The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (15 page)

Three minutes remained as I released all thought, letting my mind unfurl itself. Tension and weariness left my body as I drew in each breath allowing the life force that permeated the world to flow through me. I felt my body vibrate as the power of life itself coursed through my veins. I opened my eyes, narrowed my focus forcing the water off me as I stepped out of the shower. Pulling on a pair of old levis and a long sleeve cotton pullover I contemplated on how to proceed with Creepy George. I settled on a direct approach more or less, to catch him in his upstairs apartment. The best way to do that was simply to break in through a window on the second story balcony. I grabbed a belt holster and strapped it on my belt in the middle of my back. The less attention I drew from law enforcement would be preferable. While subtle wasn’t one of my strong suits stealth certainly was.

The last twenty four hours had been anything but peaceful and I had little doubt that would change in the near future. The man I was about to meet had tried to kill me once before, even if that was twenty years ago. There was little reason to think he wouldn’t try again. The thought of using a high powered rifle and having him drop dead before the soundwave hit was tempting, yet highly counter productive, since I needed information. If it came down to it and I had to kill him, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, just inconvenient as hell.

Entering the office I found Kira making herself comfortable in my chair. I’m old and a guy to boot, so yes I have a special chair that just so happens to fit me perfectly.

“Making yourself comfortable?” I inquired, smirking as I walked past her to the safe across the room. “What are you still doing here? I thought you would be on the road by now.” After pulling out one of the PX4’s and slipping it into the waiting holster I turned my attention back to my daughter.

She eyed me as she carefully considered my attire. “I will be shortly.” She propped her feet up on my desk and smiled. “Thought I would stop in and wish you luck on whatever stupid thing you’re about to do.”

“Feet off.” I grimaced as she was bound and determined to chip the furniture one day with her overpriced heels. Again I know it sounds like I’m somebody's grandpa but she’d understand one day. As she rolled her eyes she complied. “And why, do you think I’m about to do something ‘stupid’?”

“I dunno, maybe because you’re sending me out of town on a baby sitting errand!” Pushing herself to her feet as she gave me a sober look. “And you have Gregory doing busy work that anyone here could do ten times faster.” She casually walked around the front of my desk and leaned back as she kept a keen eye on me. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Alright, you’re wrong.” I said turning my back to her as I grabbed several extra clips from the safe. “I need this ‘Owen’ person brought back here in one piece.” Turning back around Kira’s face was twisted up like she was about to go on the attack. “Before you get all defensive, Owen has something we need to recover on his person. He doesn’t know he has it.” Grabbing my jacket as I made my way back to her I gave her my best ‘please do as I ask’ face. “I’m doing my best to make sure you’re first solo command is as uneventful as possible.” Leaning over I gave her a kiss on the cheek as I smiled brightly. “Its a father’s prerogative!”

She gave me a quick hug. “I love you too.” She blushed. “I know I don’t say it often enough but I do love you dad.”

My heart swelled with pride. She was a good girl, and I couldn’t have asked for more in a child. Well, maybe less attitude but even that was alright. “Be careful out there.” I opened the office door and bowed as she walked through.

“You should think about one of those new ergonomic chairs for your back.” She laughed as she strolled toward the stairs. “Your desk chair in there is lumpy in all the wrong places and dear god it is just so old and out of style.”

“Don’t even think about replacing it!” Shaking a finger at her I couldn’t help but smile. “It took me thirty years to break that one in the way I like it.” Closing the door behind us I followed her down the stairs.

It was just after three in the morning when I left my office and made my way down Barracks Street. Barracks was one of the nicer streets that ran the length of the French Quarter perpendicular to Bourbon. Over the last several years developers had refurbished many of the older buildings turning them into expensive condominiums that catered to those individuals who wanted to be part of the French Quarter in crowd. During the past year two different real estate developers had offered me nearly enough money for my building to be able to demolish it to rebuild an exact replica in not even a block away. Passing Burgundy I caught site of Cabrini Park as it lay nearly empty, dark and slightly depressing as the homeless huddled in the far corner. It wasn’t until I passed Dauphine Street that the stench of stale beer, mildew and some acidic aroma mixed with freshly brewed coffee with chicory overwhelmed my sense of smell completely. Of all the places in the world that I had been to this particular mixture of scents was uniquely New Orleans.

