Trigger Page 20

  “How can you not know why they’re after her?” Chase seemed amazed.

  “I’m sorry to say that I have exhausted my resources in this matter. If you want to know why they’re after her, I suggest you start in Sevilla. The only other useful information I have is that they have engaged Vlad. I don’t need to tell you what that means.”

  “I don’t know what it means! Will someone please tell me?”

  Niko and Chase exchanged a look before Niko spoke. “The operative named Vlad has a reputation for ‘fixing’ situations permanently. He makes no mistakes and he never fails. When he is called in, it’s because someone wants a job finished with no loose strings. More importantly, he’s a ghost. No one knows who he really is.”

  “What kind of name is Vlad?” I knew I would not like the answer but the question felt like it was searing a hole in my brain.

  “It is rumored that he is Eastern European. He is often referred to as the Hungarian, but it is said he styles himself Vlad. Some say he took the name in homage to Vlad the Impaler.” The attractiveness of Niko’s voice somehow made what he was describing sound even more horrific.

  “It hasn’t changed to a kill order, has it?” Chase asked Niko. His demeanor was disturbingly calm.

  With those words, my heart seemed to be getting bigger as it beat faster and faster. I fought for focus and gradually got it back. Freaking out was not going to help. I needed to pay attention to what they were saying.

  “No,” was Niko’s quick response.

  I could feel my racing heart start to slow down as I let out a breath.

  “You really have no idea why they’re after her?” Frustration filled Chase’s voice.

  “No.”

  “You and I both know what kind of company Mirkos is.” Chase was emphatic. “I have to know why they want her if I’m going to stop them.”

  “Tell me, my friend, why is it so important for you to stop them? No offense, my dear, but this is very unusual for him.”

  Chase met Niko’s challenging stare steadfastly. His expression said nothing and everything at the same time.

  “I need your help, Niko.”

  Niko gave me a hard, calculating look. I could almost hear the wheels spinning in his head. His intensity was unnerving.

  Niko finally started to talk. “The order came down from the highest level, with the utmost confidentiality. They wanted the whole thing to be extremely quiet, especially after Aerial became involved. They brought in Vlad because he is like you in that he always accomplishes his goal no matter what it takes.”

  I sat fixated on Niko. What he was basically saying was that two indomitable foes would now be facing off, over me.

  “I haven’t seen anything like this in decades. This is the first time I’ve been almost completely shut out when trying to find out information. I don’t know if it just isn’t out there or if it is something else, but I don’t like it. She must be of great importance to someone for them to go to this much trouble.”

  “Trap?” Chase asked.

  Niko eloquently shrugged one shoulder to indicate that it was a definite possibility.

  “It’s just so hard to believe you can’t find out anything more.”

  “Believe me, I’m not comfortable with my lack of information. For years I’ve always been one step, if not three or four, ahead of everyone else. I don’t like to be flying blind on something like this.” A crack in his façade revealed the depth of his exasperation. “The fact that I can learn nothing makes me concerned for what is really going on. It also makes me concerned for you, my friend.”

  “It worries me too, Niko,” Chase said quietly.

  “Where are Max and the other girl? I expected them to be with you after your communication from Nice.”

  “We separated on our way to the station in Nice. There was trouble on the train right before it departed, so we weren’t able to look for them,” Chase explained.

  “Do you have a rendezvous point?”

  “Yes.” It was clear he didn’t want to say where that location was.

  “I see.” Niko seemed to respect that Chase didn’t want to divulge details. “If we cross paths, I will let him know that you’re well. I can also let him know where you’re heading if you do indeed go to Sevilla.” He was obviously wondering what we were going to do.

  I was curious about the next step as well. Should we go into the lion’s den to find the answers we both so desperately wanted, or head in the opposite direction? Perhaps the safest place to be would be right under their noses until we figured out how we could stop them.

