There was a scuffling noise. The silence of the room was split by Cain’s scream, then a thud that seemed to shake the entire apartment.
Immediately, Alessa stood up. She took a mass of foam from her pocket, crossed to the bath, soaked it with water, crossed to where Cain was sprawled on the floor, still dazed from the shock of the fall. She dropped on him, her knees pinning his hands to the ground. And as the wet foam came above his face, Cain suddenly realized what was about to happen to him. He gave a sharp squeal of terror, and he made a frantic effort to save himself, but it was too late.
Alessa dropped the foam on his face and applied pressure. Water flowed down the sides of his face. His legs kicked helplessly.
Keeping the pressure steady, Alessa watched the desperate heaving of his body and the movement of his fingers scrabbling at the tiles.
Cain suddenly realized he had no chance of surviving this. Alessa’s weight on him felt like a h
Gorevoy dropped the phone in his pocket. His mouth twisted into a crooked grin. So Rico was onto him. Well, even if he would not get any money out of this, he would get his revenge, and that was a promise he had made to himself.He stripped off his clothes. It was essential to his plan that he wouldn’t be followed to where he had to go to now. He opened the closet and took out the woman’s dress he had bought for an occasion like this. He slipped into it, wore a brown topcoat, and slid his feet into a Mary Jones shoe. Making himself up, he wore a black wig and dark shades, took a handbag, folded his clothes, and put in the bag. He picked up a brown envelope from the table, dropped it in the bag, and left the room.Outside the condo, he sneaked a surreptitious glance at Alessa. She paid him no attention. He hailed down a taxi and got in.The taxi pulled up in front of Rose’s apartment building. He got out, paid the cabman, and proceeded to the bu
Rose took the envelope, lifted the flap, and drew out six photographic prints. A single glance stopped her heartbeat for a split second, her heart raced, and she felt icy sweat break out on her face. She shuffled through the prints, then returned them to the envelope, and put the envelope down on the table. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Pascal had betrayed her.Gorevoy regarded her. “Four days ago, I gave the originals to Rico; these are photocopies. The next day, I read in the papers that Pascal was dead. Rico knew I was the only one who had evidence; linking him to Pascal’s death, so he dropped two tails on me. That was when I knew my life wasn’t safe anymore, and I had to talk to you. This disguise was essential to shake off the tail. If Rico gets the idea that I’ve talked, I’m as good as dead. If anything happens to me, you know who’s responsible. You are a press woman. You know what to do with these photog
Rico stared at the phone, bewildered, and just as he was about to close the phone, a message from Rose dropped in. He viewed the message, and an obscene, crude, sexually brash picture filled his screen.It said a lot about him that his face remained expressionless. He felt an increased rate of blood flow to his extremities. The phone became too heavy for him to hold, but he held on to it.Natasha looked into his eyes. The light in them made her shift away from him.“What’s it, Jamie?” She asked carefully.He turned the screen of the phone to her.“What is this?” His voice roared.Natasha’s hand flew to her mouth as her breath came in quick gasps. The look on Rico’s face frightened her. She had never seen him look like this before. Immediately, she stood up and edge back into a corner of the room.“I can explain, Jamie. It not what you think.”Rico made after her, but stopped in his tracks.
A Toyota Prado drove into the warehouse and pulled up behind the cab. Out of it spilled two black powerfully built men dressed in black suits. The driver held a small black briefcase. He came over to Gorevoy and handed him the briefcase.The other man went over to the rear door and opened it. Natasha’s shrill scream filled the warehouse.He raised his gun to her.“Hold it,” he said in a voice that was loaded with menace. And just like a cheap magic trick, a dead silence fell on the warehouse. “Get out.”Natasha did as she was told. He nudged her forward, and toward the Prado, and as she moved forward. With speed, akin to that of a Black Mamba about to strike, he closed in on her and struck a needle into her arm. Almost immediately, she went limp. He picked her up and bundled her into the back seat of the Prado.The two men got into the car. Gorevoy watched them drive off, then he shrugged and got into the cab.Rico edged th
Alessa had seen Natasha come out of the condominium, hail down a taxi, and got in. And as the taxi had driven away, she had gotten a glimpse of its number. She could still remember the number. She dialed a number on her phone.A man’s voice came through.“Hello?”“Nick, help me trace a taxi, numbered; 285.”…Alec Barley had lived alone now for over five years, and from time to time, he got himself a woman, ‘to take care of his blood pressure,’ as he usually quoted it to himself.Tonight, he was all alone. He picked up the boiling kettle and made himself tea.He carried the tea into the living room and sat down limply in the big armchair. The springs creaked under his weight, but tonight, he didn’t care about the gradual wearing out of his furniture. With Natasha’s ten thousand dollars, and with the twenty thousand Gorevoy had promised him, he knew he could give his apartment a fresh look
