Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I wonder if anyone's guessed the mole yet. Hopefully not. I'm not planning on having anyone find out.
...
"I'm afraid your Death Angel has failed," spoke the voice on the other end of the line, slow and accented. Liz scowled.
"My Death Angels never fail me," she hissed, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malika look up.
"Well Miss Angelique did. I'm sorry to say this, but your target overpowered her when she attacked him and he got away."
"Are you trying to tell me Miss Bonnefoy has been arrested?" Liz fiddled with the cord of the phone, panic rising. This was most inconvenient indeed. She should've disposed of Angelique while she still had the chance.
"No. I'm trying to tell you she's dead."
Liz exhaled. "That's a relief. I won't have to send someone to kill her."
"You're not at all upset by the news?" the voice seemed surprised.
"I'm annoyed, I'll admit. But upset? No. I was planning on getting rid of her anyways. The girl wasn't much of an assassin anyway, that's probably why the target is still running around alive." Liz glanced over at Malika, who looked at the floor, lip quivering. She could easily guess her partner's fate.
"It was shocking news to us all though," the voice rose in false exclamation, "how the darling little sister of one of the DSA's own members could be a cold-blooded killer! And working for Commonwealth too! It certainly made Agent Monte Carlo cry. And made her a suspect in her bosses' eyes."
"How wonderful to hear," Liz chuckled before her face became serious again; "our target lives though. I can't have that happening."
"Well going after him again would be risky."
Liz frowned. "How so?"
"He's been arrested. And when he's released, they'll have him under witness protection. It'll be nearly impossible to reach him."
"So? We've killed those in protection before, and I'm sure you could easily, as one of the few people with access to him, steer him in the path of his own destruction. I want Lars Oxenstjärna-Edelstein dead."
"Yes, but the DSA are involved in this one big time and they're not willing to put him in danger. Not only is he key, he's also the husband of one agent and the younger brother of another. They'll be desperate to keep him safe. Besides, he killed a trained assassin. I wouldn't want to go up against him, and I doubt the others will either."
"You'll do whatever I want you to. If I tell you to stab each member of your family 23 times, then you do it without question."
"I'm aware. What I'm offering you is a safer alternative. Something the DSA won't be expecting, and, ultimately, something far more devastating."
"Alright. I'm listening. This better be good, otherwise I'll make you kill the Swede and your entire family."
"What about Agent Seagull's entire family?"
Silence. Liz took a moment to let the idea seep in, considering it carefully. "Sounds like a risky mission. Wiping out the Radacanu-Borisov family was full of enough tricky variables, and most of those were babies."
"Mmm, not really. Two pensioners and two schoolboys? They're almost pitiful. Although, I should warn you Mr Väinämöinen was the one to train his children how to use guns, and he still has his firearms licence. I saw what the son did to your Death Angel. Hole in the head. I remember mentioning to you that Mr Väinämöinen was a war veteran."
"He was part of the UN peacekeeping forces, right? Yugoslavia, among other places."
"Yes, but he's retired now. He may know how to use a gun, but he's still a decrepit old man. And his husband loathes violence of any kind."
Liz thought for a moment. "And the boys?"
"Just two living with them- the youngest- as well as Seagull himself. They have six children altogether, but two are dead. And Seagull… Maybe your assassin can take out one of the agents too."
"That would be nice," Liz smiled, "but what about the two boys?"
"Teens. 19 and 17. The older one's a bland brat- too polite and friendly- and the younger one's a scary bastard, erratic and somewhat sadistic so you'd have to watch out for him. I never liked either of them, but they should be easy enough to kill. And the older one has haemophilia. It's hard enough to survive a gunshot wound as it is." There was a spiteful edge to that last sentence.
"Well, I'll be sending a spy who's far more competent against children this time," Liz stared at Malika for a long moment.
"Good to know. The names are Tino, Berwald, Björn and Eemeli Oxenstjärna-Väinämöinen, by the way."
"Noted," Liz pulled her lips into a malicious smile.
"You'll be doing me a favour, in all honesty. Eemeli's a prick and Tino's an arse to talk to. Too chirpy and always telling bad jokes."
"Now, now, my mole. You better not be trying to manipulate me."
"Not at all. I just wanted to suggest an arrangement we could both benefit from."
"Is me letting your family live not enough of a benefit for you?" Liz raised an eyebrow.
The voice chuckled. "Of course."
"Because I can always make them disappear…"
"And risk having your spy turn against you? My partners could have you under police custody in 12 hours." The voice seemed amused, and Liz scowled into the phone.
"Don't get cocky, and don't underestimate me. I can have you dead within the hour, if I wished."
"I know. And that's why I will be a good little mole. You can count on me."
"I hope for your sake that's true. Because I don't take kindly to betrayal, or even incompetence."
"I am aware."
"This still leaves Lars Oxenstjärna-Edelstein alive. I don't like that."
"You'll have an opportunity to kill him. Later, when everything's calmed down and they've forgotten he's a target. I doubt he knows much anyway, so there's no rush in killing him."
"I still can't risk it. Can't have anything that could jeopardise my plans, now."
"You have no need to fear, Boss. We are still strong."
