Chapter
Fifteen
Coup
de Grace
So far so good, she thought
as she sprinted up to the main door of the house. Just like clock work they had arrived
precisely on time. Faith superbly
provided the distraction for the guards at the main gate. In fact, Buffy had to hand it to her. She played the sexy harlot in distress so well
that Buffy was going to be laughing from the guard’s horny expressions for a
long time. Mmm…something to tease Spike about, she smiled to herself.
After that she had no
problem scaling the wall where she sat and waited for the guard dogs to come.
Which they did, right on time too, quickly she dispatched the dogs with the
blow darts filled with tranquilizers that Oz gave her. And as they peacefully
slumbered she ran across the expansive grounds.
Now standing on the porch,
she closed her eyes. Her chest expanding with the deep soothing breaths she
took. She counted to ten as her hands blindly lifted to the alarm pad hidden in
the shadows of the alcove.
With her silky thin gloves
she felt the electronic device lightly pulsing beneath her finger tips and her
eyes opened.
Brilliantly green and
shining with exuberance she looked at the pad her fingers flexing gracefully in
the moonlight.
“Do we have a green,
Hellcat?”
“5 x 5. See you on the
outside Slick.”
Buffy nodded as her fingers
punched in the code that Oz extracted from the alarm system. The LCD screen flashed green and she heard a
pop. Smiling broadly under her black mask she reached for the gold knob and
turned it slowly opening the door. She took one last look outside before
stepping inside the house and quietly closing the door.
As soon as the door closed
her ears sucked in and she felt like she was in an airplane. She feigned a yawn then swallowed a couple of
times in an attempt to relieve the pressure.
Finally her ears popped and she took a look around.
The room was dark except for
spots of red laser beams where they interacted with the sensors used to detect
them.. She was
instantly reminded of the Museum heist.
That was the last time she
had dealt with such sophisticated equipment. The last heist she had pulled off.
It had been successful but still for one brief moment she questioned whether or
not she still had it. Suddenly unsure of
herself, she glanced around uneasily at her surroundings.
It was a beautiful rich
home. There was no doubt in her mind that whoever lived here had a charmed life
to be sure. The whole house reeked of money.
They probably had a servant to do everything for them. They probably had
someone that laid out their clothes in the morning and washed their backs when
they showered. Hell, they probably had a maid to wipe their ass.
Looking
at the fine and expensive art that hung on the walls, and the shiny marble
tiles of the foyer she knew that she had been born with this skill. Born with the power and skill to take these
people down a notch and make them like everyone else: vulnerable and unsafe.
People with this much money
thought they were above everyone else and Buffy felt that it was her job to
prove them wrong. She didn’t feel bad
about illegally standing in someone else’s home eyeballing their stuff for herself.
Um…beautiful
Van Gogh, ‘that would fetch a pretty price on the Market.’
In fact, she rather felt
like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor…me, she thought,
grinning from ear to ear under her mask.
Like a bolt of lightening
excitement filled her, adrenaline pumped through her veins and her fingers
itched with anticipation. She smirked confidently under her mask; she didn’t
have to think about it, she still had it.
With her confidence restored
she relaxed and once more started to enjoy the moment until she heard his
booming voice in her head as if he was standing behind her.
‘Don’t dillydally. Get in and get out!’
She shook her head, time to
get to work. She took one last glance at the Van Gogh and mentally noted that
she would have to come back for that one day.
Turning back to the door,
she spied the glass covered panel that controlled the motion detectors just to
the left of it. She flexed her fingers then nimbly entered the code, smiling as
the glass cover slid open.
She remembered how annoyed
she was with Angel when he made her repeat each and every code over and over
again so she wouldn’t forget them. He was so diligently bothersome that way.
She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she practically had a photographic
memory, one of her many helpful talents when it came down to thieving. After Oz handed her the piece of paper with
all the codes on it, she had each and every one memorized after one read. She
knew eventually she would have to tell him because there was no way she could
deal with him pestering her like that on every job.
There was a soft zipping
sound and she looked over her shoulder to see the telltale signs of the laser
beams disappear. Smiling she turned
toward the interior of the house, leaving the glass panel open for when she
returned later.
Quietly she walked into the
home, her head looking up and down, and left and right, taking in every aspect
of it.
As she made her way to the
left wing and the study, she noticed that there weren’t any pictures of the
people that lived in the house. She found that odd. Usually rich people loved to see themselves
hanging on their walls in huge arrogant portraits. But there was nothing like
that in this house it was almost like a museum and a chill ran down her spine.
