TS 3 Chapter 2

Chapter 2

June 12^th, 2015

Geneva

“You and the child must stay with us. I insist.” Charles de Mornay fidgeted with his dish. The old banker was truly concerned about his nephew.  

“I'm afraid this could only cause you more problems, Charles.” Guntram answered meekly, unable to find a delicate way to refuse his “adoptive” uncle’s help; he was well aware that if the old couple had agreed to see him, it was because of his mother’s memory and nothing else. 

“Nonsense,” Clara protested. “I want to spend more time with this gentleman and we are family. I loved your mother as if she were my daughter and Jerôme brought you several times to my home before you left for Buenos Aires. You were such a cute baby!”

“Papa was a baby?” Kurt frowned at the thought. “Really?” 

“Finish your greens.” Guntram said curtly and glared at his son while Clara did her best to hide a grin behind her napkin. 

“Some thirty years ago, dear,” Clara frowned at Guntram’s scold and kissed the little boy on the forehead. “One can't tell it now but yes, he was a baby and had a very large teddy bear. Chocolate brown and it had belonged to his grandmother and to his father. What was its name, Guntram?” 

“Jacques.” Guntram wanted to curse the toy but he couldn't do it as the grief over the death of his father took him over. He felt the tears come to his eyes but clinched the napkin on his lap and bit his lips to control himself. 

“Yes, Jacques, that's right. What an adorable thing it was.” Clara said and watched how the child finished the baby carrots in his dish. “He's very well brought up,” she commented. “I think I'll take this gentleman to have his dessert in the garden while you speak.” 

Both men stood up as she did and took the young boy's hand, leading him out of the dinning room. 

“I don't even know where my father is buried.” Guntram said quietly. “I can't stay here. I would only endanger you.” 

“He was buried in Zurich, Guntram. A lawyer from his firm took care of the paperwork and made the arrangements. He was officially single but donated all  his fortune to you and Kurt. Most of the money is invested overseas and I have all the details. Jerôme gave me the papers a year ago and told me what to do. The copies for you are in the safe box he left you.” 

“I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this.” Guntram said. “I wanted to believe in Konrad and...” 

“You are one of us. We must support each other.” 

“You hardly know me, Charles. We didn't have the best of introductions.” 

“I like your guts and you're Jew. That's enough for me.” 

“I'm Catholic.” Guntram corrected him with a smile. 

“Your mother was Jew and she converted to marry your father but no miracle water can change your blood. You're Jew.” 

“The closest I was to a Synagogue was for the Bar Mitzvah and marriage of one of my best friends. I've followed the Church always and...” 

“Blood is thicker than anything you're always blaming yourself for everything. One could say you love to feel guilty.” Charles smiled genuinely and his eyes lit with a mischievous light. “Our people invented guilt, you know.” 

Guntram smiled and shook his head. “Should I move to Israel?” 

“No, it's too hot and dry. Here is better.”

“I have to leave Europe but America isn't an option. I just don't trust their judiciary system. Konrad paid and was let out clean as a baby. What chances do I have if I go, tell all, like you suggested, to survive? None. I know all of the Executioners and if they want to kill me, they will do it.” 

“They're not almighty. Only the creator is.” 

“You're right but men are corruptible and I would be sold in no time. I have no allies or people who would protect me.” 'Unlike Constantin. He always had someone to look after his back.' 

“Do you want to go back to Argentina? I don't think that’s a good idea.” 

“No, it's the same as being here.” Guntram sighed and his fingers slightly hammered the polished table’s surface. Instantly, he regretted to have let his nerves be shown and regained his poise in no time. “I have to go to a place where I could start again and where the Order has no possible way of infiltrating it. 

Charles frowned and thought for a while. “It's not Israel, but I have some friends in Dubai...” 

“The Middle-East? They will kill me the minute they see me.” 

“Nobody knows you were the Hochmeister. I won't tell a thing because my own position in the Lodge could be compromised.” 

“Were you in league with Constantin Repin to kidnap me in Argentina?” 

“No,” Charles replied upset but Guntram’s glare made him divert his eyes, ashamed to have been caught in a lie so easily. “We profited from Lintorff's momentary weakness but the price was too high in the end. We lost more money than we originally estimated we would. He always comes back at you if you cross him. It was a mistake caused by power hungry men and they did pay a huge price for their involvement. The only way to terminate Lintorff is to kill him. If Jerôme wanted you to go away with this Russian, it was because he was truly concerned about you. You should have never been placed in that situation nor be a part of the game.” 

“Thank you for your honesty,” Guntram said quietly. “That's what my father told me. Though I was very upset with him, I forgave him for Kurt's sake and then I let go of my anger towards him. We clashed many times but he accepted my marriage and Konrad's boys and we reached a sort of balance. I think he loved me in the end.” 

“He always loved you. Maybe his choices were wrong but he did his best for you. We make mistakes as parents and have the rest of our lives to regret them. Don't be hard on him.” 

“I can't.” Guntram sighed. “It was good to hear that Fairuza is fine. I was afraid for her.” 

“She's a tough woman. Your Executioners don't stand a chance against her. She's back in Molenbeek, with her people. Nobody can touch her.” 

“I'm glad my father provided for her.” 

“He left her some money. Unofficially, of course. I made the transfers a few months ago.” Charles said and become pensive once more.

The maid knocked on the door and entered to clear the table, quickly and quietly. Guntram didn't pay much attention to her as she brushed his individual  tablecloth with a silver brush. She went for the coffee and left the men alone. 

“I was thinking and Dubai isn't a bad place for you after all.” 

“I'd have more chances in China for example.” 

