I stared at the phone in my hand for a long moment. If I didn’t want to make things worse for James, I couldn’t say any of the things I really wanted to say to Carmine in this moment, so I tried a different tack.
“If you want to chat, I’m game. Where are you? I can come and meet you.”
Carmine laughed softly,
“Nice try,” he shifted the phone, so his blue eyes and lightly stubbled jaw came into view. He smiled into the camera, “But if my information is correct, you are already on your way here, aren’t you? And given what it cost the people who gave it to me, I have every confidence that my information is correct. That’s why I thought we should have a conversation before you get here. Because I am going to need you to take care of a few things, once you arrive.”
“Well, you know me, always happy to help,” I tried not to think about what he meant when he referenced the ‘cost’ of his information. “Please, tell me all about it.”
“In due time, my dear. But, first, it is rude of us to talk as if the others aren’t even here. Jessi, is that you back there, my sweet? How are you? You left so abruptly; I’ve been worried.”
I heard the sharp intake of breath next to me, and Jessica leaned over my shoulder,
“Yes, I’m here Carmine. I’m sorry that I…”
I hit the mute button, covered the camera with my thumb, and spun to face her,
“Do not talk to him!”
“But he was worried about me,” she protested. “I was just…”
“Just nothing. You should not be talking to him. Liz, stop the car and get her out of here, will you?”
Nodding, the succubus pulled over onto the shoulder. She got out, circled the car, and opened Jessica’s door, gesturing her out.
“Come stand with me for a minute, alright?”
Jessica looked like she was going to protest, her eyes locked on the phone in my hand, but when I waved her out myself, she finally stepped outside onto the shoulder and closed the door.
“Lock the doors, will you, Simon?”
I waited until I heard the car locks click into place before I unmuted the phone.
“Are we alone, then?” Carmine sighed in an exaggerated fashion, a bemused look on his face. “It really isn’t your place to keep her from me. She is an adult; she can make her own decisions.”
“Maybe I just agree with you, this conversation doesn’t need any interruptions.”
Simon’s presence did not really need to be mentioned, and I took care to angle the phone so he couldn’t be seen.
“Very well,” Carmine smiled magnanimously, showing a row of pearly teeth. “Let’s get right down to it, then, shall we? I know what you are planning.”
I smiled back, a taut smile that did not reach my eyes. That was almost certainly at least partly a bluff. Whatever he had done to get information out of his captives, I doubted he got everything, but he would, of course, want me to believe he knew more than he did. I needed to be very careful.
“If you already know, then there’s no need to discuss it, is there?” I shrugged. “So, why did you call?”
“Because I want you to put a stop to it.”
Now, it was my turn to laugh,
“I don’t have the power you think I do, Carmine. This is much bigger than just you and me.”
“Nonsense,” he shook his head. “You are clever enough, and they trust you. You can surely think of a way to get your people to leave their posts. Tell them you got new information, found a new primary location, tell them whatever you think they will believe. Just get them to leave the summit.”
“Even if I could, there would still be plenty of civilian security that I have no sway over.”
“I think I can handle civilians,” Carmine smirked. “Just get your people out, and anything that happens after that is none of your concern.”
“That is certainly an… interesting idea, Carmine. But I don’t think I can help you. Sorry.”
“Well, I can’t say I am surprised. You have always been stubborn, Rayna. But I think your boss is going to be a bit disappointed. He was really counting on you being agreeable, here.”
He turned the camera back to James, letting it linger on his injuries. I wasn’t exactly shocked; this was what we had be dancing around this whole time.
“Are you saying you will let James go, if I do what you ask?”
“Well, it would be a start.”
“A start?”
“Once you have shown me you are trustworthy, then we can conduct a little exchange.”
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
“An exchange? Who is it you want, exactly?”
We had taken a few prisoners, and of course there was Jessica, but it honestly surprised me that Carmine would care about any of them. Frankly, he hadn’t seemed the type to worry about what happened to others.
“Simon, of course. You call off your dogs, and you bring me the traitor, then we can make a trade.”
Ah, that made more sense; this wasn’t about caring; it was about punishing someone who had betrayed him.
“And for that, you would release James, and the others?”
“Ooh,” Carmine furrowed his eyebrows in mock concern. “There aren’t really any others to speak of, I am afraid. They were not terribly forthcoming with their information, persuading them was… messy. Let’s just say they wouldn’t be worth much in a trade, at this point. No, I have exactly one life to offer you, Rayna, and I suggest that you think very carefully before you respond. Because if James is of no use to me, I might as well finish cleaning up, and stop wasting my time.”
I bit my tongue so hard I could taste blood. Carmine chuckled.
“It’s alright, you don’t have to answer me right now. Take some time to really consider your options. And their consequences. When your plane lands, I’ll call again. Until then, Rayna.”
The call ended and leaving me gripping the phone so tightly I thought the screen would crack. I managed to resist the urge to whip the thing out the window and onto the highway, but only just.
“I just want you to know, whatever choice you make, I understand,” the voice from the front seat made me jump.
I had forgotten Simon was still here, for a moment.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I would never turn you over to him.”
“But what about…”
“Well, we have a whole plane ride to figure something out, don’t we?” I tried to sound more confident in that assertion than I felt.
