Clandestine Affairs, Part Twelve
Ani finds out more from Lisette and seeks to change their plans.
If you aren’t caught up, make sure you check out the previous chapters of Clandestine Affairs before diving in!
I walk back into the room where Lisette is being held, relieving Mike. He seems grateful and is definitely over her shit. I know I am. When he closes the door, I turn to face her and lean against it, crossing my arms. “Where were we? Oh, right. So, who’s giving you a ticket out, Lis?” She looks surprised by my question and it confirms I’m on the the right track. “Let me see if I’m onto something… You’re running, yeah? And someone’s paying you to get some work done in… Naples? Maybe Sorrento? And when you deliver, the Interpol mess will just, poof! Vanish, into thin air? Then, you’ll be on your way to a new life? Tell me Lis, how close am I?”
She scoffs but doesn’t immediately say anything. I keep pressing.
“I know you’re watching a few specific people, someone who is responsible for some pretty gnarly stuff — ripping off the wrong people? Bodies left in their wake? I’m just guessing, but whoever hired you must have lost someone, or a lot of money, to send you after these people. But see, here’s what I don’t get, Lis… why you? Why did they offer you freedom, in exchange for doing their dirty work? And honestly, do you think the Interpol shit will just go away and you’ll just waltz off into the sunset, scot-free?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Lisette shakes her head. “I… I don’t have anyone.”
“None of us do. Try again.”
“No, I’m saying, I don’t have anyone. I don’t have anything to go back to. I’ve burned too many bridges. I’m ready to disappear, and… and I can’t sit in a jail cell for the rest of my life. I’d rather die.”
“And?”
She erupts. “Because I fucked with the wrong people and this is my get-out-jail-free card! I don’t have a choice!”
“Ahh. Kinda like what you did to someone in Rio, but it was someone who wasn’t as forgiving?”
She looks at her lap. “Something like that.”
“So you took this job because you get one of two outcomes — really three, but jail isn’t for you — death or freedom, and you wanted to take your chances to see if you can get a ticket out? Who’s to say they won’t just kill you when you’re done doing their bidding?”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take,” she whispers, unconvincingly.
“Alright, I guess. What do they want you to do, Lis?”
She’s visibly wrestling with the notion of spilling, but something keeps holding her back. Probably her training. “I need to know if you guys are going to let me go finish my assignment. If you’re not, just end this. Kill me, alright?”
“I am not in the business of killing.” I say, coldly. I stare at her, waiting for her to keep talking.
“Jeez, fine,” she sighs heavily. After a few dragging moments, she finally continues. “I’m watching this couple and their friend. But I assume you already know that? The person who hired me… they ripped her off, stole millions from her husband and then killed him. Sent pieces of him home to her. I mean, you know we’ve dealt with some pretty fucked up people before, but these guys? Brutal. Like, mob shit but without the mob.”
The floodgates have finally opened and Lisette keeps spilling, with me listening intently. “I don’t know. You never know who’s in the mob these days, and every country has their own it seems. Anyway, I’ve been following them for months. I’ve almost got everything I need to make a move. To turn it over to who hired me. And them I’m out! But then you and Chuck and that bitch showed up and you’re really wrecking my plans. Come on, just let me walk out of here to finish what I started.”
“That seems a little too easy, Lis. Come on. You’re building a profile, gathering intel, and handing it over… that’s it? Who hired you?”
“I don’t even know their name. I just receive instructions and they sent me a phone to communicate via encrypted text. I’m begging you, Ani. Let me out of here. I’ll make it look like you tried to stop me. Please. I have to finish this,” she says, desperation creeping into her voice.
“I’m not doing that, Lisette. Who are these people you’re watching?”
“The couple is Carmine and Vanessa. She works at a fancy hotel and has ties to local art galleries. He is her rich boyfriend and he picks the marks, she takes advantage of them. Their marks are mostly older dudes who are retired with fat bank accounts. Their friend, Giovani, is…” She stops talking and her eyes signal she just put something together. “Oh, shit. Wait. Carmine Gray. Isn’t that your real last name, Lizzy?”
I stay even, expressionless. I’ve gone too far. “Back up. Giovani who?” I ask, steering her away from that question.
“Oh my god I can’t believe I didn’t even put that together. Of course. He’s from New York. He hasn’t been in the states in a long time, around the time your dad left… oh my god, he’s your dad, isn’t he?”
I put my hand up, shaking my head. I open the door and call for Mike. “I need to know more about this Giovani. Tell us his last name, Lis.” Mike approaches and I motion that he needs step into the room. When she doesn’t say anything, I tell Mike I’ll be right back, trying to not show any emotion, even though I’m about to break.
I all but run to the kitchen and Chuck looks concerned with my entrance. “She knows Carmine is my father.” Chuck and Noelle don’t say anything. “Did you hear me? She knows he’s my father.”
Chuck massages his hand. “What else did you get out of her? And how does she know he’s your father?”
