Lucy stepped out of the train and was hit with a wall of humidity. She had heard that the humidity in the region could hit upwards of 50% but she hadn’t been prepared for it even wearing the light cotton top and trousers that she was.

Peering around the station she spotted a man in an Italian military uniform standing in front of a tan Alfa Romeo 6C Coloniale. Glancing to her right she saw that Giovanni had spotted the man as well and started to head toward him – obviously concluding that this was the escort they had been promised.

As they approached the man Lucy slipped her hand inside of her purse and wrapped her hand lightly around the grip of the .38 she had stowed their – until she was certain this man was who he appeared to be she wasn’t taking any chances; after all, the five hundred thousand dollars she carried in one of her bags would certainly be more than enough to draw the attention of local thugs if any of them had somehow caught wind of it.

Her mission here in the newly minted Italian East Africa was simple – locate and purchase as many coffee beans as possible to be shipped back to her employer – Scalise Fine Imports – as possible. Or, at least that was the cover; her real job was to buy enough to fill the special containers that would be hiding over a million dollars’ worth of small-arms and explosives that one of Mr. Scalise’s partners had procured.

As Mr. Scalise’s buyer, Giovanni, would be doing the actual negotiating if the local coffee suppliers were reasonable Lucy would be able to simply sit back and relax on this trip. If, however, any of them decided to be unreasonable it was her job to ensure that they saw the error of their ways – she was quite hopeful that a few of them would get out of line.

As they reached the man he bowed slightly before saying,

“Welcome to Addis Ababa; I am Private Luciano, I have been instructed to ensure that you have a safe and comfortable ride to your hotel. You will be staying at the Itegue Taitu Hotel, I assure you it is quite beautiful and, since it is home to several VIPs the security is top notch.”

Lucy looked the Private up and down cooley as she gauged any potential threat. When she was certain he posed none she responded,

“Excellent, we are expecting to meet some associates who will be joining us on our trip. Do you know when they are expected to arrive?”

As they were speaking the Private had loaded their luggage into the boot of the car and was now opening the back door to allow Giovani and Lucy to enter. When they slid into the backseat he closed the door and entered the passenger side of the front. He then signaled the waiting driver to start on their way before turning back to Lucy.

“I am not privy to any plans beyond my orders to get you safely to your hotel and then report back to base; however, I am sure that your friends will be staying at the same hotel and will likely be treated in the same regard as you. I don’t know all the details, and I have been informed quite clearly that they are not my concern, however, for you to warrant a military escort tells me you either are someone important or know someone important. That means that your friends fall into that same category, and I can assure you that the Colonel overseeing this area takes the safety and well being of our important guest quite seriously.”

Nancy nodded curtly before slouching back into her seat to relax – it might be the last chance she would get for the next few weeks.

The blast of heat as she leaves the plane with Jack is nearly enough to choke her. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail as sweat beads on her forehead, and before she's even into the backseat of the transport car, her shirt is clinging to her. How do they live like this? She looks at Jack to gauge his reaction as he slides into the car next to her, and smiles when he immediately ditches his blazer. 

"You'll have to do something with that," she says, nodding towards his gun in its holster. He deliberates as the car makes its way to their hotel, and by the time they've arrived, he's ditched the rig and is carry it under his jacket, which is draped casually over his arm. He winks at her as they leave the car together and make their way into the hotel lobby. They'd come far in the time since they'd met...a strong camaraderie had grown over the course of concern for the well being of the same woman.

Jack places a hand on the small of her back and nods toward the lobby bar, where Lucy and Giovanni are seated, sipping iced drinks near the entrance. "That them?" 

Jack Crawford hated being away from Kathryn. He'd been her bodyguard since she was 13, seeing her through high school, college, her father's death, and her entry into the world of organized crime. When she insisted on giving him the night off, he usually just hung around in the general area she was in just to be safe. But that's the kind of dedication that guilt can create; he hadn't been able to save Kathryn's mother, who he'd loved.

