Charles Brokaw - The Lucifer Code

Lourds ate some of the roll; it was delicious. ‘I can’t help feeling I need a fresh pair of eyes on this.’

‘It’ll come. Just give it time.’

‘We don’t have time.’

Lourds glanced at the television over in the corner of the kitchen. The unrest in Saudi Arabia continued as Prince Khalid made war along his borders. Shia warriors had started slipping across the borders to shore up the rebellions spreading throughout the country. To make matters worse, private security services hired by American and European corporations also continued to filter into the country to secure valuable assets. The images on the television showed death and disaster, smoke, machine-gun fire and explosions. Helicopters and planes dropped from the sky as they were hit by enemy fire. Tanks exploded on the streets. Soldiers fought with and taunted one another.

‘Even if you hadn’t told me Lucifer was involved with this,’ Father Gabriel said softly, ‘I would have seen his hand in it.’

‘Where’s the vice-president?’ Lourds asked.

‘Still there in King Abdullah Financial City. It looks like Webster is going to get the troops he’s been asking for.’

‘What troops?’

‘Webster has asked for a military operation into the country.’

‘On Saudi Arabian soil?’

‘Yes.’

‘There’s not much chance of that starting an international incident, is there?’ Lourds asked sarcastically.

‘Surely not.’

‘Oh. Sarcasm.’

‘Yes. However the comment isn’t without merit and truth. As it turns out, Webster’s quite the organizer. He’s already got several European and American corporations backing everything he’s doing over there.’

‘They’re all afraid of losing their money,’ Lourds said.

‘Given all the recent economic frustrations, I can see why people want to hold on to what they have and are willing to take the extra-legal step to maintain it.’

‘This isn’t just extra-legal. The Saudis won’t tolerate it. The Middle East will be up in arms for generations to come.’

‘If we last that long,’ Father Gabriel agreed. ‘And by that, I mean the world.’

‘And no one sees this?’

‘Of course someone sees this. But the people who have the muscle to make these things happen – politicians, big businessmen and even religious figures – all believe what Webster has to say: if a stand isn’t taken in the Middle East, a Western world stand, then they’re going to lose everything they know.’

‘That’s foolish.’

‘Do you really think so?’

Lourds didn’t reply.

Father Gabriel looked at Lourds. ‘These are frightening times, Thomas. Money isn’t what it used to be. Jobs aren’t always there. Security is a half-remembered memory. This – this is something that’s been building for a long time.’ He glanced at the television. ‘And it’s coming home to roost.’

Lourds woke at the desk where he’d been working non-stop for three days. He just managed to halt a teetering stack of books before they fell over and scattered across the floor.

You’ve got to get some sleep, he told himself. But he knew that trying would be worthless. As soon as he went to sleep, he’d be awake again. Just like now.

He was so close to solving the puzzle of the rings. He’d worked with them so much he could picture them in his mind effortlessly. They spun constantly, one over the other. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he shifted their rotation or in what order he put them. None of it made sense. The words on the Joy Scroll remained elusive, just out of his grasp.

It was maddening.

He crossed to the shopping bag that held his toiletries and spare changes of clothing. Joachim and his friends had turned out not to be as poor as church mice, and Cleena had money hidden in a variety of locations, though she seemed much more reluctant to part with it than Joachim and his brothers. He padded quietly to the nearest bathroom, vaguely aware that it was the middle of the night and no one else was awake. He also failed to realize the bath was occupied until he was pulling his shirt over his head.

‘What are you doing?’

Recognizing Cleena’s voice, Lourds froze. ‘Sorry,’ he apologized hastily. ‘I didn’t realize you were in here.’ Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t resist peeking in the mirror in the hopes of catching her reflection there. Fog blurred the image, though, and he cursed the luck.

‘Don’t get out,’ he quipped. ‘I’ll see myself to the door.’

Water shifted behind him as he grabbed his things.

‘You don’t have to go,’ Cleena told him.

Slowly, Lourds turned around, still half out of his shirt, and looked at her.

She lounged in the tub and the soapy water scarcely hid her breasts. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her freckled shoulders looked soft and rounded, but Lourds knew they would be strong with muscle.

‘I don’t have to go?’ Lourds asked hoarsely.

‘You don’t. It’s a big tub.’

‘Yes. Yes it is.’

‘Well? What are you waiting for? Suddenly shy?’

‘No.’ Lourds divested himself of his clothing and joined her. The water was freshly drawn, still so hot he could barely ease into it. But his mind was on other things. The heaving water pushed at Cleena’s breasts, revealing the strawberry-tipped nipples.

‘What are you doing up?’ she asked.

‘Couldn’t sleep.’

‘You seemed to be doing quite well when I checked on you earlier.’

‘I can’t sleep now.’

‘Neither can I.’

Lourds inhaled the fresh fragrance of the soap. He felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. She shifted and pushed her legs over his, allowing them each more room.

‘I’ll scrub your back if you’ll scrub mine,’ Lourds offered.

Without a word, Cleena scooted towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He reciprocated.

‘When I first saw you, I told myself this would never happen,’ she told him, staring into his eyes.

‘When I first saw you, I hoped,’ Lourds said honestly.

She rolled her eyes at him. ‘That doesn’t exactly make me feel special. If a woman walks by, you notice her.’

‘I’m very attentive.’ Lourds stroked the back of her neck and caused her to shiver.

‘I know this isn’t going to mean anything more than it does right now.’

‘Right now it means a lot.’

She cupped his face in her hands. ‘Right now it does mean a lot.’

Lourds filled his hands with her willing and pliant flesh. Her hot kisses boiled his blood and made his head spin, but he knew part of that was just the hot water and lack of sleep. She reached down for him and he was instantly ready. Positioning herself above him, she joined them, gripped the sides of the tub, and began a steady rocking motion that pushed them both away from fear and stress.

Lourds felt eyes staring at him. He also felt a slender naked body pressed against him from behind. The lingering fragrance of perfume told him who was in the room, and – if memory served right and he believed it did – the lissom body behind him belonged to someone else.

This is not a good time to wake up, he told himself. Just go back to…

‘I know you’re awake,’ Olympia said. ‘I’ve slept beside you enough to know when you’re actually sleeping.’

Lourds opened his eyes, blinked away his bleary vision, and looked at her. ‘I suppose you have.’ He didn’t try to apologize for Cleena’s presence.

Olympia sat at his desk, arms folded and clearly not happy. ‘It’s not as if I was foolish enough to believe you would be faithful, Thomas, but I would have thought you’d have had the decency to wait until we’d gone our separate ways.’

‘This wasn’t exactly planned.’ Lourds sat up and draped the blanket across his thighs.