The Man From U.N.C.L.E. When in Rome

Chapter 7 - Double, Double Cross

Natalia was fuming. He had double-crossed her. She stared at the reflection looking back at her in the bathroom mirror. The woman she saw glared at her through thin slits in her eyes. They contrasted with her rosy well-kissed lips. Ugh! Even after his sly, underhandedness, she couldn't get the night before out of her head. Solo was quite an accomplished lover. Too bad he was also a snake. And to think, she had almost felt bad for planning on double-crossing him. Almost. Natalia supposed this was all part of the game, but she had little experience in these matters. She had never taken a partner before. Nor had she ever taken a lover within her same profession. There was a saying in Russia that warned about mixing business with pleasure. This was a lesson learned. It only cost her millions. Natalia sighed heavily and blew her bangs out her face. She didn't have time to sulk all afternoon.

She glanced at the gold watch on the counter top. The appraiser was scheduled at Bernini's in just a little over an hour. She was already packed and ready to go. All she had to do was put on her disguise. The frown on her face slipped away as she reached into one of her cases. Natalia didn't use disguises very often, but when she did she always enjoyed the thrill of becoming someone else. She leaned the art of disguise from her father. When she was a girl, he would take her with him to those small, dingy Russian movie sets. The films were always low budget travesties compared to the American made movies, but she loved watching him work. Even with meager funds, he was always able to transform those actors into anything he wanted them to be.

Natalia swept her hair up with skillful hands and tucked her dark tresses under a wig cap. The blonde wig she packed fit snuggly as she adjusted the part to the center of her head. Natalia brushed the flyaway strands into place and slipped on a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. With her look complete, she was ready for the next phase of her job. The sooner she got that damned code, the sooner she could return to her normal life away from all this political nonsense.

++++

Illya eyed the armored truck through a pair of binoculars from across the busy street. The Virgona Armored Truck Company was hired exclusively by the DiMarco family to transport the egg to and from Bernini's Jewelers. The truck was tucked away in a narrow ally on the side of the building. Illya trained his gaze toward the driver's side of the truck. The man behind the wheel appeared to be in his late 40's, while his partner looked about a decade younger. A smile touched his lips as he reflected on the plan he and his partners mapped out earlier. While Cowboy was in the shop pretending to look for an engagement ring, he and Gaby would take care of the two drivers. They'd pulled something similar off in Istanbul a few months earlier. Illya's hands flexed under his black driving gloves as she continued watching the two men. While he was fully prepared for violence, he hoped things would run a little more smoothly this time around.

Illya checked his watch for the tenth time. When he glanced up again, he spotted Gaby standing on the edge of the crosswalk. The petite woman looked both ways before she stepped off the ledge and made her way across the street toward the truck. He couldn't see what direction she was looking in; the heavy shades she wore shielded her eyes. Illya imagined they were trained on both her marks. He enjoyed the view from behind his binoculars and scooted up in his seat.

Just as planned, Gaby pretended to drop the clutch she was carrying and let the contents spill out onto the street in front of the truck. Illya watched as the older man rushed out and came to her aid. Tossing the binoculars aside, he exited the car. The spy handed the keys to a surprised passerby and slipped on a pair of shades before crossing the street. Gaby was flirting with both men as they helped her stuff lipstick and other feminine items back into the small purse. His eyes darkened at the sound of her phony, girlish laughter. The young man ate up her attention as he flirted back. Illya's eyes bore into the younger man like twin lasers. His fingers flexed with the urge to plow his fist into his horse face. But he reached into his pocket instead and slid on an antique, gold ring.

"Is everything alright, Darling?" He said placing his other hand on the small of Gaby's back as he neared her. Illya kept his eyes trained on both men as he spoke.

"Oh, yes," Gaby said pretending to be startled by her fake husband's sudden appearance. "These two men were helping me. I seemed to be a little clumsy today."

"It was no trouble, Senora. No trouble," one of the men said in heavily accented English.