All of this was to say that for someone who hated being two streets over from Kathryn, being across the Atlantic was a new form of torment. Still, maybe she'd been right. Maybe he did need more in life. So here he was, standing next to the person who'd replaced him as the most important person in Kathryn's life: a position he'd held for only a couple months after her father's death, but the brevity did nothing to ease the sting of displacement. They'd spoken quite a bit on their trip across the Atlantic, though, and things had thawed slightly. Jack wouldn't be entirely surprised if that was one of Kathryn's ulterior motives for sending both him and Merci. Officially, his job was to assist and oversee things. Unofficially, Kathryn had told him he was there to protect Merci, but that he also needed to "have an adventure on his own".

He sighed and simply endured the heat as they disembarked and traveled, content to suffer silently in his black suit for now, but making definite plans to change things for the future.

They entered the lobby and he steered Merci toward the bar.

"That them?"

Jack answered in his deep voice.

"Must be. They certainly stick out from the locals... I'll let you handle the talking here. If I start looking groggy just throw a drink in my face."

Merci snorts, briefly entertaining the thought of emptying a vase over his head as they pass a display of flowers, then dismissing it. The heat was killing any sense of fun she'd arrived with, and she was already kicking herself for agreeing to take on the job for Caesar. Who did favors for their ex, anyway? 

As they approach Lucy and Giovanni, she hesitates before offering her hand. The last time she'd done that, she'd received a physical shock followed by a mental sidestep thanks to JohnConstantine ,and she didn't care to repeat the trip, but this was important and she couldn't come off as rude.

"Lucy? I'm Merci, here to function as Augustus_Caesar 's liaison. And this is Jack Crawford, who is here on behalf of Kathryn Renford," she says, indicating the oak tree behind her. He nods politely as Merci shakes hands, then turns toward the man standing next to Lucy.

"You must be Giovanni," she said, extending her hand to his as well. Two for two.

Lucy looked up as she heard her name. As Merci introduced herself and Jack she shook their hands and nodded. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, Joe told me to expect you. Giovanni here," Lucy lightly patted Giovanni on the arm, "will be doing most of the work for us; I am only here to watch over things for Joe and to . . . assist the sellers in reaching equatable terms . . . if they are reticent at all."

Giovanni laughed softly and took a sip of his iced tea before speaking up.

"I hope for there sake it doesn't come to that. I've been told to buy 10 tons of coffee and I have every intention of doing so. With that much coffee we should have no problem filling our crates with enough coffee to give adequate cover for our operations." 

Giovanni had said this last part in a low voice, however, Lucy still gave him an icy look that made him falter slightly. 

"Not here Giovanni, we don't know who is listening. Now, Merci and Jack, I suggest joining us for a cool drink - we should be hearing from our military contact shortly so we can get started."

Jack looks at the man skeptically, knowing that he's out of his element. He pays closer attention to the food, wondering if they have pinot noir. He wasn't usually a wine man, but it was all Kathryn drank. He missed her, if he was being honest. He'd been around her almost every day since before she went to high school, so Africa was more than a small adjustment for him. Still, he could see why she'd sent him. Backup for Merci, sure- but also a chance to have a life away from her. He'd used to take vacations, back when she was just a rich kid on the Upper West Side. Usually stayed in the US, but still. She was right. 

So Jack straightened his back and smiled at the Lieutenant, deciding to take the initiative. What would Kathryn say? What would Kate have said?

"Thank you, Lieutenant, for the more than hospitable welcome. If this is any indication of your commitment, then I look forward to helping this group achieve what seems to be an excellent venture."

Lucy examined the extravagant surroundings and the buffet that had been laid out for them. What stuck out for her was that they were obviously doing their best to impress them and see to it that they had a comfortable stay. This was good - it meant that this was just as important to them as it was to Joe and that they would take whatever steps necessary to ensure that the trip was a success. 

"Lieutenant, I also thank you for the warm welcome. I hope that this trip can be very lucrative for all involved."

Walking over to the table and pouring herself a glass of gin Lucy turned back to the Lieutenant. 

"While I appreciate all of the work you have gone through to make us comfortable I would like to get down to business. With that in mind I think that it would be best for us to acquire the coffee we need first. The crates are built so that the false bottoms that will hold the weapons can be accessed from the outside if one knows which boards to press so the crates can already be full of coffee."

