Coventina (26 page)

“Tell me, or show me what the fuck you see,” she insisted.

He turned the laptop screen towards her to reveal a balance of $127.65.

“Well, you’re about thirty dollars richer than I am this morning,” she sighed. “Get dressed. We have a few stops to make.”

Aaron returned from his bedroom buttoning his black shirt. “I’m going to have to eat first,” he said.

“How the fuck can you think about food at a time like this?”

“I’m hungry that’s how, and I need some coffee.”

Rosina sped down the cobblestone streets behind the wheel of her Black Fiat 500 before jamming on the brakes in front of a McDonald’s. She liked the Fiat because it was small and fast, and that made it easy to zip in and out of traffic on the tiny Roman streets. She also thought it looked like a bullet coming at you. “There is nowhere to park. Run in and get your shit.”

“McDonald’s Rosina?

“Are you sure you can afford anything else this morning?”

“Do you want anything?”

She gave him an angry sneer. “Just coffee with six sugars. No, make that eight sugars.”

From there, they shot across town towards the home of Pietro Gugino.

“What do you think is going on?” Aaron asked between bites of his second Egg McMuffin.”

“It seems pretty clear someone has hacked our accounts and cleaned us out don’t you think?”

“But who, why? Who would dare fuck with us?”

“If you ask me it is someone we know.”

Gay Paris

“I am going to get started on these packages,” Layla said.

“I’ll be there in a minute to help you,” Denise said.

“Don’t forget the gloves. Make sure you wear them at all times when handling anything going out today,” Aja said.

“What are they up to?”

Aja turned from her table full of computers. “My guess is their next stop will be good old Pietro, simply because he is closest, and Rosina is so very impatient.”

Denise walked over to a table on the other side of the room full of documents. They began organizing them in the way Aja has told them to, so they would have the maximum impact on the viewer when opened.

So far so good,” Denise said after getting the packages together with Layla.

“They have just gotten to Pietro. Looks like someone needed breakfast before meeting this maniac.”

“I’m going to run down and have a shower,” Denise said.

“Me too,” Layla grinned.

“You’ll be fine for about ten minutes?” Denise asked.

Aja simply looked at her and smiled.

When they returned from their shower, Aja updated them.

“They’ve been in there a long time.”

“Will we need to put names on these packages?”

“I have the labels printed. Be sure to wear those gloves if you touch them up until the time they are delivered.”

Denise put on the gloves and labeled the twelve packages sitting on the table. Layla then helped her load them into two large canvas shopping bags.

“They are leaving.”

“How do you do this AC? Do you have your own satellite up there?”

“Haa. No love. It just comes to me. It’s my karma.”

Layla poured each of them another cup of coffee as they went over the events that would make the next 24 hours intense to put it mildly.

When Aja was convinced that they were on their way out of Rome she handed each of them the phones they were to use until it was all over. “They are heading south, and you know what that means. It will take them nearly two hours to get there.”

“So we can leave soon?” Layla asked.

“Anytime you like.”

“Well, not until I’ve finished this fabulous cup of coffee,” Denise grinned.

Wake Up

“I don’t give a fuck if he just got in, or if he’s in the middle of a fucking blow job, WAKE UP,” Rosina screamed, banging on the front door with her fist and kicking it with her feet.

“Rosina, calm down, what the fuck is wrong?” Charles asked, turning to Aaron for an answer.

“It is of the utmost importance Charles. Why do you think I’m here?”

“Oh man, he’s gonna be pissed. Sammy?” he spoke into a radio.

“Yes?”

“Sammy come out here so I can go in and wake him up.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Yeah, come on out here, let me get this over with.”

“Sorry Rosina, but orders are orders,” Sammy said.

She looked up at him and sneered then started pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

Charles returned after a few minutes holding the left side of his face that looked like it was definitely going to bruise. “I need your weapons or you’re not going any further than here.”

