Gunslinger

Johnny settled back in the seat and watched the horizon dip and dive away with a satisfied smile. Ana banked the plane, catching Johnny’s grin from the co-pilot’s seat as they headed out of Moscow for the west. It had been a busy thirty six hours but now they were on their way and, it seemed, ahead of the competition.
Syn and Zacky had arrived back at the hanger with news that it had indeed been government agents they had encountered, hence the roadblocks and now the news that Charlotte had been declared as wanted. Zacky was taken by surprise by the hammering on the door early and the fact that his buddies had not been surprised by the girl in his bed, Ana merely bringing a change of clothes and some hair dye that meant by the time they left Charlotte had red hair and looked less like a librarian. The ribbing had been as anticipated, made worse when Jimmy and Syn got together but stilled by Johnny and the amazing amount of information Charlotte had been able to give him.
“For a start, the records point to the wrong place. All the information in the official reports points to the region here…”
She pointed to the divergent point on the map where three countries came together before sliding her finger to the west and then up. They were all crowded around the map, Johnny next to Charlotte with Zacky on her other side, a protective arm around her waist. Jimmy and Matt were on the other side of the table taking in every detail. Matt himself was more than happy, a visitor had arrived after Johnny’s call and a long haul flight. She was wrapped in his arms and wondering just what the fuck her lover had got them wound up in this time.
Dani had known the gang forever after meeting them in the army. At first they had all smiled at the idea that a petite dark skinned beauty with killer curves might be able to outshoot them. Three hours on the range later they had been proved wrong and Matt had been in love. Dani had found her ideal man in the quietly spoken killer, his mix of brawn and brain had attracted her and when the boys had quit to go freelance, she had followed. Now she and Syn handled the guns, working together when needed as a sniper team and generally providing the kind of cover that would put an army off.
“So where do we look ?”
Charlotte pointed out a small border area near the northern coast border of Russia and Estonia. She had memorised her notes, the book itself safely locked in a Moscow train locker with the only key in her bra. Thankfully that had survived Zacky and the night at the motel. She remained in a kind of shock over the whole thing although he clearly had no intention of giving her up now, a possessiveness that was new but helped when it came to coping with his friends. Johnny had been polite but sharp, clearly the man in charge while Matt had been kind, he and Dani welcoming her with apologies about them meeting in such weird circumstances. Jimmy had violently hugged her and she couldn’t help but hug back while it seemed that Syn and Ana had already accepted her as an old friend. Charlotte had always been shy and introverted and all the interest was quite overwhelming, the work seeming to be the easy part.
“Narva and then west to Tallin. It’s somewhere between them.”
“Huge area to cover and not the easiest of borders.”
Matt had pulled up the laptop, locating the town and surrounding area. Within ten minutes he had a small airfield that could accommodate their plane and a letting agent that suddenly had the details and references of an American tourist party on their books. Johnny had remained at the maps, confident that Matt would set them up a base as the big man looked at his even taller friend.
“Call in the other half of the D’s, we need that wit and charm.”
Jimmy blushed, Matt was talking about Dani’s best friend and the woman he had loved from afar for over three years. Despite Syn and Zacky egging him on, Johnny threatening to tell her and Dani demanding he tell her, Jimmy had always been too nervous to ask Danielle out. She was too stunning he had decided, the blue eyes and tattoos hypnotised him as much as her wit and smart mouth. Danielle had worked in public relations, learnt three languages within six months and now acted as liaison for the gang. Her brain and beauty captivated him.
A brief call had seen her on a plane heading to Estonia and by the time everything was loaded and the plane was fuelled they had rented a private dacha, remote and defendable with storage facilities and space for several vehicles. Danielle would meet them at the airport with a hire care, whatever vehicles they would need from then on would be provided by Ana and her five finger discount.
Now they were in the air and en route, a few more skilful clicks of Matt’s fingers had worked them in as a routine cargo flight from Moscow into Narva airport. Thankfully they could class it as an internal flight rather than having to route to Tallin. The border remained a source of friction between the two countries and Ana had been negotiating flight paths in Russian for an hour even before takeoff. Johnny liked to listen, he had always found these times with her comforting, the borders between them defined as pilot and co-pilot rather than the more complicated things their relationship sometimes fell into.
Ana herself looked better. The combination of Jimmy making sure she ate regularly and Syn watching her like a hawk meant that she had a better complexion even if her nerves were on edge. Despite the inferences and teasing from her friends, the night in the hotel had passed with her and Syn not even touching, reduced to watching the weather channel and trying not to listen to Zacky and Charlotte fucking like rabbits next door. It had been awkward, something which their relationship had never been whether they were loving each other or opposed. If she was honest with herself Ana missed him and wanted to at least make things right between them.
