Chapter Sixteen

Anubis glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He'd washed the auburn tint out of his hair. His natural dark brown hair, golden eyes, and darker complexion made blending with the native population in Suriname fairly easy. He could pass as Creole, one of the two larger demographics of the South American country. Most people in the States didn't realize those of a Creole background didn't necessarily all live in Louisiana-were not original to anywhere in the US, for that matter. Anubis had learned enough Taki-Taki, or Surinamese, to get by with the locals. His Dutch was fluent and most of the country spoke English, but he didn't want to identify himself as an American for a myriad of reasons.

The one and only direct flight from the States to Suriname had landed about an hour ago, but just as he had, Asp would find an alternate means into the country. He found a table at the back of the café facing the Garden of Palms, or the back garden of the Presidential palace. The café was small but had four entrances and exits, one of which wasn't common knowledge. He'd found the café when he worked the Haghen case. The crime rate in this portion of the city capital was minimal, so he didn't need to concern himself with anything that would draw the attention of nation's police force to him or Asp.

Anubis ordered a coffee and pretended to read a local paper, studying the people inside and outside the café, but it wasn't the population that held his interest. Not four blocks from where he sat, Faas was sequestered in his capital city residence. Anubis had quickly reestablished his contacts in the country and paid handsomely for the information. He knew the minimum necessary to get into the compound, but from that point forward, he'd be playing everything by ear.

A large shadow loomed over his table. Anubis kicked out the chair next to him and lifted his finger to the waiter that hovered not far away.

"You don't need to order me a new one, you haven't touched yours." Asp's Dutch was damn near accent free.

"True, but it is the socially acceptable thing to do." Anubis hoisted his eyes up and smiled. Asp let out a bark of laughter turning just about every head in the café.

"Since when have we done anything that could be remotely considered socially acceptable?" Anubis shook his head and folded the newspaper.

The waiter arrived with the coffee. Asp smiled at the young man and asked in damn near flawless Taki-Taki if they had peanut soup with tomtom available. The man's face split into a huge grin as he answered so rapidly Anubis almost missed his affirmative reply. Asp ordered the food and turned back to Anubis.

"What? It was a long drive." Asp leaned back making the small bistro chair groan.

"Right."

Asp chuckled at Anubis's dry retort before he checked to make sure they were not within hearing distance of anyone. He lowered his voice and moved forward so there was no way anyone could overhear them. "How are you going to do it?"

"Polonium 210."

Asp drew a sharp breath and glanced around the café again. "Where the fuck will you get that shit?"

"Russia." Well, actually, it was from a contact in Vancouver who knew people, but the man across from him didn't need to know that. Asp leaned back and crossed his arms, staring at Anubis. Hell, Anubis could almost see the wheels in his companion's head turning.

"When will you administer it?"

"I already have."

"Already administered?"

Anubis nodded and gave a slight motion toward the kitchen where the waiter emerged with a huge bowl of peanut soup. The fragrance of the Madame Janette peppers and the size of the mashed-up plantain balls, or tomtoms was mouthwatering. Nevertheless, Anubis would settle for the aroma as eating something someone else had prepared wasn't going to happen.

"Then why the fuck are you here?" Asp breathed the question as he took a bite of the soup. He rolled his eyes and moaned in some kind of food-induced orgasmic shudder.

Anubis shrugged, "He should be starting to feel the effects."

"Again, I ask, why are you here?"

"I want him to know who killed him and why."

Asp glanced up from the soup he was shoveling into his mouth. He held Anubis's gaze for a long moment before dropping his regard to the thick broth under his spoon. Asp carefully sat the spoon down and straightened in his chair. He crossed his arms and spoke with concise, clipped words. "I've never known you to be careless, but this idea is ludicrous. Hell, it could even get you killed. Then where would your family be?"

Anubis leaned forward, and he nailed the table with his index finger, stabbing the paper. Asp's eyes followed and widened. There was an article accounting the mass murder that occurred in a small town in the rainforest not twenty miles away. The entire town slaughtered for no other reason than for Faas's people to move in and take over a profitable gold-mining operation owned by the village co-op. "You said you wanted to know everything there was to know about your assignments. I followed suit. Not only has this bastard tried to kill my daughter's mother and use that little girl as bait to lure me out and kill me, but he has also killed hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women and children in this country to fill his accounts. The political structure here is so damn corrupt they turn a blind eye as long as revenue to their bank accounts grows. At his direction, his men wiped out this village. He's taken young women out of their homes, away from their families to service him. They never go home, Asp. He runs a human trafficking ring taking street children from the cities in Brazil and ships them out to rich first-world countries. He is responsible for the major drug routes through the country and is profiting from selling it not only in Suriname, but in Guiana in the west and French Guiana in the east. He is sadistic; he is relentless, and he is mine."

