Dillon glanced in at the four suited men. One of the doors opened and two men stepped out; it was Edward Levenson-Jones and a man Dillon had never met before, and yet Dillon instinctively knew that he was part of the Whitehall machine; he was tall, had the air of authority, and was expensively dressed. Somewhere in his late fifties with neatly groomed sandy coloured hair, wearing a full length black overcoat of impeccable quality and tailoring.
“Jake.” LJ smiled at Dillon.
The other man stood beside the chief operations director of Ferran & Cardini. “Mr Dillon.”
Dillon shook the man’s extended leather gloved hand.
Dillon nodded, drawing deep on his cigarette. “Good morning, gentlemen.”
“Yes, I’m sure it will be later,” said the stranger. “Come, walk with us.”
They walked along the path at the water’s edge, the wind blowing beneath their collars and making coat tails flap. An occasional seagull cried as it swept low in its quest for a breakfast…
“You know who I am?”
“No, I haven’t got a clue who you are.”
“That is probably for the best. But it has been brought to my attention that after your recent... exploits, shall we say, you have come to know rather a lot of things about Scorpion that maybe you shouldn’t. And yet we cannot forget that you have sacrificed much, coming out of your retirement - leading us to the core of the Assassin network, and destroying this terrorist scum Ramus along with the traitor Kirill.”
“Thanks. It’s not often a field agent gets paid a compliment or words of thanks, I appreciate it.”
The man stopped and gazed out across the world’s second largest natural harbour. He then turned and gazed deeply into Dillon’s eyes.
“Hmm,” he said. And then Dillon spotted something in the man’s gloved hand.
The man smiled.
“Here, this is our way of showing our appreciation. We thought it was the least we could do in light of your contribution.”
Dillon opened the white envelope, and read the contents carefully.
Looking the tall man in the eye, he said. “Well I’ll be... This is dubiously generous.”
“Putting your castle in Scotland back together as it was, along with the impressive hi-tech security equipment, is the least we can do, Dillon. After all, if it hadn’t been for your sheer determination and those extraordinary skills that you possess. We would all be in a very different place now. A dark place that one shouldn’t think too much about as it’s quite unthinkable.”
“I had a lotof help from a few very good friends. They deserve to be rewarded as much as I do.”
“Oh, they will all be suitably rewarded for the vital part they all played in averting the threat of a global meltdown.”
Dillon smiled warmly, staring out over the water. “Did they ever find him?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Dillon scratched an imaginary itch on his chin. “Look, you can be assured of my loyalty and secrecy concerning the things that I have seen and heard during this assignment. I admit that I was maybe a little hacked off about being tricked back into service; only because I thought I had been targeted for a hit at the beginning of these... shall we say, adventures. But it soon became apparent that I was mistaken.” Dillon’s voice had turned somewhat cool. His eyes had a glint and his mouth had set into a grim line.
The tall man nodded. “Information is power, Dillon. Look what too much information did for Ramus and Kirill. You cannot tell everybody everything; as the best field agent that Ferran & Cardini has, you are still a tiny cog in the machine, only a small player in a very large game. Those two individuals were enemies of every state, who very nearly succeeded in bringing this planet to its knees because of information: their knowledge; their complete understanding: the things that they shouldn’t have known.”
Dillon ran a hand back through his hair. He flicked his cigarette butt into the water. The black waves took it and extinguished the glowing tip. The wind howled softly; Dillon shivered, remembering the beatings he’d endured over the last few days.
“I have questions...” said Dillon.
The man held up his gloved hand. He shook his head in the negative, just once.
“Maybe another time, Dillon.”
Dillon smiled sardonically. “You mean another time as in never?”
“It’s for your own protection,” said the man. He smiled then, but it was an uncertain smile, a smile without humour - a smile used by a face not used to the expression. “I want you to remember Dillon, that contrary to popular belief - people like you are not expendable.” He lit a slim Cuban cigar. Held it delicately.
Dillon met the tall man’s gaze: greenish eyes, hooded from years of overworking and masking a thousand emotions. Their stares locked for a long time. Dillon held the man’s cool look. Without another word, he nodded, turned and strolled leisurely along the path, admiring the beauty of the natural harbour.
LJ held back for a moment, both men staring out across the water, hands deep in pockets. “You did well, Jake. You did really well. The partner’s want me to convey their eternal thanks and; I know this is not really the time, but that a situation has come to light that requires someone with special talents - the kind of talent that you possess. If you’re interested, then come and see me when you return from your holiday.” The two men shook hands. LJ turned and strode off to the waiting luxury 4x4. He climbed back into the Porsche Cayenne which started its engine, turned, and was gone.
Dillon turned back, staring out over the black waves. He shivered, pulling the collar of his coat tighter around his neck. He lit another cigarette. He heard the footsteps approaching and did not turn. Tatiana came and stood beside him, staring out across the water and Brownsea Island. They remained there in silence and then she looked up at him. “You alright, Dillon?”
He nodded.
“They want you to join them?”
“They?”
“You do know who it was you were just talking to?”
“Haven’t the foggiest. All I know is that my home has been fully restored to its former glory. So who was he?”
“Let’s just say that you’re a very lucky man, who has ingratiated himself with one of the most powerful men in England.” Tatiana took his hand; their fingers entwined and squeezed.
“You are a lucky man, Dillon,” she said. “Lucky to be alive.”
“Listen luv,” said Dillon grinning. “Lucky is my middle name.”
“Come on; let’s get back to the others. We have a party to go to.”
“What. At five o’clock in the morning?”
“Well, it’s the tail end of a party. You know what Alix and Lola are like. They’ll still be drinking.”
“Where are they?”
“Sandbanks. LJ took out a short rental on a place named, Emporio, it’s one of the most amazing properties I’ve ever seen, Dillon. And it has the most breath-taking views overlooking the harbour.”
Dillon nodded. “Yeah, I’m game,” he yawned. “Unless...”
“Yes?”
Their gazes met.
“I thought you would want to drink and sleep, in that order?” Tatiana smiled.
“Oh, I’m not that tired. And the Champagne’s already on ice at my place!”
“Really. But isn’t Scotland just a little too far away?” “What. Oh, not Scotland. Here, out on the peninsula.” “Are you kidding, Dillon. You own property down here.”
“I’ve always loved the place, Tats. Decided to invest about a year ago when I left Ferran & Cardini and the prices hit an all-time low.”
“Oh, well in that case. I’m impressed Dillon.”
She moved away, and Dillon stood staring out across the water as daylight started to break over the harbour. The cold breeze reminded him of Scotland.
From the pocket of his overcoat he removed a small object: a metallic looking disc. It rested in the palm of Dillon’s left hand and he stood staring at it for a moment, wondering at the
secrets it held. The only surviving Chimera script in existence, and whoever possessed it, also held the most destructive power on the planet. And he was holding it in the palm of his hand...
“Time you didn’t exist,” he muttered.
Reaching back, he threw the silver disk as far out into the harbour as he could. There was a tiny splash. The last copy of Chimera sank without a trace in the deep water.
Dillon smiled softly.
“Thank God, it’s finally over,” he breathed. He walked back towards the BMW thinking about LJ’s offer of another assignment. Climbing into the warmth of the plush heated interior next to Tatiana, he made a mental note to call his old boss when he returned from a much needed holiday. The gleaming vehicle turned with a crunch of tyres on the gravel and headed smoothly for the Sandbanks Peninsula...
THE END
Until the next time...
Chimera Code (Jake Dillon Adventure Thriller Series) Page 51