LaCroix nodded. The twenty-something removed the transparent screen that had been placed on the table in front of the computer monitor and put away the camera that had been set up there.
“Yes,” LaCroix said, “thank you for your help. It was just excellent.”
The young man nodded briefly. “Good. Will you be needing the equipment anymore today?”
LaCroix pondered as he let his eyes drift across the room. It wasn’t a vast space—it was just a protracted rectangle box with metal walls and ceiling. Thin light sources lined the walls at intervals, giving the room a muted but bright light. At the far end, there was a table with a monitor on it, and at the other was another table where an older fellow sat staring at LaCroix and the young man. The room’s function was to provide encrypted communications for those occasions that required extreme discretion.
“Maybe. Let’s be prepared. Something unexpected may happen. It would be better if we’re ready to act.”
The young man nodded. “Of course, Mr. Richter.”
LaCroix nodded, gave the room one more once-over, and exited into a narrow hall where a beautiful woman waited for him. Her red high heels gleamed the same color as her painted lips as she smiled at him. Even though it was early in the day, she looked perfect enough for a night on the town.
“Mr. Richter.”
LaCroix walked up to her. “Jasmin.”
“Here’s today’s schedule,” she said. She handed him an iPad, and he began scrolling through his list of to-dos.
“More of the same,” LaCroix sighed. “Just a bunch of meetings with the same people all the time.”
Jasmin’s smile faltered. “This is the schedule I put together to provide the most efficient order of the day for you,” she said. “Is there something you want to cancel?”
LaCroix shook his head. As the boss, he was relegated to the fate of an infinite number of meetings. They were certainly not his passion. What he really loved was to exercise power—hidden, true power that gave him actual influence. By the time you reached the position he had, a razor-sharp sense of death was developed, at least in the broadest sense of the word. LaCroix had conducted a number of daring business deals during his career, and after each one, his influence and power had increased.
But over the past year, he’d noticed a strange sense of decline in the excitement that used to accompany those deals. What used to trigger and excite him had lost much of its luster over the past twelve months.
“No,” he told Jasmin. “Keep the schedule as it is, but that might be a last-minute cancellation. If that happens, we’ll just have to adapt.”
Jasmin smiled; her perfect complexion sparkled as the rising sun’s rays striated through the window.
“Of course, Mr. Richter.”
“All right. Now, is my breakfast ready?”
Jasmin took a step aside to allow him to pass in front of her. “Of course, Mr. Richter.”
He pulled his hand over his face as he walked down the hall. LaCroix entered an elegant meeting room with thick carpets that dampened his steps. The walls were covered with handmade bookshelves of the highest quality, and an oval, live-edge dining table was situated to the right. A chef stood ready by the side of a chair, and he pulled it out when LaCroix came in.
“Welcome,” the chef said with a polite nod. “Shall we serve?”
LaCroix sat down as the chef pushed the chair in. “Thank you, Fachi. Yes, please.”
Fachi spun around and disappeared through a swinging door. A moment later, he was back bearing a plate that was concealed by a silver dome. He put it down on the table in front of LaCroix. Although LaCroix knew exactly which breakfast would be served, the pageantry of the domed platter was still something he appreciated.
Fachi removed the cover, and a delicious fragrance met LaCroix’s nostrils. Fachi smiled.
“Bon appétit.”
LaCroix smacked his lips as he savored the omelet with lobster and crab. Along the edge lay a thick string of Russian caviar. Small pieces of gold leaf decorated the omelet, making it look as if gold had rained on top.
“Thank you.”
Fachi left him, and LaCroix ate as he thought through the situation. There was a lot that could still go wrong. Adnan had completed the first part of the mission, but there were several steps left before it would be finished. And the stakes were high. If things went wrong, the consequences could be incalculable. But honestly, LaCroix didn’t care. This plan, which he’d spent weeks planning, gave him something that the endless meetings no longer did. It gave him a pulse, sweat on his forehead, and a sense of being alive.
He ate his food in silence, and when he was done, he drank a glass of premium chilled champagne, relishing the fact that this vintage sold for one thousand euros a bottle. He soaked in the beauty of life as he watched the sun slide slowly over Madrid’s rooftops through the dining room’s arched picture windows. It was a sight that few were fortunate enough to behold.
Dufner Group had offices all over the world, and its head office was in Berlin. But the one in Madrid was an important branch. LaCroix had access to resources that other mortals would never have. He took a few deep, cleansing breaths.
After half an hour, someone knocked on the door. He narrowed his eyes.
“Come in.”
The door opened. It was Jasmin, who had changed into a sunshine-yellow suit. It looked fabulous on her.
“It’s time for your first meeting, sir.”
LaCroix sighed, got up, and walked toward Jasmin. “Okay, might as well get started with the day.”
***
Madeleine leaned against the edge of the table and sipped her coffee as the top-of-the-hour newscast started on the TV. A woman with dark hair and cat-eye glasses stood with a microphone in her hand, her eyes fixed on the camera. The woman’s thick curls bounced with each slight movement of her head. Her gaze into the camera radiated seriousness and solemnity.
