Danielle The Book Huntress ’s Comments (group member since Jan 27, 2010)

Danielle The Book Huntress ’s comments from the Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group group.

Okay, I'll start the thread for it.

Chapter Seventeen (con't)

Alexei shrugged. The money the apartment had cost him was a drop in a very deep bucket. His main regret for was Henri. The poor man hadn’t deserved to die from a bullet in the head because of trigger happy lowlifes. He felt absolutely no regret for the goons whose lives he had ended. It was good news that his cover was still intact. The man who had owned the apartment was named Jean Moreau, a salesman from Brittany who reputedly kept the apartment for when he came to Paris for business. When the cops had dug into the situation, they would have realized that Jean didn’t exist, and that’s as far as it would go.

“By the way, everything about Cara Bridgestock checks out,” Bryne mentioned casually, leaning over the wrought iron banister separating them from the flowerbed. “But I guess you didn’t need to know that…” his open ended statement was more of a rhetorical question than anything else.

“An innocent university kid. A bit of a nerd, if you ask me. Although a looker all the same,” he said with a chuckle, not missing the dark look in Alexei’s eyes at the fact he had checked out his woman, but he was undaunted and unrepentant.

“Those sons of bitches that killed her parents like that,” Byrne paused, swearing under his breath. “And that wanker who ordered it. They need to die.”

“Supposedly he was a friend of her father from college, way back.”

Byrne whistled. “If you weren’t going to off him, I’d do it myself. The bastard deserves it. Also, way I see it, Karina knows too much. If she tries to get out of his control…”

“He’ll probably kill her himself,” Alexei finished. “I think that’s his plan B or C. I think he’ll avoid it. My guess is he’s had people looking for her, but she managed to stay out of his radar for two years. He wants her. Some sort of sick obsession. I think he probably had a thing for her mother and when that didn’t pan out, along with her father not going along with his business aspirations, he decided it was time to eliminate them from the equation and go after the daughter, who could be controlled. Only he didn’t bank on her going off the grid for two years.”

Just to think, if Karina hadn’t replied to his emails on a whim, likely out of loneliness, she’d probably still be safe. But then he wouldn’t have met her. Alexei didn’t like the thought of that, even though it just proved what a selfish, twisted bastard he was.

“Funny set of circumstances,” Byrne said. “Real funny.” But his tone said it wasn’t.

“Thanks for the information,” Alexei said. “The money will be in your account by seven this evening.”

Byrne raised a hand negligently from the iron railing. “You paid me for the guns. It’s enough. You know I owe you one for Sudan?” Byrne asked.

“But you’re worth every penny.” Alexei looked at him, catching the older man’s gaze. “I trust you to watch my back.” He inclined his head towards Karina. “And to help keep her safe if it’s necessary.”

Byrne slapped the iron railing. “Keep your wits about you, boyo. Sullivan is a snake in the grass.”

Alexei smiled ferally. “But I’m a mongoose.”

“Right you are, but a smart mongoose knows not to take on a viper.”

Alexei looked over at Karina. Killing had never been about pleasure or fun for Alexei. He was not a man driven to bloodlust. With the exception of his parents’ killers when he was young and self-righteous and full of self-destructive delusions of being some kind of avenging angel, his kills were cold and calculated and precise. With his parents and for country it was out of honor.

Then he’d done it for the money, taking out men that no one would miss on this earth and very, very few women, just as bad as the men. Scum of the earth. Now he was going to kill for vengeance and to keep this woman, his woman, safe. He knew that Sullivan was a dangerous adversary, and he was possibly in over his head. But he wasn’t going to back down. She was worth the risk.

“I hear your warning,” he said. Nothing more was needed to make it clear that Alexei was fixed on his course.

“I have your back,” Byrne said quietly.

“I know.”

Byrne glanced casually over at Karina. A smile was on his firm lips, his eyes appreciative and approving. “You’d better get back to your fianceé before someone decides to steal her away.”

“That would be a very bad move. I find I am an extremely jealous man lately.” If he was joking, there was no indication in Alexei’s flat tone. He gave a discreet farewell gesture and walked away from his friend, not looking back.

“I bet you are,” Byrne said, a chuckle in his throat.

