BlackMail
: : Summary : : Even the best laid plans go awry. Rick's past catches up with him and he is forced to makea decision which could ruin everything.
O'Connell cursed everything from greed to love for landing in a predicament he'd managed to avoid for nigh on three years.
Verdi's wasn't the first Regiment to pass through Cairo in that time and until now he had always kept out of sight. "Damn,
stupid..." he kicked a wooden chair from out of his way and swore viciously when led into a small, white tent on the
outskirts of Cairo. His two guards revealed no emotion to his outburst, nor offered any assistance to the shackled man in
retrieving the chair he was meant to sit on while awaiting Verdi's pleasure. So he stood, angry and anxious, a prisoner
staring at the dirt floor.
****
Evelyn knocked on Jonathan's door so rigorously she hurt her knuckles. "Ouch! Oooh, Jonathan!" her irritated shout
muffled by her fist as she attempted to suck away the pain. "Jonathan! Open the door!" Impatient for a response, she
pressed her ear to the door for even the feint sound of snoring, but heard nothing. "Oh, don't tell me you're missing as well!"
She banged on the door once more, this time with an open palm and again called out to him. "Arrrgh!" She jumped at the
touch to her shoulder and turned sharply, laying her hand over her chest and faced her laughing brother. Evelyn, almost
crying with fear and surprise, leaned back against the door then reached out to slap him three times, hard! "Oooh....you....idiot...
don't ever startle me like that again!"
Jonathan continued to laugh heartily, unconcerned by his sister's distress.
"You'll kill somebody one day doing stupid things like that!" she scolded him.
"Well it will be you, sweet sister!" he teased, rubbing his hand under her chin. "You're the only one I enjoy creeping up on,
because you're so funny and you never, ever expect it."
"Just stop it, Jonathan." Evelyn's cheeks flushed, mostly with vexation. "Where have you been, anyway?"
"Oh, here and there. Why the urgency? What, with trying to knock my door down and all?"
"Is Rick with you?" she looked over his shoulder in the direction of the stairwell in the hope of seeing him.
"No, but he's certainly in demand to today!" Jonathan ushered his sister aside and unlocked the door to his quarters. "I was
just stopped by a chap a the Fort gate wanting to know where he could find him."
"A chap?"
"Yes, yes, you know..." Jonathan waved his arm about searching for the right word, "....Legionnaire."He looked back at
Evelyn, "He used to be one, didn't he?"
She nodded silently, willing Jonathan to go on.
Jonathan set himself down on the bed and began removing his shoes, nonchalantly continuing with his story. "Mmmm,
well this man said he knew O'Connell...asked where he could find him...things like that."
"Well, what did you tell him?" she demanded.
Surprised by her state, Jonathan looked mildly confused before answering. "What? I told him it was his lucky day and
that O'Connell was my soon to be brother-in-law. That he'd come to the right place, and so on!" His voice then took on
a hint of concern, "What's the matter?"
Evelyn looked somewhat sheepish, considering the excuse she was about to offer, and plonked herself down beside her
brother. "Well...it's just I've been expecting him...and...he's late!"
"Oh...I see." Jonathan offered sympathetically, knowing better than to bait her further. "Well, perhaps he's met up with this
old buddy of his and they've gone for a few drinks." Evelyn still looked annoyed,prompting Jonathan to wonder if Rick knew
there was more than one way to dice with death.
****
Verdi at last made an appearance, immediately dismissing the guards as he entered the tent. He stepped past O'Connell and
lifted the chair to it's rightful position and motioned for the man to be seated. The ex-Legionnaire made a show of the
shackles still locked to his wrists and Verdi proved obliging in removing them.
The Lieutenant-Colonel seated himself behind his desk, stretching back in his chair so far as to lift the two front legs from the
floor. "How long has it been, Capitaine?"
Rick smirked at the question, shaking his head. As always, Verdi was warming up with idle conversation before revealing his
underlying intent. "Cut the crap, Verdi and tell me why I'm here with you instead of being shipped back for trial?"
"So! You admit to being a deserter!"
Rick lowered himself into the chair and sighed. No matter which way he tried to twist it, the fact remained that he had gone
AWOL at Hamunaptra. It wasn't going to matter to the Legion that his Regiment was defeated and dead, he was still going to
have to face a Court Martial for desertion. "I only had a few months left to serve." he stated ironically. Still, the action of
dismissing the guards wasn't wasted on him, he knew Verdi wanted something from him and the Court Martial was to be the
sword hanging over his head if he failed to deliver. The satisfaction on Verdi's face was maddening and O'Connell was losing
patience. "Let's cut the bullshit!" he spat.
"Always to the point!" laughed the stocky Italian. "Well, my friend, our meeting today was not a complete surprise for me. I
have known you were here for some days now." O'Connell rolled his head back and closed his eyes knowing that there was
going to be more of threat than facing up to the Aubagne. "I have eyes in the crowd. Why, just today I discovered that you
are building quite a cosy life for yourself!" Rick grit his teeth, fully anticipating what was to come next. "She is a very pretty
girl, is she not?"
"What do you want?" It was glaringly obvious what this vermin was hinting at and O'Connell wanted the focus off Evelyn
immediately.
"Nothing too great. I simply wish for your expertise in guiding my Regiment through Syria and delivering us safely to
Damascus."
The American sat bewildered at such a minor and seemingly unnecessary request. "That's it! There must be a dozen of your
men that could do that blindfolded! You included!"
Verdi smiled. "Yes, my friend. But your knowledge of the area is unequalled."
O'Connell's chest tightened, finally understanding exactly what was being asked of him. This bastard wanted to know all the
little looting opportunites along the way, all the treasure spots. Seems his reputation preceeded him in certain circles and his
past was coming back to haunt him. Rick took a moment too long to answer and Verdi dismissed his mocking attitude and
made the situation perfectly clear. He would not risk his own neck by handing O'Connell over to the Military Police for Court
Martial. Any refusal on the American's part would directly result in injury to Evelyn.
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