I’m a little annoyed he didn’t react more to this news. “I think she just put it together. She wants me to let her go so she can finish her job. Said whoever hired her — a woman — was ripped off by them and a friend, Giovani — last name TBD — they killed her husband. Sent him home in boxes. Like, multiple boxes…”
“I see,” Chuck says, standing up. He begins to pace around the kitchen. “I don’t like that she figured out Carmine is your father. How would you like to proceed, Ani?”
How quickly things change. I’ve gone from following orders to running a side quest. I suppose it will be good practice. “I don’t want to let her go, if that’s what you’re asking. We can’t.”
“Well, we could, but I agree — that’s not the move. Can we find out who hired her?” He looks over at Noelle. “What else have you found in her email?” he asks.
“She mentioned she used encrypted text to communicate,” I say. “We can’t fire up that phone now though to look through it, can we?”
“We shouldn’t. Last resort, once we are ready to leave this location, maybe. But now that I know I’m looking for a woman, that helps. Give me a moment. She doesn’t have a lot of contacts in this phone. Let me see if anything else copied over.”
The silence is deafening as we sit here together, each of us running through our own scenarios. The refrigerator begins to hum again and breaks the stillness. The sun is setting and our time is starting to feel limited here — it’s suffocating. My thoughts are interrupted by a yelp coming from Lisette. Sounds like Mike isn’t enjoying her shit. He’s already pulled Alan into the room and Benjamin is now the only one in the hallway. Mike pokes his head out into the hallway. “A little help here, Wilder?”
Rhys stands up. “I’ll go. Keep searching.”
I wish we were back at his villa. I wish we weren’t wasting our time here. I wish Lisette was dead. I wish this assignment were over.
Chuck is pacing, Noelle is clicking wildly, and I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs. Suddenly, Noelle’s whisper cuts through the silence. “Well, well, well…”
I jump out of my seat and stand behind her. “What did you find?”
“Chuck, does Sonja Petrov sound familiar to you?”
“You’re kidding. I haven’t heard that name in years. She hired Lisette?”
“Looks like it. Her husband was murdered, presumably by Carmine. Vanessa may be collateral damage, but we can’t be sure.”
I shake my head. “No, Lisette confirmed Vanessa is in just as deep as Carmine. It’s what we thought — Carmine picks the marks, Vanessa seduces or swindles them into a position for Carmine and friends to pounce.” I don’t know who this Petrov woman is, but I’m sure they’ll tell me later. I point to the photo hidden behind the email Noelle has on the screen. “And the mystery man in the photos with the two of them? Who is he?”
“Still working that out. I have it narrowed down to two names. Gregory Artem or Oleg Marin.” Chuck shakes his head to indicate he isn’t familiar. Noelle continues. “He might use both names. Ani, grab Rhys? He might know.”
I tap on the door at the end of the hallway. I wait for Lisette to see me before I say quietly, “we’ve got something.” The look on her face confirms she heard me.
“Mike, you good?” Rhys asks.
“You know it,” he says with a toothy grin.
I like this guy.
Rhys follows me to the kitchen and Noelle doesn’t waste any time. “Does the name Oleg Marin or Gregory Artem mean anything to you?”
He thoughtfully gazes toward a window. “Hm. Marin maybe. Got a photo?”
“Yes, might be the man with Carmine and Vanessa in Lisette’s photos.”
Rhys studies the laptop screen for a few moments. “I can’t quite place it… Marin… Marin… No. That’s not Marin. That’s Vlad Miran. He uses Gregory Artem, or will go by Oleg sometimes.” He glances at Chuck. “I can’t believe we didn’t see it. Slight disguise here in these photos, don’t you think?”
“Hmm, yes. His hair is different, no facial hair… Noelle, do you have more photos, better views of him? I’d like us to be sure.”
“You got it.” She flips through the photo album and pulls up at least six more. “How are these?”
“Brilliant, my love.” Noelle flips through them slowly for Chuck and Rhys to assess. “That’s definitely Vlad. Rhys, that memory serves you well, old friend.”
“How can we use this?” I ask, treading carefully. The air in the room seems to shift as I ask the question.
“Well,” Chuck begins, “we’re going to have to move locations. And I think we’re going to have to bring Lisette along. Unless…”
“Unless we can get anything out of her in the next hour,” Rhys finishes.
I sigh. I don’t really want to spend any more time with her, nor release her into the wild. “And if we can’t?”
“Petrov and Miran may or may not know we’ve got Lisette. We won’t know until we leave here. We either cut our losses with her and leave her here, dead or alive… Alive, and she’ll definitely sell us out. We let her go and make her an offer to keep us in the loop. I don’t quite like that option, but at least her death won’t be on our hands…”
Noelle shrugs. “I don’t want to bring her with us, and I don’t want her to speak. So…” she wipes her hands. “That’s my input. Do what you will, I don’t really care.”
Chuck and Rhys look at me, as if I’m the deciding factor. I sigh, heavily, and try to quickly contemplate the outcomes… but, I opt to be honest instead of strategic. “I have to agree with Noelle. I’m done with her and the bullshit she brings along. Whatever you two decide, I won’t complain, but… you know how I feel.”
“Excuse us, ladies.” Chuck motions to have Rhys follow him into the garage.