“No, not there. The Order has good friends there, but the Arabic countries could be an opportunity for you. You have a sound financial position and many of them are good places to be. I was in Dubai several times and it's an amazing place. You only have to play along with their rules but it's nothing you can't survive. I can't picture you doing drugs or booze in the middle of a street or roasting a pig during Ramadan.” 

“No, I wouldn't do it. But the Emirates...” 

“It's the best place in the region. Saudi Arabia can be tricky. Yemen is too poor. Jordania is nice too. Iraq we know how it looks and Iran is... special; it depends on the moral police officer’s mood for the day. Didn't you sell one of your paintings to their new Modern Arts Museum? I think I read it somewhere and thought: “clever boy, he knows where he should put his money”.” 

“Yes, someone bought one of my paintings. I know someone there. Sheik Altair al Madani. We met on a plane. I was polite to him and... his gratitude can be overwhelming or let's better say smothering. I had to decline his offer to buy the bank's building and it was a very good one. My father made the papers but I think he wasn't offended because he bought the portrait later. I haven't heard from him since I was in hospital.”

Charles took his mobile out and typed something on it and read for a while. “I know him. We did some business with the Royal family some years ago. Can be trusted. They pay on time but are obsessed with people trying to con them, something that happens very frequently. If you're honest with them, they're generous. If you plan otherwise... well, they can be intense in their reactions. I guess they're sick of being seen as walking wallets. Look, I even have his personal PA's number.”

“I have his private number,” Guntram said softly. “His intensity was too much for me. I'm married.” Guntram coughed nervously and Charles understood the situation. 

“In that case...” 

“I would be abusing the man's generosity.” Guntram said dryly. 

“He's very well placed in court.” 

“That's what I've been told.” 

“He doesn't leave the bed for less than a billion deal. Why don't you speak with him?”

“It could only cause trouble. You know how Islamic societies are regarding homosexuality. I don't want to literally lose my head.” 

“Don't you think he knows better than you? Anyway, you're not offering anything of the sort. Leave that clear from the beginning and everything will be all right.” 

“No.” 

“If you go there on your own, he will feel offended and you have no idea how strict they are towards their duties of hospitality. If you do that, you offend them to the core. It's unthinkable. And I can't think of any other places you can go with the exception of North Korea. Think about it and you can stay here for as long as you want.” Charles patted Guntram on the arm and walked away. 

The coffee went cold and Guntram didn't touch it. He was carefully considering all his options and the anguish slowly began to grow inside him as he was running out of them with each passing minute. The maid peered through the panelled wooden door several times, but Guntram didn't pay attention to her. 

He knew he was alone. 

He took the new mobile phone out and typed: 

I'm sorry to bother you but I'd need to speak with you at your convenience. G. de L.

'Maybe this is a huge mistake,' Guntram told himself the second after he had pressed the send icon. 'I'm going to the get the whole Order on my head and use a poor man in the meantime. I have to be clear to Altair but he's deafer than Konrad. Constantin at least was taking duly notice of what I said and then ran over it.'

'I really don't know why I keep hooking up with psychopaths. It's one after the other. The only decent guy in my life was John and I sent him home with my best friend. Ah, no. Pedro was also dismissed before he paid for the lunch.'

'I should get my head examined.' 

Unable to cope any longer with all the thoughts and regrets threatening to overflow his strong, self imposed self-control, Guntram stood up and left the dinning room. 

Kurt's cries of joy at the ball Clara was throwing at him in the garden, made Guntram smile sadly. The memory of playing with his father one afternoon when he was five years old, filled him with a longing he thought he had buried years ago. 

'He's not coming back this time.' The tears veiled his eyes but he firmly shut them to dry them. 'No time for sentimentality. I must get Kurt out of here.' 

He opened the glass door and sat in one of the sofas at the veranda. Clara waived her hand at him and continued to play with the child. The fragrance of the roses aggressively penetrated his nostrils and the nausea overpowered him, nearly making him gauge. 

'All this time I thought my papa was a coward and hated him. I will never forgive myself for this.' 

The sound of crystal hitting the marble table in front of him forced him to return from his own hell of self-loathing and pity. The maid had left some glasses and cold lemonade and apple juice but Guntram ignored the beverages. 'I bought each one of Konrad's lies. As if I wouldn't know how he plays. I wanted to buy them.' 

'I wanted to hate my own father and I blamed him for being in the hospital. Not even a selfish brat would have done that.' 

'Maybe he used me to get back at Konrad but it was me who called him for help. He knew I hated the Order. Why would he attack Konrad? The others were happy to follow my father and what would I have done? I was never a good Hochmeister. I had no idea of what the Order was after. I was just putting out fires and nothing else.' 

'Yet Konrad killed my father and the grandfather of his own child. All for this bloody Order. I hope there’s a special place for them in hell.'

“What the hell went through our heads? I'm not like this,” he mumbled to no one. 'I never had troubles with other people and there I was starting a dirty war against some scum. They had it coming, that's for sure but I'm not like this. I never had troubles with Muslims before and overnight they were the greatest fiends on earth.'

'I can't say that I regret it but I still don't know what got into me.'

'I'm like one of those soldiers in World War I, praying for the war to start and I don't even know why I'm so crazy. It was really not my job to get rid of those crazy animals. I'm not running the dog pound no matter if they had rabies.'

'God made me pay a big price for my arrogance and stupidity but it was a well deserved punishment.' 

The mobile inside his breast pocket began to vibrate and Guntram sighed. 'I hope I don't totally screw it up again.' 

“I thought I would never hear your voice again,” Altair said the moment his mobile stopped beeping.  

“I didn't even say hello to you yet. How are you?” Guntram replied nervously. 

“It's me who should be asking that. I was concerned when you didn't reply to any of my letters and then, you gave the cold shoulder to Gulya. She phoned you several times after you left the hospital but you never got back.” 

