Coventina (10 page)

“And the lesson is?”

“Never turn your back on an enemy,” Lucius said.

“Good lesson.” She lowered her field. “I think a scar would be a good reminder to carry about this lesson.” She offered her left arm and pointed to where Lucius’ sword would have made contact. “Please.”

Lucius gave her a small wound on her upper arm, and then held his sword to his chest in a salute.

“That really cuts human flesh easily,” she said.

Venutius took the sword from Layla and returned it to its scabbard. “We should have had warrior women in our legions.”

“Some of us anyway,” she laughed.

The door to the room opened and Denise and Quintus entered. “Everything okay?” she asked, seeing the thin trickle of blood running down Layla’s arm.

“Oh yeah. We were just admiring these swords.”

“By using them on each other?” Denise laughed.

“It was a good lesson.”

Quintus took the men aside to fill them in on the plans Denise and Layla had for the evening.

“Where are the other’s?” Layla asked as they walked back to their room.

“On a date.”

“Oh baby.”

“Can’t imagine who is luckier, them or the girls they are with.”

“You have a first aid kit?” Layla asked.

“Thought it was a good idea to pack one ever since oh, Lubbock Texas,” Denise laughed.

“Lubbock.”

She cleaned and dressed Layla’s small wound. “Come on, we need to make our own preparations.”

Lupanar

Rather than search the streets where the risk was too high for the legionnaires getting into a violent confrontation with pimps or police, Denise decided to pay a visit to the brothels on Paulo’s list, reserving the two he placed an X next to for themselves. They equipped each of the men with photos of Coventina, her cousin Anna, and the frontal image of the man who was in the car that called on Raphaela.

“At least two of these brothels are different from the others. In most, you pay and go to the next available room regardless of which girl is in it waiting for you,” Denise said. “In the other two, you can pay a larger sum and be with any of the women as many times as you can last through the night. Quintus, I have reserved those two for you and your partner.” She handed him two envelopes with more cash to cover the cost.

“And the two you will go to?” Quintus asked.

“They may require our special talents,” Denise said.

“We shall each take separate transportation yes?” Lucius asked.

“Yes,” Layla said.

“Now, Lucilla will be staying here, at the hotel. These are not places for a woman like her. If any of you get into trouble and need our help, or if any of you think you have found Coventina or Anna, she has shown you how to use the phones each of you will carry to call her and let her know. It is important that you not involve the police whatever you do.”

They all made their way down the elevator and out the hotel doors to the street where a seemingly never-ending flow of taxis passed by. Denise and Layla made certain the driver of each taxi was clear on the destination of their two male passengers. “Good luck Quintus,” Layla said.

“Thank you.”

“Well, what’s it gonna be, Dick and Harry or something else?” Layla said.

“Let’s appear to be a couple of big bad motherfuckers they will think twice about messing with,” Denise laughed. “You first.”

As they walked down the street, Layla activated her medallion and suddenly Denise was next to a seventy-six inch hunk with blonde hair. “Too much?” she asked.

“Oh my, that body and that voice. You’ll need to adjust that but you look good Harry.”

Denise changed to a male her height with longer black hair. “Okay?”

“Good choice Dick. Let’s get a taxi.”

Quintus and Lucius were the first to arrive at their initial destination. Two large men stopped them at the door. Lucilla had taught them all a few phrases in Italian that should allow them entry. Quintus held up hundred dollar bills and asked how much it would cost for the works, the words of Lucilla telling them all to smile when speaking to any men.

“That is a bargain at $2000.00,” the shorter man said.

“For both?” Lucius asked.

“Each. $4000.00 for both, again, a real bargain.”

Quintus handed him an envelope full of hundred dollar bills and asked him to count it out.

“Look, you still have money for a taxi left,” the man said, handing the envelope back to Quintus with two bills in it.