"Hopefully, by speaking with suppliers and buying large quantities of coffee first we will divert the attention of anyone who might be taking too hard of a look into what we are doing here. Then, once we have everything ready to go, we can quickly load the weapons and be on our way back to the port."

Lucy briefly looked around to see if anyone objected to her thought process and seeing one she quickly continued. 

"Have you set up contacts for us with the local coffee suppliers?"

The Lieutenant smiles. "Before we proceed, I'm afraid I must verify you all are indeed who you claim to be. Just a formality you understand? My apologies for the inconvenience, but it would be very awkward if an agent of the government, or even worse, of the Western Allies caught wind of this." He looks around at the four of them. "Which one of you is the liaison for His Lordship, The Count of Syracuse?" 

Merci realizes that would be her, and steps forward. 

"Um. Yes. I'm his wi...his ex...I'm here on his behalf," she struggles, kicking herself for not talking this completely through with Caesar beforehand. And then mentally kicking him too, for good measure.

"I'm told this will suffice as verification of identity?" She asks, pulling at the signet ring she'd been wearing on her index finger, due to its size. Unfortunately, the brutal African humidity had swollen her fingers, and when she tugged at it, it was stuck. She pulled harder, and when it finally popped off, she accidentally rammed Jack in the chest with her elbow. He let out an 'oof' as the wind was hammered out of him, and she mouthed a desperate 'sorry!' to him as she handed the ring over to the lieutenant. 

Jack had moved over to help Merci and received an elbow in the chest for his efforts. It was most likely accidental. He simultaneously glared and smiled at her as he removed his wallet. 

As the Lieutenant turned away from them and gestured to the food, Jack muttered under his breath and tucked his wallet back in his pocket.

"Guess they don't need to check my license. At least the chow looks good."

He piped up so that he was now audible to all.

"What kinda entertainment do you fellas get up to over here?"

After enjoying some light food and drinks and a wonderful dancing exhibition by the locals the group made their way down to the lobby of the hotel. The Lieutenant excused himself indicating that he had another important meeting but that the Trade Companies were expecting them and there should not be any issues.

They would be travelling with a squad of four soldiers as their guards and Private Luciano would be driving them; however, it they had been informed that the guards were there to protect against any attacks, not to help them in their endeavors. They would not become involved at all unless the convoy was attacked; short of that the passengers were on their own.

In order to avoid any unwanted attention, they would be traveling in plain looking sedans and their guards would be in civilian clothing but with the strong military lock down on the area they weren’t expecting any trouble on the way to the Trade Companies offices in the center of the city.

They had been driving for about 15 minutes when they approached a checkpoint as they were about to leave the “tourist” area of town and head into the center of the city. After a brief conversation with the driver the guard tapped on the back window of the sedan were Lucy and Giovanni were sitting.

Giovanni rolled the window down and saw what appeared to see a Sergeant  leaning down to look into the car – behind him were four soldiers with sub machine guns pointed at the convoy of cars.

“Good day sir, and madam. It seems evident to me that you are not local to the area so you may not be aware of the security measures we have in place. We have had many attacks by the local sava . . . pardon me madam, the local rebels and so we must check each car as it comes through – I’m sure you understand.”

The Sergeant then got a sly smile on his face as he continued.

“Your driver here informed me that you had a meeting to attend; I hope that it isn’t anything urgent as the security check could take hours . . . just to be safe you know.”

Giovanni saw that Lucy’s temper was about to get the best of her and this sergeant may well be about to get a bullet for his troubles. Given that they were in the middle of a military held city, in a car driven by a member of said military, Giovanni didn’t think that was the best idea so he quickly intervened. Placing a calming hand on Lucy’s arm – which had been creeping closer to her purse – Giovanni looked at the Sergeant and smiled.

” Sergeant, you are correct that we are not from around here, however, I am a business man and in my experience business is done the same way just about everywhere in the world. We have very important business to attend to that will be rather beneficial to the Italian government and it would be shame for us to miss our meeting due to a security check when it is so obvious that we are foreigners and have no connection to the locals, wouldn’t it?”

