Lazar's Intrigue (The Jack Lazar Series) (11 page)

“Fair
enough,” Jack replied. “And thank you. I guess I’ll just concentrate my efforts
elsewhere.”

“You’re
welcome, and I hope I’ve been of some help to you. I know what it’s like to
work on commission. Believe me, I’ve been there. And it’s no picnic.”

Jack
could sense Levin was eager to end the call, and he obliged the man
empathetically. He’d learned what he needed to know and could continue with the
next step.

He
reached for the coffeepot, which had been filled for two but easily emptied by
him. He scowled at the thing, not so much because more coffee sounded all that
appealing, but because sitting back and sipping a cup seemed like the thing to
do right now as he pondered over what to do next. After all, it was still too
early for Scotch.

Instead,
Jack closed his eyes and reclined in the chair next to the window. He brought
his consciousness into a meditative state and carefully considered his options,
though he knew there was only one. But first he had to pay someone a visit.

TEN

The
rich Napoleon Cognac swirled like smoke in the Baccarat crystal glass, and Enzo
Antonucci raised it to his lips, the healthy swig scorching a path down his
throat and warming his stomach. He gazed sullenly out the study window toward
the rear gardens of his estate where elegant lanterns cast individual pools of
misty light. It was warmer than usual to the east, and the rising heat pulled
cooler air inland from the ocean, producing an eerie fog all along the coast. Usually
he loved this time of year, but not tonight.

Antonucci
set down his glass and sighed as he settled into the studded leather chair at
his desk, and he covered his face with both hands, massaging his eyes. He felt
exhausted. But even worse, his heart was broken.

It
had been several weeks since Sarina last slept in his bed, but the thought of
retiring for the evening held no more attraction than the first night without
her. Everything between them was going just fine until the evening of that
terrible storm when Sarina’s identity was revealed and the boys ended up
chasing her down the beach near Laguna Niguel. But why the hell did Rex have to
shoot her? That wasn’t part of the plan. Didn’t the man ever pay attention to
orders?

Perhaps
the elaborate web Antonucci had spun to make their relationship possible was
more fragile than he had originally thought. It seemed so clever and plausible
at the time. But he never considered Sarina would do something so foolish as to
call her office at the DEA using the hardline phone in his house. Why didn’t
she use her cell? And didn’t she realize the house phones would be monitored?

Once
Phil apprehended her, Antonucci’s whole scheme was blown. But he was thankful Phil
called for instructions before he did something rash like shooting her on the
spot.

It
was difficult for Antonucci to pretend he was surprised when Phil uncovered her
association with the DEA. The real shock was the resulting termination of their
relationship. Still, he retained his composure and told Phil to have Damien and
Rex take her away in the car under the pretense of killing her, but allow her
the opportunity to escape.

“Make
it look good, but let her get away unharmed,” he said to them. “I want her
alive and well, regardless of the cost.”

The
instructions were simple enough. So what went wrong? What was going through Rex’s
mind when he shot her?

“Sir?”
Jackson’s soft voice broke through Antonucci’s pensive silence.

“Yes,
Jackson,” he answered, raising his head slowly.

“Phil’s
here to see you. Should I show him in?”

“Yes,
please. And, Jackson? You feel free to go home now. I’ll be fine for the rest
of the evening.”

“Thank
you, sir.” Jackson nodded and left quietly. The middle-aged butler had been
with Antonucci for more than ten years now, and he never once expressed concern
over his employer’s business affairs. His only job was to see that the personal
needs of Enzo Antonucci and his guests were met with speed and finesse while
ensuring their comforts never lacked for a moment. And he did so with undying
dedication. Antonucci was thankful to have him.

“Hey,
boss!” Phil’s tone was far more resonant and intrusive. “You wanted to see me?”

“Sit
down, Phil.”

“Why?”
he asked tentatively before settling into a chair. “Is there a problem?”

Antonucci
huffed at him. “Tell me what happened last night. What’s this about you and
Hesterling catching Sarina and that Lazar fellow?”

“Well,
I’m sorry to say they both escaped. I would have told you about it earlier, but
I got shot and had to get some discreet medical care. It turned out that the
bullet just grazed the side of my stomach, so I’m okay. But Rex wasn’t so
lucky. He’s in the hospital, and they’ve still got him in intensive care. He
might not make it.”

“I
heard. But Rex is a strong man. Maybe he’ll pull through. Still, that’s not
what I’m concerned about right now. What I really want to know is why you
didn’t tell me all of this was going on in the first place.” Antonucci wrinkled
his brow and narrowed his eyes, the message of disapproval coming through loud
and clear.

