The Golden Chalice (16 page)

The moment passed with applause from the man called Eddie. Winking, he gave Sasha a deep bow. The toothpick in his mouth moved from the left to the right corner. He wore a dark business suit but his face had a haggard meanness to it. His skin was pasty and his eyes bloodshot. He looked like a madman. There were six other men with him. None of them seemed armed but Sasha knew they must be.

Michelle dropped the duffle bag. She faced Eddie when she spoke. “What do you want?”

The smirk on Eddie’s face faded. He spat his toothpick and let his hungry gaze sweep them both. “Now that’s a loaded question, Chocolat. It’ll take some time. A lot of it with you on your knees. Eventually you’ll understand.” Cumminskey stepped up close. “So you done with Lee, huh? Good, you got a new daddy now.”

“Fuck you!” Michelle hissed.

As he reached for her, she swung, blocking his touch, and shoved her fist into his throat. Eddie gagged, but reacted swiftly, grabbing her by the arm, twisting. Michelle bent over in what Sasha believed submission until she kicked her left foot back and slammed it into Eddie’s kneecap. The man howled in agony and dropped, releasing his hold on her. Every man in Eddie Cumminskey’s entourage drew his weapon.

“Michelle!” Sasha screamed in surprise. More SUVs sped up. The doors opened and Eddie’s men turned and started firing at the others.

“Get down, Sasha! Get down now!” Michelle yelled.

Sasha dropped for cover. Michelle didn’t. She ran for the edge of the pier, the river. Sasha stared at her sister in disbelief.

“Michelle!” Lee yelled over the gunfire. Having killed three of Eddie’s men, his troupe converged and moved in. Sasha saw Eddie rise with his gun. The sneer on his face was unmistakable. He raised his gun and fired at her sister. Michelle took the hit dead center in the chest and was thrown over the edge of the bridge.

“
Nooo
!” Lee screamed.

Sasha soon learned, from the strained burn of her throat, that the screams were hers as well. Lee, full of rage, fired repeatedly at Cumminskey. She, too, had to roll for cover as sparks from the concrete ground and wall of the lower level of the bridge flashed around her. If her sister was dead, and Kumar was dead, she wanted death for herself. Still, the fighter in her made her seek cover. In tears, she scrambled away from the horrible scene.

Lee didn’t care or try to cover himself. He marched straight toward Eddie Cumminskey, firing until his gun fully unloaded. He tossed the piece and went after him. Eddie had discharged his final round, too. The coward bled from his mouth and chest. Still, somehow, he scrambled away on his backside. Lee kicked Eddie in the face. Kicked him in the gut. Eddie rolled away, his eyes fluttering under his lids. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth.

Lee stepped on the dying man’s throat. Eddie thrashed underneath his boot heel. His feet drummed against the ground, and he fought to lift Lee’s foot from his throat. Lee pressed down harder, glaring at him, wanting Eddie to see his face before he died.

Eddie exhaled a gurgled breath and went still.

“We got to help her! Help my sister, please!” Sasha cried, scrambling to the wall of the bridge. Lee snapped out of his bloodlust and blinked. He shed his coat and hurried to the wall.

“She went in, Lee! I don’t see her!”

He didn’t wait. He dove in after her. The temperature of the water froze the breath in his lungs. The murky thickness of the river made his vision blur. He dove as far as he could and swam up for air. He dove again and went down. He kept diving. He swam against the current, searching, searching for her…never giving up.

***

“
Pops
!
The police, they’re everywhere
.”

“
We’ll have to jump
,”
her father panted
.

“
What
?”
Michelle looked to the river. The cops would come in on them soon. They’d been chased out of Prague. Písek had been the furthest they’d reached before being surrounded in the square. Pops said he had a plan. Michelle didn’t understand it. All she did was run. Hell, she was only sixteen. What the hell did she know about escaping? Pops always handled those details. She just did the work
. “
I can’t. The river…it’s too far to jump. I’ll die
.”

“
Listen to me
!”
Pops grabbed her face
. “
I’ll throw them off, baby-girl, but you have to do this. I’ve arranged someone to meet you in the canal. Swim toward the canal. Do you understand
?”

“
No
,”
Michelle cried
. “
I don’t want to leave you
.”