For some reason she found that very eerie and she wondered if anyone even lived
in this house. Maybe it was just a place to hide the diamonds. That would be
logical considering the owner didn’t trust banks and had to build his own
Putting that thought aside
she entered the study and wasted no time walking over to the wall and the
limestone dragon head that hung there.
She admired it for about two
seconds, looking at the rich detail that was chiseled into the stone. It looked
Celtic and it reminded her of the etchings on Angel’s knife. The knife that
Angel forgot to take away from her, which was now nestled comfortably in her
bag waiting to dish out some much deserved justice. She shook off those thoughts, now was not the
time to think of revenge. That would come later.
Placing the bag on the floor
she reached up and positioned her hands on both sides of the dragons head. Her
thumbs stretched up and over the dragon’s eyes and with all her might she
pushed. The stone eyeballs scrapped
lightly against the limestone as they moved inward, and she could see lines
that had already been etched in the eye sockets from them moving so many times
before.
Hearing the sound of the
wall move she looked over to the left and picked up her bag, watching as the
wall slid up and into the ceiling. According to Oz this was where things got
tricky.
She peered to her left and
then the right. On each side of the doorframe were two glass panels that
concealed the number pads. Each one had to be opened simultaneously. Then the
code for each one had to be entered also at the same time, resulting in the
elevator’s alarm sensors being turned off. It was tricky, but since she had the
codes it only required timing and precision, which she had plenty of.
Placing the bag on the floor
again she stood in the doorframe, her legs stretched out in a split as she
balanced herself with her hands on the doorframes. Taking a deep breath she moved her hands down
and over the glass panels. Behind
closed lids she envisioned the glass panel’s number pads clearly seeing each
number that she had to press at the same time.
They were not the same numbers which was also difficult, which numbers
to press with which hand. But in her mind it was as if it was right in front of
her face, she saw nothing else but that and her fingers responded accordingly,
pressing each code at the same exact time.
When she was done, she
opened her eyes to the soft swish of the glass sliding open. She smiled, next step.
Bringing her hands in front
of her she cracked her knuckles and once more positioned them over the now
exposed number pads. Again she closed her eyes, seeing only the numbers she had
to press and her fingers obliged, easily pressing each one in sync.
There was a click and her
hands dropped, quickly she reached for the bag and stepped into the elevator.
This was the part where time was definitely of the essence. She had only sixty seconds to get in the
elevator, go down to the vault and enter another code the same way before the
elevator alarm re-engaged itself again.
She stood in the elevator,
her foot tapping restlessly as she checked her watch, thirty seconds to
go. The elevator doors opened and she
once more balanced herself in the doorframe and had the alarm for the vault’s
motion detectors disengaged in twenty seconds.
She stepped out into the
vestibule then turned around to face the elevator. She looked at her watch and
counted down ten seconds. Precisely ten seconds later she heard the zip of the
alarm engaging and she watched as the doors closed.
If she had extra time she
would have stopped to marvel at the complexity of the system. It was truly
amazing and rivaled even the Museum’s system. But once again she heard Angel’s
booming voice in her head to get in and get out.
Wasting no time, she turned
and faced the vault. She stood there her
mouth agape under her mask as her eyes bulged.
Oz told her what she would find, he had said it was going to be
something to see but she had blown off his comments thinking that she had seen
everything. But now standing here and looking at it she was stunned.
In front of her was a glass
tempered wall. According to Oz, it was fifteen feet high and four feet thick.
It was bullet proof, drill proof, and it was supposed to be able to withstand
explosions of the highest magnitude. It
was impregnable and built to keep unwanted intruders out. She couldn’t help but
wonder how much this enclosure must have cost the owner. She knew it wasn’t cheap. Security systems
never were, at least the goods ones.
Behind the glass the entire
vault was visible and Buffy could do nothing but stand there completely taken
aback by what she saw. It was the
biggest thing she had ever seen, at least as far as home vaults were
concerned. Oz said it was roughly two
thousand square feet. There was a light that lit the front of the room but when
she looked to the left or right she could see aisles that appeared to go on
forever disappearing into darkness.
She could only imagine the
treasures that this vault held in it’s darkened rooms and corners. She was in no way a scholar of any kind but
the marble statues that stood in the front of the room, had to be very, very
old. They looked Roman, like the ones you would see in the movies, naked and no
arms. She knew those alone had to be
worth a fortune.
