Baxter shook his head. But he reluctantly took Dalton’s hand. “Partnering with you should include a goddamn life insurance plan.”
Dalton smirked and reached into his blazer. He took out both his cell phone and the card Dante gave him. Dalton dialed the number and heard a standard voicemail message.
“It’s Moore. I’m in.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Dalton was awakened from his sleep by the sound of pounding on his door. He looked at the digital clock on his nightstand. The display read 3:00. Dalton sat up and rubbed his eyes, pulling the sheets off his boxer-clad body.
He took a silk robe from the hook on the back of his bedroom door and pulled it on, tying the sash as he walked to the front door. “Coming, coming.” When he opened the door, he had to admit he was only half-surprised to see both Dante and Tauna standing there.
“Good morning, Dalton,” said Dante, clutching a lit cigarette between his fingers. “We got your message.”
Dalton leaned against the frame, scratching his head. “It’s three in the bloody morning.”
“Perhaps you should put on some coffee, then,” said Dante. “We’ve a lot to discuss.”
Dalton walked away from the door, leaving it open. Dante and Tauna went to the sitting area while Dalton moved into the kitchen to make the coffee. As he waited for it to brew, he took three mugs from his cupboard and set them out on the counter. “‘Fraid I don’t have anything in the way of sugar or cream.”
“Black is fine,” said Dante.
Dalton nodded and filled each of the mugs. He placed them on a small tray and carried it over to the coffee table, carefully laying it on top. Dalton took his cup and sat in the chair across from Dante. Tauna sat on the couch positioned perpendicular to the chairs. She had a messenger bag with her and she procured several large folders, laying them out on the cushions.
“Are you ready to tell me what this job is?” asked Dalton.
Tauna looked to Dante and he gave a nod in confirmation, stamping out the remains of his cigarette in the ashtray. She sifted through the folders and passed one to Dalton. He took a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down and opened the folder. The papers inside contained some chemistry formulas and testing records.
“This is LD-68. It’s a biological weapon that increases aggression in the infected. Adrenaline is boosted to massive levels and the victim lashes out like a wild animal, tearing apart anything they can find with their bare hands. It’s also highly infectious,” said Dante. “They’re calling it Fury.”
Dalton looked up from the folder. “Who’s ‘they’?”
Dante blew on the surface of his coffee to cool it before sipping. He licked his lips and said, “Trust me when I tell you that you’d sleep better not knowing.”
“These papers all describe animal trials? I’m assuming it’s not been tested on humans.”
“That’s where you come in, my friend. You see, Fury has fallen into the hands of a very powerful and unscrupulous man. Tauna?”
The young woman passed Dalton another folder. In this was a photograph of a man of mixed ethnicity in his sixties with slicked-back silver hair and a patch over his left eye.
“That is John Nguyen, better known by his nom de guerre, Johnny Venom,” said Dante.
“Arms dealer,” said Dalton.
Dante nodded. “Precisely. He acquired the name because he got his start dealing with poisons and has an affinity for ruou ran or snake wine. Mr. Venom here plans to sell Fury to the highest bidder. He’s made arrangements for an auction at his club in Istanbul at week’s end where some very dangerous men will be bidding on it. You are to go in during the auction and swap out Fury with a fake. Then, you deliver it to me.”
Dalton snickered, shaking his head. Dante pulled out his cigarette case and began to light another smoke. “Is there something funny about this, Mr. Moore?”
“If this auction is as high-profile as you suggest, there’s going to be a lot of security. How do you expect me to do this alone?”
“You won’t be alone,” said Dante. “For one, I assume your partner will provide technical support. And two, Tauna will be there as well for back-up.”
Dalton blinked and pointed at Tauna. “Her?”
“You sound surprised,” said Tauna.
“You tried to kill me the last time we met!”
Dante waved a dismissive hand. “She was simply toying with you, Dalton. Trust me, if Tauna wanted you dead, your next of kin would be making funeral preparations this very moment.”
Dalton sighed and reached for his coffee mug. “What kind of back-up are we talking?”
“Tauna will be present at the auction on behalf of Infernum. Her very presence there will provide something of a distraction for Venom. Should anything go wrong, you’ll signal her and we’ll have you extracted.”
“This doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. If Tauna is going to be at the auction on behalf of your organization, why doesn’t she just buy it herself?” asked Dalton.
“Even if we put in the highest bid, Venom would sell it to the second-highest bidder,” said Tauna.
“Why’s that?” asked Dalton.
“We don’t get along,” said Dante. “So to speak.”
“Once you have Fury and escape, I will meet you at the rendezvous point,” said Tauna. “After I’ve confirmed the package is indeed Fury, I’ll give you your payment.”
“And my father?” asked Dalton.
“As soon as I hear from Tauna, I’ll see to it that your father is released,” said Dante.
“You haven’t told me where he’s being held. Not even what country.”
“And I won’t,” said Dante. “Information is power, Mr. Moore. And this piece of information gives me power over you.”
Dalton grimaced. “Fine.”
Dante rose from his seat, smoking his cigarette. “Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Tauna will go over further details with you and I shall take my leave.”
