Chapter Text
“A vodka martini, please. Shake it, don’t stir.”
“Coming right up.”
Sidney Parker leant against the bar and sipped his bitter drink. John Howard, aka Mr Big, was sitting at the blackjack table staring intently, as the dealer distributed the cards. Mr Big was aptly named, not only was he a criminal overlord, but he was enormous, squatting like a giant toad at the gaming table, his bulging eyes and warty cheek only adding to the likeness. Sidney looked away in disgust, as Mr Big’s tongue flicked out, licking his fat shiny lips. Instead, he scanned the room, picking out the crime lord’s minions. There was one at the roulette table, another by the poker game, three more wandering up and down the plush carpet, watching and waiting for trouble.
They knew he was there, he knew they were there. One against six, he didn’t have a hope. If he had one of Q’s contraptions, that would even up the odds. Sidney smirked, imagining a poison dart flying from his cufflink and striking Mr Big right in the centre of his ugly, shrivelled heart. But Sidney wasn’t here on official business. No, this was strictly personal. Just his way of telling Mr Big he was here, he’d always be here, watching and waiting for his chance of revenge.
Sidney’s eyes came back to the blackjack table and his breath caught, as he watched a young woman slip onto a stool, set down her cocktail and nod to the dealer. She was quite simply the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. His eyes lingered on her shiny chestnut curls, her lustrous dark eyes and plump red lips. Her gold evening dress clung in all the right places and his eyes dropped down appreciatively to the low neckline that not so much hinted, as advertised the beautiful breasts that were barely covered. He almost forgot where he was and why he was there…
The woman knocked back her drink and ordered another from a passing waiter. Mr Big lifted his eyes and, spotting the beauty sitting next to him, once more licked his greasy lips. He told the waiter to dispense with the cocktail and instead bring them a bottle of champagne. The woman giggled and lightly touched Mr Big’s sleeve. Sidney became aware of a pain in his hands and realised he’d clenched them both tightly into fists. Breathing deeply, he relaxed but kept his eyes peeled on the woman and Mr Big.
The woman sipped her champagne and lost hand after hand of cards. She took it well, laughing and praising Mr Big, who always won. At one point, she rose unsteadily from her stool and weaved her way towards the ladies’ toilets. A barely imperceptible nod from Mr Big had one of his minions follow her at a discreet distance. Sidney watched all this and felt his heart sink.
Two bottles of champagne later, Mr Big whispered something in the woman’s ear, which made her giggle. They both stood up, the woman staggered and grabbed for Mr Big's arm, which she continued to grasp, as they made their way towards the exit. Sidney picked up his drink and strode across the thick red carpet, colliding with the woman and throwing his martini over her gown.
“I am so sorry!” he exclaimed. “Oh, you’re soaked. Let me help you get cleaned up.”
He grasped the woman’s arm and started to steer her away.
“Let her go.” Mr Big’s gravelly voice was soft yet firm.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I let her go in this state,” Sidney smiled. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
Sidney slipped his arm around the woman, propelling her out of the room and through a door marked Private.
“Get your hands off me!”
The woman suddenly appeared absolutely sober - her dark eyes narrowed, glittering dangerously at him.
“You should be thanking me - I just saved you from a monster!”
“I knew exactly what I was doing and now you’ve ruined it!”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” said Sidney, grabbing her hand once again. “And very shortly, you’re going to see why. We need to leave - now!”
Running down the corridor, pulling the woman behind him, Sidney sped through a noisy kitchen, weaving between the chefs and their steaming pans, brushing off the swear words thrown in their direction. Bursting out the door at the far end, he flashed his car fob at a silver Aston Martin. “Get in!” he ordered.
The woman hesitated, but the sound of running steps behind them made up her mind. Sidney pulled away with a screech, a hail of bullets thudding into the reinforced back window and dropping uselessly to the ground.
