18
Better late than never. Hugo flexed every muscle in his body and rushed after the Spaniard.
He came out in a narrow hallway as he followed Adnan Kosh. Thick drops of blood were spattered on the floor. In one of them was a footprint that looked like someone had slipped in it. He followed the corridor until he arrived at a stone staircase. He stopped and heard someone gasping for air.
“Adnan!” Hugo boomed.
No answer. He ran after him, three steps at a time. A shadow flickered past on the wall as he approached. The Spaniard moaned above him. Hugo rushed on. His legs worked like jackhammers. He came up the stairs and glimpsed the Spaniard. He wasn’t far away, barely five feet.
“Adnan! Stop!”
Adnan Kosh recoiled and slowed down. He spun around. He was limping, and blood seeped along his legs down to the ground.
“You got me,” he said.
Hugo took a few steps closer to Adnan. “Yes, finally.”
“You don’t know what the hell those men down there are capable of. They’re evil.”
Hugo grimaced. “They’re doctors, Adnan.”
“They killed my daughter,” he said. “And my wife.”
Hugo frowned and shook his head. “No. They tried to help your daughter. And your wife killed herself.”
Adnan screamed, “No!”
“They were trying to help your family, Adnan. They tried, but they didn’t succeed. They aren’t evil people.”
Adnan’s eyes sparkled. “Donde hay humo, hay fuego. No smoke without fire. They knew very well what they were doing,” he said. “And they’re going to pay the price. If I can’t get them to pay the price today, I will in the future.”
Hugo clenched his jaw. “No, you won’t. You’re coming with me,” he said.
Adnan Kosh didn’t respond, but Hugo noticed his body changing. An imperceptible shiver went down Hugo’s spine when he saw the subtle transformation in Adnan’s body language. Adnan took a step aside. Hugo took a step to the other side. The adrenaline flowed through Hugo’s body, and everything around him began to slow down.
Adnan lunged; Hugo took a step back and let the fist pass in front of him. Blood dripped on the floor as Adnan moved. Hugo nodded toward it.
“You’re hurt. Give up now, and you’ll be all right.”
Adnan Kosh growled, “Never.”
Hugo dove, hit the Spaniard’s shoulder, and temporarily got him off balance. Hugo took a step forward, slid toward the Spaniard’s body, and swiftly struck three hard blows to his body. Every blow hit hard. Hugo’s fists pounded with pain when they hit. But the Spaniard didn’t say anything; he took the punches without making a sound. Hugo slipped to the side, but when he did, the Spaniard’s hand caught Hugo’s arm. It was like a vice. Hugo tried to turn it loose but failed. The Spaniard stared at Hugo and bared his teeth. Blood flowed along the lower row of teeth and gave him a wild expression.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? Do you think I’d let someone come between me and my revenge?”
Hugo flexed his arm, crouched down, and struck with the other against the Spaniard’s bloody legs. The Spaniard screamed when Hugo’s fist hit the wound. Blood splattered over Hugo’s hand, and it slipped out of the Spaniard’s grasp. The Spaniard swayed as more blood poured down his leg. Hugo got up and took a step back. Adnan’s face was pale, and sweat ran down his eyes.
“You don’t know anything.”
Hugo grimaced. “Give up, for God’s sake.”
The Spaniard shrugged. “God? He left me a long time ago. Now all I have is revenge!”
A twitch went through the Spaniard. He straightened himself, and Hugo saw that he was about to jump toward him. A fraction of a second before he was going to leap, a gun boomed, and blood exploded from the Spaniard’s other leg. He screamed, staggered to the side, and fell.
Hugo spun around. Freya stood on the stairs and lowered the gun as she looked at Hugo.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Hugo nodded. “Yeah, now I am.”
Freya came up the stairs and approached the Spaniard.
“The game is over.”
The Spaniard swore and spat. Hugo walked up to him, crouched, and slapped him.
“That’s enough!”
The air went out of the Spaniard, and he collapsed. Voices came from the bottom of the stairs, and Mikko, Sussie, and a man in a white coat came up to them. The man in the white jacket rushed up to Hugo.
“I’m Dr. Vimpel. For the love of God, thank you. Thank you for coming. You saved my family,” he said. “And my colleague and his wife. We’re eternally grateful to you.”
Hugo nodded. “It was our pleasure.”
The Spaniard flinched when he saw Dr. Vimpel.
“You. You murderer.”
Balthazar swallowed hard. “But you have to understand. We did everything we could. There was no more we could do. Your daughter was extremely ill.”
Adnan roared, and bloody saliva flew from his mouth. “No! You’re not worthy even speaking her name!”
Vimpel pulled Hugo aside. “We did everything we could to save his daughter. We did.”
Hugo nodded and put his hand on Vimpel’s shoulder. The man trembled. “I know, I know. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it, and the police are on their way.”
