Chapter 04: Icarus

How quaint, Alexa thought as she scanned the area for guards. The location for the meeting was in an abandoned railroad switch house, another reason Kasper should have avoided this client altogether. Contact with clients was to be kept anonymous, online, never on a hard line and never face-to-face. And to agree to meet in a shady location on the client’s terms and without backup was beyond foolish. What were you thinking, Kasper?

Quietly, she crept around the rail yard, cautious of every sound she heard. A couple yards in the distance, Alexa observed two nondescript black sedans parked beside a black SUV. Three men stood near the front gates, alert and dressed in equally as dark clothing. And with three vehicles in play, there was no telling how many men were inside. Alexa removed her weapon and back up piece from their individual holsters, checking them both. She had 26 bullets between them and two extra magazines of ammo. With any luck, it would be enough.

Slipping around back, Alexa carefully climbed the stack of crates pushed against the brick wall of the building and hoisted herself up onto a ledge. “Hit ‘em again.” She heard a husky voice growl from inside the building. Alexa poked her head over the dust-covered windowsill and rubbed a clean spot into the filmy glass to get a better look inside. Her eyes quickly fell on Kasper and the five men standing around him. He was chained up and bleeding in the center of the room and being pounded on by a brute twice his size in sheer muscle.

The guy in the center, the one calling the shots, she noticed was dressed similarly to the one she’d encountered on the subway platform. His nice Italian loafers and Jaspé wool-silk blended suit told Alexa he came from money. And the four men in his company with alike skull and bones tattoos pointed to an organized crime syndicate, much in the likes of the Piozzo family Alexa dealt with in her teens. They were sharp, they were methodical and they were professionals. Whoever these men were, they meant business. “Where is she?”

“I–I don’t know,” Kasper grunted as he was met with another hard blow to the gut. He doubled over feeling his stomach muscles contract before painfully releasing. If the man kept going at this rate his insides would be mush.

“I can do this all day but, eventually you’re going to run out of blood,” gray suit replied and motioned for his man to hit Kasper again. This time he took the crack to his jaw, splitting his lip and loosening at least two teeth. “Do you really want to keep getting pounded on all day, Sammy? Why are you protecting her?” Kasper looked up at the man in the gray suit and smiled. “What are you grinning at?” he asked, receiving a deep bout of laughter from Kasper in return.

“Because. I know something you don’t.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“Alexa,” Kasper whispered as the man in the gray suit inched closer. “The girl you’re looking for? She’s a damned good shot.”

Alexa fired and the man who’d been beating on Kasper hit the floor. Blood pooled around his head and the other three men turned quickly, returning fire in Alexa’s direction. She popped up from behind a set of crates near the port entrance and swiftly took out a second shooter, and a third soon after.

The three men from outside rushed the room, hearing the shots ring out and Alexa threw herself behind cover once more. Down to her last mag, she waited for a break in the shooting before moving around the crates. Alexa hit one in the shoulder. Fired again, and got another in the neck. He fell. Her gun clicked. She dropped back beside a stack of pallets and the box beside her exploded into splinters as the gunmen advanced.

She heard shuffling feet to her right and kicked out, sweeping the man’s legs from under him. He landed face first and she locked her arm around his throat while maintaining cover until the man stopped breathing.

Bullets riddled the crates in front of her as the last gunman emptied a few rounds of ammo in her direction. When his gun jammed, Alexa seized the opportunity, flipped from behind her cover and sprinted directly for him. Catching the man around the neck, she easily disarmed him of the Bowie blade he’d drawn and, without hesitation, plunged it into his chest. Giving the knife a sharp turn, she yanked it upwards, dragged it out and drove it in again before starting toward the injured shooter.

“ALEXA!” Kasper screamed as the man in the gray suit placed a knife at his throat. Dispatching thug number four with one last stab to the chest, Alexa quickly rolled, retrieved the weapon from her boot and fired. The shot caught gray suit in the leg and he fell. The blade in his hand landed with a clank beside Kasper’s feet and Alexa promptly walked over and kicked it away.

“Are you ok?” she asked, looking up at Kasper.

“Considering the circumstances?” he laughed and she unhooked the chains around his wrists and gently lowered him to the floor. 

Turning her attention back to the man in the gray suit, she collected his knife and knelt down beside him. “Hi there,” Alexa smiled, stabbing the tip of the blade into the man’s injury. He yelled, followed by a slew of expletives that only angered her more, causing Alexa to apply more pressure. “I’m gonna ask you a few questions, and I’d appreciate it if you were honest. Think you can do that for me?”

“You stupid bitch!” he snarled, placing his hand over his leg as he tried to drag it away but she put her foot on top of his, stopping him. “You don’t know what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into, do you? More will come for you. This is FAR from over!”

“Who are you?”

He glanced toward Kasper and then back to Alexa, a sinister smile spreading his lips as he maintained eye contact. “Why don’t you ask…?”

