Coffee with a Lady
Sunday morning, 02.30 hours, Northwest harbor district, Baltimore MD.
"I like your wheels" Xander's husky voice came from the other side of the road. - And your suit, and the way you try to put those curls behind your ears, and the way you never seem to succeed at it, and I like... well basically I like everything about you - he thought while crossing the street.
Charlie looked at the impressive image of Xander Cage in tight black jeans, a white t-shirt and a dark leather long coat. Yet, the image showed some inconsistencies; a minor unsteadiness when he pushed himself off the GTO, just the slightest limp when he crossed the street and when he stopped right in front of her she could see that there were bags under his eyes.
He just stood there and looked at her, "Yeah, I definitely like it" he repeated but he wasn't looking at her bike... There was no alcohol on his breath, she noted, "It's a Ducati Monster S4R, isn't it?" he continued when he was finally looking at it. What was he doing here in the middle of the night? Looking like he had been to hell and back again, she thought. "Wanna hear it?" she asked him, when he was facing her again. "Well, the only one that was sleeping is already wide awake so..." While they walked the few steps to the bike, she continued her thoughts: Saddie must have told him, that would be the only explanation of why he was still here. But that meant that he had waited for her! - By the time she arrived at the airport tonight she knew the club would be closed but she couldn't resist to pay it a visit on her way home.
She turned the key and revved the engine. "Wanna ride it?" she asked. "You bet I wanna, and that just makes it tough to decline, but I must: I've been smashed just a bit too much during my last stunt." So that's the explanation for that slight stiffness, she thought and said: "Think you can still lift a cup of coffee?" "Sure...": he never had such a low interest in a bike ever. Charlie continued: "You know the 'Sip and Bite dinner' at Boston Street? It's just a three minutes ride and they're open all night." With one of those grins X motioned: "Well, you lead the way, I'm just a regular visitor of Baltimore, not a local".
Sunday morning, 02.45 hours, Sip and Bite dinner, 2200 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD
When they arrived the nightly rush-hour was just about dying out, yet their first coffee was at the counter. Their conversation had started at Xander's body-damage and had gone from kayaks to bikes. He learned that the S4R was a gift from her father. After 3 a.m. tables started to free up and they sat down at a boot. "Can I get you anything else hon'" the waitress asked after their third refill. "You want anything or..."Charlie said and looked into those deep brown eyes, she could easily drown in, pools of deep dark chocolate: "...or would you like to come..." before she could finish her sentence, there was a shrieking sound outside, and they both turned their heads. Three cars had stopped just outside the door of the bar, partly on the pavement thus scaring the late night public out of the way. A couple of men in black suits got out. While the suits were already entering the dinner, Xander groaned when he recognized the last man to leave one of the cars: Gibbons.
Within seconds Xander, Charlie and their waitress were surrounded. "I don't believe this!" Xander started angrily. "No way guys, wherever you want me to go, I'm not going. I'm just gonna sit here in peace and quiet" Their surroundings were anything but peace and quiet but that did not seem to bother anybody. Xander continued: "And I'm gonna sit here for as long as I want. And noone, I mean noone, is gonna make me change my mind about it!" He suddenly turned to the waitress and continued to the shocked girl as if to emphasize his words: " Yeah, I would like another refill". Someone slowly clapped his hands and the suits made way for Gibbons: "Hear, hear! Well, Triple X that's great. Because that is exactly what I want you to do: sit here just in peace and quiet..." he moved his hands as to emphasize the noise in the bar, "...for as long as you want!" Xander cast him a foul glance. Gibbons continued stoically: "As for the lovely lady whom you're sharing a table with...", he looked at Charlie, "My name is Augustus Gibbons, I work for the National Security Agency," he took an ID-card out of his pocket and showed it to Charlie. He continued: "And you are Lady Carlotta Valentine Asinari, daughter of The Lord Valentino Ghiron Roberto Asinari, Marquis of San Marzano. Can you identify yourself?" Charlie paled slightly but then nodded and took out her drivers' licence. Gibbons only briefly glanced at it before returning it. "Your immediate presence is wanted in San Marzano, if you come with me, there is a plain waiting..." Her face paled further and she looked like her heart was in her mouth. She swallowed hard: "Is it... Is it my father?" she asked, her voice slightly wavering. Gibbons nodded: "We can talk more in the car, but we really need to go now!" Gibbons turned and Charlie followed him when X, who had been watching with growing amazement, started: "Hey, what the hell is going on here?" But his boss did not pay him any attention, he simply opened the door for Charlie and walked behind her towards the car while the suits surrounded them and were checking out the street.
