It’s a date.
54
The Woman
Lucilla called Denise and spoke for nearly an hour about their journey thus far, and how good it was for them all to be back in the open air.
“How is Lucius doing? Has he been shopping for lack of a better way of putting it?”
“Yes. He seems like a hard one to please, at least romantically. His is perhaps the most inquisitive mind of them all. Always seems to be searching for more.”
“We might hook up with you somewhere along your journey. Would you mind?”
“Mind? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“If we do, we may have a trusted friend with us, a woman. She has been upstairs with us and would love to meet the men before.”
“Yes. Before. Something weighing on the minds of at least a few of us for sure.”
“Not everyone? We’ve less than five days before.”
“Yes. Before. Well Maria and Diana have decided. They’ve no desire to remain here.”
“Two out of six. Better than none.”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to go. I’ll be in touch. Never been to San Francisco. Why don’t we try to meet up there?”
“Sounds perfect. We can have a picnic in the park.”
“Chow.”
“So, how are things?” Layla asked between sips of coffee. She handed a cup to Denise.
“Mmm, this is really great coffee. My compliments. They are okay, it seems, but the deadline is weighing on a few of them.”
“I could imagine. They’d better start shopping for stuff to take with that they will really miss, like a coffee maker.”
“Oh I know. It is a relief we do not have to make that decision.”
“Yes it is. You know, I’ve often wondered what we’d have done had we been invited to leave with Nola and the others?”
“You know, my frame of mind at the time, if you would have been coming with me I would have left in a blink and not looked back,” Denise smiled.
“You still really miss them don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” Denise started a Buddy Holly song on her iPhone; It’s so easy to fall in love.
“Ha, Good choice. I wish this mess was as easy as the last one looking back on it.”
“Me too.”
She received a text from Aja.
I’M READY
“Come on, let’s mosey upstairs.”
Layla followed her up to AC’s world.
“I’ve found the woman,” Aja said.
“The woman? Of your dreams?” Denise grinned.
Aja simply smiled. “Here, take a look at this.”
Denise and Layla walked over to where she was sitting and looked at the computer screen. What they saw staring back at them was the image of a woman with shoulder length black hair, surrounded by a few very muscular men. It was the woman Denise saw directing the assassins that destroyed Coventina’s family and home.
“You know her?” Layla asked, seeing the anger in the look Denise was wearing.
“She is the woman.”
“You mean the woman, at Coventina’s parents place?”
Denise just nodded her head, too angry to speak.
“She is called many things, but her real name is Rosina Stucco,” Aja said.
“Little Rose,” Layla said.
“The men on either side of Little Rose are a few of her thugs. The one on the left is Bruno, and on the right, Gaggi.”
“They don’t look Italian,” Layla said.
“They’re not. They are Romanian. Real nasty fuckers.”
“So, how is she tied into those who lost a small fortune when we took Coventina out of their hands?” Denise asked.
“Birds of a feather my dear. She is but one slice in a very big pie, full of some of the nastiest shit humans can do to other humans. Trafficking. Slavery. Sex Slavery. Prostitution. Drugs. Murder. You can keep going from there. It’s quite a list.
“Well I know at least a few of them that are no longer part of that pie,” Layla said.
“Indeed, but it is a very large pie.”
“Is she in Italy?”
“Yes she is.”
Denise walked over to the couch and sat down. “You know I’m going to have to go back there.”
“You mean we’re going to have to go back there,” Layla said, walking over to a chair to sit down.
“I would never assume,” Denise giggled.
“Well you are not going back yet. My work is not finished,” Aja said.
“Not finished?” Denise said.
“No. Why go after a slice or two of the pie when you can finish off the entire pie?”
“The entire pie?”
“Yes. The entire pie.”
55
Triton Hotel
After a day of mapping out all the pieces of the pie together, having already made arrangements with Aya, Denise, Layla and Aja were picked up in the same spot outside Paris and given a lift to San Francisco. They were dropped off already in stealth in Golden Gate Park. From there they made their way first to a Starbucks, then to the Triton Hotel.
Denise weighed how much to tell Lucilla and the others about their plans. She had not been with any of them for days, and could not help but wonder what was on the minds of the legionnaires.
“Look. A parking spot,” Layla said.
“Look. A Starbucks, and right across the street,” Denise said.
“You’ve trained Lucilla well,” Aja laughed.
“Oh yeah.”
“And the boys like it too,” Layla said.
“I am not going up there carrying a dozen lattes,” Denise laughed.
“Did we plan on staying here?” Aja asked.
“Let’s see what today brings. It can’t be that hard to get a room in a city this size if we choose to stay,” Denise said.
“Shall we?” Layla said.
“Let’s.”
We’re on our way up.
Great.
They passed through the lobby to the elevator and took it to the third floor. When the door opened Lucius walked into the elevator looking down at a piece of paper he was holding in his hand and bumped into Aja trying to exit.
“Inquilina, I mean Denise. It is good to see you all. Apologies for my clumsiness.”
“Hello Lucius. What do you have there?”
“A shopping list, for Starbucks,” he smiled. He could not seem to keep his eyes off Aja.