Rosina gave him a fiery look that made him even uneasier if that was possible.

“I’m not carrying one, at the moment,” Aaron said, holding his hands up in the air.

Rosina walked back to the car, tossed her weapon on the front seat and locked it. She then allowed herself to be searched.

They were led into the building by Charles who told them to have a seat and wait.

“Sorry about your face,” Rosina said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Charles sat in a chair on the other side of the room, his weapon still in his hand.

Pietro came down the stairs wearing a short dark purple silk robe, slicking his black hair back. He looked around the room and walked up to Rosina. “If you weren’t so valuable to me, I would have told them to just shoot you in that insane head Rosina, what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Can we go somewhere private, somewhere with a computer?” she whispered.

He looked at Aaron to see him nodding in agreement.

“Come with me,” Pietro said.

He led them back to a room he was using as a study and turned on his computer.

“Okay, what is so important?”

Moments later Charles heard Pietro scream and banged on the door. “Are you alright, boss,” he shouted.

Sammy heard his scream outside in front of the house and stepped back inside to see what was happening.

“Is the car gassed up?” Pietro asked Charles walking towards the stairway that would take him back to his bedroom.

“I’ll see to it,” Charles said. He gave Sammy the keys to the Mercedes and told him to make sure the tank was full, start it and keep it running.

Rosina and Aaron walked back door. “We’ll be in the car,” Rosina said.

Charles got the door for her. “Rosina, what is going on?”

“I can’t tell you Charles.”

Before heading out the door, Pietro walked back to the study to turn off his computer. When he brought it out of sleep there was a message on the desktop screen.
BEG FORGIVENESS OF THE WATER GODDESS

Special Delivery

“Ketchup and Mustard,” Layla laughed.

“Oh yeah. You’d never have to worry about getting those stains on these duds that’s for sure,” Denise giggled.

Layla had touched the Mustang down in Rome, changing the appearance to that of a Smart DHL Delivery Car.

“Who is first on the list?” she asked.

“Hmm, let me see. These first two are within blocks of each other,” Denise said, pointing to the map Aja printed out for them. “That would be Antonio Fortunato, then Gregory Babo.”

Layla took the map from Denise and entered the coordinates for each of the four stops they needed to make to deliver the packages Aja had them put together.

“Okay, I am going to be a brunette cause it goes better with these red and yellow uniforms,” Denise said.

“Really? I think I’m going to be a guy, with thick black wavy hair and bulging muscles,” Layla laughed.

“Oh, I feel safer already.”

They changed their appearance and Denise ran up and delivered the first two packages.

“Were they there?” Layla asked.

“One was, the other was on his way in. He hasn’t opened it yet. Coffee first. He’s likes coffee.”

“That’s comforting.”

Layla steered the Mustang across town to the next stop, the offices of Christina Rossellini. “Would you like me to run this one up?”

“You can if you like but it is not necessary.”

“Okay, then I will.”

“Just pull up over there.”

Layla parked the car, took the package Denise handed her and went inside the building to make the delivery.

Only one to go baby, what’s the delay?

I caught her on her way out. She had to unlock her office to put the package inside. We’re coming down.

Denise giggled when she saw Layla open the door for a tall slender woman with shoulder length wavy brown hair. Christina smiled at Denise when she walked past the vehicle.

“Enjoy the beautiful day,” Layla said in Italian before opening the door and getting inside.

“Do you have a date?” Denise grinned.

“Can we be nuns at the next stop?

“I guess we could if you like.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“Well there is a McDonald’s on every other corner. Stop and I will run in for some Mochas.”

Although Layla did not know it, she stopped at the same McDonald’s that Rosina had stopped at earlier that morning. Denise ran in and came back with two Mocha Lattes.

“Mmm, delizioso.”

“I don’t feel like scaling a twenty foot wall so we must head over to via delle Fornaci where we can park and stroll onto the grounds,” Denise said.

“Mmm, okay.”

