Heart of the Assassin

CHAPTER 27

Rakkim gritted his teeth as Marie Colarusso cleaned his wounds. He lay on a white sheet covering the sofa in their living room, his leather jacket in bloody tatters on the floor. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"It's bad enough." Marie, a middle-aged woman with a doughy middle and gray roots showing in her reddish hair, reached for a piece of fresh gauze. "I'm so tired of tough guys."

"You're lucky Leo called me," said Colarusso, his uniform unbuttoned. "Got me on my private number…" The chief of detectives glanced at Leo. "Someday you're going to have to tell me how you did that."

"You wouldn't understand," said Leo.

Colarusso belched into his meaty fist. "He always like this?" he said to Rakkim.

"Pretty much," said Rakkim. "You should have seen him in the Belt. Half the folks thought he was retarded, the other half wanted to hit him with something."

"Sit still," ordered Marie, bending over the gash in his side. She tenderly dabbed at the wound. "Big brave Fedayeen," she snorted.

"You keep up this attitude, I'm not bringing you any more of my business, Marie," said Rakkim.

"Figured I better bring you here instead of a hospital," said Colarusso. "Too many questions, and too much paperwork there. Four dead men, one with his head cut clean off…" He shook his head. "Never a cop around when you need one."

"Thanks, Anthony," said Rakkim.

"What about me?" said Leo. "I saved your life."

Rakkim winced, shifted slightly on the couch. "Thank you, Leo."

"You're welcome." Leo grinned. "I could get used to this hero stuff."

Colarusso rolled his eyes. "Kid brains a miscreant and wants a medal."

"You told me the triplets were as dangerous as anybody in the city," said Marie, still bent over Rakkim. "You said they were implicated in dozens of murders."

"Well…yes," said Colarusso.

"Killed even Fedayeen, that's what you said." Marie sprayed antibiotic on the open cuts.

Colarusso pretended not to hear.

"So that would indicate to me that if this young man wants a medal for braining one of the triplets, he certainly deserves one." Marie pursed her lips. "Anthony?"

Colarusso walked over to where Leo waited. He moistened his thumb, quickly made the sign of the cross on Leo's forehead. "Happy now?"

"No." Leo wiped his forehead. "That's disgusting. What is it with you people?"

"Who's hungry?" Maryellen, one of the Colarusso girls, stood in the doorway with a plate of sandwiches. She was curvy like her mother, with pale white skin and sandy hair. "I made the roast beef with horseradish, just like you asked for, Leo."

Leo took three of them.

"A healthy appetite is a sign of virility," said Marie.

"Don't get any ideas, Marie," said Colarusso.

Marie checked Rakkim's body, crisscrossed with welts and cuts. "I still think you should let me stitch you up. Some of those are deep."

"Just the zip clamps are fine," said Rakkim. "They'll close up by tomorrow."

Marie shook her head. "Anthony Junior heals overnight too. Now, at least. Those Fedayeen injections…I worry about what they'll do to him in twenty or thirty years. Give him cancer or something."

"Don't worry, most Fedayeen don't live that long," said Rakkim.

"Well, I'm glad Anthony Junior is done with it," huffed Marie. "I thought having a Fedayeen in the family would bring more suitors for the girls, but-"

"Mother," said Maryellen.

"I'm…I'm engaged, Mrs. Colarusso." Leo looked at Maryellen. "Sorry."

"No skin off my nose." Maryellen set down the plate of sandwiches with a clatter.

Leo watched her hips as she left.

"Did you call Sarah?" asked Rakkim.

"She's on her way now, her and the boy," said Colarusso.

Rakkim sat up on the sofa, held his side. "It's late, Anthony."

"You try talking Sarah out of something she wants to do," said Colarusso. "I sent an unmarked car for them. The detective's a good Catholic, knows to keep his trap shut. I'll take you all back home when you're ready to travel."

"I'm ready now," said Rakkim.

Marie gathered up her first aid supplies. "I'll leave you men to your shop talk. Leo, if you want to come into the kitchen, Maryellen's got a fresh cherry pie just aching to be cut."

Amir looked up from the holographic re-creation of the sweeping cavalry attack of the Northern Alliance fighters and U.S. Special Forces that had crushed the Taliban in 2001. "Are you going to tell me what is gnawing at you?"

Hussein glared at him, unmoving in the evening.

Amir went back to the battle display, repositioning the Allied forces, light infantry, armed with swords and rifles. As always, his attention was drawn to American CIA agent Mike Spann, who fought on horseback beside the Northern Alliance as they charged dug-in Taliban equipped with Russian T-55 tanks and mortars. Amir watched as the Taliban forces fled, leaving their weapons behind. Spann was a kaffir, but he was a warrior above all else, a warrior who had died in battle for what he believed in, died in combat against great odds, and Amir admired him.

