Chapter 11
November 27th. 2015
Cavalli Islands. New Zealand
'I'm getting too old for this.' Alexei was glad that the “little pests” were away, Facebooking, Instagramming or perhaps doing their actual work and checking on the kiwis' eggs.
'Who the fuck brings quinoa salad and tofu to a camping? Millennials are nuts.' He closed his eyes and enjoyed the wet coldness of the forest as the darkness of the night clung to his bones.
'I should volunteer more for kiwi-watching duties. That keeps the pests away.'
A slight move between the thick foliage made him smile knowingly. 'Shy birds? My ass. They only need the proper encouragement to come out.' His body froze as his eyes focused on the stone placed in a small forest clearing, one meter away from his seat.
First, the end of a long bill emerged from the bushes and Alexei smiled when an ultra careful bird came out and walked in a beeline to the stone.
'Nothing like Spanish cured ham fat to catch a kiwi.' Alexei looked how the bird took the long piece and consciously smashed it against the ground to kill the imaginary worm.
'This one is fine.' Alexei watched the bird walk away with long strides, slightly dangling to the sides. He waited for a full minute before he moved and placed another piece of ham for the birds.
'Thirty-thousand dollars to feed the pigeons in the middle of nowhere. That hippy really dried me out.' Alexei took his night vision binoculars and looked down at the unusually quiet house.
'Strange. They returned today without Guntram and Repin looks like a corpse warmed over.'
'Has he done something to the boy?' Fear flared to life but Alexei's mind quickly killed it. 'They were away for a whole week now.
'And the ladies were packing for two days and most of them are gone now.' His mobile vibrated and Alexei suppressed a sigh of anger. 'The babies can't wipe their asses again.' He rose from his position and took the backpack carelessly left near a tree. 'Fucking retards.'
Counting up to ten to lift up his spirits, Alexei stood in the middle of the clearing. Returning to base camp was some sort of a nightmare but at 3 a.m., up to the kiwis were in bed. He was compelled to return if he didn't want to blow up his cover as an environmentalist, kiwi-lover, Russian, gay biology teacher.
'We weren't that stupid back in Afghanistan,' he shuddered at the memory of the five young people who were in charge of monitoring the kiwis nests. 'Well, the guy who sold me his volunteer place wasn't that stupid if he squeezed thirty grands out of me.'
He walked slowly back to the camp still not understanding why Repin had not blown up the little fuckers and was even giving them money to pamper the black chickens. The old parrots were funny, but the kiwi-keepers? Those were a bunch of self-assured brats in need of a permanent safe space around them.
'Biology students should be more... robust, I don't know.' Alexei's mind flashed the image of the three bearded, long haired, twenty something boys sitting at the campfire (made with a led lantern, of course) eating grass and tofu because they were “vegans and polyamorous” along with the two girls who seemed to have more testosterone than the three of them together.
'Millennials volunteering to get a place in campus.' Alexei thought with utter contempt. 'The real scientists stayed at home, warm, with the computers and left the monitoring and the mud to the interns.'
'Just like our generals back home.' He thought sourly and carefully tread when he entered in the tents area; the last he needed right now was a chat with any of his polyamorous mates.
Shouting that he was gay had been enough as to brand him as a bigot by the girls. Trying to get them to change their views -he felt no desire at all of starting a six-some, not even for the mission's sake- had been a mistake. The women hated him now and one of the boys had become his shadow.
'If Dima and his pals don't kill me, I'll jump from a cliff if I have to stay another week here.' Alexei took his rolled up sleeping bag from his large backpack and unrolled it over a plastic, far away from the communal tent.
'The Duke will never know how much I've put into his relationship with Guntram.' He closed his weary eyes and prayed that he didn't have to strangle a vegan in the morning if they jumped on him like they used to do.
He shushed his mind when it automatically started to hum “the answer my friend, is written in the wind,” 'Fucking Bob Dylan. Can't they download another track?’
'I can't get you out of my head,' he thought and cursed himself because Joshua, his loving shadow was a huge fan of Kylie Minogue and her songs were starting to pop out in his brain too.