Natasha came slowly awake with a dull headache. She felt like her brain was rolling inside her skull. She squinted at the blurred figure of a man before her, against the light. Then, the man moved away, and the light fell directly into her eyes. She shut her eyes again and drifted to the steady throb inside her head.She heard a voice say, “She’s awake, boss.” The voice seemed to come from far away, but she guessed it was the man who had stood before her.The light burned through her eyelids, and she tried to shift away from it. When she found she couldn’t move, she raised her head and looked. The sudden movement exploded something behind her eyes, and she had to stay still again. Then, after a while, the throb went away, and she tried again.She found she was sitting in a wooden chair, her hands tied to the arms of the chair, her legs tied to its legs. A desk and another chair faced her. The wall of the room; which faced her, was a wide; ceili
It was yet another humdrum cold winter morning in CSKA Moscow, but not to Natasha Orlova. Her hands, tucked in the pockets of her black leather hoodie, shivered, her teeth rattled, and her stride down the narrow alley; broke into a trot. Her shoulders were hunched against the prevailing chilling wind - she felt was against her - as she advanced; hoping that the heat generated by her body from her little exercise of trotting would fortify her against the vicious attack of the cold.She cursed herself for listening to the cabman who had dropped her at the mouth of the alley.“Miss, you seem to be in a hurry.” He had said. “This is the shortest cut. Through this alley, then to your right and there,” he pointed, “you have the hospital.”She dropped and paid him. She could still remember his broad, slick smile, as he pocketed the bill, made a U-turn, and drove away with the stream of traffic, going into the city.
Few minutes past eighteen o'clock, a taxi pulled up at NW 7th St. Overtown. It was a neighborhood, considered the black eye of the Miami area.Out came a tall, dark man. His face was thin, his eyes dark and deep-set. His mouth was hard, and his jaw looked aggressive. A few scattered white hairs on his head made it apparent he was a man past forty.He paid the driver, waited for him to drive away, then looked up and down the street. The environment reeked of poverty and abandonment. Young men in overcoats, played cards next to a windowless convenience store, grandmas sat on their broken-down verandas, and Miami’s downtown skyscrapers rose in the distance. Nothing to raise his suspicions.He took out his phone and dialed a number.“I'm here,” he said, ended the call, and dropped the phone back into his pocket.He waited.Out of the shadow of the ramshackle convenience store, among the men playing cards, a thin man came out and called out
Natasha came slowly awake with a dull headache. She felt like her brain was rolling inside her skull. She squinted at the blurred figure of a man before her, against the light. Then, the man moved away, and the light fell directly into her eyes. She shut her eyes again and drifted to the steady throb inside her head.She heard a voice say, “She’s awake, boss.” The voice seemed to come from far away, but she guessed it was the man who had stood before her.The light burned through her eyelids, and she tried to shift away from it. When she found she couldn’t move, she raised her head and looked. The sudden movement exploded something behind her eyes, and she had to stay still again. Then, after a while, the throb went away, and she tried again.She found she was sitting in a wooden chair, her hands tied to the arms of the chair, her legs tied to its legs. A desk and another chair faced her. The wall of the room; which faced her, was a wide; ceili
Alessa had seen Natasha come out of the condominium, hail down a taxi, and got in. And as the taxi had driven away, she had gotten a glimpse of its number. She could still remember the number. She dialed a number on her phone.A man’s voice came through.“Hello?”“Nick, help me trace a taxi, numbered; 285.”…Alec Barley had lived alone now for over five years, and from time to time, he got himself a woman, ‘to take care of his blood pressure,’ as he usually quoted it to himself.Tonight, he was all alone. He picked up the boiling kettle and made himself tea.He carried the tea into the living room and sat down limply in the big armchair. The springs creaked under his weight, but tonight, he didn’t care about the gradual wearing out of his furniture. With Natasha’s ten thousand dollars, and with the twenty thousand Gorevoy had promised him, he knew he could give his apartment a fresh look
A Toyota Prado drove into the warehouse and pulled up behind the cab. Out of it spilled two black powerfully built men dressed in black suits. The driver held a small black briefcase. He came over to Gorevoy and handed him the briefcase.The other man went over to the rear door and opened it. Natasha’s shrill scream filled the warehouse.He raised his gun to her.“Hold it,” he said in a voice that was loaded with menace. And just like a cheap magic trick, a dead silence fell on the warehouse. “Get out.”Natasha did as she was told. He nudged her forward, and toward the Prado, and as she moved forward. With speed, akin to that of a Black Mamba about to strike, he closed in on her and struck a needle into her arm. Almost immediately, she went limp. He picked her up and bundled her into the back seat of the Prado.The two men got into the car. Gorevoy watched them drive off, then he shrugged and got into the cab.Rico edged th
Rico stared at the phone, bewildered, and just as he was about to close the phone, a message from Rose dropped in. He viewed the message, and an obscene, crude, sexually brash picture filled his screen.It said a lot about him that his face remained expressionless. He felt an increased rate of blood flow to his extremities. The phone became too heavy for him to hold, but he held on to it.Natasha looked into his eyes. The light in them made her shift away from him.“What’s it, Jamie?” She asked carefully.He turned the screen of the phone to her.“What is this?” His voice roared.Natasha’s hand flew to her mouth as her breath came in quick gasps. The look on Rico’s face frightened her. She had never seen him look like this before. Immediately, she stood up and edge back into a corner of the room.“I can explain, Jamie. It not what you think.”Rico made after her, but stopped in his tracks.
