Too soon to Say Goodbye
Part 5
Two bodies shared a plastic tarp on a concrete patio, one dead and the other getting closer with each ing second. Sitting on his picnic table, Lee pulled a Marlboro red from behind his ear. He ran it under his nose, reveling in the faint hints of watermelon and bubblegum, the smell of a capricious teenage girl.
“You killed my goddamned dog, fucker!”
He tapped the filter against his thumbnail, packing the tobacco for a cooler smoke.
“You killed my partner. Why? How did killing a dedicated agent figure into kidnapping an innocent woman?”
The cigarette felt right tucked between his index and middle fingers, a space unfilled for five years. Whether he stroked his chin or held his forehead, it stayed in place, ready to sacrifice itself.
“They say smoking is bad for you. Do you want to know what else is bad for you? Fucking with me, shithead.”
Lee pulled out a brass cigarette lighter he rescued from the kitchen junk drawer. In one practiced move, he popped the lid open with his thumb, bringing it down against the striker wheel, and igniting the fragrant flame. Lighting his smoke, he hit it hard, and the cherry glowed like the light in a demon’s eye.
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” he said, with a cloud of smoke, a roaring laugh, and the satisfying click of closing the classic American lighter. “As much as I would truly love to watch you suffer to death, I’ve got better things to do with my time.”
Dialing his phone, he said, “Hey! There’s no law that says I have to render aid, and I’m not calling a fucking ambulance. I’ve called you. If you want to save this monster, you can call the ambulance. I’m going to zip Cannon up in a body-bag while he’s still breathing.”
“He wasn’t always a monster,” said Jennifer from the doorway, her blonde hair appearing white in the yellow hues of the outside light.
“He killed my partner, and he tried to kill me. As far as I can tell, he’s murdered Domingo. He’s been in my house for less than a goddamned hour and already molested my wife and killed my dog. So yeah, he’s a monster. A man doesn’t become that evil. He’s born that way.”
“You and your partner enforced the law by being outlaws. How many have you killed? How many did your partner kill? Who’s saying daddy didn’t shoot your dog in self-defense? The drug lord ruined how many lives? You and your mother live in sin while you run around the world fucking every woman that you find,” yelled Jennifer, breaking down into tears.
“Tell that to Max, ’cause I ain’t buying it.”
“I am sorry Max. I’m sorry that the men in my life are all monsters. You were trying to be a good boy, just like I tried to be a good girl,” she said between sobs.
Lee watched her go to her knees. Unlike Jack Cannon, he didn’t enjoy watching women cry. But the question he asked himself was this just another show?
“What do you want, Jennifer?”
“I want you. You have filled my womb with life, a life I want to share with you and your mom, wife, whatever. I’m sorry I used you. You don’t know how terrible I felt with you taking care of me while I had a knife in your back. You don’t understand, whatever daddy tells me to do, I have to do.”
“Did you lie about Morgan le Fay?”
“No, she’s the only thing that I had left, and now she’s gone, too.”
“Well, an ambulance is coming. The department takes care of its own even when they’ve gone bad.”
“What’s happening?” said Tristen, his face pressed against the screen in the door.
“I’m putting my dog in a garbage bag so I can bury him. What’s going on in there?”
“Nothing, they’re all three just hugging, kissing and crying. Not exactly the hotbed of adult entertainment.”
“What are you only here to get laid?” said Jennifer, still sniffling.
“Well, yeah?”
“I don’t think anyone’s doing anything anytime soon,” said Lee, noting the ambulance and three black SUVs that pulled up to the house.
“Is this our young pilot?” said a bald man with a grey beard.
“Director Rigby, this is a surprise. The head of the OSS himself here on a stakeout, no less. Or were you just stalking my wife?”
“I drove down here off the clock to tell Barbie in person that you were missing. Then I got a call from New Orleans, FFA about Mrs. Matthews, who claimed an American Samurai hijacked a plane and kidnapped her son. Not knowing what was going on, we held off.”
“Samurai? Really, I’ll have to send her some flowers. Director Rigby, this is Tristen Matthews, the pilot responsible for saving my wife. You might give him a card. He’s not afraid of a challenge. So you held off, or ‘we’ held off when Jack came to visit?”