“I'm too old for this,” he mumbled in Russian. 'I can't connect with the targets like I used to do. I was able to understand Guntram when he came to us, but these guys are impossible! They think being a slave at the local macrobiotic store is “finding your true self”!'
'I'm gonna replay the Texas chain massacre just to see if there's blood in their veins.' Alexei had never been so depressed in his life, not even when his chances to walk away from a cave full of Talibans were close to zero.
For two weeks he had been forced to look at kiwis’ caves, install surveillance cameras, patrol nests and endure the most politically correct people he had ever seen... and being called a bigot because he refused to participate in an orgy with that Patty.
The worst thing was his lack of results. He knew the terrain very well by now but there was nothing to do. The Chechens stayed in Auckland all the time and their wives and staff were busy with their daily chores. But suddenly, last week some of the Chechens returned and began packing.
There was no chance he could mount an assault on his own. Not with a lousy 22, dismounted and smuggled in his backpack. With that thing, he could consider himself lucky if a kiwi ran away.
So he gathered intelligence before he would have to beg on his knees for Goran to intervene and do things properly.
Only today, he had had visual contact with Repin and little Kurt.
His patience had finally paid off.
'If the child is here, then the Duke will act but how?' Alexei couldn't imagine any war scenario without violence and the question of where Guntram was still hung over his head.
'There's no way I can act alone on this. Twenty Chechens plus Repin? I need Ratko for this.'
A strange rumble on the ground made Alexei jump to his feet. Everything around him was quiet but he could feel there was something in the air. He disentangled himself from the sleeping bag and took his binoculars again. He walked down the path that led to the only working pier and held his breath when he saw the last eight of Repin's men going aboard three outboard boats and sail away.
'That leaves only three of them now.' Alexei thought joyfully.
* * *
November 29th, 2015
“Are you sure about this boss?” Dima asked very concerned. “I can stay and my wife can travel alone.”
“No,” Constantin refused once more. “Go away now. I'll take the boys in the morning to London and speak with Galina myself. She will take them in. I don't know how much time I have left. That doctor says it won't be long before all is over.”
“You can see another doctor.”
“I did and he suggested a surgical carnage in exchange for a few months more. I've always been realistic and I know that I'm dying of cancer while Guntram is on his last days. You and your men need to protect yourselves and find new places.”
“Boss, you'd been always generous to us.” Dima said earnestly. “We'll go back to Grozny. Better die there than in a foreign land.”
“Kadyrov has no problems with us. Only Putin maybe still resents that thing I did in 1997. If I die, Kadyrov will take you in. You're part of his clan and fought for him. Take a flight tonight. I'll stay with these men you hired.”
“Boss...” Dima could sense the depression on his superior but he didn't know what to tell. He had deserted life when the boy had fell so ill. Those two shared a bond he couldn't understand.
Constantin patted his arm. “Don't get sentimental on me, Klatschko. It doesn't suit the new boss in Russia. All transfers have been made. Remember to look after my sons. You'll do a thousand times better than Oblomov.”
“Boss, I don't know if the others will respect me.”
“One great service to the state. That's all what it takes.” Constantin said. “Remember me.”
“Let me stay until you take the plane to London.” Dima pleaded once more.
“No. Go away. If this man has been speaking you're in greater danger than me.”
“It's all this Arab's fault.”
“He won't pull the trigger on me.” Constantin shook his head. “There are many others in line before him.”
“He killed Guntram,” Dima said with conviction, full of hatred towards Altair. “He's responsible for this and I'll make him pay.”
“Don't waste your energy on that... for now. Take care of your people.” Constantin smiled sadly. “You're a good friend. Now go.”
* * *
November 29th, 2015
A single cut to the throat was all that was in the middle of Alexei's path. The blood spurted on the white walls but he didn't care. Alexei could only think on revenge and damned be the consequences. Death was insignificant as long as he was able to drag Repin along with him. He didn't care to die under machine gun bursts but that piece of human trash would be coming down with him.
