Dante took a drag on the cigarette and stepped closer to the two women. He stood beside Tauna, who kept the blade on Julie, still as a statue. Dante removed the cigarette and exhaled.
“You must understand something—Pierce forced my hand. He was working for the enemy and he was trying to undermine my efforts.”
“He didn’t know what they were really up to, very few of us do,” said Julie.
“I’m aware of that, but I don’t have the luxury of playing nice. The Cabal plays rough, hard, and dirty. And I sadly have to play the game in the same manner as them.”
Dante paused to take another drag on the cigarette.
“Now then, if you are so insistent on engineering my demise, that’s fine. But I want you to keep five things in mind.” He held up a finger as he made each point. “The first and most obvious is that putting me in my grave won’t give Pierce cause to rise from his. Second is that it won’t stop the Agency from coming after you. Mr. Marco here was just the first, he won’t be the last. And the next won’t be so friendly.”
Dante circled around Julie, moving behind her.
“Third is this drive you have? It’s about as useful as a paperweight at the moment. Without the resources at my disposal, you won’t even be able to read what’s on that drive, let alone be in a position to do anything with the information. And fourth…” He stepped behind her, leaning in close so his lips were inches from her ear and whispered, “…you owe me.”
Julie scoffed. “I owe you? How the hell did you come to that conclusion?”
“Russia, my dear. Ever wonder how you were allowed to recuperate without any interference from your former masters?” asked Dante as he walked over to Tauna’s side. “My people provided protection. And also covered your tracks to enable your escape. Shame you’ve chosen to go and cock it all up, but that’s a discussion to be tabled for the moment.”
“What’s the fifth?” asked Julie.
“She can count, that’s good,” said Tauna.
“The fifth is that Tauna here is quite loyal to me. Right now, the only thing staying her hand is me. But if you end my existence, there will be nothing to stop her from slicing open your throat.”
“Be smart, Jules,” said Marco. “You can’t win this.”
“Clock’s ticking, Ms. Kim.” Dante held out his hand and Tauna passed him the balisong. He dangled it from his fingers, holding it out within Julie’s grasp. “If you believe you can single-handedly take down the Agency while avoiding Tauna’s blade, then by all means you can kill me right now. If you doubt you can accomplish this task, then perhaps we should have that chat. So, what’s it going to be?”
Julie looked at the balisong hanging from his fingers. She took it from him and pointed the blade. It would be so easy to kill him right now. But what happened after that?
She twirled the blade, closing the split handle over the blades and sliding the lock in place, then offered it back to Dante. He accepted it with a smile and tossed it to Tauna.
“Very good. Now come, have a seat.” He gestured to a table and chairs over on the far side of the terrace. “This house belongs to a client, he’s in Europe on business and gave me permission to use it for a few days. So please, make yourselves at home.”
Dante led the way and everyone settled in.
“So now that we’ve got all that out of the way, what’s really going on here?” asked Marco. “If all you’re after is this drive, then why not clue me in on it? What are you and Tauna doing down here?”
“It’s true, I’m not normally one to get involved in fieldwork these days,” said Dante. “And that’s because this situation is far bigger than just Julie’s mysterious hard drive. There’s also the matter of Mason Draconi.”
“Draconi? The Dragon, right?” asked Julie. “One of the Agency’s top operatives, a service record pretty much unmatched.”
“You’ve done your homework, I’m impressed,” said Dante. “Several years ago, he retired and moved down here to Costa Rica where he has lived under the alias of Norman Jacobs ever since. Mind you, no one is supposed to know this information, not even the Agency.”
“So how’s he mixed up in all this?” asked Marco.
“He’s been kidnapped,” said Tauna.
“No easy feat,” said Julie. “You’re talking about the man who trained Angela Lockhart.”
“Not only her—he also trained William Quartermain and Vincente,” said Dante. “So for someone to learn of his location and be able to get the drop on him means we are dealing with a person of exceptional skill. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Ms. Kim’s mysterious contact arranged a meeting in Costa Rica so soon after Draconi went missing.”
“But why?” asked Julie. “What would Draconi have to do with any of this?”
Dante paused to smoke for a bit. He set the cigarette in the ashtray. “This drive potentially contains extremely sensitive information about the Cabal, the shadow group of elite criminals who run the Agency. I’ve been seeking something like this for years. And as for Draconi’s involvement, I was the one who help arranged for his retirement. You see, I was his best student.”
“The rumors were true…” muttered Julie. “You were an Agency operative.”
Dante gave a nod.
“I always assumed it was a myth. There was never anything in the Agency’s records about you working with them,” said Julie.
“Back in those days, we called ourselves the specters. No records were kept on our activities. Because the things we did…let’s just say it would easily tip off the agents who had no idea they were working for the bad guys.”
Dante ashed the cigarette and took a fresh drag.
“At first, I didn’t give much thought to whom I was working for. But over time, that sort of work weighs on your soul. And I began to see the Agency and the Cabal for what they really were. I amassed funds, made important contacts, and when the time was right, I left the Agency and created Infernum to act as a counter to what they were doing.”
