Cobalt (18 page)

            Once in the side streets, Madeline used her photographic memory to recall the path she and her mother had taken when she was eight years old and they had visited Venice, in Autumn, another of Venice's flood seasons. She liked the back streets, they were deserted and dry. Madeline chose to run down a street to the right of her. Seeing a familiar landmark, a small marble statue of St Christopher, she knew she was on the right track, and with a few more turns, she would emerge on to the main thoroughfare to the Rialto Bridge. She just hoped that she would emerge in front of Teslovich and Rick.

            Passing the Cartier jewellery store Rick closed the gap between himself and Teslovich. As they turned around the next corner, Rick grabbed Teslovich by the arm. Teslovich broke from the grip and turned on his attacker. Rick blocked one of his retreats, to his left was a souvenir store and on the right, a store specialising in the world renowned Venetian glassware. The windows were decorated with figurines and exquisite glass animals, of all shapes and sizes, ranging from under one centimetre squared for the kittens, bugs and frogs, to the over one metre tall glass replica of Michelangelo's 'Pieta'.

Teslovich took a swing at Rick, attempting to push the agent out of his way. Rick countered the attack, leaping at the terrorist, his right hand connecting with the man's nose. Blood spurted as the bone broke under the impact. Teslovich, using his six foot six, 240 pound body against Rick's six foot, 190 pounds, forced Rick backwards into the souvenir shop wall. Rick countered with a swift, hard kick to the man's groin. Teslovich's eyes watered, but his hold on Rick remained just as firm.

Shaking Rick as hard as he could, Teslovich smiled as the agents head bounced violently, causing his jaw to snap, his teeth slamming together with an audible crack. Rick, despite the shaking, managed to lift his arms, and bring the hands together with brute force, impacting on the terrorists ears with a loud thud. The pressure causing Teslovich to release his hold and stumble backwards a few paces.

It was just the break Rick needed to reach into his concealed shoulder holster and retrieve his Sig Sauer. As he drew level to take aim, Teslovich forced his huge body towards Rick, his bear-like hands connecting with Rick’s outstretched arm, knocking the gun from his hand. It slid across the wet cobbles and out of reach. Teslovich then grabbed hold of Rick, his paws gripping his shirt, the tension tightening the collar around Rick’s neck. Lifting him from the ground, by the shirt, Teslovich hurled Rick across the narrow street. The force sent him reeling backwards through the window of the glass specialty shop. Ornaments crashed all around him as he landed heavily on the floor. He heard a single shot fired. He flinched, fearing Teslovich had recovered his weapon and turned it against him. Instead of feeling intense pain, Rick saw Teslovich grab his thigh and turn to face his attacker.

            Madeline, emerging into the main thoroughfare to the Rialto Bridge, looked left and right in search of Rick. There was no sign of him. To her right she heard fighting. Running around the corner she came to a halt to see Rick go sailing through a plate-glass window. Pulling her gun from her waistband, she fired once, hitting Teslovich in the upper thigh of his left leg. He grabbed it, in pain and turn to face her.

     ‘That's enough Mr Teslovich!’ she said, her voice ice cold, as he turned.

            Thinking it would be another male CIA agent who shot him, Teslovich nearly fell over when he came face to face with  the beautiful woman in a navy skirt suit, standing a few metres away, gun pointed directly at his head. It was his belief that women were inferior, that they were merely playthings for men. And that while he had seen Madeline at Club Fun, in Florence, and again on the raised walkway in St Mark’s square, he didn’t think she could touch him. He believed she was only there to keep the male agents entertained. His eyes narrowed and he scowled at her. She appeared indifferent, not frightened, as he expected.

            Rick climbed out through the broken window display, brushing shards of glass from his hair and clothes. Standing beside Teslovich, with one hand on his arm, he looked at Madeline.  ‘About time you showed up,’ He grinned, ‘I thought perhaps you went to confessional on the way!’

            Madeline approached Teslovich. Handing Rick his discarded weapon, she addressed Teslovich. ‘Mr Teslovich, I believe you'll be accompanying us back to our hotel, for a chat. Co-operate and neither one of us will have to kill you.’ Madeline smiled. Teslovich nodded feebly as she cuffed his hands, still too shocked, at being apprehended by a woman, to re-act.

CHAPTER 24

Back in the suite of the Ritz, Rick sat on the edge of the bed and watched Madeline attempt to interrogate a now very unco-operative subject. He may have co-operated with them while they led him to the hotel, but now that he was thinking straight, once more, he decided that that's as far as it went. He watched Madeline and silently cursed the handcuffs that restrained him to the chair. Without those, he thought,  I'd throw her on the bed and give her a real man. I'd even let her partner watch, before I killed him. Teslovich's mind pictured her naked under him, her sapphire eyes wide and frightened, pleading with him to be gentle. A request  he would gladly refuse. His attention snapped back to reality as Madeline bent forward and rested her hands on his arms. With her face only inches from his, she questioned him.

     ‘Look into my eyes and tell me the truth.’ Seeing his gaze fall to her chest, Madeline noted he was looking down her jacket and on to the top of her pale blue lace bra. She straightened up. ‘Those aren't my eyes, Mr Teslovich!’ She shook her head as she spoke. ‘Now I'd appreciate some co-operation or...’

     Teslovich cut her off. ‘Or, you're going to call in your partner who's just itching to rough me up a little! I know the good cop, bad cop routine, Lady. I'm not scared!’

