49 Cornering Val

ORIGINAL CONTENT OF D.C. BLU. DO NOT COPY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION. PLAGIARISM IS CRUEL. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.

49: Cornering Val

For two days after Matt’s break in, Val was without her puppy. Some kind of last minute trip, so she didn’t get to see him, but they talked on the phone. But she needed something to do to keep from thinking about him.

Because of Domenic, she couldn’t do her normal consulting job, but being without work annoyed her. 

It wasn’t safe to tinker with some of her concoctions outside of a controlled lab, so she couldn’t do that yet.  The warehouse on the waterfront she acquired to help her work on her “hobby” was still being setup and many of her more sensitive chemicals couldn’t be delivered via air so they were coming slowly on ship. 

Then there was her other “hobby” that she worked on with Christophe, but she left that with him and she wasn’t going halfway around the world, potentially exposing him.

She could always work at the foundation however, they had so many volunteers now she’d just be in the way until Friday. Maybe it was time to find another place to volunteer…

She’d never been so idle before. It was maddening…

Coming back from an afternoon jog, she was about to cross the street when she noticed a stretch SUV limo blocking the street. Instinct told her to go the other way, but when she turned several big men in suits were right behind her, daring her to run. One quickly grabbed her iPod and earbuds, another pushed her forcing her toward the waiting vehicle with dark tinted windows.

“He was always so impatient.” She sighed strutting forward.

A guard waiting by the limo, opened the back door. She ducked inside to find no Domenic. Most of the guards crowded in the back with her making her move closer to the front where the partition peeked just enough to see the driver. They definitely didn’t want her jumping out while the vehicle was moving. And in New York City’s traffic she could easily get out and walk away.

Once seated comfortably, she closed her eyes and waited for the car to get moving. And just as she thought, they were going nowhere fast.

She waited until they were about a block away before she reached up as if to run a hand through her hair. She caught hold of the tiny vial clipped under her hair and pulled it from the wavy locks as if she were fixing them to be just right.

Without making any sudden movements, she gracefully crossed her leg at the knee and clasped her hands on the one propped highest, all while dropping the micro vial. The moment it hit the floor, she moved her shoe to cover it, then dug her heel in releasing the tear gas like substance.

The moment she heard the pop of glass, she held her breath, closed her eyes, and counted.

Val could hold her breath for twenty minutes, as she was trained to. With airborne toxins, holding ones breath was absolutely vital. Some toxins slowed moving if the air was stagnant, yet the effects more potent. Some toxins moved fast in high airflow yet dispersed more quickly making them less effective. Thankfully they had the windows closed and the airflow seemed minimal since the group of them were breathing it in faster than the car could pump it out.

Soon the coughing would start. Followed by choking. Then the lack of oxygen would make them all pass out. It wouldn’t kill them, she refused to do that while she was still in the car leaving the possibility of fingerprints and cloth fibers of her jogging wear as evidence. And there was the uncertainty of witnesses who might have seen her get in the car. No she couldn’t kill with so many unknown variables. Plus, it was against the code.

She felt a sudden gust of air and contained her amusement. They thought they could vent the vehicle and avoid the effects. Too bad. Once the coughing began, it was too late.

When the car no longer moved, and the sounds of choking stopped. Val waited five more seconds. Then she opened her eyes and looked around at the bodies that twisted around each other as if trying to get to the door. One door was open, but the guard never stepped foot out.

There was honking outside as traffic grew impatient.

Val crawled over the cascade of big bodies until she found her iPod and earbuds. Her lungs protested, urging her to breath the more she moved around. After finding her stuff, she crawled the rest of the way toward open air. Once on her feet, she closed the door behind her. And took a deep cleansing breath.

Without stopping, Val jogged back to her hotel. She got on her phone, made a quick emergency call to police about a “suspicious vehicle stalled in the street”, then she showered any residuals of the toxic fumes off her skin.

Getting dressed and checking her supply of “necessities” she called Roger.

“Ma’am.”

“Roger, what’s Norman up to right now?” She asked picking up a tiny vial just like the one she just destroyed from the briefcase.

He didn’t answer right away, probably wondering why she started the conversation about a bodyguard she never asked for and rarely brought up on her own in conversation. Finally he asked, “Do you need him, m’lady?”

“Not for me. I’m being watched too closely by Ricci, Bellini, Sadik, and another I’m not sure about. I can’t move freely so I need someone to move for me. Have Norman shadow someone. Covertly. Is he capable?”

