‘Got it, I’ll get them to crosscheck it against anything to do with weapons or code name Legion.’ He said.
‘Yeah, good. At least we can keep that going in the background while we play ball with these guys.’
‘What are they telling the public about the deaths?’
‘Unfortunately, because one of them was so high profile, not much, they’re playing it by ear. The others were people living off the grid, they don’t need to say anything. They’re ghosts.’ I explained, leading us around a group of teenagers hanging around the entrance of a juice bar.
‘Christ.’ He shook his head again. ‘But why them? They can’t know anything about the code. Hell, only four people know what it is. Three are dead and well, no one else knows Illarion has the last one.’
‘I don’t think they were looking for the code. They were tests.’
‘Do you think they’re using them for practice?’
‘Possibly.’ I said, ‘So, for now, we know that whatever Dalca was after, was something related to this. We also know that the guys who found us at the hotel were also on his payroll and we know they were searching for the Legion.’
‘Where do you want to go with this?’
‘For now, nowhere. Keep it between us. But as soon as we know more and we can present something concrete, I’d say bring it to the board, see what Elena thinks.’
A heavy silence consumed us. Whatever this Legion was, and whoever they were working for, we were screwed if we didn’t work it out.
‘We’ll figure it out. You’ve got us here now. The A-team.’
Laughing, I nodded with a roll of the eyes. ‘We should just hand the case over to the two of you. You don’t need us.’
‘Oh look, I’m sure the FBI have done some useful work.’
‘You’re a jerk.’ I laughed again. ‘We’ve loosened the lid; all you have to do is open it now.’
‘Ouch.’ He laughed. ‘Low blow.’
‘You know I’m kidding.’ I laughed. ‘I really appreciate you coming.’
‘Without hesitation, Ace. Always.’
‘Thank you.’
We stopped at the juice bar, enjoyed a moment of Agency/FBI free talk, and caught up on each other’s lives. A lot had changed but the things that were always there, underneath it all came back so naturally.
As the day closed and Aurel walked me back to my apartment. We said goodbye and I set out packing.
Once I was done, I settled into bed, ready for tomorrow.
Somehow, we would find the answers even though inside, I knew there was something a lot more sinister going on, something no one wanted to admit, not even me.
Swallowing the nerves, I closed my eyes and prayed sleep would come quickly and without dreams.
One of those occurred the other, not so much.
Chapter Eight
Ace
How was it already time to get up?
‘Rise and shine.’
‘Shut up.’ I groaned into my hand.
Matt laughed, pushing the door open. He waved a tall coffee in front of his face, beckoning me to him.
‘Why are you here so early? You suck.’
‘You said you wanted to Uber in together.’
‘Not at the crack of dawn.’
‘Unfortunately, our flight is at four, so technically this is before the crack of dawn.’
‘You suck.’
‘You said.’ He laughed again and shut the door. ‘Get up and get ready.’ He yelled through the wooden barrier separating us.
Rolling my eyes, I crawled out of bed and made a beeline for the shower; I didn’t even bother with a morning stretch. It was way too early.
‘The meeting is scheduled at three with the client.’ He yelled through the door.
‘Yeah, yeah.’ I shouted back.
A full, eight hour and a half hour flight with no layover. Perfect. At least I could catch up on a bunch of work and prepare the things I neglected earlier.
Drying off, I pulled open my wardrobe and pushed all the daily clothes off to the side. Today’s outfit required some sex appeal. I picked a conservative yet fitted navy dress. It stopped just above the knee with a sexy slit right up the back. Ducking into the row of shoes, I pulled out a pair of nude stilettos and slipped my feet into them.
Throwing on a sharp, white blazer, I added a slim gold belt and matched it to some diamond studs and a simple gold Rolex—a gift from Illarion.
My hair was working well this morning, so it didn’t require much work. I tousled the bob into an unkempt side sweep and chose a striking red lipstick.
A quick pat of concealer and powder did the job for the rest and my outfit was complete.
Emerging from the room, I stuck my finger up at Matt when he gave me a smirk.
‘You scrub up alright.’
‘Can’t say the same for you.’ I sniggered, snatching the coffee from him.
‘Sticks and stones, Hart.’
Taking a sip from the cup, I stuck my finger up again.
‘Ready?’ He chuckled.
‘Yeah, let me just get the stuff together.’
‘Uber should be here in five.’
‘No problem, you can run down if you want.’
‘Sounds good, see you down there.’
Matt left, and I quickly collected the ID’s, my handbag and our covers. Putting it into the concealed compartment, I zipped everything up and rushed downstairs.
Just as I reached the curb, a little Honda pulled up and Matt and I slipped in.
‘To the airport please.’ He instructed the small, barely out of high school driver.
She nodded and readjusted her glasses.
Matt shot me a quick look and quickly buckled up. I chuckled following suit and we were off.
The quick drive which should have usually taken about six minutes turned into twenty until finally we arrived.
We stepped out into the flow of foot traffic and dodged a group of school children getting ready for trip.
‘Do you want another coffee?’ He asked nodding at the Starbucks.
‘No, still going with this one, thanks.’
‘Good, looks like we’re already boarding.’