“One question.”
Dante paused and raised his eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I’m sure you have some of your own operatives who are competent thieves in their own right. Why not have a man you trust perform this operation?” asked Dalton.
“Would you believe me if I told you it’s because you’re the best?”
“I only like flattery when it’s coming from an insanely beautiful woman with very loose morals.”
Dante chuckled. “Very well. I’m surprised the answer has eluded you. I can’t have Venom know of my involvement. Should you get caught, there is nothing to tie you to me. In fact, you just stole from me—you’re the last person I would trust.”
“In other words, I’m your fall guy.”
Dante pointed at Dalton with his cigarette. “Now you’re catching on.” He pivoted on his heel and strolled to the door. “You two play nice.”
The door closed and Dalton focused on the documents in his lap, feeling Tauna’s cold stare on him. He finally looked up and saw her ever-dour expression.
“You know, you’d be a lot prettier if you smiled every now and then.”
“I’m not interested in your charms, Moore,” said Tauna. “My employer has ordered me to work with you on this mission and for what it’s worth, I think he’s making a grave mistake.”
Dalton sipped his coffee. “Look at that, and here I thought we’d never agree on anything.”
CHAPTER SIX
Johnny Venom had numerous Cobra Clubs all over the globe and Istanbul was no exception. Unlike his club in New York, this one was on the ground level in a three-story building. The first floor was an enclosed restaurant while the second floor contained a terrace much like in New York. The smaller third floor housed a private office for Venom.
Tauna stood out on the terrace, sipping her complimentary champagne as she looked at the golden statue of a cobra in the middle of a fountain. She wore a long, red, strapless dress and she spoke in a small whisper, confident the earbud would
pick up her voice.
“I’m inside.”
“I know, I see you,” came Dalton’s reply. Tauna looked across the room and saw him inside the enclosed area, standing at the bar sipping from a glass of whiskey and at his legs sat a small briefcase. He was dressed in a tuxedo and wearing his black-rimmed glasses. Even Tauna had to admit that it suited him.
“Y’know, just once can’t we do a job where I have to dress nice and drink at a fancy bar?” asked Baxter, transmitting from off-site.
“There are guards everywhere,” said Tauna, spying large men in suits standing still at various positions around the restaurant. “Should something go wrong, you’d be likely to wet yourself and sob before they had a chance to draw a weapon.”
“That, and you can’t pull off a tux, mate,” said Dalton.
“Hardy-friggin’ har. Can I get some eyes on the area so we know what we’re dealing with?”
Dalton touched the side of his glasses, activating the cameras built into the frames. He casually cast his gaze across the room, transmitting every second of footage to Baxter’s system. Their technical support remained silent for a few minutes, running the images through facial recognition.
“Okie-dokie, looks like we’ve got…wow,” said Baxter.
“What?” asked Dalton.
“Well, we’ve got a lot of bad guys here. I’ve got positive IDs on affiliates with about half a dozen terrorist groups. Few other people, too. Affiliations include China, Iran, Hezbollah, Russia, North Korea… Geez, and me without my human rights violator bingo card. Not seeing Venom, though. Did I miss him?”
“Haven’t seen him myself,” said Dalton.
“Ten o’clock,” said Tauna.
Dalton turned his head to the left and saw a staircase leading up to the third floor. Johnny Venom descended the steps, wearing his white suit and walking with the cobra-topped cane held in his right hand, a lit cigar in the left. Dalton also took note of the guard standing at the foot of the steps.
“And you’re sure about Fury being on the third floor?” asked Dalton.
“Positive,” said Tauna.
“How are you positive?” asked Baxter. “Do you have some sort of biological weapon detector stuffed in that dress? Because I don’t see many places where you could hide it, unless—”
“Stuff it, Bax.”
“I know Venom. He would keep it in a secure location only he has access to,” said Tauna.
“What’s this world coming to when you can’t even trust a bunch of genocidal maniacs?”
“Once the auction is complete and the funds transferred, then he’ll retrieve it for the winner,” Tauna finished, ignoring Baxter’s quip.
“And we’re sure he’s got it?” asked Dalton.
“Yes, Venom wouldn’t risk leaving it somewhere he couldn’t quickly access.”
Dalton watched Venom move around the room, greeting several of the bidders. Then he saw Venom do a double-take at the terrace. Venom strolled through the crowd, walking to the opening.
“Incoming, love,” said Dalton.
“I see him. And don’t call me ‘love’.” Tauna turned her head back to the sculpture and sipped her drink. Johnny Venom approached her but kept a good bit of distance between them.
“Tauna.”
She glanced at him through the corner of her eye. “Johnny.”
Venom puffed on his cigar, his good eye focused tightly on the woman. “I must say I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I’m not sure why.” Tauna turned to face him. “You have something very valuable up for auction tonight.”
“Where did you hear that?”
Tauna smirked. “You surprise me, Johnny. Information is Dante’s stock and trade.”
“And why would Infernum have any interest in this item?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Right, of course,” said Venom and a slight smile played at his lips. “After all, you’re just Dante’s girl Friday.”