“Look, you and Jessup didn’t check in. CIA told me you killed your partner and resurfaced in New Orleans, where you attacked an Assistant Director. So yeah, there was a WE. Tristen, have you called your folks?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good lad.”
“And when someone fired a shot inside the house… you held off?”
“We didn’t bring surveillance gear.”
A brainy looking redhead approached, taking readings with one device while tapping on her phone.
“I see you brought the CIA, but no surveillance gear.”
“I didn’t realize you knew Chief Mackenzie,” said Rigby.
“Were you really going to let a CIA agent die on your patio?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am. If Jack Cannon was burning, I wouldn’t piss on him to put him out.”
“Can I quote you? I’m going to have a massive stack of paperwork to fill out as it is. And just so you know, you didn’t make any friends knocking out Assistant Director Goodwell.”
“Fuck him! He had me framed so his boy Cannon could move to South America and take over where Domingo left off.”
“You interfered in a vital mission to stem the flow of narcotics into the US.”
“Bullshit. Goodwell was dirty, and so was Cannon! I went to an airbase so a clean-up crew could wipe a modulator to keep an asset from terminating.”
“Where’s the modulator? I can get it wiped.”
“Right there,” said Lee, pointing at Jennifer.
“Yep, there you are, and it’s not even one of ours,” she said, pointing the device toward Jennifer.
“Chinese?” asked Rigby.
“Oh no, much older than that, they were still using silver solder for electrodes and radioactive batteries in these puppies.”
“Radioactive?”
“Yeah, but it’s very minute. Andropov’s research concluded only a five percent increase in cancer risk in test subjects.”
“Pull it out!” said Jennifer.
“It’s not in your nose. It’s in your skull, right here,” she said, rubbing the scar at the base of Jennifer’s head behind her right ear. “By now, the spikes from the electrodes have grown deep into your brain. The risks from removing the device are far greater than leaving it in.”
Chief Mackenzie flipped a switch on her device, and Jennifer went into a deep, trancelike state.
“Oh, this is tragic. It’s a note from Jack explaining why he spared her when he killed off the rest of his cult . It’s mostly psychopathic ramblings mixed with odd religious references,” she said, reading the texts left on Jennifer’s modulator.
“Can you tell me what her trigger phrases are?” asked Lee.
“Nope, the file’s corrupted. We could wipe it and give her new ones, but we’d lose the confession.”
“Wipe it. It’s not like you guys are going to do anything about it. You watched a rogue agent violate my wife and kill my dog. You only came out of the woodwork when I said he was about to die, and I wouldn’t save him.”
No one said anything. Chief Mackenzie sprayed Tristen with a knockout drug without looking.
“What? But…no but, but,” he said as he faded, lying down beside Jennifer.
“He’s cute. Can I keep him?”
“He can fly you to New Orleans. It’ll give you a chance to get to know him and check on Goodwell,” said Director Rigby.
“Works for me,” she said, inserting the modulator up Tristen’s nose. “What are we going to do with your guy? He went off the radar for 48 hours and damned near killed an Assistant Director.”
“Boss, I went off radar because I thought Cannon believed I was dead, and I didn’t want to give up my only advantage. I had to get here before him to keep him from taking Barbie.”
“You’re saying all of this is over, Barbie?” said Director Rigby in disbelief.
“Isn’t it always? Look at you, driving off the clock, all the way to southern Florida from Annapolis to tell my wife that I was missing. Oops, what? Let me say that another way. I’m sorry you didn’t get to fuck my wife.”
“Cut the shit. You may not have a job after this.”
“Please, take it. Give it to some other suicide jockey. My partner is at the bottom of Broken Plate Lake, thanks to Jack Cannon, and I’ll take the fucking lie detector test on that!”
“Do you mean that?” said Chief Mackenzie.
“Here’s my company phone with photos and a journal. It also has a recording of Jack bragging about Jennifer taking me on a wild goose chase while I was trying to save my wife. There’s a gap. Since it was at the bottom of the lake, I haven’t been able to turn it on until tonight.”
“I’ll take care of this, and you can take care of him,” said Director Rigby, snatching the phone and walking away fast.
“How’d you like to work for the other side?” said Chief Mackenzie.
“Say that again?”
