Her cell rang, her heart sank, it was Conrad. Antoine wasn’t able to break the news himself. He had nearly lost Alex and knew how it felt.
Chapter 71
“Obviously, guns aren’t ideal on a plane,” said Joel, brandishing a knife. “If you promise to sit still, we will make it painless and some have even in their last breaths described it as pleasant, surprisingly.”
“There are two chances that’ll happen,” said Cash. “And trust me, neither is good.”
Daniel stepped forward with a .22 caliber pistol. “That’s fine, we have other options we can use on a plane.”
Cash was tapping Rigs’ knee with his, a tiny movement imperceptible to the eye, just enough pressure for Rigs to know it was a signal. One, two, a cell phone rang. Cash paused.
“Leave it,” said Joel.
Cash moved to tap a third time and they would both pounce.
“It says ‘CN’,” said the other Sicarii.
“Quick, give it here!”
“Leave it, quick give it here,” mocked a Sicarii member, tossing the cell to Joel.
Cash waited, he needed to sneeze, he had to control himself. If he sneezed and touched Rigs’ knee even slightly, he’d pounce. Cash could feel the tension in Rigs as he waited for Cash’s final signal. Cash was using every ounce of his inner strength not to sneeze.
“Everyone relax,” said Joel, as Cash released his sneeze and, as expected, his body shook and his knee made contact with Rigs’.
Rigs’ body was too tightly wound, he lunged at Joel, taking him off his feet and slamming him into one of the Iranian nukes that sat in the center of the plane. Joel’s already damaged arm slammed into the immovable metal bomb and he let out the second loudest ear-piercing shriek Cash had ever heard.
“Stop!” shouted Cash. Fortunately, none of the Sicarii moved. The hit was off and they understood Rigs’ reaction. They were men who would have done the same. Rigs whispered an apology to Joel as he climbed off of him. Joel’s arm hung loosely, the plaster cast that had held it in place dangling in pieces.
Rigs moved back and took the seat next to Cash. “Why did you do that?” he asked quietly as he sat down.
“I sneezed!” protested Cash.
***
Sophie had given up with her cell and walked back to her office to use the landline. A man stood in her way.
“You need to come with us,” he said.
“I will do no such thing,” said Sophie, walking between them.
“Your son…”
“My son what?!!!” she screeched in alarm, suddenly thinking the worst. The man could have been a detective. He had that look about him.
“Your son will be coming with us too,” said the man.
“Where?” she asked defensively.
“Please don’t make a scene, no harm will come to either of you. We have been asked to take you and your son to London.”
“By whom?”
“A friend. We have just been asked to get you to London. My colleague is picking up your son as we speak.”
“I don’t believe you. Let me call him.” She moved towards her office, but the man stepped into her path. He was large and powerful. She didn’t stand a chance. She did something Cash had taught her many years earlier. She stepped closer to him and then shot her knee into his groin. He stepped back, easily avoiding her clumsy attempt.
“Please, we can do this nicely or…”
“Or what?”
“I tie you up and stick you in the trunk.”
“There are too many people around,” she said.
He pulled a pistol from his behind his back. “This is a Glock 17, it has seventeen rounds in the magazine and I have another two magazines. One shot, one kill. Fifty-one people between here and my car can die or you can simply come with me and I’ll take you and your son to London, where I promise you will come to no harm.”
“Well, if you put it like that…” she said with every ounce of strength. She was not going to let him intimidate her. She had to stay strong. “I’ll need my bag though,” she said defiantly.
“Of course,” he said, placing his gun back behind his belt. “I need your cell phone.” He stretched out his hand.
“Doesn’t work anyway,” she said, handing it over before following him to his car with her handbag.
Ten minutes later, she was sitting next to Kyle, who had happily followed the man who had come to collect him to take him to London. She’d be having a very serious chat with her powerfully built son when she had the chance. Did he not remember ‘stranger danger’ she had taught him as a little boy?
They arrived in London as promised unharmed and were driven onto the apron at Heathrow Airport next to the royal suite, where a special area was reserved for travelling royalty and dignitaries. The car drove to the steps of a waiting Airbus A380, the largest commercial airliner in the world. Its tail bore a monogrammed logo that Sophie had seen many times before, a very classic and elegant intertwined A & N, sparkling gold in the midday sun.
A lady she had met at the Nobles’ home, Anya Noble, stood smiling down regally at them from the top of the aircraft steps.
“What’s this all about, Mum?’ asked Kyle.
“I’ve no idea, son, but I’m sure your father’s somehow involved.”
Sophie led the way and they boarded the flying mansion that was Anya Noble’s personal jet.
“And I thought the Senator’s plane was cool!” whistled Kyle.
“What’s this all about, Anya?” asked Sophie. “Those men were—”
“Unfortunately not of my choosing,” Anya interrupted, disassociating herself instantly from whatever Sophie had encountered.
“Okay, but what’s this all about?” Sophie asked again. “I really need to speak with Cash.”
“And that’s exactly where we’re going, to meet with him now. Please relax and enjoy the flight.” She turned to Kyle. “Would you like me to show you around?”
“Please,” said Kyle eagerly.
