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.
“And now, over to José Sánchez in Chile.”
The scene changed to a male reporter standing next to a middle-aged farmer. The reporter looked into the camera and then over to the farmer.
“Rachel, I’m standing here with Darío, a farmer here in Chile, five hours after a second major earthquake rocked the country. Dario, what happened to your flock?”
A grimace darkened Darío’s furry face.
“The earthquake came without warning. It was . . . insane.” His voice broke, and he coughed lightly. Then he continued, “The ground opened and swallowed half my herd of animals. Instantly. They just disappeared.” Darío fell silent, noticeably shaken. José put his hand on the farmer’s shoulder and turned to the camera.
“And this is just another story on top of the hundreds of similar ones happening over and over in South America. As for a cause, everything points to the intense mining efforts of QuantumCorp. And it appears that the occurrence of these earthquakes is only increasing. Rachel?”
Klaus swore. The damned peasants, unable to even keep their animals in order. And they have the nerve to blame us for their incompetence! He thought. He cursed again, turned off the TV, and threw the remote across the room.
7
The police poured into the office. In the blizzard that raged outside, some thirty reporters stood behind the barrier that surrounded the building. Hugo had never seen anything like it. He looked down at the crowd, and as he appeared in the window, a chorus of voices shouted up to him.
“What happened?”
“How are you? Did anyone die?”
He flinched and stepped back, and Madeleine rolled up to him. Her gaze flickered, but there was still a fire in them.
“How does it look out there?”
“Like a pure zoo.”
Madeleine smiled. “You’re like your brother.”
Hugo swallowed hard to push away the nausea. He hoped to God that Felix would pull through his surgery; he didn’t know what he’d do if his brother died.
“Thanks. He’s a good asset to the company, I hope.”
“You know
he is—he’s one of the best. He’s the leader of one of the two action teams we have. The other team is out of action now—one death and two seriously injured.”
“And Felix’s team?”
“You’ve met them. Freya, Sussie, and Mikko.”
Hugo stared at the swirling snowflakes. The flashing lights of the police cars made the entire scene seem even more surreal.
“And what happens now?” he asked.
“Well, there will certainly be an investigation into what happened. We’ll be talking with the police, and I imagine they’ll use a lot of their resources to solve it.”
“Solve it?” Hugo frowned. “But you already know who it is.”
“Yes, I know, but it hasn’t been proven yet. Even with the picture we’ve got of Xi Liu, it’s too early to make a one hundred percent absolute statement that he’s the one who was behind the attack.”
Hugo turned from the window suddenly and began pacing the room like a trapped bull. Anger surged through him; he could barely hold back the white-hot rage that was struggling to explode from within.
“But you just talked about this Klaus Horst and Xi Liu, about their motives, why you were sure they did it,” he said, using all his effort not to shout. “You said they came from QuantumCorp. What kind of company is that, anyway?”
“It’s a large, international security company. They’re locked in a tough fight with Techyx, a security field competitor. Techyx has a big press conference planned for tomorrow morning in London with a top team of their environmental scientists.”
Hugo stopped pacing and turned to Madeleine. “You know who makes the decisions at QuantumCorp?”
She tilted her head at him curiously. “Sure. Their board does. Twelve people—youngish, spoiled, too powerful for their own good. I know them—well, I know of them. Every man and woman on that board is incredibly driven and will do everything possible to promote their own advancement. Their ambition is money and power. One of the members of the board has a guardian, Klaus Horst, who’s a real cold fish, and he’s the one who I think was behind the attack.“ She paused, seeing that Hugo wanted to interrupt. She held up an index finger—wait, there’s more—and went on. “A group of Techyx’s top researchers, who are also the best environmental researchers in the world, are going up against QuantumCorp in a bunch of scientific trials, which means QuantumCorp is at risk of losing billions. They needed a way to get Techyx’s research panel discredited, so Klaus took matters into his own hands. He contacted a rogue Russian scientist who had made, shall we say, questionable discoveries in the field of chemistry, and hired him to program someone to murder the researchers during the press conference.”
Hugo stared at Madeleine.
“What a mess. That’s crazy.”
Madeleine didn’t answer. She felt that there was a possibility she could get Hugo to take on Felix’s responsibilities; after all, he looked and acted just like him. Admittedly, it was a gamble, but still. She couldn’t let the opportunity slip by. The company had received a severe blow and was down for the count.
But Madeleine also knew it was under those circumstances—hurt, bloody, and down for the count—that the true master was most dangerous.
There was a knock on the door, and they spun around.
*
A man stood in the doorway. He was tall and wore a dark suit. He brushed away the accumulated snowflakes from his shoulders and opened his arms.
“Madeleine, I’m so sorry about what happened here.” He looked at her wrapped ankle as she stood to greet him, and he winced. “What happened to your leg there? You okay?” He walked over to her, and she hugged him.
“Henrik. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I came as soon as I heard.”
“I’m okay,” she said, nodding toward her ankle. “Broke or sprained it, but it’s nothing that won’t heal. At least I’m alive.”
“How many did you lose?”
Madeleine grabbed the report she had received from the police half an hour earlier and handed it to him. Henrik scratched his forehead as he read.