“Aja, Lucius, Lucius, our dear friend Aja.”
“Hello Lucius.”
“Please forgive me. Did I hurt you?”
“No Lucius. I’m used to having my toes stepped on.”
Lucius disappeared behind the closed doors. Denise could see Lucilla standing outside her room waving.
“So that was one of them?” Aja said.
“Yes, and the only one who is still, uhm, single,” Layla said.
“He looked a bit smitten by you my dear,” Denise grinned.
“Of course he did, I mean look at me,” Aja laughed.
“Oh you read my mind again,” Lucilla said when Denise handed her a latte. She followed them into her room where Marcus was sitting by the window. The walls were a combination of bright warm red and white, the floor carpeted in a rich deep shade of purple.
“This is one of the nicest rooms I’ve ever been in, well, in a hotel at least,” Denise said.
“Yes it is. I decided on this one because there is a Starbucks across the street.”
“That’s where these are from, and we just ran into Lucius heading down there with a list in hand,” Layla said.
“Literally ran into us, well one of us. Aja, this is Lucilla and Marcus, guys this is my dear friend Aja.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Lucilla said.
“Any friend of Denise and Layla is a friend of mine,” Marcus said.
“Where’s the rest of the gang, on this floor?”
“Yes. Maria and Diana are doubled up in a room with a f
ew queen size beds. Everyone else has their own place.”
“And how is every one today? Lucius seemed to be in good spirits,” Denise asked.
“Ready to enjoy a day in the park.”
“I hear it’s quite some park,” Layla said.
“I’m sure it’s spectacular.”
They sat down to catch up on everything. Denise did not let anyone know of the plans they were laying yet. She thought it best to discuss it with everyone at the same time.
Aja had many questions for Marcus. She seemed amazed by their presence and the circumstances surrounding it.
There was a knock at the door. It was Lucius with lattes for Lucilla and Marcus.
“Thank you Lucius. It’s a good day to be wired on lattes,” Lucilla laughed, taking the final sips of the first one.
“Well, if you will excuse me,” Lucius said, unable to control a smile as he gazed at Aja on his way out the door.
Excuse me if I’m wrong, but I believe Lucius is REALLY smitten by you, Denise said.
Indeed, Aja giggled.
See, this is not that hard at all.
I could really get used to it.
Denise explained that they were only in town for the day, and would like to get out and see some of the city before heading to the park later.
“Today is on me by the way. This should pay for everything,” Denise said, handing Lucilla an envelope bulging with cash.
“Denise, darling, this is not necessary.”
“We’ll meet you at the park.”
“Enjoy the rest of your morning.”
“We shall.”
56
Golden Gate
The rest of the morning was spent checking out some San Francisco sites.
“I could live here,” Aja said.
“It’s an amazing city. Beautiful,” Layla said.
“Would love to live near an ocean one day,” Denise said.
“I could never live somewhere that is land locked,” Aja said.
“Well, where we are at in Southern Illinois, there are many lakes and they are all quite beautiful.”
“As you know from our tale, we have a lot of experience with lakes from Southern Illinois and points south of there,” Layla laughed.
“You know, the Golden Gate Bridge, I think, has been destroyed in more disaster movies than any other bridge,” Denise said.
“New York has got to be right up there with a city being destroyed by some disaster,” Aja said.
“Where we’re heading on this planet, perhaps just near an ocean and not right on one,” Layla laughed.
“Agreed.”
“Hey. I wonder if the lads have ever had Popeye’s Chicken yet,” Denise said, pointing to one of their restaurants.
“It’s great munching on food.”
“Yeah. Pull over baby. I’ll be right out.”
“I’ll come with you,” Aja said, following her into the restaurant.
They returned to the car with a dozen ten piece boxes of spicy and regular chicken.
“Whattaya feedin an army?” Layla laughed.
“Come to think of it, yes I am.”
They parked on the far western end of the park as instructed, and walked over to a large grassy field just north of the Murphy Windmill. When they arrived, Quintus and Coventina were playing Backgammon on a blanket. Lucilla, Marcus, Anna, Odumnus and Lucius were sitting and lying around watching them.
“Howdy,” Denise said.
“I had a premonition not to bring food because you would. Did you put it in here?” Lucilla smiled, tapping on her head.
“Nope. Honest Injun.”
“Is this all of us? Where are the others?” Layla asked.
“Oh, they’re here, out there somewhere,” Lucilla said.
“I will bet the four of them are already hiding in the bushes shagging away,” Anna laughed.
“Haaa,” Denise said. “Backgammon hmm?”
“Yes. Did you know it is the closest game to one they used to play last time they were here? It was called Tabula.”
“Fascinating,” Aja said, smiling at Lucius.
“Oh, take at look at these. Lucius do you have those dice handy?” Lucilla said.
He reached into a small leather bag he was wearing on his belt, took out a pair of dice and handed them to Lucilla.
“Here. Look at these. He made them, from one piece of bone.”
“Very nice. Lucius you should take up sculpting. They are beautiful,” Denise said.
“Thank you Denise.”