He glanced at the body at his feet but couldn't recognize the man. 'New Chechens. I'm getting old faster than I think.'
Slowly, without making a sound, Alexei searched the dead man's pockets and found a round magnetic tag to open the heavy glass doors as well as his automatic weapon.
The kitchen was modern and thoroughly cleaned, painfully spotless. Alexei frowned; the staff area was risky place to be, a servant could wake up and make noise. The house was large and had many corridors and rooms according to the blueprints he had seen from the previous hotel. If Repin had been playing “architect” then all his intelligence was worth nothing.
He walked towards the most distant door, hoping it would lead him to the main living room and from there, take the south corridor to the original suites area, with balconies overlooking the sea, as he imagined that the main bedrooms would be located there.
Two very large contemporary art pieces hung from the large corridor walls. Alexei couldn't tell what they were but their presence reassured him that he was on the right track. He heard the sound of typing behind the second door he passed and something inside him told him Repin was there.
Alexei's heart accelerated for the first time during a mission. He forced himself to calm down before his gloved hand opened the door and entered.
“Ah, Aliosha. Nobody can't tell that you aren't a persistent man.” Constantin sat behind his desk and his casual greeting made Alexei hesitate. “Nearly missed me.”
Alexei circled the room, wondering why Repin hadn't pull the trigger already. He must have something with him. He always did.
“You forgot the muffler.” Constantin said coldly without making a move. “How unprofessional.”
“Still does it for me.” Alexei growled and walked towards the leather couch placed in front of the desk.
“I always knew it would be you.” Constantin said evenly. “You come right on time too.”
“I'm too late.” Alexei chose to ignore Constantin's taunts. “Where's Guntram?”
“At the hospital. Dying.” Constantin answered disdainfully. He wanted death, not to be captured.
Alexei's rage made him jump at an incredible speed and take a leather cushion from the sofa to place between the stolen Glock 18 and shoot Repin on the head three times.
The body fell hard on the cobweb drawn on the tempered glass table by one of the bullets. The blood slowly began to form a lake around the head and the small white goose feathers flew in slow whirlwinds around the desk.
“Shit,” Alexei mumbled as his own brain fought hard to convince him that the monster was dead. Had he really done it?
Alexei's trousers had small feathers clinging to him and another part of his brain began to yell that he had to run for his life. The Chechens would be there in any minute and they would kill him slowly for what he had done.
But nobody came. Not even the servants.
Alexei stood motionless as the images of his aunt and uncle's bodies flashed through his mind. 'It's over,' he thought and the feeling of a blissful peace of mind washed over his entire being.
The pool of blood became larger and the sight of the first drops falling to the floor woke Alexei from his vigil coma. He approached to the body and checked his pulse.
Repin was certainly dead.
'You have to get the child,’ his inner voice screamed and Alexei finally recovered his guts. His eyes scanned the room and found the safe box embedded in the wall, next to a sea painting that looked as if it were made by Guntram.
Open. Enticing.
'The Duke will kill me if I don't check it up. Putin will kill me if I don't raid it.'
Alexei crossed the room and began to quickly check what was inside. Money or gold was quickly discarded as it was useless, until he found a series of twenty to thirty memory cards kept in a box. Alexei, without thinking, stashed them in all his pockets as he continued to search the safe box. Some pendrives and password generators were carefully hidden inside false books and Alexei took them too.
There was a heavy stash of documents Alexei knew he couldn't take with him but he quickly began to go through them. Most of them were property deeds or bank extracts, passports, which were unimportant for him.
“Fuck!” Alexei swore when he found the medical report file under the name of François Arseniev. At light speed, he began to read it and the truth hit him like a lorry.
'Son of a bitch.' Alexei closed the folder furiously but rolled it up and hid it under his interior t-shirt.
'Motherfucker. A bullet was an act mercy.' Alexei looked at the body and he heard Repin's derisive laughter hammering the back of his head. 'He used me up to the last minute. That's why he was alone, waiting for someone to kill him. He didn't have the courage to pull the trigger by himself.'