Asp leaned forward and met Anubis's anger with his own. "Was yours. He's already dead."

"But he doesn't know why."

"He doesn't need to know."

"I disagree."

"You're not an avenging angel. That isn't what we do."

"What are you? An ethical assassin?"

"It is not what we do at Guardian."

"Maybe it should be." Anubis met his stone-cold stare with one of his own. This wasn't a dossier driven assignment or an imperative mission. Faas had tried to kill Sky. The same monster had been willing to kidnap his little girl to get to him. Asp said he needed background when he hunted. Anubis had provided him ample background.

Anubis shook his head and spread out his hands. "What the fuck am I missing here? You needed background, and I gave it to you. I could use your assistance. Watch my back while I get in that compound. He has a small army guarding him. What more information do you need? I'll get it for you."

Asp sighed. "The only information I needed, you already gave me. The man is already dead. You have your vengeance, and the scales are level. Facing him down isn't necessary, or smart."

"I need it." Anubis ground the reply out between clenched teeth. He did. He had to see Faas. He needed to see the man's face when he realized why he was dying.

"No, I'm sorry, Ani. I can never go there again. Sanctioned dossiers only. Take it from someone who has innocent blood on their hands… don't go there, my friend. You may not be able to find your way back."

"He tried to kill my woman, and he would have killed my daughter once they lured me out. They deserve justice." Anubis leaned back in his chair and stared at his friend.

Asp picked up his spoon and stirred the soup without really paying attention to the food in front of him. He glanced up at Anubis. "If you need my help on this, I'll give it, but if you cash in that chip you can consider our association over. You'll lose my contact information. I can't cross that line, not for you… not for anyone." He put the spoon down, crossed his arms over his chest and held Anubis with an unblinking stare. "Answer something for me?"

Anubis moved his eyebrow up in response, too pissed to reply.

"If you go in there tonight and shit goes south. You die…what do you want Guardian to tell your daughter? What are they supposed to tell Sky? That you'd tied up all the loose ends but wanted to prove a point, and it killed you? Stop thinking about yourself, Ani. You have the miraculous gift of a family now, something the rest of us will never have. Go after them, not some selfish sense of revenge." Asp stood and dropped a business card and stack of money on the table. "You let me know what you decide. That's my contact information here in Suriname." The big man turned around and left.

Anubis watched as he slipped out the door and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Plucking up the contact information, he pocketed the valuable card. In Suriname, there wasn't reliable cell service so knowing where to locate Asp was important.

He pushed the newspaper away from him and glanced out the window. Everything that Asp said was true. Everything. Why couldn't he just walk away, knowing that Faas would die a slow, torturous death? He knew exactly how the radiation would kill the man's organs, the way his body would shut down and slowly cease to exist. Hell, the entire world would know that he'd been assassinated if the hospital diagnosed the symptoms correctly. That the hospital in Suriname would be able to make that diagnosis was a stretch. There would be no reason to check for radiation poisoning.

Fuck… why wasn't it enough? Anubis knew, deep down, he knew why it would never be enough. For the first time in his Shadow life, he had something to lose. Someone to lose and they were precious to him. He needed the absolute certainty that Faas would never be able to reach out and hurt his family. He needed to look at Faas and see the sickness working its way through his body. He needed the closure.

Anubis got up, dropped another bill on the table for his untouched coffee, and left through the back of the facility. He was literally ten minutes walk from where Faas lived. Anubis paused outside the café to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He leaned against the side of the building and surveyed his surroundings, noting the couple making out across the street. They were oblivious to the world, only involved with each other. An old man and woman strolled toward him as they chatted in low melodic voices. Their gnarled hands interweaved between them. There was a couple desperately trying to placate a tired toddler at the corner. Their low gentle hushes finally worked, settling the child. The couple looked at each other as the baby grabbed the bottle the husband was able to dig out of the diaper bag. He could see the connection between them. He could see all the aspects of humanity that he'd walked away from, ignored, and avoided since he started work with Guardian.

Anubis pushed away from the wall and headed west towards Faas's compound. He should have put a bullet in the man's brain when he had the chance in San Francisco. Fucking hindsight… it was always 20/20.