by N. J. Croft
“Where is he?”
“Mongolia.”
“Good. And have you heard from him?”
“I got a text. He knows or at least suspects about the summit.”
She snorted. “Then it’s a good thing his mind is on other things right now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
He wondered whether she would pretend she didn’t understand the question, but he doubted it. She never backed away from anything she did. Always took responsibility for her actions.
“We needed to ensure his cooperation. This was the best way to do it within the time frame we have.”
“That’s not what I asked. Why didn’t you tell me?” Was she doubting his commitment after all he had done? He’d dedicated his whole adult life to her cause. Betrayed everything he was supposed to hold true to and never wavered. Because he believed in her. And believed in the world she planned.
What they had now wasn’t working. The world teetered on the edge of chaos, and at any moment, they would all slip into the Abyss. And any hope would be gone.
“You didn’t need to know,” she replied with finality.
“She’s my goddaughter,” he snapped. “My niece. I love her.” The thought of what the child might be going through right now sliced at his heart. There weren’t many people in the world he loved. Harper was one of them. But he wouldn’t only lose Harper; he’d lose Noah as well.
He’d never married, had never even come close. The only woman he would have ever considered was beyond him. She’d married once for political reasons and because she had needed an heir. That had never happened, and it had nearly broken her.
He’d long held hopes that Noah would join them. He’d watched his nephew carefully over the years. He’d grown into a good man, exactly the sort of man they needed going forward. While he didn’t balk at doing what was necessary, he had a strong moral code.
So far, the time had never been quite right, but he’d told himself that Noah was still young. Now it would never happen. While Noah had a strange affinity for the terrorists of the world, often a sympathy and understanding of why they did what they did, he also saw things in black and white and hated the end results. The murder of innocents. If someone killed his daughter, he would hunt them down whatever the consequences. No compromise.
She shrugged then reached out a hand and rested it on his arm. “I’m sorry, Peter. We’re so close now. Time is running out.”
“Then at least give the girl into my care. I’ll keep her safe, and I won’t let Noah know.”
“It doesn’t work like that. We don’t know where she is at this point. The operatives have their orders, and they’ve cut off contact.”
His mouth filled with the sour taste of despair, as though the walls that held up his existence were crumbling around him. He had nowhere to hide and nowhere to belong. He was only functioning because he’d learned to compartmentalize his life. Not let the various disparate parts overlap. “I could have done it,” he said. “If you’d asked, I would have taken her and pretended she was kidnapped. She’s only a child.”
“And would you have done what was necessary?”
He closed his mind as to what that might be. He’d never wavered, and now he had to bite back the urge to beg.
“It’s better this way, Peter.” She squeezed his arm. “We must find the Talisman before the summit. Noah is going to show us the way.”
The fucking Talisman. It was the one thing they had argued about over the years. He couldn’t see why some piece of junk buried eight centuries ago mattered. Yet it held almost a mystical allure to her. Some magical talisman that would ensure her success. They didn’t need symbols.
He took a deep breath. “What difference will it make if we have it or don’t have it? Everything is in place for the summit. Just forget the fucking Talisman. We don’t need it.”
She removed her hand from his arm and drew back. Her green eyes were cold, and a shiver ran through him.
“Many have rebuked me for allowing you to have so much influence over me. This is why. You will never understand us totally. For you, this is merely some power play on a global scale. But for us, it’s the culmination of a prophecy made hundreds of years ago. A prophecy my people have striven and died to bring to fruition. We are not some random group of individuals who have been tossed together. We are the Descendants. My people need to see the physical manifestation of the prophecy.”
“Why? You don’t believe this thing has magical properties any more than I do.”
She stared ahead for a moment, and he was sure she was going to dismiss him. Then her expression softened. Her long dark red hair hung loose about her shoulders; her green eyes shone with sincerity.
“Let me tell you the story of my birth. I’ve never told you before, but it’s interesting and will help you to understand. I was born on the banks of the River Onon,” she said. “In a yurt, just like my ancestors before me. And like Genghis Khan, I was born clutching a blood clot in my hand. This was taken as a symbol by my people. A symbol that I was the one they waited for. From my earliest moments, I remember my father whispering that I was intended for greatness. That one day I would hold the Spirit Banner of my ancestor—the very soul of Genghis Khan would be in my hands—and I would carry the Talisman into battle and rule an empire that stretched around the entire globe.”
He sat in silence, not moving in case she stopped. She seldom spoke of her past, only of what she would do in the future.
“I had enemies. News spread of my birth. The Darkhats heard the rumors and sought my death. There were three attempts on my life in the early years. For my protection, I was taken in secret from Mongolia when I was five years old and adopted by an American family who belonged to the group. I never saw my father and mother again.”
“Are they alive?”