Vimpel pulled his hand over his face. “Thank you. Oh, my God, thank you for coming.”
***
Hugo drew in a deep breath. It was over. The Spaniard was on the floor, shot in both legs. Mikko stood by him and pointed his gun at him. Mikko swerved.
“Don’t move,” he said.
The Spaniard glared at him. “You moron. I’m going to get my revenge. Don’t think otherwise.”
Hugo looked at Vimpel. “Is your family okay?”
Vimpel nodded quickly. “Yes, thank God. They’re downstairs. When the alarm went off, we hid inside the closed lab. It was the only thing I could think of.”
Hugo smiled. “It was a good place.”
Vimpel shivered. “Thank you.”
Behind them, Hugo heard the Spaniard moving. He turned around and stared at him.
“Don’t move.”
But Adnan Kosh ignored the comment. He began to laugh slowly as he crawled up into a sitting position. Blood oozed from his legs.
Mikko took a step back and said with a loud voice. “Down!”
Freya also stepped back and lifted her weapon. “Stay where you are!”
Hugo stood between the Spaniard and Vimpel. Mikko and Freya bellowed.
“Down! Lie down!”
But Adnan Kosh’s eyes sparkled. Hugo had seen it before. The flickering gaze, the sweat, the insensitivity to pain. The Spaniard was on something. He met Hugo’s eyes.
“This isn’t for me.”
Hugo took a step forward. “What?”
The Spaniard grinned up at him. “This is what I’m going to do. Life. My wife and daughter aren’t here. They’re waiting for me.”
Hugo shook his head. “Don’t do it.”
The seconds passed as if they were hours. The Spaniard spat blood, and with a superhuman effort, he got up on his legs. Blood flowed down, and Adnan grimaced as he stood in front of them.
“They’re waiting for me.”
Hugo admired the man’s willpower. He met the Spaniard’s gaze. In a way, maybe it was fitting for a man like Adnan Pablo Francisco Kosh. A man who had lived with death for so long. Behind him, he heard Vimpel holding his breath. The Spaniard smiled. Hugo shook his head.
“Are you sure about this?”
The Spaniard smiled and showed bloody teeth. “They’re waiting for me,” he said again.
The hairs stood up on Hugo’s arms, and an imperceptible shift came over the Spaniard. Freya and Mikko stood on either side of him, their weapons pointed at the Spaniard. Adnan Kosh roared and threw himself forward. Mikko and Freya opened fire.
***
Power. It was the only thing that mattered. LaCroix Ric
hter pulled his hand over his face. Attempts to contact the Spaniard had failed, and in the last hour, LaCroix had had an increasingly bitter taste in his mouth. Something was wrong. There was no denying it. But what would he do now? What was the next step? He paced the narrow corridor. Farther down the hall, a door opened, and Jasmin came in. Her face was pale. LaCroix took a deep breath.
“What?” he asked.
She nodded behind her. “You need to see this.”
She turned around and walked back through the door. LaCroix ran after her, and when he entered the room, she was facing the TV on the wall.
“Look.”
On the screen, the beautiful news reporter nodded toward the camera. She pressed a finger to her ear.
“Yes, now you, our dear viewers, get a live report. According to our sources, there have been more shootings at a castle in northern Spain. And we’re just outside the cordons set by the police.”
LaCroix froze when he recognized the research facility. The camera turned to a police officer who was standing at the cordons.
“Can you tell me anything about what happened here?” Julia Hernandez asked him.
The officer nodded. “I don’t know much,” he said. “All I know is that we’ve been ordered to seal off the entire property.”
“But you can confirm that there’s been a shooting here today?”
The officer nodded. “Yes, I can.”
The reporter’s face nodded solemnly. “Has anyone died?”
The officer shrugged. “I don’t know that at this time.”
Before Julia could ask anything more, a voice shouted from behind them. Another cop ran up to them and waved his hand. He shook his head, and the officer who had been speaking to the reporter fell silent. The camera turned to the newly arrived policeman.
“Do you have any more information about the shooting here?” Julia asked him.
The man shook his head. “No comment.”
The reporter understood that she wasn’t going to get any more out of the police, so instead, she turned back to the camera.
“As you can see, dear viewers, this isn’t over. But we’re going to stay here until we find out what’s been going on here today.”
LaCroix moaned. “No . . .”
Jasmin was about to say something when the door opened. It was the young man.
“You need to come,” he said. “Call from contact seven.”
LaCroix rushed after the young man and entered the metal-clad room once more. The screen flickered, and Lisa Heyneman’s face appeared. He immediately saw that something was wrong. She glared at him.
“LaCroix.”
LaCroix tried to keep an even face. “Hello, Lisa.”
Lisa remained silent for a few seconds before she leaned forward. “LaCroix. I have to say, I’m not impressed with this. Actually, not at all. This has been done in a substandard fashion from start to finish, and I wish I never invited you to join the Shadow Council.”
