“It really is late and I should go, but can I offer two gifts to you before I go?”
“Please don’t go. It’s still early enough to have another glass. Or might I find something else for you to enjoy?”
“I really do need to go back and check on my father. Here is my offer to you. If you’re available, let’s have dinner two nights from now,” she said as she stood up.
Pablo didn’t want to argue. “I will happily receive that gift. What is the second one?”
She took a step toward him and leaned in. He met her half-way for a long, passionate kiss.
She pulled back when she felt he was getting excited and said, “That is gift number two.”
Pablo was at a loss for words. “Isabelle, it was a pleasure. Thank you for joining me tonight.” He took her arm and escorted her to the large double doors. He unlocked them and led her to the front door of the mansion. There he said, “As a token of my gratitude for your time tonight, I will have my personal physician immediately come over to take care of your father.”
“Thank you, Emperor,” she said, then walked out toward the vehicle waiting for her.
Pablo closed the door and looked at the guard standing there. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
Pablo touched his lips. Her lip gloss still clung to them. He didn’t know what was wrong with him; he had never fallen for a woman so quickly before. She had something about her, some kind of magnetism that he’d never experienced. Thoughts of her being his empress came to mind; he had visions of a coronation.
He briskly walked back to the parlor and shut the door. He picked up the paper that Pasqual had been so insistent he read.The yellow glow of the fire illuminated everything. He unfolded it and began to read it.
URGENT, ALL NAVAL AND SUPPLY VESSELS SUNK OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. TOTAL LOSS. ESTIMATED CASUALTIES EXCEED 3300.
He finished the port and took a moment to stare at the empty glass. Pasqual was right, he needed to attend to the matter immediately, but in this moment, he would have preferred to be with Isabelle. Frustrated, he threw the empty glass into the fire and went to find General Pasqual.
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
• • •
“All war is deception.”
The sky was clear with a luminous half-moon casting its light across the hills and valleys. The drive from their campsite to the hide position for the Humvee took almost three hours. Jones and McCamey had an excellent vista from their spot. When any of Rahab’s men moved, they’d have clear shooting to take them out.
“How are you doing?” Gordon asked Lexi.
“Between you and me, I’m a bit nervous.”
“It’s okay to be scared,” Gordon said.
Lexi interrupted. “I didn’t say scared, I said nervous. I’m nervous because I don’t know what I’ll do with myself once he’s dead.”
“I know what I’m going to do. I’m heading back to my family as fast as I can get there. You’ll figure it out,” he said, then turned to walk away.
“Gordon?” Lexi called out.
Gordon stopped and turned. “Yeah.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever said it, but I’m really sorry about your son. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you,” Lexi said softly as she gently touched his arm.
Gordon opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. He was going to tease her about showing a soft side, but he knew now wasn’t the time. He also knew her comments were heartfelt. With that in mind, he said, “Thanks, Lexi. You know something? Deep down I know you’re not this ballbuster you pretend to be.”
Lexi smiled and said, “Don’t tell everyone my secret, okay?”
Gordon returned her smile and said, “It’s safe with me,” then walked away from her. He approached Rubio and patted him on the back.
“I didn’t say it before, but thank you.”
“No worries, Van Zandt. You’re a Marine just like us. We’re brothers, and brothers help brothers. Simple as that.”
“I agree,” he said to Rubio, then walked over to Jones and McCamey. “All good with you two?”
“All good,” McCamey answered.
“Ready to do this,” Jones said.
“Let’s get this done, then,” Gordon said as he walked back to his gear and started getting dressed. After putting on his vest he took out the knife that Gunny had given him before he departed and fastened it to the outside. He just hoped he’d get the chance to use it.
“Let’s go green,” Rubio ordered.
Everyone turned on their night-vision goggles.
Rubio was in between Gordon and Lexi and signaled to move out.
They slowly walked down the hillside, careful not to trip over loose rocks. They traversed the hill and stopped at the edge of the road in front of the main building.
Gordon could see two men standing at the front doors. There were no other signs of movement. He looked to Rubio, who was squatting down, then in Lexi’s direction. She was gone. Gordon craned his neck and looked behind him—no sign of her. Then he caught a glimpse of her slinking across the road.
Rubio saw her too and quickly stood up and began across the road. Gordon followed.
They were now in the parking lot for the main building. Gordon got up and crossed over and took up a position behind a car. To his right, he could still see Rubio, who also was crouched down behind another car.
The front entrance was now only twenty feet away. Lexi had vanished completely from his field of view. Gordon was fuming. How could she be so stupid to deviate from the plan? She could jeopardize the entire mission and get them all killed.
Out of nowhere, movement at the front entrance caught his attention. Gordon looked over the car trunk and saw Lexi walking up to the two guards. He put the rifle to his shoulder and was about to engage when he noticed something he never expected to see: She didn’t have any clothes on except a T-shirt, panties, and a utility belt with two knives tucked in the small of her back.
The guards first reacted by raising their rifles, but they changed focus when all they saw was a partially naked, attractive young woman. What Gordon saw was the angel of death about to extract a pound of flesh.
Gordon readied himself and watched what he thought was the most unbelievable act he’d ever seen. Rubio could also see what was happening and was poised to move based upon her actions. He looked over at Gordon and raised his arms, his gesture saying everything that Gordon was thinking. This girl was crazy.
“Please help me,” Lexi said, just above a whisper. She stopped about ten feet away from the skeptical but intrigued men.
The men looked at each other, unsure what to do. They lowered their rifles and stepped away from the front door to approach her.
“Unbelievable,” Gordon muttered to himself. He steadied himself to leap from his position to assist when the time was right.
The men stepped toward her and couldn’t focus on anything else except the sight of Lexi’s nipples standing firm in the cold against the tight white T-shirt. Stepping up, they slung their rifles across their backs and reached for her. Lexi didn’t hesitate one second. Reaching back, each hand grasped a knife. With the speed of a viper she struck out. The knife in her right hand slammed into the temple of one man there and the other knife she inserted upward into the other man’s chin and into his brain. She turned both knives clockwise and removed them. Both men fell to the ground, dead.
Gordon couldn’t believe his eyes. She managed to use deception to achieve what he would have done with aggressive force. He and Rubio ran to the door. Rubio turned the knob but it was locked. As if she read his mind, Lexi walked up with a set of keys and unlocked it. She had an amused look in her eyes, as if she knew that she had just shocked two men who had thought they had seen it all.