Trained To Kill (24 page)

They stood across the street, hidden
in some bushes and trees of a small park. She was scanning the
building with extra-sensory heat signature goggles to count bodies.
She didn‘t know if they were sophisticated enough to have a cold
room. When she asked Coltello what he thought he just shook his
head. Ok, so not a big talker. She had the distinct feeling he was
studying her more than the building.

“
What?” she asked
him.

“
I’m a big fan of your
work,” Coltello said quietly.

“
Work?”

“
Those men you killed. It
was artful.”

“
You’re the one that’s
been tracking me all these years for Rafael.”

He nodded.

She didn’t like to think about how she
had killed them. She didn’t regret doing it, but killing was never
something in which she took pleasure. She had lost her mind a
little bit with those two. She had still been in deep mourning over
Anna at the time. Her first kill had been in training when she 16.
She could still feel the snap of their neck between her legs, and
she remembered every detail of killing Riley and Rosenthal. The
fact that Coltello admired it made her skin crawl. She didn’t ask
him anymore questions. She really didn’t want to know anymore about
him than she needed to.

“
Three upstairs, looks
like a threesome in the bedroom. Two downstairs, I’m guessing
bodyguards in the kitchen. Don’t kill any innocents, only those
with guns and only if it’s necessary, and leave Carmine alive. I
want to talk to him.” The Ghost nodded again. Shit, she should have
done Recon before calling Rafael; she could have handled this on
her own. She had been too pissed though.

She had been cloning his security
system while they waited. It was a good system so it took some
time, but she finally got in. Isa scanned the security again,
taking it out of commission with a few clicks on her Remote
Computer. Tucking it back in her pocket, she closed up her Velcro
snaps and took out her gun clicking off the safety, holding it down
beside her leg she said, “Let’s go.”

They crossed the street sticking to
the shadows. The best point of entry was the back door. The men in
the kitchen wouldn’t see them until it was too late. She picked the
lock and they were in. Sliding along the halls while listening, she
admired some of the décor. There were antiques and art on the
walls. The rugs and furniture were in creams and
burgundy.

She held her gun with silencer pointed
up and stopped at the corner of the hall leading to the kitchen.
Listening for their positions, she determined they were fixing
something to eat and knew their guns were most likely tucked away.
She had tranqs in her gun, Coltello had bullets. She rounded the
corner like a ghost herself and put two in the bodyguards before
they could drop their sandwiches. They struggled for a minute, but
she and Coltello caught them and eased them down on the floors, and
they passed out. She made sure they were out for the count and they
continued silently up the stairs.

They heard laughter and squeals coming
from the master bedroom. The bed springs squeaked. She shut out the
disgust she felt for having to walk in on them. She and Coltello
parted at the door frame like they had been working together for
years. Isa counted off three on her fingers, and Coltello eased the
door open. Isa, peeked around the corner, none of them had noticed.
She put one tranq in the woman, the other in the second man in the
group and they passed out before they saw either Isa or Coltello
enter the room. Carmine yelled for his guards while scooting up the
bed trying to hide under the covers.

“
They can’t come to the
rescue right now Carmine.”

Coltello put a bullet between his
eyes. Isa stood frozen, shocked at what he had just
done.

“
What the hell was that? I
told you I wanted to talk to him.”

“
There was nothing to say.
He’s better off dead. Rafael can’t afford to have him walking
around after what he did to him anyway. It’s bad for his
reputation.”

Coltello left the room and went back
downstairs. He put a bullet in each bodyguard while Isa stood
looking at Carmine’s dead body. She turned around and left, they
exited the way they had come just as silently, and once out of
camera range Isa unjammed the security system. They were gone. The
whole thing had taken less than an hour. They parted ways a few
blocks down without speaking.

Isa drove away calmly but inside she
thought, Alex is not going to like this one bit.

Chapter 30

She was still struggling with what to
tell him when she got home and saw him fast asleep on her couch.
She really didn’t want to tell him about tonight, which meant she
really probably should. Isa got a few hours sleep. She felt nothing
for Carmine; Coltello had been right about one thing, he needed to
die.

In the morning, she got up to start
fixing breakfast. Well at least Renée can come back now.

The doorbell rang. Isa knew who it
was. She led Rafael into the kitchen without speaking. She needed
coffee.

“
Bella, how are
you?”

“
Wonderful,” Isa answered
sarcastically.

Rafael sighed, “I know you must be
upset about last night, but really it was for the best.”

“
For you.”

“
For you as
well.”

“
You knew he was going to
kill him didn’t you?” She slammed down her spatula. “You told him
to.”

“
Kill who?” Alex asked
from the doorway, his wrapped wrist bright against his
jeans.

Isa hesitated but then said, “Carmine
is dead.”

Alex simply nodded and went to get a
cup of coffee.

“
Who killed
him?”

“
Coltello, but I was
there.”

Rafael stood still. Alex was a cop. He
could, probably should, arrest all of them right then but he just
sipped his coffee gazing at Isa over his cup. “Rafael, wait in the
living room.”

Rafael bristled at being ordered
around, he definitely wasn’t used to that kind of treatment, but he
wasn’t an idiot. He left with a seething look at Alex.

Isa was scared to look at Alex, so she
continued to cook the eggs. She felt him come near and he wrapped
his arms around her and she leaned back into him. “You went over
there last night to beat him senseless for sending that Jogger
after me didn’t you?”

“
Yes.”

“
And Rafael and Coltello
used you for their own plans to kill Carmine for hurting Rafael
didn’t they?”

