Retribution

Enrico Hernandez looked at his watch and tried to do the math.

He was starting to feel it. But he wasn’t to stop anywhere. Not until he had finished his mission. The Suburban took him straight from the CDC to Hartsfield and the British Airways flight. At Heathrow, he took the express directly to Paddington Station, where a sizable crowd of people seemed to be headed for work. Most who passed looked different from what Hernandez had thought of as being British. A majority were south Asians, many women wearing brightly colored cottons that stuck out at the hems of their fall overcoats. Lots of the women walked together in groups of two and three, chatting in a language that he didn’t understand.

He looked at his watch again.

8:33 A.M. GMT. Yeah, that’s right.

Hernandez was early, which wasn’t bad considering how far he had come. He reached into his pocket and felt a package of spearmint gum that looked perfectly harmless. The early November chill caused him to pull up on the collar of his jacket.

A train slowed as it pulled into the station half full.

He watched as the doors opened and a few women came off. Their body language expressed a sense of fatigue that could only have come from working the night shift somewhere in greater London; now they were headed home.

As the train readied for departure, a voice called out.

“Why don’t you get on?”

Hernandez smiled. The tall, lanky, bearded man who stood behind him was the reason he had flown several thousand miles.

“Hey, boss.”

“Let’s grab this one.” William Parker talked and moved as if he were only engaging in brief pleasantries with a stranger.

They boarded the last car, destination King’s Cross. Hernandez took the seat near the end of the car, while Parker stood nearby, casually looking around. The train passed through Blackhorse Road and then Seven Sisters. They didn’t speak. At Finsbury Park station, William waited a moment after the doors opened and then walked out. Enrico hesitated a second and then followed the lead several paces behind. They cut across to another line, taking the train to Holloway Road. Again, Parker exited the train, and again Hernandez waited and then followed.

They worked their way across several trains heading back into the heart of London. Finally, at Green Park, Parker left the station, cut across the street, and entered the park. Once he entered the park, he stopped for Hernandez.

“You didn’t need to do this.”

Parker was referring to Hernandez’s new baby, only a few months old.

“Hell, sir, that baby cries too much. I needed to get out of there.”

Parker could only smile. “I’m trying to picture you, a staff sergeant, raising a girl.”

Hernandez grinned again. “My wife wasn’t too crazy about naming her William.”

“You know what’s going to happen about sixteen years from now?”

“Yeah, it won’t be pretty.” Hernandez had already considered the thought. “Guess it’s my karma.”

“I hope not.”

“You look good with the beard.”

“Thanks. You got something for me?”

“Yes, sir.” He handed Parker the sealed package of gum. A blue pack that held eight pieces in two rows of four blister packs. The package bore both Arabic and English writing, Mamoun Sharawi spearmint. “The third one on the second row.”

“Nice touch on the package.”

“Mr. Scott wanted you to know that was his idea.”

Parker shook his head. “Message received.”

“Oh, and Dr. Stewart wanted me to tell you to not touch it until you were sure you were in the window.”

William slid out the pack to view the perfectly sealed, separate pieces of gum. He pushed one through the seal and stuck it in his mouth.

Hernandez was taken aback by the action.

“Damn!”

“A perfectly sealed pack wouldn’t look right.” Parker chewed the gum as they spoke. “Are you going to get your little girl something while you’re here?”

“Yes, sir. At the airport they had some teddy bears that look like they’re cops.”

“You mean the bear that looks like a bobby?”

“Yes, sir, that’s it. The kind with the hat.”

Hernandez smiled sheepishly, knowing how funny it must sound. Twenty years ago, he wouldn’t have dreamed of giving his child anything bearing the image of a cop. Enrico himself had been delivered into this world at California Hospital on South Grand, which made him a homegrown product of south Los Angeles. California Hospital was also where his older brother had died of gunshot wounds. The Marines, and in particular, one Marine colonel, had changed Enrico Hernandez’s world. For the first time in his life, someone had put faith into his world. Not just a pat on the back, a life-and-death faith. The type of faith you didn’t let down no matter what. This was how William Parker’s team was built.

“All right, you have a flight back today?”

“Yes, sir. It leaves in a couple of hours.”

“Wait a couple of minutes and then take a taxi to Paddington. It’s not far.”

“Yes, sir. And watch your flanks, sir. This Scott was the same guy we had on North Korea.”

“I know, Staff.”

“And Marine, Semper Fi.”

Parker smiled. “In this case, Fortius Quo Fidelius.”

Hernandez gave him a puzzled look.

“Look it up, Staff.” Parker put his fist to his chest.

Hernandez squeezed the collar of his coat tight. The chill cut deep.

And the freakin’ mountains of Pakistan? Shit!

He watched as William walked away, hoping that he would see the man again.

Hernandez checked his watch.

5:05

He hadn’t bothered to reset the time.

Bet the baby’s up already. My wife’s probably walking into her room right now.

This was their first. His wife had never said anything about what he did before, but now with a child she had a different look on her face when he told her he was going.

Maybe a quick beer at a pub.

Hernandez started walking briskly north, toward Piccadilly Arcade, never for a moment noticing the man following him.