We shuffled through the small crowd, which was quite large for this time of morning, and found our first class line.
When we stepped up, I smiled, handing our boarding passes to the lady.
She scanned them and waved us in. ‘Welcome Mr. Roux, Ms. Martin.’
‘Thank you,’
The flight attendant guiding the first class passengers took my hand luggage and stowed it for me, Matt held onto his as it held all our paperwork.
‘We’ve got about fifteen minutes before takeoff,’ he explained and then dialed Belfort, connecting the call to both our comms. ‘Sir, we’re on board.’
‘Good.’ He confirmed. ‘Arcos will be taking the next flight out with some back up tech for you. This mission is our primary objective. Get in, make the deal and get out. Understand?’
‘Yes.’ We both said.
Although Illarion wasn’t saying a word, I imagined what he was thinking. He didn’t like this at all, which is probably why he’d already made prior arrangements with his contact and he didn’t like that he wasn’t going to be out in the field with us.
‘Everything set?’
‘Yes, contacts are in place and meeting is set.’ Matt answered for me. ‘We’ll touch base when we land.’
‘Good, when you reach the hotel, you’re on your own. We have to switch comms off in case they sweep you.’
‘Got it.’ I said, so grateful for the superior tech Josh always decked us out with. I instinctively touched the face of the Rolex, knowing Illarion was always listening.
‘Stay safe.’ Belfort said.
‘We will.’ Matt disconnected the call just in time for the seatbelt signs to light up.
This was going to be a piece of cake, I just had to make sure we didn’t run into any surprises.
Before the
plane took off, he reached into his bag and pulled out the brief.
I pulled up the inflight entertainment and selected an episode of Man Versus Food. As the plane taxied and took off, I threw a quick look over at Matt and smiled. I was lucky to have him in my corner.
***
Eight and a half hours later, the seatbelt signs went on again and pilot announced that we’d be landing soon.
I packed everything up and shoved the files into the satchel handing it back to Matt. Over the last leg of the trip we’d both organized the entry and exit points, rendezvous in case of separation and Plan B as well as Plan C. And to add to it, I made note of my own exit strategy should plan B and C fail—Illarion’s contact, Etienne.
‘When we get to the hotel, we should have about an hour to scope it out and get everything into place before the meeting.’
‘Got it.’ I nodded, checking the time on my watch.
The plane hit the tarmac, taxied to its designated spot and stopped.
‘Got everything?’ Matt asked, checking my seat.
‘Yeah.’
‘Here’s your ID and security pass.’
‘Thanks.’
We descended and exited into the airport, searching around for our driver. The limo pulled up to the curb and the valet at the airport opened the doors for us.
Twenty minutes later, the limo stopped at the Ritz Paris and my eyes drank everything in. It was just as I’d imagined. Large, luscious green trees and lawns, fairy lights all through the bustling outdoor seating of the café and gorgeously dressed men and women all around the fountain. It was beautiful.
Sounds of the square carried through the streets and the fluid, comforting sound of the French language filtered through the broken English accents.
‘Welcome, Mademoiselle.’ The valet said, startling me.
‘Thank you.’
‘We’re meeting with some clients.’ Matt said firmly. ‘But we’d like to check in to our suite first.’
‘Very good, Monsieur Caron will take you through.’ The valet said.
We both nodded and followed him in.
He made small talk but neither Matt or I reciprocated, we had to play the part, we were high end, lucrative associates and as much as it made me cringe, it was a part of the job.
When Caron showed us to our room, we gave him a tip and waited until he left.
‘Holy shit,’ Matt said looking around, ‘This room is bigger than my whole apartment.’
‘No shit.’ I looked up in awe. The huge white and gold chandelier hung over a large set of double beds covered in silky white and gold sheets. The walls behind it were paneled in pastel blue and foiled gold, tiny intricate white flowers crept across the paneling and doors. The side tables were made of solid white marble and had a simple, tall vase with fresh flowers which looked like it cost more than my car.
I dropped my bag on the white, provincial chair beside the window and looked out.
‘This is something.’ I said.
‘Yep.’ Matt came and stood beside me. ‘Ever think of where you’d honeymoon?’
‘No, we never spoke about that.’ I felt my face heating up.
‘And that’s bad because?’
‘It’s not bad.’
‘You look like you’re going to be sick.’
‘I’m not going to be sick.’
‘Sure looks like you are.’
‘Oh God, Matt, can we not?’
‘Sure thing, but eventually you’ll have to decide on a place.’
‘We are not talking about this now.’
‘Whatever you say,’ he winked and then got to work setting up our ID’s, planting the transmitters under the telephone and finally preparing our files while I forced myself to stop shining like a tomato.
‘It’s about that time, you ready?’ He asked glancing at his watch.
‘Yep,’ I tapped the Rolex and signaled to Illarion that we were going in. He could hear me which meant that if we needed immediate extraction that the FBI couldn’t provide, he’d have us covered. It also gave me peace of mind that Aurel would be out there too.
While Matt disappeared into the bathroom, I quickly unhooked the concealed Glock Illarion’s contact had taped under the mini bar and slipped it into my bag.
