Chapter Seven
Kosta looked up at James and asked, “Can you transfer the King Hotel’s feed to the main computer?”
James hit a few keys and the image of the lobby came in then more images of the halls. Flashes of different areas went on and finally stopped to one hall.
“Wow, awesome job, James,” Serenity complimented him. “Right up to the rabbit hole.”
He looked up at her and grinned. “Thanks.”
Bane smirked. “Don’t get all large on us, baby brother.”
Serenity giggled.
Sergi paused at the baby brother remark as he knew they were not related. Or so he thought.
James shook his head at Bane. “You can’t be the only star there, big brother. Like if you got any larger, you might pop.”
Bane stared at him as the room went quiet.
Sergi, Kosta, Yuri and Roman all seemed to stiffen up with this unforeseen struggle.
Suddenly, Bane burst into laughter while breaking the tense silence. “Good one, James. Just wait for payback.”
Janes nodded at him. “Yes, I will. And as I recall Payback is your middle name.”
Nicky and Serenity both burst into their own laughter.
Bane shook his head and looked over at the couple. “Please don’t encourage him. He is like a teen when he gets going.”
James smirked and had no reply.
All four ITs...Kosta, Serenity, Nicky and James then got busy with more research into bank accounts and other leads.
Sergi motioned for Bane to head over to another table across the room. They both sat in some very comfortable cushioned desk swivel chairs.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Felix came over with a tray of just two drinks. One cup was obviously tea with a string over the cup’s edge, Russian tea no doubt. The other was a very dark coffee with a lighter swirl of something on the surface of the liquid.
Bane looked down at the cup Felix set in front of him. “Caramel coffee?”
Felix nodded. “Sergi had me make it, he said you drank that at Leon’s house.”
“Yes, I had to stay awake for long periods of time.” Bane nodded. “Best stuff to have if a person wishes to do that. Well, if it works on them that is.”
Felix smiled then turned and went over to talk to his brother Kosta.
Bane took a sip and nodded. “Good stuff.”
Sergi smiled. “It would make me climb walls if I drank it.”
“No wall climbing by me... I have a good immunity against most substances. In reality, I just like the flavor of it.”
“Oh?” Sergi took a sip of his tea then looked up at him. “I saw Leon had kept his brandy available and he likes to sit with that and talk. Did you partake?”
Bane gave him an instant nod. “This is Leon Vincinti we are talking about. So yes, I went along with it.”
They both smiled at this true remark. Leon had to be one of the strongest, most fierce characters either man had ever met and that was saying something for sure.
Bane nodded. “But I had no excuse to give him really, not even when on a mission. I could drink his entire supply and it wouldn’t take me down. Not even to make me dizzy.”
Sergi cocked his head at him. “Well, that is a good and bad thing. Can I ask why?”
Bane took another sip and smacked his lips with a bit of enjoyment. “I basically have no... emotional or physical reaction to many things. Like pain or alcohol content.”
Sergi raised his brows. “Oh, that is interesting....”
“It runs in my family.” Bane took another sip of his sweet coffee.
“We could say it is fortunate or unfortunate. For me, it helped immensely in order to become a top assassin. I had no feelings about the blood or death aspect. No guilt or remorse either. Then again, if I got injured, I could not feel it. And I always operated and lived alone. Therefore, I was in danger of having an unknown injury, then infection and perhaps death.”
Sergi sat forward and spoke in Russian, “Dvum smyer Tyam ni by vat’, adnoy ni mina vat.”
Bane could speak Russian among other languages and he translated it, “One can’t have two deaths, but you can’t avoid one.”
Sergi smirked. “In essence...A man can die but once but only fortune favors the bold.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Bane drawled.
They both sat quietly and finished their drinks.
Ten minutes later...
It took Viktor and his crew twenty minutes to arrive but they went in and got all the way through the hotel to surround Killian’s door in silence.
The entire room waited in silence as they watched it all play out on bodycam footage.
Viktor and his men drew their weapons.
Bane shook his head at the scene. “Killian has gotten sloppy over the years. I never would have allowed anyone to get that close.”
“Do you think he’s armed?” Yuri wanted to know. “Like on his person even if he is sleeping?”
“Oh, yeah,” Bane replied. “He’s armed.” He looked up at Sergi. “I hope your men are ready for what’s coming.”