Guntram's shock was great but he managed to conceal it. He had just thought she had forgotten him in her parade of parties and cocktails. “I'm sorry. There must have been a problem with my line,” he answered embarrassed. 'Bloody Konrad.' “How's she?” 

“Very well, I think. We don't attend the same gatherings. Your manager was very pleased with her portrait's final destination.”

“I never thanked you for that.” 

“I understand your situation.” Altair made a pause while Guntram's nerves and doubts attacked him mercilessly. 

“There is... something I need to ask you. I don't want to abuse your generosity, considering how things are between us, but I have no one else to ask for.” 

Altair was silent. 

“How could I travel to the Emirates?” Guntram said quickly. 

“Do you want to go holidays to Abu Dhabi? Or do you want to visit your painting? I was told artists never depart from their creations.” 

“Neither of that. How…? Is it possible to migrate there? Will it difficult to obtain a visa for me and my son?” 

“You will need a sponsor but that will be no problem for you. Will your consort be accompanying you? This could be a bit problematic for the legal frame in my country.” 

“No and I'd rather not to tell him.” Guntram said. “It's complicate.” 

“May I presume that you're not staying at your house in Zurich?” 

“I'm in Geneva, visiting some relatives from my mother's side. I know I have no right to ask anything from you...” 

“When a man of the desert offers his hand, it is forever and without any reserves. It is forbidden to seek gains in your friendships.” Altair interrupted him. “I'm in London now, closing some deals but I can see you tonight in Geneva. I have to return to Switzerland anyway.” 

“Thank you.” Guntram said in utter relief. “I'd appreciate if you don't tell him anything.” 

“I see. Is it something regarding that lawyer who refused my offer?” 

Guntram gasped audibly, unable to say a thing. 

“Yes, I thought so. Let me offer you my condolences. Such a loss is a hard blow for any man.” Altair hung up the phone and Guntram was speechless for a long time. 

* * * 

At ten o'clock, Guntram was finally able to get Kurt in bed. The child was becoming restless at the absence of his brothers and wanted to know when papa was going to come to tell him a story. “Not tonight,” Guntram said curtly. “He's in Zurich and we're here.”

“Can Aunt Clara tell it?” 

“No, I think you should leave her alone for a while. She's tired too. I'll have dinner with them now. All right?”

“Are we going to the zoo tomorrow?” 

“I don't know.” Guntram answered nervously. “Maybe we'll take a plane. Good night.”

Fully aware that placing too many demands upon his father was the best way to lose the game, Kurt snuggled under his covers and closed his eyes. He felt Guntram kissing him on the forehead and yawned, totally spent from the day. 

Guntram's head was still spinning around with the figures Charles had cast at him. His father's fortune was larger than he had expected and everything was under his name in off shore accounts, waiting for him to take over. Charles had kindly explained him everything and given him the passwords and account numbers. Everything was so meticulously planned that it pained Guntram's heart to see it. 'He put all his affairs in order and put aside some money for Kurt to prevent Konrad's children to take it if I was dying. The clever lawyer till the end.' 

Guntram felt devastated to find out how much care his father had put into arranging everything for him to simply take it and be able to live an independent life. 'Konrad robbed me of my father. Again.' 

The dinner felt tasteless and Guntram couldn't even pretend to keep up with the conversation his uncles were having about his mother. Clara was telling him stories about her childhood but the grief over his father's death rendered his ears deaf. 

“Guntram there's someone here to see you.” Charles shook him out of his daze. Guntram watched at him in shock and wondered when the dessert had been placed in front of him. “You can use the library or the living room,” Charles added softly. 

“I'm sorry. The library would be fine?” Guntram rose to his feet. 

“I'll send coffee there.” Clara smiled encouragingly.  

The brief walk towards the living room took forever for Guntram. He wasn't sure any longer if it would be a good idea to rely on Altair but he foresaw no other option. 'For Kurt.' 

“I'm sorry for the late hour, Guntram.” Altair was standing in the middle of the entrance hall, not even setting a foot inside the living room. “Technical issues with the plane. Germans are not to be trusted any more.” 

“It is I who should be thanking you for coming with such a short notice.” Guntram shook his hand and indicated Altair the door to take him to the library. 

“I'd rather have this conversation somewhere else, Guntram. If you don't mind.”

“These people can be trusted.” 

“Please.” Altair's voice was firm and Guntram nodded. 

“The garden?” 

“My car.” 

Guntram followed Altair to the main entrance and through the front garden. A chauffeur held the Rolls Royce door open and he entered first in the silver car. The engine started and the car drove away stealthy. 

“How did you know it was about the lawyer?” Guntram asked. 

“There was something in his tone of voice when he spoke about you in that meeting. The way he rejected our proposition was quite friendly.” 

“It was a generous offer. We couldn't have done it otherwise.” 

“There was something... odd about him. That uncanny resemblance to you. So I looked more carefully and there I knew it. You two look too similar. With all due respect to your mother, I was convinced she had not been truly faithful to your father at the beginning. Too many things in common between you two. He told me he was your godfather and that didn't quite satisfied my curiosity.” 

“So I began to investigate him. Funny, there was nothing about him before 1991. Only some records about his studies but nothing else. No photos, no family. Nothing. He just landed as a senior partner in a prestigious law firm in Brussels and that was quite curious for me. Then I read about your family's bank bankruptcy in 1989 and I couldn't help myself to pose some questions about him.” 

“Then I looked into old press society clips of your family and he looked very much like your own father, so I must apologize for what I thought about your mother. That paternal concern can't be faked, Guntram.” 

“I read about the car accident in the newspapers and I thought it was quite strange that you two had had such a day. It was the same night I understand you had your... heart attack?” 

