“Just like that?”
“I don’t blame you for suspecting a trap, but I am speaking the truth. When I withdraw my men I’m sure Vernon will leave the hotel to seek safety elsewhere. That will be your opportunity to grab him.”
“What do you want in return for this gracious gift you’re offering?”
“I want you to do me the favor of killing Cal Vernon. I would do so myself, but if word leaked out that I killed a client business would suffer.”
“How do I know this story about your daughter isn’t a lie?”
“I anticipated your question and I’ll be sending you the answer in a file. They are pictures of my daughter Mirella sneaking out of Vernon’s room while wearing a disguise. At least the man had the good sense not to flaunt the relationship before my men’s eyes. Do as you wish, Tanner, in any case, Vernon will be unprotected tonight.”
“If you’re lying and this is a trap you know what will happen.”
“I would expect you to try to kill me, however, there is no trap and I am telling you the truth. That’s all I have to say.”
Magyar ended the call. Moments later, Tanner received a file on his phone. He saw the photos taken by Hugo, along with a picture of Magyar and Mirella together. The girl sitting in the car with the blonde wig removed was the same girl in the photo with Magyar. If Vernon was sleeping with Magyar’s daughter, it would explain why the man was willing to hand him over.
It was likely a trap but also an opportunity. Tanner powered down the phone and left the warehouse to check out the hotel where Magyar said Vernon could be found.
BRUSSELS, 6:28 p.m.
Magyar parked his silver Mercedes down the street from the hotel where his men were guarding Vernon. Seated beside Magyar was Luuc. Magyar had told Luuc that he had a special assignment for him and had given him a package, along with a pen. The pen was actually a camera with a microphone, while the package was filled with a plastic explosive. Luuc had the pen in the pocket of his T-shirt and held the package in his lap.
“Do you understand what I want you to do?” Magyar asked.
“Yes, sir. I’m to deliver this package to Suite A in that hotel.”
“And what else?”
“Oh. I have to wait until I see that man whose picture you showed me, the one with the scary eyes.”
“That’s right. Wait in the corridor, and when you see that man near the door to Suite A, walk over to him.”
“He’s the one who has to sign for the package?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be here when I get back?”
“That’s right, Luuc, and I’ll pay you then.”
Luuc was about to open the door but Magyar told him to wait.
“I need to call Hugo first before I send you off.”
“Oh, why?”
“He’s going to make sure the man with the scary eyes shows himself.”
Luuc nodded, although he didn’t understand. He picked up the package in his lap and gave it a shake. Magyar jumped, even though he knew the block of plastic explosive wouldn’t go off until he sent a signal to the detonator attached to it.
“What’s in here? Anything good?” Luuc asked.
Magyar smiled. “It’s going to be very good.”
Magyar had confided his plan to Hugo, who was inside the hotel guarding Cal Vernon. As expected, Hugo received a call from Magyar at six-thirty.
“Yes?”
“I’m outside with Luuc. It’s time to speak with Vernon.”
“All right, and are you sure Tanner will appear? He must think this is a trap.”
“I’m sure he does, but he’ll also never have a better chance to get to Vernon.”
“This plan is brilliant if Tanner falls for it. You’ll be eliminating a dangerous foe with that simple fool Luuc. As much as I would love a shot at Tanner, this is a far safer way to kill him.”
“Let’s hope it works. Talk to Vernon and get my men out of there.”
Cal Vernon turned off the TV and looked up at Hugo from where he sat on a plush pillow-back sofa. Three of Magyar’s assassins who had been guarding Vernon were headed for the door.
“What did you just say?”
“I told the men to leave the hotel. We’re all leaving. You’re on your own now, Mr. Vernon.”
Vernon leapt off the sofa.
“You can’t leave me. I paid Magyar a fortune to keep you men here for a week.”
Hugo looked over his shoulder to make sure the other men had left, he then leaned in toward Vernon. Vernon was tall, but at six-foot-eight the muscular Hugo was taller.
“Boldizsár knows you’ve been fucking his daughter. You’re lucky the man didn’t order me to kill you.”
Vernon dropped his gaze, then reached out and gripped Hugo’s arm.
“Forget Magyar. Let’s you and I make our own deal. I’ll give you and the men double what you were getting.”
“No deal. We’re leaving.”
“You can’t leave. What if Tanner is still alive? The man will kill me.”
Hugo brushed Vernon’s hand away.
“Tanner is alive and he’s here in Brussels. My guess is you’ll be seeing him very soon.”
Vernon grabbed Hugo’s arm again.
“Triple! I’ll pay you triple. No, hell, just name your price and it’s yours.”
Hugo pushed Vernon back onto the sofa.
“You never should have touched Mirella.”
Vernon watched Hugo’s broad back as the man stomped away. He got up from the sofa and hurried after him only to see the door slam shut. When he searched the other rooms of the suite he found them empty. Vernon’s pulse rate quickened as sweat began moistening his upper lip. He was alone, and Tanner was in the city.