Byrne watched the younger man walk back to the beautiful woman sitting alone several feet away. That smile was still on his face, and it was a knowing one. He knew Alexei well enough not to take his last words as a joke. He’d never seen Alexei go crazy over a woman like many of the soldiers he’d worked with in the past. Alexei was as calm and controlled as a robot when it came to his emotions. He was lethal as a soldier. He never panicked, and showed no fear. In the fifteen years he’d known him, Alexei had only grown more competent, and to many who knew him, a very scary person. His reputation in the small operative community was legendary and well-earned.

Yet Byrne knew that Alexei wasn’t the sociopath that he allowed others to believe him to be. He had a code. It was inscrutable to many, but Byrne knew the man and knew his code. Although not given to showing his emotions like others were, he’d seen something different about Alexei when he’d walked in with the young woman a few days ago. His instinct had told him the truth, and a few days later, he was certain about it. Every drop of evidence made it clear that Alexei was a man in love.

“The harder they fall,” Byrne murmured to no one in particular.

Byrne faded into the scenery and no would remember he was there.

Chapter Seventeen

Alexei walked over to the bulky gent in nondescript street clothes. He wore a cap pulled down low over his eves. His appearance was designed to get people to forget they saw him. But Alexei had known him for over fifteen years.

He walked up to the rail that enclosed a flower bed, and appeared to be scanning the flowers in a bored manner.

“Dobraya utra,” he greeted Byrne "good morning" in Russian. He stood several inches away from the man, appearing casual strangers to any who would be watching.

“Top of the morning to you,” Byrne replied ironically. His voice was steel and precision, which didn’t fit his slouchy demeanor.

Underneath the bulky clothes were the broad, honed muscles of an experienced operative and killer. He was a master of disguises, and few could identify him if he was incognito. At least if they hadn’t worked alongside him and been friends with him for many years.

“Thanks for meeting.”

“Not a problem, boyo. You’re in a mess to be sure,’ Byrne said, allowing his Irish accent to come out deliberately. He didn’t have to speak with a brogue, as he was Cambridge educated, but he did when he wanted the affect. He took a deep draw of his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose. Byrne normally didn’t smoke. Most experienced operators didn’t because it compromised their cardiovascular ability, which was something that you didn’t need if you were running for your life. He only did it for effect today. But he was enjoying the role, clearly.

“You’ve confirmed that Sullivan made the hit,” Alexei said.

“Sure enough. He paid some nasty pieces of work to do it.” Byrne named a couple of killers that made him look like a churchgoing boy scout. Arno Wagner and Jock Friesian. They were exactly what Byrne said, nasty pieces of work.

“He had to pay a lot of money because it wanted them to die badly and leave ugly corpses, and most professionals don’t work that way, as you know.”

Alexei did know. A professional killer didn’t kill for the thrill or pleasure or to make a scene. They killed for money or for country. Those were clean, precise hits and the operator was in and out.

Alexei pondered the killers, both ex-military who went where the paycheck was good, having no ties to their countries of origins. They often worked together, since their mores, or lack thereof matched perfectly. He had heard of them, crossed paths, peripherally. They were like vermin, wherever there was a hellhole and opportunities for an unscrupulous person to make money, they were there. Alexei had no illusions about his own black soul, but he knew there was a difference between what he had done and what these two men did eagerly.

He made a note that he was going to find and kill both men when this was over.

Byrne gave him a sideways smile. “Adding them to your hit list?”

Alexei gave a short, definitive nod. No further words were said.

“Of course, “ Bryne said with satisfaction. “Especially after what they did your woman’s family.”

Alexei didn’t react to Byrne calling Karina his woman. It was as true as it sounded. He was not going to lie to himself. Karina was his, even if she didn’t know it. His to protect, to cherish, and to make love to until either of them couldn’t walk for days and she was permanently seeing stars. Yes, she was his.

“Congratulations,” Byrne said. He sounded approving.

“Spasiba,” Alexei replied. “I need to get her out of Sullivan’s reach.”

“Only way to do that is to make sure he’s dead,” Byrne replied, his usual pragmatic self.

“I know. I want him dead. Karina might get an attack of conscience before it’s done. That’s why I have a plan to get her out and to keep her safe so I can go back and deal with Sullivan, if necessary.”

“You know she’ll be safe with us.” He was referring to Byrne’s crew, all ex-military, and as fierce as hellhounds.