I had always known that Carmine was clever, the fact that he was also cruel was not great news. And he knew me too well for my comfort.
“Right,” Simon didn’t sound any more convinced than I did. “Oh, and one more thing. I don’t know if it helps, but I think… well I think I recognized Carmine’s voice.”
“Let me guess,” I sighed. “When he spoke to you before, it was as Omega.”
“How did you…?”
“Oh, it isn’t that surprising, really. He is clearly Domini, and in a position of power. But, like Oliver said, there could easily be more than one Omega.”
“Yeah, you know, when Olly said that it actually made some sense, in retrospect,” Simon reflected. “I didn’t interact with Omega often, but he would give speeches to the group and, well, there were some odd things about those talks. Like, sometimes he was a better public speaker than others, he used different turns of phrase or pronunciations. Lots of little things that didn’t mean anything to me, at the time. And frankly, all his accomplishments, the ones I admired so much as a kid, now seem… unlikely for any one person. I think maybe, he just told all of us whatever we wanted to hear. Needed to hear. To get us invested in the cause, to make us respect him. Maybe it was all more myth than reality.”
“Could be,” I shrugged. “Perhaps Omega was never anything but an aspirational figurehead for the Domini. An impressive, if fictional, leader for the rest to rally around. It doesn’t really change anything though, does it? We already know Carmine is Domini, and influential among them. Titles are somewhat unimportant.”
“True,” Simon agreed, though he still seemed pensive.
“Unlock the doors, Simon, we should get back on the road. We still have a plane to catch, after all.”
The door opened, and Jessica climbed into the back seat. I watched her crane her neck, looking for my phone.
“Is he…?”
“He’s gone, Jess.”
“Oh,” her face fell. “Good. Good. It’s… I’m sorry I know I shouldn’t. I just…” she floundered for the words.
“I know, Jess. It’s alright. It will take some time.”
She didn’t reply, just stared down at her own hands, folded in her lap.
“So, are we changing our destination?” Liz asked from the driver’s seat.
“No, we are already heading where we need to go. So, let’s get to the airport.”
Liz started the car again and pulled back onto the road.
“What did Carmine want?”
“He wanted me to call off our protective detail from the VIPs. I think he still hopes to complete their plan.”
“Do they know about the announcements?”
“I don’t know. He was purposely vague on that front. I think we need to operate as if he could know everything, but he might know only what he has already admitted.”
“I assume he plans to kill his hostage, if he doesn’t get what he wants?”
“Yes, it’s all very traditional,” I noted dryly. “I have until we land to ‘think it over’, then he’ll want my answer.”
“Well, perhaps whoever we meet at the plane will have some ideas.”
“We can hope, because I am fresh out,” I leaned my head back against the headrest.
We spent the rest of the ride in silence. Simon, chewing on the inside of his lip like a squirrel, Jessica wringing her hands, gazing out the window. It seemed the only one unaffected by Carmine’s intrusion was Liz, who drove calmly and signalled every lane change. Eventually, we parked and began to cross through the pedestrian tunnel to the island airport. As Liz and I fell in step next to each other, I had to ask.
“Did you know Carmine?”
“No. I know of him, of course, he was one of the liaisons to the Organization, after all. But we had never met each other.”
“Good. At least there is one of us who doesn’t have him living rent free in their head,” I muttered.
Liz studied me for a moment,
“You were close, then, the two of you?”
“I wouldn’t say close,” I tugged on my earlobe. “But we knew each other. I even liked him. Thought he was a good guy. I never saw this coming, and that… that bothers me. I usually consider myself a good judge of people.”
“He was an exceptional liar, then.”
“I imagine he still is. The question is, can I figure out what he is really planning, now.”
“Well, if he is smart, he will cut his losses, disappear and try again, in a new place, from a new identity.”
“Yeah. But he hasn’t cut and run yet, which means he might still think he can salvage this. And that might be my chance to draw him out, before he vanishes.”
“Draw him out?”
“After everything he’s done, I would give a lot to get my hands on Carmine.”
“Be careful with that,” Liz warned. “I am certain he knows how you feel, and he will use it to get you to do something stupid. Don’t let him.”
“I’ll try, Liz, but no promises.”
Finally, we emerged into the departures area. I scanned the room for familiar faces, half afraid there wouldn’t be any, but finally I spotted Vasquez, sitting in the corner. He looked up from his phone as we approached, jumping to his feet.
“Ray, you made it.”
I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder,
“It’s good to see you, Mark. Are you… the only one?”
“No, no, it’s not as bad as all that, Ray. Several others made it, but they were either wounded already, or got injured in the escape. They are safe, and recovering, but they weren’t fit to join us. So, I’m afraid you only get the two of us.”
“Two?”
Mark gestured towards the bar, where I spotted Wallace nursing a beer.
“Of course, he would make it out unscathed,” I muttered.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like him either, but we need all the help we can get, right?” Vasquez rubbed his neck, then his face turned grim. “Ray, I guess I should tell you… James, well, he and Vasili went back for the last two injured that were in the warehouse. The building was raided only a few minutes later. They didn’t make it back out. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I know. Look, let’s get on board and I will fill you in on where things stand on our end.”
Mark nodded. He grabbed his bag, signalled to Wallace and we all went to board our flight to the summit.