“
Yes.”

She turned off the stove and removed
the eggs. Turning in his arms, she held on tight. “I’m
sorry.”

“
I understand.”

She looked into his eyes, “You
do?”

“
Yes I do. I would have
done the exact same thing if it were you lying up
there.”

“
You wouldn’t have killed
anyone.”

“
No. But you didn’t kill
anyone either Isa.”

Isa let him go and stepped
back.

“
What do you want to
do?”

“
I don’t want to get you
into trouble so I won’t volunteer anything, but if they come asking
I won’t lie.”

“
Fair enough. I won’t lie
either.”

“
Rafael is on his
own.”

“
Agreed.”

They walked out to where Rafael was
waiting. Isa spoke for both of them, “We’ll forget it happened, but
if the cops come asking questions we won’t lie.”

“
Alright, but I can assure
you they won’t come asking.”

“
Good.” She took a deep
breath and walked up to him staring into his face from less than a
foot away. “This is over Rafael. I don’t want to see you
again.”

He looked away from the harshness in
her eyes. “Bella…”

“
No,” she interrupted. “I
don’t want to fight with you or look over my shoulder for you and
Coltello for the rest of my life, and I don’t think either of you
wants to do the same with me. This is pointless and it has to
stop.”

He stared into her eyes and she could
see the determination there. “Very well,” he straightened his
shoulders and a look of resignation came over his face. “Until next
time bella.”

“
Good bye Rafael.” She
didn’t believe he would leave her alone for one minute, but she had
to try.

Alex turned to her, “I didn’t want to
start a fight with him here, and what I said was true, I do
understand why you went, but why did you have to involve
them?”

“
I was reacting and I
wanted to put an end to this,” she said calmly.

“
Reacting I understand,
but why did you involve them?” he gestured to the closed
door.

“
I thought I would need
back-up. I was wrong.” Isa sighed and went to sit down. “Alex, I’m
sorry. Apparently I don’t think very clearly when someone I care
about has been attacked.”

He remained standing studying her.
Then he too sighed and joined her on the sofa. “I wasn’t lying
before; I do understand why you did it, but it was a reckless thing
to do.”

“
I know.” Isa was aware of
how badly the night had gone. “I swear to God I didn’t know he was
going to kill anyone unless they started shooting first. I had
tranqed the bodyguards and the civilians. There was no need.
Coltello killed Carmine because of what he did to Rafael, and he
used me to gain entrance.”

Alex leaned his head back on the sofa,
“Shit. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want you to be involved,
but I can’t know about this and not do something. I am a
cop.”

“
I know. That’s why I took
tranqs.”

He slanted his eyes in her direction
with his head still back. Sighing again he said, “If we go and talk
to Homicide and name Coltello he’ll just point the finger at you. I
don’t think his loyalty for Rafael will go that far.”

“
I don’t
either.”

“
But if we say nothing and
Homicide does come asking questions we could be charged as
accessories for not reporting it.”

“
Rafael said they wouldn’t
come asking, which means he’s going to call his higher up friends
and probably toss them a scapegoat.”

“
Goddammit.” Alex thought
for a few minutes, “Ok what if we call Captain Williams,” he held
up his hand to forestall her interruption. “Hear me out. We call
Williams tell him what happened. We can make it look like it was an
undercover-op with you as a civilian helping out and that you
didn’t know he was going to kill anyone, which you
didn’t.”

“
Alex do you really want
to start a feud with DeCarlo?”

“
Well what the hell are we
supposed to do?” Alex got up and started pacing. “Sit around and
hope that Homicide doesn’t show up and watch an innocent man get
set-up?”

“
It probably won’t be an
innocent man.”

“
Whatever, you know what I
mean. I don’t want you to get into trouble, but I don’t think I can
sit back and watch.”

Isa nodded, “Ok Alex, we can talk to
Williams if that’s what you really want.”

“
What do you want
Isa?”

“
I want you to have a
clear conscience, and I don’t want you to compromise your ethics
because of me.”

Alex studied Isa’s face for any trace
of hesitance, and seeing none he said, “I’ll call
Williams.”

……
.…

It was Saturday. Williams came over in
jeans and a ball cap. His eyes were all cop, flat and hidden,
giving nothing away.

“
Jax, Isa.”

“
Hey Cap.”

Isa brought coffee as they sat at the
kitchen table. “Good morning.”

“
Well what’s going on?
What’s the emergency?”

Alex and Isa exchanged a glance, and
Isa launched into the tale. Williams interrupted frequently with
gruff questions, mainly about how Isa was a trained assassin, so
she backtracked giving a brief history of her life at La Beau
Chateau.

“
So, I had no idea
Coltello was going to kill unarmed people,” she
finished.

“
What were you planning to
do to Carmine if Coltello hadn’t killed him?” Williams had a look
on his face that was part way between fascinated and pissed
off.

“
I was going to warn him
off, maybe kick a few knee caps inward. But I wasn’t going to kill
him.”

Williams heaved a huge frustrated sigh
and got up to pour himself some more coffee. “So, you don’t know
what Rafael is planning to do with the bodies or the police if they
come by?”

“
Not
specifically.”

Williams looked a question at her and
she shrugged saying, “If it was me I would clean the house, and
plant evidence on someone else, preferably someone that had a
history with the gang and a rap sheet just in case the bodies were
discovered.”

Williams looked at Alex like he
couldn’t believe the shit that was coming out of Isa’s mouth. She
had the grace to look embarrassed.