“This is Julia Hernandez, NHT News. I’m currently in a remote village where a number of celebrities and actors have summer houses. This village is known for being a watering hole for the upper class, but what has taken place here tonight is far from pleasant. Tonight, there was a shooting inside this property behind me,” she swept back with her hand against the white-painted outer wall that led to the thick, closed gate. “According to reports we received this morning, there are at least four dead, and maybe more.”
Julia Hernandez paused dramatically, and the camera swooped toward the opening gate. Julia’s voice went up an octave.
“Something is happening! Right now, the gates are opening!”
But before Julia and a dozen other excited journalists could reach the gate, a group of police officers came out and formed a human wall, blocking the road. A car approached from the street and swung up toward the officers and the property behind them. Julia shouted at the black-tinted windows.
“What can you say about what happened here last night?”
The other journalists shouted out similar questions, and soon there was chaos in front of the gate. The officers allowed the car with dark windows to go through, and it disappeared. The police pulled back into a tight line, and the camera focused again on Julia Hernandez. She gathered her composure and pulled back a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face. Gazing into the camera, she smiled, and her unnaturally white teeth sparkled.
“What we have been able to find out so far is that the property behind us belongs to an international medical group called Cabello Medico. The company has branches all over the world and owns enormous resources. But exactly what the connection is between Cabello Medico and what happened here last night is still too early to say.”
Her eyes gleamed as she went on, “What we do know is that Cabello Medico has been involved in several dramatic events recently. Not long ago, the company was supposed to conduct a controlled experiment involving a pioneering cancer treatment, but something went wrong during the trials, and three people lost their lives.
It was truly terrible, and it started a comprehensive investigation that’s still underway today.”
Julia paused and licked her lips. “But what happened next is perhaps even more remarkable. One of the top managers responsible for the testing was found dead in her home, and the other test managers went underground. This was only a couple of weeks ago, but none of the managers has been seen since that time. Exactly what that incident has to do with what happened here last night is too early to tell, but it’s also too early to rule anything out.”
The reporter tossed her hair over her shoulder and said, “This is Julia Hernandez, NHT News, live from Spain. Now back to the studio.”
The screen transitioned, and two women came into view. Madeleine turned off the TV and frowned. This was an explosive situation that could very quickly go awry. No, she thought, it had already gone wrong. There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she called behind her, assuming it was Aren.
Instead, the door opened, and a large man stepped in. His shock of bright red hair and beard made him light up the room, as did his boisterous voice that echoed as he laughed.
“There you are, boss!”
Madeleine smiled at Mikko. The huge Finn walked around the table and pointed to her nearly-empty mug of coffee.
“Do you have any more of that?”
Madeleine pointed to the side table. “Help yourself,” she said
“Ah! Thank you.” Mikko walked over and poured himself a cup. “So,” he said, “what’s Hugo gotten into now?”
Madeleine shook her head. “Too early to say. I’m not even sure if we need to send you or not. But for now, we figured it would be best if you were here and ready. Thanks for getting here so soon.”
Mikko went to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “You’re not sure if you’re going to send us down?”
“Not yet. I need to talk to Hugo.”
Voices outside the door interrupted their conversation, and the door opened. Two women entered, and Madeleine nodded at them in greeting.
“Sussie, Freya. I’m glad you could come so quickly.”
Freya was a tall, smooth woman who moved like a cat, and Sussie was shorter and blonde. Both of them smiled back at Madeleine.
“No problem,” Sussie said. “What’s going on?”
Mikko chuckled. “Hugo got into trouble; that’s what’s going on. But Madeleine doesn’t know if she’s going to send us to help him or not.”
Freya poured a cup of coffee. “I guess you’re waiting to see what happens next, Madeleine?”
Madeleine nodded and went through what she knew about the situation based on what Hugo had told Lita and what she’d gotten from the police reports and news broadcasts.
Sussie whistled. “Sounds like he stepped into a hornet’s nest.”
Madeleine agreed, “Yeah. But I don’t know if we’re going to send you out yet. It could be a false alarm. But you’re staying here until I get hold of Hugo.”
Mikko drank the last of his coffee and said, “If I know that man, what he’s found is an angry poison wasp nest.”
Freya and Sussie glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, nodding.
4
Madeleine picked up her cell phone and scrolled through the list of recent calls until she found Hugo’s number. Not hopefully, she tapped it. After three rings, a dark voice answered.
“This is Hugo.”
“Hugo! It’s me, Madeleine.”
“Madeleine. It’s good to hear your voice. I was just about to call you.”
Madeleine smirked. “I’m sure you were. Tell me, what’s going on?”
Hugo summed up what had happened over the past few hours. “And that’s it,” he said. “The police just let me go, and I just had time to call Lita and tell her everything’s okay.”
Madeleine pondered what she’d heard. “Okay,” she said, “you’re sure this man said his name was the Spaniard?”
“I’m sure.”
“And you’re sure it actually was him?”