‘Get
yourself together Buffy, you’re not here to ogle and ponder.’
She cleared herself of her
temporary stupor and fixated once more on actually getting inside the vault.
By this time, Faith should
have the surveillance cameras on a time loop. So the only thing the guards
would be seeing was the room before Buffy came into it. Of course she really
hoped that they were still ogling Faith’s ass and not the cameras at all. That had been Buffy’s suggestion simply
because she didn’t hold too much faith in time looping. That back fired on her
a few times in the past and Buffy had more confidence in Faith’s ability to
keep a man’s attention on her than the time looping.
So with the cameras and the
guards taken care of she was free to move on to the next step.
The system that opened the
door used another code that had to be entered but this time she had only five
seconds to do it. She wasn’t worried too much about the time, but she was
slightly worried about the method of entering the code. Instead of punching in the number codes the system
was voice activated and required a finger print scan.
When Oz first told her, she
had snorted at him. She didn’t exactly have the voice of a fifty something year
old man. But he had just smiled at her knowingly and then handed her a voice
box, which for Buffy was the coolest toy she ever got. She thought that voice
boxes were just an invention of the movies so she was surprised to learn that
they did exist. And when she tried it
out she and Faith had taken turns impersonating Angel and Spike and laughing
their asses off. Of course Angel and Spike didn’t seem too amused by it. Spike
had ripped them away from them and told them they were being immature and
unprofessional. Buffy just stuck her tongue out at him as Faith rolled her eyes. Now standing here in the vault and actually
having to use it was a little scary but she held on and took another deep
breath.
Opening her bag, her nose
crinkled as she pulled out the latex finger print that she had to put on. This
part totally grossed her out. Oz didn’t
tell her how he got it and frankly she didn’t want to know. She knew it wasn’t
a real skin fingerprint but still it had that icky factor to it and it gave her
the willies.
Standing up she put all her
fears and grievances aside as she walked up to the control panel. Turning on the voice box she placed her
finger on the scanner and spoke. “26-44-8-12”
As she spoke a shiver ran
down her spine, her voice was low and so not what she was used to hearing
herself sound like that it was very odd and yet at the same time it
seemed…familiar. But she had no time to
ponder that as the panel suddenly spoke and the glass doors slid open. “Welcome back Mr. Mersum.”
She grinned then nodded at
the panel and then turned her attention to the vault, holding her breath she
stepped inside.
The second her foot touched
the floor the lights turned on one by one, illuminating every aisle and corner
of the vault, and she could see everything.
She whistled in awe at the
riches she saw. Paintings that she knew
were priceless hung on the walls. Rich
tapestries of Viking battles and knights on horses hung next to them. There were silver and gold statues, marble
statues, and hundreds of books. It just went on and on, and Buffy’s
exhilaration grew tenfold.
Keeping her feelings in
check, she headed down the corridor to the left. Her eyes skimmed over the bindings of the
books as she walked. She knew that there
were many books that were priceless but the market was slim for selling
them. You couldn’t just turn around a
make a quick profit on books. Those were specialty items, things that only rich
collectors were interested in, not your average pawn shop.
Finally she reached the end
of the corridor and stood in an alcove.
It was a small space with an inviting chair, a table and a lamp. It was
probably the owner’s favorite reading spot, and she could understand why. It
was small, cozy and warm. Looking straight ahead she thought there was the
perfect spot for a fireplace. But instead of a warm roasting fire crackling
away in the silence of the vault there was a cold steel safe embedded in the
wall.
Wasting no time, she knelt
down in front of it and cracked her knuckles as she looked at the safe shaking
her head in disbelief. This was the one
element of the job that Oz was not able to find any information about, and
seeing the safe now she knew why.
It was just an old antique
safe. A Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe to be exact. It was the kind of
thing that either was in the family for generations or bought at an
auction. It wasn’t the type of safe that
you bought at your local high-tech safe dealer. And since it was completely
mechanical it wouldn’t have been in the security blue prints.
She
almost giggled at the absurdity of it all, at the same time as she shook her
bag listening to all of the safe cracking tools jiggling against each other.
Since they didn’t know what kind of safe it was, Angel made sure that she had
all the equipment she would need for a couple of different safes. But as it turned out she didn’t need any of
them. All she needed were her fingers
and her left ear.
She
sat back and concentrated on the safe. It was six feet high, approximately four
feet wide, and almost three feet deep . It had a four crain
hinge door, each one independently opening and operating.
