BOOKS BY V.GRAHAM

Dark cold eyes watched from the shadows of the old garage. The owner of that sinister stare waited patiently, after all good things come to those who wait. Spotting the maroon sports utility driving towards him, he smiled. The man pulled the velvet away from the rifle inside, lovingly picked it up caressing it's satiny finish and moved towards the outside ladder.

The 2009 SUV pulled up across the street from the dilapidated apartment building. Erik Fletcher checked behind him for traffic then fluidly moved his two hundred ten pound muscled body out of his seat to stand on the littered street. He partially zipped his New Orleans Saints jacket and glanced at the graffiti covered walls of the buildings around them. His pretty black haired partner in the pale yellow dress with the pink jacket joined him as she smoothed her skirt down. She looked like one of his favorite stars from old movies, Rachel Welch. Erik clicked the button on his key ring activating his alarm before crossing the street.

Celina Keller walked beside him, neither appeared to notice the two young men in tee shirts and jeans obvious to the chilly air sitting on the steps. The two sharing a joint as they giggled about something or perhaps at nothing at all. Erik preferred working alone but they had saddled him with three new agents to baby-sit. He knew the rules well having grown up in Chicago on streets much like here in Langley Virginia.They entered the building and headed up the stairs to the forth floor.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she refused to touch the banister that was as filthy as the steps. The odor of rotting food and urine lingered in the air of the closed building. Stepping around a trash bag as Celena followed him she was almost knocked down by a boy of around ten who raced down and out the door. A curse burst forth when as she began to fall the large strong hand of her partner stopped her. Glancing down she saw a chocolate ice cream stain on the front of her yellow dress. If only - he was someone she could just - kill! He had ruined her favorite dress she had to restrain herself from running after him and putting her foot up his butt. Celina bit the inside her cheek and moved on.

When they arrived on the fourth floor, Erik glanced up and down the hall then went left. The sounds of a couple fighting behind four twenty, and a drunken voice singing off key behind four eighteen. He caught the strong scent of cabbage cooking as it's scent mingled with the less pleasant odors in the hall. Erik also heard Celina's three inch heels making soft tapping noises on the old wooden floor as she followed. Stopping before room four eleven he reached up and knocked while his partner stood beside him.

Erik listened to the sounds of the football game playing on the TV inside and waited. Both stood to either side of the door and drew their guns. The sound of something crashing inside made him move and kick the door in. They rushed inside and saw only the last of Davis just disappearing out the window. Davis ran onto the fire escape and down the metal ladder.The heel and toe silver guards on his snake skin boots tapping loudly as he ran. The tall muscled agent rushed after him as his female partner turned, pulled off her shoes throwing them in her oversized handbag, ran along the hall then sprinted and jumped down the stairs.

Erik tore after the tall slender man who quickly reached the alley and hit the ground running toward the front as Erik landed lightly and gave chase. Turning the corner, Davis ran into Celina who took him down with one good roundhouse kick snapping his neck. He lay in the filth his greasy hair in an oil puddle, his tattooed cheek facing the sky. Celina recognized the tattoo that represented one of their targets. He was a follower and now he was dead.

Erik rounded the corner seeing his partner and smiled in relief. He came over and reached down towards the man on the sidewalk when a shot rang out. The bullets momentium hit the top of dead mans' head and gore splattered the sidewalk around him. Both agents ducked and ran to the edge of the building for cover leaving the other man. Someone with a high powered rifle was firing at them and they had only their handguns. Celina knew that Erik wouldn't let that stop him, and it wouldn't stop her either. Her palm was slightly wet as she tightened her hold on her weapon, and willed her heart to slow down.

Two more shots rang out, as both ducked back as another hit the wall near them sending concrete splinters their way. "Who do you think it is?" She was leaning back against the wall, her gun now held to her chest as she looked at him. It was her eyes that reflected what she felt for outwardly she was calm. Her eyes were dancing with excitement. She knew she still had a lot to learn, but she was a quick study. With Erik her teacher she couldn't miss.

"I don’t know, but we need to do something. I’m going to cross the street, and I want you to start firing towards where that shooter is. I’m going to try and get over there and take him out."

"Got it." The petite agent glanced around the corner as another bullet hit just above her head causing her to duck there was a hissing and she saw a white bubbling substance where the bullet hit -- acid! Celina had seen the flash and aimed as her partner sprinted across the street. She fired until she was down to one bullet before glancing behind her and then fired it towards the garage. Reloading as she saw Erik on the other side of the street. He was moving around the back as she put the new clip in, cocked it, waited, and watched.

