Agent for a Cause (The Agents for Good) (7 page)

“How is Kevin better?”

“I haven’t taught Kevin any strategies or move combinations. I showed him the functional moves that each piece can make on the board that’s all. He isn’t using any strategy I know of, to defeat me. Strategy doesn’t even come into it, everything he’s done relies on a probability rating with the ability of making a real time analysis of the data and a corresponding choice. His strategy of play is endlessly variable and completely undefeatable.”

She looked very confused now, “I don’t understand? What makes him more special than the computer?”

I thought about how to explain it, “Ever watch the poker games on TV and see the probability rating percentages that they assign each hand?”

She nodded yes.

“Well imagine that each piece on this board is like a poker hand. Kevin is monitoring every piece all the time. He’s getting data specific to each piece. Mine and his and more importantly he’s making real-time decisions that are spread over multiple platforms of layering. The first move I make is a signal that I’ve already lost the game bearing a miracle taking place. With the movement of my pawn forward he has an instant probability rating for each piece on the board like the computer does, but he goes deeper than that. He has a probability figure for every conceivable move all the way through to the end of the game, based off of one move. His probabilities aren’t high in the beginning, but by the time we actually start taking each other’s pieces I’d say he has a one hundred percent probability of victory. His path to that victory can change, but the result is the same. I can project what the ballpark probability for the pieces on the board are at any given point in time. That’s basic chess playing, but what he’s doing effortlessly, is on a whole different level. I could start him out with half the pieces I have and he’d still likely win, it would just take longer.”

Anna stared at Kevin for a moment as he watched a bird in a nearby park tree. The depth of Kevin’s smartness, which she had known existed but not to the degree that it was, still surprised her. People in general tended to view Kevin as less in terms of ability and worth. To find out that he was actually more advanced than perhaps anyone was a mother’s dream come true. But with that dream came responsibility.

“What should I do with his talents?”

“Teach him to play high-stakes poker.”

“Tyre!!!”

Anna exclaimed and I chuckled and sat back from the table, “What? He’d make a killing at it.”

“Be serious, please!” Anna said with her hands on her hips.

I sobered up and gave her my full attention, “If you want my honest opinion I’d advise you to hide his capabilities. People would do worse than simply kill in order to gain control of an intellect such as Kevin’s. Child protégés are nothing new or the abuse of them for the profit of others.”

Anna nodded and watched Kevin for a while.

“Whether he becomes a high-stakes poker player or not it’s time that I got Kevin his dinner and him settled down for the night.”

At those words Kevin turned to look at her. “That’s right you’re sleeping tonight in your bed if all you do there is to lie awake and stare at the ceiling!” Anna said firmly.

Kevin didn’t like it, but he quieted down when she pulled the iPad out.

“If you lie in your bed and behave you can have this. Mommy is going to be busy tonight and she does not need you underfoot.”

Kevin mollified with the iPad relinquished his objection to going to bed. We all headed back to our apartments. I saw them to their door. After Kevin had gone in Anna turned to me and hugged me fiercely for a long moment before letting go and stepping back.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“For being such a wonderful man!” She replied softly her gaze on me entrancing.

I blushed and started denying there to be anything that could be remotely wonderful about me, but she cut me off with her question.

“What are you doing this evening?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I certainly knew where I would like to be, but I didn’t think it right of me to ask.

She stepped forward her hand gliding along my cheek, “You need to learn to ask for what you want Mister Tyre. What is it you would like Tyre?”

The words came slow to me as if I was fearful that they would reveal something weak about me. “I want to hold and kiss you like we did last night.”

She gave me her characteristically cheerful smile, “Very well then Mister Tyre it’s a date. Give me two hours to get Kevin fed and settled in and myself smelling better and I’m yours for the evening. Sound good?”

I just nodded and her smile never dimmed as she started to close the door. “See you later honey.”

The door clicked shut. I had two hours to kill, before I got to experience what real living felt like again.