“Something like this,” Guntram admitted with a painful knot in his throat. “The walls of my heart collapsed. It was to be expected at some point and my lifestyle wasn't very healthy at the time.” 

“Funny that Crédit Auvergne had so many links, well debts to Günstrow Ltd and that your father worked for Crédit Mediterranée. They never paid that money back, right?” Altair asked and Guntram nodded. “Yet said company never went to courts, not even to collect the insurance policies? That must have cost them a fortune. Your father commits suicide along with your family and the money disappears.”

“I was seven years old when everything happened. I don't know much about it. Nobody ever told me anything but lies.” 

“And this lawyer associated with Lintorff during the time of your kidnapping? And then he gets named CEO for the Lintorff Foundation? That's even more curiouser.” 

“Michel Lacroix was my father. His real name was Jerôme de Lisle and yes, he had some troubles with Konrad in the past.” Guntram finally told the truth. 

“Wasn't he fired two weeks before his death for embezzlement? That's odd. Didn't Lintorff's wife died in a similar kind of car crash?” 

“Yes, she did. The driver was drunk.” 

“Alcohol is very bad, that's why it's haram, but your father's driver was Muslim, right? Like the lady who worked for him.” 

“No, Thabo was a Copt from Sudan or Somalia. I don't remember it well now.” 

“The driver's name was different.” Altair pressed the issue. “Anyway, with so many questions floating in the air, Guntram, I would like to hear the truth.” 

“I left Konrad because he killed my father. I can't prove it but I'm sure.” Guntram blurted out and exhaled all the air in his lungs. “The situation is... complicate for me. There were... troubles in the past between my family and he. My grandfather wanted to take my husband's bank down and Konrad ruined him.” 

“Yet you still lived with him?” 

“It's more complicate than that. There was a... bond between the families and what my family did was unacceptable. My father, before faking his death, asked Konrad to be my tutor. He wanted to appease him and it worked. When I met him, I had no idea of the past and truly believed that my father was dead. I fell in love with Konrad and the twins came along and then, we had troubles because I found out what had happened with the bank and then, I was kidnapped in Argentina, but that's a more difficult story to tell, had my son and returned here. My father blew up his cover to help Konrad to get me back. He was partly responsible for my kidnapping because he wanted me away from Konrad. He's... Never mind.” 

“From what I've seen so far, his business are far from clean.” Altair said as his dark eyes inspected Guntram intensively. “Why did your father go through so many pains to protect you? Why did he give his child to the man who wanted him dead?” 

“It was a debt of blood. An... arrangement made on my behalf. Konrad couldn't touch me if he agreed to be my guardian. It's complicate to understand.” 

“No, it is not. You were some sort of peace offering. I've heard of such trades before.”

“I didn't know what happened that night. All this time, I thought that my father had run away when he was dead. Konrad didn't say a thing and let me believe that he had abandoned. He told me he had paid his staff and left and I just believed it. I only found out the truth two days ago. Since then, I've been running away with my child. Konrad... doesn't take well rejection.” 

“Do you seek revenge?”

“No! I wouldn't ask something like this from you!” Guntram protested. “I only need a visa or whatever is needed to go to a country where he has no influence at all,” he defended himself heatedly. “I can't afford the luxury of a revenge. Even if I were to succeed, and the odds are very low, the effort would kill me in less than a year. I don't want to leave my son fatherless. There will be no one to look after him. He would be sent back to Konrad and that's what I want to avoid.” 

“I see. What is what you want?” 

“A visa for your country. I won't bother you ever again. I can support ourselves.” 

“I would be very displeased if you were to reject my hospitality.” Altair said. “Freely given, freely taken.” 

“You will be in a lot of trouble if I take it. Your laws...” 

“Don't presume to tell me what I can do or not.” Altair rebuked and Guntram flinched. “I know exactly what is allowed and what not with a guest. It deeply offends me you think me capable of that.”

“I offer you my deepest apologies, Altair. I'm not thinking straight since I heard about my father.” Guntram quickly excused himself. “Konrad has a lot of temper and we had trouble in the past. I know how he's going to react when he finds it out.” 

“You mean how he's reacting right now. You left your prison thirty-six hours ago.”  

“I wouldn't call it a prison. I was sick and could hardly move.” Guntram replied obfuscated.

“You were so free that you couldn't use your phone and the way you paled when I mentioned it, shows me you weren't lying to me.” 

“Konrad dislikes you because he feels threatened by you. The way you burst into our lunch was too much for his nerves.” 

“If he would just pass on the phone calls, then I wouldn't need to be so rude.” Altair said evenly. “You can use my plane if you want. I'm going home tomorrow.” 

“No, I'd rather use a commercial plane... with a different name. I don't want to leave so many clues behind.” 

“Do you have the means to do that?” 

“Yes, I do,” whispered Guntram. “It's me and my son.” 

“You both are welcome.” 

“Do I need a visa?” 

“No, you should tell your real name at customs and my people will take care of it. Are you sure you don't want my assistance for the trip?” 

“I don't want to get you into more trouble than necessary.” Guntram shook his head. “I'm indebted to you.” 

“There are no debts between friends.” Altair said a few things to the driver in Arabic and the car turned around in the first corner, returning to the villa. 

“I hope you understand that I can only offer you my friendship.” Guntram said. “I'm out of the game for a long time. My heart condition has severely deteriorated over the past months.” 

“I know but I will do my best so you become better.” Altair took Guntram's hand between his and pressed it against his chest. 

The warmth coming through the shirt lightened a flame inside Guntram. Shocked, he gaped at Altair and took a breath in. 

The delicate fingers traced in the darkness the pattern of the silk tie and blue eyes met brown ones and Guntram was mesmerized. The slightly parted lips, inviting to a kiss, were a too large temptation for Altair and he bent his head to capture them with a kiss. 