Two blocks later I made a right on Royal Street. ‘Curious George's’ shop was a block and a half from Barracks Street in a row of two story buildings. The lower floors were used for business while the second story served an apartment for the proprietor. Creepy George fell into this category while his neighbor used the upstairs as storage allowing me to scale the wall and onto his neighbor's balcony without any worry of being spotted.

The lights in Creepy Georges apartment suddenly came on. I froze in place, afraid he had somehow detected my presence. Ducking below the wrought iron railing I prayed that I would go unnoticed. From this angle I could see through the livingroom and kitchen windows which were just a couple of yards away. Creepy George strode nude through the living room and into the kitchen where he turned on the coffee maker. When he bent at the waist to grab the sugar from one of the lower cabinets I felt a little ill as I saw more than I would have cared to see of his nether region.

He walked back through the house, stopping in the living room to open the windows allowing the fresh air in. It wasn’t long after he disappeared from view that I heard the running water of a shower. Carefully and quietly I crept over the wrought iron railing and through the open window. Focusing my will I felt the hum of my shields as they wrapped themselves around me.

Waiting outside the bedroom I listened closely, waiting for him to step into the shower. Once I heard the shower stall door close I waited a few minutes longer for him to be at his most vulnerable. I know it’s rude as hell to plan on kicking the shit out of someone when they are in the shower because lets face it, we are all afraid of something happening to us one day. Didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation just meant I knew it was rude.  Once I was sure he was otherwise occupied I walked through the bedroom door and into the bath.

“Good morning Creepy Geor...” As I entered the room I turned to my right reaching for my weapon. Most people don’t want to get into the thick of things when they are naked and soapy. George was neither of these things as the shower door exploded sending shards of glass through the air embedding themselves everywhere. The glass harmlessly shattered against my shields even though I was caught completely by surprise.

George had quickly dressed and laid in wait and was now barreling through the broken door screaming at me. Hitting me like a freight train I flew across the room shattering the mirrored wall on impact. His fists slammed against my shields like sledgehammers and I felt them weaken with each impact. I caught him in the ear with a wicket right hook causing him to stagger back giving me room to get my footing. He quickly recovered throwing an elbow at my face which I blocked and brought up my knee into his midsection. Feeling a rib break I thought he might see reason and surrender. Damn was I ever wrong.

George drew back and kicked me for all he was worth, lifting me off the floor and slamming me into the far wall. Turning around quickly I threw a wicked kick to his midsection knocking him through the open door, giving me enough time to get to my feet before he charged again. George slammed his fist against my shields bloodying his knuckles. He grabbed me and flung me against the bathroom vanity causing more of the broken mirror to crash to the floor. As George came at me I brought my fists down into his shoulders driving him to the floor. Jumping off the counter I found myself being slammed into the bedroom before my feet ever hit the floor.

George was out the bathroom door in a flash grabbing a baseball bat that was propped against the wall as he passed. “You should’ve stayed away. I was content to let you live but as you can see things have changed” he growled.

George was stronger and faster than he should have been, an absolutely terrible combination when you are trying to whip someone’s ass, which he was doing to mine at the moment. And now he was armed with a bat! I didn’t know how much more my shields would take before he caved in my skull.

Shunting more of my will into the shields to fortify them, I rolled to my feet. “How have things changed, George?”

George stopped suddenly and laughed. “You’re here to kill me like you did the others.” He shook his head as he circled me trying to find the right opening for his kill shot. “I won’t lie down and die like the others!” He closed the distance between us as he swung the bat wildly at my head. “It’s time for you to die Viktor!”

