Interlude (16 page)

“We need to order something to eat before
tonight's meeting.” She finally said.

“Good idea. When do we meet with your, uh, um
other contact?” Cal asked carefully, not wanting to open up any
freshly healed wounds.

Karen looked to Cal. She didn't want to make
this any more awkward than she had to. “His name is Kyle. We'll
meet with him after Sergei, about around midnight. Kyle has a habit
of being late, unless money is involved.” She said
matter-of-fact-ly. Cal's calm demeanor put her at ease as she
sorted through her wardrobe for something to wear. “So you know,
we're meeting Sergei at his restaurant. He has lots of pride in his
cuisine, so no critiquing. Just sample what he brings you and say
how good it is.” She said.

“Easy peasy,” Cal said, adding, “Wait, if
he's serving dinner, then why are we eating beforehand?”

Karen straightened his tie. She smiled up at
Cal and said, “Because Sergei is a terrible chef.”

Karen and Cal made small talk on the way to
the restaurant. He wanted to pump her for more information. He felt
so out of the loop on this trip. He didn't make a habit of being
unprepared in life, and he sure didn't want to start when guns and
unstable foreign dignitaries were concerned. As the evening sky
turned black, he asked, “So, are there any other quirks that Sergei
has?” Karen started to say something, and then stopped. She tried
to suppress her little meek expression. The tell that Cal now knew,
meant he was in for a weird turn of events. “Alright, what is it?”
he finally said.

“Well, it’s just that, um, Sergei likes to
flirt with straight guys. He thinks it's funny to watch them
squirm. The cuter the guy, the more aggressively he flirts. I just
want you to be ready for that.” She said.

“Thanks for the heads-up. I think I can
manage a few stray looks though.” Cal said with renewed
confidence.

Karen took his hand in hers. The light on the
buildings served to calm her nerves. She always hated coming to
anything resembling Russia. Her dad had brought her here to get her
used to the rough side of the business. Cal now had to jump into
the deep end of the pool head-first. She was still glad to have him
here. Ethan and Soren wanted her to go solo, also thinking that Cal
wasn't ready for this big of a trip. He smiled at her, the
headlights of passing cars reflecting off his dark blue eyes. She
squeezed his hand tighter.

“Sergei. Always a pleasure,” Karen said as he
helped her shrug out of the heavy coat. Cal took his off right as
Sergei was moving to do it for him.

“Karen, my doll! Who is your handsome new
friend? I told you that you didn't need to bring dessert.” He threw
his head back and laughed. His open candor was disarming, and Cal
couldn't help but find him likeable. Cal's offered handshake was
morphed into a bear hug by the middle-aged man. His slender build
disguising his actual strength. “It's good to meet you Sergei.” Cal
managed to grunt out through strong pats on his back.

“So Sergei, how are things with the
restaurant?” Karen said after kissing him cheek for cheek.

“Absolutely terrible, but I don't care
because I sell weapons!” Sergei guffawed as they sat down to
dinner.

Cal and Karen made small talk as they sampled
various courses and local folk dishes. As Sergei quipped about the
fall of the Soviet Union, he continued to watch Cal like a
predatory animal. Cal was a little uncomfortable at first, but he
figured he must be doing something right if the Sergei thought he
had the stuff! Karen, sensing Cal's ease, decided to stir the
pot.

“Sergei, my Cal is quite the cook as well. He
has a cupcake recipe that will make you weak in the knees.” She
said, all the while giving Cal a smirk.

“Good looks, and a patron of the gastronomic
arts? Karen, you must hang on to this one. Lord forbid you should
end up with another, er whatshisname?” He trailed off. Cal could
sense where this was going.

Karen exhaled loudly. “Kyle. Yes, I have been
very lucky this time around. I could only hope to treat Cal as well
as he treats me.” She said. “By the way, since you arranged the
meeting with him tonight, is there anything I should be warned
about?” she finished.

Sergei wiped his hands on a napkin. His
paused as he thought something over. “He has a fiancé. Some girl
named Bianca, I think. I have not seen them since last year, so
they may be separated now.” He said as he winked to Cal. The drinks
must be taking hold now, Cal thought to himself.

