Agent with a History (8 page)

One son stepped forward, “You should not have
let her go! They will capture her and get the secrets of the
treasure from her! It was foolish to let her out of your hand!”

Iya simply nodded and started to walk past
him, but in a quick move he caught his son with a hand to the
throat and another to the back of the head and twisted sharply.

The loud snap of his son’s neck had the
others backing up a step and Iya let his full contempt for them
show. “Until one of you conniving jackals mans up enough to kill
me, I rule and what I say goes! You do not question my motives or
actions!”

He let the body of his son fall to the ground
and continued on toward the house. Rocco stood there and Iya came
to a stop. “You agree with my actions?”

Rocco was no fool and had known better than
to stand with the others in confrontation with their father. “He
got what he deserved for questioning your leadership.”

Without warning Iya viciously back handed
Rocco so hard that he broke his nose and knocked him to the ground.
“And now so have you!” gritted out Iya.

Rocco, holding a hand to his nose, looked up
at his father profoundly puzzled.

“The next time you so much as touch your
sister is the day you die Rocco. Whether I’m alive or not, I will
see that it happens, doubt me not on this matter!”

Iya turned from him and strode into the front
entryway of the house his back straight and head held high proudly.
He was still the lord of his patch of the jungle.

I couldn’t believe it! I was almost free!
Then I saw the two men and a woman standing on the dock and I knew
what I was in for.

These three of my siblings ran together as a
pack, they always had. They were full blood through their mother
with each other and the two brothers felt that their sister should
have occupied the spot in the family that had been given to me.

I’d had nothing to do with receiving the
honor or, more aptly, the curse that had been bestowed upon me by
my great-grandmother.

That I had no choice in the matter didn’t
occur to them. All three were jealous and as spiteful as hungry
dogs cheated out of a bone. As the ferry came in closer the two
brothers pulled out pistols. Seconds later there were the reports
of two sharp rifle shots spaced closely together. Both brothers
dropped their pistols and clutched at their shattered hands. My
eyes drifted to the side to see Marshawn casually leaning against
the corner of a dockyard building. He gave a casual wave followed
by a cheeky grin.

It would appear that my father did want me
alive for the time being. I got in my car and when the ferry gates
opened I was gone as fast as the tires would spin. I had a long
night of driving ahead of me, but I didn’t care because I was
free.

It was past ten o’clock and all was dark, but
for the reflection of the moon off the ocean’s surface casting off
just enough light to see by. He should have been inside enjoying
one of his women or a couple of them for that matter, but Iya had
no desire for such amusements tonight.

He felt restless even worried. It wasn’t like
him to worry about anything. He had looked life in the face all of
his life and surged on without a care for tomorrow or what might
happen, only living for the day. He had been young then. He wasn’t
now. He had felt his age creeping up on him over the past few years
in leaps and bounds.

The decrease in his abilities made him wonder
how long he could yet remain in control. The wolves were circling
and he had not yet attained his share of immortality. He had to
stay strong for yet a little while longer and then he would have
what he had always wanted, the respect of his people for
generations to come.

It wouldn’t matter all the things that he had
done up until this point, once he had achieved what he had been
striving for all his life. He would be loved and even worshiped for
countless generations to come. That was worth holding out for. That
was worth risking everything for. He just hoped his daughter could
come through for him. If anyone could do it she could. His
wondering thoughts came to a halt and he sat up straighter in the
chair.

He was sitting on the same patio, as he had
been earlier in the day with Lisa. Something was different in the
night. A new element had been added to the peaceful tranquility of
the crashing waves on the shore below. And then he saw the tall
figure of a man striding up out of the waves, out of the foamy
backwash of the sea itself. Iya’s face split into a huge grin, as
the feeling of danger descended upon him.

He needed that feeling to live, like some
people needed air to breath. It was part of who he was and it was
also what had helped him to become great. He poured some more wine
into his glass and then set another glass upright and poured it
full, as the figure from the beach made his way up the steeply
grassed lawn toward him.

The man came abreast of the table and sat
down across from Iya and took a drink from the glass that Iya had
pushed across to him.

“The swim, how was it?”Iya asked in a jovial
manner.

“Long.” Was all the stranger said.

Iya’s mock joviality dimmed a bit, “So, why
have you come Flint? I agreed not to encroach on your territory, so
why have you come to mine?”

Flint idly held the glass of wine, as he
relaxed back into his chair. “You have something I want.”

“That simple huh?”

“That simple.”

“And what if I don’t give you what you seek?”
Responded Iya.

“I’ll find a way. You know I always complete
what I start.” Responded Flint, evenly as he took another sip of
the wine.

Iya sat back laughing and slapped his thigh,
“Oh to the gods I wish I had sons like you!” On a quieter note he
added, “As it is, I wasn’t entirely unlucky. I did get one good
daughter.”

Flint leaned forward and sat the wine glass
back onto the table. “Yes, about her, I want her too.”

Consumed by another fit of laughter, Iya
managed to hack out, “You don’t ask for much do you my friend! You
want my treasure and my prized daughter! You tried to kill me and
you think I’m just going to hand her over to you?”

“Oh I didn’t ask you to hand her over to me,
but as her father I was simply letting you know of my intentions
towards her. It will be her choice whether she’ll have me or
not.”

Iya grunted, frankly amused at the turn the
game had taken. He admired and respected Flint that is what little
that even he knew about him, which said a lot to the man’s
proficiency in keeping a low profile.

It could be very useful having such a man as
a son in-law, if things worked out that way, and if he got in the
way later on he could always be rubbed out.

“I have no doubt that you are often
successful given your prior track record in nearly killing me, but
she is beyond you my friend.”

