“Super,” Hugo groaned. He opened the door and joined the others. It was a miracle that they’d managed to make it this far in the old Toyota.
“We’re just going to need to find another vehicle,” Hugo said. The four of them stood on the on-ramp to the deserted motorway—deserted of people, that was. Several cars sat abandoned around them, but they were all buried under feet of snow.
“Look for something we can drive all the way.”
Mikko looked back toward the road in the direction they had come. “Remember that Jeep a while back? That would do it.”
“Right! Good memory, Mikko.”
“Stay here and I’ll get it.” And with that, he spun around and started running.
The snow eased as they saw Mikko fade into the distance.
“Now what’s the plan, Hugo?” Sussie asked.
Hugo flexed his jaws. “We’ll head to the airport and hope that Madeleine arranged transport. Then we get to London as fast as possible.”
Sussie checked the time. “Less than nine hours left. Any chance we’ll make it?”
Hugo shrugged. “Yeah, there’s a chance—and as long as I’m alive, I will fight for it.”
Sussie and Freya looked at him and nodded. There was something natural about how he’d said it, without any doubt or hesitation. The women looked at each other and shared a knowing gaze; they had accepted him as their leader.
A few minutes later, a faint whistle cut through the air. From down the road, the thick tires of an extended-cab Jeep cut through the snow. It stopped in front of them and a thick cloud of smoke drifted past them.
Mikko flung opened the door and grinned. “Anyone need a ride?”
The other three jumped in, and Hugo sat in the passenger seat.
“Well done, Mikko.”
“No sweat, buddy.”
They drove up the freeway, and Freya made a quick estimate.
“Great—ten kilometers to the airport. Just make sure not to run into the ditch and we’ll probably make it.”
Mikko couldn’t drive faster than fifty because of the roads; the trip was going to take a while. Hugo pulled out his cell phone and scrolled to Lita’s number. It rang eight times before a sleepy voice answered.
“Hello?”
He cleared his throat. “Hey babe, it’s me.”
The voice was instantly wide awake. “Hugo!” She burst into tears.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Hugo said.
Lita took a deep breath, sniffed, and said, “I wasn’t sleeping—just resting. I’ve been waiting all night for you to call or text.”
“Sorry, sweetie. I’ve been thinking about getting in touch with you all day, but it’s just been crazy here. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to say sorry. Not now. We can take care of sorries later.” She hesitated. “How are you doing?”
“Well, it’s been an exciting day so far, that’s for sure. I’ll tell you more when I get home. I just wanted to call and say I’m okay. We’re all okay.”
“Thank goodness.” Lita exhaled hard.
“How are you?” he asked her.
“I got Jennifer to come over earlier. We talked all evening, and she’s sleeping on the couch now.”
“I’m glad you have your best friend there with you. Listen, we’re on the road, so if the call is lost, it’s because we’re out of range.”
“I understand. Can you tell me where you are?”
“No, babe. No details. You know that.”
Lita sighed. “Yeah, I know. What time is it?”
“A little after four. If all goes well, I’ll be home tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Like tomorrow today, or literally tomorrow tomorrow?”
Hugo laughed. “Tomorrow tomorrow.”
“All right. Hugo, be careful.”
“Always, Lita. You know that. Always. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Lita hung up, and Hugo stared at the phone. Freya leaned over to him.
“You think we’re going home tomorrow?”
Hugo shook his head as they continued down the snow-covered highway. “Who knows?”
*
They continued in silence. A snowplow had come through not too long ago, and Mikko kept the wheels on the plowed roadway. After a while, they passed a sign—seven kilometers left. Sussie tapped away on an iPad.
“It looks like they’re having a hard time confirming our flight.”
Mikko rubbed the inside of the immense windshield with his sleeve, then stopped short and turned on the defroster.
He grinned at Hugo. “Forgot this ride had one of those.”
“Why can’t they confirm the flight?” Freya asked.
“The blizzard is preventing all take-off and landing.”
“But this is an emergency,” Mikko murmured. They have to give us permission.”
Hugo frowned. “It’s not that easy. Airports have strict rules, and snowstorms can cripple an airport for several hours. Even the most powerful plows can have a hard time in a real blizzard.”
Sussie tapped the iPad. “Hugo, a colleague in Malmö just sent a message saying that you need to call Madeleine.”
“Got it.” He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.
“Hey,” Madeleine answered.
“What’s up? It’s Hugo.”
“Thanks for calling. What is your status?”
“We’re on our way to the airport—five kilometers away. We had some problems with our previous transport, so we had to find a new one. We have the antidote and the scanner in our possession.”
“Great, Hugo. But we have some problems on our side. We’re struggling to get the permits to lift off in the snowstorm.”
Hugo knit his brows. “Listen, this day has been insane. But it’s not over yet—now we’re in the endgame and we still have a chance to win. We can’t give up now.”
“I know, Hugo. We’re doing everything we can.”
“Do more. We’ll be there soon—I expect a plan to be ready.” His voice came out icy, surprising even himself. Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.
