Shadow Brokers (Infernum Book 5)

by Percival Constantine

  “Compromises have to be made.”

  “Oh, I’m well aware of that. But there are some lines we won’t cross.”

  Dante looked down at the teenage girl. She’d been staring at Morimoto’s body ever since he hit the ground. And Dante could tell from the look in her eyes that she was quite pleased with her work.

  “What’s your name, love?” he asked.

  She met Dante’s gaze and replied in a soft voice, “Tauna.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “Dante saw to it that Tauna was well-educated, given a good life,” said Virgil. “But a few years later, when she turned eighteen, she wanted to work with him. He knew even that night in the bar that she was like him. So, he began to train her personally.”

  “Interesting story,” said Julie. “Although I’m not sure what that has to do with why you were forced out from Infernum.”

  “That night was the beginning of the end,” said Virgil. “That was the night Dante first took initiative without my input. With Morimoto he had a point, of course. If we were going to be better than the Cabal, we couldn’t become just like them.”

  Virgil stomped out his cigarette and lit a fresh one.

  “I tried to follow him. Allowed him to take the lead and served mostly as counsel. But even though Infernum’s power and influence was growing, Dante was making a lot more enemies than friends. I warned him that things were becoming dangerous, of course. And it became clear that Dante was coming to the point where he had no further use of me.”

  “What happened?” asked Julie.

  “I was to meet with some contacts in the Middle East. But while my plane was over the Atlantic, it exploded,” said Virgil. “A bomb hidden onboard by Dante.”

  “But you survived.”

  Virgil nodded. “I did. Wound up on the shores of Africa. With Dante thinking I’d died, I decided to earn back everything I’d lost. I worked as a mercenary for several years, slowly amassing wealth and a client list. My face was pretty damaged in the explosion, so I had a surgeon give me a new one.”

  Virgil ashed the cigarette in the tray and took another drag.

  “I watched from the shadows as the Cabal and Infernum waged their little war against each other. They kept each other quite distracted, which made it possible for me to accumulate intel. It took years of work and analysis, but I’d started making connections and reaching very interesting conclusions.”

  “The drive,” said Julie.

  Virgil nodded. “On that drive is not only a record of every criminal enterprise the Agency has been involved with, but most important of all, it contains the identities of each and every member of the Cabal.”

  Julie’s eyes widened. Dante assumed the drive contained valuable information that could bring down the Agency. But something this vast? It was far beyond either of their wildest dreams.

  “The Cabal is composed of the most powerful men in the world,” said Virgil. “Politicians, captains of industry, heads of state. If you knew the names of the men who make up the Cabal’s inner circle, you wouldn’t sleep so well.”

  Julie rested the gun on the table. “So what are you going to do with those names?”

  “If these people were eliminated, it would completely shift the balance of power in the world,” said Virgil. “Tear down the old system, leaving a new to rise in its place. By destroying the Cabal, we can destroy the forces that have been tearing this planet apart.”

  “And Dante?”

  Virgil leaned back in his chair. “Though he detests it, Dante is very much a product of that same system. If he were to take down the Cabal, do you think he’d simply dismantle the empire?”

  Virgil was right. Julie’s years of study of Infernum may not have been as comprehensive as she would have liked, but there was one thing she knew for certain—Dante loved power. If he came within reach of power of that magnitude, he wouldn’t walk away. He couldn’t.

  “You’re right, he’d take all that power and influence and make it his own,” said Julie.

  “He has good intentions, of course. But he doesn’t know how to do things other than to perpetuate the same kind of system, just with someone different calling the shots,” said Virgil. “At one point, I felt the same way as him. It’s why we started Infernum. If only we had that kind of power, imagine everything we could do. That was our conceit.”

  Virgil stamped out the cigarette.

  Julie gave a sigh of exasperation. “I’m sorry, but none of this makes sense. If you’re so worried about Dante getting hold of this power, then why did you tip him off to the drive’s existence in the first place? You could have just come to me without letting the Agency or Infernum know what was going on. Hell, you could have done it yourself.”

  “If the Cabal were to collapse while Dante is still in charge of Infernum, he would easily swoop in and fill the vacancy,” said Virgil. “Both need to be eliminated, simultaneously.”

  “So you draw them all towards you and then what? How will you use the information?” asked Julie. “How will you get rid of them? And how will Dante fit into that?”

  “You may think of Dante as something more than a man. Something inhuman. But he’s still just a man. And like any man, he has buttons that can be pushed which will make him act out of emotion as opposed to logic.”

  “That’s why you told me the story about Tauna,” said Julie. “Not only did it set the stage for Dante’s coup, but it also explained just how much she means to him.”

  “Like myself, Dante had no family. We were products of the system,” said Virgil. “Makes sense, you see. Quite easy to twist maladjusted orphans into triggermen. Give men who have nothing to lose a cause to fight for, and they will devote every fiber of their being to it. In many ways, Dante’s done the same to Tauna, though he probably doesn’t even realize it.”

  “Now the Agency has Tauna and you have Draconi,” said Julie. “Dante’s two weak spots.”