Sophie’s mind was racing. Was it just a coincidence that the second she made her discovery, her phone mysteriously stopped working and she was summoned to Anya Noble’s flying palace? And it was after Cash saved Alex Noble’s life that he got the call saying they were safe. Bertie Noble always seemed to know a lot more than he let on, she thought again. Her mind triggered the thought…the Nobles were the guardians!
Chapter 72
With some help from the Sicarii, Joel was able to talk through the pain of the reignited wound. He explained to Cash that his orders had changed. They were now to deliver Cash and Rigs along with the nuclear weapons. Their death sentences had been lifted again.
“By whom?” demanded Cash.
“We can’t tell you who the clients are but you will meet them soon,” he said wincing. His eyes flared at Rigs who sat quietly by Cash’s side.
“We’ll meet them? You’re delivering us to the people who want us dead?!”
“You are not to be harmed, not now, not ever. We can never raise our arms against you ever again,” said Joel.
“What in the hell does that even mean?” asked Cash. “You can’t raise your arms against me…”
“Our order and your bloodline have travelled through many centuries. We’re at your service, protecting you when required and it is a sacred oath that our services can never be hired against you. Your bloodline is sacred.”
Cash looked at Rigs. “The pain’s made him mad,” he said, shaking his head.
“If that’s the case, give me a weapon to defend ourselves,” demanded Cash.
Joel looked up at Daniel and motioned for him to give Cash a weapon. Daniel handed him an MP5 and some magazines.
“And for Rigs?”
Joel shook his head. Cash handed his MP5 to Rigs. Joel instructed Daniel to give another one to Cash.
Cash looked at the two weapons and the seven Sicarii who made no attempt to defend themselves. He placed the MP5 down. “There is some seriously weird shit going
on here. Are these nukes leaking?” he asked, getting a laugh from everyone, even Joel.
An hour later, they landed at Cairo Airport. Nobody moved.
“We wait, they’re not due for an hour or so,” said Joel.
“And you’re just going to give them the four nukes?”
“Of course, they are the reason we exist, if not for them there’d be no Jewish state for us to call home.”
Cash watched the double decker aircraft land, its livery somehow unsurprising. Deep down, he had known something was off.
“Figures,” said Rigs, spotting the logo.
“You guessed?”
“It’s always the rich, powerful family. Why do you think they’re always shrouded in conspiracy?” he whispered.
“Your family’s rich and powerful…”
“And I keep well clear of them.”
“But you said I was one of them, Joel?” said Cash. “I’m not a Noble!”
“I simply follow orders. My orders were very specific - you’re one of them, you’re untouchable to us.”
The Sicarii transferred their cargo to the larger jet’s hold while Cash and Rigs walked across to the steps that were being placed against the larger plane. Anya Noble appeared in the doorway as it opened. She walked down the steps and kissed Cash on the cheek.
“My son,” she said warmly and took him in her arms.
Cash pushed her off. “Your what?”
“My son,” she said, staring fondly into his face.
Even Rigs broke out of his reserved shell, mimicking Cash. “Your what?”
“We have work to do,” she said. “Come, we’ll talk as we work.”
Cash remained motionless. “I’m going nowhere, until I know what’s going on.”
“After we’re done here, I’m going to take you back to Geneva. We’ll meet up with the lovely Sophie and Kyle and we’ll talk, but we really must get moving,” she said, checking her watch. “We have a lot to cover and little time.”
Rigs registered the same hint of a threat that Cash had. She had Sophie and Kyle. He prodded the numbed Cash to follow her, boarding one of the two helicopters that were awaiting her arrival. The Secret Service were back. Two immaculately dressed security men accompanied her, Cash and Rigs. Four Sicarii were told to follow in the other chopper.
“They’re amazing buildings, aren’t they?” she said.
Cash nodded, hardly looking at the pyramids. He was still trying to compute what was happening.
“Our ancestors built them. They’ve caused a lot of speculation over the years. Of course, it helps when the rest of the bits are in place.”
Cash looked but couldn’t see anything. The Great Pyramid was shrouded in scaffolding and sheeting.
Rigs pointed to the very top of the pyramid that could just be seen as they flew in over its top. It had a bright silver capstone.
“I see you noticed the capstone, the largest single piece of silver in the world. It weighs ten tons and, fittingly, is a perfect pyramid to crown the perfect pyramid. The best conductor money can buy.”
The helicopter landed and they were shown to the entrance, the real one that hadn’t been discovered. A ramp took them up thirty feet on the opposite side to where they had entered previously. A section opened to reveal a grand entrance way more fitting of the pyramid. A gallery similar to the grand gallery led them up and into the King’s Chamber, somewhere they had not visited before, and the equipment that filled the room hadn’t been there either. Anya walked straight through and along to the Grand Gallery where Cash had fought with Joel. He had noticed the slots at the back of the ledge when he had been there before. Just empty slots. Each now had a perfectly fitting long silver spike that spiraled out of each of the holes to the ceiling high above and looped back down to the corresponding hole in the opposite wall, creating twenty-seven silver archways
Anya continued on and rather than crouching down to the tunnel Cash and Rigs had crawled through, pushed the wall to reveal a staircase down to the Queen’s Chamber below.