“What’s coming?” Roman asked.
“Killian is going to come undone in a moment,” Bane suggested. “And he’s probably just going to start shooting and it will be wild shots at best.”
“Viktor and his men are ready,” Felix stated firmly. “They may look like they’re just standing there but they are ready for anything.”
They all watched the feed on the screens then suddenly everything exploded at once, so much so that the moment Killian opened his eyes and sat up in bed the shooting began. Just as Bane had warned, the man had no scoping skill, he just tossed bullets everywhere.
Everyone jumped at the sight and Serenity gasped out loud then slapped her hand over her mouth as if apologizing for panicking.
Killian shot right through the doorway as he used a silencer. Then he dropped off the bed to shoot at them from the floor
Viktor lowered down as his men were supplying cover fire but not hitting Killian on purpose. All of them were also using silencers. They didn’t wish to have any hotel employees or innocent guests involved.
Viktor then aimed and shot a tranc into the man’s neck.
Killian yelled as he called Viktor a prick then he slumped forward and his head hit the carpet with a thump.
Bane just shook his head. “He always was a drama queen,” he murmured to Sergi.
He chuckled.
Viktor’s men moved so fast that a person needed to really keep up visually. They dragged him out then down to the service elevator. They got him to their SUV without a single witness to the entire event.
They all watched as Viktor’s group of vehicles left the parking lot. Now the wait would begin.
Sergi looked over at Bane and said, “Killian has much to tell us and we don’t need him bleeding all over the floor. They will remove everything from his room and car and bring it along with them.”
Bane gave him a nod. “Very quick, neat and smooth. I compliment these Enforcers for sure.”
Sergi actually smiled. “The training alone took years. The Enforcers and the Ghosts are almost superhuman with their skills.”
“We have all been smacked with surprise when it comes to them,” Kosta added.
Felix agreed. “You could be staring right at them and not see them. It is spooky as fuck.”
“So cool.” James smiled. “The closest we got to that is two women. I mean they love to do manicures and makeup but their real skills are deadly.”
Bane nodded. “Yes, my girls. It is in their blood as well.”
Yuri, Kosta and Roman looked puzzled as they stared at him.
Sergi laughed. “Yes, two beautiful women, but do not let that fool you. I believe I know whom you are referring to.” He then shared meeting the two women with the group.
In New York, five months ago...
...Sergi cocked his head at Sheba and Ari. “Do not mistake me for a man who does not believe in women warriors, for I have seen a few in my lifetime.”
“But...” Sheba said.
He gazed over at her again. “But this mission will involve my Enforcers and we do not take their lives lightly.”
“Look, I mean no disrespect to you Mr. Constantine,” Sheba countered. “But Ari and I have been trained to kill ever since we were what?” She glanced at Ari.
“Five?” Ari said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Five years old?’’ Sergi asked with disbelief on his face.
Both girls nodded.
Sheba motioned to Ari. “Let’s show off a little, Cousin.”
“My pleasure, Cousin.” Ari grinned at her.
They both stood.
“We’re glad you have a clear area over here,” Sheba noted as they headed to the far side of the room. “Wouldn't want to break anything in here, ya know?”
Both women got into stances. They then gave each other a quick bow.
The action began as they sparred. Kicks.
Punches. Roundhouse kicks while missing each other on purpose.
They flipped each other in Judo. Chopped in Karate and slap batted in Kung fu.
Then they launched into boxing. Fast, relentless and formidable.
Suddenly stopping, they stepped back and faced each other to bow again.
Not even breathing hard or showing a drop of sweat, the two hit-girls turned to face the table.
“And if you had an hour, we could show you our specialties. Knives and throwing stars at 99.9 Percent accuracy. Bow and arrow skills at 100 percentile accuracy. Sniper distance at about 200 to 300 feet, depending on the rifle.”
Ari nodded. “We could list all the firing weapons we are skilled with too.”
“Yes, but you do not have another hour to hear that list.” Sheba smiled at them.
“We can stealth like ghosts, never to be seen,” Ari said.
Sheba nodded. “We can render a victim unconscious with brachial stuns to the neck. We can even fight in the dark or blindfolded.”
Sergi raised his hand and smirked at them. “We see. We see.”