to the living room. Greg had heard it as well and followed James. There stood Chessy with a black dress bag and a bag with a shoe box in it. She was not happy. James and Greg stood before her.

“This is what he likes!” She yelled sarcastically as she threw the dress bag and shoe bag across the room.

James laughed.

“It’s not fucking funny, James!” she yelled.

“I know it’s not, but hey, you got some new things. Couldn’t be that bad.”

“You don’t get it, this is the type of shit I am tired of. Just because I am a woman, it doesn’t mean I have to sport a slutty dress and high fucking heels to belong in this men's world.” Chessy was in tears of rage.

“I’m sorry,” James said. He was feeling bad. “We left you the good room,” he added sweetly.

Chessy let out a small laugh and nodded.

“It’s at the end of the hallway. You get a bathtub.” James smiled.

Chessy wiped the tears from her face, picked up her bags from the floor and moved past James and Greg to her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her.

Greg walked over and picked up the dress bag and shoe bag off the floor. “I think this guy will get to the both of us. You need to be the one who deals with him. He likes you. Be his buddy and let us do the snooping.”

James nodded as he looked toward the hallway.

Greg walked to the couch and laid the dress bag and shoe bag on it. “She knows she has to play along, the dress better not be damaged,” Greg said as he walked back to his room. “We need to get ready,” Greg called back to James.

James followed and went back into his room and got out a fresh shirt and tie. As he was setting out his things, he heard Chessy’s door open. She walked right past his door and into the living room. She returned from the living room shortly and passed his doorway, the dress bag and shoe bag in her hands. He only caught a glance at her face, but it was enough to notice that she was still not happy. James started getting ready. Once he was done, he went out to the living room and turned on the large plasma screen TV on the wall and attempted to figure out the channels. Not long afterwards, Greg joined him. They were both in the same black suits from before, only with bow ties instead of the regular black ties.

“The car will be here in about 10 minutes. Do you have the guts to see if she is ready?” Greg asked with a laugh.

“Nope. I’m hoping she just shows up ready to go.”

Within a few moments they heard Chessy’s door open. She entered the living room a few moments later.

“Wow!” James let out before thinking.

Chessy was dressed in a v neck red lace lined dress, a high slit ran up her left leg. Two high black strap heels on her feet. Chessy placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t get used to it. Is the car here yet?”

“No, we are still waiting on the call,” Greg replied

“Fine,” Chessy said, taking a seat on the couch near the kitchen.

Greg glanced at James. James was staring at her. “James,” Greg whispered to get his attention.

He turned back to Greg.

“You are staring. Stop!” Greg whispered.

“You know I can hear you,” Chessy added, looking at the two of them.

“You do look beautiful,” James said with a smile.

“Right, because that is what matters,” Chessy said looking away.

Suddenly the phone by the front door rang. “Saved by the bell,” Greg said as he moved toward the phone. He picked it up, “Yes. We are on our way down.” Greg hung up the phone. “Okay, that’s us, let’s go.”