“You should have died coughing your lungs out! In a pool of your own shit!” Alexei shouted at the body, not caring if he was heard or not. “You deserved that cancer!”
Alexei felt like crying. Three clean shots. Painless death when his monster had already his divine punishment coming along.
'Get the child out,’ his inner voice shouted him again but he was too furious to care. He had been robbed. Again.
Alexei gulped with his sore throat and quickly evaluated how big were his chances to get a sleepy child out of the house, into a boat, sail to the Matauri bay, get the car and drive to Kawakawa or maybe to Auckland, without waking the servants up.
There should be a nanny and two or three maids to take into account and shooting harmless women was out of the question. The only good thing about the operation was that Repin had somehow known that he was coming and had removed all his real ovcharky. On the other hand, Kurt knew him well and perhaps he would be surprised to see him but wouldn't cause a problem.
Alexei continued to search the safe box as his mind concocted another plan. With a supreme effort, he was able to kill his own fury and indignation. They wouldn't help him now. He had a task to finish at hand.
'The child must be on the East corridor.'
He opened the door and delicately closed it behind him. So far, no noise. It was only a matter of returning to the living room, take the other corridor and pray he got the right door.
“Alexei? What are you doing here?” a child's voice nearly made Alexei jump to the roof.
“Nothing,” Alexei answered in Russian and turned around to see Kurt, standing in front of him as he clutched a plush frog. “And you?”
Kurt placed his index finger between his lips and made shush. “Say nothing Alexei and I'll do the same for you.”
“Where's your papa?” Alexei had the odd feeling of being trapped in the middle of a surrealist dream.
“Hospital. Dad says he's ill and we can't see him now.” Kurt replied.
“Well, I can take you to see him,” Alexei lied and extended his right after he quickly removed the glove he wore. “I have a car.”
“You need a boat or the chopper.” Kurt said in a clear voice and Alexei chuckled nervously.
“You know everything, don't you?”
“OK, I'll get Kostya.” The child ran away before Alexei could catch him and he had to follow him back to the living room, to see him enter in the West corridor.
'God is doing extra time tonight.' Alexei thought as his sense of direction had been wrong all the time. 'If he goes for the nanny I'll have to snap her neck.' Alexei entered in the dark corridor and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Kurt dragging by the hand a two or maybe three year old blond child.
The toddler looked exactly as Kurt but in a much blonder version, dressed in blue pyjamas and he was dragging a large robot.
Alexei's heart skipped a beat or two.
“Who's he?” he asked in Russian.
“My brother, Kostya.” Kurt stated the obvious. “We're going together.”
“Who's he?” Kostya asked Kurt and clutched the robot against his chest. His brother would want it back soon.
“That's Alexei. He's papa's friend and he knows where he is.” Kurt quickly answered and frowned at the sight of the robot in Kostya's hands.
'Two?? What the hell?' Alexei was overwhelmed. 'How on earth Am I going to kidnap two children?' He gulped noisily. It was his lucky night. It had to be, he repeated to himself though he didn't really believe it.
“That's right. Guntram is one of my best friends.” Alexei did his best to make his voice sound gentle and smiled nervously.
The small child didn't bother to hear the explanation as he nodded groggily when his brother pulled from his hand. Alexei, bent over him and took him in his arms, tossing him over the shoulder as the child began to lightly snore, letting the large robot slip from his hands.
Kurt was quick enough to save his Nao robot from the fall. “He can walk and speak. Do you want to see it?”
“No, not now. We have to go,” Alexei said hurriedly.
“Like this?” Kurt pulled his pyjama jacket to clearly show it to Alexei.
“It will be fun.” Alexei said. “Don't worry. I have clothes at home.”
“Papa is going to have a fit if he sees us like this. I can call Christine.”
“No! No need to wake her up.” Alexei said hurriedly. “Besides you're a big boy and don't need a nanny.”
“Yeah, I'm five now. You didn't come to my birthday party.”