“I know.” Alexei went on to tell Byrne about his wedding. He related the details, including that the wedding would take place at Sullivan’s estate. In his strolls with Karina, he’d taken a look at the security on the property and Sullivan had plenty of men. They were, as expected, discreet and appeared well-trained, and clearly well-armed. His explorations, although casual, had revealed that there was a security building about fifty feet from the main house.

“I’ll do some digging and get the plans for his house. I am sure if I put the right amount of money in the right hands, I can get one of my boys installed on the gardening crew,” Byrne said.

Byrne finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the bottom of his shoe and threw it in the trashcan, making the shot, even with his casual aim, three feet away. He shot a gun even better, and his knifework was precision.

Byrne met his eyes, his pale blue eyes serious. “You know that he is going to arrange for the happy groom to die shortly after the ceremony, don’t you?”

Alexei nodded. “I’m sure that will be his wedding present to Karina.” And another person out of Sullivan’s way. He controlled the surge of rage at the thought of Sullivan’s predatory intentions for Karina.

He found himself looking under his shoulder at Karina, who sitting safely where he’d left her. She had a look on her face that said she was enjoying the spring day. That gave him pleasure in a way that he never would have expected. He wanted her to be happy, at peace, and safe. He wanted her with him.

“Then you need to be prepared for everything.” Byrne was an experienced operative. In his late thirties, he was as tough as they come, and very good at his job. Although he still relatively young, at least not too old to be in the field, he had over two decades in their dangerous profession under his belt.

Former SAS, his instincts were battle-earned and battle ready. Best of all, he was one of a very small list of people that Alexei trusted. His ability to access a situation tactically had kept almost all of his associates alive for a long time. Including himself.

When Alexei felt he was ready to track down his parents’ killers, he’d done so, and Byrne was the man who’d kept his young idiotic self from getting killed in the process. Alexei had joined his crew right out of SPETNAZ, and what the school of hard knocks, and the Russian Special Forces hadn’t taught him, he’d learned working with Byrne.

“You sure you don’t want to call this off, get her out of here, and take Sullivan out another time?” Byrne’s icy blue eyes were expressionless, his voice calm, but the question was dead serious. He was willing to take his cue from Alexei. He’d play this either way.

Alexei shook his head succinctly. “He’ll be looking for that. If he’s not aware the assassin might come after him, he’ll still be extra cautious, especially now that Karina has resurfaced. I don’t think I’ll ever get close enough again. Besides, I have a feeling that if he gets Karina away from me, he’ll make sure she never gets free of him again. Best to keep this cover. He holds me in contempt. He wants me dead, but doesn’t suspect who I really am.”

Byrne nodded as if he didn’t expect Alexei to say anything different. He knew Alexei well enough. Alexei didn’t walk away until a job was done. Not foolish, but a man who always executed his contracts and paid his debts.

“How’s my alias?” Alexei asked, referring to his wetwork identity.

“No chatter that’s leading to you personally. The community is buzzing about the man you put two bullets in. He was a real gombeen. Some nasty stuff is coming up about him. Even though he’s not the killer of your woman’s parents, no one is going to lose sleep about him being dead. My contacts think that whoever found your apartment in France weren’t looking for you directly, but they were following a money trail for one of your casual aliases based on looking up the bill of sale to the apartment. The police hit a dead end. No leads on the killings at the apartment or Fleming’s assassination for that matter. It was a clean hit, no brass, as you know.”

“I can’t go back there, regardless. I’ve abandoned it.” Fortunately, Alexei kept the apartment clean of any personal identifiers, having it cleaned twice weekly, and he made sure it was wiped clean of prints. He went there only to sleep and to shower, but he was scrupulous about cleaning the shower after he used it. The cleaning service had been in since his last visit instructed to change the sheets each time, new sheets every few months. His bedding had been fresh, no chance for him to sleep in the apartment before or after the hit. He was glad about his obsessive habits.

“That’s probably wise. In a year or so, it will go up on public auction, and some rich duck will buy it for a song.”

As a courtesy, I moved this thread to the Promotions folder. The next time I will delete it, per the group rules.

Natalie wrote: "Ok then!"

Hi Natalie. Sorry for the delay. Did you want to start the book this Sunday?

Okay, great. I have like three review book deadlines right now. I'll check in next week.

I would love a sequel. Too bad it didn't do well. :(

Thanks for posting, Arch. It was good. I liked seeing the tender moment between Cop and his son, and how welcoming Doris was to Sanjar.

Cop flexing his bicep was cute. He was his typical bad! Not too bad!