They were led through the door. The first room behind it was dimly lit. All of the walls were painted red. The only bright light was at a small desk between both doors. Four men sat in chairs along the right wall. One of them led Quintus and Lucius through another doorway and up some stairs to a long hallway. “If you see that light on, someone is already in there,” the man said. “Since you paid for the works, as long as the light is off you can go into any of the rooms until you leave.”

“Thank you,” Lucius said. He knew Quintus very well, and could see the anger building up in him at the thought of someone he loves in the hands of these men.

They opened the first door to find a stranger inside, smiled and closed the door. “We cannot waste time if she is not here,” Quintus said.

“What about the lights that are on and what they said?” Lucius asked.

“We’ll do them last.”

They went through the rooms together only to find them occupied by women they did not know.

“Are you ready?” Quintus asked.

“Yes.”

In the first few rooms they looked in on, it was easy to see the woman in the room, the men being so preoccupied they did not even know someone was in the room with them. In the next room, an obese man seemed to be smothering the woman he was on top of. Quintus walked right up to him as Lucius pulled his head back to see the face of the woman. “You must wait until I am finished,” the man grunted. They simply walked out of the room.

Upon entering the next room a man was getting dressed and threw a punch at Quintus. It did not make contact as Lucius slammed him into the wall. The naked girl still lying on the bed laughed when he did. “She is just a child,” Lucius said.

“Come, let’s finish this,” Quintus said.

They went through the remaining rooms quickly. Coming out of the last one where the man inside was still screaming obscenities at them, Lucius ran into a large muscle bound man. “What in the fuck do you think you are up to, can’t you see the lights are on in this room?”

“Apologies,” Quintus said.

“Actually, we were just leaving,” Lucius said.

“No refunds.”

They simply turned and walked out the doors leading back out to the front of the building.

“Is there a problem?” one of the men outside asked.

“The women were not to our liking,” Lucius said before walking out to the street and hailing a taxi.

At another brothel, Marcus and Petilius had gotten to the point of forcing two of the rather large overseer males at sword point to allow them to see the women in every room. Neither Coventina nor Anna was to be found in any of them. Petilius tied the two men up in one of the women’s rooms before leaving. “Swords. They both had fucking swords. They were looking for someone, it was obvious, even though they did not say so,” one of the guards said when the others found them.

“You are a giant idiot. You have a mouth don’t you?” one of the other men said.

“You try shouting out when a sword in the hands of two men who looked like they were dying for any excuse to use them is sticking you in the back.”

“Fucking idiots.”

“I think it’s a good idea we decided to wait before going in,” Layla said.

“Yes, well we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Denise said.

“No luck at the brothel Marcus went to?”

“No. None at the first Quintus went to either.”

“Let’s wait. We have plenty of time left.”

“Agreed,” Denise said, sitting down on a stairway a block away from their first brothel visit.

“It is her,” Odumnus said.

“Are you certain,” Venutius asked. They had only been allowed a brief glance into a room that another customer walked into when they were walking down the hall in their brothel.

“Only one way to find out,” Odumnus grinned.

“I will take care of tiny,” Venutius said, walking towards a large male guard at the end of the hall as if to ask a question. In the blink of an eye his sword was out. He forced the guard into the back room where a woman was tied to the bed, knocking him out with the handle of the sword. The woman laughed before spitting towards the unconscious guard. “Come ti chiama,” he asked.

“Mi chimama Diana.”

“You are so beautiful,” he said in Latin. He cut her bonds and told her to stand up, cover herself in a sheet and wait by the door. She did not hesitate to do what he asked, even though she did not understand all the words.

Odumnus had his sword resting gently against the neck of the man who had just entered the room before him. “Anna. You are Anna?” he asked.

“Yes. Si. I am Anna,” she answered, tears streaming down her cheek.

“Is Coventina here?” he asked in Latin, using body language to help her understand.

“No. She is not here,” she cried.

“Come with me,” Venutius said, taking Diana by the hand and telling her to wait in the room with Anna.

