Page 56 of Coup De Grâce
We pulledup to a vineyard a few hours later. The hot sun was setting in the distance, giving us a reprieve from the worst heat of the day. My ass ached from sitting in the back of a pickup that rocked against the uneven ground, but I’d been in worse situations and was just glad to be off my feet for the time being.
But now, I was ready to work out the kinks and get a few hours of shut-eye. I was hoping FNG brought us to a friendly location, but knowing FNG, we could be anywhere.
I hopped down from the bed of the truck as we pulled to a stop. Groaning, I stretched out my back and nodded to the driver as he pulled away without another glance.
“Where the fuck are we?”
“Home,” FNG grinned.
I did a double-take, sure I had heard him wrong. “I’m sorry. Did you say home?”
“Well, as close to home as I can get. See, before I joined OPS, I worked at a vineyard.”
I vaguely remembered hearing that, but I had never actually assumed it was true. I just chalked it up to another one of FNG’s stories.
“But not this vineyard, right?”
FNG tossed his head back and laughed. “Of course, this vineyard. Did you think I would just drive us around and findany old vineyard to stop at?” He waved at us to follow him. “Come on. Let’s go meet the fam.”
I shook my head, unable to believe that FNG had actually lived here and worked at this particular vineyard. But then again, it was FNG.
We walked over a mile to get to the main house, all the while, FNG told us stories about his time here. It was odd to actually hear him finish one of his famous stories instead of leaving us hanging on every detail until he inevitably walked away without closing out the story.
By the time we reached the house, I was pretty sure I knew more about FNG in the last ten minutes than I had in the entire time he worked at OPS.
The stars twinkled above us as night fell in the Georgian sky. For just a moment, I was reminded of home, wishing I was back under the sky outside my house, sitting on my porch with Eva by my side.
Shaking that thought away, I focused on what was in front of me. If I got too caught up in the past, I would never make my way back home to my family.
“Giorgi!” FNG shouted as we approached the house.
“Ah, my friend!” the old man called out, getting out of his chair on the patio. “It has been long time since I see you.”
FNG walked over and scooped the old man into a hug, laughing the whole time. “Well, I had to come back for some of that delicious wine. You saved me a bottle, right?”
The man bellowed with laughter over something I didn’t understand, clapping him on the shoulders good-naturedly. “I save you the very best. Come, we drink together.”
“Ah, just a minute, Giorgi. I want to introduce you to my friends. This is Cash, and this is Thumper.”
The man’s smile faded as he took in Thumper’s appearance. “Is he man or woman?”
“Man,” FNG laughed. “It’s a costume gone wrong.”
“What is costume?”
FNG thought about it. “Well, you know how Levan likes to wear his wife’s shoes? It’s like that.”
“Ah!” Giorgi said, cocking his head at Thumper. “Is not good look for you.”
“Thanks,” Thumper muttered, adjusting his deflated boob.
“Come. Come. We drink.”
The old man headed back to the house, flipping on lights as he went. We followed, though I was reluctant to go inside. I didn’t know if anyone from the Shadow Government was still tracking me, and the idea that I might inadvertently draw anyone else into my troubles was worrying.
The house was humble and small, but full of a warmth that couldn’t be found in a lot of the stale houses of the United States. There was so much culture wrapped up in this one room that made me wish I could grab my family and move to someplace remote like this, away from the chaos of our lives and the danger that would follow me everywhere.
But running away from my problems wouldn’t solve a damn thing. No matter where I ran, the Shadow Government was sure to follow. And that wouldn’t protect all the other people depending on me to keep them safe.