“So someone gives Jules this drive and tells her to meet in Costa Rica. Meanwhile, Draconi is living in Costa Rica and gets captured,” said Marco. “Someone’s sending you a message, boss.”
“More than that. They also tipped off the Agency,” said Tauna. “This isn’t just a message, whoever’s behind this is arranging a confrontation.”
“And I want to know why.” Dante pointed at Julie. “This is where you come in, my dear.”
“What am I supposed to do?” asked Julie.
“You have a meeting with this contact of yours, correct?” asked Dante. “I want you to go to that meeting.”
“There’s no telling if it’s on the level,” said Julie. “They told the Agency I was here.”
“Yes, and the Agency in turn sent Marco after you,” said Dante. “No doubt as a method to test his loyalty.”
“This wasn’t all just a ploy to blow my cover, was it? There are easier ways to do that,” said Marco.
“True. The Agency may have information we don’t, but they aren’t responsible,” said Dante. “So the plan is to continue with the meet. What was the protocol?”
“Dead drop, tomorrow morning,” said Julie.
“And the drive?”
“Safe.”
Dante clicked his tongue. “I’ll need a bit more than that, Julie.”
“I still don’t trust you,” said Julie. “That drive is my life insurance policy. So for the time being, it stays right where it is. Because if we’re going to go through with this plan, I need some assurances.”
“Such as?”
“I’ll go to this meet, but I want protection. Eyes on me at all time. As of this moment, I’m your most valuable asset. Furthermore, I expect compensation for this little partnership.”
“What sort of compensation?” asked Tauna.
“New identity and a clean slate, as well as money to start a new life,” said Julie. “And I want a guarantee that I will never hear the names Dante or Tauna
for the rest of what I expect to be a very long life.”
Dante nodded. “Very well. Then let’s get started, shall we?”
CHAPTER 9
The hotel Julie chose for her hiding place was close to the airport and fairly busy. Made it easy for people to get in and out while concealed within a crowd. Tauna and Marco accompanied her, with Marco taking up position across the street and keeping an eye on the entrance.
Tauna stuck by Julie’s side. She wasn’t about to let the former Agency operative out of her sight for a moment. Although they were ostensibly on the same side for the second time, Tauna still didn’t trust Julie Kim further than she could spit.
The two women entered the hotel and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Julie led her down the corridor to her room and removed the keycard from her pocket. She slid it into the door’s slot and once the sound of the lock turning was heard, she stepped inside the room.
“Safe’s in the closet,” said Julie.
Tauna walked deeper into the room, looking around. She watched as Julie turned the corner from the narrow hall that served as the foyer and followed. Just past the foyer was a sitting area. On one side was the balcony and on the other was a bathroom with the door closed. Beyond that was the bedroom.
Tauna took a step forward and that’s when the bathroom door was thrown open. Fiona stood in the doorway and raised a handgun, opening fire. Tauna jumped from where she stood and landed in front of the sitting area’s couch.
Fiona kept firing, the bullets slamming into the back of the couch. Tauna flipped open the balisong and jumped, hurling the knife at her attacker. The balisong knocked Fiona’s gun from her hand.
Tauna leapt over the couch and as soon as her foot struck the ground, she pushed off it again, diving into Fiona. The two assassins rolled on the ground and when they came to a stop, Tauna was on top. She got in a few blows against Fiona’s face.
A throbbing pain rocked through Tauna’s neck. Fiona had brought up both hands and slammed the edges against the base of Tauna’s neck. She followed with a palm strike against Tauna’s face.
Tauna fell back and Fiona was on her feet. Tauna shook her head of the disorientation just moments before she saw Fiona raise her leg. Anticipating the attack, Tauna rolled to avoid having her head stomped on. She jumped to her feet and delivered a swift kick into Fiona’s abdomen.
Fiona doubled over and Tauna brought her leg up, driving her foot into Fiona’s face. Tauna looked up at Julie, who was busy with the safe in the closet.
“Hurry up!” she barked.
“I’m getting it, just keep her busy!” said Julie.
Tauna groaned and turned her attention back to Fiona. The assassin was on her feet and wiped the blood from her cut lip. She spat on the ground and moved into a fighting stance. A grin played on her lips as she eyed Tauna.
“Johnny said you were good. Was always curious who would win if we got into it.”
“You’re about to find out,” said Tauna. “But I don’t think you’ll like the outcome.”
Fiona chuckled. “Shall we continue?”
“By all means.”
They charged at each other.
***
Fiona’s sudden appearance had shocked Julie, and she had trouble remembering the numbers she used for the safe’s code. She knew some of the numbers and entered them in quickly, but the order was wrong.
It took a few tries, during which Tauna kept Fiona busy. But once it worked, Julie breathed a sigh of relief and opened the safe. She reached inside and took out the hard drive. A small device, only about the size of a cell phone. Julie slid it into her pocket and reached inside the safe for something else—a small gun.
She stood, aiming the gun at the two assassins. Tauna and Fiona were battling it out at close range, grappling with each other. Julie was a good shot, but with the speed at which they were moving, she couldn’t be sure if she could shoot without hitting Tauna.
Then again, part of her didn’t care if she did hit her new accomplice.