Pops smiled
. “
Sometimes we have to leave behind the ones we love. It’s a matter of survival, baby. You do what your old man says. You do it
.”
He released her and smiled
.

She could hear the running of feet above them. The sirens blared like a macabre warning. She blinked and nodded she would do it. Pops gave her the bag of the jewels
.

“
Now go
!
Jump
!”

Michelle sucked in a deep breath and climbed the wall. She heard Sasha scream a warning and just as she’d envisioned, Eddie raised his gun at her.
In the chest, please, God, make him hit me in the chest
.

The blast came first.

The pain, second.

She was airborne. Like a punch to the lungs, the impact threw her over the wall. Michelle spread her arms and closed her eyes. She felt free. She floated for several seconds before her body crashed into the rushing waves. The water dragged her under, and she submerged several feet before kicking upward for air. She coughed out a breath and swam hard. The bulletproof vest was like a weight strapped to her waist. Several times she took in water and submerged. She struggled and swam harder.

But the pain in her chest and the vest made her falter. She went under, thinking she’d drown. She almost laughed at the irony. A hand grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. Another man helped, and she was dragged out of the water and yanked over the hull of the small fishing boat. A rank fishing tarp was thrown over her body, covering her, and she gasped in air. She rolled underneath the heavy canvas, spitting up water. Gunfire blasted but the fishing boat motor spun up and drowned out the sounds. She felt the boat zip away through the water.

Cosmo lifted the tarp after a few seconds. He worked hard to free her from the vest. She managed a smile up at him, and he smiled down at her.

“Are you okay? Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes, Cosmo.”

“You sure?”

“I’m not hit.” She sat up, breathing hard, refilling her lungs with air. She looked around to see if they’d been spotted. The timing had been perfect. The exact same escape Pops had planned for them, years ago.

And you been my little Chocolat princess ever since. Pops was a fool. A slave to the game he played all his life. But you’re different. One day, you’ll walk away. Use the Chalice to do it if you can. Don’t die like your old man, with regrets. I loved you. I love you both still. Always remember that
.

“I didn’t think it would work. This plan of yours was crazy from the start.” Cosmo chuckled, his belly rising and falling like Santa Claus.

Michelle managed a smile. “I told you when you snuck your way into the hospital to visit me that it would. I just needed your help.”

The boat made a circle up to a waiting yacht and she was helped onto it. Her legs were useless. The pain in her back was so severe, it traveled the length of her spine. “I need a minute.”

“Rest…rest for now.” Cosmo helped her to the cabin.

Michelle nodded and began to shed her wet clothes. “Give me a minute and we’ll talk.”

Cosmo agreed and left her alone. Michelle collapsed in nothing but her wet jeans. Somewhere along the line, she’d lost a shoe. She looked down at her stocking foot and laughed. After the last of her laughter escaped her, she cried.

***

“Did she say anything? This plan of hers. Did she tell you how she would pull it off?” Lee asked.

Sasha shook her head no. She could barely talk; she was so stricken with grief. “I don’t know anything, Lee. I swear it.”

“Bullshit! I say you do! She isn’t dead!” he yelled in her face. Up on his feet, wet, he paced. All’d he found in the river was a fucking sneaker. One tennis shoe. His men forced him and Sasha to leave in order to avoid Czech prison. He should have stayed in the river. Searched harder.

Sasha broke down with deep sobs. “My sister is gone. You did this. You killed her, just like you killed Kumar! You did it!”

Lee looked away. The guilt and pain were too much for him. He nearly staggered from the room. The only escape he found was in the bathroom. Behind the closed door, he sucked in deep breaths. Nothing happened. His grief had strangled him. Lee turned and slammed the heel of his hand into the door. He beat his fist into the door until the wood splintered and he thought his hand would crash through. In agony, he howled and tears he hadn’t shed since he lost his baby fell from him. “She’s not dead. She’s not dead. She’s not dead!”

***

When Michelle opened the door, the men that had helped her board the yacht were gone. Only Cosmo remained behind, waiting. She smiled at the closest person she had left in the world. Cosmo had called in Pops’ old drinking buddies to pull this off. And if Lee ever knew he helped her, he’d kill them both. That’s why she needed to put distance between her and these men immediately. She changed into the clothes Cosmo brought and walked out toward the front of the boat, smiling at him.

