“No,” Tommy said, shaking his head. “We’re going to get my parents out my way.”
“Okay…”
“All the plans and maps in the world won’t help us if we get caught inside North Korea. And just a heads-up, we will stick out like a crocodile at an alligator party.”
Adriana raised both eyebrows at the metaphor. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”
“Simple,” Tommy said. “We find the sword and use it as a bargaining chip for my parents.”
“Um, I don’t mean to tell you what to do in regards to your parents,” June said, “but if what that guy said was true about the sword, are you sure you really want to give it to an evil dictator?”
“We’re not going to give it to him. I just said we’ll use it as a bargaining chip.”
“So we’re going to just walk into North Korea with a big sword and say, ‘Hey everyone, we got your leader a present’?” Sean asked.
“Look, I don’t have it all planned out. But you know as well as I do that it never hurts to have a little insurance. If we can find that sword, it might be the safety net we need.”
Sean couldn’t disagree with the assessment. That still didn’t make it easier to accept the plan. He knew his friend wanted to see his parents again more than anything. If they’d survived this long, though, maybe they could make it just a little longer. From the images Baldwin showed, they looked to be in good health. The leader of the Brotherhood even said that they’d not been tortured. Still, after twenty years of leading the North Koreans down a twisty path of misinformation, time had to be running out.
“Fine,” Sean said finally. “Where do we start?”
“Remember that call I got from Mac and Helen?”
Sean thought for a second and then gave a nod. “Oh right. I almost forgot. They said they found something that might help us.”
“Maybe it’s time to make a little trip to see what they’re up to.”
“I’m coming with you,” June blurted.
“No, absolutely not,” Tommy said, his voice insistent.
“You’ve dragged me into this,” June said. Her tone was every bit as stubborn as Tommy’s.
“I can’t let you come with us. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can handle myself.”
Sean and Adriana exchanged a sidelong glance. “She really is perfect for him,” Sean whispered.
“Remind me to never let them decide on where we meet for dinner.”
“Or which movie to see.”
“I saw how you handled yourself,” Tommy said. “And while I’m impressed, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I…it’s just that…I like you…and…”
June blushed. “That is very sweet of you. And I appreciate your concern. I really do. But at this point, I’m not going back. Not until all of this is done and over with.”
“But what about your friend, the one you were going to stay with?”
“I’ll visit her some other time.”
Sean and Adriana kept their lips sealed as they watched Tommy struggle.
“Okay,” he said. “Fine. If you won’t take no for an answer.”
“I won’t.” Her lips curled into a smirk.
“What’s the plan, chief?” Sean asked after he figured the discussion was over.
Tommy thought for a second and then crossed his arms. “Well, I’m sure Baldwin has assigned one of his goons to watch us to make sure we stay out of his way.”
Sean nodded in agreement. “Probably.”
“So we will need to figure out a way to sneak out without him knowing.”
“And how will we do that?” Adriana asked.
“I’ll tell you first thing in the morning,” Tommy said. He turned to Sean. “Got any connections in Europe that could hook us up with some weapons?”
“I’m not going to call Emily for that one. But I do have a guy I’ve used before. He’s a little…how should I say…eccentric?”
“So he’s an arms dealer.”
“Arms, drugs, counterfeit ID. You name it; he’s got it. Let’s just say he has a diverse portfolio of products and services he offers.”
“Sounds like some of the people I associate with,” Adriana said.
“This guy got a name?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know his real name. He just goes by Raven.”
18
Frankfurt, Germany
Cars passed by on the street outside the coffee shop. Sean sat alone, watching the pedestrian traffic rushing around to get to work. A window-cleaning crew busily washed the seventh-floor windows on a building across the road.
Sean took a sip of his cappuccino as he stared at the workers. “No way in the world I would do that,” he said to himself. “They couldn’t pay me enough.”
He’d often wondered how people could force themselves to work in the extreme conditions at incredible heights on those moving platforms. He recalled a video he’d seen online that showed men swinging back and forth out of control on one of those window-cleaning platforms. The platform had been a terrifying ninety-one stories up on China’s second-tallest building. Fortunately, the men aboard the swinging platform survived the ordeal, walking away with only minor injuries, though Sean figured it would be a while before they did that job again. According to the story he’d read, the wild ride ended when the platform crashed into the windows and broke the glass.
Sean preferred to not even be inside a ninety-one-story building, much less outside.
He chuckled and took another sip of coffee. Some people would say the line of work he got into was more dangerous than cleaning windows. Maybe, but it’s a funny thing how what you don’t know can sometimes be comforting. In the secret agent world, he was constantly in the dark on things. For whatever reason, that made certain tasks easier.
His eyes shifted from the street to his watch. It was almost nine in the morning, local time. Raven wasn’t usually late. If he was this time, Sean would give him a pass. Raven claimed he was leaving Belgium, heading south toward Geneva. Sean promised that if he’d make a short detour east, he’d make it worth the while.
Having enjoyed Sean’s generosity before, it was too good for Raven to pass up. Only problem was getting what Sean needed on such short notice would be difficult. And costly. Fortunately, money wasn’t a problem.