Her breaths were slow and controlled. Tauna looked down at his cane and a fantasy played across her mind where she grabbed that stick and beat him to death with the head. Or drowned him in the fountain. She wasn’t sure which would give her more pleasure, but she gave no outward indication of her thoughts, maintaining her plastic smile.
“I suppose we can’t all be pawns of a certain agency,” she said.
Venom inhaled more smoke from his cigar. “I should probably let you know that you have no hope of winning this auction. Pity you came all this way for nothing.”
“And here I thought you were an unabashed capitalist.”
“True, but I’m also no fool.”
Tauna took another sip of her drink. “Very well, then I suppose I’ll wait here.” She looked up at the cobra statue. “After all, I like the ambiance.”
“My dear, if you think for a second that I’m going to let you out of my sight, you are sorely mistaken,” said Venom. “I welcome you to the auction, I just wanted to be clear that you’ll be leaving empty-handed.”
Tauna shrugged. “Who knows, maybe your love of money will override your little feud with my employer.”
Johnny Venom placed the cigar in his mouth and gestured for Tauna to follow with his cane. She stepped in line behind him and noticed that several others were joining them, moving through a door labeled PRIVATE.
“Looks like all the heavy hitters are on the move. That’s your cue, big guy,” said Baxter. “Just you and me on the call now.”
“The guard is still at the stairs,” said Dalton. “So much for Tauna’s distraction.”
“Based on what you told me, seems Dante was more interested in having her here to cover his ass than yours.”
“Fortunately, I came prepared.” Dalton finished his whiskey and set the empty glass on the bar. He dropped a few lira next to the glass for the bartender, picked up his case, and walked into the crowd. Dalton reached a hand to the ring on his right hand, turning it so the onyx stone faced down and he pulled it free from the gold band. The stone had concealed a small pin.
As Dalton moved closer to the guard, he feigned drunkenness, his movements becoming sluggish and jerky. He stumbled right in front of the guard, falling towards the steps. The guard reached forward and grabbed him before he hit the ground.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Sorry mate…must’ve had too much,” said Dalton, slurring his words. He allowed the guard to help him to his feet and Dalton patted him on the arm, pricking him with the pin.
“I’ll have someone call you…” The guard paused in his speech and reached a hand to his collar, tugging on it. “Call you a-a taxi…”
The guard collapsed, the toxin on the pin taking full effect. There was a full commotion and several guards and waiters went to the fallen man’s side. In the commotion, Dalton took his case and quickly ran up the steps, sliding the stone back on the ring as he did until he made it up to the third floor and out of sight.
***
Johnny Venom led the group of potential buyers through an area of the club off-limits to customers. He took them to a service elevator with guards flanking them the entire time, an elevator that took them down to the basement level. There were more guards down here as well, but these weren’t trying to be as inconspicuous as the ones in the restaurant—they openly brandished submachine guns as they stood guard, watching the guests file out of the elevator.
Judging from the look of the basement and the boxes that lined the walls, it was fairly obvious this level was mostly used for storage. But a main area had been cleared and folding chairs arranged in rows. The bidders all took their seats and Venom approached the front of the gathering, where a large-screen television had been set up on a rolling stand. Venom reached inside his jacket and removed an SD card, sliding it into the monitor’s appropriate slot and then he picked up the remote from the stand.
“I’d like to thank you all for coming today,” he said, facing the crowd. “I have done business with many of you in
the past and normally, an auction is not my preferred way of doing things, especially out in the open like this. But I felt something of this magnitude required a bit more commitment on your parts. And so I applaud every one of you for agreeing to appear in person on behalf of your respective organizations. As all of you know, I have been very reluctant to reveal too much of this particular weapon, only to tell you that it is biological in nature and can very well turn the tide of whatever conflicts you are engaged—either presently or in the future—in your favor. Lights, please.”
The lights in the basement went down and Venom activated the television with his remote. The screen showed monochrome footage of several test monkeys in a play area.
“Notice these animals, how docile they appear. Their movements somewhat sluggish,” said Venom. “They’re all under some form of sedation. Now look what happens when we introduce another test subject, one who had been subjected to this biological compound.”
A door to the play area opened and another monkey ran in. His eyes were wide and his lips curled back. As soon as he laid eyes on his brethren, he instantly sprung at them, screeching and biting, going into a rage at the very sight of them. The monkey moved with incredible speed and his strength was unreal, easily tearing into the flesh of another. The docile monkeys posed almost no threat, but then something interesting happened. Slowly, the docile monkeys turned as well, overcoming their sedation and quickly becoming just as savage as the infected one. The audio blared with sounds of fighting and cries of agony and anger.
Venom turned off the set and the lights came back on. The crowd of bidders had already begun mumbling amongst themselves at what they’d seen.
“This, my friends, is Fury. Someone infected with it loses the capacity for rational thought. It heightens their stress levels to the breaking point and in turn does the same to adrenaline. And as you saw in the video, it’s also infectious. Should you want to incapacitate an enemy’s forces, this will turn even the most closely-knit community into a battle royale.”
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