“Karen, we should transact before you get too
comfy here. Doing business with an ex is never fun. You will want
to have your wits about you.” Sergei said as he got up. He motioned
to a man that had the build of a large bear. The man, wearing a
gray suit, spoke with Sergei in their native tongue, and then
nodded to Cal and Karen.

“Antov will take you to the meeting with
Kyle. I want you to have protection in case things
get...unpleasant.” Sergei finished. Before Karen put her coat on,
she and Sergei rattled off numbers to each other, and then hugged
one more time. Sergei moved to hug Cal one more time in his
grunting embrace. Karen gave him an apologetic look as Sergei
almost lifted him off the ground. As Antov drove them to Kyle's
house, Cal took the time to get more information out of Karen.

“So, what's so bad about Kyle? Why did Sergei
want you to have protection?” He asked.

Karen looked at the passing buildings. She
seemed to be getting her bearings in some way. She looked at Antov,
and then spoke in a confidential tone, “Kyle has had a drug problem
for the last few years. He can be sort of unstable at times. Nobody
in the arms business likes dealing with him. We all tolerate it
because he comes across the best stuff. Case in point, I'm
arranging a transfer of funds to buy two Sikorsky gunships.” She
finished.

“Is that a good thing?” Cal asked, making a
mental note to do a lot of research when they got back to the
States.

“Yes, very. The Sikorskys are good
helicopters, and they make even better ones when they're outfitted
for combat. They have armor plating, ordinance countermeasures, and
guns pointing in every direction. The problem is, they don't sell
them to just anyone. So, if you're in a country that is on the no
sell list, then you have to go through other channels.” she said,
adjusting her seat belt over her coat.

“So, you're the other channel, I take it?”
Cal asked. The car slowed as they made a turn.

Karen visibly tensed up. Cal could see her
demeanor change as they pulled into a driveway. They were in front
of a very large house with a limestone exterior and neoclassical
architecture. The house almost stunk of old money. As the car
pulled to a stop, Antov let them both out as he lit a cigarette.
Karen leaned into Cal, her perfume hanging on him as they neared
the large front door, “I want you to remember that Kyle and I are
through. I don't want any tension from the both of you. He has
armed guards that shoot before asking questions. Just play it cool
and we'll be in and out.” She finished. Her voice was a hiss of
instructions as the large door opened to allow them in.

Standing in the entry was a larger man than
the one that drove them here. He had a handgun that was mounted in
a nylon shoulder holster. As the large man beckoned them inside,
Cal took a quick note of the surroundings. The house was spacious,
with a layout that suggested that it had been remodeled from its
original floor plan. There was a man sitting on a large couch that
was positioned to take up the center of the living room. When he
saw Karen, the man sat up and strolled over to them slowly. He was
about Cal's height, with a slightly bulkier build. He had features
that looked like they were once very handsome, were it not for the
booze and drugs. As the man assessed Cal, he gave Karen a knowing
hug that lingered a little too long.

“Karen, baby, how have things in SB been?” He
addressed Karen, but never took his eyes off Cal.

“The usual, I hear you've come into some
interesting hardware?” Karen said, her tone with him was both
guarded and tense.

Kyle paused, trying to gauge his ex-wife’s
reactions. “Girls, they always want to get down to business so
fast!” He said in Cal's direction.

“Cut the crap Kyle. Either you have something
or you don't. I'm tired and I want to get this over with.” She
said. Cal recognized this tone. This was the familiar, annoyed tone
you only hear between two people that have been in a relationship
for a while. His discomfort had been magnified by the fact that
these two shared history in this strange line of work. Even though
their relationship was over, Cal couldn't help but feel like even
more of an outsider.

Kyle held his hands up in a mock defensive
pose. With a smile he said, “Alright alright, don't lose your
panties!” He moved over to a small table. Perched upon it was a
shiny new Mac book with some pictures opened up to run as a slide
show. Karen looked at the pictures carefully. As she paused,
certain pictures and forwarded others, Kyle took the opportunity to
quiz Cal on his and Karen's relationship.

“So, have you known our Karen long?” He
opened with condescension.

“I'm not yours anymore Kyle.” She said in a
disinterested voice. Karen's eyes were focused on the helicopters,
and she had tuned everything else out.