“Well, you can’t be one hundred percent. The most recent reports say it’s been several years since the Spaniard was seen. He may have had a lot of plastic surgery, but there was definitely a similarity between the guy I saw and the pictures I’ve seen of the Spaniard in his dossier.”
“If it is him, this is bad,” Madeleine said. “The Spaniard had a reputation for being an extremely competent assassin. If he’s shown up again, it’ll bode ill for someone.”
“Yeah, the victims in the house may be witnesses to that,” Hugo replied. “And you should have seen how he moved. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was like mercury.”
Madeleine sat down. “And four dead. What do the police say?”
Hugo hesitated. “It’s a little unclear. The police inspector I met, Pedro Sánchez, was convinced I was the one who killed those people. But after a couple of hours, he finally softened up to the fact that maybe what I was saying was true. And then when you talked to him, that persuaded him. I can only hope that the police look for more cameras on the property and get a better picture of the Spaniard. But I don’t think they’re going to.”
“Why not?”
“It’s probably going to take a while before they get started. And with a target like the Spaniard, you have to get on top of it right away. You can’t waste a single minute.”
Madeleine nodded. It was true. Her eyes slid around the table, where all the members of Hugo’s team sat watching and waiting. This was already a mess.
“Do you need help, Hugo?” she asked.
There was a second of hesitation, and then, “Maybe. I need to talk to Lita first. I’m sure she’s shaken up.”
“Of course.”
“But if it was the Spaniard,” he said, “I don’t imagine he’s done yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a man like the Spaniard returns from his hiding place after several years,” said Hugo, “it means something extraordinary has happened. And he didn’t seem like he was finished when he left the house. He looked more like a man on a revenge mission.”
“Okay. I know it might be unnecessary, but I think I should send the team down. Just in case.”
Hugo was silent for a moment. “All right,” he said finally. “It might be good to have them here if this gets any bigger. And I was given strict orders by Sánchez to stay in my apartment.”
Madeleine chuckled. “That might not be such a bad idea.”
“I don’t know, Madeleine. You should have seen how he moved.”
“Okay, let’s do this. I’ll send the team on their way shortly, and you go home to Lita and talk to her. It will take a little more than four hours for the team to reach you.”
“Sounds good. And while they’re on the way down, you can see if you can get any surveillance footage from the property. You have a copy of the police report?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. All right, I’ll go home and take care of Lita and Elektra, and you can send the team. Shoot me details about where to pick them up.”
“I will.” She paused. “And Hugo?”
“Hmm?”
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
They hung up, and Madeleine let her eyes meet those of Mikko, Freya, and Sussie.
“Pack your stuff, people. You’re going to Spain.”
Mikko jumped to his feet. “Spain! Nice!”
Freya and Sussie exchanged glances as the enthusiastic Finn hummed a Spanish melody. Freya rolled her eyes.
“Oh my God. Can you imagine?”
Sussie frowned. “What?”
Freya nodded at Mikko. “Four hours in an airplane with that.”
They looked at each other and cracked up. Madeleine stood, watching them. This was an excellent team. Over the past year, they had solved three tricky assignments for Novus. She knew she worked them hard and that they really should be given a little more time to catch up. But at the same time, she didn’t have an infini
te number of resources.
“First, we need to assign an operator to take charge of this job. The operator has to collect information and get it sent to you during the flight. Who will it be?”
Sussie lifted her hand. Information management was her role in the team.
“Okay. That sounds good. Want to take the standard equipment?”
“That’ll work.”
Freya stood and said, “And what about weapons?”
Madeleine thought for a moment. This wasn’t a mission yet, and that put some restrictions on what kinds of equipment Novus could send with the agents into the field. If it wasn’t a proper mission, they could only bring a few heavy weapons. That’s how it was; rules were rules. And these rules couldn’t be broken because it would mean the end of Novus. They were already working in the borderland between law and order, and they had to stay on the right side. Otherwise, their special condition would be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Madeleine shook her head. “Travel light until we know how this unfolds. If it all blows over, you just go home again. And if not . . .”
Sussie leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. “If not?”
Madeleine clenched her jaw. “If not, Hugo will find something for you to do.”
Sussie chuckled and replied, “I’m sure he will.”
Freya, Mikko, and Sussie looked at each other. Madeleine understood their body language. It was direct, immediate. There was a bond you couldn’t touch, a bond that only arose when people stood together face-to-face with death.
With that, the team left the room.
***
It was time. Adnan went over the final details. Nothing could go wrong now. There was too much at stake, and he’d used too many resources. He looked around him at the dilapidated farmhouse. This was the last time he’d be here. He walked over to a panel on the wall, opened it, and pulled a lever. A digital clock sat behind the panel, and when he pulled the lever, the red numbers on the clock reset to blinking zeros. Adnan set it to ten minutes, and the timer immediately began counting downward. He walked to the table, grabbed the two fully loaded bags waiting there for him, and left the house. The helicopter was standing in the clearing in front of the house, and when Adnan stepped outside, the pilot revved up the engine.
The Hugo Xavier Series: Book 1-3 Page 50