"Darling," Gaby said, turning toward Illya. "This is..."

"Luigi," the younger man introduced himself eagerly.

"And I'm Antonio."

Illya jerked his head stiffly at both men. Luigi was still looking at Gaby as if she hung the moon and the stars in the sky. He didn't like it. "Thank you for assisting my wife."

"Oh, you are most welcome, senor," Luigi said in a cheerful manner.
Illya almost felt sorry for the horse faced boy. He didn't blame him for taking a liking to Gaby. She was an attractive woman. His woman. Luigi continued to smile at his phony wife with his toothy grin. It made what Illya was about to do next so much easier. Illya plastered on an artificial smile as he extended his hand for the boy to shake. Luigi's knees went weak almost immediately. The driver staggered back into his partner's arms.

"Luigi! Luigi!" Antonio said in surprise. He smacked Luigi's face gently with the palm and back of his hand. Gaby crouched down beside the men and looked up at Illya with panic in her eyes.

"Here let me," Illya said. The Russian spy reached down and
pinched the spot between the man's jawline and collar bone. Antonio's eyes rolled up into the back of his head before he slumped over into Gaby's arm with a grunt.

"A little help here." Gaby struggled under the weight of the older man. Illya scrambled forward and lifted the man out of her arms.
"What was that?" Gaby asked as he hauled the older man toward the back of the truck.

"What?" Illya grunted.

"That thing you did with the—" Gaby pinched the air pantomiming what Illya had done to Antonio.

"Old Russian trick. I show you sometime."

Gaby's lips tilted up into a slight smile as she slid her arms between Luigi's and dragged him toward the back of the truck.

"Let me do it," Illya said with a frown. He didn't want her to put a
strain on herself while trying to lift a man twice her size.

"I can do it," Gaby scoffed.

Illya's brow knitted into a slight frown. He didn't want to cause a scene by arguing with her. "Fine, just be careful," he managed as he pulled Antonio into the back of the truck. After he secured the first body, he lifted Luigi from Gaby's arms and placed him next to Antonio.

Illya extended his hand to Gaby and helped her into the back of the truck before slamming the door shut. A dim red light glowed between them as they hovered over the two unconscious men. Illya looked around the confined space then back at Gaby again. Her eyes were still trained on the two truck drivers.

"They're not dead, are they?" She asked. Her voice was tinged with concern.

"No," Illya answered her with unexpected tenderness in his voice. "Just unconscious. The first one," he said pointing to Luigi, "will be out for the next twelve hours.

"And him?" Gaby nodded toward Antonio.

"About 18 give or take."

By the time both men came to, they would all be long gone. Illya crouched down and began untying Antonio's shoes. Gaby followed his lead and began working on Luigi. She was considerably shorter than the Italian man, but he was closer to her size. Gaby tried not to blush as they stripped both men down to their T-shirts and underwear. Gaby straightened herself up with Luigi's gray jumpsuit balled in her arms. Her gaze met Illya's and the pair stared at one another before she cleared her throat signaling for privacy.

Oh, right, Illya thought as he turned his back toward her so they could both change. The air between them was electric as they stripped out of their clothing and into the uniforms. Illya's back stiffened when Gaby's arm accidentally brushed his.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she continued dressing.

Illya grunted his acknowledgment and continued to stare straight ahead with laser focus. As tempting as it was to turn around and take a peek, he would never dishonor Gaby in that way. The last time they pulled this off in Istanbul, they didn't have to worry about being in such confined quarters.

"Are you decent?" Illya asked once he was completely dressed.

"Yes, but..."

Illya turned around to face Gaby and bit back a smile. Luigi's uniform seemed to have swallowed her alive. Gaby gave him an exasperated look as she shoved the sleeves up her arms and tucked them to keep each in place. She did the same with the trouser legs.

"The shoes are too big," she said.

Illya looked down at her tiny feet. "No one will be looking at your feet," he assured her.