Syn knew it and was fighting it. He had wanted her even though the anger at being betrayed still stung, reduced to having a quick wank in the shower so he could be on the bed with her without a boner. That she was still under his skin, that he cared enough to want her drug free was confusing enough without sleeping with her. Ana was his own drug of choice and Syn was determined to go cold turkey.
“Okay boys and girls, flight time is one hour and twenty two minutes. Thank you for flying Mercenary Airways, please enjoy your flight and restrain my ex husband from shooting at the windows.”
“I never signed any papers bitch, we’re legally still married.”
Syn grinned at the choice expletive that came into his ear from the cockpit and unhooked his harness, looking over to where Dani and Matt were discussing the mission, Jimmy was sleeping and Zacky had a book. Only Charlotte returned his gaze, her face a little pale and Syn reached across, patting her leg.
“Bit bumpier than you’re used to ?”
“Yes and I’ve never actually been on a mission of any sort before.”
He laughed, the movement lighting up his face and Charlotte could see what Ana had fallen in love with. She had first thought him cold and brutal but Syn had shown himself to be sharp and reassuring, calmly talking her down when the panic about the man who died in her office threatened to overwhelm her. She had talked with him while Ana had dyed her hair, the other woman reassuring her that it had been kill or be killed. When she had looked in the mirror she had hardly recognised herself, the red hair piled into a messier bun and tight black jeans and t-shirt had been quite the transformation.
“You’re doing great, you’re the one that’s going to help us find the stash. After that leave it to us. Zacky won’t let any harm come to you.”
Charlotte blushed and Syn glanced up at the cockpit before getting up and walking towards the metal door. The ear pieces were the only way to communicate over the metallic rumble of aircraft engines, the small porthole windows showing glimpses of fluffy clouds and blinding sun. It was cold and he was grateful for his thick leather jacket as he opened the cockpit door and glanced in to where Johnny was watching the sky and Ana was guiding the aircraft along.
“You guys ok ?”
Johnny looked around and grinned, the relief at having his team back together was tangible and now he wanted to deliver in his promise to make them all rich. He also wanted Ana and Syn to make it right between them, his love for both of them overcoming the long standing problem between them.
He loved Ana.
Ana knew it, had known it since they were teenagers and so did Syn. Johnny blamed himself for being the spark that had lit the flame, the bet that had turned into a poker game that had ended in disaster had been started by an incident between himself and his best friends wife. A kiss that should never have been and although he wanted nothing more than to be with her, he knew her heart belonged to his Syn. Johnny might never be short of female company but they never got close to his heart.
“We got this down Brian, you ?”
“Fucking freezing.”
Ana squeaked as cold fingers lighted on her neck and accepted the hip flask from Syn with a warm smile that made him return it. They all took a nip of the strong whiskey, amused to hear Dani grilling a newly awakened Jimmy about whether he would be able to speak in coherent sentences when they met Danielle. The big man was proclaiming that this time, this blessed time, he would finally ask her out.
“I call bullshit, you will blush and stammer and she will go shy and then its separate rooms…again.”
“She’s right Jimbo.”
“Shut it Matt, she will fall for the almighty Sullivan charm.”
Another call off bullshit came from Syn before the cabin door slammed again, leaving Johnny and Ana alone. He noticed her expression, a single tear dripping down her face which he wiped away with the gentlest of fingers. She smiled a little, the gesture making his heart seem to freeze in his chest.
“He won’t ever forgive me.”
“He should hope you forgive him. He knows what happened to you in there.”
Ana flinched, not wanting those thoughts to invade and spoil her concentration. Johnny’s fingers were warm and still stroking her face. Part of her wanted to let him in and forget about Syn but they both knew it wasn’t about to happen. The past was too insistent, a shared history that would never let him betray a man he considered a brother and never let her forget the man she had loved since she was thirteen years old.
“All that money, all the lost years.”
“Money we are going to replace, years we all have in front of us. Buck up kiddo, gonna make us all rich.”
Ana giggled in spite of herself, his profile with the goofy grin now making him look a lot younger and a lot more innocent than Johnny really was. He was a good man, a ruthless one but one that deserved a good life and she was now determined he would get it. They settled back into comfortable silence as the plane flew on above a land that had seen war, violence and bloodshed, one thought left in his mind.
Johnny would see them all rich or die trying.

Notes