“May I see those?” Coventina said.
Denise walked over and handed them to her.
She started singing quietly as she inspected them. “You got to ro-o-oll me and call me the tumblin’ dice.”
The other women joined in. “Got to roll me, Got to roll me, Got to roll me.”
“Speaking of roll, it looks like at least Diana and Venutius are back from their roll, IN THE BLANKET,” Anna laughed.
“Hungry?” Denise smiled.
“Oh yeah,” Diana sighed, wearing an impish grin.
“Gentlemen, if you have yet to experience a piece of Popeye’s chicken, please, try at least one,” Layla said, passing around a few boxes.
All of the women present could not hold back a huge grin at the looks on the faces of the legionnaires when they bit into their first piece of Popeye’s.
“You have so much delicious food here, now,” Lucius laughed.
“There’s plenty more, so eat up,” Layla said.
The mood remained festive and light until Denise and Layla asked Quintus and Coventina to take a walk with them. Aja remained with the others, having been challenged to a game of Backgammon by Lucius.
“How are you holding up?” Denise asked.
“My grief will always be with me, but it is waning,” Coventina said. “It is being replaced by rage all too easily.”
“Understandably so,” Layla said.
“Quintus, I want to thank you for honoring my advice not to strike back at those who have harmed you, not yet anyway.”
“Not yet?” Quintus said.
“Yes. I cannot give you all the details, and when the time comes I can assure you that you and your men can be there when it happens if you wish.”
“On this, where Quintus goes I go,” Coventina said quietly.
“That of course is your decision.”
“Do you have information? Do you have a plan?”
“I cannot give you the details, simply because we have not laid them all out yet. I can assure you that when the time comes, we will take them ALL down,” Denise said, gazing into the eyes of Coventina.
“I trust you Denise, as does Coventina. We trust you with our lives,” Quintus said.
“Thank you.”
Denise got the impression that Coventina was leaning heavily towards leaving with Quintus. Who could blame her after what happened to her and her family.
Anna was as yet undecided. She still had a large family connection, in hiding and safe, at least for now. Layla thought that when the time came, she would choose to follow Coventina and Odumnus. If that came to be, four out of the six would be opting to leave in a few days.
They could hear Aja & Lucius laughing quietly behind them as they walked back to the Mustang. Aja invited Lucius back to Paris with her. “It will be good to have one of them on hand to coordinate our plans,” she grinned when she told Denise.
Hey.
Yes, Denise said.
If these two get hitched, will they stay or will they go?”
Oh wow, that is a hard one to call. I’d say it would be a 50/50 chance.
I think you’re right.
Layla started singing, “Darling you got to let me know, Should I stay or should I go?”
“If you say that you are mine,” Denise joined in, “I’ll be here til the end of time.”
“So you got to let me know, Should I stay or should I go?”
57
Arles
r /> Aja gazed at the face of Lucius lying in the bed next to her, waiting for his reaction when the morning sunlight seeping in through the window touched it. She found herself attracted to him in a way she had never been attracted to another human, and she had tried quite a few.
When the sunlight finally hit its unintended target, he stirred and opened his eyes slightly, then all the way when he saw Aja staring at him and giggling. “Your eyes are an even more beautiful brown kissed by the morning sun,” she said.
“As are your eyes,” he smiled.
“We’ve got a busy day planned since we are on a deadline,” she said.
“Yes, I know,” Lucius said, stroking her arm gently.
Are you up yet? the voice of Denise whispered in her head.
Almost.
Lots to do today.
I’ll call you shortly.
Well, it doesn’t have to be shortly.
It won’t be, she said, before rolling over to join Lucius in a morning lovemaking session.
“She’s up but,” Denise said.
“It’s kind of like a honeymoon rather than the morning after I think,” Layla smiled before taking a drink of her coffee.
“I think you’re right.”
Denise had just stepped out of the shower when her phone rang.
“Hey, I’ve been thinking,” Aja said.
“You are not leaving your apartment today right?”
“No silly. We have far too much to cover, but it is going to be a gorgeous day today. Why not go somewhere nice, and historic, and go over it all?”
“Sweet. Any place in particular?”
“Well, as this is kind of a Roman odyssey, how about going to visit something absolutely incredible?”
“In France?”
“Yes. Arles. I know it’s on the other side of the country, but that should not be a problem with your vehicle should it?”
“It’s a date. Don’t tell me what’s there. Surprise me.”
“Great.”
“Come down when you’re ready.”
Layla turned off the faucet after finishing the breakfast dishes. “What’s up?”
“Road trip,” Denise said, pouring a cup of coffee.
“All road, or?”
“Probably both. Arles. It’s on the other side of the country.”
“I know where it is. I’ll lay in coordinates when we get started.”
“That far?”
“Well, we are on a deadline after all.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Denise sighed.
They headed south out of Paris and slipped into stealth when Layla saw they could do so unnoticed. She had the coordinates laid in and the Mustang rose into the air and wisped them on their way. She touched down on the A7 just outside the town of Portes-de-Valence. “Seems a shame to not see some of this beautiful country from the ground no?”