After staying in Italy for another week we decide to head back home. I take Sophie back to my apartment in Memphis so she can see my life. When we reach the Italian airport I called Beth and told her to have someone pick me and a guest up at the airport tomorrow morning around ten. She says she will and I hang up. Sophie and I head to our flight and we wait for takeoff.
Our flight allowed me to sleep for a while and dream about something that happened a few years ago, one of the things I would never tell Sophie. It's a memory that I like to call a dream. The pictures flash through my head and tell me the story all over again.
I was in Belgrade, Serbia one year for a Zanzibar marketplace with my black market contact Ricardo. He was suave and cocky while I was dressed for a black and white ball. My long black dress fell to the floor and had a slit up to my middle thigh so I could move easily and if necessary reach the knife I had strapped onto my garter. The sweetheart neckline made me feel all feminine and fancy while the jewels I was wearing made me seem regal. I had just gotten back from placing my bid for the beautiful van Gogh painting, Starry Night, and wanted a drink.
I walked into the bar nearest me and saw a man that I had seen walking around the city. He was a well built and muscular fellow who seemed a little more than what he portrayed to the world. His brown hair highlighted with blonde fell almost to his shoulders and the wire-rimmed glasses he wore on his face seemed quite out of place on him. I couldn't help but smile and feel like having fun. I flipped my straight black hair behind me and told the bar tender to give the man a shot of the best whiskey he had. I paid the bar tender and he did as I asked. I walked over and sat next to the man. "So, how'd you know I'd like this?" He asked me straight.
"There's just something's a woman can tell about a man. Like I can tell that you're not all you appear to be," I reply. The bartender sets down a shot of whiskey in front of me and I drink it. "What? Have you never seen a woman drink before?"
"I've seen plenty of women drink, just never a lady take shots before," he says smiling.
"Well, now you have. You can say you've seen everything," I say laughing slightly. He laughs with me and we hit it off. After a few more hours and many more shots. I've held my liquor about as long as I can. He asks me if I'd like to stay with him and I replied sure. We went to his hotel room and we had a fun night, I think. I don't even really remember it all that well. But I sure remembered twenty-six shots of whiskey and a few glasses of tequila gets me pretty wild and a huge hangover in the morning.
"Cassie, wake up we're landing in Memphis," Sophie says to me shaking me gently. I wake up quickly remembering the dream and now piecing it together. I slept with Eliot Spencer. Oh, shiny tomato I slept with Eliot Spencer. In Belgrade, in 2003. Oh dang. This is not going to end well if he EVER finds out. The first time we parted ways wasn't good but this? Makes it worse! My heart races from the knowledge just presented to me and I see Sophie watching me carefully. I calm down and reply to Sophie's confused look, "Bad dream. Very bad dream." As the plane touches down I smile and say, "Welcome to Memphis, Tennessee Sophie." We grab our overhead bags and head out of the plane. Once in the terminal we navigate through customs, and around to pick up our luggage while I try to find our ride to my apartment.
Sophie pulls our bags and my guitar off the baggage carousel and I run back to help her after finding Paul with the Suburban in front of the terminal. Paul comes and helps us drag our bags out to the car. Sophie looks at him and says, "Thank you for the assistance." Paul looks at her and says nothing.
"Don't worry; Paul just doesn't like new people. Paul this is Sophie. She's my good friend and you can trust me with her ok?" I say with my country voice.
"Yes Ms. Calliope. I'll trust her if you do," Paul says quietly.
"Wonderful. Can you take us to my apartment Paul?"
"Yes ma'am. I can," he says as he turns on the engine and drives out of the airport.
We arrive at my apartment and Paul grabs our bags as we ascend the stairs. I open the door to my open floor plan and my beautiful artwork. Paul places the bags on the side of the door closest to the couch. I grab my luggage and drag it into my room. I then take Sophie's bags and place them in the guest room which is between mine and my studio. She heads into her room and lies down on the bed.
I walk out to Paul and hand him money saying, "Thank you Paul. I'll call you if I need you all right?"
"Yes ma'am. If anything happens you call me. Mr. Kirkwood wants me to make sure you're safe at all times."
"I know Paul. Now, I'll call you when I need a ride or protection all right? Good. Now I'll see you later." Paul turns around and leaves. I shut and lock the door behind him and then head back to my room so I can sleep.
oOo
A few days pass by and Sophie starts to get antsy. She gets a phone call from Tara and says, "I hope you included Anastasia in your party." She waits while Tara replies and says, "Thanks Tara. I owe you." She then hangs up the phone and then listens to her voice messages, of which there are many, and all of them from Nate. Sophie looks at me and says, "Cassie we need to get to Boston. Do you know any way we can get there fast and have a get away?"
I smile and say, "Of course I do. Now just leave it up to me." I call my friend Jazzy who owns a private travel business to ask a favor.
"Hey Jazzy, can I ask you a huge favor?" I ask the man.
"You sure can. What is it little lady?" the gruff voice answers me jovially.
"Can you fly me and a friend of mine to Boston today? And then bring five extra people back?" I ask hopefully.
"Of course I can dearie. After all, you sang at my daughter's birthday so just come on over to the airfield and I'll get you up ASAP."
"Thanks Jazzy! You're wonderful!" I say to him and I hang up the phone. "Sophie, get ready. We're heading to Boston."
I call Paul and tell him I need the car. Paul pulls up about ten minutes later with the Suburban and Sophie and I hop into the back seat. I give Paul the address to the airfield and he drives quickly. We reach the airfield and are met by Kelly, Jazzy's eighteen year old daughter.
