T. A. Chase

Firebird- Part Twenty-Four

Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase

Part Twenty-Four:

One Week To Go—

Vlatko heard Rue’s shout of triumph come from the hallway. A smile crossed his face. The thief must have figured out how to open the fifth room. Vlatko knew the lock wouldn’t present too much of a challenge for the slender man. Actually the lock wasn’t meant to keep any determined person out. It was simply meant as a distraction. He chuckled as he thought of the other ways he’d distracted Rue the past two weeks.

“Okay, where do you keep the good stuff?” Rue came stalking out of the hallway to glare at him.

“Good stuff? There’s a ton of good things in that room. Didn’t you find your little red stone?” Vlatko leaned back in his computer chair and grinned at Rue.

Rue pulled the stone out of his pocket and rubbed it between his fingers. “Yes, I did. What kind of stone do you think it is? It doesn’t look like any ruby or garnet I’ve ever seen.” With a causal flick, he tossed the stone to Vlatko.

Vlatko caught it and held it up to the light. The light shining through the stone fractured into shades varying from orange to red. A stray thought entered his mind and he remembered a mission he’d gone on.

“I don’t think this is a ruby or garnet. It’s something much more rare.” He set it down on the desk and started typing. A ‘Net page popped up on a different screen. He rolled his chair over to the monitor. “That’s what I thought.”

He gestured for Rue to join him. When the thief got close enough, he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him down to sit on his lap. “The President’s Heart that you stole from the Mitchov delegation is actually a fire opal.”

“A fire opal? Really? I’ve never seen one of those.” Those nimble fingers plucked the gem off the desk and held it up to the light again. Rue’s breathing paused as the stone flared. “Look at that, Vlatko. It looks just like fire.”

Vlatko nodded. “It looks like the bird in the clearing.”

“How much do you think this is worth?”

Vlatko could see the dollar signs shining in Rue’s eyes. He hugged the thief tight. “On the open market, a whole hell of a lot more than the diamond you took out of the Ecofo museum.”

Rue pushed back to eye Vlatko. “You’re fucking with me. I got over 50 million credits for that diamond.”

“One of my missions was to terminate a gems dealer. He was encroaching on the I.U.M.’s own gems trade. I spent some time with him, talking and learning his routines. His one ambition was to find a fire opal. He said that the highest quality fire opals were mined on Earth over a thousand years ago in a country called Brazil. He told me that there were people out in the universe who would give you their entire fortune for what you hold in your hand.” He brushed a finger over the gem.

“You really killed him because he was taking business away from the I.U.M?” Rue sent a questioning glance at him. “Seems a little harsh.”

Vlatko sighed. “I did it because I was told to do it. I was created to do as I was told, not to think about right and wrong. I’ll be honest and say that if I weren’t dying, I’d probably still be working for them. Death has a way of changing things and opening eyes.” He traced the curve of Rue’s hip.

“So I could get at least a hundred million credits for this thing?” Rue settled deeper into Vlatko’s arms, resting that head of shining blond curls on Vlatko’s shoulder.

“A private collector would give you that and more if you wanted. You might want to ask yourself how much would the Mitchovs give you for the return of their treasure.” Vlatko’s hand strayed from Rue’s hip down over the man’s thigh and back up.

“Do you think Mitchov would be willing to buy it back from me?” Rue tilted his hips, trying to entice Vlatko to stroke the bulge in the front of his pants.

“The rumors I’ve heard say that Mitchov needs the Heart to survive. Without it, they’re weak. The I.U.M. can move in and take over. So if you make it to Mitchov without the I.U.M. hunting you down and taking the gem from you, you could make more credits on that sale than anything else you’ve ever done. You might even have enough to retire on.” He gave Rue a sly wink. “Maybe even retire to a non-descript little planet with a boy toy and have sex all day long.”

“Mmm…now that’s a plan I could get behind or in front of.” Rue waved a hand, gesturing to the two of them. “How much would it cost me to keep you as my play thing?”

“We’ll have to see how much you get from a buyer.” Vlatko nuzzled Rue’s neck. “If you head to Mitchov to try and sell the opal there, maybe you can find someone for me.”

“I’m only supporting one boy toy. No sharing for me.” Rue gave Vlatko more access to his skin. “Who do you want me to find?”

“The scientist who created the liquid body armor is a Mitchov. If I could find him, I might be able to get the effects reversed or halted.” Vlatko nibbled on Rue’s earlobe, enjoying the little hitch in the thief’s breathing.

“I’ll remember that when I leave, but right now, I’ve got other things to think about.” Rue spun around and straddled Vlatko in his chair, kissing him while tangling his fingers in Vlatko’s braids.

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