Hi Natalie. I'm sorry to be late in posting. I do have and want to read this, but probably not until mid-late June.

Chocolatesoup wrote: "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, love this one!"

I downloaded this one!

Zee wrote: "I loved the décor and the clothing - Elizabeth Debicki's outfits were just amazing, and she made a good baddie, too.

And yes, Henry Cavill is just ridiculously good-looking but Armie Hammer stole ..."

She definitely was a good bad guy. The style and outfits nailed the 60s down.

Hi, CC! You're welcome to join the support group!

The June challenge is up:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The June Challenge is up:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The June challenge is up. Sorry for the delay!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DHASG June Challenge

Introduction: It's June. School is getting out, summer's beginning, and the days are getting long. Let's embark on our summer reading with a bang.

Rules:

1. Any DHASG member can participate in the challenge.
2. Books must be read between June 1st and June 30th.
3. A book may only be used once for this challenge.
4. Post or link to your final stats when you are completed.
5. In your stats, list book name, title and date read. Unless obvious, include why you choose a certain book in parentheses in your stats.

Levels:

1. Hello Summer!: Read 9-12 books.
2. Goodbye Spring!: Read 6-8 books.
3. School is Out!: Read 3-5 Books.

Categories:

1. Flip a Coin: June 1st is Flip a Coin Day. You can choose a book randomly to read by flipping a coin, or you could read a book that has the theme of probability--things happen apparently randomly or according to blind chance or luck for the main character(s).
2.Repeat Repeat Day: June 3rd is Repeat Day. To celebrate, reread a favorite book, or read a book in which the character finds their day repeating (like Groundhog Day the movie) or perhaps a person has to go back to square one and deal with their past in a significant day.
3.Old Maid's Day:June 4th is the day for Single Ladies. Read a book with a female character who has yet to marry or settle down and is at least in her mid 20s.
4.Cat Fancier: June 4th is also Hug Your Cat Day. This day is for cat lovers. Read a book that has a cat character or in which the cat theme is very prominent. you could also read a book where a lead character is called "Cat."
5.Best Friend Day: June 8th celebrates not just friendship, but your besties. Read a book in which the lead characters are best friends or in which true, lifelong friendship is a prominent theme. You could also read a book recommended by your best friend.
6.Name Your Poison: While this holiday on June 8th sounds negative, it's actually a day about making choices. You get to choose what book you read for this part of the challenge.
7.Smile Power: For June 15th, lets give props to the power of the smile. You can read a book in which there is a smiling face on the cover or a book that makes you smile (aka a comedy or feel good book).
8.Treat Yourself!: For National Splurge Day on June 18th, feel free to treat yourself. Read something that is completely indulgent, or which the lead character(s) indulge themselves.
9.Papa Bear: For Father's Day on the third Sunday of June (June 19th this year), let's celebrate fathers. Read a book that has a lead character who is a father or in which the theme of fatherhood is very prominent.
10.Kiss: International Kissing Day is June 6th and National Kissing Day is June 19th. Be sure to Kiss someone on those days if you can. But you can read a book with a couple kissing on the cover or with the word kiss in the title. You could even read a book in which the main characters share a wonderful kiss.
11.Forgiveness Day: For this holiday on June 26th, we give serious weight to the concept of forgiveness. Read a book in which forgiveness is a prominent theme.
12.Cool Shades!: With Summer sun rays taking their toll on our eyes, sunglasses are very important. Read a book with a person wearing sunglasses on the cover, or in which the characters do need to or do wear sunglasses.

Bonus: You can pick any of these holidays to add to your reading total this month:

Swim a Lap Day
National Pink Day
Take Your Dog to Work Day
Camera Day
Meteor Day

Information on June taken from the Holiday Insights Page: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholida...





Challenge Participants List

Story_girl
Netanella
Tina Theresa
Emily
Brandi
Suzanne
KathyD

Way to go ladies!

Shera (Book Whispers) wrote: "I really loved this movie. I'm baffled why it didn't do so well. Not to mention that people were claiming that the script was bad.

Personally I thought it was one of the better acted and written ..."

I think it has a very sly sort of style and very reminiscent of the 60s tv and movies. If you aren't used to that, some of its going to go over your head and it looks corny.

MadameZelda wrote: "That is some list, Danielle!"

It's one of my favorite themes. :)

I agree, 100%! :)