Guntram was surprised to be kissed but he didn't shy away from it. He slightly parted his lips and let Altair's tongue to enter in his mouth. The fierceness of the man was nothing like he had expected and he couldn't help to compare it with Konrad's delicate, almost chaste touches seldom given. His hand became bolder and squeezed the tie, crumpling the Italian silk, pulling Altair against him. The fire growing inside him drove him mad with a passion Guntram thought forgotten. 

Shocked by the intensity of his own feelings and rushed pulse, Guntram put distance between their bodies and the look of total despair and loss that crossed through Altair's eyes felt like a stab wound to his heart. Without understanding why, he launched himself against the brunette and kissed him fiercely. 

Altair deepened the kiss and laced his arm around the slender waist he had dreamed on for so long. He felt himself lost in pleasure as he renewed his kisses on Guntram. 

The car stopped in front of a light and both men quickly killed their embrace. They both looked at each other embarrassed and Guntram cast a glance at the motionless driver in the front. 

“I wish I could offer you that coffee now,” Guntram said quietly. “But the kitchen must be closed by now.” 

“My one is always open,” Altair's voice trembled as his tongue wetted his pained lips, unable to believe the offer. 

“Then let's have a late coffee.” 

* * * 

June 12^th, 2014

Zurich 

“I really don't get it.” Ferdinand sighed as his tired eyes fixed themselves upon the amber liquid in his glass. “Why don't you tell him the truth?” 

“Because he doesn't want to hear it. He never does.” Konrad answered mechanically. “It wouldn't make any good.” 

“Konrad, you should have said it. The moment he asked about the snake, you should have spoken up. He would have been sympathetic. At some point, maybe.” 

The duke closed his eyes as he thought about his youngest child and the pain of his loss. “What I did was for the best. I did it for him.” 

“He doesn't know it and once more he's running around like a headless chicken.” 

“It's Guntram's way. I can't help it.” Konrad's voice sounded tired and defeated. His mind only played thousands of scenarios of what could have happened to his little baby. 

“Konrad, don't start feeling guilty because you squashed a snake. De Lisle should have never been allowed again in our entourage. He used his own child, his grandchild even, to start a putsch and -again- it was his head or ours.” Ferdinand said emphatically. His eyes roamed all the leather bound volumes in the library but the smell of the books didn't give him any respite like before. “I'd rather see his head falling and not mine,” he mumbled.  

“I'm very well aware of this, Ferdinand. I had no other option but to do it and do it quickly. Putin was furious with me when his people found that money in Al Asad's enemies hands. Putin himself would have put me out of the game if I wouldn't have crushed Lahon that night. That bloody de Lisle did it on purpose and got Guntram to sign the checks. Putin was going to have my Guntram killed for that. I had to set an example to show that I was still in power. It was de Lisle or Guntram's head. Why do you think we got that icon? It was his way to say he's in peace with my family. I shouldn't be needing to explain you all this.” 

“No, you should have told Guntram and get him down to earth. He knows the game.” Ferdinand was upset with Konrad because everything was now his fault. “You cosset the lad as if he were made of glass and he's made of diamond, if such a thing would exist. You had to play the gentleman when you should have said the truth; “your daddy wants you to be Hochmeister; destroy our alliance with Russia; kill your husband and get you to do who knows what.” That's what you should have told him. Why do you think he pressed Guntram into getting that bloody cup back? To grant him the legitimacy he lacks! Well, at this point. That stupid thing should be in a box, lost in a museum shelf if you don't want to smash it with a hammer. It only brings trouble. Montsegur, my ass.” Ferdinand huffed furiously and drank his glass in one go. 

“There is no need to be so colorful, my friend.” Konrad admonished him softly and Ferdinand looked ashamed of his outburst. 

Konrad, leaned his head against the back of his chair and let the sorrow wash him over. “The worst is that I probably will never see my baby ever again.”  

“The worst that can happen is that your lawfully wedded husband goes to the FBI. Remember he's American.” 

“Guntram would never do that. He's furious with me because he blames me for his father's death but he hasn't done anything against the Order.” 

“Not yet.” 

“If he were into it, he would be already in league with di Mattei and Gorgazali and he is not. He's only running away. Like always.” 

“Or he's bidding his time to drop the bomb. Michael says he's the long lost cousin of Admiral Dönitz. It's not the first time it happens.” 

“I know him well. He'll never go against me or our children. He's not that kind of person.” 

“Konrad, my dear friend, you're delusional if you think that the man whose whole family you did away won't take revenge on you.” Ferdinand said with a smirk. “Guntram has nothing of a pacifist inside him. He's not the Mother Theresa.” 

“He won't attack me. He's hurt and wants to run away. That's all.” 

“What are you going to do? What will you do when people notice that you're missing one sick husband and a son? We have to start looking for them.”

“I will not organize a search party just like you or Goran want me to do. He's not a fugitive. Let him be. He'll call me when the time is right.” 

“It didn't happen the last time and he went to Repin.” 

“When he ran out of options and that scum was still an option. Now he has nothing. He will come back.”

“To murder you in your bed. Excellent choice, Konrad.” 

“I'll do nothing and pretend that we are going through a bump in the relationship. That will keep our allies away from him.” 

“A bump is what I'm going through with Cecilia; with lawyers and relatives involved.” 

“That sounds more like a second divorce in all honesty, Ferdinand.” 

“At least our lawyers are speaking.” 

“Guntram never did anything like her family did to us. It's different and to honor that, I must look for the best way for him to leave us.” 

“Konrad. One thing is your father in law being a greedy weasel like my Cecilia's and another quite different is to have such a cunning snake for father in law. Francisco only wanted your bank and my money. De Lisle wanted your life. He's still giving you trouble from beyond the grave!”