“He better be. I’ll give him the order.”

“Tell him the order is from me. And if he fails I’ll personally remove him.”

Roger cursed.

Val hung up and sent him the details.

Then she sat sighing, wishing Matt wasn’t away on business. She knew having him here was dangerous, but him being away…annoyed her for reasons she didn’t want to admit. I need to stop thinking about him…nothing good will come of this… Time for a change of scenery.

Dressed in a flattering rose dress and ready for a night on the town, she went down to the hotel lobby at dusk only to find Domenic standing by the front desk talking to the staff. After Matt snuck in, she’d made it clear to the hotel that she wanted no one else coming to visit her. So they better not give up her room number to the asshole.

He turned his head and spotted her before she could slip away.

“You got my message, I hear.” He smiled something sickeningly beautiful.

“What message?” She asked walking toward the entrance to leave.

“The one you left in the middle of New York,” he said behind her.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That dress looks beautiful on you.” An arm snaked around her waist.

“Let go.” She warned when he pulled her to him. Several pairs of eyes turned in their direction.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing calling the cops on my guards?” He asked in Italian.

“We’re not in you playground anymore, Domenic. I won’t play by your rules. You think you can just walk into my life again and not get your hands spanked. Think again. Now let go.” She shoved at his broad chest threatening to envelope her.

“You owe me for that.” His tone changed to something more seductive. Too bad Matt had him beat.

“I owe you nothing.” She hissed. “You should have kept your people home and off my doorstep.”

“Go on a date with me. A real date or I’ll make sure the cops knows your real name, not the one you pretend is yours. I’m sure they would love to know the wife of a Ricci is right under their nose.”

Val sighed not wanting to play nice, but she didn’t want to be questioned by the police because of Domenic even though she was the one who alerted them of his presence. Sure, all they could get on her was that she was his wife, but if Domenic got pulled in for questioning, they would pull her as well. “Fine. Saturday, eight o’clock. I get to choose the place, because no way in hell am I ending up at your hotel.”

“So be it.” He nodded agreement. He leaned in as if to kiss her, but her lip curling in disgust halted him. “But make it classier than some of the places you’ve been going with that child.”

Her hand itched to hit him. “That child is more man than you’ll ever be. Now. Let. Go!” She demanded.

Noticing hotel security coming toward them, he released her. Val stepped back, put on her professional smile, and bid him good day.

“Let me take you where you need to go,” he said as they exited the building

“No,” she said waltzing to the main road where she caught a cab.

She dropped by a bar and grabbed a drink. Or two. She was on wine glass three when she got a call from Matt.

“Puppy?”

“Want dinner tonight?” His heavy velvety voice made her pulse quicken.

“Wait… your trip?” She frowned.

“Finished. Are you okay? You sound… What did Domenic do?”

“Ambushed me. Not as cute as when you do it. I find myself having to go on another date with him.”

“Where are you?”

She told him before finishing the drink.

“Tell me what happened.”

She did as she poured another glass. She really shouldn’t drink when she was upset. Things just came out of her mouth like, “He still looked good, the asshole.” And, “Why does someone that good looking have to be so damn evil?”

When she got to her fifth glass of wine, she found herself saying even more crazy stuff like, “I miss you… I miss you so much.”

“I miss you, too.”

She pulled her head away from the phone and looked at her phone curiously. He sounded like he was right… She turned around and found herself in his arms.

“No more talking about Domenic. I don’t like his name on your lips.” Then he kissed her. Not caring where they were and that the world could see them, she wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into his kiss.

She barely noticed him taking the wine glass from her grip. Or that he walked them out of the bar with her hanging off his neck, his arms around her waist.

“You smell good,” she said into his neck before placing kisses there.

“How much did you drink?”

“Oh right…I haven’t finished the bottle yet…”

“You want the whole bottle?”

“What I want is to forget today.”

“You should have come to me. I would’ve made you forget.”

She giggled leaning into him as they crowded into a cab, her straddling his lap and clutching him tight. “Yes, you make me forget wonderfully. But I thought you were away…”

“Val, do you want me to go on the date with you?”

“Oh, no, or Domenic will be furious. No. Domenic isn’t nice when he’s furious. He says mean things. Hurts my feelings.” She snuggled into Matt’s strong arms. “Not like you. You make me feel good.” She began grinding her hips thinking of their nights together. “You make me feel so good…”

ORIGINAL CONTENT OF D.C. BLU. DO NOT COPY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION. PLAGIARISM IS CRUEL. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.