I started to knock even as the door opened. Her hair was down and still partially wet from her shower. She saw my look and colored a little, “Sorry about the wet look. I forgot my hairdryer.”

“I like it!”

She shook her head, “You just like me and don’t care how I look.”

I reached out and grasped several strands of her damp hair and looked her directly in the eye, “I like your hair down.” I said firmly.

Her gaze turned a little bashful and she said, “Okay I’ll wear it down more often for you then.”

“I’d like that.” I responded with.

“Well Mister Tyre I would very much like to start kissing you again. Won’t you come in?”

The minutes passed into hours as we kissed. We were both shaking with how much we wanted each other. Anna drew back and rested her forehead against my shoulder and groaned aloud with frustration.

She pushed back from me and her eyes were pleading as she asked, “When are you going to make an honest woman out of me Tyre? This is torture!” She said as she held her ring finger up in the air beseechingly.

It had been the opening I had been waiting for. I fumbled the ring out of my pocket and into my hand and reaching up I slid the ring down her finger before she knew what was happening. She stared in shock at the glittering display of the diamond ring on her finger. She was breathing hard in fact it was close to hyperventilating and I was beginning to wonder if I needed to go get a bag!

She looked at me with her heart in her eyes, “Really?”

“Yes!”

It was like she couldn’t believe it even though I’d told her and the proof was on her finger. Her hands seized my head then and she began to kiss me harder than ever before. She pulled back from the kiss, her eyes passionate and I saw her fingers rise to start undoing the buttons of her shirt.

Breathing heavy my hands settled over top of hers and stopped them. Her eyes questioned me and I responded, “I can wait. I think we should wait.”

Her hands fell away and she leaned forward against me again and whispered, “Me too.”

I rubbed her back as I held her against me. “How does 3 p.m. at the courthouse in two days from now sound to you?”

“You’re serious?” She exclaimed excitedly.

“I’ve never been more serious before in my life!” I said in exasperation with her. I hadn’t given her a ring for nothing.

“That sounds divine Tyre! It’s a date!”

A sneaky look came over her face and in apprehension I awaited for her slyness to unfold. Her fingers closed around the back of my neck and I felt the noose tightening.

“You know in order to make this marriage legal I’m going to need to know your real name. Out with it secretive man!”

She had me I reluctantly had to admit. I had debated about getting married under one of my aliases, but I knew that wouldn’t fly with her.

“Nikolai Gravitausky.”

Her eyes widened, “Your Russian?”

I responded to her question with a sentence spoken in flawless Russian and her hand went to her mouth, “I had no idea!”

What did that mean?

“Me being Russian, is that a problem?” I asked suddenly unsure.

“Heck no! It just makes the mystery of you more captivating.” She leaned close and looked me directly in the eye with one of hers and in a conspiratorial tone asked, “You’re not a former Soviet spy are you?”

“I’m a little young for that don’t you think?” I responded with.

“You did not answer the question comrade! Are you a spy?” Her fake Russian accent was so terrible that it was comical.

I answered her in Russian. Her eyes alive with interested curiosity she asked, “What did you just say?”

“Now wouldn’t you like to know?” I said smiling.

“Hey!” She exclaimed punching my shoulder as I chuckled.

I rolled her off my lap onto the sofa cushions beside us and quickly slid over top of her pinning her to the sofa. Her eyebrows rose markedly, but her smile remained open and inviting. This was easily the most domineering that I had ever been with her and I could see that she liked it.

“Now Miss Anna Courtman soon-to-be Anna Gravitausky I’m going to kiss you for a little while longer, but then I must go for the evening. What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“I need to go collect some more things from my old apartment, but other than that not much why?”

“I have business to attend to in the morning and I just want to know where you’ll be.” I said before I started to lean down and kiss her, but the petulant look she gave me stopped me.

“What?”

“What did you say a little while ago in Russian? Please tell me!” She begged softly.

“I said that the green sparkling fire of your eyes reminds me of why it’s good to be alive.”