“I fail to see how both of them are different but I'll take heed of your words, Ferdinand.” Konrad said coldly. 

“Should I call Goran?” 

“No. No manhunt. Let Guntram move first. I think he will call me once he's calmer. Call the men off and let's do not speak about this matter any more.” 

* * *

June 12^th, 2014 

Geneva

Modern large windows from floor to ceiling dominated the house overlooking the Lake Geneva. 'It's not how I pictured it,' thought Guntram as the walked across the white marble floors. The lights from some boats could be seen in the distance and he wondered how the garden would look in the morning. The modern abstract artworks covering one wall felt cold to him as he couldn't relate himself to them. They were too big for Guntram's taste but fitted with the grandiose high ceilings and open spaces devoid of furnitures. 

A Filipino maid left a tray with coffee on the oval table and silently disappeared, just like all the servants had done it. Guntram had fancied that they were ghosts by the way they moved; their feet didn't seem to touch the ground. He smiled at a standing Altair and he closed the distance between them, encouraged by the smile. 

Strong arms surrounded Guntram's waist and he leaned over the offered chest. His own arms placed themselves over Altair's neck and Guntram's lips pecked on his and smiled, feeling strangely liberated and anxious of the pleasure to come. 

The kisses deepened and became more spirited. Both men began to brutally pull from the other clothes in a frenzy of lust. 

“Bed?” was the only thing Guntram could mumble lost in the incredible fire and pleasure emanating from his companion. 

Coming back to his senses, Altair stopped his kisses and blinked a few times as his head stopped its maddening spinning. His eyes were fixed on the half opened light blue shirt in front and the chest slightly rising and coming down with its agitated breathing. 

“Yes, of course,” he answered when he was able to break the spell. Altair took Guntram by the hand and walked through the glass corridors to a stairwell. 

They climbed up the stairs to a large white bedroom devoid of all furniture with the exception of a king size bed and another wall to wall abstract picture facing a glass wall overlooking the waters. Guntram seemed to be unsure of what he was about to do for a brief moment but the burning kisses he received on his nape dissolved his doubts and he let himself be carried on by the moment. 

A bit dazed, Guntram turned around and faced Altair. Resolutely he removed his jacked and let it fall on the marble floor. He smiled at the man looking at him expectantly and walked towards the bed. The springs moved  under his weight and Guntram unlaced his own grey silk tie with his fingers, letting it slide towards the floor in a heap. Enthralled by the shadows on the fabric, Altair walked towards the bed and stood in front of Guntram. He was petrified while his heart was filled with reserved excitement. Altair didn't know if he was again dreaming or if this time his dreams would come true. 

Long fingers slowly undid his belt and opened his fly. Altair's member sprang to life, unable to restrain himself any more. “Is this true?” he asked with a raspy voice. 

“As much as we want.” 

* * *

The lights on the shore began to disappear as the night drew on and Guntram knew it was too late. Carefully, he disentangled himself from the man that had given him a pleasure he had not enjoyed in years. He contemplated the beatifically asleep face of Altair and smiled to himself. 

'It's been a long time since I did it with love,' he realized suddenly and the thought depressed him. His sadness resurface again and flooded his spirit.  

'Very long time.'

'What's wrong with me? I was married up to a few days ago and now I'm in love with a perfect stranger? I have to get out as soon as possible.'  

Guntram hated with passion any kind of surprises or not being in control of the situation. His mind could only think on Altair, like a giddy teenager and that was a luxury he couldn't afford right now. He needed to be cold and calculating if he wanted to escape Konrad. Carefully, he disentangled his body from Altair's hold and began to dress. 

Altair shifted his position, looking for a better position in the bed and realized the other side was empty. He opened his eyes and saw Guntram half dressed, looking for his jacket. 

“Please don't go,” he asked. “Don't make me feel as this was just sex.” 

“No, it wasn't.” Guntram returned to the bed and kissed Altair on the lips. “It was something else. It was... right, like meant to happen.” 

Altair sat on the bed and pulled his lover towards him. Guntram sat with him and let the other man embrace and kiss him. “I've dreamed with this so many times,” he confessed shyly. “Since I saw you and I know you felt something for me when you saw me.” 

“Well, I didn't dreamed about it because I was married,” Guntram answered with brutal honesty. “But I could dream about it in the future.” 

“Don't go. Stay with me tonight. I want to hold you and sleep with you. If you go now, it will be like just another fuck.” 

“I don't want my family to worry. I've been out four hours already.” 

“Then, they know about this.” Altair answered wisely. “Just until dawn.” 

“All right. I can't deny you anything.” Guntram put his trousers aside and moved under the covers, letting Altair snuggle against his body. “You look quite comfortable,” he joked as Altair had rested his head over his chest and put his arms around his waist. 

“I am and I would like this moment to last forever.” 

“We would get cramps,” Guntram smiled and kissed Altair on the head. “It was incredible,” he said shyly. 

“Incredible doesn't begin to cover it,” Altair chuckled. “I wished this moment for so long.” 

“I never thought this could happen or that I would feel so attracted to you. I mean, you kissed me in the car and it was like being kissed for the first time.” 

“Actually, you kissed me first but I loved you since the moment you were so kind to me.”

“You only got an unsalted, over boiled cod and I'm not sure that thing was cod at all.”

“Long live the cods, then.” Altair chuckled and then became pensive. “This is what I want for my the rest of my life. Someone who loves me and talks to me like my friend. Someone I can trust.” 

Embarrassed, Guntram looked at the window as he didn't know what to tell, afraid that words would kill the rare magic of the moment. “You were kind to me too. Saved me from a furious investor and a taxi fare,” he joked instead and Altair embraced him stronger than before. 