Noelle looks up at me after they close the door. “Thanks for agreeing with me, Ani.”
“It was easy to do. We’re on the same page. I wonder what they’ll decide to do…”
“If I have to guess, knowing Chuck, he will opt to leave Mike and Alan here with her, send a few others after we get back to the house, and keep her quiet while we finish our original assignment. I don’t mind that — it keeps her away from us. What a wrench in our plans, eh?”
I shake my head. “You could say that again.”
An hour later, Noelle’s assumption was correct. We left Mike, Benjamin, and Alan to keep an eye on Lisette and the four of us were on our way back to Chuck’s villa. Noelle was an expert at navigating these hills. She takes us to a church parking lot that is quiet, with a few cars remaining. Chuck and Rhys keep a close eye on the surroundings as Noelle and I quickly take the contents from the Alfa Romeo and switch to the car she has waiting for us. We replace the plate on the Alfa Romeo with a secondary one we had in the trunk, just in case someone from Lisette’s team (or otherwise) stumbles upon it after we’re long gone. I’m beginning to develop quite the headache. We left Lisette’s phone behind, but took the copy and the air-gapped laptop with us to use at the villa. Other than that, we should have nothing to trace us to the safe house, or the journey to and from it.
We finally reach the villa and once inside, Chuck asks Lorna to prepare us some dinner while we clean up. I head up to the room I picked out less than twenty-four hours ago and collapse on the bed in the dark. I lie here, gazing at the ceiling, letting the shadows play their tricks on my mind. I feel like I’m borderline about to hallucinate when I’m pulled back to reality by a knock on the door. When I don’t answer, light slowly spills into my room. “Who’s there?”I call out.
“It’s me, Ani,” Rhys whispers. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I just have a headache. What’s up? Everything okay?”
He closes the door and sits on the edge of the bed. “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to check on you. Dinner will be ready for us soon — you should eat. Can I bring you anything? Aspirin?”
“Please. But, first…” my fingers graze his.
He takes my hand. “Anything.”
I pull him down to me and wrap my arms around his neck, nuzzling my cheek against his. He still smells incredible. “Thank you,” I whisper into his ear. “Thank you for helping me today.”
He hugs me back. “My pleasure, dear. Let me get that aspirin for you.” He holds me tight for another moment before letting go to find some medicine.
I curl up in the bed and suddenly, I’m holding back tears. Everything that’s happened in the last few days is catching up to me. I wipe my eyes and give myself a pep talk… it’s more of an internal scolding, because I don’t have the time to do this right now. I can’t. I have to keep going.
Rhys comes back with the aspirin and a glass of water, handing both to me as I sit up in my bed. I thank him again and he sets the glass on the nightstand. “Do you want me to stay? Or I can just come get you when dinner is ready — should be in about a half an hour. Whatever you prefer.”
“Stay.”
He climbs into the bed and has me lie against him. He gently massages my temples and I sink back into his arms. I want to freeze time and let out a deep sigh.
“Ani, what will you be doing after this assignment?”
“Not sure — I usually don’t know in advance. I am hoping I can take some time off, though. Why?”
“Maybe you can take some time off here, with me.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea we stay in Italy after this job is done?”
“We can play that by ear. If we need to leave… come to London with me. We can lock ourselves away in my flat and forget the rest of the world for a little while.”
“I would love that, Rhys. I’ll speak with Chuck. It’s been a long time since I had a proper vacation. I think I’ll deserve one after this is through.”
I can feel him smile as he rests his head against mine.
The headache finally subsides after dinner. I skip the wine tonight and sip my water on the terrace, waiting for the rest to join me. I consider going for a swim but ultimately decide against it. The breeze from the sea is welcomed, slowly bringing me back to life. I would never leave the Amalfi Coast if I had that option. I keep thinking, under normal circumstances, this coast would bring me great peace, solace. Maybe I can retire here. I know I say that about a lot of the corners I find myself in, but there is no place on earth quite like this. My thoughts are interrupted by Rhys coming to retrieve me from the terrace.
“Ani, come inside, quickly.”
Just when I was starting to unwind…
I follow him inside to find Noelle holding paperwork and Chuck on the phone, speaking low. Rhys motions for me to sit on the sofa with him. Noelle hands me the file in her hand.
“What is this,” I ask cautiously.
“We got some intel on Sonja Petrov. Take a look. Lisette wasn’t joking about messing with the wrong people.”
“I see…” I flip through the pages. “Noelle, have we heard from Simon?”
“Chuck’s on the phone with him now.”
I feel emboldened. “Tell him to hang up… we need to talk through something.”
Noelle looks proud of me for the bravery I’m displaying. “Sure, be right back.”
Rhys looks at me. “What are you thinking, Ani?”
“Let’s wait, but, what if we excuse ourselves from this mission and let Petrov do the dirty work?”
“Hmm. Okay, but Simon’s the one paying your team. No job, no money.”
“I have a feeling that won’t matter.”
I only hope it doesn’t matter. If we can get out of this, I think we’re better for it. If we can’t… well, we will have to prepare for a battle I don’t think any of us is ready to fight.