34
Boom Times
Cal Vernon rushed into the bedroom of his hotel suite and grabbed a gun from one of the tartan pouches on the red backpack. The pack held the contents of Owen Bishop’s safe. The compact gun was in a holster and Vernon clipped it onto his belt. He then returned to the living room with the backpack. After setting the pack near the door he took out his phone and made a call. When it was answered, he shouted at the person on the other end in French.
“This is the client at the hotel. I need you now, now!”
“I’ve been thinking about our deal and the risk is too great. I could lose my license.”
“That’s why I agreed to pay you so much, and I’ve already sent you a down payment.”
“Another three-thousand euros could change my mind.”
Vernon gazed down at his phone and wished he could reach through it and strangle the man on the other end. He closed his eyes and felt his temples throbbing.
“Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” Vernon said in a calm voice, “and I’ll pay you another three-thousand, okay?”
“Thank you. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Why so fucking long?”
“It’s as fast as I can get there.”
Vernon looked at the time on his phone.
“It’s six-thirty-five. I’ll pay you an additional five-thousand euros if you get here in less than twenty minutes.”
“On top of the extra three-thousand?” the man asked.
“Yes, damn it, now get moving.”
“I’ll be right there,” the other party said into his phone. Vernon was pleased to note that it sounded as if the greedy bastard was running while he spoke.
After picking up the house phone he dialed the operator and asked that someone from security be sent to his suite. A hotel security guard would never stop a man like Tanner, but they would be better than nothing. As he hung up the phone, Vernon’s stomach rumbled, and he headed for the bathroom.
Tanner was downstairs in the hotel lobby. He was dressed in a suit and wearing a brown wig, blue-tinted eyeglasses, and carried a briefcase. Beneath his shirt was padding that made him look thirty pounds heavier. He had taken a room in the hotel earlier under yet another
false identity.
He had either been in the hotel bar or its lobby for hours and had met with two men and one woman, who were life insurance sales representatives. They had come to the hotel at Tanner’s request hoping to make a sale. They had all left disappointed after being treated to free booze and snacks and had been helpful. They made it look as if Tanner was a legitimate businessman doing deals over drinks at the hotel bar.
When Hugo and the other men stepped off the elevator, Tanner recognized them for what they were. He also discerned Hugo as being the leader of the group, then had his suspicion confirmed when he watched the big man call over a young guy who had been in the lobby since Tanner’s arrival.
Tanner had pegged that man as being a member of Magyar’s group and had spotted the tip of an ankle holster whenever the man had sat. The guy had studied him when he arrived, as he scrutinized every man who he thought was a possible threat.
When the man’s eyes had taken in the wide waist stretching the limits of Tanner’s belt, he had dismissed him as a threat. Hotel security was alert as well. They had seen Magyar’s man loitering in the lobby and sent a security guard in a suit to approach him. When the thug showed the man ID stating he was private security, the hotel man made a sour face.
“Oh, you’re with that bunch. Who are you guarding up there, a celebrity? His name can’t really be Joe Smith.”
“I can’t say who he is.”
“Be like that.”
There was also a security guard working the lobby and the underground parking garage. The man wore street clothes, jeans, and a black T-shirt. Printed on the front and back of the shirt was the word security. It was written in three languages, English, French, and Dutch. The white cap he wore had the name of the hotel written on it in gold script.
As Magyar had said would happen, his people were leaving the hotel. Tanner counted seven men and assumed that the man he’d spotted in the underground garage would also be departing. The question was, how many men did Magyar have hidden?
Tanner activated the earpiece he’d been given by Benedetti and spoke in a whisper while barely moving his lips.
“Are you there?”
Nothing. He was about to repeat himself when he heard Benedetti’s voice.
“Tanner? Are those men leaving the hotel who I think they are?”
He had given Benedetti the name of the hotel and had her check out the place surreptitiously. The CIA hacked into the hotel’s computer and found that there were no suspicious guests near Vernon’s suite. There were four luxury suites on Vernon’s floor, his own and Suites B, C, and D.
The gold elevators separated the four suites. Suites A and B were on the right when you stepped off and their respective doors were about forty feet away down a corridor. Suites C and D were on the left and forty feet in the other direction.
Modern black leather furniture was in the corridor for the guests’ comfort, and tasteful paintings, reproductions of masterpieces, hung on the walls. The carpet was two-tone blue and patterned in a checkerboard fashion.
Suite D was occupied by a couple from Australia who ran a software company. They were on a working holiday and had brought their seven-year-old daughter with them, along with her nanny. The nanny was on the trip to watch the little girl while her parents were at business meetings.
You needed a special key card to use the gold elevators that went up to the suites. By invading the hotel’s security system, the CIA could override that and allow Tanner access to the elevators. They could also unlock the door to Vernon’s suite.
None of the CIA personnel were close to the hotel in case Vernon was somehow using Bishop’s data to scan for agents. Instead, they had control of the hotel’s CCTV system and could view every part of the building.
“Those men belong to Magyar,” Tanner said. “It looks like the Hungarian is keeping his word. But then, for a trap to work, it would have to appear that way.”