***
‘Ms. Martin, Mr. Roux.’ They said, shaking our hands as they introduced themselves to us.
‘Mr. Xiao.’ I shook his hand, ‘And you must be Mr. Liu.’
‘Nice to meet you.’ Liu replied.
When the formalities were out of the way, we took a seat around the table and began. The covers we had dictated that I was the head of our duo and from what I gathered in the brief introductions; Xiao was the alpha of his. So, I turned my attention to him and tuned in to the emotions rolling through the room. For now, I let Matt run the preliminaries.
‘I understand you are interested in purchasing one of our safes.’ Xiao spoke, directing his question at Matt.
‘Yes, we’re in the market.’
‘What are you going to be storing in there?’
‘What I’m storing is my business.’
A wide grin met us both.
‘Indeed.’ Xiao nodded, producing a tablet. ‘My contact said that you were looking to sample some of our work?’
‘I want to ensure that what I’m spending my money on is secure enough.’
‘Oh, I assure you, our product is secure.’
‘I’m sure it is,’ Matt said, dismissing the tablet. ‘I want proof, a demonstration.’
‘A demonstration?’
‘Yes. Show us a safe in working order, and I will show you what we’re prepared to pay.’
‘We don’t have a safe to show you.’
‘Then you’re wasting our time.’ I cut in, turning my attention Xiao. ‘My contact assured us that this meeting would provide adequate information to make our decision. And we have flown here with the understanding that you could provide what you said. And right now, the only adequate thing is the disappointment of the hotel you’ve chosen.’
Matt stood back while the two men I was addressing stood tall, puffing their chests. I was on the winning end here; they knew I had the upper hand and they knew I was about to call their bluff.
‘Now. If we’re done, I have more important business to attend to.’ I nodded at Matt and got up.
As we neared the door, Liu spoke up.
‘We have something else.’
‘Mr. Liu. I’m a very busy woman, and I assure you, if you cannot provide what I’m after, someone else will.’
Matt cocked his head with a smirk.
‘We can, Ms. Martin. Please, sit.’
Matt and I looked at each other.
Obliging, I sauntered over to the table and dropped my purse down on the table.
Xiao’s eyes wandered over me, my attire and the purse, so glad now that I wore the Hermes and the Rolex. This guy meant business; he could spot frauds a mile away. Matt too, had done his part, borrowing one of Illarion’s Alexander Amosu suits. I felt bad for him, he was a nervous wreck wearing it, and he was terrified that he’d scuff the shoes or mark the sleeves and I had to keep reminding him that he was a rich businessman and money was no objective.
He relaxed beside me and sat.
‘Well?’ I began, focusing all my attention on Xiao. ‘Talk.’
‘Show them.’ He spoke to Liu.
Liu produced the tablet again and handed it to me.
‘What am I looking at?’ I asked impatiently.
‘You’re familiar with the Agency?’
My ears perked up. ‘Yes.’
‘This is what we set up for them.’
‘Who commissioned this purchase?’
‘Damon Cale.’
It took everything inside me not to react. On the surface my eyes held his, unflinching under his scrutinizing gaze. Inside, I was losing it, everything was threatening to erupt, everything was shattering, and a new anger started to rise.
‘Am
I supposed to know him?’
‘He’s of no importance, he was merely a pawn. He’s dead now.’ He said, and my eyes found his. ‘A girl killed him years ago.’
‘Must have done something serious.’
‘She was one of his.’
‘Interesting.’
‘If we’re done with the history lesson.’ Matt said, ending the conversation. ‘I’d like to get down to business.’
‘Forgive him.’ I smiled, ‘He’s eager. But he’s invaluable.’
Xiao grinned.
‘Of course, Ms. Martin. Please,’ he gestured to the tablet again. ‘The Agency requested a specific design, something to hold information and survive fire, which none other on the market can, explosions and pressure up to one hundred pounds per square inch. Three separate back up locking mechanisms, should one failsafe not suffice.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘This safe has been reached twice now and neither parties made it through the first failsafe.’
‘Interesting.’
‘Like I said earlier, I assure you, our product is second to none for your protection.’ He boasted, ‘No one has been able to fully breach the safe.’
‘Good.’ I leaned back in the chair and crossed my legs.
‘Ms. Martin?’
‘I need to think about it.’ I said softly, toying with a lock of hair. ‘But I am intrigued.’
‘Intrigued?’
‘What is in that safe?’
‘This one?’
‘Yes.’ I traced my finger over the screen and watched as Xiao’s eyes drank me in, ‘I know you have the information. Both of you do.’
When Xiao remained transfixed on me and I knew I had him locked, I swung my eyes over to Liu and focused on him.
I exhaled a long breath when I felt both of them relax and give in to my compulsion.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Matt asked quietly beside me. ‘You said you didn’t want to use your power.’
‘I don’t, and not really,’ I grit, ‘But we don’t have another option.’
‘We can do this the old-fashioned way.’
‘It’ll take too long.’ I shook my head.
He stood back as I forced my power over Xiao and seriously questioned whether I could and should be doing this.
‘Anything?’
Jack of Hart- Wild Card Page 11