“Things haven't been well with Konrad since a long time.” Guntram's voice trembled a little. “Since I returned from Russia to be honest. I married him on a whim and I didn't listen to my father who told me I was crazy for doing it. He was right.” 

“Parents are always right whether we want to see it or not. They want our best.” Altair said sympathetically. “I wish I had children. Like you.” 

“Pass by my home one night at bath time and we will see.” Guntram joked. “Why didn't you have them? I know I shouldn't ask this but you'd be a great father.” 

“My wife is very sick. My family says I should divorce her or take another wife but it's unfair to her. She's a good woman and doesn't deserve to be tossed to the streets. Taking another wife is an option but I don't want to trouble her. I'd rather wait.” 

“Why wait?” Guntram asked puzzled. 

“She has cancer.” Altair said. “She beat it once but it has returned again. She won't last many years more.” 

“I'm sorry,” mumbled Guntram. “I didn't know that.” 

“It isn't something you talk about. It was an arranged marriage and I wasn't very keen on her and went on with my own business. She put her best face and I'm grateful for that because she never said a thing. We became close companions after she lost two babies in the first term and became sick. I wouldn't let her down.” 

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Guntram put his hand on Altair's shoulder and he pressed it against his chest. “Truth to be told, I thought you were one of those pushy Arabs who think they can buy everything when I saw that watch. I would have made you eat it had you been present in the room. I was very mistaken.” 

“That was stupid and I apologize. It's so easy to find sex in this world. I'm used to do that and get what I want.” Altair admitted embarrassed.  

“Tell me how you do it,” Guntram chuckled without believing in his lover's words. 

“A watch like that one and you get all the action you want for a night,” Altair smiled deviously and Guntram kissed him on the forehead making Altair chuckle like a child. “But they leave in the morning,” he added with real sadness. “It's not easy being like us.”   

“Not in Abu Dhabi.” Guntram said sympathetically. 

“We have a 70% male population back home. Maybe the gay scene isn't so obvious like in Europe, but it can be more intense than here. Sex is easy to find, a boyfriend not. There's a lot of variety and you'd be surprised of how many come to make a fortune there. Money gives you all what you want, but in the end, you're as lonely as always. Lots of boyfriends for rent.” 

“But you're not going to try it. Aren't you?” Altair asked when Gutnram didn't say anything else and just played with his hair. There was a hidden desperation in the casual tone used. 

“No, I need more than a watch and a dinner. I need to feel close to the person and I'm a creature of habit. Once I'm with someone, I stay there.” Guntram replied dreamingly. “I loved Konrad and justified him no matter what he did. I liked you very much since the beginning but I was married so I shushed you away. If Konrad wouldn't have been in my life, I would definitely have tried something with you. There was a spark between us but I put it out.” 

“With a bucket of cold water.” 

Altair removed himself from Guntram's body to lean himself on top of him. His first kiss was playful but the second lasted longer when Guntram opened his lips to let him ravish his mouth. “And the water was frozen too,” he added while he settled his weight over Guntram when he spread his legs, inviting and tempting him to nestle his manhood there. 

“Then we will have to warm it up a little,” Guntram said as his arms laced themselves over Altair's nape, pulling him closer for another maddening kiss.  

  

* * * 

“Penny for your thoughts.” Altair said concerned that Guntram seemed to be so far away. They have woken up together and Guntram had kissed him in that way that made him feel complete and then, suddenly, Guntram had become thoughtful, detached from everything around him. The sight of the servants setting the breakfast in the small room next to the bedroom had made Guntram become silent and lost. First, Altair had left Guntram alone while he started to write the letters he would need but the long silence was becoming worrisome.

“If I'd had got one each time someone told me that, I'd be a billionaire by now.” Guntram answered over the breakfast table. “That's normal with me. I space out on a daily basis.”

“Really? Are you not concerned about something?” Altair asked as he continued to write in Arabic in several business cards, engraved with his name and coat of arms in gold.

“I can't peer what you're writing so I space out. I have to get going now.” Guntram put his napkin aside. 

“I still think it's a bad idea that you don't take the plane with me tonight. Also it's most stupid to travel with a false passport. It's a criminal offense in my country and you'll be deported instantly if someone finds it out, this is why you must carry this letter with you. Please, reconsider it and travel with your own papers. Lintorff can't have that much power over you.” 

“I'd rather keep you out of this mess. You don't want to have trouble with Konrad in Europe. He's not so out of the scene as you might think.” 

“My business lay elsewhere. It gives me a bad aftertaste that you travel in a commercial plane.” 

“In Etihad? Poor people suffering from bad service,” Guntram joked. “They're so mistreated that they voted it best company several times. I'll survive it. My flight is booked at 4 p.m.”

“Alright, if you must.” Altair sighed and put the cards in several envelopes, now writing the names in English. “This one is for the person at the limo who will pick you up. It will take you directly to the plane so you don't have to be in the airport public areas. This one is for the person at the diplomatic passports counter. Tell the hostess to take you there; she will be waiting for you once you leave the docking area. Go to the Diplomats counter and show my card and your real passports there. Your visa will be processed under your real name. One of my aides will be waiting for you and drive you to a residence I have.”

“I'd rather go to a hotel.” Guntram said seriously. “I'll look for my accommodations. Something near to an international school.”

“I find it rather... offensive.” Altair said with some difficulty. “You're spitting on my hospitality.” 

“I don't want to mix things between us. I'm not going to live you off and honestly, I find that living in one of your houses might be disrespectful to your wife. I love you but this is too much for me.” Guntram said clearly. “I'm very grateful for your help but things should be clear between us. I will have to start anew and I'd rather do it on my own.”

“Is that what you were thinking just now?” 

“What? No. Well, yes,” Guntram answered confused. “It's...” 