Cal kept him talking, in an attempt to keep
things moving along. “Almost six months.” Cal said with a pleasant
smile. Adding, “So, how long have you lived in Kiev?”

“About two years. I was doing lots of
business here, so it made sense to just relocate.” he said in a
charming, but fake, voice.

Karen interrupted their small talk, “How can
you prove the avionics have been retrofitted? I'll need to see the
records, pre-flights the works.”

“Karen, doll, you know you can't taste the
merchandise before you buy it. Industry rules...” He teased.

Cal, in an act of sheer one-ups-man ship,
crouched to look at the pictures. “Actually, these have been
retrofitted.” He said casually.

Kyle gave him a dirty look, and Karen wanted
to know how he knew. Cal zoomed in on one of the pictures. It was a
cockpit view that was taken during some kind of service or
maintenance. The dash was disassembled to reveal the inner workings
of the controls. “If you look at these panels, you can see these
green PC boards,” he said, as he pointed with a pen sitting next to
the Mac book. “Older electronics have brown or cream colored PC
boards, not to mention that these are of a certain age where they
would still have analog gauges, and there are none present here.
That would lead me to believe that these machines have been
upgraded from their original equipment.” He finished.

Kyle suppressed a look of envy, and Karen
looked at Cal like he had somehow changed shape. With a cocky
smile, Cal leaned down to whisper in Karen's ear, “I told you, I
was supposed to be reprogramming satellites right now. This stuff
is cake.” Kyle cleared his throat to break up their little
conversation.

“So, now that you know the merchandise is
good, how's about we talk money?” Kyle pulled out his smart phone.
He typed a bunch of numbers in and waited for a few quiet seconds.
Karen did the same, typing her own numbers and waiting in the
awkward silence. They both rattled off numbers verbally a couple of
times, and then put their phones away. “So, now that the dirty work
is over, how about a drink?” Kyle offered. His tone was somewhat
forced, and it gave Cal the sensation that something was up. He
just couldn't name it though.

“Actually, we're flying out early tomorrow,
so we should be getting back to the hotel.” Karen said kindly. As
she moved to grab her coat, Kyle blocked her path. His demeanor was
changing. He was tense, and he seemed intent on making Karen stay
there. Cal watched cautiously. He didn't want to rock the boat, but
he wasn't going to stand by and let this guy act like an ass
either. Karen continued to politely attempt to move past as Cal
came up behind her. Kyle reached out and grabbed Karen's arm. She
looked to him, and quickly back to Cal. That's when he saw it. The
look of fear and intimidation that was so customary on the abused.
The whites of her eyes may as well have been blaring klaxons. Cal's
tensed as he tried to figure out his next move.

“I insist. You must stay for a drink.” Kyle
said in a lower, deadpan voice. His eyes had become cloudy orbs of
intensity.

“Kyle, you're hurting me-,” Karen said, her
voice trying to hide her panic.

Cal had only been in one fight. It was in
middle school and he remembered that is had devolved into a rather
ungraceful wrestling match before some teachers broke it up. Cal
knew fighting wasn't his strong suit, but nothing could have
stopped him from what he did next. With Kyle distracted holding
Karen's arm, Cal wound up and punched him in the temple. Kyle
uttered a few odd noises before he went down on the marble floor.
His goon came in almost instantly and stuck his gun right at the
two of them. Still swimming in adrenaline, Cal had moved to stand
in front to protect Karen. He eyed the goon with dead calm as Kyle
waved him off, saying something in Ukrainian. As he stood up, he
dabbed at a cut on his right eye, a welt already forming where
Cal's fist had connected. He seemed angry, but in a defeated,
melancholy way.

“You always liked Boy Scouts didn't you?” He
said, as he slowly got up and went to the door. Karen nervously
walked out of the house, and down to Antov's waiting car. Cal
followed, watching Kyle as he exited.

They rode in silence, after Cal asked the
driver to take them back to the Edem. Karen fidgeted and squirmed
and then finally spoke up. “You could have gotten us killed in
there!” she said in a strained, confidential tone. “Do you know how
crazy he is? He's killed people before. That's why he lives here,
and not in the U.S. We could both be dead.” Her voice was quivering
in either anger.