“Cannon has worked for El Domingo for years. I don’t know why he killed Domingo and attempted to take over, but you’re right, obviously your wife figured into those plans. I’ve been on the phone with Goodwell for the past hour. We think you’re in the perfect position to become a drug lord. We want to send you to South America to take El Domingo’s place.”
“You want me to be what I’ve been working against for fifteen years?”
“Don’t be idealistic. The drugs and the gangs aren’t going away. If we have someone on the inside calling the shots, we’ll be able to reduce the amount of product coming into the country. But that would take some kind of American Samurai, don’t you think?”
“I don’t see how I’m going to walk in and take over.”
“I understand you and your partner were embedded in a motorcycle gang called the Shades of Hades. El Domingo wanted to by the middlemen and directly with the Shades. We sent Cannon into the field with you to broker a deal. Domingo came to the states with his wife and daughter to complete it. His betrayal has devastated Domingo’s family. They want revenge and a Shades Lieutenant killing Cannon will work.”
“I don’t know how to run a drug empire.”
“True, but Juanita does, and you just avenged her husband and saved her daughter. Plus, there are two operatives already down there. You’ll have to bribe them. It’s how they get paid. I wouldn’t offer anything less than five million a year. , they’re keeping you alive, and it’s not like the CIA can write them a check. You’ll also have to bribe Goodwell. He’s always demanded ten million a year, but from you he’s willing to take twenty. Don’t cross him, Lee, whatever your first impression, in his eyes you were the one in the wrong.”
“I thought Goodwell was out of the picture. And what if I say no?”
“You’re not getting rid of that old bastard, but if you tell him no, he’ll send you to prison for killing Jack Cannon.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“And you didn’t kill Jessup either, but we’ve got a hole in a program a decade in the making. A hole you made. If you don’t fill it, we’ll find someone and you’ll never see the light of day again. Think about it this way. Barbie gets to move to Montevideo, and it’ll remind her of Italy. She’ll live in El Domingo’s home, a vast multimillion dollar estate in a country where the per capita income is less than a thousand dollars a month.”
“I want Jennifer’s modulator fixed. I’m taking her too, and her VW.”
“Done, but you’re going to divorce your mother and marry Juanita. It’s a family business.”
“Bullshit, I’ll marry Becky without getting a divorce, and I want some seed money, say 50 million since I’m giving 20 back to Goodwell.”
“You’re going to do fine as a drug lord,” said Mackenzie.
“Chief, I could use a fearless pilot. Can you run a suitability test on him?”
“I’m already ahead of you. Welcome to the next level, player.”
“How many levels are there?”
“I’m not at liberty to say, but I’m Jessup’s replacement.”
“How can you be my partner? You’re a chief.”
“Were you asleep? You just got promoted with a 50 million dollar bonus, but you’re going to wear one of these.”
“A modulator?”
“No. This is a cerebral communication device better known as a dog-tag. Lucky you, these new models don’t grow in, and training occurs during REM state. You will begin having dreams about how to use your dog-tag. REM state training has cut rejection by half. Once you’re up and running, I’ll be on the other end, and we can have dream sex.”
“What in the hell is dreams sex?”
“It’s a lot of fun, and it doesn’t even have to be the same dream. You can dream you’re butt fucking a rhinoceros, and I’ll be dreaming of George Clooney taking me in a goose down bed covered in the finest silk sheets.”
“Hey, why did I get a rhino and you got George Clooney?”
“Do you want to butt fuck George Clooney? Go ahead, it’s your dream. The point is, we are connected. You can reach out to me with your dog-tag even when I’m asleep. You just have to be within range of any Wi-Fi source.”
“So you can perv on me when I’m doing it with my wife?”
“Yeppers, and you can perv on me when I’m sucking off Goodwell.”
“Gross!”
“Exactly, so don’t worry. I’m more than happy to give you your private time. What do you say? I will not give you a dog-tag without your permission.”
“I never asked my assets for permission.”
“They are assets, but we are partners, Chief Tompkins,” she said, slipping the injector up Lee’s nose.
“OW! Fuck that hurts!”
“Sorry, Goodwell insisted no anesthetic. By the way, he… re-evaluated his approach during your first meeting, and he’s glad you didn’t kill him. I think you two will get along.”