Her smile deepened and her eyes got smoky with passion. “Nikolai you forgot to ask me what I’ll be doing for the rest of the night after you leave.”

“What will you be doing?”

“Dreaming about what it will be like to become all yours in just two days.” She said huskily, as she pulled my head down for our shared kiss.

Chapter Seven

Seconds to Live

I got what I needed done a lot earlier than I had expected to. I’d made a rush job of it, because the idea of Anna going back to her old neighborhood didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to escort her there and back to ensure her safety.

She’d come to represent so much of my life that I really didn’t know what would happen if she were taken from me. She put the excitement back into living for me. I knocked on her door and after no answer I knocked again. Had she already left?

Anna was still cringing over how much the special daycare agency that she left Kevin with for the day had charged for their services. It didn’t matter that she could afford such care now it still felt wrong.

Daycare providers knew full well the leverage they had over people by and large and they appeared to be taking full advantage of it! She had only needed Kevin watched for six hours today, but she was being forced to pay for the entire week! It was robbery only under a different name in her book.

Such injustices had always rankled and even infuriated her. More often than not the perpetrators of these injustices were overlooked and allowed to continue on unchallenged. Free to continue raking in the money and dealing out abuse to people. That was why she devoted all of her time when she wasn’t working a job or spending time with Kevin to the effort of bringing to justice those who had hurt Kevin.

It wasn’t right what had happened to him and even now the same thing was still being done to thousands, if not millions of babies each year. It was doubtful that she, despite all of her efforts, would ever make any lasting impact, but she was still going to try because it was the right thing to do. As long as she was alive she would be a voice for Kevin and the growing millions suffering just like him.

It didn’t matter if no one would listen to her. She wasn’t stopping her work. A successful, meaningful life, came down to doing the right things in the time that was allotted for each to live. Her continued persistence in seeing that Kevin received justice was simply the right thing to do. Bill pulled up at the curb and she got out.

“Thanks Bill I won’t be long.” She disappeared into the building.

Apparently the clerk was still off nursing his hand and face as there was no one around the front desk. She opened the door to her room and felt a wave of relief course through her.

This dismal threadbare stretch of her life was over! Thank God because it had nearly been the death of her. She stepped forward into the room and a hand closed over her mouth hard.

She screamed against the hand and tried to pull free of its owner, but in a sickening clarity of peripheral vision she saw a hypodermic needle descend toward her neck and jab into it painfully. There was an instant burning sensation and her unknown assailant pushed her roughly to the floor.

What was happening? Had she been drugged? Her chest began to constrict painfully and she clutched at it. Through the pain her eyes fixed on her assailant. He wasn’t even looking at her, but instead was watching his wristwatch.

Rape must not be on his agenda then. Her pained gaze drifted from him to the half open door across the hall. Her eyes found the wide-open, but sightless eyes of Mrs. Reed, who lay dead on the floor of her apartment.

It was hard to breathe let alone talk, but she choked out, “Oh God!”

She’d been poisoned! She was dying! Who would look after Kevin? She didn’t want to die! Kevin needed her!

Her killer looked up from his watch and then at her dispassionately before he stooped down to pick her up. Dimly Anna recognized the dirty walls of the hall going by.

She couldn’t breathe!

Her body was jerking and all conscious thought was fading fast. She saw yellow. Bill! Bill would help her!

She got one glance at the yellow taxi before being slung into the passenger side of a sedan. Bill’s face was bloody and he was slumped over the wheel either unconscious or dead. Bill couldn’t help her and Tyre wasn’t here. Everyone was gone. Kevin was her last desperate thought. Who would pick him up from daycare?

I saw the man dump Anna into the car and I hurtled across the street smashing him into the front hood of the car.

He thrust back and bumped me back a few feet. He turned my way with a feral look, even as a knife seemed to materialize in his hand. He was a trained killer, but then so was I. I closed with him as a knife slid into my own hand from up my sleeve.