LaCroix clenched his jaw muscles. “Wait a minute. We don’t have all the information yet. It may turn out that the mission has still succeeded. It’s too early to say it’s a failure.”
Lisa sighed. “Just the fact that you’d say that shows how little you understand or how little you’re in control of,” she said. “According to our information within the Spanish police, the Spaniard is dead. Both Zuch and Vimpel are still alive. The whole mission is a failure. And not only that. Not only have you failed in the mission, but you have also gotten the attention of the Spanish police, and who knows what various investigations will be set up to look into this whole thing. The Shadow Council works in the shadows, not in the light.”
LaCroix cleared his throat, but Lisa held up her hand. “You don’t have to say anything more. My invite is retracted. Your admission to the Shadow Council has been suspended. And further information about your situation will be forwarded as soon as possible.”
LaCroix frowned, not understanding what Lisa meant. “What does—”
The call terminated. LaCroix couldn’t breathe.
The young man scratched his chin and remarked, “She cut the conversation.”
A shiver went through LaCroix as he tried to decide whether to escape or not. A slight wave of nausea slipped up through his throat.
***
It was over. The Spaniard lay on the floor, and the pool of blood beneath him grew. Next to him, Mikko and Freya breathed rapidly. Hugo raised his hands and they lowered their weapons. The seconds passed in slow motion while everyone stared at Adnan Kosh’s body. Hugo put his hand on Freya’s shoulder.
“Well done,” he told her and looked at Mikko. “You too, Mikko.”
Mikko looked at Hugo. His face was hard. “That’s what he wanted,” he said.
Hugo nodded as he walked up to the Spaniard. “Yes, it was. He was ready to meet his wife and child.”
Vimpel moaned behind Hugo and walked with trembling steps up to the body.
“Is he dead?”
Hugo nodded. “Yes.”
Vimpel shook his head and bit his lip. Hugo looked at him. The stress ran off him, and the man began to shake.
“It’s over,” Hugo said. “He’s dead.”
Vimpel buried his face in his hands. “Thank you. Thank God for this.”
Hugo nodded at Freya. “Bring Sussie and make sure everyone down in the lab is okay.”
Freya nodded, turned, and left. Hugo put his hand on Vimpel’s shoulder. They looked at the body as voices rose from the stairs.
A woman called out, “Stop, Sky!”
When Vimpel heard the name, he spun around and rushed to the stairs. The second Sky entered the room, he picked the girl up and went back down the stairs.
“It’s all over. It’s all over, and we’re going home.”
Sky hugged her dad. “It’s really over? Is the bad man dead? Can we go home now?”
The questions flowed out of the girl, and Hugo watched them disappear down the stairway. Hugo looked at Mikko.
“How are you doing?”
Mikko grimaced. “I had a feeling he was going to do it. I knew it.”
Hugo nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Me too.” He took a deep breath. It was over. A wave of fatigue rolled over him. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts.
“Madeleine, Novus.”
“Hey, Madeleine. It’s me.”
“Hugo. Tell me, what’s going on?”
He quickly told her all that had happened. “He’s in front of me,” he finished.
Madeleine fell quiet for a few seconds. “And you’re sure he’s dead?”
“Absolutely sure.”
“Superb work, Hugo. Excellent. I’ll make sure to arrange transport home as fast as possible.”
Hugo hesitated. “That sounds good. Madeleine, when I get home, I need to talk to you about how my employment with Novus will continue.”
Madeleine was quiet for a few seconds. “You’re not about to leave me, are you, Hugo?”
Hugo spoke softly. “No, I’m not. But Lita and I need to find a way forward that suits both of us.”
He told Madeleine what Lita had said to him earlier that day.
“Hugo, when you get home, I promise we’ll have a long talk, and we’ll find a solution,” Madeleine said.
“Thank you.”
“Make sure you and the team get home as soon as possible. I’ll send you the details of your transport.”
“Sounds good.”
Hugo ended the call. He stared at the Spaniard’s body. The man’s unsightly eyes had already become cloudy. Hugo pulled off his jacket, walked up to the Spaniard, and crouched next to him. He closed the dead man’s eyes and laid his jacket over Adnan Pablo Francisco Kosh.
The Spaniard was dead.
Hugo got up and took a deep breath. Death. The final rest. Finally, the man would have peace. But death was for the dead, and life was for the living.
Hugo scrolled through his contact list again, pressed the name he was
looking for, and took a deep breath. It rang three times before she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lita. It’s me.”
About the author
Filip Forsberg is a Swedish author living in Malmoe. He’s the creator of the science-fiction thriller series featuring Jonathan Jarl and the Amber group and the techno thriller series featuring Hugo Xavier and the Novus group. He and his wife Tina have four children.
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/Filip
The Hugo Xavier Series: Book 1-3 Page 66