     ‘Really?’ Madeline smiled. Her expression of amusement unnerved Teslovich for a moment. Now that she had his complete attention, she continued. ‘Let me tell you something, Mr Teslovich. There is no good cop, bad cop, only me. And I don’t play games. I don’t have time for them, so rest assured I’ll do what it takes to get what I need. Tell me what I want to know or I'll shoot you...’ Madeline turned to face Teslovich, again, contemplating something. After a couple of seconds she continued. ‘I've heard the most painful way to die is through a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Talk or I will shoot you...’ She took out her gun and aimed it at him. ‘Oh, and I must warn you, I'm a terrible shot. And when I miss, I miss low! This morning I was aiming at you're lower spine and look what happened there. Imaging the type of damage I could do if I were aiming at your stomach!’ Madeline gave him one of her seductive smiles as she flicked off the safety on her pistol.

Teslovich broke into a cold sweat. ‘You’re bluffing. There is no way an American government agent would shoot a suspect.’ He attempted to maintain a calm exterior.

‘What makes you so sure?’ Madeline countered, sensing his unease.

Thinking he was going to gain the advantage Teslovich smiled smugly as he stated ‘Are you not bound by all men innocent until proven guilty by a jury of their peers? The American justice system…’

‘Are you certain you want to test that theory?’ Madeline aimed her weapon at Teslovich. Squeezing the trigger she sent a bullet into his left foot, the bullet imbedding into the flesh just above his third toe. Teslovich whimpered in pain. Madeline turned from Teslovich to face Rick briefly before continuing her interrogation. She turned back to face the terrorist. ‘I’ll ask you one more time…where is Dominic Kellerin and the Cobalt 60?’ At his pause, she re-aimed her gun, this time pointing the barrel towards his lower torso, her finger moving towards the trigger once more.

Teslovich broke, ‘Wait. I’ll tell you what I know. There is no Cobalt Blue. Comrade Kellerin plans to take the White House and hold the President Hostage. I’m supposed to meet him in … What’s the time?’

‘10 am.  4 am in Washington.’ Rick answered, looking at Madeline. The reason she's so effective is that no-one expects something so beautiful to deliver something as horrible as a bullet to the groin, he thought.

 ‘I am scheduled to meet him in six hours, if not detained. Six hours from now. The countdown. The final stage has already begun. You are too late to do anything to stop us. Kellerin had everything planned to the very last detail. Your involvement, tracking me across Europe. Even my capture was planned for. I am expendable. There is nothing you can do to prevent the course of history. We are making history as we speak. A new era. Russia will be free from oppression. Kellerin will see to that. ’ Teslovich stated, his eyes darting about the room, from Madeline, to her gun, to Rick and back to Madeline. Rick watched as Madeline finished with her subject.

     ‘That will be all then. Thankyou, Mr Teslovich.’ Crossing the room, Madeline looked worried. He had heard Teslovich confirm her suspicions that there was no Cobalt Blue, and in his mind that was a positive factor, but Madeline looked disturbed. She picked up the phone, and dialled Marcus Shaw’ private line.

     ‘Marcus, Madeline...We have good news...and bad. The good news- we picked up Teslovich this morning. There is no cobalt blue. The bad- It was a cover. Kellerin and his men plan to take control of the White House...We have six hours until their scheduled rendezvous time and it takes nine to get from here, providing there's an available flight....This should have been anticipated. I'm sorry.’ Madeline looked furious as she listened to his next comments. ‘You can't expect us to do that. Not after what we've done so far. We can't just step down. Beside what I know is far too complicated for me to explain over the phone. I'll brief the team when we land. Send Lychart in the van, a stealth helicopter.’

    ‘You’ll need backup. I’ll send Stephanie.’ Marcus interrupted. He was not having Madeline tell him everything he had to, should do or was going to do.

    ‘Whatever.  I'll let you pick the rest of the team. You can even decide how many personnel I need on that team. Your prerogative, Marcus. I trust your professionalism completely.’ She was being patronising but she didn’t care. ‘Oh, and have a second team on stand-by, at the Treasury building. I'll explain the rest later. Oh, and Teslovich?’ she asked. ‘All right consider it done! See you at D.C. airport.’ Madeline hung up the phone and looked at Teslovich. ‘Today's you're lucky day. You get to live for another twelve hours!’ She smiled.

    ‘What? What do you mean?’ he queried, his voice alerting her to the fact he was terrified. He may be expendable, but he wasn’t prepared for that eventuality.

     ‘They want us to extradite you to the U.S. Rick? Call the airport.’

     ‘Already done. We leave in forty minutes.’ he answered gathering up the equipment.

     Madeline crossed the room to help him. ‘Make that twelve hours and forty minutes, Mr Teslovich’ she stated over her shoulder.

CHAPTER 25

Marcus strode from the room, quickly and entered his office. He picked up the red phone and called the White House.

   ‘This is Marcus Shaw, Director of the CIA, put me through to the President.

   ‘I’m sorry Sir, I can’t do that, unless it’s an emergency.’

   ‘Son, what colour is this phone? Do it Now!’ Marcus bellowed down the phone. He was tired of being jerked around by young military types who thought they could do anything they pleased, simply because they worked at the White House.

    ‘Yes Sir, one moment.’

            The phone rang in the residence lounge. William Watson didn’t know what to do. Around him sat his wife, his friends and three very hostile looking terrorists.    ‘Answer the phone Mr. President.’ Kellerin ordered from across the room. William reached for the receiver and held it to his ear.

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Marcus Shaw, here. Our terrorists plan to take the White House.’

   ‘Too late. They already have.’ William hung up the phone and looked back at Kellerin.

   ‘Marcus Shaw. Impeccable timing your Director has.’ Kellerin laughed from his position, on the other side of the room.

   ‘What is it you want?’ William questioned angrily. No- one should be able to take the White House. And now they had him. President William Watson a hostage, under his own roof. This isn’t happening, he thought.

   ‘All in good time. Mr. President. All in good time. We are waiting for the rest of the party to arrive. I am expecting a very important package.’