“You look better.”

“I feel better,” she said softly.

“Why do I hear sadness in your voice?”

Michelle forced another smile and looked away. “A lot has happened, Cosmo. I’ve changed.”

“No, you haven’t. Not really.” Cosmo reached across the table and squeezed her hand. She looked up and smiled.

“Chocolat died in that river. She’s never coming back.”

“Good. Good for you.”

“Cosmo, did your cousin have the Feds on Kumar? Is he alive?”

“He’s alive, Michelle. You saved that kid’s life. But you know they will pressure him to go after Lee.”

Michelle sighed. “Lee can handle it. Trust me.”

“You sure? I saw him at the hospital when he granted me permission to visit. The man, well, you know I hate the man. Still, he loved you. In his own way.”

She gave a sad smile. “Lee could handle just about anything before he and I got confused by love. He’ll be stronger without me. We both will be. Sasha will grow up the hard way. Her choice. All of this is her choice. I’ve made mine.” Michelle sniffled. “Thank you for everything, for helping me, for believing in me.”

“Where will you go?”

“It’s best you don’t know.” She rose and walked over to hug him. He chuckled and hugged her.

“Do you have everything? The money? It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“I will pay you back. I swear it.”

“Just be that doctor we talked about. Start over. You earned this new beginning.”

The captain came down and said something in Czech. Cosmo nodded. “We’re here. It’s time.”

Michelle grabbed her backpack. She wore jeans and a leather biker jacket. She’d catch a flight to Greece and from there she’d find her way. To where, she didn’t know, but the adventure had her giddy with excitement.

They emerged from the lower deck. Michelle accepted the hand of the man offering to bring her onto the pier. She looked over her shoulder at Cosmo, who stared at her in the night with tears in his eyes.

“I love you,” she mouthed.

He mouthed the words back to her. Turning, her eyes fell upon the ring Lee gave her. She had never broken her promise to him, never taken it off. She slowly removed the ring. She nearly tossed it into the river, but stopped. She opened her hand and stared at the jewel, her heart heavy with loss, with the memory of him still treasured in a part of her she’d visit again, when she was alone, when it was safe, when it didn’t hurt as much.

Exhaling, she walked off into the night.

***

Lee navigated Sasha through the airport, heading for the private hangar where his jet awaited. They’d just cleared customs. He hadn’t left her side since they’d driven away from the river. Sasha wore large, oval shades, her head down. Neither of them spoke. They moved through the crowds aimlessly, thinking of Michelle.

When he looked over to speak his wishes, he caught glimpse of someone familiar, a short, stout man with big cheeks who seemed a bit confused as the Czech officer instructed him how to load his bag. The man pushed his luggage down the conveyor belt to the customs agent. Lee threw up his hand and stopped the men trailing him. He grabbed Sasha by the arm. “That man. Do you know him?”

Sasha’s head slowly lifted. She looked about. Lee pointed to the man accepting his luggage.

“That’s Cosmo,” Sasha said.

“Cosmo? The guy that owned the diner, right?”

“Yeah. What is he doing here?”

Lee watched Cosmo shuffle along to catch his flight. A slow smile formed over his lips. The insufferable pain over his loss eased. He would know it if she were dead. He’d know it. She’d done it. She’d played the ultimate hustle, and won.

He smirked. “Exactly. What’s Cosmo doing here?”

Epilogue

Sasha forced herself from the bed. A month of solitude made her depression complete, but another two months of living under Lee’s thumb had completely destroyed any hope she had of recovery. The alcohol helped. She understood why her father preferred it to life. She reached for the empty vodka bottle and groaned.

“Dammit!” she cursed, throwing it across the room. Forcing herself to rise, she staggered toward the closet. There was a liquor store three blocks from her apartment. She’d get there in time to collect a few bottles and get in bed. The idea of it made her smile.

She forced on a pair of jeans and pulled down a sweater. Turning, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The woman staring back at her shocked her awake. Her skin was an ashen shade of gray, and the dark puffs under her lids had aged, if not erased, her vitality. Her lips were chapped and raw. Her hair was a scraggly mess on her head.