Rose took the envelope, lifted the flap, and drew out six photographic prints. A single glance stopped her heartbeat for a split second, her heart raced, and she felt icy sweat break out on her face. She shuffled through the prints, then returned them to the envelope, and put the envelope down on the table. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Pascal had betrayed her.Gorevoy regarded her. “Four days ago, I gave the originals to Rico; these are photocopies. The next day, I read in the papers that Pascal was dead. Rico knew I was the only one who had evidence; linking him to Pascal’s death, so he dropped two tails on me. That was when I knew my life wasn’t safe anymore, and I had to talk to you. This disguise was essential to shake off the tail. If Rico gets the idea that I’ve talked, I’m as good as dead. If anything happens to me, you know who’s responsible. You are a press woman. You know what to do with these photog
Gorevoy dropped the phone in his pocket. His mouth twisted into a crooked grin. So Rico was onto him. Well, even if he would not get any money out of this, he would get his revenge, and that was a promise he had made to himself.He stripped off his clothes. It was essential to his plan that he wouldn’t be followed to where he had to go to now. He opened the closet and took out the woman’s dress he had bought for an occasion like this. He slipped into it, wore a brown topcoat, and slid his feet into a Mary Jones shoe. Making himself up, he wore a black wig and dark shades, took a handbag, folded his clothes, and put in the bag. He picked up a brown envelope from the table, dropped it in the bag, and left the room.Outside the condo, he sneaked a surreptitious glance at Alessa. She paid him no attention. He hailed down a taxi and got in.The taxi pulled up in front of Rose’s apartment building. He got out, paid the cabman, and proceeded to the bu
There was a scuffling noise. The silence of the room was split by Cain’s scream, then a thud that seemed to shake the entire apartment.Immediately, Alessa stood up. She took a mass of foam from her pocket, crossed to the bath, soaked it with water, crossed to where Cain was sprawled on the floor, still dazed from the shock of the fall. She dropped on him, her knees pinning his hands to the ground. And as the wet foam came above his face, Cain suddenly realized what was about to happen to him. He gave a sharp squeal of terror, and he made a frantic effort to save himself, but it was too late.Alessa dropped the foam on his face and applied pressure. Water flowed down the sides of his face. His legs kicked helplessly.Keeping the pressure steady, Alessa watched the desperate heaving of his body and the movement of his fingers scrabbling at the tiles.Cain suddenly realized he had no chance of surviving this. Alessa’s weight on him felt like a h
About an hour’s drive from Miami, Rico’s Lincoln, turned from the main road into a narrow dirt road, just wide enough for one car. Either side of the road was screened by tall trees and shrubs.Seated in the driver’s seat was Rico. Beside him was Rose. Since their drive from Miami, she hadn’t said a word, and with the way she had her hands between her knees, he could tell she was nervous. Well, he couldn’t be blamed. Before the drive, he had tried to talk her out of this foolishness, but her heart had remained as hard as a diamond.Finally, down the dirt road, the powerful headlights of the Lincoln picked up the rear of a car.“I think there is a car on the way,” Rose said sharply.Rico noticed that the hardness he had gotten used to was
After ten minutes of driving, Cain’s taxi turned into the street, which housed the high-rise; where he had his apartment, and as Alessa’s driver was about to follow suit, she leaned forward and said, “I’ve changed my mind. Drive me to Sam’s bar.”The driver nodded.Ten minutes later, the driver slowed down and pulled up outside Sam’s bar.“Here we are, miss.”Alessa paid him, got out of the cab, and entered the bar. Moving through the crowded, smoke-hazed air, she came to rest at the bar where Sam; an obese man, was serving drinks.He looked up from the drink he was mixing, noticed her, then smiled.“I’m expecting a friend, Sam,” Alessa said.“Room three and five, are available,” Sam returned.“I’ll take room five.”Sam took out a key from the key rack and handed it to Alessa.“You care for a drink?”Alessa shook her