A loud blast echoed beside her ear and she watched as a red circle appeared in gray suit’s chest. It was quickly followed by another to the head. “Why did you do that?” Alexa yelled, immediately turning to face Kasper. He stood, mouth agape and shaking. The gun fell from his hand and her expression quickly softened as she watched him collapse to the ground and she moved toward him.

“I–I’m sorry, A. I…I thought he was reaching. He put his hand in his pocket…I’m sorry,” he stammered and wiped his hands over his jeans. The scene reminded her of her first kill. No matter how much she washed, the blood never came off.

“It’s ok, Kasper,” she replied, slowly kneeling in front of him and gently placing her hands over his to get them to stop shaking. “It was a clean kill.”

“I…I killed him. I–I shot him!” he replied, staring blankly ahead.

“No, you survived,” Alexa responded, forcing him to look at her. “It was you or him, Kasper. Repeat after me, you did what you had to do.”

“I did what I had to do.”

“Good. Just keep repeating that and you’ll be alright.” Sliding the gun from his side, Alexa stood and collected the other weapons from around the room, dismantling them and tossing them into an old plastic bag. “You know the story of Icarus, Kasper?” Alexa asked, reaching her hand for him to help him stand.

“Yeah,” he groaned as he got to his feet. “Something about a hard-headed child.”

“Despite the many warnings of his father Daedalus, Icarus flew too close to the sun with wings made of wax that melted and he fell to his death.”

“I was just trying to help, A.”

“By doing something we both agreed would be a bad idea.”

“We’re not making anything on this mission right now and equipment doesn’t come cheap.”

“But it’s not like either of us is hurting for money, K. And unless you have some huge gambling problem, I’ve not been made aware of, we can pass on the money. You’re the one that convinced me to see this mission through and now you’re desperate for more work. We can’t take on multiple clients at a time; it complicates things.”

“I know.”

“Good. Then sit tight. If you find you need to keep busy…take up knitting.”

“Knitting?” he asked, raising his brow in her direction.

“Whatever. Just don’t go looking for trouble. We have enough of that finding us as is,” she scolded, folding her arms into her chest as she gazed at him. “I just…I can’t lose you too, K.”

He spit a mouthful of blood to the ground as he continued rubbing his sore jaw and nodded. “I’m sorry, A. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Alexa ran her hands along his side and over his back, checking for any unusual lumps. He was badly beaten, but mostly minor cuts and bruises that would heal over time. “I don’t feel anything broken,” she reported once she was done. “You’re lucky. Those guys looked the torturing type. What did they want?”

“You.”

“Did they say who they were?”

“Nope. All I got from them besides the beat down of my life was a feeling; I think they were mobbed up.”

“Yeah, I got that same feeling,” she sighed and looked around at all the chaos. “Well, whoever they were and whatever syndicate they were working for, I’m sure there will be more coming; suit confirmed that much. We need to get in front of this thing, K. Do whatever you have to in order to I.D our new friends.”

“Anything?”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Ok. You got your knife on you?” he asked, pushing off from the stack of tires.

“Why?”

“Grab a thumb from each of these guys. I think I can pull their prints and get them I.D’d,” he grinned at the frown that turned her lips and shrugged. “You said whatever it took.”

After collecting the digits, Alexa grabbed the weapons bag and tossed the dismantled pieces down a storm drain. Throwing Kasper’s arm over her neck, she helped him to her car and they left the area. By the time she got back to the Stark mansion, it was dark and the family had all turned in for the night. Silently, she slipped into the door and up to her room. Gavin was set to be released in the morning and she wanted to get to the hospital first thing.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Alexa asked, watching Gavin wince as he touched a hand to his side.

“Of course I am,” he smiled, squeezing her hand tighter in his. “The show’s only in town for one more day and I wanted to bring you. And it’s my birthday, and the birthday boy gets what he wants! Besides, today is auction day, the best day to come!”

“Ok,” she replied, not wanting to draw out the argument and rested her head on his shoulder.

“You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Mmm, are you just saying that to get into my panties?”

“Maybe,” he grinned.

“Well, you look handsome too.”

“Now who’s trying to get into whose panties?” he laughed and leaned over to steal a kiss, moaning against her mouth as he felt her tongue caress his. Alexa quickly pulled away and touched her bottom lip.

“Auction day, huh?” she asked, ignoring the sudden rush of sexual energy buzzing through her.

“Yep!”

“Can we bid on anything?”

“We can but I’m betting these cars will be a little out of our price range. Then again, I don’t know what you make at your fancy lawyer gig. For all I know you could buy and sell this place three times over.”

“Well, looking at this delicious menu of automobile delicacies, I could probably be enticed to bid on one or two of them.”

“You know you have to pay for them if you win?”

“I know, I know but the exciting part is beating the competition, GearStud33,” Alexa giggled as he frowned at her, recalling their heated online battle for her 1969 Dodge Charger.

“Ha! Well in that case, let ‘em have it, LegalBeaver28.”