“Great. It will give us time to finish these delicious lattes.”

Moving through the surprisingly light traffic that eventually led them around Vatican City, Layla turned on to via delle Fornaci where, about two blocks up the street, she saw someone leaving a spot where they parked.

“Angels. Obviously we must be in stealth to get where we need to go having to deal with one layer of security after another, but I think angel garb is in order don’t you think?” Denise said.

“I sure don’t feel like an angel,” Layla laughed. “And what, precisely, does an angel look like?”

“Like this,” Denise said, appearing in a spotless white gown with glowing golden hair. “Now you try.”

“Okay, but I’ve never been kissed by an angel before.”

“Sure you have baby,” Denise smiled before kissing her. When she opened her eyes, Layla looked exactly like she imagined herself to look. “Perfect, let’s go.”

They slipped out of the Mustang and made their way, in stealth, into Vatican City.

“It’s a beautiful morning for a stroll.” Denise said.

“You’ve made me realize I have a ‘thing’ for angels,” Layla smiled.

“Should we get a room in town?”

“Aja would never forgive us.”

They made their way back to the building that housed the offices of the Holy See, slipping through a few checkpoints with ease.

“It reminds me of a large, very expensive, campus,” Denise said.

“It is like a campus, but they don’t have the Shawnee.”

“Ah, the Shawnee,” Denise sighed, longing for some peace and the beauty of the place they called home.

When they finally made it to the office of Monsignor Frank Mazzelli, Denise gently knocked on the door three times.

The Monsignor opened the door and looked around, puzzled that he did not see anyone but a few familiar faces on the other end of the long hall. They came out of stealth catching him completely off guard, draped in flowing white gowns looking identical.

“Wh, where did you come from?” he asked.

The women of Rome need you,
Denise whispered in his mind. Layla handed him the only package they did not wrap in DHL packaging. It was wrapped in a piece of white linen.

“Who are you?”

Help them,
Denise again whispered before they disappeared from view, the thick package Layla handed to him still in his hands.

Okay, it doesn’t look like he’s going to pass out so let’s go.

Where to?
Layla asked as they exited the building.

“Pizza. I think a good pizza before we head back to Paris.”

“Mmm, pizza,” Layla giggled.

Two Moons

Coventina lay with her head on the lap of Quintus, watching Maria and Diana practicing with wooden swords fashioned by Petilius. “We could all make formidable warriors,” she said.

“I believe you could. I’d rather you train to become one, and never find a reason to use what you’ve learned,” Quintus said, gently stroking her hair.

Lucilla, Marcus, Anna and Odumnus had gone shopping to try and find most of the items on a list they created that they wanted to take with them.

“How much is left that we must do?”

“Not much at all.”

“It is very beautiful here. How does this compare to the other world?”

“It is similar, but it has obvious differences that one quickly gets used to.”

“Like what?” Coventina asked, turning to face him.

“Well, the first thing you notice is the light is different. It seems a bit more diffused. The air is thick, and moist. Your first breaths are a bit labored, but quickly become accustomed to it. There are plants that you have never seen here, something very similar to grass. The sky fills with clouds at times. It rains. The night sky is filled with a very different view of the heavens. There are two moons.”

“Two moons? How romantic.”

“Yes, I believe it could be.”

“Why do you think that is? Why is the moon so romantic?”

“It is the witness of all love stories. She is a goddess, forever embraced by her lover, the Sun. When we are separated from those we love, it brings comfort knowing that they are looking at the same moon we look at. It’s energies flow and ebb much like our own.”

“For most, night is the sexy time of day. It lights the night with a seductive ambience. You can feel it even if you are not outdoors. I am at my best, my most productive and creative, during a crescent moon.”

“It is also an all too real concern for warriors. Some leaders only wanted to fight during certain phases of the moon.”

“Strategic or superstitious?”

“Both really, but I would say more for superstitious reasons.”