Payback (16 page)

“If this is you, Agent Lane, telling me you changed your mind, I’ll come over there and personally kick your ass all the way to New York. What?” he barked.

“Something came up, Jack. Drive over here. I’ll be ready to…to leave when you get here.”

“All right, all right. You fibbies are the pits, you know that. You’re so disorganized I have to wonder how you get anything done. Plus today is Saturday, your day off.”

“I didn’t say it was work related, Jack. All I said was something came up.”

The first man pressed a button and the call ended. Mark replaced the phone. He brought the cup to his lips, stunned to see he’d lost the contents. Shit, now he was going to get ants. He tried to take a deep breath and made a horrible sound in his throat. Neither man looked concerned.

“How long will it take Mr. Emery to get here?”

“Depending on traffic, maybe fifteen minutes. If he hits the right lights, ten minutes.” Mark continued to hack and sputter. Both men walked back to the living room. Mark followed and sat down in his favorite chair. He’d seen pictures of the shields both these men carried but on a wide screen at a briefing. The instructor at the academy had said in any given year, maybe three such shields were issued by the president of the United States. One year, the instructor said, there had been four. One year, none. What that meant to the students was, if you ever come across someone carrying that particular shield you immediately stand down and turn over everything to the person carrying the shield. The instructor had droned on to say that MI6, Interpol and the Mossad had similar shields. All were compatible which meant the holders of the shields worked in harmony.

Mark thought about the call he’d made to his friend at Interpol.
Bastard. See if I ever do anything for you.

The minutes ticked by. Mark finally got up and replenished his coffee. He drank it cold. All the while he wondered where his next assignment was going to be if they didn’t fire or kill him. He didn’t even want to think about what they’d do to Jack. He remembered his old instructor saying the guys with the special shields were meaner than cat shit, and worse than hired assassins. All the students, including himself, had laughed when he said they shoot first and take names later.

The knock on the door sounded impatient. Neither man said a word as Mark trudged forward.

“C’mon, c’mon, open up, Mark. Let’s get this show on the road,” Jack bellowed from his side of the door.

Mark opened the door and watched in horror as Jack was literally lifted off the floor and thrown across the room with such force he made a thumping sound when he landed on the sofa. He wondered giddily, how they’d managed to gauge the distance so he didn’t crash through the glass topped coffee table. Then again, maybe it was just pure dumb luck.

Mark stared at his friend. He’d seen normal fear, abnormal fear and then the kind of fear he was seeing on Jack’s face in his earlier years in the line of duty.
Oh, shit. This is where the rubber meets the road. Keep your mouth shut, buddy, and maybe, just maybe, we can get out of this with our skin intact.

Alexis hopped on the bed and clapped her hands for silence. “Yo! Listen up everyone and get in line. Who wants to be first?” She jumped off the bed, to land with a thud next to Yoko. She eyed the Asian with a practiced eye.

“Might I say I do admire those new boobs of yours. I think I can say I’ve never seen a four foot eight, eighty-five pound female with a set of thirty-six-inch knockers.”

Yoko preened and then pranced around Alexis’s bedroom. “My husband loves them. Thanks to Julia’s colleague, I was able to have it done. No charge. How do you say, complimentary?”

“Wow!” Kathryn grinned. “Do they feel the same?”

Yoko giggled. “My husband says they do. He said he likes it that I am an experimental, progressive woman. Free!”

Julia felt the need to explain. “A colleague of mine has an intern who needed the practice. We did it after hours. I was in the clinic when they were done. Good job if I do say so myself.”

It was just enough conversation to defuse the tension in the room before Alexis got down to work. Her famous Red Bag was voluminous and no one was permitted to touch the contents but Alexis herself. The others called her a magician because she could transfer any likeness to something totally different from when she started, with the aid of latex, spirit gum, makeup and costume.

“Who am I going to be this evening?” Yoko gurgled as she gave her new boobs an uplift bounce.

Alexis looked down at the chart Charles had given her prior to all of them retiring to her room to
get ready
for the evening’s festivities. “It says here I am to make you three inches taller, pile your hair on your head for added height and transform you into a beautiful regal Chinese royal.” She looked Yoko up and down. “I don’t know if I can do that. Those boobs are going to throw me off. Besides, you’re already beautiful.” At Yoko’s crestfallen look, she hastened to add, “I’m teasing, dipshit.”