“No, they died for the cause.” She twisted a little so she could look him in the eye. “My people wanted the Darkhats to believe I was dead, so I could grow up in safety. One night, they took me away, and they burned the yurt to the ground. My parents were inside.”
“They killed them? Their own people?”
“We all have to make sacrifices.”
Acid crawled up his throat. He’d thought he was beyond shock.
“It’s not the individuals who matter,” she spoke softly. “It’s the whole. We seek to make a united world.”
He cleared his throat. “Of course. Go on.”
“There have always been people within the group who dispute my claim. Those who thought they had a higher right or who believed a woman could never take the place of Genghis Khan. Sometimes I’ve had to be ruthless to prove that I’m a suitable heir. Yet I have never done anything without a reason. While many have died, their deaths have not been in vain. They have always taken us closer to our ultimate goal. Now we are nearly there, but I need the support of all my people. I can’t afford to have opposing factions within the group. The one way to prove that I am the true heir is to hold the Spirit Banner and the Talisman. If I do, they will not question me, and we can concentrate on making the world a better place.”
“I see.” And he did. She rarely took the time to explain herself, and he was touched that she had done so now.
“Are you having doubts?” she asked.
For a brief moment, he wondered what would happen if he said yes, but he wasn’t that stupid. And really, he wasn’t having doubts. Just the personal toll was getting to him, clouding his mind. “Of course not.”
“Good. Now I have to go.”
He watched as she slipped out of bed and strolled across the floor, naked, her body slender and beautiful, and his heart ached.
In the end, the world would be a better, safer place.
He had to believe that.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Noah, Eve, and Zach talked for th
e rest of the night. Going over strategies, hitting dead ends, starting again. Until at least they had some idea of where to go next and a vague plan of how to get there. All they needed was a little cooperation from the star players.
While he still wasn’t sure they could pull it off and save Harper, that had to be their main priority. And if he failed—presuming he survived that failure—he would go after those responsible and make sure they paid in blood.
The plan relied on convincing Peter that they didn’t suspect him and that Noah needed his help.
He was still finding it hard to come to terms with Peter’s involvement in all of this. The when and the how eluded him, but the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that his uncle loved him. Just some bonds and beliefs were stronger.
How many governments were built on a foundation of blood? He’d always known there was a narrow line between terrorism and freedom fighting. Fighting for your beliefs.
Even if that was something as unbelievable as you were the reincarnation of Genghis fucking Khan and were destined to rule the world.
He’d come across crazier things.
When the sky started to lighten, they tacked up the horses and headed out. Jochi had handed around strips of dried meat—presumably sheep, no one had asked—and they had eaten breakfast on the move. While his body still ached, his mind was clear. He felt better, and worse, than he had done in days.
Peter’s betrayal bit deep, but at least he had hope again. And something to do. A plan to implement.
Eve was riding behind the guide, and Zach rode beside Noah, full of a restless energy that made his horse dance around beneath him. Noah knew how he felt; they’d both been focused on hunting down the person at the center of everything for so long. No one had believed them. Now he was sure Zach felt vindicated. As he did. He had found his target, and he wanted a shot at them.
“We’re going to get the bitch,” Zach said.
“Maybe.”
“Definitely.”
Noah didn’t think it was going to be that easy. He pulled out his cell phone and tested for a signal. He’d been trying every ten minutes since they’d set off that morning. This time he saw the bars across the top of the screen. He was on.
“Eve,” he called out. “Can we stop for a minute?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “You have a signal?”
“Yeah.”
She called out something in Mongolian, and Jochi pulled up and turned his horse sideways across the trail. Noah reined his mount to a halt and swung down from the saddle. He threw his reins to Eve, who’d stopped just ahead of him. He didn’t think Zach was capable of controlling two horses. Or one.
The temperature was warming up. Another clear blue sky and the chill of the night was giving way to the heat of the day. Sweat clung to his back. He walked a little away, back down the track. He didn’t want Peter to hear the horses and guess where they were. It would take too much explanation that he wasn’t prepared to give right now.
He worked out what time it was in the States, though he had no clue whether Peter was back there. Maybe he’d gone onto somewhere else after seeing Noah. Or maybe he had waited around in Russia for the summit. He was attending it, after all. He’d been a major proponent for the whole thing. Hell, he might have even advised the president to suggest the summit, which now took on a sinister aspect. Had he been putting more of those pieces in place? It was a hell of an opportunity to get all the world’s major leaders in one room and take them out.
Never going to happen.
Whether they succeeded or failed, the summit was being canceled.
They just had to work out how. Noah was convinced that Peter didn’t do anything with the information, which meant the summit would still be going ahead. And finding that out would put the final nail in Peter’s coffin.
He pressed the personal number for Alex, who had been the second-in-command for Noah at Project Arachnid. He trusted Alex. Then again, he’d trusted Peter. Now, he no longer had faith in his own judgment. However, he had to tell someone to ensure that even if he failed, the summit would not go ahead.
