Double Whammy.
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Although stunned by what he has been told, he doesn’t even bother trying to deny it, now realizing that Samantha Bliss is the daughter that he left behind so many years ago.
“Look.. Miss Bliss.. We don’t have time. Scorpion just doused our best lead. We need to find her before she gets too big of a jump on us.”
She turns away from him without a word all of the while lifeguard is feeding her information on Scorpions whereabouts.
“She’s headed out of the city Sam.” he tells her. “You can’t let her get too big of a lead on you, you’ll never catch up with her.”
She moves back towards the rest of the team.
“Team Alpha assemble.”
Priss appears at her side.
“I called up the van Samantha it will be here shortly.”

Samantha Bliss nods, stopping in front of the reds van where Sil is kneeling over the body of Guido Garfoni. She casts a puzzled look in the direction of the team leader. Samantha bends down next to her.
“Problem there Sil?”
“Yes.. This isn’t Guido Samantha. They wanted someone to think that it was. But it most certainly is not.”
“And your certain of this how exactly?”
“It is a long story.”
“Is there a short version Sil? We don’t have much time.”
“Guido was injured in a fight when I was at the palace. He had his shirt off and I remember a large dragon tattoo on his chest. And he had a long scar along the length of his ribs. And the face is different. Higher cheekbones. deeper eye sockets. This one has no scar, no dragon. Not Guido.”

Samantha slowly stands looking up and down the length of pier 36. Tombstone appears at her side, looking as puzzled by Sil’s revelation as Samantha is.
“So what was their game?.. Daddy?”
“Please don’t call me that.”
She turns back towards the reds van, and then towards the black Hummer.
“Maybe Guido is smart like Sil said. Maybe he smelled a double cross, so he decided to double cross them too.”
Klinger approaches them looking Tombstone up and down unimpressed while lighting a fresh cigar .
“Transports here Sammy, we rolled over on the dead mercs and them reds. They didn’t have anything on them.”
Samantha Bliss is not a woman that is easily convinced.
“Something isn’t right here. The mercs bring sand instead of explosives. The fake Guido brings what I’m guessing is a bag of what really isn’t money but something else.”
“What are you thinking Samantha?” Sil enquires.

She walks through the bodies of the dead mercs and reds alike. And carefully studies the entire scene. Stopping to kneel down beside of the body of a dead red.
“Tombstone. Were either of your boys hit?” she asks.
He slowly shakes his head no.
“From what I saw these dipshits couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if they were standing next to it. Why?”
She slowly stands.
“Because I’m starting to think that they didn’t hit anyone because they weren’t suppose to. This whole thing is starting to feel staged. Guido Garfoni- or someone. Has gone to a lot of trouble here to make someone think that he is dead. And now I would like to know why.”
Tombstone now tries to follow her logic.
“Staged? For who’s benefit?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Load up the team Kling.. Where are we headed Lifeguard?”
“West.”

Scorpion's Eye's
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She stands almost defiantly leaning against the stone structure overlooking a thick grove of trees. She has chosen this as the meeting place with Tito because it afforded her a view of every possible angle to and from the location. This time there wouldn’t be any surprises. She watches as the limousine slowly rolls to a stop. The drug dealer known as Tito emerges from the automobile, wrapping himself up in a long coat, as he casts a suspicious glance in the direction of Scorpion.
“You come alone?” he asks in thick Spanish accent.
She gives him an icy stare but says nothing, holding the satchel out where he can see it. Tito’s eyes brighten. And now is giving her a big smile.
“You got my money back!”
“I wouldn’t get too excited Toto.” She tells him sarcastically. “Your buddy Guido has been a bad boy.”

She throws the satchel at Tito, it lands by his feet.
“Shredded newspaper. He was going to double cross those mercs. He sent in a body double too. The red that I hit wasn’t him.”
“So what are you going to do now? About getting my money back I mean.”
He tries to take notice of her appearance as she begins to walk towards the limo, but her back is to the sun and it is blinding to him.
“I’ll tell you what I am going to do Titty. I’m going to hunt down that red bastard and I’m going to kill him.”
For the first time he detects a slight accent in her voice that he presumes to be Russian. She still makes him uneasy.
“Oh Titty. And by the way. Guido’s boys weren’t alone with those mercs on pier 36 neither. There were 3 other independents that I counted. And another larger group. Separate from them.”
Tito’s eyes narrow.
“Who were they? ”
“I think that the independents were Tombstones crew. The others smelled like military to me. Probably Threshold. I’d watch myself if I were you.”

He fidgets nervously pulling his coat collar up around his neck.
“Should I be worried?”
She stops and turns back to face him.
“I would be. If Threshold even slightly suspects that you could be in any way involved in any dealings with the reds. Well lets just say Guido Garfoni will be the least of your problems. If they come knocking at your door, the next time that I see you will be in the obituaries. Lay low Tata. Let me handle Guido.”
She climbs aboard the motorcycle and the engine roars to life, she places the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose while looking back over her shoulder at Tito. He hears the click of engaging gears and she throttles the bike and disappears into the sunset.

He returns to the limousine and slowly closes the door as if waiting for something or someone to interrupt. a deep voice reverberates from the shadows of the corner of the limo.
“Do you think that she bought it?”
Tito contemplates the question.
“She’s hard to read Guido. At this point I’m not sure. So when are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
The large male red leans forward and looks Tito in the eye.
“You just set up the real deal, with the real mercs. Tell them that I still want those explosives. I need certain people to think I’m dead. And Ambala is one of them.”
Tito scratches his chin thoughtfully.
“All of this so you can get your hands on a stone to open the gates of hell for this Ambala chick?”

Guido reclines in his seat and lights another cigar.
“You think that I want to open the gate for that bitch? Lemme tell you Tito. This deal that you and me got in New York? So sweet. Drugs.. Money.. Whores.. Hell everything that I ever wanted. But Ambala? She wants me back in the Jericho straits, she needs another general, and she thinks its going to be me. And when I get them pieces of the stone from Threshold? I’m gonna destroy them. Fuck Ambala. I got my own agenda.”
He slowly inhales the cigar smoke while staring out the window of the limousine.
“Just give that Scorpion bitch and threshold something else to chase for awhile. And set up that deal.”

~Scratch A.B.T. Copyright © 2008~