Gaby glanced at the two sleeping men. "Shouldn't we tie them up or something?

Illya jerked his head. "No need. They won't wake up."

Gaby looked skeptical for a moment then shrugged it off. She snatched one of the caps hanging on a hook and tucked her hair inside before pulling it down low over her face. "There. Now I look like a truck driver."

Illya gave Gaby an approving once over. "Or a little, chop shop girl," he said fondly, making them both smile.

A few minutes later both spies were sitting at the front of the truck with Gaby at the wheel. She was the driver. Just in case something went awry, they needed someone fast who could give any persistent pursuer the slip.

"What do we do now?" She asked to break the silence.

"We wait for Cowboy."

++++

Solo walked into Bernini's with one goal in mind. Get the egg. He was fashionably dressed (as usual) in a designer suit (was there any other way?). Solo looked the part of a besotted lover there to find a ring for his intended. The woman at the front counter, Veronica, helped him look for a ring. Solo rattle off a list of what he was pretending to look for in an engagement ring. He thought back to the one time he had seriously contemplated purchasing an engagement ring. That was a million years ago when he had been a fool in love. Solo tapped his finger against the glass case as Veronica excused herself to retrieve more ring selections for him. When the saleswoman opened the back door, Solo got a brief look of a woman on the other side. She was slim and athletically built like... He shook his head. That couldn't be her. The coloring was all wrong. Natalia had long, dark hair. This woman was tall and blonde.

"Here you are, Mr. Dempsey," Veronica said with a smile as she placed a display of extremely expensive diamond rings on the counter in front of him.

"That woman..." Solo said, tearing his eyes away from the closed back door. "Who is she?"

Veronica blinked her eyes in confusion. "Who?"

"In the room, you just came from. Who was that woman?"

"Oh, she's just the appraiser."

"Do you know her name?"

Veronica gave him another bewildered look. "Is something the matter, Mr. Dempsey?"

Solo shook his head. "No. I apologize. I thought I recognized her from somewhere."

Veronica shrugged her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face. "How are these?"

Solo gave the diamond rings a brief uninterested glance. He was more concerned with what was going on behind that shut door. He only got a fleeting look at her, But Solo was convinced that the fair-haired woman was Natalia. Of all the—. So she had planned on double-crossing him anyway. Napoleon knew it shouldn't have bothered him. After all, he had done it to her first. But...that didn't keep him from having feelings about it. She hadn't trusted him after all.

"Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Dempsey," Veronica's voice wrenched him from his thoughts.

Napoleon looked up at the saleswoman and shook his head. He was about to say something when the back door opened, and an older gentleman staggered out holding his neck.

"P-P-" The man stammered as he grabbed a hold of the counter. His fingers curled around the edge of the glass top. "Policia!"

"Mr. Bernini!" Veronica cried out in alarm. She rushed toward the old man and helped him to a chair. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Call the police," he said feebly in Italian. "We've been robbed."

The moment the words were out, Solo dashed toward the back of the store. Behind him, the sound of the alarm blasted loudly. He could hear Veronica's voice yell, shrilly at him to stop. Solo ignored her as he ran into the back room. He glanced around quickly. A blonde wig lay discarded on the floor and the back door was still ajar. She can't have gone that far, Napoleon thought as he followed Natalia's tracks. She was getting sloppy. Solo doubted that Bernini was supposed to make it out of that room before Natalia had given him the slip. So, either she hadn't done a good job drugging him or the man was built like an ox. Napoleon glanced left and right until he spotted a brown-haired woman walking calmly down the back ally. He hurried toward her retreating back.

"Stop!" He called out to her.

Natalia's shoulders stiffened before she hurried her stride and took off into a full run. Solo picked up his pace and ran behind her. They were both stopped in their tracks as two policemen rounded the corner with their whistles and billy clubs in hand. Natalia swiftly turned around and began to run back toward Solo.