Sidestepping his attack I grabbed his batting arm and used his momentum causing him to land hard face first on the livingroom floor.

“I didn’t kill the others!” I yelled as I speared him in the back as he tried to get to his feet. Forcing his face back into the floor and breaking his nose, I forced my knee down on this back. I felt another one of his ribs give way under my weight before he was able to again throw me across the room. “Your old friend Gullveig is back collecting her toys!”

He rolled to his feet with fear in his eyes. “You lie!” George charged me as I tried scrambling out of his way. “She died the day you raided the farm!” He slammed one of his meaty fists against the shields protecting my face causing me to lurch sideways. “When the gas main blew you buried her in the caverns below.” George kicked me slamming me into the unopened living room window. “Maybe its time you joined her in the hereafter!”

His entire right hand was covered in a red glowing mist which coalesced into a solid red sphere. He hurled it across the room with all his might, slamming into my shields and enveloping them. I tried to brace for the impact but failed miserably.  I was thrown bodily through the window and the balconies  wrought iron railing. Landing on the far side of Royal Street with a very unsatisfactory thud, all I could do was moan as it knocked the wind out of me. George ran out on the balcony, and seeing that I wasn’t dead he decided to finish the job. He took a few steps back before jumping off the  balcony.

Seizing my opportunity as he hung in midair I pulled my PX4 from its holster and fired twice, both rounds slamming into his shoulder. Sprawling out of control he slammed into the asphalt. His thud and groan of agony were very satisfactory, to me at least. No matter how much I didn’t want to kill him, he was making it nearly impossible. Dusting myself off as I stood up, I made sure I kept my weapon trained on Creepy George, though it didn’t seem to phase him. He growled while rolling to his feet and charged me. I had about a half second to fire again, missing him as he dove to one side and rolled passed me before getting to his feet and running toward the river.

Tucking the pistol back into its holster I quickly gave chase. He tore past Gallier House and through the empty parking lot that lay beyond. Creepy George slammed into some poor guy out walking his dog, slowing him down only slightly as he sent the man sprawling. I didn’t have time to apologize, much less help him, as George scaled the back wall of the Beauregard Keyes House. At this point all I could do was try and keep up.

As I continued to run after him I was really starting to resent the fact that Creepy George was in better shape than I was. This thought distracted me for a moment as I topped the roofline, just long enough for George ambushed me. I dove to one side trying not to lose my footing. Just as I righted myself I saw him sneering at me as he casually jumped into the courtyard below. I hardly looked as graceful as he had as I launched myself from the roof but it was still highly effective. Slamming into his lower back I was pretty sure I had wiped that smug look off his face as it slammed into the concrete shattering his already broken nose. Pressing my advantage I drove an elbow hard into the base of his skull, slamming his face into the concrete a second time just for good measure. He suddenly pushed up with such force that he threw me back several feet, causing me to land hard on my back. Before I could get to my feet he was off again leaving a trail of blood from his broken nose in his wake.

I couldn’t believe this guy was still moving. Looking up at the empty sky above I asked “Really?” God I hate this guy!

George crashed through a locked wooden door and entered the building, which only seemed to slow the man for less than a second forcing me to follow at top speed. We tore through the hallways knocking over tables and lamps as we went. George was making a mess of things and was far enough ahead of me that I momentarily lost him in the darkness. Hearing gunshots I could only guess one of the armed guards caught sight of George, fired and missed. As I ran toward the shots I could hear the sickening sound of squishy flesh meeting something very solid followed by crunching of breaking bones. Without needing to see what had happened I knew that the unprepared guard had met a gruesome end to his life. It wasn’t a second later that I found the guard’s broken body. Sirens sounded in the streets outside and it was time for me to stop my pursuit. George was surely gone by now and I was sure that the NOPD would have a lot of questions for me to answer. I made a quick call before stepping through the front door with my hands above my head and kneeling assuming the position allowing the officers in the street below to come collect what they thought was their prize.