Sidney raced through the streets of Monte Carlo, aware only of the black Mercedes following close behind and the beautiful woman gasping, as he took the tight corners at speed. Outside of town, they raced up and down steep hillsides, the pre-dawn murk revealing empty roads, nothing to impede the progress of the chase. But finally, Sidney spotted what he’d been looking for, an articulated lorry making its ponderous way into town. At one of the corkscrew bends, Sidney slowed the car - then, just as the truck started its cumbersome manoeuvre around the curve, he stamped on the accelerator and hurtled towards the lorry. Barely on the road, the wheels clinging to its very edge, Sidney slipped past the heavy vehicle and let go of his breath, as they emerged onto the empty road beyond. His companion stared down at the rocky ravine they had just narrowly avoided.
Sidney did not slow down until he was sure the Mercedes was no longer behind them. Reducing his speed, but still careful to turn off at every new junction, Sidney glanced at the woman and said, “We haven’t got long. Do you want to tell me what you were doing back there?”
“Carrying out a meticulously crafted plan,” she muttered, her head still turned away from him, as she stared out the window.
“You realise you were dangling yourself as bait before one of the most dangerous men in the world?”
“Yes.”
“Why…?”
“He’s done something to my brother.”
He looked at her sharply, “What’s he done?”
“I don’t know, just that my brother’s in danger and that man is responsible.”
“Go to the police then.”
“I can’t.”
“Because…?”
She turned and he felt her eyes appraising him, as she said, “Are you the police?”
“No.”
“Are you a criminal?”
“No.”
“But you have a bullet-proof car and you drive like a madman.”
Sidney gave a snort of laughter, as he said, “Let’s just say, I sometimes find myself in tricky situations.”
“I can’t go to the police because my brother operates in the shadows, so to speak.”
“Ah. So, you decided to hunt down Mr Big and do what?”
“Find out what he’s done with my brother.”
“You realise that man would kill you as easy as…” He snapped his fingers.
She pulled a small pistol out of her evening bag and said, “I came armed.”
Sidney whipped his head round to stare at the woman. She looked back at him, a defiant glint in her eye.
“Have you ever killed anyone before?”
“No. But I can use a gun - I’ve shot rabbits.”
“Rabbits?”
“I grew up on a farm.”
“And now what do you do?”
“I’m an architect.”
Sidney’s lips curved into an ironic smile, “I didn’t realise architects were licensed to kill their enemies.”
“You’re laughing at me!”
“Yes, I am.”
“Who are you to mock me! Who are you anyway?”
A helicopter swooped overhead, preventing Sidney from replying to her question. Peering up through the windscreen, he saw a figure hurl something out of the chopper’s open window. Moments later, that ‘something’ exploded on the road in front of them. Sidney swerved round the blazing tarmac, shouting, “We need to run!”
“Can’t we out-race it?”
“No.”
He screeched to a stop, leapt out of the car and started zigzagging across the mountainside meadow. He saw the woman shuck off her shoes and start doing the same thing, but in the opposite direction. The helicopter swayed from side to side, not knowing who to chase, the pilot’s companion lobbing grenades out the window. The whup-whup of the ’copter’s blades plus the crash of the explosions, transformed the mountain peace into a chaotic warzone. Sidney raced towards the woman and grabbing her hand, pulled her down a rocky slope. Pushing her into a hollow overshadowed by a large boulder, Sidney squeezed in with her. Pulling up his trouser leg, he unstrapped a gun from its leg holster. Screwing on a slim telescopic lens, he followed the helicopter through its sight. The chopper hovered overhead, trying to focus on their location. When finally the man leant out, a grenade in his hand, Sidney aimed his gun and fired. The shot hit the bomb and with a deafening blast, the helicopter burst into flames, crashing to the ground, as Sidney threw himself over the woman, protecting her from the shockwave.
Reluctantly sitting back upright, Sidney gazed down at the woman in her gold evening gown, her curls awry and a charming streak of dirt across her cheek.
“Alright?” he said.
“I guess…” She looked at him curiously, “Who are you?”
He stood up, holding out his hand and pulling her to her feet. “Ladies first - who are you?”
“I’m Charlotte Heywood.”
He smiled at her and said, “My name’s Parker, Sidney Parker. And I‘m very pleased to meet you.”