Xander followed them: "Hey! Hey Gibbons talk to me man! What..." Still his boss just entered the car behind Charlie. It was only when Xander stood in front of the black limo to prevent it from moving that Gibbons rolled down the window: "Well, Triple X, I thought you just wanted to sit there in peace and quiet for as long as you wanted?" He got one of Xander's famous groans for an answer. He continued: "But if you insist on working..." he trowed a key towards X. "...take care of the bike." And with that the black limo screeched away, barely hitting X. It leaved him standing on the pavement with only a key and without the physical condition to ride the monsterbike it belonged to. "And here I was thinking her name actually might be Charlie Brown..." he muttered after the car had disappeared.
Sunday morning, 04.30 hours, NSA's headquarters, 25 Light street, Baltimore, MD
When Gibbons got back from the airport his secretary informed him that he had a visitor. Gibbons did not need psychic powers to figure out who would pay him a visit on such a ungodly hour: Triple X. Yet, on entering his office, he did not find his 'wildcard' in his favourite seat: Gibbons' own chair behind his desk; although it was Triple X's coat that was hanging from the back. Slowly he scanned his office, when a soft grunt from the couch got his attention. Gibbons grinned and yelled: "Triple X!!" To his utmost pleasure that startled Xander, who shot up, and was harshly penalized for it by the pain that soared through his body. X groaned at his boss. Gibbons smiled satisfied. "Triple X, I only want you in here by nine p.m., not by four!" he walked over to his chair, trowed the jacket on the back of the couch and sat down as his agent was getting up. He continued to the still muttering Xander: "Feeling a bit better already? I didn't think you could move, I was rather expecting to be bringing flowers and oranges to your bedside!" His agent stood on the opposite of the desk, arms folded, his agitation shown by the flexing of his muscles. "You're quite done being all bright and chirpy?" Xander spat. Gibbons sighed: "Well, let's have it then..." "Let's have it? Let's have it, you say?" Xander had unfolded his arms and was now leaning towards his boss, his fists on his desk. He raised his voice: "Yeah, like 'let's have some INFORMATION' Gibbons, like WHAT the hell is the meaning of this talk about a 'Lady', being a daughter of some 'Lord', like WHERE the hell is 'San Marzano' and like WHY the hell you ruined MY date?" Gibbons casually sat back in his chair. "Well, well, you're sure that was a 'date' Triple X? That is indeed interesting information you're sharing there!" Xander just looked daggers at him and warned him in a low voice: "Gibbons...!"
Gibbons looked at his agent. He made a mental note to investigate Triple X's relation with the Lady later on, although he could not believe... Of course he knew about the broad reputation with ladies his agent had, but a real Lady was not quite his style and Gibbons had been not a little surprised when he was told who the lovely Lady Asinari was drinking coffee with...
Xander's face, brought a bit too close for comfort snatched him away from his day-, or rather nightdream... "Alright, alright! Hold your horses Triple X! I'm already spilling... As of this night, that information is not classified anymore anyway. It will probably be in this morning's papers too so..." Gibbons started to grind out information: "His grace the marquis of San Marzano, Lord Valentino Ghiron Roberto Asinari was assassinated together with his oldest daughter at 01.00 hours this night, our time of course. He leaves an heir to his title: his grandson Vittorio Emanuele Ghiron Asinari. However, this frandson is only eight years of age, too young to be ruling a marquisate. Luckily for them and for her, the youngest daughter of the Marquis was not in the palace in San Marzano this night, she supposedly was in New York, attending a supper after a tour of the UN headquarters at the Millenium UN Plaza Hotel. When our guys in New York found the bird flown, they successfully traced her to the 'Sip and Bite dinner' in Baltimore, - he slowed down and emphasized each next word - drinking coffee with one of our own agents?!" He looked questioning and accusatory at X. Off X's blank look he continued: "Yes, your lovely 'date' was Lady Carlotta Valentine Asinari, the Marquis's youngest daughter and as of..." he checked his watch, "...three hours ago the legitimate ruler of the marquisate San Marzano, which is by-the-way in northern Italy. She will be its regent until her nephew turns 18." He paused shortly and sat back in his chair again, with one arm resting on the arm rest, his other hand under his chin and his legs crossed he looked like a personification of contentment. "And I must warn you Triple X, before you get any ideas: don't. One: she's royalty, not exactly your kind of people, and two, she's gonna be the owner of a marquisate instead of that nice bike for the next ten years!"
Note: Carlotta Balbo Bertone (born: November 9 1771; died: November 13 1817) was the child of Carlo Emanuele Balbo Bertone and Rosalia Barbara Asinari. Rosalia was the daughter of Filippo Valentino Asinari and Maria Luisa Ferrero Fieschi. Filippo was the 'marchese di San Marzano', a title he inherited from his father: Ghiron Roberto Asinari.
The present town of San Marzano Oliveto in northern Italy, about 50 kilometres from Genova, was once under the rule of an Asinari. For the story I'll place the marquisate San Marzano more to the north, in the Valley of Aosta, where Italy borders France and Switzerland.