Love and the White Wolf - Book 3

25. Confrontation and Resolution

In the hour before sunrise the IT team of the Avengers and the FBI identified the tour boat captain was likely Carlitos Chavez, the Cuban born American citizen and self-made tech billionaire. Known to be somewhat reclusive he had been involved in some questionable financing of rebel groups attempting to start a civil war in Cuba. He hadn't been seen in several years and it was believed he was living on a private island in the Caribbean. His two crewmen were identified as former Cuban army officers who sought asylum in the U.S. There were suspected connections to some cartels and other extremist or terrorist groups but evidence was scant.

Before Chavez landed on the island everyone assumed a hidden position on the beach. Wanda put the two men in the helicopter asleep as the boat bringing Chavez to shore became visible. James and I waited on the beach for him, both armed with knives. As he landed, Chavez had a big smile on his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. How kind of you to greet me on the beach," he gestured as he stepped off the boat.

Accompanying him were 10 heavily armed, helmeted soldiers. They raised their weapons at us and two soldiers disarmed us. One of the remaining soldiers leaned towards Chavez and said something to him.

"Why not?" said Chavez in response. "Mr. Barnes, may I introduce my younger half-brother, Theo."

The young soldier handed his weapon to another and strode towards us. There was something familiar about his walk but we said nothing, waiting for him to remove his helmet. As he stood in front of James, one got a sense of déjà vu. Both were of the same height, weight and build. The soldier removed his gloves, then his helmet and revealed himself to be an exact double of James but younger looking, with sun bleached hair, in his twenties.

"Theo, you should give your papa a kiss," laughed Chavez.

James' eyes never moved from the young man's face.

"You have a birthmark just below your left armpit, and another behind your right knee," he said simply. "You like whole milk, cooking, and little children. You prefer women with red hair. I knew your mother as Solanna Santana. She was my friend, not my lover. You're not my son, you're my clone. We've been looking for you for six years, brother."

Chavez yelled "liar" at Buck and advanced towards him.

"I saw you with my mother in Havana," he spat at James. "You went into the bedroom with her, had your way with her then abandoned her, left her pregnant. I was only 14 but I remember."

"You remember wrong, Ernesto, I went into the bedroom to give her a self-powered capsule containing my clone," said James still staring at his younger self. "I told her to take it with her and keep it safe. Safe from those who would turn it into a cold blooded killer. It would have kept stable in the capsule for years but she chose to implant it in herself. I meant to go back but she removed the memory of her from my mind."

"I don't go by that name anymore Barnes, especially since you killed my only friend in Miami," said Chavez. "Go ahead, Theo. Have them bring his precious children here and we'll bleed them out in front of their parents."

"Shut up, Ernesto," said Theo in James' exact voice. "It's exactly as he said. Mama showed it to me from childhood until before she died. He has done nothing wrong. You on the other hand..."

Theo shifted his gaze to the gloves he had inside the helmet. On them was a small explosive device – the type that would disable a single individual. He looked at James and smiled slightly. James nodded his head slightly and shifted his eyes to me. Theo smiled. James gave Wanda a thought message that everyone was to move when he threw the explosive but Chavez was his. Theo blinked once, then James blinked, then they moved. James grabbed the device, activated it and threw it at Chavez while Theo pulled me away and shielded me. The Avengers and soldiers came out of their hiding places pointing their firearms at the soldiers, who realized very quickly their day was done and surrendered.