Alexis began taking things out of the oversized Red Bag, grateful for all the backstage training she’d had when she worked in Little Theater.

The gig was on.

As Alexis pinched and prodded, glued and pasted, her brushes and fingers moving like magic, the others chattered nonstop, mostly to Julia as they clustered around her, offering support.

Nikki looked up from her nest of pillows on the bed. “Are we all clear on every single detail?”

“Got it down pat, Nikki. Wait till you guys see the job Yoko and I did at that armory. It looks like a rainbow. One of the governor’s people actually came out to thank us. Gave me a fifty buck tip and winked at me. Yoko got a hundred bucks. I haven’t been able to figure that out,” Kathryn groused.

“There’s going to be a thousand people there this evening and that doesn’t count the press,” Isabelle said. “Charles said the expected donation was a thousand bucks each. He gave me our checks earlier to distribute. No grass is growing under the nominee’s feet on this one. Announcement, pony up, and get the hell out of there. Whatever you do, girls, do not, I repeat, do not forget to bring your invitation. Charles did a masterful job of duplicating them.”

“Ta-da!” Alexis said dramatically.

“Oh, myyyy, God!” the women squealed.

“You look like…” Kathryn struggled for words and was unable to come up with any. Murphy, who was on the bed with Nikki, reared back and howled.

“Let me save you the trouble and let’s go with high priced Asian slut with family ties to the Ming family! The Monarch family will be dying to make my acquaintance.” Yoko giggled as she strutted around the room in her underwear.

“I can go with that,” Kathryn guffawed. “Girl, when you get that dress on you are going to turn every head in the armory.”

The surgeon in Julia leaned over to inspect Yoko’s face, trying to see what Alexis had accomplished without the aid of a scalpel. Her cheekbones were higher, her chin more defined. Her face was no longer round but elon-gated. The dark eyes were now a startling blue. Her nose that had been on the small side was now defined, the nostrils flaring dramatically. Her long, black, silky hair was swirled and coiled on top of her head and held in place with two ivory picks. “My dear, you would put Mata Hari to shame.”

“Thank you, Julia. I have to practice walking now in these outrageous shoes. I hope I don’t kill myself.”

The hours ticked by while Alexis worked her magic on the others. “I deserve a medal for this! Now if you don’t mind, I need to work on myself. Someone should call Myra and Charles to see if they approve.”

“I’ll do it,” Nikki said as she pulled on a robe and left the room.

When the door closed behind Nikki, the women started chattering again and as usual the talk centered on men.

“That lets me out,” Julia said as she relaxed under Alexis’s spell. “Make me look like something other than a walking cadaver.”

Alexis pretended to swat her the way the others pretended not to hear Julia’s comment. “When I’m done with you, you are going to be one ravishing, kick ass broad. Now, pucker up and let me get to work. If you get tired or if you just want to get up and walk around, let me know and we can take a break. It’s not going to take me long to work on myself. I’ll look like a long-legged Diana Ross in ten minutes.” No one doubted her for a minute.

Another hour wore on as Julia dozed off and on in her chair. The others kept looking at her, hoping she’d make it through the night. No one realized how quiet it was until Julia opened one eye and smiled. “Stop worrying about me. I can do this. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be here. I’ll hold up my end. I know exactly what my role is and I won’t let you down. You’re all so kind to be so concerned. It’s been years since anyone really cared about what happened to me. You’re my family now. I’ll do my share this evening. Ohhh, I can’t wait to put on that gown. I can’t remember the last time I got really dressed to the nines.”

The women relaxed but the concern stayed in their eyes. They would all look out for her during the evening. That was a given.

“What’s the latest on Jack Emery? Does anyone know?” Yoko asked.

Alexis stopped what she was doing and said, “Charles was like a scalded cat when the stuff hit the fan. Then he turned into a pussy cat so that tells me Myra’s call to the governor took care of things.”

Yoko moved to the center of the room in her spike heeled, platform shoes and said, “Men like Jack Emery do not give up. He will find a way. What is that saying Americans have? Yes, yes, he marches to his own drummer. He will find a way to intrude into our lives again. That means we must always be vigilant. Did I say that right, Kathryn?”