Phil
squinted in return, apparently weighing the value in telling him the whole
truth. “I just didn’t think you would make a clear decision about the
situation, sir. I know how you feel about Sarina, and it would be hard for you
to condone what we had to do. I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Antonucci
stood up, his fists clenched in anger. “Goddamnit, Phil! I knew she was a DEA
agent from the start!”

“What
do you mean, from the start?”

“When
she and I first started dating. The whole thing was set up.”

Phil’s
jaw dropped. “With all due respect, sir, why in God’s name would you start up a
relationship with a DEA agent? That’s like inviting the cat into the mouse
hole!”

“I
had the situation under control,” Antonucci’s typically calm nature was
overridden by contempt. “Besides, I pay you to take care of my dirty work, not
to question my decisions. You don’t even have enough
information
to
question my decisions!”

“But
to bring the DEA inside these walls and give them...”

“There’s
a lot about the situation you don’t understand, Phil. I don’t give anyone the
whole picture about what’s going on here, and for good reason. I simply expect
the people who work for me to do what I ask of them and nothing else. God
forbid, should I ever want your advice, I’ll ask for it!”

His
ego clearly bruised, Phil grinded his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Okay. What do you want me to do?”

“Do
we have an understanding, Phil? Or do I need to hire someone else to do your
job. At five hundred grand a year, I’m sure I won’t have any trouble finding
someone who is willing to follow orders without so many goddamn questions!”

“Yes,
sir.”

“Yes
what?”

“Yes,
we have an understanding.” The words were apparently hard for Phil to say, but
the reminder of his large salary seemed to provide adequate incentive.

“Good,”
Antonucci grunted, satisfied.

“So,
do you want me to find her? Or what?”

“Sarina?
No. I’ve already called my contact at the DEA. He’ll track her down for me.”

Phil’s
head tilted in thought. “I don’t understand. If you already knew she was DEA,
why do we have a problem?”

“Because
she didn’t know that I knew. My friend at the DEA set up the whole thing for
me. Sarina thought she was working undercover while he and I orchestrated the
investigation through her, and I had the benefit of a gorgeous woman in my bed.
I had her completely under control until a few weeks ago when you caught her
talking to the DEA on the house phone.” He stopped for a moment in thought. “I
just don’t know what possessed her to do that. She should have known better.”

“I
see.” Phil nodded in understanding. “So, when I found out she was DEA and
confronted her, it blew your whole arrangement.” He shook his head. “Dammit,
boss, you should have told me about all of that, and I would have covered for
you. You should have trusted me. In fact, I need to know about these things to
properly protect your interests. How do you expect me to do my job otherwise?”

“You
may be right in this case,” Antonucci admitted. “But as I said before, I can’t
afford to give any one person in my organization too much information. You have
to remember how I got here. The second I forget about that, I’ll lose
everything.”

“Boss.
If you think you need to worry about me...”

“You
wouldn’t be here if I thought I couldn’t trust you, Phil. But there’s no sense in
taking unnecessary chances. Understand?”

“I
guess so.”

“Anyway,
don’t worry about Sarina. I’ve got the situation under control now. They’re going
to put her on a different case, and that will be that. We thought about
switching her a few weeks ago, but we were afraid it would arouse too much
suspicion. Now it seems like we don’t have a choice. She’s just getting too
close.”

“Sounds
like a smart idea. So what’s next?”

“I
want you to make sure we’ve got the new flight scheme working right. Go to
Chicago and do whatever is necessary. You can check on my place in Lake Forest
and drive the Benz while you’re there. From now on this new system is the life
blood of our business, and I have a feeling things aren’t under control up
there. Once you have everything worked out, I want you to call me and confirm everything
is set. I don’t want to worry about it anymore.”

“What
about the DEA? And the FAA?”

“I’ll
worry about them. You just concentrate on our people. This is a complicated
setup, Phil, and it all has to happen like clockwork. We can’t afford for them
to screw up. Not once. Or we’re dead in the water.”

“I’ll
take care of it, Mr. Antonucci. I’ll fly the planes myself if I have to.” Phil
rose to his feet. “You can count on me, sir.”

“I
know that, Phil. We just needed to get a few things straight here. Okay? No
hard feelings?”

“Yes,
sir. I mean, no, sir.” Phil extended his arm, and they shared a firm handshake
before he turned for the door.

Antonucci
interrupted him a final time before he turned into the hall.

“Oh,
and, Phil?”

“Yes?”