More gunshots sounded and she hoped he was okay. Celina could hear the sounds of sirens coming closer as she ran across the street, hugging the wall moved across the front and to the side of the building. A quick glance around the corner showed her leader standing there his gun held at his side standing over the shooter.

She moved beside him glancing down at the open unseeing eyes of the dark man. Erik bent onto one knee and checked the man’s pockets finding nothing. He stood up and moved over to her. He saw her start to react to something behind him so he pulled the fine steel string and the forty five that was aimed backwards tore through his jacket. Turning he saw another man of around five feet seven with a sawed off shotgun slowly sliding down the brick wall behind him. The hatred in the eyes slowly fading as life drained away.

"Let’s get out of here."

"What about the one we came to see? We need to search..."

They came around to the front and looking across the street the question became redundant. The tall man was still lying where they had left him with several people gathering around talking. They moved to their SUV got in and drove off leaving the scene to the cops. There was no time to search the apartment and he knew the information they were after was probably not just lying around on the table.

Erik drove towards their headquarters as he tried to figure out who the man was. Something right at the far reaches of his memory nagged him, if he could just grasp it. He pulled up to a red light and stopped pulling out some gum offering his partner some. When she shook her head, he opened a stick and popped it into his mouth. "I found something unusual back there."

"What?"

"The shooter, he was using dry ice for bullets. It leaves no metal to be traced, no prints."

"So were they after us or that man Davis?"

"I don't know," he accelerated as the light turned green. "I have no idea, maybe both. But we have to find out the answers soon."

                                                                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Aboard the ship the first group of American agents were fighting for their lives. The sun extinguished itself in an explosion of colors that made the blood staining the decks more duller just before the flaming ball sank into the Pacific behind the other side of The Nomad‘s Victory. His head was ringing from the pinging of bullets hitting the metal hull. The other sounds, that of agony that came from a colleague or antagonist Max did not know as he looked for his friends. They had been fighting since morning against bad odds. He crouched in a hatchway as he aimed and fired at a chap in blue, he jerked backwards falling over the side. Max lifted a hand smearing blood into his white blond hair as he licked dry lips. He had to find his team. Being here was not benefiting his side and he had to find the others. He tried to ignore the burning pain in his side and the blood that ran down his leg.

Moving out and watching for his enemies he headed towards the sector where he presumed Danny to be. Turning a corner, he ran into another fellow in dark blue clothing, and utilizing his martial arts he took down the man who had no chance to fight back. As he dropped choking on his own blood, Max moved forward down the hall and then took the corridor to the right. Opening the door, he moved inside the brightly lit room then shut the door after finding it empty. Going over to the other side of the room and there he saw it. In a puddle of blood lay Janet the only female of the team. A small semi-automatic held in one hand lying across her broken body, her unseeing eyes now cloudy causing hi to turn away. Where was Danny? With that question he moved out of the room and down another corridor beginning to weave, as his vision began to blur. He didn’t notice the silence that had replaced the gunshots as he fell.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The luxurious room was filled with paintings that had not been seen since World War Two. Silk wallpaper covered the walls that had once been torn apart by explosions when he had ordered it destroyed so long ago. Now it was rebuilt better than ever and filled with the treasures he had owned for years. The furniture came from some of the finest homes in Europe had withstood the sands of time in near perfect condition. Sitting with his feet up on the stool beside her he drank. The blood flowing from the tube in her arm lead to the silver mouthpiece that resembled a cigarette holder. Xavier drank the dark red liquid, his nostrils flared as it aroused all his senses with its taste. One of the guards held her by the shoulder; she was only one of many who had the permanent catheter in her arm.

When Xavier motioned to the guard he gently removed the tube, closed the catheter up, and picked her up to carry her away as Byron Mason came into the room. The room scent was a blend of blood, paint and lavender air freshener. Xavier took off the mouthpiece and dropped it on the table turning to the youngest of his Lieutenants.

"Sir, we have news about the American agents."

"They are dead?"

"Yes."

"Good, Good. This time I will succeed, people now see that I was right. I will steer my people to triumph over those tyrants and terrorist. They will not rule my people." He moved over to the wall with the large detailed map of his operation, sat back in his swivel chair, and gazed at the easel that held his latest still life. The short man examined it for a moment and gestured towards it as he watched the tall man beside him. "What do you think of it? Is the red too violent?"