She
still couldn’t believe that a man that had one of the most intricate, high tech
security systems would keep his most precious items tucked away in this
antique. But she shrugged it off as arrogance.
The owner probably saw no need for a high tech safe, thinking that no
one would get best of the security system.
The
most outrageous idea popped into her head then, and her head tilted to the side
as she wondered if it was even locked.
She
took a hold of the arm and pushed in then pulled it up and out. Smiling like an
idiot as the door swung open she snorted under her mask…yup, arrogance.
Standing
up she looked inside the safe.
There
were five shelves. Each shelf had thin black velvet boxes that were about four
inches wide and five inches long. Each one stacked on top of each other. Not bothering to count how many boxes there
actually was, she reached for the first one and pulled it out. Opening the box
she gleamed at the beautiful sparkling raw cut diamonds that shone brightly
back at her as if they were greeting her.
She
took a second to soak in their luminousness then she pulled out the velvet hobo
bag she brought with her. Dumping the
diamonds inside, she put that box back and grabbed another. One by one, she
dumped them all inside her hobo bag then put the boxes back on the shelf. When she was done, she closed the safe and
tucked the hobo bag inside the main bag, gently pushing on it until she could
zip the bag closed.
Breathing
out and smiling with pride over her accomplished feat she turned and headed
back down the corridor. It was amazing
how good she felt. She had forgotten the
amount of pride that came with pulling off a successful job. Oh she knew she
wasn’t done yet, she still had to get out without being detected, but still it
was a job well done and to Buffy that meant she was definitely due some much deserved
praise and loving from her honey.
She
was practically whistling as she walked back down the corridor, her mind
thinking of Angel and all the ways she was going to let him ravish her. But her
feet suddenly stopped. Her eye caught a
glimpse of something that intrigued her; a black book.
Her
attraction to it was odd. It didn’t really stand out from the other books on
the shelf. It wasn’t shiny and it didn’t stick out on the shelf like it was a
big book. It was perfectly in line with the other books on the shelf, it just
looked very old.
The
only thing that set it apart from the other books was that the binding was dull
and worn; a clear indication that this particular book received a lot more
attention than the others.
But
it wasn’t even that that grabbed her attention as she passed it. It was the
engraving on the binding. It was silver and it appeared to be the head of a
dragon with flames coming out of its mouth.
It
stopped her dead in her tracks as her fingers automatically lifted and traced
the dragons head. It seemed so familiar,
it felt like something she had touched so many times before yet she couldn’t
recollect ever actually seeing it before.
It
was the strangest sensation she had ever felt in her life. There was no denying
the familiarity she felt toward it or the warm almost familial feeling that
filled her soul as she touched it reverently.
For some reason this book was reminding her of something she had lost a
long, long time ago.
Her
head tilted as she looked at it again in a different angle and then she smiled.
Of course she’d seen it before it was the same dragon head as the one on the
wall in the study. Chuckling at herself,
her hand dropped away from it and she continued down the corridor dismissing
the book and the sense of deep loss that suddenly filled her as she walked
away.
Reaching
the vestibule she turned around and took one last look at the vault. There were
so many things here that she knew would be worth the taking. But unfortunately
she didn’t have the extra bags or containers to store anything else. She had no choice but to leave but
intuitively she knew that one day she would be standing here again.
Sighing,
she walked outside the vault and watched as the lights turned off one by one.
Putting
on her gross fingerprint tip again she turned on the voice box. “10-3-7” She
said as her finger was scanned once more by the system.
The
door sealed shut as the system once more spoke, “Have a nice evening Mr.
Mersum.”
Buffy
nodded to it again and then checked her watch, right on schedule. She had ten minutes to get back to the road
and meet Faith at their designated spot, where they would move on to the next stage
of the plan.
Holding
her bag tightly she felt the knife that lay silently…waiting. Soon she would seek her revenge and her heart
raced at the thought. She was no longer
afraid for her soul for what she was going to do she felt only imminent peace that
she knew awaited her.
**********************
The
Beverly Hills Hotel…
“So
how are the girls?” Spike asked as they got out of the car.
“Good.” Angel responded.
“Everything
went well then?”
Angel
nodded.
“You’re
so full of shit mate.”
Angel
stopped walking and looked at him blankly, “What do you mean?”
“I
mean that you went to the mansion last night and stole the real diamonds and
left fake ones for your girl to steal.”
“Why
would I do that?”
