Agent finds a Warrior (12 page)

‘Patience and time. Time and patience.’

I smiled, as I remembered the words of the
old Russian General long since faded from the active consciousness
of the world for his significance in being a part of the historic
events that shaped history during the Napoleonic era.

During the time of Napoleon, Emperor of
France, Russia had been a world power and a threat to Napoleon’s
uncontested rule over all of Europe. In direct response to that
threat Napoleon had marshaled an army and invaded Russia.

He’d destroyed the Russians first attempts
to stop the invasion in brutal military fashion. The Russians had
enacted a new strategy against the stronger and better disciplined
French army. They had retreated back into the vastness of Russia,
only fighting light engagements and never committing the bulk of
the remaining army left over from their earlier defeats.

It had been a plan that had called for a lot
of patience on the part of the Russians, as they saw their country
burned and pillaged by the French. They had even sacrificed Moscow
to the French, as they let time go by.

Then the time came for patience to be at an
end. The Russians with their continual retreat had lured Napoleon
over a thousand miles into Russia. The harsh Russian winter hit and
the French were not prepared for it.

Out of food and supplies Napoleon had no
choice but to either retreat from Russia or starve to death in
Moscow. He chose to leave Russia. His army starving, disorganized
and strung out on the march had no chance when the better winter
conditioned Russian troops closed in for the kill.

Napoleon lost his entire army and was never
as strong again. When he abdicated and went into exile the first
time it was largely because the Russian Cossack Calvary were
pressing their way into France from the East ahead of the Prussians
and British coming in from the West.

The thought of what the vengeance of the
Russian Cossacks would be if they gained control of Paris was an
unconscionable thought for any Frenchman including Napoleon.
Napoleon had burned Moscow and in retribution it was clear that
Paris would receive the same treatment at the hands of the
Russians.

I had fought against Napoleon and his
tyrannical reign. I had fought in so many wars through the
years.

I had killed so many.

I liked to think that I had saved more by my
actions than I had killed, but I wasn’t sure.

I heard the click of a door opening and all
thoughts of war and the past left me, as I stepped away from the
wall in speechless awe as Zora came walking towards me smiling.

Her dress was of a light violet color
in-seamed with silver highlights that set off her smooth brown skin
to perfection. Her black curly hair was swept up into an artful
array of curls banded together by a silver coil of rope braided
within her curly tresses.

Pearl earrings and a pearl necklace although
simple in design were classic elegance on her. The makeup behind
her eyelids built on the violet and silver color of her dress, even
as silver high heels peaked out at the bottom of her dresses hem,
her toes bedecked with a silver purple polish as were her
fingernails.

Her eyes roamed over me admiringly as she
stepped up close and drifted her hands down from my shoulders along
my arms to grasp my hands. Her eyes looked into mine as she said,
“Ready to take me dancing handsome?”

I really tried to say something. Something
to express what I thought of her, but nothing came.

Her fingers touched my lips and her eyes
looked moist as she said, “You’ve already said more than words
could ever say with just one glimpse into your eyes.” She kissed me
sweetly then before looping her arm through mine, as I led her away
shaken inside as to the depth of how much God had blessed me to be
here right now with this woman.

All I did was stare at her as the elevator
lowered to the level of the ballroom floor. The doors opened and a
quiet hush fell over the people in the lobby as they gazed in awe
at one of God’s finest creations, who somehow I was lucky enough to
be next to. I’d never felt so humbled or loved before.

In the awed silence of the ballroom lobby a
little girls voice broke the silence loudly, “Is she a princess
mommy?”

Zora smiled radiantly down at the awestruck
little girl and I stopped and briefly knelt down beside of her. The
girls shocked eyes met mine as I said, “She was a princess, but now
she is my queen. Save yourself little Princess and someday bless a
man by being his queen even now as I am blessed.”

I slipped the carnation from my coat lapel
and handed it to her and I could tell I’d made an impression on her
young life. I straightened up to see the girl’s mother whisper,
“Thank you.” wordlessly as tears fell down her face.

I nodded and reclaimed Zora’s arm and headed
for the open ballroom beyond snapping off an orchid bloom the color
of Zora’s dress on a nearby display to replace the carnation I had
given away.

It was time to dance.

The ball had just begun upon our entrance
and I led Zora through the throng, which made a way open before us
at the sight of us.

In the middle of the floor I turned and took
Zora’s hand lightly, as I brought her against me with my other hand
commandingly placed against the small of her back as her other hand
settled on my shoulder. The orchestra started and we began to flow
with the music never once breaking eye contact with each other.

Her eyes looked wet as she stared at me, as
I dipped her in a move of the dance over my arm. I thought
projected into her mind, “Don’t you dare cry!”

Her smile widened and she blinked her eyes
to get rid of the moisture that had gathered, “Thank you for this
so much Elon! You’ve made a dream of mine come true.”

“You’ve given me a new goal to achieve in
life Zora.” I said as I twirled her way on one hand.

“And what’s that Elon?”

“To make you ridiculously happy every moment
that I’m blessed to share with you.” I said as I pulled her back
toward me.

My words were rewarded with a smile that
would’ve outdone the sun for brilliance.

We moved on across the floor in the rhythm
of the dance when she spoke, “Still I am sorry for your
sacrifice.”

Sacrifice?

She had to be joking. I was having the time
of my life!

Her knowing eyes rose to mine and she said,
“I know you would rather be exploring me in the privacy of a
bedroom rather than waltzing me across this dance floor.”

Her directness was astounding, but she spoke
the truth. Truth or not I was glad that this moment was happening
just the way that it was.

“I can wait. I’m enjoying this almost as
much as I think you are.”

I spun her away in one movement only to spin
her back into my arms. Her head was turned to me as she pressed
back against me and her words though softly spoken, resonated
deeply throughout me, “I can’t wait to experience you having your
way with me.”