Before Julie could make the decision whether or not to pull the trigger, she felt a familiar vibration against her leg. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. The screen read BLOCKED NUMBER and she thought it might be Dante or Marco with something important, so she answered.
“Hello, Ms. Kim.” The speaker was distorted, obviously using a voice changer.
“Who is this?” asked Julie.
“Your contact. I see that you’ve managed to ally yourself with the enemy. Quite unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker. You still have an opportunity here, an opportunity to affect real and lasting change in this little game.”
Julie let her gun-hand fall to her side. “What are you talking about?”
“I provided you with that drive for a reason, and the reason is so you can take down not only the Agency but also Infernum as well.”
“Why me?” she asked
“Other than myself, you’re the only one who wants to see it all come crashing down. And I know how to make that happen. But only if we agree to work together.”
Julie hesitated. She could barely stomach the idea of working with Dante, but by that same token, she also knew the Agency had to be taken down. If this drive really had the secrets on it that her mysterious contact claimed, it might give her the means to finish them both off.
Naturally she had no idea if the contact could be trusted. But she knew that Infernum and the Agency were equally untrustworthy. Even Marco, someone she once counted as a friend, had become a total stranger to her. Was the devil you know really better than the one you don’t? She’d have to see where this led, it was the only way to get answers.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Excellent, welcome aboard. I believe the time has come for us to meet.”
“I’m not exactly alone.”
“Oh, I know all about Tauna. Don’t worry, Fiona will keep her distracted. And as for Mr. Marco, just follow my instructions and you’ll get out of there without him ever seeing you.”
***
Tauna swept the floor, knocking Fiona onto her back. She straddled the assassin, her fingers wrapped around Fiona’s neck. Tauna squeezed, and Fiona tried futilely to knock her opponent off. But Tauna maintained her position of power.
“Kim, shoot her!” she said.
There was no response.
“Kim?” Tauna chanced a look in Julie’s direction and saw she’d gone from the bedroom. Then she heard the sound of the door closing.
Something struck the side of Tauna’s head, something heavy. She fell off Fiona and landed on her back. Tauna blinked a few times to clear her blurred vision. Fiona stood over her. And she held the gun Tauna had earlier knocked from her grasp.
“That was pretty good.” She raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
Tauna felt a pain stab into her abdomen. Warm liquid pooled on her skin. She reached a hand for the source of the pain and saw her fingers stained with her own blood. She tried to sit up, but could barely move. Her vision blurred again and as her head became too heavy, she briefly saw Fiona pull out a cell phone.
“It’s me. Kim got away but I’ve got Infernum’s second in command.”
That was the last thing Tauna heard before the darkness overcame her.
CHAPTER 10
Julie concealed the gun in her handbag right before stepping out of the room. She had the phone pressed to her ear. “Okay, I’m out.”
“Go into the room closest to the elevator, on your right,” said the distorted voice.
“How do I get in without the key?” she asked.
“Give it a try, perhaps it’s open.”
She sighed and walked to the room. When she tested the handle, she found the door pushed open easily. Julie looked at the frame and saw something jammed into the hole, preventing the door from locking.
“Check the closet,” said the voice.
Julie followed the instruction, walking into the room and the closet
. Inside on a hanger was a uniform with the logo of a private delivery company on the back. She took it off the hanger and laid the uniform on the bed.
“When did you set all this up?” she asked.
“This whole incident was arranged.”
“You tipped off Fiona?” asked Julie.
“Put on the uniform, then take the elevator down to the ground floor. From there, you will proceed to the service entrance and a truck from the delivery company will be waiting for you. The driver is working for me. Follow these instructions to the letter, and Mr. Marco won’t know you’ve left the hotel.”
The line went dead. Julie dropped the phone on the bed and quickly changed out of her sundress and into the uniform. She wouldn’t be able to take her purse with her, but she knew the gun would definitely be necessary. Julie opened the bag and took the weapon out, in addition to an ankle holster. Placing her foot on the bed, she rolled up her pants leg and strapped on the holster. Julie placed her foot on the ground and examined the way the pants leg fell to ensure it wasn’t too conspicuous.
Julie left the hotel room and took the elevator down to the first floor. She pulled the rim of the uniform’s hat down and lowered her head a little. Once the door opened, she calmly walked from the elevator through the lobby.
Moving towards the back of the hotel, she found the service entrance and walked through without anyone casting her a second glance. There was a truck waiting behind the hotel with the delivery company’s logo emblazoned on the side. The driver stared at her and climbed out of the car as she approached.
“The back,” he said.
Julie gave a nod and approached the back of the truck. The doors were open and she climbed inside. It was completely empty, without a single parcel to be found. Julie turned just in time for the doors to shut on her.
***
“Something’s wrong, boss,” said Marco into his phone. “It shouldn’t take this long to get a drive.”
Dante’s voice came through the speaker. “Have you seen anyone suspicious?”
“Nothing. Everything looks clear out—” He paused when a sound in the distance caught his attention. Marco watched as an ambulance came into view, the lights flashing and the siren wailing. It pulled in front of the hotel and Marco approached to investigate.
Shadow Brokers (Infernum Book 5) Page 4