Flint remained silent so Iya interjected.
“She was here today, which I’m sure you already know. She even
asked about you and I would even go as far as to say that she may
even like you. But, unfortunately for you, she will never be
willingly available in an intimate way with anyone.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, but I think she has
come along farther than you think she has.”

Iya shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.
She hides it well, but she’s still a scared little girl
inside.”

Flint picked up his wine glass again. “Since
you’re being so helpful, perhaps you can fill me in a little more
on what happened to her.”

Iya shrugged, “Why not? It started with her
mother. She was a very beautiful woman. I bought her at a black
market auction in Spain. She came from a very noble family in the
south of Italy. Her father had squandered the family fortune and he
got the great idea that he could make some money with his oldest
daughter. He made her disappearance appear as a kidnapping, while
he actually sold her instead. He did the same in the following
years to her younger sisters. He was eventually caught and sent to
jail, where he had a rough time of it from his fellow inmates. He
didn’t last long. I brought Lisa’s mother back here to the island.
She fought me tooth and nail. I still have the scars! She had
almost as much pride as I did, but she tamed down some once she had
Lisa. She poured herself into protecting that girl. She was special
and I kept her exclusively to myself and I didn’t share her with my
twin brother, which was a mistake. My twin brother grew jealous and
when I was gone he raped her for days and then killed her. He raped
Lisa as an afterthought and would have killed her too, but my men
stopped him, because she was of my blood. I was angry with my
brother, but he was of my very own blood and she was but a good
lay, so I let it pass and just gave him a good beating. I waited to
see what would become of Lisa. Alone and without a mother she was
picked on by the other children and their mothers, but she
surprised me by how hard she fought to survive. She really
surprised me one night when she was twelve. She snuck into my
brothers’ room and killed him and his favorite woman, who had
picked on her the most. The others gave her a wider berth after
that. She is tough, but in some ways very fragile. Now that you see
what you’re up against what do you think?”

Flint didn’t say anything, but just continued
to stare at Iya idly, caressing the stem of the glass with a
finger.

“You think I’m a monster don’t you?”

“You said it, not me.” Flint said as he stood
up.

Iya was mildly surprised that he was leaving.
They really hadn’t discussed much of anything of importance,
yet.

Suddenly the figure of a man materialized out
of the darkness from the direction of the house to come up
alongside Flint. “Get what we came here for Tyre?”

“Yes.” Was all the slimmer man responded
with.

“What have you stolen from me?” Iya demanded
loudly.

Flint glanced over at him, “I asked nicely
and you said no, so what did you expect me to do, go home without
it? Thanks for the drink by the way.”

Flint and the other man headed back towards
the beach as Iya fumed. He had been played! Flint had been nothing
more than a diversion. He’d gotten the best of him, yet again! His
hand reached for the pistol that was strapped to the underside of
the table.

Flint looked back, “I wouldn’t do that if I
were you Iya, you wouldn’t want to be cancelled out of the game
this early on would you?”

Iya glanced down at his chest, where the
little red laser dot danced and he relaxed his grip on the pistol
handle. “It would appear that you have won the night.” Iya had to
admit grimly, as he watched the two men walk down the slope and
disappear into the surf.

The red light went away and a few minutes
later he heard an outboard motor start up. He sat there filled with
rage at the way he had been duped. Oh well, they may be closer, but
they still didn’t have what they needed to find the treasure.

Galloway let the rifle down and helped pull
first Flint and then Tyre into the boat. “How did the big he-bull
take it?” Galloway asked curiously.

“Not well!” Responded Flint with a broad
grin, but his companion was more reserved.

Tyre was, in fact, the very essence of the
word reserved, with somber running in a close second. “Flint, I
found a couple more clues, but I didn’t see anything as to where
the actual treasure is.”

Flint, patted him on the shoulder, “That’s
okay because I found the key that unlocks the door.”

Galloway looked him up and down, “Well, where
is it?”

“I don’t have it with me, but I know what it
looks like.”

“What does it look like?” Galloway asked
cautiously.

“5’11’’ of perfectly proportioned symmetry,
coated in a honey chocolate glaze, capped off with a pair of
expressive black eyes, long black curly hair and a smile to die
for.” Responded Flint with a grin.

“The detective!” Exclaimed Galloway.

“One and the same.”

“You think she’s just going to tell you where
the treasure is?”Galloway asked in open skepticism.

“I’m hoping so.” Responded Flint.

“What if she doesn’t? I’m not into roughing
up chicks!”Galloway responded heatedly.

Flint gave him a reproachful look. “And when
have you known me to be?”

“There was that Asian chick in
Singapore.”

“She was trying to cut my fingers off and
feed them to me!”

“There was that social debutant in France
last year.”

“She was a black widow and had a machete,
which she was trying to take my head off with!”

“Then there was that woman in Istanbul.”

“Now that was an accident! How was I supposed
to know that monster was a woman?”

Tyre half choked on a burst of laughter.

“Yes!” Exclaimed Galloway as he and Flint
smacked hands together victoriously as Tyre just shook his head and
started up the outboard motor.

It had been a game of the other two for years
to try and crack up Tyre’s somber façade and when they succeeded it
was cause for celebration over a hard won victory.

“Seriously Flint, what are we going to do if
she doesn’t’ tell us what she knows?”

Galloway asked loudly in order to be heard
over the noise of the motor prop.

“We’ll keep her safe. As long as she is safe
the treasure remains buried.”

“And I guess you’re just the man for that
special protective detail aren’t you?”

Flint just smiled back in return.

I walked into the precinct nursing the cup of
coffee in my hands. Immediately I noticed the extra flurry of
activity and new faces in the office. What was going on? I found my
way to my desk to find Sal there. He refused to meet my eyes and I
knew something was up.