“Good Lord, Madeleine, this is awful,” he said, giving it back to her. “Listen, we’re ready with any and all resources you may need. Just ask, and we will fix it.”
Hugo, who was standing silently at the window, cleared his throat; the other inhabitants of the room spun around at the sound.
“Oh, sorry, Hugo. This is Henrik Albertsson, our contact with the Swedish Military Forces. Henrik, this is Hugo. His brother Felix works here.”
Hugo reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, Hugo. I hope your brother is one of the survivors?”
“Thanks, he is, but he’s injured. He actually called me as the attack was happening. I dropped everything and drove here. When I got here, I found him unconscious on the floor. He’s in the hospital now.”
Henrik put his hand on Hugo’s shoulder and looked at him with clear, slate-gray eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Madeleine said, “I just filled Hugo in about QuantumCorp and Klaus Horst.”
“Ah. Yes, I heard that Xi Liu was caught on camera when the attackers were leaving. And where you find Xi, you can be sure that Klaus is close by.”
“Here, please sit,” Madeleine said, pointing to a chair. Henrik pulled off his heavy coat, hung it on the back of the chair, and sat. Madeleine sat opposite him; Hugo stood beside them. Henrik drummed his fingers on the table.
“So now what?”
“Well, like I just told Hugo, there’s going to be an investigation, and I assume that the police will launch a big investigation. It’s not often that something like this happens in Malmö.”
Henrik’s eyes flashed. “Let me interrupt you right there, Madeleine. You’ve had an awful time, to be sure. But we still need you—maybe more now than ever before.”
Hugo could tell that Henrik was serious. He knew the type all too well—military types with only one goal before their eyes: the mission. The mission was everything, all the time, no matter the cost.
Henrik continued, “When we contacted you to investigate Markov Tupolev, we did that with a definitive goal of acquiring his discovery. And if it wasn’t possible, get Markov himself.”
Hugo turned sharply toward Henrik. Investigate Markov? Hadn’t Madeleine said it was Klaus Horst who had contacted Novus to kidnap Markov?
He remained silent. Madeleine’s face was like a stone mask.
“True,” she said. “But at the moment, Novus isn’t able to perform any part of that assignment, no matter how much the Swedish Armed Forces need it done.”
Henrik held up a hand. “You misunderstand me, Madeleine. It isn’t me or even the Swedish Armed Forces that need you to continue. Markov’s discovery is too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. That’s why you’ve got to continue with the mission I gave you. Obtain Markov’s discovery or Markov himself.”
As the seconds passed, Madeleine’s face became redder and redder. Finally, she hissed, “We don’t have an intervention team that can do this anymore. The staff we had are either dead or injured in the hospital.”
Hugo looked through the window at the crowd below again. A thin layer of snow had settled on everyone’s hats and coats as they hopped in place to keep warm. He knew what he needed to do. It was his brother who was lying in the hospital, badly injured. He thought of Lita but just as quickly pushed her away from her thoughts. He had to call her later, but now was not the time to hesitate.
“I’ll do it.”
Madeleine and Henrik both looked at him with genuine curiosity.
“What do you mean?” Madeleine asked.
“Just what I said. I’ll take Felix’s place as team leader, and we’ll carry out the assignment. With a bit of luck, we’ll get hold of both Klaus and Xi.”
Madeleine could hardly believe her luck. Her plan had succeeded. “Why are you doing this?”
Hugo stared out the window and the howling storm outside.
“Reveng
e.”
*
The decision was made. Hugo took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders.
Madeleine stood and touched his arm. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I am.”
Henrik cleared his throat, all business and all about the mission. “Okay, in that case, we have no time to lose. The press conference is tomorrow morning in London. Can you get to St. Petersburg and secure Markov before then?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Madeleine picked up her iPad from the table and told the men, “This is the latest information we have about Markov. He also has an assistant in Finland who is a key player, too. Go ahead and read through all of this now.”
Hugo took the tablet and started reading. While he did, Henrik pulled Madeleine aside.
“Are you sure about this, Madeleine? You’re taking a huge risk here.”
“I know. But it’s better than nothing, right?”
Henrik nodded gravely and said, “Yes, much better.”
“So I’ll call the other team members and go through the situation with them.”
A few minutes later, everyone was sitting quietly around the table. Madeleine made her review short and to the point, and when she was done, Mikko was the first to speak.
“And you think this is the best solution?”
“I don’t know if it’s the best, but it’s a solution. And at the moment, it’s the only one we have.”
Mikko huddled with Sussie and Freya, who sat on either side of him. They deliberated for a few minutes and then turned to Madeleine.
“Okay. Given the situation, we agree it’s the best option.”
8
The plate broke into a thousand pieces as it smashed into the kitchen cabinet. Hugo held up his hands.
“Calm down!”
Another plate came flying, and the broken pieces rained down into the sink. Lita Marquez’s eyes flared with rage.
“Who do you think you are? You think you can just leave me alone now? Now, when I could give birth at any time? Are you stupid or what?”
The Hugo Xavier Series: Book 1-3 Page 4