The other man picked up after the first ring.
“Alex, it’s Noah.”
“What the hell are you doing calling at this time?”
“Just listen to me. This is for your ears only. Right now, this information goes nowhere else, not even the general.”
“Okay.”
“The security has been compromised, and the summit must be postponed.”
“What’s going on, Noah?”
“I can’t tell you any more than I have. The intel is reliable. Keep it to yourself for now, but if you don’t hear from me in forty-eight hours, you need to get that information to the president. I imagine you have a direct line.”
As head of Project Arachnid, Noah had been able to circumvent the intermediaries and talk directly to the president in case of a time-sensitive emergency. Presumably, Alex would have the same access.
“I do.”
“Good. Hopefully, I’ll be in touch.” He ended the call and glanced at Zach. “He’d heard nothing.”
“So the general hadn’t relayed what you told him about the summit?”
“No.”
“I guess that makes it a definite, then.”
“Yes.” He bit out the word.
“You know, this is a good thing. We had zero leads. Absolutely nothing to go on. Now I’m guessing we have a direct line right to the top.”
Noah silently agreed. That did nothing to erase the pain of betrayal, though. Peter had given him strength after his baby brother died and his whole family had fallen apart. He had inspired Noah to want to be a force for good in the world. Peter was the reason he’d joined the army. Peter, who’d always told him he saw things in black and white and that nothing was ever simple. Who had warned him that the day would come when he would compromise his morals for a result. And maybe he was doing that very thing now. Really, he should have made the intel regarding the summit known to all and everyone. Made sure that there was zero chance of it taking place. Except that would compromise their plan to free Harper.
Basically, he was putting the world’s leaders in danger to attempt the safety of his child. A child who might very well already be dead.
He wouldn’t think that. He had to believe.
He stared down at the phone for a minute, clearing his mind. He had to be convincing. Peter was clever and knew him better than anyone alive. He would see though him if he wasn’t absolutely believable. But Noah was the best undercover operative Peter had ever worked with. Or so he’d told him.
He pressed his uncle’s personal number. “Peter, it’s Noah.”
“Noah, I’ve been trying to get hold of you. What’s happening? Have you heard anything about Harper?”
“Where are you?” he asked.
“London.”
“I’m in Mongolia. Can you fly out here? Meet me.”
“Of course. But why? Have you had more contact?”
“Yes. There was a message for me when I got back to the hotel the day we spoke.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I was told they would kill Harper if I spoke to anyone. They wanted me to try and trace Eve’s research. She was looking for the tomb of Genghis Khan.”
“That’s crazy. What does that have to do with the summit?”
“God knows. I have no clue. Except they were very clear: find the location within a week or Harper dies. That was two days ago.”
“I take it you haven’t found it. What can I do, Noah? I’ll get everyone working on it. We’ll find her.”
The bastard sounded so convincing. “No, keep things quiet for now. I have the location.”
“Of this tomb?”
“Yes. I found a satellite image Eve had hidden in a safety d
eposit box at the Marriott hotel the night before she died.” They’d decided it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I believe she was killed for that image, but I have no clue who did it. Anyway, I have the image, and I’m willing to trade it for Harper. What do I care about some eight-hundred-year-old dead guy? It’s got no value—it doesn’t make sense—but the hell with that. If that’s what they want, I’ll give it to them.”
“How can I help?”
“I need back up, and I don’t know who else I can trust.”
Peter was silent for a moment. Hopefully guilt. He should feel fucking guilty. “Of course I’ll come.”
“I don’t trust these people. In case anything happens to me, I want you there to get Harper out of harm’s way. Take her home.”
“I’ll look after her. But are you sure you don’t want me to bring the team? We’ll take them down.”
“I can’t risk it.”
“Okay. I’ll organize a flight. Where do I meet you?”
“We’ll be at the Holiday Inn in Ulaanbaatar. You can text me with your ETA to this number.”
“I will. Be careful, Noah.”
Noah ended the call. He stared at his phone for a minute while he waited for his heart rate to slow back to normal. The rage was building again, and that wouldn’t help. When he was under control, he shoved the phone into his pocket and headed back to the others.
“Do you think he picked anything up?” Zach asked.
Noah thought back to the conversation, but he didn’t think he’d given anything away. “No. I think we’re on.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was evening by the time Peter arrived in Ulaanbaatar. He had caught a commercial flight out of London, via Moscow. The whole journey had taken him eleven hours and given him too much time to think. Michaela would have provided him with a private flight if he’d requested it, but he hadn’t. Nor had he told her where he was going. He would check in with her once he’d arrived. The truth was he hadn’t wanted her to order him not to go, and there was a good chance she would have done exactly that. She believed he was too emotionally involved with Noah.