“We will clear the way. Wait here until we come for you,” Odumnus said.

“Please do not leave us,” Anna said.

“We will not leave without you,” Venutius said.

A few moments after they left and walked back out into the outer room, the two women heard a scuffle and a gunshot. After what seemed like an eternity the door opened to reveal Odumnus. “Come with me quickly.”

“You are hurt,” Anna said.

“It is just a scratch, please, hurry.”

In the outer room lay four bloody dead men. “Try not to soil your feet with their blood,” Venutius smiled, reaching for Diana’s hand.

Once outside the building the two legionnaires and the two women quickly got into a waiting taxi and sped away.

“Denise, I have good news and some disturbing news,” Lucilla said.

“Lay it on us.”

“Venutius and Odumnus have found Anna.”

“That is fabulous. Coventina?”

“Anna said she was never brought there with her. They were separated shortly after being taken.”

“Ok, so is that the disturbing news?” Denise sighed.

“They left a bloody mess of dead bodies. It was necessary to free her and another.”

Layla looked at Denise and smiled. “I don’t find that news disturbing at all, do you?”

“Not really.”

“Denise.”

“Yes Lucilla.”

“I just heard from Quintus. They have had no luck at the second brothel.”

“Thank you Lucilla. Just get them all back to the hotel and do not call police. Don’t call anyone until we get there.”

“Okay Denise.”

“Honey, we don’t have time to play games. All of these fuckers are going to be on the alert for men wielding swords coming in through their door,” Layla said.

“I know Supergirl. You’re on.”

“Showtime.”

Lenonibus

The two men standing guard in front were unconscious before the door opened, Denise and Layla entering in stealth mode. The curious attendant inside stood up to walk towards the door to see why it opened yet no one entered. He did not make it halfway before he too was on the floor unconscious.

The two male attendants upstairs were at the end of the hall laughing about something.
Start freeing them Supergirl. I have a few questions for these two.
Denise said. They were unaware she was standing next to them as she planted the image in their minds of the man who was photographed trying to get to Raphaela.
Who is this man?
she asked. The two men looked at each other appearing somewhat confused.
By all means, discuss it amongst yourselves.

“Boss right. That’s boss,” they agreed.

Who is boss?

“Boss is boss right? Yeah, he’s the boss,” the two men answered together.

Baby, some of these girls are not conscious,
Layla said.

Lucilla.

Denise?

Yes. Wait ten minutes and place an emergency call for a few ambulances to come to this address,
Denise said.

Are you okay?

Yes, it is not for us.

One of these women is dead.

Lucilla is sending ambulances here in ten minutes.

More than enough time.

Just ignore those doors opening and the noises you hear,
Denise said.
Where is boss?

“Nobody knows where boss is,” the two men answered together again.

“Unless he shows up here, and that is usually not a pleasant visit.”

Have you seen this woman?
Denise asked, planting the image of Coventina in their minds.

“Ah, English,” one of the men answered.

“Where?” the other asked.

“She was in the limo with boss yesterday, her and a tall fine American bitch.”

Why would they be in the limo? Where were they being taken?
Denise asked, her blood reaching a boiling point.

“Not to this shit hole.”

“No, if you are dressed like they were and in the limo, boss has big bucks planned for you.”

What does that mean?

“It means they are probably being delivered to high priced customers.”

“Or it means she is being sold. Either way it is big bucks for the boss.”

Denise rendered them unconscious and went to help Layla.

“Please wait right here,” Layla said to the bruised and drugged women now standing in the hall.

“I’ll watch them,” Denise said.

Layla then went into the room where the dead woman was and brought her out first, laying her on the floor in front on the others. She then brought the unconscious women out one at a time and laid them next to the dead body. “I will follow you out,” she said.

“We must hurry, I hear sirens,” Denise said. She led the women who could walk out the door and down the stairs before exiting the building. Layla was right behind her, the women who she had laid on the floor coming to rest on the grass outside the building.