“Because
Oz told me who came to the hotel last night. Giles.
And there can only be one reason why Giles would come to a place he’s not
supposed to even know exists.”
Angel
held back his smirk. “Oh and why is that?”
“Look
mate, the old man called Oz Daniel. How the bloody hell would he know what Oz’s real name was? Let alone know that the bloke
even exists?”
“I
don’t know you tell me. You seem to know
everything already.”
Spike
smiled and slapped him on the arm. “That’s because I do. Giles knows who we are and what we do, and
doesn’t want little ole Buffy involved in it.”
Angel
smiled at Spike he should have known he couldn’t keep any secrets from him.
“How did you know?”
Spike
gleamed with pride. “Because I know you that’s how. I know you would do anything to keep Buffy
safe if you think she’s in danger from something. Which tells me that Giles is
not who he appears to be, and that there is a lot more to this story than what
you’re telling me or Oz.”
“You’re
right. There is and I’ll tell you guys everything, but later when this is done.
Okay?”
“Fair enough.”
They
started walking down the alley again. “Spike you have to promise me that you
won’t tell Buffy.”
Spike
crossed his heart, “I’ll take it to my grave.”
They
walked into the hotel looking like two businessmen there for a meeting. Casually
they walked over to the elevators, where Angel pressed the button. They waited
to all appearances looking as patient as patient could be, but inside they were
both foaming at the bit.
When
the doors opened they stepped inside and Angel pressed the button to the
penthouse.
He
was surprised that they rode the whole way up alone. But he didn’t think on it much it didn’t
really matter at this point.
Finally,
the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
Angel and Spike stepped out, greeted once more by a sour puss faced Mr.
Trick.
Angel
looked at him coldly, reading the man’s mind. “We’re not going to go through
this again, are we?”
Mr.
Trick smiled ruthlessly at him. “That won’t be necessary. I was instructed to
see you in without delay. But…” his eyes wandered over to Spike, “my orders did
not include this gentleman.”
“Gentleman?” Spike
looked crossly at Angel. “Did he just insult me?”
Mr.
Trick looked confused for a second and was about to speak when the doors to the
office were thrown open. “Oh goodie Angelus is here. Oh and he brought a
friend, how nice. Come in, please,
please come in. Lots to see and discuss.”
Spike’s
eyebrow went up at the almost childlike tone of The Mayor; it was not what he
was expecting. But he kept his mouth
shut and followed Angel in.
Without
question, Spike stood about three feet behind Angel and to his left, his body
turned slightly toward the door and the goons that blocked it. He had perfect sight to everyone in the room
and the exits. Should something go wrong it would be a cinch to watch Angel’s
back and take anyone out that he had to.
His
eyes shifted from the goons to Mr. Trick who stood much in the same manner that
he did but behind The Mayor. They eyeballed each other hard, each one not
trusting the other occupants in the room.
“How
did it go?” The Mayor asked his eyes bright and alive.
Angel
smiled coldly at him and lifting the bag, he put it on the desk. He took a step
back and waited for the Mayor to open it.
But
the Mayor just stood there looking at him. “You really are a man of little
words aren’t you Angelus?”
Angel
did not respond. He really felt no need to word banter with the Mayor, what was
the point. The second he and Spike stepped out of this building the FBI would
be all over the place. He didn’t want to
waste his energy, so he just smiled at him and nodded.
The
Mayor shrugged and then opened the bag. He whistled appreciatively as the
diamonds sparkled under the fluorescent lights. “Beautiful. Just
beautiful.”
With
a snap he closed the bag and handed it to Mr. Trick. “Well I guess that
concludes our business. Please tell
Uncle that I will indeed use your services again. You’ve proven quite
reliable.”
“I’m
sure Uncle will be pleased.”
“Yes.
I’m sure he will.”
Angel
turned ready to leave The Mayor behind him.
“That’s
it, nothing more to say?” The Mayor asked.
Angel
stopped but didn’t turn around to look at him, he didn’t have to, Spike stared daggers at the man for him.
“There’s
nothing else to say. The job was a success. You have your diamonds. And Uncle
has his money.”
“Yes
but what about your future Angelus?
Perhaps we could talk privately. Perhaps you would be interested in
learning of what I can do for you?”
Spike
snorted out loud uncaring who in the room thought it was rude.
Angel
turned around. “Wilkens there is nothing that I need
nor want from you. My job is done. My team’s job is done. And that’s all there
is to it.”
