Chapter Fourteen: Elena
Finding herself riding on an airplane surrounded by eight men would normally be an uncomfortable experience for Elena, but with Gerard there she knew that she didn’t have anything to worry about. Besides, she knew one of the guys from a previous mission that she and Gerard had done in Italy, and it was honestly refreshing for her to see him again. “Armando, how have you been?” she asked sociably, offering the middle-aged Italian man a gentle smile from where she sat across from him.
“Just fine, thank you for asking,” he said with a grin, his hands moving to straighten the crimson necktie that he was wearing. “I see that you have managed to remain as beautiful as ever, mi amore.”
“Oh, always the flatterer, aren’t you, Armando?” Elena asked, making sure she didn’t allow herself to get too flirtatious with him. She didn’t need to make Gerard jealous by putting him in a situation where he would be able to misconstrue her words. She didn’t need to flirt with any of the other guys; Gerard was more than enough man for her.
“If you two are done with the formalities, we have something rather pressing that we should be focusing our attention on,” Gerard cut in, the manila folder that he had been handed earlier now spread open on the collapsible table that one of the other agents had brought with them. They had just finished going over their plan for how to deal with the mercenaries, yet Elena still wasn’t entirely sure about whether she felt too good about their chances.
“It is just a bunch of modern day pirates that have managed to unwittingly stumble upon a big score. They couldn’t possibly be thinking that someone is going to try and take their treasure away right beneath their noses. I think you guys are worrying too much,” piped up one of the other agents; a Frenchman by the name of Germain Lebatoui.
“The line between stupidity and recklessness is a fine line, Germain. We need to make absolutely sure that we have planned for every situation. I have never had a mission fail because of lack of planning before, and I refuse to allow that to get placed on my record now,” Gerard said, shooting the Frenchman a somewhat dirty look.
“Alright, alright. No need to get your panties all in a bundle,” Germain said patronizingly, holding his hands up in front of him defensively. “I just think that we are psyching ourselves out for something that we can take care of relatively easily.”
“Where do you get this level of confidence from?” asked one of the other agents, a short Asian man who went by the name of Tao Pei. “This is the first time we’ve dealt with rogue mercenaries acting as pirates. The unfamiliar scenario means that we would be wise to use extra caution while we proceed.”
“In my experience, you can plan things out as much as you want, but life is rarely kind enough to allow everything to go exactly like you plan. I’ve gotten where I am today by trusting my gut and my training, and I suggest you guys start doing the same. Beaurocracy can only get you so far in this world, and the people who are able to adapt to situations on the fly are the ones who always make out the best,” Germain said insistently, his hand reaching down to pull his revolver out of its holster so that he could load six bullets into it.
“This is supposed to be a stealth operation. The whole point is that we are supposed to try and get the treasure without them knowing we are here. Only when it seems like contact is unavoidable are we to switch to an offensive plan of action,” a deep voice said, causing Gerard and Elena to turn their heads toward the source of the voice.
A tall black man with a pair of black Terminator-style sunglasses was leaning against his seat, a glass of wine held gently in his right hand, his palm cradling the bottom of the glass due to the stem being held between his fingers. Elena shot a curious look over to Gerard, neither of them being acquainted with the speaker. “I have to agree. Getting ourselves pumped full of lead isn’t going to do anybody any favors.”
“You guys are no fun at all,” Germain complained, clicking the safety into place before returning his revolver to its holster.
“You won’t be complaining so much when we manage to make it out of this alive,” Gerard replied dismissively, his attention moving to pause temporarily on each of the other occupants of the plane. “We’ll be approaching the ship that the pirates have commandeered in a few minutes. Does everyone know what their jobs are?”
There was a gentle murmuring of assent from the other agents, Germain looking slightly cowed from having been chided by Gerard. Elena let out a gentle sigh of relief as she sat back in her chair, doing her best to calm the myriad of thoughts that were currently racing through her mind. Despite her confidence in the abilities of the men that she was surrounded by, it was hard for her to shake off her feelings of hesitation entirely. There was just something about the situation that seemed strange to her, and the nagging suspicion she had felt ever since Charlie had come to get them had not dissipated in the slightest. She stood up to head toward the back of the plane, voicing aloud her desire to use the restroom. Gerard rose from his chair and followed her, the two of them slipping into the bathroom together before locking the door behind them.
“I know that look,” Gerard said quietly, looking down at Elena with a small frown. “You think that something is wrong, don’t you?”
“Nothing ever gets past you, does it?” she asked, letting out a gentle sigh as she sat on the lid of the toilet, looking up at him. “I just can’t shake the feeling that this might be a setup. We have never really worked with any of these other agents before, yet Charlie was insistent that we be placed together in a group. Then we are supposed to fight a whole gang of mercenaries with just the nine of us while not having any information about our enemies aside from what Charlie was willing to put in the briefing file? That just smells like a trap to me.”
“I admit, the circumstances behind this mission are slightly questionable, but why would Charlie betray us? We are two of his best agents, not to mention the fact that I consistently funnel money into his operations. That alone should be good enough for us to get a free pass with Charlie. And while he might be disappointed that we are considering leaving the organization, I don’t think that would be enough for him to send us on a death mission. He recruited us for this before he even knew we were considering leaving,” he said neutrally, his hand reaching out to stroke gently over Elena’s cheek.
“I just don’t want anything happening to us. Especially you, Gerard,” she added quietly, a faint pink blush spreading across her cheeks.
“I appreciate the sentiment. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you either, sweetheart,” he said softly, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. “So long as we make sure to watch each other’s backs out there, I’m sure we’ll be able to come out of this just fine.”
“I wish I could be so confident about everything all the time,” Elena muttered, shaking her head in wonder. “How can you be so sure that things are going to work out?”
She gasped as she felt his arms suddenly move to wrap around her, her face suddenly being pressed gently against his chest. She blushed a little more but didn’t try to pull away, her own arms moving to wrap gently around his waist in reply. “It’s because I am willing to fight to protect the things that are dearest to me,” Gerard replied softly. “So long as I continue to draw breath, I will not let any harm befall you. That is my solemn oath to you.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said softly, gazing up at him with a playful smile. “I don’t want to be made a widow before we even have a chance to get married.”
He smiled at that, pulling back from her slightly, though he kept his hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eyes. “It’s a promise.”
A sudden knock on the door caused both Elena and Gerard to jump, the sound of Armando’s voice coming clearly through the slim door. “It is almost time, you two. Charlie wants us all in the front of the plane again so he can go over the final plan one more time.”
“We’ll be right there, Armando,” Elena called out hurriedly, casting a look back at Gerard, who nodded. “I guess this is it.”
“I guess so,” Gerard said gently, sliding the lock so that he could pull the bathroom door open. “Try not to be too nervous. I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”
She gave him a gentle smile, following him out of the bathroom back toward the front of the plane. She found it slightly strange that Charlie would go through the trouble of renting a commercial airplane for only nine passengers, but she didn’t pause to give it too much thought. She would probably never understand the thought processes of the incredibly rich, and if Charlie wanted to spring for it then who was she to tell him no? At least it ensured that they wouldn’t have to worry about pulling any innocent bystanders into the fray.
Once they returned to where the others were sitting, Elena focused on Charlie, who was standing expectantly near the entrance to the cockpit with a smile on his face. “Ah, I see that we are all together now. Let’s get down to business.”