Robert Ferrigno - Heart of the Assassin

"Rikki told me all about you when he came home last year," said Sarah. "I'd repeat what he said, but I'd have to wash my mouth out."

"Here I was hoping we could be friends," said Baby.

"I know, " said Sarah, pushing out her lower lip. "I'm disappointed too. I was looking forward to inviting you to my next slumber party."

"Daddy used to think you were really something." Baby slowly shook her head. "I'm going to have to tell him he was misinformed." She sipped her champagne. "Gosh, I almost forgot. Don't be counting on that piece of the cross. Rikki gave it to me. Kind of a…pillow present after our first night." Fireworks exploded across the city.

"You and your father must be scared of me for you to go through this," said Sarah. "Or is lying as natural to you as breathing?"

"Sweetie, a woman who doesn't know how to lie is never going to keep a man." Baby peered at her. "Maybe that's your problem."

Sarah laughed. "I'd love to stand out here and listen to your quaint cornpone expressions, but I've got more interesting things to do."

"Rikki's penis surprised me no end."

Sarah stopped, turned back to Baby.

"I thought for sure he was going to be circumcised," Baby said, running her finger lightly around the rim of her glass, the hum rising and falling. "I heard all Muslim men are circumcised, but there was Rikki with this cute little sleeve on Mr. Johnson." She dipped her finger in the champagne, sucked it. "I asked him and he said he was born Catholic. Only became Muslim when he moved in with you and Redbeard." She batted her lashes, watched the flush rise up Sarah's neck. "Is that interesting enough for you?"

"I don't believe you."

Baby knew better. "Rikki's got a real nasty streak in bed. I like that in a man."

Sarah tossed champagne into Baby's face.

Baby's eyes burned as Sarah walked back into the ballroom.

"Anthony," said Sarah, greeting a big, sloppy guy with tough eyes, and a gigantic king-crab leg in each hand. "I could use some good company."

"You're leaving the party early," Rakkim said softly, so close behind them he didn't need to raise his voice.

Sarah jerked.

Colarusso already had his gun out before he saw Rakkim standing in the shadows " Jeez, Rikki, you almost gave me a coronary."

Rakkim would have answered but Sarah threw herself into his arms, kissing him like he was a drowning man. She pulled back for an instant, looked like she was about to slap him, then kissed him again, hanging on, and Rakkim clung to her, inhaled her, folded himself into her heat and wished they didn't have to speak.

They stood beside Colarusso's car just down from the Brazilian embassy, the police badge embossed into the bulletproof windshield guaranteeing the best parking spot. A light rain had started falling, the street mirrored with oily rainbows. Traffic cops and security guards hunkered down in their windbreakers, sipping coffee from cardboard cups. Music from the embassy filtered through the drizzle.

"Good to see you, Rikki," said Colarusso, ignoring the weather, rain spattering his stained topcoat. "You lovebirds going to need a ride?"

"I'm not staying," said Rakkim, feeling Sarah tighten her grip on him. "Just wanted to talk to Sarah for a few minutes. You can take her home."

"Sure." Colarusso leaned against his car. He pulled a napkin full of tiger prawns out of his coat pocket and started munching away.

"Where are you going?" said Sarah, rain dripping down her face. "You should come home."

"I have to take care of some business first," said Rakkim, leading her deeper into the shadows.

"Can't this business wait?" said Sarah.

Rakkim shook his head. "I just wanted to see you first."

"Don't say it like that," said Sarah, her lower lip quivering. "You know I hate melodrama."

"I saw you with Baby."

"She's beautiful." Sarah watched him.

"Did she tell you that we had slept together?"

Sarah started to speak. Stopped herself.

"We didn't."

"I…I knew that."

"We didn't, Sarah." Rakkim gently wiped the rain from her cheeks. "I was close to making a mistake…closer than I ever want to get again, but I thought of you."

Sarah kissed him, her lips cool with rain but fiery underneath. "I knew…I knew she was lying…I knew you wouldn't…" She swayed against him. "I missed you, Rikki."

"Aren't you going to ask me if I have the piece of the cross?"

Sarah pulled back slightly.

"That's why you sent me into D.C.," said Rakkim. "That's what Moseby died for."

"What's wrong?" said Sarah.

Rakkim watched her standing in the rain, concerned, dark hair plastered around her face, and he could still see her as a little girl that first day Redbeard brought him home. She had been so happy to see him-a playmate, a friend, an ally-but even at six years old, she already knew how to hide her feelings, greeting him formally, welcoming him to her home. Redbeard had trained her well, even better than Rakkim…or perhaps Sarah just took to the training more than he had. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"Tell you what?"

"The truth."

Sarah hesitated only an instant, which was something. She knew how to lie, but she also knew when to cut her losses and tell the truth. "When I thought the time was right."

"What time is it now?"

"How did you find out?" said Sarah.

"I just kept putting the pieces together-I'm good at that. I remember when you first showed me the footage from D.C. and the zombie ripped his suit. He looked into the camera and said he was sorry, and I remember thinking, who is he apologizing to? His wife, that's what I figured. Then I met her and she told me what a tough guy he was, never shed a tear. She had such wonderful things to say about you, how you had paid for their kids' operations, and arranged for their schooling in Canada. You did all that before Eldon found the cross. It didn't make sense…until I realized you weren't paying him for finding the cross, you were paying him for planting the cross. Eldon was apologizing to you, Sarah, apologizing to you for ruining the big onscreen moment."

"If…Eldon hadn't torn his suit I wouldn't have needed you and Moseby to retrieve it," Sarah whispered, raindrops gleaming on her eyelashes. "I never intended to bring you into this."

"But you did. I'm just glad Moseby didn't realize he was dying for a fake."

"The cross…the cross is a symbol, Rikki, an emotional construct, a national lifeline," said Sarah, "and a symbol can't be a fake."

"What happens when the Belt finds out?"

"They're not going to find out."

"That piece of wood is going to be analyzed and reanalyzed."

"Let them." Sarah took his hand. "Spider's taken care of everything."

"Spider was in on this?"

Sarah nodded. "He wanted me to tell you the truth…if that matters."

"What about Leo?"

"No…just Spider." Sarah shivered, her evening clothes soggy around her. "It's going to work, Rikki. The president is going to hand it over to the Belt leaders and they're going to take it and put it on public display and be grateful to us for finding it and returning it to them. Miracles and visions will be attributed to it. Children will be healed. We all want to believe, Rikki. The Belt needs reunion just as much as we do, and no one's going to look too closely at the things that hold us together."

"We'll be held together with a lie."

"Here's a dirty little secret that most historians don't talk about." Sarah clutched his hand to her chest and he could feel her heart pounding. "Most wars start with a lie, good wars, bad wars, they start with a lie, and the peace that comes afterwards, those promises of forgiveness and cooperation and fair play for all…those are lies too, lies wrapped in hope. So if it took a lie to bring us together, I'll take it, and hope for the best."