I stifled a groan even as I attempted to
keep up with the dance. Soft laughter peeled out of her.

I shook my head as I came to grips with the
reality that I was married to a temptress. I wouldn’t have it any
other way though.

“You’re beautiful. I mean truly beautiful.
There’s nothing about you that does not torment me with desire or
enrapture me with emotional intimacy. I’m so glad that after all
these years of waiting and yearning that you’re the one that I’m
going to experience the passion and creation of life with.”

Her smile this evening had always been
radiant, but now her eyes were moist and for a panicked moment I
thought I’d make her ruin her makeup. I searched for something to
divert her emotions before a tear fell leaving a trail through her
makeup.

She swung into me and looking down I saw my
opportunity of diversion presented by the soft warm rise of her
chest above the lacy edge of her dress.

“You have an amazing pair of breasts.”

A spurt of laughter escaped her and spinning
her away I saw her roll her eyes at me. She knew what I was up to,
but my plan had worked. The emotional wetness of her eyes was gone
replaced now with tempting reproof of my ribald comment.

I shrugged. I wasn’t going to take back what
I’d said, because it was the truth.

“I’m so glad that you think I’m…… how to put
it….a handful.” She said with a smirk.

I grinned big as I said, “In more ways than
just the two I’ve made mention of.” Her eyes narrowed and I laughed
at how easily she’d walked into that one.

Her eyes turned calculating and I stopped
laughing. She’d be out for revenge now.

I saw the exact moment that a plan emerged
by which to enact revenge and I braced myself.

She pressed into me and I almost didn’t hear
her whisper, “I have a birthmark.”

I stumbled slightly and her eyes laughed at
me even as she drove home her dagger, “It’s very hard to find.”

It was going to be a long three and a half
hours.

The door slammed shut behind me and Zora
jumped slightly. Easy, calm down, I cautioned myself. This was no
time to go scaring her.

I deepened my breathing as I tried to calm
down. She fully turned to me and I advanced slowly towards her, “A
man couldn’t ask for a better partner than you either on the dance
floor or in life’s journey.”

She smiled, “Thank you Elon! Thank you for
all of this!” She said as she pulled at her dress and briefly
touched the pearls at her neck.

“It is a beautiful dress, but you make it
look stunning.”

She glanced down at it and then raised her
eyes back up to mine, “It is a very nice dress, but I don’t mind if
you rip it off me right now.”

How on Earth was I supposed to stay calm
when she kept saying explosive comments like that, but I hadn’t
denied myself for so long without some strength of will. I reached
out and fingered a strap that slipped over one bare shoulder,
“That’s a very tempting offer, but I very much want to see you in
this dress again someday. So I’ll take it off gently, but then I’ll
rip whatever else you have on off.”

She gave a spurt of nervous laughter and I
kissed her laughing lips. My fingers hooked under her straps and I
started to pull them down as she obediently stood still before me,
when a familiar noise made its way into my passion infused
consciousness.

I opened my eyes not breaking the kiss and
looked off to the side. My phone was jumping up and down buzzing
and flashing red. I crammed my eyes back shut.

No! Not now!

I went on with the kiss, but I couldn’t do
it. I broke off the kiss, “I’m sorry.” I said before stepping away
to pick up my hated phone.

Phone was a small word for it. My phone was
a veritable supercomputer. It certainly had the capabilities of
one.

It had a virtual built in intelligence that
continually monitored countless factors and occurrences from all
around the world in real time. I used it to keep myself apprised as
to the what, why and where of stuff happening around the world that
needed my attention.

Alerts were based on priorities and the
endangerment of children was one of my highest priorities, which is
what this alert was. I set the phone down and walked over and
flipped on the TV.

A concerned looking newscaster was
blathering away in Italian, “Authorities were notified at 5 PM
today by concerned parents wanting to know the whereabouts of their
missing children. The children, a class of 35 sixth-graders were on
a field trip to the cultural center of the city. They were due back
in by 2 PM at the latest, but when they hadn’t showed parents grew
restless and tried to contact the group’s leaders, but they got no
one to respond. At 7 PM today the school bus was found in a
deserted alleyway. The driver had been shot along with one of the
activity coordinators for the field trip. The only other adult not
accounted for was the children’s teacher. An alert was put out, but
no trace of the children has been discovered. At 11:30 PM this
evening local authorities received a ransom video from an
anarchical group called September Dawn, which has been linked to
several government bombings over the past few years. Authorities
have not released the ransom video and it is unclear whether or not
the demands can be met or to exactly what they are.”

I worked away briefly at my phone, as I
bypassed the security parameters of the police in order to upload
the ransom video that they had received. A shaky video came up on
the screen of my phone, which was focused in on a group of
petrified looking children who sat on a dirty looking floor. A
masked man held up a large machete and made a swinging motion with
it, which had the children pulling together in fear.

A sign was held up in front of the camera
that read, “Nine hours, €10 million and the release of the five
September Dawn members that you have in prison or we’ll cut a kid’s
head off every half hour, until our demands are met or we run out
of kids.” The video abruptly ended.

I felt a touch at my hand and glanced to
Zora who said, “I’ll go get changed.”

I nodded and she left.

I flipped the TV off before I put my fist
through the screen.

I hated technology, but it was useful. But
most of all I hated anyone who would do harm to a child.

My 3 ½ hours until I could experience
paradise on Earth had suddenly stretched out to an eternity with no
certain future, but that was a small thing to consider when the
lives of children hung in the balance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zora glanced at Elon. He looked mad enough
to kill and that was good for the place they were walking into
looked like a place that needed some killing done in it. She
stepped off to the side of the main door and pressed up against the
wall in a spot from which she could cover the room if need be.