Kill on Sight #4
Simo watched his hand shake as he reached for the knob. Never had his hand shaken like this… he grabbed the knob, twisted, and opened the door all the way, exposing himself completely.
“Simo…” She sighed at him. “I can’t believe I get to see you one last time.” She smiled tearfully.
Simo’s heart stood still once more. She was crying… she was hurt, and he could tell it was bad. She was sitting in a chair directly in front of him in the living room. “Jessie… I—I…”
“Shh. It’s ok. Come in.”
Without even checking his surroundings, he walked in and stood no more than five feet from the woman who made his heart pound like some foolish schoolboy.
“I—I am not here to kill you. I can’t. I won’t.
Chen will be up in a few minutes to try and save me from myself.
” Her tears were coming down her cheeks like rivers as she watched him.
It bothered him to no end, but he felt frozen in his tracks.
“Save you? Simo, I—I missed you… please release me from that promise. I don’t have much time. One way or another, I am dead. Please?”
“Jessie… no! I can’t take this… my head... I don’t know what to do!”
“Take the promise back… please!” she begged.
“I—I can’t! I CAN’T! Just SHOOT ME!” Simo roared and grabbed his head in his hands as if he were in agony.
“SIMO, NO!” Jessie screamed and ran stumbling to him, as the big man fell shaking in a heap on the floor.
She reached him as he held his head in his big hands.
He was shaking so violently she didn’t know what to do.
“SIMO! SIMO!” she screamed, but he wouldn’t or couldn’t respond.
She grabbed him and pulled his head into her lap as he continued to shake.
His eyes rolled back into his head, and his arms went limp, and she knew it was bad.
Perhaps he was worse than she was. Desperately, she fumbled for her cellphone.
She cried in frustration as her own shaking was so bad she couldn’t dial 911.
She screamed in frustration as she continued to misdial.
Then a voice came from behind the doorway.
Jessie had her gun in hand and pointed at the empty doorway.
“Jessie… my name is Chen. I work for Simo. Where is he?”
“Oh my God! Hurry, he’s so bad!” She tossed her gun out into the doorway, and Chen peeked inside. Seeing Simo still shaking, he rushed over and began unbuttoning Simo’s shirt.
“What happened?” Chen asked calmly.
“I DON’T KNOW! He… he said he can’t… and, and held his head and told me to shoot him, then he… he was down on the floor! I tried to call 911 but, but I’m shaking too bad! Help him, please!”
“Calm down. Calm down,” Chen reassured her.
She watched the stocky Chinese man begin to press on different areas of Simo’s body, and soon Simo’s shaking was slowing.
“Is he going to be ok?” Jessie gasped.
“I think so. Now, to you… please, where are you injured?”
“It’s too late. They will be coming for me… it’s ok.”
“Jessie, where are you injured?”
Meeting Chen’s eyes, she saw a stern kindness. Slowly, she opened her jacket and showed the strange Chinese man her wound.
“Yes… I see. You need a doctor very soon. Is breathing difficult as of yet?”
“A little. Chen, you have to take Simo and leave. Please, I don’t want anything to happen to him. I—I’ve done enough to him…”
“Jessie, please trust me.”
She eyed him, coughed, and replied, “You know what I did tonight?”
“We do. We need to explore all avenues here…”
“Listen, Tom Smith is the biggest bastard at the Farm. He won’t stand for this. He’ll pound down the Director’s door to have me taken out. There has never been an exception, and I made my own bed here.”
Chen smiled and patted Jessie’s arm as she continued to hold onto Simo. “We know bigger bastards than Thomas Ashton Alford, who goes by the last name of Smith.” Chen looked at his watch as Simo began coming to. “Well, good evening to you, Mr. Petras,” Chen grinned.
“Wh—what happened?” Simo mumbled as if his mouth were full of marbles.
“You, my friend, had a nervous breakdown or an acute anxiety attack. I told you I should come up with you.”
Simo nodded and realized he was in Jessie’s lap. “Jessie? We gotta get you to—to a doctor’s…”
“Simo… I’m so sorry!” Jessie cried.
“Jessie, you need to relax now. Simo will be fine…”
“NOBODY MOVE!” came a yell from the doorway. In an instant, Chen had his gun trained on the door as Jessie yelled.
“CHEN, NO! It’s empty! Victor! It’s ok! Hurry and come inside. Where is Tatiana?”
“She’s here…” Victor dropped the gun and came inside, with Tatiana watching the gun in Chen’s hand very carefully.
“Please, shut and lock the door,” Chen asked.
“I told you to stay gone until after eleven,” Jessie sighed.
“I knew something was up. I was only trying to help.”
“Fuck…” Jessie sighed and turned to Chen, then Simo.
“Victor… uh, saved Tatiana. She was wandering around, and he brought her here. He checked her apartment and saw what happened. He anonymously called the CIA at Langley. He knew the number as his boss was one of the dead men in the apartment. He worked with Peter Queen as his strategist and speechwriter.”
Simo sighed. “I guess that works…”
“Ari…” Chen said, holding up his hand. Chen placed a small receiver in his ear and answered.
“Good evening, Ari. I hope we have good news…. I see. Yes, we will let him in with a guarantee of no violence. I already have all the guns.” Chen pointed at Victor and the gun lying on the floor.
Victor complied and gave Chen the gun. “Hope for the best. Thank you, Ari.” Chen disconnected.
Simo grunted. “Now what?”
“Mike Booker is outside the door. A counter-terrorist response group has us surrounded. Booker wants to talk. I agreed to hold all the guns. Are there any more?” Jessie shook her head, and Simo replied, “I left mine in the car.”
Chen shook his head at him. “Ok, let’s get you up. First, Jessie. Come, Victor, let’s help our friend.” Together they helped Jessie to the couch and got Simo on his feet. “Victor, do you have a soda?”
“Yes!” He ran to the kitchen and came back with a can of Coke.
“Down this all, Simo, before I let Booker in.”
Simo nodded and in one big pull had the Coke can empty.
He staggered over to Jessie’s chair that was facing the door.
He eased his bulk into the chair, which creaked under his weight.
He pointed at Victor and Tatiana. “You two better wait in the bedroom. Don’t make sudden moves. They can see everything we do.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” Chen replied.
Simo met Jessie’s downcast eyes. “Are you bandaged up?”
“Yes. Chen checked me. Simo, there is no way…”
“Maybe. Let’s see what happens next.”
Jessie nodded. Then Simo nodded to Chen.
Chen opened the door and gestured for Mike Booker to come in. “I have all the weapons, Mike.”
Mike Booker stepped inside and met Simo’s eyes. “Simo, you look like shit. What happened?”
“I fell. What do you want to talk about?”
Booker held his hand up. “Jessie?”
“I’m still here waiting for my bullet.”
“Are you armed?”
“No.”
“Any knives on you?”
Jessie let out a short laugh. “Left mine buried in Danny Spillane’s cock and balls.”
“Ah… so that was you.”
“Yep.”
“Can I come sit down?”
“Ask the boss.” Jessie pointed at Simo with a wince of pain.
“Sit,” Simo ordered, pointing next to Jessie.
Booker calmly walked over, and, after assessing the situation, he sat at the end of the couch away from Jessie. “You look like shit, too.”
Jessie shot him an ‘eat shit and die’ look. “Well, if you keep talking long enough, you will be able to save the cost of a bullet.”
“Ah, you still have your sense of humor. That is good.”
“Where’s Tom?”
“Ah… Tom Smith is headed back to Peary.”
“You mean he’s not out there with his favorite .308 sniper rifle waiting?”
“No.”
Simo spoke up. “You want to talk, so talk.”