"You were right, Amir. Something does eat at me." Hussein sat cross-legged in the garden at the rear of his villa, an iron-haired Fedayeen, one of the heroes of the war against the Belt. The empty left sleeve of his uniform was folded back to his shoulder, his posture rigid. "I have painful news."

The holographic display disappeared with a wave of Amir's hand.

"Your father…your father has made a secret recording to be released only in the event of his death," said Hussein. "The Old One used all his wiles to get a copy."

Amir waited. For Hussein, the most merciless of the early Fedayeen commanders, to be so shaken…

"Yes." Hussein turned his gaze on the orange and yellow koi gliding slowly back and forth in the pond beside them. Metallic green flies darted across the surface of the water. He looked at Amir. "Your father has passed you over."

Amir didn't react. He already knew the answer but he asked the question anyway. "Who has my father favored over me?"

"Rakkim."

Amir nodded.

"So much for your hope that you can convince your father to join us."

Amir felt the ache in his heart radiating out to the rest of him.

"You know what you're going to have to do, sooner or later." Hussein gripped his shoulder, squeezed. "I'm sorry."

Amir looked past Hussein, past the high walls of his villa, past the years… He was a child again, no more than five or six, walking besidehis father, and everyone they passed lowered their eyes, blessed his father, feared him. Amir had slipped his hand into his father's as they walked, taking in his strength, promising himself that he would be just like him when he grew up. His father had seemed so tall in those days, his skin a deep black, pure black, his voice like thunder-Amir had grown even taller than his father, but in his mind he was always reaching up for his father's hand.

"Amir? Have you not been listening?" said Hussein. "I said, the Old One says you must take action to minimize the damage of your father's last request."

"Tell our master not to worry," said Amir. "I'll gladly kill Rakkim."

"No," said Hussein. "That has been expressly forbidden."

"Does our master also favor Rakkim over me?"

"Lower your voice," said Hussein. "I am not privy to our master's deepest thoughts, I am only telling you what he has told me. He wants Rakkim alive."

"Then what am I to do?"

"Your father's statement is a request for his successor, and a request only." Hussein snatched a fly out of the air with his good hand, shook it back and forth in his fist. "Trust me, young one, the dead do not have nearly the authority they think." He released the fly, tossed it toward the pond, the insect disoriented, its flight erratic. A golden koi leaped high and snapped it up.

Colarusso watched Leo follow Marie out, then sat down on the sofa next to Rakkim. "Interesting playmates you got, troop. Leo said it was ibn-Azziz sent the triplets, which is bad enough, but I recognized the fella got his head chopped off-that's Senator Chambers's bodyguard."

"Ibn-Azziz had his heart set on Chambers being defense secretary," said Rakkim, "but it's the Old One who's pulling the strings."

"You know that for sure?"

"Chambers told me."

"I bet that was an interesting conversation," said Colarusso.

"It would have been more interesting if Chambers knew who suggested his name to the president," said Rakkim.

"President gets lots of advice," said Colarusso.

"He only listened to one person in this case," said Rakkim.

"You're certain Chambers didn't know?" said Colarusso.

"I'm certain."

"Yeah, got to believe a man with his pecker in the wind…" Colarusso pressed his finger to his earlobe, listening. "When?" He nodded. "Who's on-scene?" He looked at Rakkim. "Keep me posted. I'll expect a full report in the morning." He released the com-link set to his ear. "Senator Chambers was found dead at his country house an hour ago. Looks like suicide, which is bullshit, of course."

"What about his family?"

"They're safe. On holiday, according to the servants. Grand Canyon." Colarusso picked at a tooth with his pinkie nail, wiped it on his necktie. "Always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. Probably should do it sooner rather than later, before it's part of Aztlan."

Rakkim heard a car coming down the street.

A few seconds later, Colarusso heard it too. He glanced at the security screen above the fireplace, saw a car pull up out front.

"Thanks again, Anthony."

"No problem, troop." Colarusso watched Sarah and a plainclothes cop walking up the front drive, Sarah carrying Michael in her arms. "How soon until you leave for New Fallujah?"

"You can read minds now?"

Colarusso shrugged. "Just basic police work. You can't kill the Old One; you don't even know where he is. So you'll have to settle for killing ibn-Azziz, right?" He lumbered to the front door. "Besides, maybe ibn-Azziz knows who put the bug in the president's ear." He looked at Rakkim. "So, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

Colarusso opened the door. "Sarah, come on in. You look beautiful. Who's that big boy with you?"