“Well, I don’t want to say I knew it—it was more of a very remote risk. Which turned out to be true.”
A wave of unrest slid through Xi, and he scratched his head with scorn as he thought back on the moment the stranger had arrived just in time to rescue the police. There was something about his face. It was familiar; he had seen it before.
“The man who came,” Xi said. “He was the brother of one of the people we shot in the office, right?”
The man chuckled. “You’re right, Xi. That’s him. It’s his twin brother, as a matter of fact. His name is Hugo Xavier, and he is a special person.”
“Special in what way?”
“Hugo has a résumé that would make a secret agent jealous. He’s currently unemployed, but he’s done hunter training, he was a professional soldier with a handful of different stations around the world, and he spent even more time in the US working with a Navy SEAL team.”
Xi ground his teeth. “This would have been good information to have had before the hit, wouldn’t you say?”
“Come now, Xi. You shouldn’t be bitter that you don’t know everything. That’s why we each have a role to play. You know more than your soldiers, and I know more than you. And above me, there’s someone who knows even more. Those are the rules of the game. You know that.”
Xi watched the thousands of thick snowflakes whirl by, passing the city library and approaching the tall, blue Kronprinsen. “Yeah,” he replied. “I guess so.”
“Good. Make sure to get to the meeting place and change transport vehicles, and then go to Kastrup for further transport.”
“Roger that.”
*
Not all that glimmers is gold—but almost. Klaus Horst did not wait for a reply from Xi but ended the call. He put his cell phone—complete with its ornate gold-and-diamond encrusted case—back in his pocket. Time was not on his side, but he had made an excellent attempt at salvaging the situation.
Klaus was a man driven by ambition, always had been. Ever since early childhood, he’d had a violent desire to gain power no matter the cost. It wasn’t how you came into power that was important to Klaus; it was the fact that you acquired it that sanctified all means.
And that desire had taken him far—all the way here, as an assistant to one of the board members of QuantumCorp. He shrugged. The assistant title didn’t sound all that sexy, but he knew his role meant far more power than any ordinary man could ever dream. And when his gaze glided over his surroundings, the feeling was confirmed. He walked slowly through his huge apartment on Rue des Saint-Peres, one of the most exclusive parts of Paris. He passed through a hallway lined with exquisite Chinese vases dating from the Ming Dynasty. Every single one of them was worth more than two million dollars.
The hallway ended at a massive, wooden door. He knocked.
A voice answered, “Come in.”
Klaus pushed the door open and entered the room. The smoke of incense lay heavy in the air, and he held his breath as he approached the large figure sitting on the dark wooden floor in the lotus position. Klaus stood and waited. The cross-legged figure began to move and rose effortlessly, despite her overweight frame.
Heidi Leibowitz pulled her precious kimono more tightly around her. Her wrinkled face was furrowed, but her eyes were clear.
“How did it go?”
“It went well,” Klaus replied with a wide smile. “Xi says the mission has been completed. All their targets were eliminated, and they sustained just a few minor injuries themselves.”
“Excellent. Excellent.” Heidi went to a side table and poured a glass of chilled Svalbarði water—only the best was good enough. “Do they know we were the ones who arranged the hit?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“So the next part of the operation can continue?”
“It can. Xi and his men are in the process of changing transport. When they’re done with that, they will head to Kastrup for the next part. It shouldn’t take more than two hours before they call in another update.”
“Good, Klaus.”
Klaus stretched to his full length. This was what he had been born to do. He had found his place as the executive hand of one of the most powerful people in Europe. There was nothing he couldn’t do.
He noticed he was hard.
*
The two dark vehicles stopped abruptly. Without a word, people began streaming out. Strong arms carried equipment from the Jeeps to three smaller cars, heaving it into the trunks. Two men took containers of gasoline and soaked both Jeeps. Xi gave a sign, and one of the men lit a match and tossed.
Roaring flames engulfed the Jeeps in a red fireball. The men stepped back as the inferno grew and the heat scorched their faces, but the heavy snowfall soon dampened the raging flames. Xi signaled again, and the men quietly split into three groups, each standing by one of the vehicles. Xi walked over to his captain. The young French soldier was a specimen of excellent, cold efficiency.
“All right, Sebastian?”
“All right, Xi.”
“Next stop, Kastrup. We go nice and easy. Straight up the freeway and over the bridge. Okay?”
The atmosphere in the group was top-notch; it was always like this after a successful mission, when the adrenaline was still pumping and everyone was excited. They all jumped into the cars and drove off, leaving the burning Jeeps behind. It took ten minutes before an elderly woman, out walking her dog, noticed the burning car and called the police.
By the time the fire trucks arrived, Xi and his men had long since fled the scene.
*
It is said that those who dare win.
KIaus cleared his throat. “There’s some new information about the Russian researcher, as well.”
Heidi set down her glass.
“About Markov?”
“Yes. Our hackers have been working around the clock to get into his computers. They got through one of the firewalls, but it seems there are subsystems hidden behind additional firewalls.”
“Can’t our guys get through them?”
Klaus shrugged, and a rush of anxiety surged through him. He cleared his throat again. “Well, if they had more time, they would undoubtedly be able to do it. They’re running out of time now, though, so it’s doubtful that they’ll make it.”
Heidi allowed her eyes to fall closed. That’s how it was in her world—there were always a lot of decisions to make based on incomplete information. But she hadn’t come this far by hesitating. Her motto had always been to hit first and hard and ask any questions when the dust settled.
“Have them continue,” she said finally, her eyelids fluttering open. “They may get lucky and manage to get through. And if not, then Xi will still be there soon to take care of the rest.”
“True. So true.”
Heidi stretched. “Leave me now. I’m going to change. Meet me in my office in ten minutes.”
“Absolutely.”
She raised an eyebrow and Klaus felt his cheeks blush. “Sorry. Of course, madame.”
He turned on his heel and headed hurriedly to the library; when he got there, a big screen on the wall showed a female news anchor at a desk. Klaus increased the volume.