Lee calmed his mind and envisioned a wooden door closing with a sock tied around the doorknob. A few moments later he got the distinct mental image of a smiley face emoji turning into an impressive yellow cock. Ashley’s good at mental projection, and her descriptions of dream sex paled compared to the flights of fancy they enjoyed in their slumbers.
Lee walked out onto the vast balcony, connecting all the rooms on the third floor of the immense villa. He placed his hand on the thick concrete barrier as he looked out over the ocean from the home’s perch among the cliffs. His knowledge and skills impressed the armed guards standing duty on the compound’s fortified walls. From a distance, they acknowledged his presence with a raised hand of fidelity. He nodded in approval before returning inside.
His soft leather shoes made no noise on the polished surface on his approach. Reaching out to touch the heavy mahogany door, his tattooed hand ed its hard, warm surface, becoming a mere decoration as he paused in second thought. The weight of his balls and the heft of his thick cock urged him forward. Without permission or announcement, he entered… her room.
There she awaited his arrival. She’d always waited on him even while knowing a world of men would die at her door for the mere opportunity of her company. She belongs to him, and him alone, a privilege that he so painfully disregards. Like her, he too could have his choice of lovers, and what few that would deny him could not do so long.
As quickly as her heart fluttered in joy, she felt the pang that soon, too soon, it would be over. She locked her eyes on him, trying to read his motivation. Did he desire submission? Did he long for a soul mate to connect with? She kept her body always at the ready. Making a ritual several times a day to prepare for his touch left her skin flawless, supple, and fragrant. Her make-up, though sparse, gave her a natural glow in the warm lighting of her bedroom.
If only he claimed this room to be his. She would dance through each day knowing that he would spend all his time with her. Sometimes, she thinks he’d rather fight than fuck.
God, please let him take his anger out on my sex. Let him empty himself inside me. There can be only one rightful owner of his essence, and it belongs to me, she thought.
He placed his rough hand against her smooth temple, holding her steady while pulling her in for a ionate kiss. She whimpered into his mouth as he slipped his wet tongue inside. Bringing his right hand up to her motherly belly, he felt it jump at his touch, raising gooseflesh across her body. In an act of faith, she pulled back the lapels of her top, exposing her prodigious breasts. Still tasting the inside of her mouth, he moved his hand to her soft oblong flesh, gathering her nipple inside his grasp.
By now, her sex vibrated in excitement, causing her to thrust her hips toward him. She bared her neck to his advances. With her pulse thumping hard in her veins, striking a rhythm as her breath trembled in silence. Closing her eyes in solace, she willed her body to accept his dominion as he stripped her body.
In that apprehensive moment, she wrapped her arms around him only to be rebuffed, and pushed down on her bed. Her reflex to scamper away allowed him to grab her ankles in a terrifying show of strength. He manhandled her body, lining it up with his as she flailed against the bedding, failing to find purchase.
Her naked sex slammed hard against his hairy right thigh. She yipped when his erection smacked her bush. In one move, he went inside her, sliding his full length past her slippery entrance.
How could this be? In less than two minutes, he had stripped and impaled her upon his mighty erection, making a hearty froth of her sex juices.
“I want you,” he said, stunning her with his directness.
“Of course, Lee, I will always be yours.”
Without so much as a smile, he said, “This is the Sluticus Charm, bitch! Anything I write on you is who you are and what you’ll do.”
It had been over a decade, but her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
“I’m writing incestuous slut mother on your forehead. I want you to think of me as your son and become so horny that you violate that sacred trust to feed your needs. Your guilt demands that you give in to temptation and it you are my lover,” he said, taking permanent marker to her creamy skin.
He felt her shiver, shudder, and shake beneath him. He’d destroyed any hopes that she’d be able to salvage her self-image. As her perfect pussy gripped his manhood, he said, “Fuck me, mommy.”
No sooner than the words left his mouth than she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him against her wet sex again, and again.
“Oh, yes, baby, you make mommy so proud. Use me, baby. Be you mommy’s big man and fill my cunt with your seed.”
“Beg.”
“Please, your mommy will do anything. Please, use me, abuse me, and keep fucking me forever, baby.”
Lee pushed in as deep as he could go and came filling Barbie with thick, sticky ropes of jism. He finally made it home.