Sean put the cup to his lips again and heard the door open on the other side of the cafe. He smiled and kept the cup close to his face, waiting for Raven to approach. When Sean could smell the cheap body spray the young man always wore, he set the cup down.
“I was starting to think you’d be late,” he said and spun around in his chair.
Raven looked like he’d been awake for three days. His ratty hair was disheveled, his clothes worn down. Dark circles hung under his bloodshot eyes.
“First of all, I wish you wouldn’t do that. It’s creepy. I mean, how on earth did you know it was me coming?”
Sean rolled his shoulders. “Call it a sixth sense.” He didn’t tell the younger man that his body spray gave at least an eight-foot warning radius. Plus, Raven wasn’t exactly a quiet walker. His feet shuffled along the floor every time Sean met him.
“Fine, whatever. Second, do you have any bleedin’ idea how hard it is to find guns in a”—he looked at his watch—“twelve-hour window? Much less get them across the German border?”
“I got you a latte,” Sean said, ignoring his guest’s irritation. “Pumpkin spice. Your favorite.”
The aggravation melted slightly, but not all the way. Raven took a wary step toward the table and eased into the seat. “It’s not fall. How’d you get a pumpkin spice?”
Sean put his palms up. “You’re not the only one who knows how to get things. Oh, and do me a favor. If you’re going to bring up guns, lower your voice. I’d rather the other good people in this coffee shop not know I’m buying illegal arms from you.”
Raven gave a sheepish nod. “Yeah, sorry.”
“So what’s in the bag?” Sean
asked with a cheery smile. He found that approaching these types with less intimidation and a more casual demeanor helped them relax. That was especially true in Raven’s case.
The younger man set a blue duffel bag on the table and nudged it a few inches. “Hard to get you everything on your Christmas list with the small amount of time and minimal resources I had on me. But I managed to get you a few good pieces. There’s a Walther in there, a couple of Smiths.”
“Springfield?” Sean asked.
Raven shook his head. “No. Sorry, mate. Beggars can’t be choosers. Did get you a nice Glock, though. That’ll have to do.”
Sean peeked into the bag for a few seconds and then zipped it shut. “Extra mags, rounds—”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s all there. I gotta say, I don’t know what’s with you guys and the little wars you’re trying to start.”
Sean drew in a long breath and sighed. “No wars here. Just making sure if we run into trouble we’re prepared.”
“We?” Raven drew a sip from his cup.
“My friends and I.”
“You tend to find a bit of trouble whenever you’re around, don’t you?”
Sean grinned. “Maybe trouble finds me.”
Raven slapped a hand on his thigh. “Well, either way, I just want to stay clear of any sort of trouble. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go find a bed somewhere and crash. Haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours, no thanks to you.”
“No sleep in twenty-four hours? Sounds like you’ve been busy.”
Raven offered a short laugh. “Yeah, well, let’s just say you’re not the only one who needed to start a small war this week.”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? Other customers?” He took another drink from his cup.
“You could say that. Although they aren’t as nice as you.” Raven slid back into his seat like a snake. “At least with you, I know you’re not going to point a gun at me or try to short me on money.” He lowered his voice so no one else could hear.
“Not my style,” Sean said.
“Yeah, well, tell that to the four Asian guys I just sold a sack full of pistols to. I tell you, some people think fear and intimidation will get them whatever they want.”
“Wait. What did you just say?”
Raven’s face scrunched into a puzzled look. “Um, I said that some people think fear and intimidation—”
“No, not that. The other thing. You said you sold pistols to four Asian guys?”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Look, man, I try to keep everything confidential. If you’re worried about me telling anyone about our little arrangement, I haven’t. Honest.”
Sean shook his head and waved a hand, dismissing Raven’s concern. “No. I know you wouldn’t. These four Asian guys, they didn’t happen to be Korean, did they?”
Raven thought hard for a minute. “I think so. I mean, I’ve done deals with Yakuza, Triads, even some of the Korean gangs. If I had to guess, I’d say they were Korean. I heard one of them say something that definitely wasn’t Japanese or Chinese. I speak a little of those two languages, so I’d know.”
“Did they say anything about why they wanted the guns?”
“No one ever tells me what they’re going to do with weapons I sell them. And to be perfectly honest, I’d rather not know. I have a hard enough time sleeping at night.”
Right. Stupid question, Sean thought. He should have known better.
Raven eyed a brown paper bag on the table. “My money in there?”
“Yep,” Sean said and leaned back in his chair. “For a second I thought you might walk off and forget it.”
“Thanks. Like I said, I’m exhausted. Not exactly 100 percent in my mind right now.” He snatched the bag off the table. “Pleasure doing business with you, as always. Do me a favor. Don’t call for at least two days. I’m gonna take a nap.”
Raven spun around to leave, but Sean stopped him.
“Of course, if you’d like to make a little extra cash, you could stay for one more minute.”
Raven paused, looked up at the ceiling, and then let his head droop. He turned back around and put his hands out. “How much for one minute?”