“Please
try not to kill anyone this time. Okay? I’m trying to run a business here, not
an organized crime outfit as hard as that may be to understand. The fact that
some of the things we’re doing are illegal just means we take a few extra
precautions. It doesn’t mean killing everyone who gets in our way. There are
other methods to try first.” Antonucci knew that torturing and killing people
were things Phil loved to do, and it made him a good choice for the occasional
dirty work that came along. But there was always a threat he would get out of
hand.

“I’ll
do my best, sir.” Phil mocked a military salute and departed, his footsteps
echoing down the hallway.

Antonucci
shook his head as he leaned back in his desk chair again and downed another
swig of Cognac. He knew Phil well enough to realize it was the best commitment
he could hope for.

ELEVEN

Jack
couldn’t recall the last time he had so much difficulty sparring with Tasagi. His
movements weren’t flowing, and he felt compelled to consciously focus his
attention on what he was doing. He was literally thinking about each move in
advance, and that did not work with karate.

Tasagi
had been Jack’s mentor in both the physical and spiritual realms for more than
five years now, during which Jack had reportedly become Tasagi’s most
intriguing student. Tasagi would never use the term “favorite”, but Jack still
took it that way.

This
affection wasn’t a result of Jack’s physical prowess, Tasagi explained, but
because of a spiritual connection he felt from Jack. Still, it was a field Jack
only drew upon occasionally, and Tasagi felt that over time he could help Jack
discipline his conscious mind and find a way to tap into his strength of spirit
more readily, thereby ultimately allowing him to accomplish great things in
this life.

Tasagi
prescribed a daily regimen of Tai Chi, meditation, and the precise focusing of
physical energy through the disciplines of karate and jujitsu to set a solid
spiritual and physical foundation from which Jack could build his abilities. And
this was the ultimate master plan supporting the teachings during all of their
meetings. He said he wouldn’t manipulate Jack, but simply lead by example.

Tasagi
was now sixty years of age, but his physical condition bested most men at
twenty-five. He was a lean man with smooth skin and muscles, an almost boyish
face, and he moved with an incongruous combination of potency and grace,
exemplifying the divine harmony he had achieved between body, mind and spirit. Jack
believed him to be the most elegant man he had ever met.

After
using his hands to signal a football variety of time-out, Tasagi pointed to the
floor, and it was obvious from his smirk that he knew how outrageous it looked
for a Japanese man in his gee to make such a gesture.

“Sit,”
he said. “It is time to talk.”

Tasagi
had never interrupted a session this way before, and Jack didn’t need to guess
why it happened today. Jack tried so hard to hide his lack of concentration,
but it was impossible, especially from Tasagi.

As
instructed, Jack sat cross-legged in the middle of the padded floor of the
large exercise room tucked away in the back of Tasagi’s house. The place looked
borderline sterile with a white floor that was hardly blemished despite its
many years of use. One of the walls was fully mirrored, an upright chest with
sparring utilities in the corner, the remaining walls clean and white. No
windows to see outside. No paintings. No interesting light fixtures. Tasagi
held no affection for distractions.

Jack’s
mentor sat facing him, looking inquisitive but not concerned. “You are being
tested, I see.”

“Tested?”

“Yes.
And by the strength of your distraction, I can only conclude there is a woman
involved.” Although he grew up in Japan, Tasagi acquired his Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees at UCLA, and despite a lingering Japanese accent, his English
vocabulary was almost as good as his powers of intuition.

“Why
does it have to be a woman?”

“It
is not constructive to hide the truth through clever conversation, Jack. You
and I both know there is a woman involved, and our purpose would be best served
to discuss the matter openly. Be aware that I am neither disappointed nor
judgmental of your situation. It is part of your individual path, and it is
useless for me or anyone else to try and change what is written for you. My aim
is not to challenge your situation, but to help you make the most of it.”

Jack
stared at his mentor for a moment, trying to absorb everything he had just
said. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget who I’m talking to.”

“Are
you in love with this woman?”

“Totally
infatuated is more like it. In the beginning all I could think about was going
to bed with her. And now that we’ve done it, all I can think about is…well,
going to bed with her! It’s like a pit inside my stomach that won’t go away
unless she’s wrapped in my arms. Maybe it’s love. Maybe not. I don’t know.”

Tasagi
nodded in understanding. “I see.”

Jack
felt compelled to explain himself. “I think you know by now, Tasagi, that I’m
not the kind of guy who thinks sex is the most important part of a
relationship. Sure, I think about it a good part of the time just like every
other guy. But when it really comes down to it, I look for companionship first
and the physical relationship second. Somehow it’s different with this girl,
though. It’s almost like we can’t get past the physical part long enough to
have a meeting of the souls.”