He
turned away, and walked to the door with Spike right behind him. “Anything more
can be said to Uncle.”
Looking
at the goon that blocked the door he said, “Either you move or I’ll do it for
you.”
The
man looked at The Mayor for approval who stood there
stonily staring at Angel. He was annoyed
that Angel was cutting this meeting so short. He saw this as the perfect
opportunity to talk to Angel about him and his crew working for him
directly. But from the cold shoulder he
was getting he guessed now wasn’t the time. “Yes, yes. It’s alright.”
The
goon stepped back and opened the door.
“Until we meet again.” The Mayor called out to Angel and Spike’s back.
The
door closed and they walked to the elevator neither one saying a word.
Silently
the rode it until the doors opened in the lobby.
They
quietly and nonchalantly walked out of the hotel and got into Angel’s car. The
second they did, they watched from the alley as the FBI stormed into the hotel
in full gear.
They
each smiled to themselves as Angel started the engine and drove out of the
alley.
Phase
two was completed – nice and neat. But it wasn’t the part that concerned the
two that sat in the car quietly. It was the next phase that made them both
anxious.
Their
smiles disappeared as they drove to Uncle’s.
Twenty minutes later they
found themselves sitting outside of Uncle’s building.
“I can’t believe this it.”
Spike quietly said.
“I know. It feels…”
“Weird,
not real…a dream?”
“Yeah. It’s
like everything we’ve worked for has come to this and I should be happy but for
some reason I feel…”
“Like we’re going to get
screwed?”
Angel turned and looked at
him, “you too?”
Spike nodded, “I don’t know
what it is but I’ve got a very, very bad feeling about this. Of course it could
just be my distrust of Kate but…” he shrugged.
“No I feel it too. It almost
feels like no matter what happens in there, it still won’t be the end of
things.”
Spike nodded his agreement,
“Well it is Uncle and you and I both know that you can’t be sure of anything
when it comes to that man.”
Angel looked around the
street and the buildings that surrounded Uncle’s. “It’s no wonder the FBI has
such a long most wanted list.”
Spike’s eyes followed
Angel’s and saw everything he saw; FBI agents in vans, on the street, and in
the windows of buildings. The normal Joe
walking down the street wouldn’t notice the suspicious men but to Angel and
Spike they were like naked women on a sunlit beach. This only made them nervous. If they saw it, then Uncle would to.
“Yeah it’s a miracle they
ever get their man. Maybe we should teach them how to be stealthy.” Spike said
jokingly trying to calm his anxiety.
“What, and give away all our
secrets?”
“She’s going to fuck this
up.” Spike said knowingly, not having an ounce of faith in Kate and the FBI.
Angel turned and looked at
him as he pulled out one of his girls and cocked it. “That’s why we’re not
leaving this up to her.”
Spike nodded, watching as
Angel put his gun away. “Ready?”
“As ever as I will be mate.”
Opening the doors they
stepped out and walked up to the building. The guards at the door didn’t speak
to them they barely even acknowledged them. All they did was step aside and
hold the door for them as they walked in.
Once more, they rode the
elevator in silence, and as it came to a stop and the doors opened, they both
took deep breaths as they walked out of the elevator.
The hallway was empty and
the door to Quentin’s office was open. There was a soft yellow glow of a light
coming out of the room and they readily walked toward it.
The first thing they saw as
they walked into the room was Marcus, Uncle’s personal bodyguard. He stood to
the right of the desk, his arms casually at his sides looking like a big cat
ready to strike.
It was what they expected so
they weren’t shocked or afraid; in fact it made Spike smile. He didn’t like
Marcus and had been itching to get back at him for all of the humiliation he
received from the henchmen’s hands when they were growing up. Spike was a
skinny kid when he was younger, a lot less brawny than Marcus was, who was only a few years older than him. They had fought lots of times growing up, and
each time Spike was on the losing end.
He’d wanted revenge for so long and now he was finally going to get it. The anticipation was making him drool.
While Spike began a stare
down with a smirking Marcus, Angel’s eyes sought out his last surviving
relative and his enemy.
He sat pensively at his
desk, a glass of whiskey in one hand while the other hand lay flat on the desk.
His eyes were hard as steel as he looked into his Nephew’s eyes. That one look
from his Uncle told Angel all that he needed to know.
“Angelus, William, I trust
you saw Wilkens and gave him the diamonds?”
They nodded.
Uncle took a drink, his eyes
never leaving their faces, knowing that he stared death right in the eye.