As he said this he had slipped five hundred dollar bills out of his pocket and held them low in front of the door so that only the Sergeant could see them – this was probably a month’s salary to this officer and far more than he expected to be bribed but Giovanni didn’t have time to go back and forth so he figured losing a extra bill or two here was worth it to be on their way.

The Sergeant quickly reached into the window and grabbed the bills before stepping back and smiling

“You know what, I don’t see any reason to hold you fine folks – I mean you obviously aren’t rebels after all. Have a safe rest of your trip.”

So saying the Sergeant signaled to the guards who moved out of the way and let the car pass.

Ten minutes later they pulled up to a five story building in the center of the city. Stepping out of the cars they were greeted by what appeared to be a local man in a business suit.

“Welcome to the Traders Company, if you will follow me I will 

lead you to the conference room where you will be meeting with those representing the coffee sellers you seek to purchase from.”

As the small entourage made their way to the meeting room, they are yet again reminded of the large gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' of the country's peoples. The building was professional, if extravagant in its decor. Well-dressed employees scurried about with file folders while the sound of telephones ringing could be heard nonstop behind closed doors. 

Once inside the designated meeting room, they were met with the solemn faces of the the coffee dealers. Curt pleasantries were exchanged, along with brief introductions. Merci was beginning to get lost in a pile of names and titles, and looked to Jack to see if perhaps he was keeping up, but he looked as oblivious as she. Or perhaps he just didn't give a shit, she thought to herself with a smile.

After having seated themselves around the conference table, the dealer in charge took a sip of water from a glass as he carelessly scribbled a number on a notepad in front of his hand. Tearing it off, he folded it in half and slid it in the general direction of Lucy and Giovanni.

"I believe this is a more than fair asking price for the quantity in question," he says with a smarmy smile. 

Lucy picks up the paper and opens it. The look on her face tells the others in the room that no, it is not at all a fair asking price. Joe had told her this would happen...so after taking a deep, calming breath, she picked up a nearby pencil and scribbled down her counter offer. 

Jack barely had any idea who the hell any of these people were other than Merci, so he just focused on making sure he looked grumpy and strong, in addition to protecting Merci. He'd leave the negotiating to the brains. 

Lucy placed her hand on the paper as Merci was sliding it back toward the trader. Glancing around at her associates to implore them to stay quite she turned toward the trader pinned him with a steely glare.

“Sir, before you review my associates counter offer, which I am sure is far close to a fair asking price than that insult you provided, I think you should seriously consider who it is you are doing business with and what the implications might be if you chose to try and cheat us . . .”

Lucy let the comment hang in the air for a moment before lifting her hand from the counter offer and allowing Merci to slide it the rest of the way toward the seller.

Giovanni listened to the very thinly veiled threat and decided it would be good to add a carrot to go along with the stick that had just been shown.

“Listen gentlemen, we all have an opportunity to get very rich by importing your coffee to the states were we all know that our client’s will love it and keep coming back for more – however, that can’t happen if we can’t come to an agreement here. I don’t know about you, but I know I would hate to watch those potential profits disappear.”

Just as the seller’s agent was about to pick up the counter offer a woman stepped urgently into the room and after apologizing for the intrusion handed Lucy a note. Scanning it quickly Lucy’s eye’s became very round as she looked around the room. Turning to the seller’s she found her voice

“I am sorry gentlemen but that was a message from my employer, there has been an incident at home and we are needed back urgently. Please accept our apologies for the delay and inform your suppliers that we are still interested, however, it may be some time before we can move forward.”

The group walked briskly out of the room and as they were in the elevator Lucy turned to the others and explained.

“Apparently, there have been some issues with a crew from New Orleans while we have been away. As far as I can tell everyone is ok, however, we have been asked to return straight away as something is in the works and we may be needed.”

Receiving grim faced nods from each of them Lucy quickly exited the elevator when they arrived at the ground floor and made her way back to the cars that were waiting for them. Ordering the driver to return to the hotel as quickly as possible she began mentally going over all of the possible contingencies for how to deal with whatever they may be walking into when they returned home.