  “His surrogate father and daughter,” said Virgil. “Dante can’t think rationally while their lives are in danger. He’ll go after them both.”

  “And what’s my part in all this?” asked Julie.

  “I’ll have my hands full when Dante comes calling, so I need someone I can trust to handle a very important task.”

  “Why would you trust me?”

  “Because you’re like me—you hate them all.” Virgil reached inside his jacket and produced a flash drive. He placed it in the middle of the table. “Take it.”

  Julie reached across the table and picked up the small drive. She studied it, then cast a questioning glance at Virgil.

  “That’s the encryption key,” he said. “It will open all the files I have on the Cabal. But it comes with a caveat.”

  “And what’s that?” asked Julie.

  “The information is flagged,” said Virgil. “The Agency collects data from all over the world. If the names of any senior Cabal members appears in connection with criminal matters, it’s a red alert. The second you decrypt that data, you’ll paint a target on your back and the Agency will come down on you with the full force of their organization. But there is one other benefit—an information release of this magnitude will force the Cabal to hold an emergency meeting. They’ll all be in one place.”

  “Meaning you can kill them all at the same time,” said Julie.

  “And that is the plan,” said Virgil. “Their empire will be made public to the world and they’ll be eliminated.”

  “So that’s why you need me,” said Julie. “I’m your scapegoat.”

  “Harsh way of putting it.”

  “Why tell me?” she asked. “You could have just given me what I needed to know, then I’d have ignorantly done just what you wanted. But by revealing all this to me, you have no guarantee I’ll do it.”

  “True, I don’t,” said Virgil. “But if you decrypted that data without knowing what was on it, you might be eliminated before you could use it. By informing you of the risk, it enables you to make preparations to ens
ure it gets out into the open.”

  Julie looked at the flash drive. Going along with Virgil’s plan meant she was putting her head on the chopping block. But if it meant getting rid of the Cabal and Infernum, if it meant finally getting justice for Christian, for Angela, and for everyone else who got swept up in their war, then she knew there was only one choice.

  “When do we start?” she asked.

  CHAPTER 14

  Dante stood at the front door of the mansion, watching as Marco’s car pulled into the cul-de-sac. It came to a stop and Marco turned off the engine, instantly jumping out and slamming the door shut. He quickly ascended the steps.

  “What the hell happened?” asked Dante.

  Marco shook his head. “I was watching the front, just like we talked about. Seemed to be taking a lot longer than it should have. Someone reported that Tauna tried to kill herself. Paramedics came, two went up to get her, three came down.”

  “Fiona was waiting for them,” said Dante.

  “That’s my thought, too. Which means the Agency has her.”

  Dante grunted. He pivoted on his heel and walked through the double doors and through the house. Marco followed him out to the terrace where Dante began to pour a fresh scotch into his glass.

  “So what are we going to do?”

  “First, I’m having a drink,” said Dante. “And you’re going to tell me what else you found at the scene.”

  Marco sighed. “Not a whole lot. I went up to the room but didn’t find any clues. Bribed my way through to have a look around the crime scene, told them I was a reporter. Safe was empty.”

  “So either Fiona or Julie has the drive.” Dante took a long gulp of the scotch. “Any word on the elusive Ms. Kim?”

  Marco shook his head. “None. She’s not answering her phone.”

  Dante took another sip and set the glass on the table. He reached into his pocket and produced a smartphone, quickly checking messages on it. After reading them, he shook his head. “I’ve some allies of mine checking the airport. They don’t know of anyone matching Julie’s alias or description trying to leave the country.”

  Dante placed the phone back in his pocket and looked up at the sky, his mind working through a potential theory. He rubbed his chin as he thought.

  “You didn’t see anyone go in. Which means it’s likely Fiona was there waiting for you,” he said.

  “What do you—” Marco stopped. His face went ashen for a moment and then he shook his head. “No, no way.”

  “Think about it,” said Dante. “After Russia, Kim knew you were the mole. She somehow ends up in possession of that drive—maybe what she said on that front is true or maybe she did steal the information—but either way the result is the same. Now she has a way back into the Agency. She trades the mole for her own security.”

  “She wouldn’t do that,” said Marco.

  “Fiona knew where to wait. And if she was able to take down Tauna, that suggests Kim didn’t come to Tauna’s aid. Now, Kim’s missing and Tauna is a prisoner of the Agency.”

  Marco sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He kept shaking his head, mouthing the word no. He didn’t want to believe he’d risked so much for a friend who would stab him in the back. But it did make a certain amount of sense. Julie must have suspected that Marco was responsible for tipping Infernum off to Christian. This could easily be her way of exacting vengeance.

  “Let’s put a pin in the whole Julie theory for now,” said Marco. “We still have the matter of Tauna being a prisoner of the Agency.”

  “Agreed,” said Dante. “Where do you think she is? Think, what would the protocol be in a situation like this?”

  “Protocol doesn’t mean a whole much here, not when dealing with someone like Tauna.” Marco paused, his eyes perking up as a thought occurred to him. “Wait…Fiona isn’t Agency, right? She works for Venom.”

  “Yes, and?”

  “Do you have a computer?” asked Marco.