“I'm so sorry. I didn't get the invitation. I was traveling, you know.”
Kurt began to walk towards the main entrance and Alexei quickly caught him by the shoulder. “Let's go through the kitchen.”
“And grab something?”
“Absolutely. Good thinking.” Alexei nerves were beginning to melt down but he had to take the boys out of the house and island.
Alexei patiently waited in the kitchen as he held the sleeping child over his shoulder and a robot in his free hand while Kurt stashed three blueberry muffins in a paper bag. 'I'm too old for all this,' his mind repeated constantly. Finally, happy with his hunt, the child smiled, ready to leave with Alexei.
The back garden was empty and Alexei silently thanked God. The child walked confidently next to him and the other continued to sleep like a log on his shoulder. Kurt obviously knew the way to the pier better than himself and he followed the child.
The pier was empty but for a single boat, gently rocking over the waters. Without any kind of hesitations, Kurt jumped inside and sat behind the steer. Alexei followed him and carefully placed the sleeping Kostya on the back seats and covered him with his jacket.
“Have you got a license for that?” Alexei asked softly, resorting to humor because fighting with the child was not an option.
“Not yet.” Kurt smiled back.
“Well, I do so you have to let me do it.”
“You don't have the keys. They're in the garage.”
Alexei cursed himself inwardly. “I know how to start it,” he told the boy. “It's a matter of checking the wires. It'll be fun.”
“Why don't you look in the glove compartment?” Kurt asked and Alexei felt like a dunce as he retrieved the extra set of keys and started the boat.
* * *
November 29th, 2015
Zurich
The mobile phone rang at an ungodly hour and Johannes had no better idea than howling under the bed to show his discomfort at being woken up. Konrad shushed the dog and was barely able to make him quiet when he finally pressed the answering icon.
“Lintorff,” he barked.
“Dad!” Kurt's voice froze Konrad's blood for a second but his heart melt on the next second.
“Kurt?” he asked hesitantly. 'Guntram said I'd never see him again.'
“What are you doing? Where's Klaus?” the child asked him excitedly.
“I was sleeping. Klaus and Karl too,” Konrad replied still unable to come out of his shock. “Where's your father?” he asked full of doubts. 'Guntram would have never called me unless…'
“Talk to Alexei. Bye.” Kurt said and Konrad heard a distant yelling on the background while the phone was dropped to the floor and some quick running footsteps were heard too.
“What are you doing with my child, Antonov?” Konrad seethed the moment he heard Alexei's polite greeting. “Where's his father?”
“It's a long story, Sire,” Alexei said sheepishly and his apprehension grew wilder when he saw Kurt standing on a chair to get an anchovies can from the shelf to show it to his brother. “I'm in Auckland,” he added nervously.
“If this is a game devised by Guntram, tell him “no”.” Konrad replied furiously. 'Hiding behind Kurt to make me to do what he wants. Not even Roger dared to do that.'
“He's not available at the time,” Alexei said quietly and switched the motel room TV set on, hoping that it would catch the boys' attention for a few minutes at least.
“Am I supposed to believe that you have nothing to do with him any more?” Konrad snorted.
“Guntram is in the hospital from what Kurt and Repin told me. He's... very sick. He can't take care of his sons now. You have to come here, sir and take matters into your hands. I can't do it any more.”
“Repin?” Konrad asked coldly.
“He's... away. Permanently,” Alexei gulped. “I miscalculated my move. You must come here as soon as you can.”
“I have no interest in whatever Guntram has to say. Good night.” Konrad was about to hung up the phone when he heard Alexei shout “wait!”.
“Guntram is in a coma and he's as good as dead!” Alexei yelled at Konrad in German. “Either you come here and assume your responsibility to Kurt or I'll hand the child over to Social Services and fuck you, sir.”
“Excuse me?” Konrad roared at the profanity. 'Is he drunk?'
“You must come here. With Goran and I'll explain it to you. It's serious and… bring along all the papers you have about being Guntram's husband because there will be no way you can get Kurt out of the country once his father dies. Get down from that high chair and leave those anchovies alone!” Alexei yelled hysterically and hung up the phone.