Nobody in the car said a word for a few minutes. Sussie shifted in her seat.
“Everything good?”
Hugo stared out at the whirling snow. “Yeah.”
When they arrived at the airport, massive plows were driving around the outside, bathing the entrance in yellow, flashing light. Mikko applied the brake, but the car slid in the icy snow and drifted onto the sidewalk, where it came to a stop.
“Oops. Sorry.”
Hugo opened the door.
“Everybody out and into the terminal.”
They ran inside and found the place deserted. A couple of janitors washed the floor, and a short man sitting at the closed café stood up brusquely. He waved and began to run toward them. He was breathing heavily when he reached them.
“Are you from Novus?”
Hugo glared at the man. “Perhaps. Who are you?”
“Madeleine sent me. I’ll show you the way.”
Hugo studied the man through narrowed eyes. Madeleine hadn’t said anything about having a person meet them, but it did make sense; how else would they get to their flight?
“Do you have some credentials you can show us?”
The man fumbled with his wallet and pulled up a driver’s license. Hugo pretended to investigate it. He had to talk to Madeleine about these details later.
Handing it back, he said, “Okay, looks good. Lead the way.”
The man burst into a smile. “Come on. There’s no line, so we’ve got a straight track there. Follow me.”
They jogged after the man and through the security check, their steps echoing as they ran. The man pointed at a terminal. “This way.”
A modern Learjet was parked outside, its lights flashing. Another man walked up to them and shrugged. “We’re still waiting for permission,” he said dully. “You can go ahead and board, but it might be a while.”
24
<
br /> The aroma was delectable. Mustafa approached the host, who greeted him with a well-practiced smile.
“Good morning, sir. What room number?”
“Forty.”
“Excellent. Welcome.” The host motioned for him to continue into the dining room, and Mustafa found his two colleagues already there, sitting at a table.
“Good morning,” he said as he approached them.
Tanya Lipton coughed as she swallowed a piece of bread; after drinking half a glass of orange juice, she looked up, cleared her throat, and smiled. “Morning, Mustafa. Sleep well?”
He pulled out the third chair. “Just fine, thanks, Tanya. Good morning, Ben. How are you all?”
Ben Chimes chewed and swallowed, smacking his lips. “Great. Their bacon is fantastic.”
Mustafa chuckled. “Good. I think I should take some with me, then.”
Ben and Tanya were his colleagues, but more than that, they were his friends. Both of them were brilliant researchers who had given up underpaid research jobs when they’d been invited to Techyx. And it was under his leadership that they were performing their most important work to date.
It was today, this very afternoon, that the world would know about their discoveries. It would be beautiful. Their work had resulted in a well-documented report that described in detail all the offenses and violations QuantumCorp had made in their search for minerals and mining deposits all over the world.
It had been a difficult job, but they had done it. And today, they would reap the fruits of their labor.
“You guys are making me even hungrier,” Mustafa said. He got up, fixed himself a plate of roasted eggs, bacon, and toast, and went back to the table.
“So,” he said through a mouthful of food, “ready for the press conference?”
Tanya sipped her juice, then said, “Yep, everything’s ready. We’ll start with your introduction as planned. Then we’ll each take three minutes, and then we end with the video.”
“Good.”
“It will be beautiful.”
“And what about security?”
Ben frowned. “There are hundreds of people here. QuantumCorp wouldn’t arrange anything here—it would be suicide.”
Mustafa reached down and rubbed his shoe to get to the itch on the top of his foot. “But you never know,” he said. “They could send in a maniac with a gun.”
Tanya glared and nodded toward a table full of thick men in suits. They weren’t eating, but their eyes moved constantly over the room.
“Anyone who tried will never get past our guards.”
Ben scratched his neck. “Right—have you seen their weapons? Those are some real cannons they’ve got there.”
Mustafa wolfed another slice of bacon and said, “You may be right. But to be on the safe side, make sure everyone’s up to date on the details. Okay?”
Tanya and Ben looked at each other and shrugged.
“Okay.”
*
The wait was unbearable. Hugo looked out the window for the twentieth time.
Sussie stood up and wandered up and down the aisle. “Come on now,” she grumbled.
“Madeleine’s doing everything she can,” said Hugo, leaning back in his seat. “We can’t do anything now except wait.”
The Learjet had been ready to leave for twenty minutes, but they still needed take-off clearance. The snowfall had eased over the last ten minutes, and Hugo hoped that all the available snowplows were out there, busting their butts to clear the runways.
“I know, I know.”
The minutes slunk by. Finally, the door to the cockpit opened, and a young man came out with a wide smile on his lips.
“Okay, guys, we’re ready. We’ll start taxiing in a minute, so take a seat and buckle up.”
Mikko and Sussie raised their fists in the air, whooping with excitement.
“Here we go!” cried Mikko.
Three minutes later, the pilot gave full throttle, and the Learjet accelerated along the runway. Even though the snowfall had eased, visibility was still poor. The plane sped up and climbed into the air.
Hugo closed his eyes while his thoughts churned. His shoulder—and his entire body—ached, but he couldn’t rest. Not yet.