  Dante nodded and walked towards the entrance to the house. He motioned for Marco to follow him. They entered a study and on the desk was a laptop computer. Marco sat in the chair and raised the lid.

  “If an independent contractor is granted access to an Agency facility, a temporary ID is issued. And that access is kept strictly limited.”

  “How does that help us?” asked Dante.

  “Every ID has a code, right? So the code will be newly generated and restricted to only a single facility.” Marco went to work on the computer, using his Agency credentials to access the database logs. A list of numbers appeared on the screen and Marco looked through the list. He pointed to one at the top.

  “That it?” asked Dante.

  “I think so,” said Marco. “Newly created ID, only access point is a facility in northern Florida. My guess would be that’s where they’ve taken Tauna.”

  “Then that’s where you’re going.”

  Marco looked over his shoulder. “You mean us, right?”

  “No, I mean you.” Dante moved away from the desk, taking his phone out of his pocket. “There’s still things to deal with here. I believe that Kim’s mysterious informant and Draconi’s kidnapping are connected.”

  “And it’s more important than Tauna?” asked Marco.

  Dante froze. He lowered the phone and slowly turned to face his operative. His eyes took on a far more sinister quality as his gaze burned a hole into Marco, so much so that Marco had to look down at the floor.

  “Do not go there.”

  “I’m sorry, I just meant…” Marco sighed. “I don’t know what I meant. I’m just frustrated. Breaking into an Agency facility is not easy even with back-up. Without, it’s pretty much impossible. I can’t do this without your help.”

  “You’ll have help.” Dante returned to his phone and continued composing the message he’d begun earlier. “Jackal can handle computer support and I have a man who can accompany you inside. It’s who I’m contacting right now.”

  “Who is it?” asked Marco.

  “Someone who will prove quite reliable, especially given the parties involved.” Dante sent the message and put the phone in his pocket.

  “What do you want us to do once we get Tauna clear?”

  “Contact me. By that point, I should have further instructions.” Dante’s phone beeped. He checked it and smiled. “Our man has agreed to the job. He’ll meet you at the airfield in Florida.”

  “And what will you do?” asked Marco.

  “Stay here, continue digging,” said Dante. “I think I may have figured out what’s going on."

  CHAPTER 15

  Tauna felt sick.

  She opened her eyes and as her vision slowly came into focus, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Tauna tried to move her hand to get a better feel, but her wrists were cuffed behind her back. She sat in a chair, her ankles cuffed to its legs. The room was sterile and small, pure white with a fluorescent light above her.

  She looked across from her and saw she was facing a mirror. Two-way, obviously. To her left was a heavy, metal door. No other exit.

  Tauna tested the chair and found it wasn’t bolted down. That was something at least. If she could get free of her bonds, she might be able to use the chair to shatter the mirror.

  The pain in her side persisted. She felt there was something between her flesh and her shirt—bandage. She remembered the battle with Fiona. Julie abandoned her. And then, Fiona shot her. And that was the last thing she remembered.

  A buzz. Tauna looked at the door as it opened and two people entered. One was Fiona. She folded her arms over her chest, wearing a gun in a shoulder holster. The other was dressed in a white suit and wore a patch over one eye. His hair was short and silver and he walked with a cane, topped with the head of a cobra.

  “Good day, Tauna. I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  “Johnny Venom,” said Tauna. “Soon as we realized Fiona was involved, we knew you had to be, too. You and the Agency are working togeth
er again, huh?”

  Venom walked in front of Tauna, standing between her and the mirror. He leaned on the cane, although he didn’t need it to walk. Just for show and it concealed a sword. Fiona moved behind Tauna, but the Infernum assassin could still see her in the mirror.

  “You and Dante have crossed lines this time,” said Venom. “Up until now, your existence has mostly been tolerated. But the incident with Fury, then keeping Samarin from us, and now this drive. Your existence has become too costly to tolerate.”

  “So they told you. Would have thought something like that drive would prove useful to a man like you,” said Tauna. “You’re a born opportunist.”

  “I’m also interested in self-preservation,” said Venom. “Now where is the drive?”

  Tauna laughed. It started small and quickly became louder. With each second Tauna’s laughter persisted, Johnny Venom’s angered expression grew. He backhanded her and she stopped. Tauna spit on the floor and looked up at him.

  “You didn’t know, did you?”

  Venom cocked an eyebrow. “Know what?”

  “The drive was in that room. Did you even think to check the safe?”

  Venom turned his gaze up to Fiona. Tauna watched the assassin’s expression in the mirror and could tell Fiona was mentally kicking herself. Tauna chuckled once more.

  “He told you Kim and I would be there, didn’t he?” she asked. “Told you that if you managed to get your hands on me, I could tell you how to get the drive. But while Fiona was busy with me, Kim managed to open the safe, take the drive, and get away.”

  Fiona circled around so she was now staring down at her prisoner. Tauna met her gaze and smiled.

  “You sure know how to keep track of your priorities.”

  Fiona gritted her teeth and slammed her fist against Tauna’s cheek. Tauna’s head rocked to the side and she felt the pain radiating through her jaw. She smiled and Fiona delivered another punch.