"He's out back waiting for you ma'am. I hope your travel goes smoothly," she says to us as we run to the helicopter. Jazzy stands in front of the cab of the chopper. He opens the door and helps Sophie and me inside. He gets into the pilot's seat at turns the chopper on. The blades start to rotate and pick up speed. Soon we're gaining altitude and heading north. During our flight she gets a call from Nate. She keeps trying to tell him that she can't hear him, but apparently he doesn't understand her or else he's incredibly drunk. "I can't hear you!" She yells into the phone. She hangs it up and says, "What a rubbish signal."
I call Tara and ask, "What exactly will I be doing?"
"Gun runner. Sophie didn't tell you?"
"No. She didn't. Let me guess you're with someone aren't you?" I ask quickly.
"How'd you guess? Well I gotta be going. I'll see you later Stasi," Tara says as she hangs up her phone. I smile and call Will in Boston. "Hey Will, you know my Mercury? Yeah can you bring it to the docks? I'll need it to get out." There's a silence while he thinks and tells me he can be there. "I just need you to drop it off outside the gate. I'll drive it in."
We reach Boston and Jazzy drops us off at the gate leading to the docks. I drive Sophie and I into the port, parking not very far away from the rendezvous. We board the Italian Ship "Il Falcone Maltese" and head towards the line of people waiting to be brought down into the depths of the ship. I use a scarf to cover my hair as we approach the people.
"Welcome, I'm Tony Kadjic," the man says to us.
"I am Anastasia Artemieva," I reply with my Russian accent.
"I'm Annie Kroy," Sophie says politely.
"Well with such known names I'm glad you came to see my goods in person. It's wonderful to meet you ladies," he says as he ushers us down the stairs. Sophie and I look around in the compartment where the weapons are being held. "They have got so many weapons here. Annie, look these grenades. So much destruction in one place."
"I know Stasi. Let's just keep ourselves together and we'll get what we want," Sophie says to me quietly.
We look at the merchandise and Sophie sees two of her companions walk down the stairs into our little area. Sophie gently nudges me aside out of view point and waits for the right moment to act.
"Find him, find the other one. Find him right away," Kadjic says to his goons. I see him draw a gun and point it at Nate. Sophie starts maneuvering her way to the other side so she can be behind Nate. "Bridge, take us out past the twelve mile mark. We have to dump a few things."
I feel the boat start to move as the bridge follows its commands. Kadjic answers his phone and says, "Yeah." Then a moment of silence before he responds, "You just kill him."
Kadjic's goons with guns come back and point the barrels at Nate. Kadjic then says, "Now, I guess I will show you how I deal with people who lie to me."
"No, no, no Tony, this won't do at all will it?" Sophie chimes in before Kadjic can fire his gun.
"Ms. Kroy this is of no concern to you. Thank you," he says sternly.
"Well it is my concern. You don't really think I'm going to do business with someone who starts blasting away in the middle of a meeting do you? You don't even know who this bloke works for. Listen I don't have a problem with you taking care of this, just, you know, wait 'til me and the other buyers are off the ship before you start getting messy. I don't wanna be charged as an accessory," Sophie explains to the trigger-happy salesman.
"Mr. Kadjic, there's something wrong with the engines," the bridge states over the intercom.
"Lock him up, lock him up now. Go," Kadjic yells at his goons motioning to Nate. "Hurry get out of here. Ms. Kroy, I apologize."
"Glad we understand each other," Sophie says calmly as she walks away from him. She comes around and gets me. We walk off to follow the goons that took Nate I suppose and keep quiet. I follow Sophie and she pushes me in front of her so we can get through a narrow hallway. I walk past an adjoining hallway and hear people down in it but pay no attention to it really. Then behind me I hear "Sophie?"
"Took you long enough. Come on," Sophie says to the people down the hallway. I keep my head down and continue walking forward. I worm my way down to a part where there seemed to be offices and hear the footsteps behind me. I lay my hand on the wall that held the door leading into the room where they were keeping Nate. I look at the guard on duty and seduce him to turn his back on Sophie and her friends. Without warning someone attacks the man and I step into the hallway next to me.
The door opens and Sophie's two friends head into the room. I walk to Sophie and whisper in her ear, "I'll be around. Look, I need to go now. You know the plan. Take the chopper I've got the car." I walk past her and down the hallway with someone following me. Walking I trace the route I took to bring us here and make a few adjustments on taking them back.
I walk past the guards at the stairs and head up to the deck. The sunlight splashes across my face and I see another guard ahead of me. I walk to him and say, "If you find Mr. Kadjic, please tell him Anastasia Artemieva vants to do business vith him. However I cannot stay so vill you please help me to my car? These heels vere not meant to be vorn on a ship." The guard helps me walk down the gangplank to my Mercury waiting near the ship. I call Tara and tell her where I'm parked. She replies with an ETA and I start the engine. Soon I see Tara rounding the corner of a shipping container and she runs full tilt towards me. She opens the door, slides in, and I start driving. We leave the shipyard and head towards Memphis. Tara rides with me the whole way and we have an interesting conversation the whole trip.
While at a rest stop I get a call from Sophie in the chopper. "Stasi, I just wanted to let you know, we're all safe apart from one. He stayed behind to let us get away unharmed. Thank you for everything Stasi. I owe you."
"You bet you do Sophie! And you know I'm going to call it in someday!" I say loudly so she can hear me. "Oh, Tara's safe and I'm taking her back with me. If you ever want to visit-"
"I know where to find you. Goodbye darling and Good Luck!"
I hang up the phone and say to myself, "You're now an established part of Sophie's life Cassie Holmes."