Sussie pulled out a laptop and turned it on.
*
It was now or never. Xi veered past an abandoned car and stepped on it. White-hot rage surged through his body. He would get his revenge.
When he reached the airport, he almost slammed into an abandoned Jeep at the entrance. He jumped out of the plow and ran into the airport.
He continued until he reached the security check. Two female guards were talking in front of the metal scanner. It was a gamble, but he saw no other way. He had no more time. Xi took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down.
He walked up to the security check and smiled. “Hi, how’s it going?”
The women looked up; the one on the left, the younger one of the two, smiled back.
“Not much to do now that they’ve closed the runways,” she said.
“Oh no,” Xi said, his smile unwavering, “Have they really? But I have a flight to catch—look, I have my ticket and everything.”
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it. The guard on the right—the one who hadn’t returned his smile—reached for it, took it from him, and looked it over. She tilted her head in confusion, and in one swift motion, Xi pulled out a knife and thrust it into the woman’s exposed neck.
The younger woman didn’t even have time to scream. She could only shut her eyes in terror before Xi pulled the knife from her coworker’s throat and stabbed her with it.
Both of the guards fell to the floor, and Xi scanned the area. No one had seen. He wiped the knife clean and hurried on. He knew there were hundreds of cameras at the airport; his deed would be discovered before long. But if he could get just a few minutes, he’d have a chance.
He hurried on through the terminal. Most stores were closed, but a few here and there were open. He went further, scouting out the windows at the different aircraft outside. Xi had heard that a Cirrus SR22 might be there—a powerful composite aircraft that would work perfectly for his needs right now. It was his last hope.
He saw it parked outside a terminal, and his heart fluttered with excitement. When he stopped to look more closely, a man in a uniform came walking toward him. He was short—shorter than Xi, even. His name tag said “A. Liss, Pilot.” Xi thanked his lucky stars. He approached the pilot with a smile, stopping inches from his face.
Alarmed by Xi’s proximity, he leaned back and asked, “Yes, may I help you?”
Xi pulled out his knife and laid the blade against the pilot’s stomach. “Not a word,” he whispered. “Follow me.”
The pilot’s face turned ash gray. “What do you want?”
“You and I are going to take a little flight.”
25
Klaus woke up with a jolt, drops of sweat running down his forehead like a spring rain. He sat up in bed and was met with the sound of Heidi’s snoring. Klaus pulled off the blanket and twisted out of bed. He reached for the clothes on the floor and pulled them on.
“Where are you going?” came her sleepy voice.
He spun around. Heidi peered at him with one eye open. He shrugged.
“I was going to make some coffee. It’ll probably be a tough day.”
Heidi sat up, and the blanket slid down, exposing her fleshy breasts.
“Good idea. Run down to the kitchen and fix some coffee for us. I’ll be right there.”
Klaus’ shoulders drooped, and he left the room. The big clock in the hall read quarter after nine—less than six hours left. In the kitchen, he turned on the coffeemaker, and soon, the pleasant aroma filled the air. He poured two cups just as Heidi came in.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks, darling.” She took a sip. “Come now. We have a lot to talk about.”
They sat down on the couch; Klaus realized
his head was pounding. Before he could say anything, Heidi put her hand on his leg.
“I know what you’re going through, dear. I know.”
“You know . . . what I’m going through?”
“Of course. When you’re young, you’re eager—you think you will live forever, and you take risks that would seem crazy to you when you got older.”
Klaus sipped his coffee and shrugged. “Yes, you may be right.”
“I know I am. You’ve been my assistant for two years now, and I know I’ve taken advantage of you. But I have seen you grow as a man, and I must say that I’m very impressed with your development.”
“You are?”
Heidi chuckled. “Yes, I am. And I know that you don’t prefer women, but you have fulfilled your duties to my utmost satisfaction.”
His head spun. “Thank you,” he paused, “I guess.”
“You don’t have to think about it anymore. Today is your day. Your exam, so to speak. You have planned this for a long time, and you need all your energy to focus on the day.”
“You’re right.”
“This reminds me of when I was young,” Heidi went on. “I went through a situation like this. I had also planned a secret operation, but my mentor found out about it and knew as much as I did when it went down.”
Klaus frowned. “Did it succeed?”
“No. No, it didn’t.”
“How did your mentor react?”
Heidi took a sip of her coffee and gazed off, losing herself in the memories. She blinked and turned her eyes to Klaus. “I had to kill him.”
Klaus froze. “Ah.”
A smile widened on her full face. “But let’s not focus on that. Talk me through your plan instead. I want to know everything.”
So Klaus took a deep breath and explained everything he had planned for today. Heidi soaked in every word. When he fell silent, she nodded.
“I see. Then there’s only one thing to do.”
“What?”
“Go to London. At once.”
“But I could supervise the operation from here—”
“No,” Heidi interrupted, “that’s out of the question. I’ll arrange a private flight to London so you can be in place if something in the plan needs adjusting.”
The Hugo Xavier Series: Book 1-3 Page 17