“Perfectly, kiddo. Before you know it, you’re going to be as American as apple pie. Keep practicing in those shoes or you’re going to fall flat on your ass. Maybe you should tape up your ankles or something.”

“Can one of you hand me a secure cell phone? I want to call Mitch to tell him I’ll be there by six-thirty.”

Isabelle handed Julia the cell phone from her pocket. Julia dialed knowing Mitch wouldn’t be able to trace the call. She crossed her fingers that he wouldn’t answer so she could just leave a message. She wasn’t that lucky, Mitch picked up on the first ring.

“Julia, is that you?”

“Yes, Mitch, it’s me. I’m just calling…”

Mitch interrupted her before she could say anything else. “Jesus, Julia, I am so sorry about last night. I don’t know what the hell got into me. Listen, honey, I’ll make it up to you. I swear I will. I promise. Are you all right? Please say you forgive me. What the hell happened to that FBI guy? Did you smooth things over? They aren’t going to show up and cause a scene tonight, are they?”

“No, Mitch, I’m not all right. You cracked my ribs. I’m all taped up. There are no plans in my immediate future to forgive you. I just called to tell you I’ll be at the armory around six-thirty. Give or take a few minutes either way. I don’t plan on staying long but I will make an appearance. As to the agent from the FBI, I don’t know his plans as he didn’t confide in me. Do the wise thing, Mitch, and back out now.”

“Back away from the vice presidency of the United States? Are you out of your mind. I’ve lusted for this my whole life and you want me to withdraw my name. The answer is, no. Crawford is old, he could bite the dust in a year or so and I’ll be ready to step into his shoes. Are you on painkillers to make you say such a thing?”

“Yeah, I’m on painkillers,” Julia said, clicking off the phone.

Julia looked around the room. “OK, girls, my husband is fair game tonight! Anything goes.”

“Oooh, I love it when you talk like that.” Kathryn laughed.

“We’re all going in different limos, right? That didn’t change, did it?”

Kathryn shook her head. “Nope. We’re each responsible for our own gear for this little caper. Murphy stays behind tonight. Charles and Myra are coming back here so they’ll take care of him till we get home. I think we’re ready to roll as soon as Alexis finishes up with Julia and does her Diana Ross thing.”

“She’s done,” Alexis said softly. “Turn around Julia.”

“Julia, you look…beautiful!” Yoko said, running over to the dresser for a hand mirror. “You will outshine every woman at the party.” This last was said so sincerely, Julia smiled and allowed herself to be hugged…very gently.

“Just don”t go shaking your head too much or the hair strands will come loose. And, whatever you do, don’t stand under any bright lights. Your gown is padded in all the right places. Try not to move around a lot. We’ll all be within eye distance and earshot so if you want something just tug on your earlobe or something.” Alexis dropped to her knees and reached for Julia’s hands. “All I did was improve on something that was almost perfect to begin with. You’re a beautiful woman, Julia. I want you to believe that.”

“And miracles happen every day. I overheard Charles telling Myra there’s a special place in Switzerland he wants to send you to. He said they work miracles for AIDS patients. Act surprised when he tells you, OK?” Kathryn whispered.

They all looked away at the hope in Julia’s eyes.

“Mum’s the word, girls. Dress up time!” Julia said. “We leave in exactly forty-five minutes.” She pointed to her satchel and medical bag sitting next to five heavily loaded backpacks that contained the tools of their new trade. Alexis’s Red Bag of tricks would be piled on top for Charles to carry down when the limousines arrived.

The wind knocked out of him, Jack stared up at the two men towering over him. They were his height, his weight. He could probably take on one of them but not two. His gaze swivelled to Mark who looked like he was going to get sick at any minute. It was a wise man who knew when to fold and walk away. No one ever said he was a wise man. “What in the damn hell…”

“Shut up, Emery. You talk when we say you can talk. One more peep out of you and you’ll be swallowing your teeth. Agent Lane, tell this pissant who we are and where our authority comes from.”

Mark wiped at the sweat forming on his brow. “Jack, each year of the presidency, according to the instructions at the FBI Academy, the president forms a small task force, for want of a better term. It usually consists of two, sometimes three men. They only answer to the president himself. They’ve got carte blanche. That means they can snuff us out, walk away and nothing will ever happen to them. Are you following me here, Jack?”