A knock on the door rendered him quiet and he watched how a man in a dark blue suit, with Arabic features, entered in the room and silently offered a folder to Altair and left. 

“You have work to do. I'm leaving.” Guntram rose from the table. 

“It concerns you,” Altair said evenly as he signed the pages. “Here, you have to sign below my signature. It's your working contract.” Altair added at the frown he saw in Guntram's face. “No job, no visa. New employer, new visa or leave in thirty days. Is that clear?” 

“Very,” Guntram replied dryly as he signed the pages and rose from his chair. 

“It's a formality.” Altair used a conciliatory tone and embraced Guntram from behind. “I love you.” He kissed his lover on the neck. “But this is our law and you must abide it.” 

“I don't like signing things I can't read.” 

“It's for working in a small animation company I have. It hasn't produced anything interesting so far but there's a permanent shortage of artists all the time. Some just don't get used to our way of life and leave or are fired due to their incompetence. It happens too often for my taste.” 

“Is that so bad?” Guntram couldn't help to ask thinking that maybe the Islamic way of life would be too much for the few artists he knew. 

“Well, if you do drugs, it can be. If you're trying to steal any man's wife, yes and if you rob also. Artists don't follow rules but you do nothing of the sort. I'm not even sure if you drink.” 

“No, not much. Sometimes wine but it's been like a year since I had a glass.” 

“You can drink without problems as a foreigner. Just don't do it during Ramadan and never in public. We want people to understand our laws and respect them. Otherwise our land wouldn't be our land anymore. More than eighty percent of the population are foreigners and from all the countries in the world. We have to be strict to preserve our identity.”

“I understand,” Guntram said slowly, feeling completely uncomfortable with the idea of the many regulations he would have to follow from now onwards. Altair kissed him again, trying to ease his fears away. 

“Don't look so sad. I only want the best for you. Are you getting cold feet?” 

“It's the minimum I should get.” Guntram answered earnestly. “I don't know.... I mean, all will be so different. I don't even know where I will find a doctor or how will I do the simplest things if I can't speak a word in Arab.” 

“In the Cleveland Clinic? They're one of the world leading specialist centre in cardiology. You might want to consider to take some Arab lessons for the daily life but that's not really necessary. Arab is not that difficult. But if you ever get a menu in Arab in any restaurant you go, please let me know it.” 

“You say that because you've been speaking it all your life.” Guntram smiled weakly and Altair hugged him again. 

“Your child will pick it in no time in the school. All what you see here is there too.” 

“I don't know if I should move him away from all what he knows. It's so different out there.” 

“We love children. Wherever you go, there are things for children. Playgrounds inside and outside the malls, parks, themed places for children. Families have many children and they need a place to stay. You will like it. Don't judge my country before you see it.”

“You're right.” 

“Reconsider the name traveling. Your plane ticket can be changed before you board the plane. That would make my job much easier.” 

“I'll do it an hour before I drive to the airport,” Guntram promised. “But I fear what would happen if he finds out where I'm going.” 

“Nothing will happen but if you're so concerned, you should live in one of my villas. I'll be happier that way and you'll be safer under my staff.” 

“I don't want to be an insult to your wife.”

“Ameena won't care; she's too sick to care and she will never ask questions about you. She knows about me. Do you like cats or dogs?” 

“Cats,” Guntram answered a bit taken aback. 

“Excellent. My cat had kittens and you can choose one.” 

“All this is a plan to get rid of one of your cats?” Guntram. 

“Of course. Ameena lets the cat to do whatever she wants and now we have kittens all over the place.”

Guntram smiled nervously. “Kurt had a cat when he was a baby and then, he got a lobster and there's a big dog too. No safe place for cats.” 

“You can have a dog if you prefer it,” Altair shrugged. 

“No, I prefer cats, though I had a dog for many years. Konrad gave her to me when I was very sick, before the children were born.” 

“Will you stay at my villa? Only for a while, while you look for something else. The real estate market can be difficult to understand for a newcomer.”  

“A month, tops. That should give me enough time. We don't know how this is going to work. It's too recent. Let's keep it real.” 

“Romanticism was never your thing, was it?” Altair slightly complained. 

“Love gets better if you keep a cool head.” Guntram replied. “Rushing things is never good. It's unrealistic that we pledge each other grandiose oaths of never ending love. Let's do one thing at a time. I can't tell you how I'm going to be in a week, if I won't be sinking into a depression or something else. I don't even know if I would like it there or if I would start looking for another place the moment I set a foot in Abu Dhabi.”

“You certainly like to pour buckets of cold water unto people.” Altair mumbled heartbroken. “I'm serious about you.” 

“And I about you but my father just died, my husband will want me dead in a few hours and my child will throw a tantrum of galactic proportions when he finds out he has lost his brothers. I probably will have one once I realize that I lost my two boys too.”

“You're right. I didn't consider all that. I just let myself be carried away.” Altair said slowly. “I was overjoyed that you loved me.” 

“I don't want to make any promises I can't keep.” Guntram came closer to Altair and his hand touched his lover's face. “If I do, I might be lying to you without intention. I don't want this to fail.”

“I also don't. Kiss me once more and we will see each other at home soon.”

“Home,” Guntram echoed the word before he locked his lips with Altair's. 

* * *  

June 13^th, 2015

Guntram was shocked to see a private courier standing at the door and asking for Mr. Lacroix signature. He quickly scribbled something on the man's pad and a regular brown cardboard box was deposited in his hands. 

Inside were his papers and medications along with a note. 

Mirko is worse than a jealous little girl. He can follow a package through UPS daytime service if he's such a big bad ass. Love. F.

“Thank you, Fefo,” he mumbled to no one and went upstairs to put their little stuff together. He had a plane to catch in four hours.