“I was expecting three of
you.”
“Oz would rather eat razor
blades than be in the same room as you.” Spike answered.
Quentin nodded his head, a
small smile on his lips as he tipped his drink toward Spike. “Yes well he never was the blood thirsty
type, not like you two. Oh well, to each is own.”
His gaze swung back to
Angel’s. “So, this is what it’s come to then, after everything that I did for
you two and Daniel? Disrespectful whelps.” His hook his head scolding them.
“Everything you did for us?”
Angel took a step closer his face darkening with anger. “You killed my parents,
your own brother. You set up a bad heist
that put Spike and Oz’s parents in jail. Do you really think that we’re going
to be grateful?”
Uncle shrugged coldly, “half
brother.”
Angel’s anger increased with
his Uncle’s dismissive attitude. “He was still your blood. You betrayed your friends, you betrayed your
family. You betrayed everything that the
Order stood for. Good people died because they trusted you.”
“Good people?” Quentin
scoffed. “No. Stupid and weak people
just like you two.” His eyes burned with loathing as he looked between them.
Spike took a step forward
his face a mask of pure rage. “You bastard.”
Angel put a hand on his
chest, trying to calm is friend.
Quentin smiled evilly at
Spike, “Bastard? Well I guess that would be correct wouldn’t it? But what do
you expect when you have a whore for a mother who spread her legs to the
sullied Irish bastard that was my father.” He sneered.
Angel’s eyes crinkled with
anger as resentment flowed through his veins. He couldn’t stop the raw emotion
that seethed from his voice as he spoke, and it was the one time that he didn’t
care. “My grandfather was a good and
decent man.”
“Indeed. To
his heirs…to Liam.”
“You ungrateful son of a
bitch,” Angel sneered at him. “He took you in. He brought you to his home,
taught you everything that you know and you have the balls to sit there and say
he didn’t?”
“Oh yes he took me in. He
cared so much for me that it took him ten years to come and get me. Ten years I
spent living in a hovel in
“You can’t hold that against
him. He didn’t even know you existed. And when he did, he came for you. Took
you into his home and raised you like his son.”
“Yes. But by then the damage
had been done, didn’t it. By then I was
hardened to the rules of the world, and its truth was blinding to me. You have
to take care of yourself or no one well.
When he introduced me to the order it was the business end of it only.
He didn’t want me, his half Irish and half British bastard to do jobs. I wasn’t
good enough for that. Those were reserved for Liam, the favored child that had
been born with the gift, like you two.” He scornfully said.
Angel couldn’t believe what
he was hearing, the man sitting before him was someone he had never seen
before. A man filled with insecurities and hatred. Hatred for a father that he
thought never cared enough for him.
“That’s what all of this has been about?
Jealously and revenge! You’re pathetic. You’re nothing but a sorry
bitter old man.”
“I did what I had to do to
survive.”
“No this wasn’t about
survival you were saved. You were
brought into a family that loved you and gave you everything. But you, you were
just too twisted to see it for what it really was. You shunned the family that made you one of
their own. You took something that was sacred and turned it into a means to
better yourself. Innocent people died because of you and your greed.”
Quentin sighed and shook his
head. “You are so blind Angelus, both of you are. There is no such thing as
innocent men in this business. We kill
and we steal all under the fictitious belief that we are being noble. No. We are bad men…all of us. There is no trust,
there is no honor in thieves.”
“No you turned it into
that. It was your doing that blackened
the Order. There are still many of us left that believe in what the Order
stands for and will see it restored to its noble roots.”
Quentin chuckled, “you can
believe that all you want son but the truth is the truth. And one day you’ll
learn that.”
He smiled at him knowingly;
it was that smile that sent shivers of dread down Angel’s spine. The one that
told Angel that Uncle knew something that Angel didn’t.
Lifting his glass, Quentin
drank down his whiskey. His eyes closing savoring the drink as it slid down his
throat. Placing the glass back down on
the desk his eyes opened and looked once more at Angel. “Somehow I always knew
that you wouldn’t see things my way. You’re too much like Liam.”
Angel smiled, “Thanks for
the compliment.”
Quentin’s voice turned hard,
“and just like him, you have no idea when you’re being insulted. So…I suppose
our FBI friends will be arriving any minute now.”
Angel nodded.
“You know, I can’t let them
take me in?” Quentin said.
Angel and Spike both smiled,
“We were hoping you’d say that.”
