A Price Above Rubies

Chapter Twenty Five

"The Colonel wants to see you. Now," one of the guards orders, pulling Leon to his feet after uncuffing him. Thankfully, the guard pulls on Leon's uninjured arm, but he still wavers because there's a heavy pounding in his head and he can't breathe very well. He's coming down with something. A cold? A flu? He's not sure but he knows being here is going to make him feel even worse. 

At home Hilal would take care of him the instant his throat starts to feel scratchy. Her touch would comfort him and she would know exactly how to heal him and feed him. She would fuss over him and he would pretend to be annoyed by it but she would smile that knowing sweet smile.

Where was she? Leon hasn't seen her in...has it been one day or two? Has something happened to her? Leon's heart freezes in fear and his chest tightens, causing a coughing fit. Has the colonel discovered her true identity? Dear God, I'll stay in this wretched hell forever if you promise me she will be safe. 

Leon blinks in the colonel's office, trying to see but the room is dim here too which confuses him. Why isn't the lamp lit? 

The colonel stands up and makes his way over to Leon and the guard. A flash of metal makes Leon back up in panic but it is the guard at his side that falls to the ground next to him. 

For a moment, Leon is confused and wonders if it's his illness that is making him imagine things as the colonel grabs him and insist he take the guard's clothes and put them on. Is he actually dreaming? 

Leon gets a good look at the colonel and sees not colonel at all but his brother in law Yakup in the colonel's uniform. 

"What the-"

"Shh! Quick! Put it on before one of the other guards come in." 

Leon doesn't hesitate. His movements are slower than he'd like because of his weakness and only one good arm but Yakup helps him but hesitates when he gets to Leon's arm. 

"We're going to have take it out of the sling and you're going to have to act like there's nothing wrong with it for a little while as we take care of the other guards. Can you manage?" Yakup asks, apology in his eyes. 

"Where is Hilal? Is she alright?" Leon asks. 

Yakup nods. "She's fine."

Relief strengthens him and tries to ignore the pain in his arm as he straightens it. "Then I can manage." 

Yakup gives him a small smile of understanding. 

"Where's the colonel?" Leon asks.

Yakup shakes his head. "We'll explain everything later. For now just stay here and keep silent." 

Another guard comes in a few minutes later, Ali Kemal with him. Yakup makes quick work of killing that guard as well and Ali Kemal looks in stunned confusion from Leon to Yakup.

"That just leaves one more guard," Yakup says, after instructing Ali Kemal to put on the guard's uniform. 

"No, there are two more out there still and where's the colonel?" Ali Kemal asks. 

"Vecihi is the second guard," Yakup replies smugly and both Leon and Ali Kemal look at the door in surprise. Leon wonders how he didn't recognize him but the lack of light down here makes it easy to understand. 

"And the colonel?" Leon presses. 

"He's been taken care of. Don't worry. Our immediate concern is getting rid of that last guard. Now here, Ali Kemal, fight with me and let's cause enough of a commotion to bring that last guard in-"

Ali Kemal hauls back and punches Yakup. 

A flash of anger mixes in with Yakup's surprise and the anger in Ali Kemal's face makes Leon wonder if the punch wasn't completely just to cause a disturbance for their plan to work. Yakup nods in satisfaction but the anger is still there as he shoves Ali Kemal against the door, landing a punch in his stomach before both men are shoved away from the door by the guard pushing it open. 

"What is going on here? Are you alright, Colonel?"

Yakup doesn't hesitate. As soon as the guard steps in the room, Yakup cuts his throat. 

Leon is a little taken aback at how easily Yakup does what they all know needs to be done and he wonders again at the man's past. He likes Yakup and overtime has come to love him like family as his brother in law but there is much about the man's past as a spy, as a soldier, even, there were rumours, as a mercenary gun for hire that Leon doesn't know about and Cevdet had assured him it was better not to ask. 

"That takes care of all of them, doesn't it?" Vecihi asks popping his head in.

"For now. Did you take care of the keypad?" Yakup asks him. 

Vecihi nods. "Only we in this room and Hilal and Yildiz know the new code. Now, Ali Kemal, come with me and we'll get the weapons I have hidden in the woods."

"Remind me to kill you for involving Hilal in this," Leon snaps, the pain in his arm fueling his anger.

Vecihi raises an eyebrow. "Oh, certainly. I'll be sure to remind you. You speak as if you don't know the woman you married. Ah!" He waves his arm in annoyed dismissal. "Come, Ali Kemal. Let's go get the guns." 

"Did you kill the colonel?" Leon asks when he and Yakup are alone. 

Yakup smiles at him. "Not for lack of wanting, believe me, but no. Alcon is holding him somewhere until Hilal…" He coughs, knowing Leon isn't overly thrilled with him either for involving his wife. "Well, until Hilal can take the proof of what he's done, breaking the treaty of surrender between the Turks and the Greeks, and maps of where the other underground prisons are to the Colonel Dario and he'll take it to the head of the justice department." 

"It's smarter to get him tried and imprisoned for trying to break the treaty. That way we can dismantle the other prisons and free any other prisoners those like him might be holding." Leon adds. He understands Alcon's reasoning and even agrees with him, but if any harm comes to Hilal… Leon will not hesitate to kill the bastard and court justice be damned. 

"Now we just have to wait and hope Hilal gets the maps to Colonel Dario before the others realize their leader has been taken. You know who the colonel is, don't you? The one who's been running this prison?"

"Stavros's uncle," Leon confirms. "If he finds out who Hilal is-"

"He won't," Yakup assures him.

Leon will feel more reassured about that when Colonel Stepanov is behind bars… far away from Hilal. He almost welcomes the pain in his shoulder distracting him from his worry. "When Vecihi comes back with the guns, are we arming the prisoners in case the colonel's men try and get in?" 

"Not unless we have to, but I'll feel a lot better the more having them and not needing them then the other way around." 

Vecihi and Ali Kemal return with the guns and the prisoners stir with curiosity and unease, still thinking they are Stepanov's guards. 

"Now what?" Leon asks once they are back in the colonel's office, looking down at the rifle he holds, wishing he could hold it with his better shooting arm but that's the one that's injured. He tries to take a deep breath but coughs instead.

"Are you all right, brother?" Ali Kemal asks, concern on his face. 

Leon nods in reassurance. 

"Now, we wait," Yakup says.