“Five grand.”
The gun dealer’s face shrank back, causing the skin on his neck and jaw to merge like a pug. He spun the chair around backward and slumped into it. “Five grand? For one minute of my time?”
“If you talk faster, it might be less than a minute. Ever made five grand for a minute of work before?”
Raven thought about it for a moment. “I guess that depends.”
“You haven’t,” Sean said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting here talking to me right now. So, you want it or not?”
“Where’s the money?” Raven asked, suspicious.
Sean’s face remained like stone. “It’s already in the bag.”
“It’s in the bag?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“So you were gonna just let me leave with an extra five thousand?”
“Raven, or whatever your real name is—not important—I believe in taking care of the people who take care of me. You have helped me out in the past. And you’ve helped me out today, with very short notice.”
“Very short.”
“So, if you get up and walk away, you can keep that extra money. I won’t try to stop you. I believe, though, you’ll give me my one extra minute.”
Raven considered what Sean said. “I like your style, Agent Zero, or whatever your real name is. Okay, I’ll give you your minute. What else you want to know?”
Sean raised his cup and held it in front of his mouth. “Where were the four Koreans when you met them?”
Raven eyed Sean with suspicion. He took another drink from his latte and then licked his lips. “Okay, I’ll tell you, even though I don’t normally do this. And it’s not just for the money.”
“How noble.”
“No, you don’t understand. These guys are different. They’re worse than the normal scum I deal with. I don’t know what it was about them.”
“Korean gang?” Sean asked, putting the feeler out there.
“Nah,” Raven shook his head. “Not these guys. They didn’t have all the tats most of those gangbangers are sporting. In fact, I didn’t notice any tattoos.”
“So who are they?”
“No idea. I got a call from a guy asking me if I wanted to make a quick ten grand. I said sure. Last time I do a deal like that with people I don’t know. They pointed one of the guns at me as I walked out of their hotel room. The one in charge…he pulled the trigger. I nearly pissed myself.”
“Their hotel, Raven. Where was it?”
The gun dealer looked around the room, nervous that someone might be watching or listening. He glanced out the window to make sure there was no one across the street who looked suspicious keeping an eye on him.
“Brussels,” he said after a long hesitation. “I met them in Brussels.”
“I suppose you sold them the usual: passports, weapons, etc.”
“Careful, mate,” Raven wagged a finger. “Infringing on the confidential thing again.”
“Five grand in that bag says you tell me.”
The scruffy younger man looked up at the ceiling as if the tiles and lights above would give him an answer. Then he put his gaze on Sean. “Yeah, that’s what they wanted. Probably in trouble with the law or something. None of my business. Well, actually, it kind of is my business.”
“Literally.”
Raven stood up to leave. “Thanks for the extra money, mate. Remember—”
“Don’t worry. I’m not telling anyone what you told me. I thought you knew me better than that.”
“Do yourself a favor, mate,” Raven said as he turned halfway around. “Steer clear of those guys if you’re thinking about starting a fight with them. There was something evil about them. I don’t know what they’re up to, but it can’t be good.”
He took a look around and then walked to the door, gave anoth
er cautionary peek out the windows, and stepped outside.
“So the North Koreans ran to Belgium,” Sean said to himself. “I wonder where…” His voice trailed off. The epiphany hit him like a sack of rocks. “Oh no.”
19
Bellevaux
Han-Jae stepped behind the counter in the hotel lobby and smiled politely at the innkeeper.
“I’m sorry,” the old woman said in French. “You can’t come back here.”
Han-Jae didn’t understand what she was saying. He didn’t care, either. What was a stern expression on the woman’s face quickly turned to fear as he pulled the pistol out of his jacket and smacked her on the back of the head with the bottom of the grip.
The heavy woman wavered for a moment and then fell over with a thud. Her big dress spread out on the floor like a blanket. Han-Jae stepped over the unconscious woman and over to the computer. One of his men stood guard at the door while the other two hurried behind the counter and dragged the woman back into a closet next to the office. They stuffed her inside and shut the door, breaking off the knob with a quick kick from the one with a shaved head.
A notepad sat on the counter next to the computer. It contained a list of all the inn’s occupants and their room numbers.
That certainly made things considerably easier for Han-Jae and his crew. In hindsight, knocking out the old woman might have caused an issue had they needed a password to access the computer. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. The notebook contained everything he needed. And the computer was already logged in.
Han-Jae motioned to one of the other men. “Get on this computer and program a key card when I give you the room number.”
The man with a buzzed haircut gave a curt nod and ran around to the keyboard. He stopped there and awaited further instruction.
Han-Jae ran his finger down the lines on the notebook but didn’t see the name he wanted. Flipping the page back, he scanned the next one and finally stopped near the bottom.
“McElroy,” he said, tapping the paper. “Room 311.”
The guy at the keyboard typed quickly, entering the information to program a new key. When he was done, a device near his knees beeped. He reached down and picked up a card with a magnetic strip on it.
The Sean Wyatt Series Box Set 4 Page 40