“It’s a bit easier when you know where things are and how to use them.” Like above, the Queen’s Chamber was transformed. Equipment filled the room, not new but not old, just different looking.
“I’ll explain it all later. I need to insert the fuel cell that will power this up for when we need it.
“Anya withdrew a small cylindrical tube from her bag, about the size a large plastic coke bottle and slotted it home into a piece of machinery that sat in the heart of the chamber. She checked it was in correctly and flicked a switch on its side. An amber light shone.
“All done,” she said.
Cash couldn’t see the tunnel they had entered from before. “Where’s the other entrance?”
“Closed. It would affect the power generation,” she said, leading them out and closing the door behind them. She placed her ring against the wall next to the doorway which resulted in the sound of a lock sliding into place.
They walked back out of the pyramid and headed over to her helicopter. “I’m afraid Rigs won’t be coming to Switzerland with us,” she announced as they boarded her chopper. Her two security men blocked his entry.
“I’m not going anywhere without him,” Cash insisted.
“What you are about to see and hear is not for anyone but you. After we’re done, if you choose to share, that will be your decision. In the meantime, these men will not harm him, I promise you that.”
“Sophie and Kyle,” said Rigs into Cash’s ear. “Go!”
With a heavy heart, Cash boarded the plane. He told himself he had no choice. He told himself that, over and over again.
The four Sicarii were true to Anya’s word. They did not harm a hair on Rigs’ head as they led him back to the pyramid and with him in it, sealed up the entrance that no one knew was even there. The normal tourist entrance had already been sealed. When the energy in the pyramid built up, it was imperative the building be sealed, such was the power that was generated within it. Why else did it need to weigh six million tons, other than to stop itself from exploding from the pressure that would crush any living thing within it?
Chapter 73
Cash was furious at himself. He had left a man behind. He understood why, as did Rigs. Sophie and Kyle couldn’t look after themselves, but Rigs could. Although it didn’t mean it was right.
Anya tried to engage with him as they flew back to Geneva, but he refused. She kept promising he would understand when they got there. He really couldn’t see how.
“Where are Sophie and Kyle?” he asked when they arrived at what appeared to be the deserted village of Anieres. Other than security guards guarding the actual village, no one was around. They walked into Antoine Noble’s chateau and Anya wasted no time in taking him directly to the library.
“Where are Sophie and Kyle?” he asked again, beginning to lose his temper. It was the only way she had gotten him to leave Rigs behind.
“Cash, I’m your mother, will you please trust me?”
“Trust you?” he exploded. “You say you’re my mother, which in itself is twisted, and even if you are, you made me believe you died during childbirth, that I had lived and you had died. Even more twisted! Where are Sophie and Kyle? I won’t ask again.” The threat in his voice brought out the security guards who were waiting in the library. Anya ushered them back out.
She pulled herself together. None of it had gone as she had imagined or dreamed about over the years.
“We should have had this talk fourteen years ago,” she said.
“Where are they?!!!” shouted Cash, wanting an answer.
Anya jumped back, shocked at the hatred in his face. “I promise you’ll see them very soon, they’re perfectly safe. Please, this is hard for me too.”
“Are the woman you love and your son being held against their will by a crazy woman?”
“I’m your mother!” she cried.
“Well act like one! Show me Sophie and Kyle and I’ll listen to your speech.”
/>
Anya had wanted the Alex moment that Antoine had recently had. She wanted the moment she had shared with her father, when she found out the truth. She wanted to share that with Cash. But he wanted his woman and his son. He just wanted to check they were safe, check that his own mother hadn’t harmed her grandson.
“Fine,” she said. She walked across to the library windows and looked down to the garden below, where the marquee that was there before had been removed without leaving a trace on the pristine lawn.
“There they are,” she said pointing to Sophie and Kyle below, standing beside a limousine.
“Thank you,” said Cash, calming down. He tried to open the doors but they were as strong as a safe. The glass was thick and bullet proof. He battered it. Sophie heard and looked up. She waved. They were fine. Kyle was fine. She mouthed something to him and then pointed to the sky, something about a planet, another planet. He didn’t understand. They were shown very courteously into the car.
“Happy now?” Anya asked, her tone not quite matching her words. “I was hoping you’d trust me. But I do understand.”
“Thank you, I’ve been frantic,” said Cash sincerely. He was aware that she still held his family. “With everything else that’s been going, you’ve got to appreciate—”
“I’m sorry. Of course I understand,” she said. “It’s just that this is a very special moment that we Nobles share.”
“Forgive me, I’ve not been one very long.” Cash smiled, straining to make it look as real as possible.
“So where were we? Oh, yes… normally we’d have this chat on your twenty-first birthday and to be honest, until a few days ago, I thought we’d never be having this chat,” she said.
Because your family was trying to kill me, thought Cash, forcing another smile.
“Let me take you down to the archives, it’s easier there.”
Anya opened the library wall, pressed her ring into the steel door, and stood back to allow Cash to enter the elevator. “We’re going down to the history of the world, the world we created,” she said proudly.
The God Complex: A Thriller Page 33