"What are you doing here?" She panted, once she was beside him.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He turned the question back on her. Natalia only glared at him. Solo glanced behind them. The police were catching up. "Here. Take my hand," he said, capturing her hand in his and pulled her into the next open door.

They were in a busy restaurant kitchen. Solo grabbed a tray and headed toward the front of the house where the guests were dining. Beside him, Natalia nearly crashed into another server sending a tray of soup over. Napoleon grabbed the small case where she had hidden the Faberge egg and gripped it in his free hand while she collected herself. The two thieves made their way through the bustle of the kitchen. Dodging the wait staff, they each gained a hold of the case, snatching it back and forth between each other.

"Give it back," Natalia said between clenched teeth.

Napoleon handed his tray off to one of the waiters. "Not a chance."

"You've got the diamond. What do you want with this egg?" Natalia made a pass for the case again.

They both froze when they spotted two more police officers step into the restaurant. Napoleon took a hold of Natalia's hand and pulled her into a booth. They used a menu to conceal their faces as the officers scrambled around the restaurant.

Napoleon watched as they headed toward the back before slipping out of the booth with Natalia close on his heels. The street outside of the restaurant was bustling. Napoleon glanced around before he recognized where they were.

"If you don't want to end up in jail, I suggest you follow me," he advised.

Natalia glared at him and took another pass at the case before making an exasperated sound. The pair made their way quickly down the street, grabbing newspapers and anything they could find to avoid being seen by the police. Napoleon rounded another corner with Natalia. The truck was waiting for them with Gaby at the wheel. Napoleon's shoulders sagged in relief just as a group of police officers stormed the alley. He jumped on to the back of the truck and pulled Natalia up beside him.

He gave three sharp bangs on the truck and yelled, "Drive!"

"You hear that?" Gaby said to Illya at the front of the truck.

"It's Cowboy! Go!" He instructed.

The truck started up with a kick of black smoke and took off with a jerk.

Solo gripped the door handle and clutched the case to his chest. The truck began to zig-zag through the streets of Rome with police cars on its tail. Beside him, Natalia clung to the door of the truck for dear life as the bounced along the roads trying to evade the police. The truck turned down an impossibly narrow side street, before shooting out the other side. Sparks flew as it scraped against the side of one of the buildings. Two police cars gave chase, circling a roundabout before crashing into each other. Gaby gave the truck a reckless jerk to the left. Napoleon's feet slipped and went flying behind him. Natalia used his momentary panic to grab the case back him. When he regained his footing, he placed his hands over hers and wrapped it around the handle, trapping it beneath his. The truck lumbered on, breaking traffic laws to evade the police. Once they were out of the city and away from the police, Napoleon felt himself relax again. The truck slowed as it rounded a bend up the hillside road. Napoleon kept his eyes on Natalia. He knew the moment the truck stopped, she would make a run for it.

The truck stopped with a violent jerk, sending up a cloud of dust. Natalia wrenched her hand from beneath Napoleon's and jumped off the truck. She made it only a few feet before Napoleon captured her in his arms again.

"Get off me!" She said angrily while jerking away from him. Natalia dug her elbow into his stomach.

Napoleon swallowed the hit and continued to grip her tightly. "Give me back the egg," he said. He was mindful about how he gripped her. Solo didn't want to injure her in the process of getting the case back.

Illya and Gaby jumped out of the truck and watched the two struggle in confusion before they intervened. Illya grabbed at the case while Gaby trained her gun on the thief.

"How did she get here?" Illya asked Solo. Napoleon tilted his head and lifted his brows in response.

"Who are they?" Natalia asked Solo. Her eyes were fastened on Gaby who still held the gun on her.

"They are U.N.C.L.E.," Waverly's voice rang out from behind them. Gaby lowered her gun and Napoleon loosened his grip on Natalia and rotated them around to face his boss. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Povlovsky," Waverly said with a pleasant smile. "I'm Alexander Waverly. Your new commanding officer. Well, temporarily."

"What?!" They all yelled at once.