“As
I said, you are being tested.”

“Tested
how?”

“These
strong emotional and physical urges are leading you into an experience that
could be essential to your development, which means they will no doubt be
troublesome. You must follow your heart if you are to do what is right for you,
Jack. Only be careful. It is one thing to follow the heart, and another to be
careless. Life is always a matter of balance.”

“I’m
afraid I’ve already been careless.”

“Oh?”
It was the only word Tasagi needed to say.

“Yeah,
well, I’ve already managed to get myself beaten up, shot at, and I think I may
have killed someone…in self-defense of course. Then, to make matters worse, I
had sex with this woman not twenty minutes after it all happened. And I’d be
lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. The sex I mean.”

Tasagi
smiled and nodded again. “This is more involved than I had imagined. And
although I am impressed with your ability to appear collected, forcing yourself
to perform is not the answer. It is important now more than ever that you relax
your mind and establish a connection with everything around you. Only then can
you move with true balance. If you try to fight your battles consciously,
seeing your opponent as someone to be out-guessed or out-maneuvered, you will
certainly fail. Just as you have today with me. You must stop thinking and
start knowing.”

“Point
well-taken. But it seems the more complicated things get, the more difficulty I
have focusing and meditating. And then it doesn’t take very long before
everything around me starts to fall apart, and I regress into my old ways of
functioning.”

“You
must remember, Jack. You are not out of control because matters in your life
are complicated. Matters in your life are complicated because you are out of
control. It is not the circumstances that are causing you to regress. It is
your
processing
of the circumstances.”

Jack
nodded as if he should know that. “Understood.”

“If
you will, please,” Tasagi asked, “tell me the details of this situation. I must
know if I am to help see you through it.”

Jack
shook his head in disbelief. “You never cease to amaze me, Tasagi. Here I was,
thinking that I needed to keep this from you because you would disapprove. And
the last thing I wanted was for you or anyone else to talk me out of getting
involved with this girl.”

“It
is not my business to make decisions for you,” Tasagi explained frankly. “I can
only teach you philosophies and practices to help you see clearly and follow
your own path. The choices must be yours, and I must support them. This does
not stop me from being a second set of eyes, however, especially when you are
not being true to yourself. You have a right to feel the way you feel, and to
do what you need to do. And when you hide these things because you think they
are wrong, you are turning your back on your own destiny.”

Jack
nodded in acceptance.

“Then
tell me about it, and we will prepare you for this adventure.”

Jack
explained everything to Tasagi, from the night he saw Sarina on the beach to
the confrontation at the warehouse last night. He mentioned also that
Antonucci’s people were probably looking for him and he could not go home. He
told of how he had grown to trust Sarina, despite the things that he knew she
was hiding from him.

“So,
you have decided to take an active role in this matter. Perhaps perform an
investigation of your own?”

“Yes.”

“You
know this will bring danger?”

“I
do. But it doesn't bother me somehow.”

“Nevertheless,
to survive you must always remember who you are and maintain a good balance
between your body, mind and spirit. Meditate whenever and wherever you can. You
must do your best to maintain your connection with spirit and everything around
you. Otherwise you will begin to think only with your logical and emotional
minds, which will limit your abilities. Understand that instinct, not logic
alone, will help you succeed. I cannot stress this too much.”

“So
what you’re saying,” Jack echoed, “is that I can’t allow my rational mind to
run amuck, or I’ll start making the wrong decisions?”

“Exactly.
Your mind should always be a servant, not a master.”

“Got
it.” This was a lot for Jack to absorb at one time, but he knew he should know it
well since he had heard it many times before.

“But
most of all,” Tasagi continued, “remember to draw your energy from the universe
as I have taught you. Do not be seduced by the power you receive from this
woman, for it is a limited power, and there will be a time when she will pull
it away from you. Perhaps it will be in anger, or to protect her feelings. But,
if you have become dependent on her energy, you will lose that which you need
to survive. You must accept, also, that love is something you can only give to
her, not something to seek from her. Love is energy that you give freely,
without expectation. And when it is given this way, the universe fills you with
even more energy.”

Jack
pondered Tasagi’s words in silence.

“Your
skills are exceptional, Jack. Learn to use them wisely in just this way and you
will be very strong, indeed.”

“Yes,
but I don’t have any more time to learn,” Jack responded, half joking.

Tasagi
smiled again. “There is a term that originated from the Christian faiths which
seems to be appropriate here. I believe it is called ‘baptism by fire’. That
appears to be what you are faced with. And I wish you the best of luck.”