Everything was one big blur
then. Guns were drawn and bullets were
fired. Four men stood facing each other.
In the end, after the smoke cleared and the room was silent once more, only two
men stood.
Marcus lay dead to the right
of the desk a bullet lodged in his brain. And Uncle’s still body was slumped
over his desk, his gun in his hand, and his empty glass of whiskey shattered
next to him.
The peaceful silence of the
room didn’t last though as gunfire and loud angry voices could be heard coming
from the lower levels of the building.
“We have to move fast.”
Spike said as he ran around to the desk, kicking Marcus as he passed. “Asshole.”
He pushed Uncle off the desk
and he landed on the carpet face down with a dead thud. Quickly he started
opening drawers and grabbing anything he could that looked important.
As if in a daze, Angel
walked over to his Uncle and stared down at him. He had envisioned this moment for so long
that he was having a hard time feeling anything but bewilderment. It almost felt like it was a dream. But the
more he stood there, the more he stared into his Uncle’s lifeless eyes and
watched as his blood drained from his wounds and soaked into the carpet,
elation and a sense of righteousness filled him. He felt as if his father was
smiling down on him. It was a good
feeling. One that he never thought he would feel again. And the longer he stood there thinking of all
the years he spent without his parents, and how hard everything had been for
him, Spike and Oz, disappointment and regret filled him.
“It doesn’t seem fitting
enough, his death, it was too fast.” His voice was low filled with emptiness
and malice.
“I know mate and I agree
with you, but we don’t have the bleeding time to stick him like a pig now. Just
grab his keys.”
Leaning down, Angel sifted
through Uncle’s pockets and pulled out his wallet and keys.
“Death is too good for you.”
He whispered.
Grabbing the collar of
Quentin’s jacket he ripped it in two then proceeded to rip his dress shirt,
revealing the mark of the Order on Quentin’s shoulder…the gryphon.
Reaching down into his boot
Angel pulled out a knife. With a smile of satisfaction on his face he sliced
the patch of skin with the tattoo on it off of his uncle’s body.
“By The Order of Aurelia I
strip you, he who is unworthy, he who has tarnished all that
he as touched, of the hallowed mark of our beloved clan. May those that have perished by your hand
find comfort in this deed, and may your soul rot in the pits of hell…forever.”
“Aye. Rot
in hell.” Spike said as he stood by and watched Angel remove the consecrated
mark from the man that had no right to wear it.
Standing up Angel pulled out
a leather pouch and put the patch of skin inside of it for the ritual that they
would perform later. It was a somewhat
barbaric tradition, the burning of a traitors mark, but to Angel, Spike and Oz,
it meant everything. It meant that they had accomplished their mission and
restored the order. As the skin would burn in the flames, they would know that
the souls of the fallen would finally rest in peace.
The noise from below grew
louder and Spike walked over to the safe. He held out his hand just as Angel
threw him the keys. Opening it, he grabbed the little bit of paperwork that was
inside and then stuffed it in his jacket. “Got it.”
Throwing the keys back to
Angel, he opened the window. “Ready?”
Angel took one last look at
his Uncle. It was the last time he was ever going to see him and he wanted to
remember him just the way he was; dead in a pool of his own blood and stripped
of everything that he had held so dear. “Yeah.”
Quickly the stepped out of
the window and on to the narrow fire escape, leaving the office and the carnage
behind, they made their way to the roof, disappearing into the night.
The second they left the
room the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Kate and five other agents
walked out and into the office only to find their target dead.
“Shit.” She said as her eyes
took in the ransacked desk and the open and empty safe.
“Damn you Angel.” He had betrayed her. There was nothing here
for her. Uncle was dead and she knew without even looking that Angel cleaned
the place out.
“Ma’am, what do we do now?”
one of the agents asked.
“Round up everyone that’s
not dead and book em.”
The agents turned and left
to do as they were told leaving Kate standing there steaming.
He lied to her. Oh she got
the Mayor and all of his goons and that was a good bust. But the one that she
really wanted, the one that she really needed to progress in her career was
denied her.
“You have another thing
coming Angel if you think I’m going to just go away.”
Turning she headed back to
the elevator.
The girl, what was her
name…Buffy, that’s right. Kate knew there was something familiar about her,
something more than just seeing her in a magazine. She also knew that Buffy was Angel’s weak
spot and she was going to do everything in her power to exploit it.
She was going to bring him
down to his knees, him and everyone else in their crooked crew. They were all
going to go down for this betrayal.