"Strong, but not indestructible."
"The DSA fears you are. They're terrified."
"And that will make them desperate," Liz growled; "desperate people take stupid risks. And they might just get lucky."
"Nevertheless, with me you'll be one step ahead of them."
"You better pray that stays so."
"I was never one for praying- Boss- but I'll take heed of your words."
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Liz hung up the phone and turned to look at her remaining assassin, who tried to wipe her eyes discretely. "Malika, I have a job for you."
…
"Look, Andrei, the lab isn't open on weekends and you know that. You'll have to wait for Monday to get the test results, and I'll have to dig up the findings from the other cases, but I can assure you they're my top priority." Katya hung up the phone without waiting for a reply. She loved the kid dearly, but by God he could be a bossy little brat at times. All that power and influence had gone to his head; Katya was sure of it.
"Where is Andrei anyway?" asked Tsvetan from the settee, "he disappeared halfway through the reception with no explanation. He hasn't replied to my texts and I'm starting to get worried. All night. He's been gone all night!"
"He was busy, had some work to do."
"What work could be more important than his brother's funeral?"
Katya glanced at her phone, setting it down in its holder and sighing. She could tell him now, surely.
"Tsvet," she began, sitting down next to him.
"Yes?" he replied, taking a sip of wine, and she took the opportunity to pour a glass for herself.
"Andrei had to go to a crime scene." Katya chose her words carefully, flattening her skirt. "There was another attack."
"Oh no," Tsvetan covered his mouth, nodding, "you mean a Commonwealth attack?" Katya nodded miserably. "Who was it? Are they… are they… safe?"
"It was Lars, and he's fine, thankfully," Katya smiled briefly, "in fact, he managed to kill his assassin."
"He's okay? Thank goodness! Wait, does this mean they know who killed…" He looked away.
"Yes, they have identified the assassin who attacked Lars. But they need to compare DNA samples, so we cannot say for sure if they killed Alin and the children. That's what Andrei was bugging me about."
Tsvetan didn't speak for a long moment. "Who? Who did it?"
"I'm sorry to say that you know them. Angelique Bonnefoy."
"What? You're lying!" Tsvetan snapped his head up to face her.
"That's what Andrei told me." Katya shrugged.
"She could've killed," Tsvetan faltered, "her… her own…"
"We don't know for sure just yet. All we know is she tried to kill Lars."
Tsvetan leaned back, staring into space. "He's lucky. He's so bloody lucky."
…
If Lars was lucky, he certainly didn't feel it.
After being interrogated repeatedly and vigorously by the polizei- and spending the night in a cell- Franz and his own parents paid his bail and now he was cramped together with his husband and his in-laws in their hotel room. Roderich could've afforded better and Lars knew it. Still, a cheap bed and breakfast was far more preferable to a prison cell.
Although Elise had had her own suite, for safety reasons, everyone decided to sleep in the one room and there were polizei guarding the door, though that could also have been to stop Lars doing a runner. Not that he planned to. Going on the run was hard enough, but dragging prissy, loud, weird Franz along too? They'd be caught in a heartbeat. And there was no way he'd do it without his husband.
Not to mention there was really no need.
"Well, this has been an interesting trip, to say the least," began Roderich, sitting on the double bed knitting.
"Oh don't start," grumbled Lars, laying down on the sofa bed. The one he'd have to share with Franz and Elise, that could only really fit two people. Stupid budget hotels. Stupid stingy father-in-law.
"We're glad you're safe though," Érzsebét told him.
"Thank you," he smiled at her. Lars was rather fond of fierce, funny, kind Érzsebét, who was now the closest thing he had to a mother figure. Not that he'd ever tell Franz that; it might creep him out.
Lars was happy Roderich and Érzsebét liked him, and thought he was a good match for their kid, once they'd gotten used to him. They'd thought he was nice when he was dating Elise too, though their relations soured slightly when he first stared dating Franz, having only just left a heartbroken Elise. He still thought Elise was lovely; he just wasn't in love with her and never would be.
And that did make family get-togethers a bit awkward.
Still, Elise had long moved on, and last he'd heard she was engaged to a young Belarussian girl.
"Sorry to hear what happened though, and we truly are happy you're alive," began Elise herself, wandering out of the bathroom and getting in the sofa bed as far away from Lars as she could. The usual glare she threw in his direction when they talked was replaced by a worried look; "Franz would have been devastated if… well, you know…"
"Yeah," Lars smiled, touched by her words.
"I can't believe you weaponised my cake though!" cried Franz, crawling under the duvet between them.
"Well I was holding it and someone was shooting at me," Lars rolled his eyes, "what was I supposed to do?"
"Protect the cake!"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course not," Franz took Lars' hand, "I'm so relieved I get to see your smiling face again, to hold your hand once more. I don't know what I'd have done without you." Elise pulled a face.
"Thank you. I'm pretty happy to be alive too."
"Besides," Franz added with a laugh, "I can always bake a million more cakes."
...
Just realised it took me four fucking chapters to write about the one funeral that's probably one of the most Irish things I've done to date. Chances are there will be more funeral scenes too.