“We can’t risk losing this opportunity. Go up to the suite and find Vernon.”
“I’m on my way, but I’ll be cautious and have a look at the stairwell first.”
“The stairwells are empty; we’re viewing them through the cameras.”
“Video images can be faked. I want eyes on those stairs. I’ll be taking Vernon out that way.”
“Why not finish him in the room?”
“I may have to torture him, and it won’t be quiet. Besides, the longer I stay inside that room the riskier it is.”
“Whatever. Just be quick about it.”
After watching his men depart the hotel. Magyar spent time searching the faces of the people entering the hotel or driving into its underground garage. He was using a pair of powerful binoculars and hoping to spot Tanner.
He saw no one who matched the man’s description and gave it up as a waste of time. If Tanner was in the area he wouldn’t make himself an easy target.
Magyar sent Luuc off with the package. Luuc entered the hotel as Tanner was opening the stairwell door on the level where Suite A was located. Luuc’s stomach growled because he had missed his dinner, so he could help Magyar. Luuc entered the hotel gift shop to get a snack. He could eat it while he waited for the man with the scary eyes to show up.
Outside the hotel, Magyar was seething as he watched the images from the camera pen Luuc had in his pocket. He had told Luuc to get on one of the gold elevators and go up to the suite. Instead, the fool was wandering around the hotel gift shop. Magyar called him.
“Where are you?”
“I stopped to get a candy bar since I missed my supper.”
“I’ll take you to eat anywhere you want after you deliver that package.”
“Really?”
“Yes, now get upstairs.”
Luuc had a candy bar in his hand. It was his favorite, a Cadbury Double Decker. When he looked at the price, his shoulders slumped. He didn’t have enough money in his pocket to buy it. A look around told him that the store’s clerk was helping a customer at the counter. Luuc slipped the candy bar in his pocket and rushed from the gift shop.
The clerk at the counter had observed the thievery on a monitor. She had to stop herself from calling out to Luuc. As much as she wanted to confront the boy personally, she’d been trained to follow certain procedures. She picked up the phone to speak with hotel security.
Magyar was unaware of Luuc’s thievery because he had been looking through the binoculars again. He was about to check the camera’s view on his laptop when he saw something that made his heart rate soar. It was a convertible. A red Mercedes sports car, Jupiter red to be exact. Magyar knew it well. It belonged to his daughter.
The CIA had used the hotel’s computer to override the lock on Vernon’s suite while also disabling the chime which sounded whenever it was opened. Tanner had slipped inside while holding a gun and was prepared to shoot.
He saw no one, but he heard the sound of a toilet flushing from down a short hallway. Beside the door was the red backpack Vernon had sat there.
Tanner ignored it for the moment and moved down the hallway. There was an open door on the other side of a large room that had a king-size bed with an elaborate white lace canopy. Standing near a sink and drying his hands was Cal Vernon.
“If you reach for the gun on your belt I’ll shoot you,” Tanner said.
Vernon froze, then turned his head slowly. A confused look came over him, but a moment later he saw past the wig and glasses.
“Nice disguise, but it makes you look fat.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Magyar sold me out, didn’t he?”
“He wasn’t thrilled when he found out about you and his daughter.”
“Karl and Tremblay are dead?”
“That’s right.”
“So, what happens now, you kill me too?”
Tanner moved around the bed while keeping his gun aimed at Vernon’s chest. When he saw what was in the man’s shirt pocket he smiled.
“I see you’re keeping the data drive h
andy. The CIA was worried you had stashed it somewhere.”
Tanner plucked the item from Vernon’s pocket and placed it in one of his own. As he watched it disappear from view, Vernon let out a soft moan.
His disappointment at losing the data drive was nothing compared to the angst he felt when Tanner told him to hand over his phone, wallet, and passport. The phone had a file on it that contained the long alpha-numeric code to access the data drive. Worse yet, Vernon had used the same code as a password for the bank account where he’d deposited the money from the auction.
However, not being a fool, he had spent hours training himself to memorize the complicated code as Bishop had done. The trouble was, Vernon didn’t possess as fine a mind as Owen Bishop’s. He thought he had the code memorized, but he couldn’t be certain.
As Tanner’s hand left his pocket after stowing away the phone and other items, it moved to Vernon’s belt and grabbed the holstered gun. Tanner attached it to his own belt at the small of his back, then shoved the weapon he was holding beneath Vernon’s chin.
“Listen to me. We’re walking out of here and taking the stairs down to the garage. If you try to get away or call out for help you’ll regret it.”
“Why is that? I have nothing to lose. You want to take me somewhere, to torture me into revealing where I deposited the money I got in the auction. I’ll take a quick death over slow agony.”
Tanner jammed the gun into the soft flesh beneath Vernon’s chin until the man’s head was so far back that he was looking at the ceiling.
“I’ll shoot you at the base of your spine. There’s a hospital one block away, so you might live, but you’ll never walk again. While you’re lying on your back in a hospital room I’ll pay you a visit, then, I’ll show you what torture is all about.”
The Spy Game (A Tanner Novel Book 21) Page 18