'Is this Russian mad?' What is he doing in Auckland? Wasn't he in the Middle East?'
Johannes jumped to the bed and put his large head on Konrad's lap, sensing the man's distress.
“It's all right.” Konrad petted the animal but there was something very fishy about all the situation. Antonov had never lost his head in any mission and much less alone rose his voice against him.
'Did he say Repin was dead? Guntram in a coma?'
'If anyone could get rid of that monster, that would be Antonov but what would be Guntram doing next to Repin? He was terrified of him! He would have never gone to him but to that Arab.'
'Which he didn't. He stood him up in Abu Dhabi.' Konrad mused.
“Why does Antonov have Kurt?” Konrad asked Johannes and the dog sighed before he buried his head between his legs. “Do I have to go all the way down to New Zealand? If this is another of Guntram's ruses, he's going to know me like never before,” Konrad huffed.
'I can't leave my baby alone, that's for sure. I'm bringing him back and dragging along that idiot of a father he has too. The de Lisle's shouldn't be allowed to have children. They're a disgrace as parents.'
'Guntram was a good parent when we were fine but now, he's better away from my boys than near them. If they wouldn't miss Kurt so much, I wouldn't lift a finger for him.'
'Monika is going to hate me even more.' Konrad switched on his mobile and phoned his secretary. He briefly told her he needed to cancel all his appointments for the next week and have the plane ready to fly in the morning to Auckland. She should also contact the office in Melbourne and send a legal team. It was hard for him to tell her that Guntram was there and that maybe he was sick and that he was planning to bring his son back. Despite her concern, she asserted him that everything would be ready for tomorrow morning at seven.
Konrad was about to turn off his bedside light when his mobile rang again.
“I hope you understood better than me what Antonov had to say.” Konrad growled at Goran. 'Great, big brother is here.'
“I didn't speak with him. He only sent me a few files that seemed to be from Repin's businesses. We should talk tomorrow, Sire.”
“Nothing about Guntram?”
“What is to know?” Goran asked all his internal alarms beginning to sound loud and clear.
“Ask Antonov if he remembered this time to leave a phone number or e-mail address,” Konrad answered sarcastically. “Kurt is with Antonov.”
“What is he doing with him?” Goran asked in shock.
“Repin is dead... or that's what I understood. We'll see in a few days.”
“I'm more concerned about Guntram, my duke,” Goran insisted, starting to lose his patience because of Konrad's aloofness on the matter. His own godson was probably in trouble and obviously Guntram wasn't there to help.
“He's in a hospital.” Konrad said coldly. “Comatose.”
“What?” Goran yelled for the first time in years. “Do you say it like that?”
“How should I say it?” Konrad answered back. “I don't even know if it's true. Besides, you're not his favorite person at the moment. He probably blames you for his father's death.”
“We'll solve that later,” Goran growled. “He did his best for all of us and didn't betray us when he left. Respect at least that, sir,”
“No, of course our Guntram did nothing but threatening with bringing us down and leaving this little matter with Di Mattei and Gorgazali unfinished. If we lose Central Europe it will be our fault, not his. As usual.”
“It will be your fault, my duke.” Goran gritted his teeth after he spoke. “You pushed him away when he had fixed my mistakes and recovered a great deal of the resources you destroyed by starting a war we were not ready for.”
“Perhaps you would like to get your old job.” Konrad bit back. “Let me remind you that this war we “allegedly” were not ready for was a great boost for our own resources.”
“At the expense of losing our anonymity. Our greatest asset. We're in the open now. At least Guntram found a way to be able to operate in the darkness again, a way you previously rejected.”
“That thing will cause us more problems if we're lucky enough that your precious, adoptive, little brother doesn't blow it up in a whim of his.”
“We'll speak in the morning, my duke.” Goran hung up the phone without bothering to wait for an answer. 'Pig headed prick. I'm sick of being in the middle of a divorce. I have enough on my own.'