The first car they came to was the 1910 Ford Model T. Alexa circled around its platform as Gavin read the placard in front of it. “The Ford Model T, affectionately known as Tin Lizzy, was produced by Henry Ford’s Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that opened travel to the common middle-class American.”

“I can’t believe one of these things is still around. And in great condition,” Alexa replied, rejoining him at the front bumper.

“I know. One of these beauties would run you around $900 back in 1910 which is roughly around $22,000 in today’s economy. There’s no telling what this one here would sell for now at auction.”

“Meh. It’s not the one I came to see anyway.”

“I know. You like power. A girl after my own heart.”

She smiled and took his hand again and they continued through the building. Other offerings included the 1920 Bufori MKIII, the 1934 Packard Custom Speedster, the 1935 Auburn Speedster and the 1940 Mercury Coupe. Gavin joked about buying the Coupe just for parts. He was mostly in love with its fenders.

As the day went on, they’d gotten up close and personal with the 1949 Mercury Eight Coupe, a 1950 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck, and the 1960 Chevrolet Corvette, something that interested Alexa but was still not enough to whet her appetite.

In the last section of the building were the 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS, the 1968 Pontiac GTO, a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429, a 1972 Plymouth Fury and the featured 2008 Lamborghini Estoque and 2013 Pagani Huayra—a rarity with just 100 total ever made.

Gavin’s eyes opened wide as he took in the specimen of the Pagani and it was hard to hide his love for the 2012 Hypercar of the Year. “Meaning ‘God of the winds’ in Quechua, the Pagani Huayra is the fastest road car to go around the Top Gear Test Track, setting a time of 1:13.8, beating the previous record of 1:15.1 set by the Ariel Atom V8 in January 2011,” Alexa read the car’s jacket as Gavin continued circling it like a lion hunting its prey. “It has a list price of €1,198,000 which is $1,600,000 U.S.”

“Like I said, too rich for my blood. But damn is she a beaut! I’d love a car like this as a centerpiece for my garage.”

The sound of a horn blaring informed the attendees the auction was set to begin and the crowd all started for the main room. Alexa and Gavin sat through the sale of every vehicle and she watched him closely, smiling as he transformed into a kid at a candy store listening to the engines of each automobile. But as they got to the last auction of the day, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The Pagani was the interest of several admirers in attendance and Gavin was anxious to see what it sold for. Taking a breath, Alexa set her sights on winning.

“Here we have the Hypercar of the year with a starting price of $1.45 million. The auction will start at $1.45 do I have any enthusiasts who want to take this puppy for a test drive? $1.45 to the couple at the bar. Can I get $1.5? $1.5 to the gentleman with the fedora. Do I hear $1.6? $1.6 and you get the pleasure of topping its speed.”

Alexa raised her hand and Gavin looked at her in shock. “What are you doing?”

“I told you, it’s exciting!”

“$1.6 to the blonde speed demon, can I get $1.7? $1.7! Who’ll give me $1.8? I got $1.8! Anyone wanna go .5, .5 to the price and it’s yours! $1.9! $1.9 million to the gentlemen in the front, thank you. Do we have any takers for $2? $2 on the button and you get the keys to this masterpiece of motor machinery!” Alexa raised her hand again with a smile. “$2 million from the woman with taste, anyone take us to .5? .5 and it’s yours .5? .5? .5? SOLD!” 

“Holy shit, Hannah,” Gavin gasped, clutching his heart as the audience cheered around them, shaking her hand and patting her back. “I can’t believe you just bought that thing! What the hell are you gonna do with a $2 million dollar sports car?”

“You mean what are you gonna do with a $2 million dollar sports car? Happy birthday,” Alexa whispered against his ear before softly kissing his cheek.

“Wow!” Gavin exclaimed, dropping back into his seat.

“What’s wrong?”

“You just bought me a $2 million car and I can’t even afford to replace your $1,000 shirt!”

Alexa took her seat and his hand and gently stroked his fingers between hers before she threaded them together. “Don’t think about the price tag, Gavin. All that I’ve wanted you’ve given me. Just, think of this as my way of saying thanks.”

“Well…your gratitude is appreciated and accepted!” he laughed, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers. “I love you, Hannah.” She looked at him, reveling in the euphoric look on his face and the way his eyes smiled with his lips. 

He looked happy and Alexa felt a surge of emotion in the pit of her belly stemming from knowing she was the reason behind that smile. “I love you too, Gavin,” she replied, taking a breath as she felt his lips on hers again. Her eyes closed as she replayed the story of Icarus again in her head. She’d scolded Kasper for making the same mistake. And yet, here she was, letting herself fly too close to that sun. But it wasn’t the idea of falling that terrified her. What scared Alexa the most was the recognition that her feelings for Gavin Stark were real.

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*Author’s note: If you are interested in any of the vehicles shown or mentioned in this chapter, check out the show page with links to each download.*

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