  Chase scanned the crowd thoughtfully. “If you speak to Max, let him know I’ll contact him in the usual way. Have you heard anything pertinent out of Interpol or any other agency?”

  “Nothing. At first, they attributed the incident in Italy to mob violence. Then, just in the last few hours, the information coming out of Italy changed. Jordan’s name and picture, along with her friend’s, were circulated. There was also a vague description of a third person. A male, who was considered extremely dangerous.” He shot Chase an unreadable look.

  I thought it was interesting how both he and Chase kept referring to the incident in Italy. They treated it like a small traffic violation rather than a shoot-out in which multiple people had been killed.

  Chase shot a look at me. “When she was in Rome, Jordan met some investigators from the Guardia de Finanza. They were in Monterosso when Mirkos tried to kidnap her. One of them showed up again as we were making our way out of town. He was the first on the scene, and one saw us getting on the train. Initially, he must have held back some information about her, but I’ve no idea why.”

  “What exactly did they see?” Niko was troubled.

  “They saw the aftermath of the fight and our escape on the train.”

  “He saw you?” Niko was stunned.

  “On a moving train, from a distance, at night. The one who saw me has a special interest in Jordan. I believe he was trying to protect her by holding back information until now.”

  “Interesting.” Niko glanced at me with measuring eyes. “It seems you have made quite an impression on a number of people, young lady.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should say thank you or tell him where to stick it. I opted for silence.

  “There’s more,” Chase added. “The investigator in question is now here in Barcelona. She saw him on Las Ramblas right as we were picking up the motorcycle.”

  A spark of uneasiness flared in Niko’s eyes at this news.

  “I think that he let her see him. I’ve no idea how he knew we would be here or who he brought with him.”

  Niko’s eyes held mine. “Did you get to know him fairly well?”

  “Not really.” I pointedly did not look at Chase. “My friend and I met Marcello and some of his co-workers at a restaurant on our first night in Rome. We hung out with them a couple of times. By coincidence, they had to be in the Cinque Terre for some case they were working on, so we saw them a few more times.” I could feel Chase’s gaze burning into the back of my head.

  “Coincidence?” Niko drew out each syllable.

  “That’s what they said.”

  “Did they give you any details about the case that brought them up here?” Niko wanted to know.

  “They mentioned a case that involved an international company that was involved in all sorts of illegal activity. Some of the men who worked for that company were in the Cinque Terre and they were investigating why they were there. They didn’t talk a whole lot about it. They kept saying it was safer to keep their investigation confidential because these people were dangerous.”

  As the memory of the conversation that evening by the river in Rome flooded back, I realized that the company they had been talking about must be Mirkos. That meant that they may be looking into Chase and his organization. In fact, I might be part of their investigation.

  Looking back and forth from Chase to Niko, I knew they were thinking the same thing. “They
were talking about Mirkos, weren’t they? They had to come up to the Cinque Terre because the people from Mirkos were there for me.”

  I supposed I owed Marcello an apology. It seemed that he had indeed traveled to Monterosso for work.

  Another jolt of insight struck. What were the chances that two Guardians of Finance who were investigating the very company that was after me would end up at the same restaurant I was at my first night in Rome? Crossing paths with Chase hadn’t been a coincidence. What if it was the same thing with Marcello? The Guardia may have discovered that Mirkos was after me, so they came after me as well. Whether to protect me or to use me as bait was debatable.

  I recalled Marcello’s tender looks and touches. Could he really have faked all of that? Was I just a mark to him? Marcello acted like he had feelings for me, but maybe he was just using me. I felt betrayed and more than a little used.

  “Do you think Marcello was sent to follow me as well? Was he just pretending to like me?” I asked.

  “It’s impossible to know for sure, but to believe it is a complete coincidence that you bumped into them at that restaurant is a little tough,” Chase said.

  The more I considered it, the more I thought it was probably the case as well. This sullied my recollection of my time with Marcello. All his sweet words and looks were a sham. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t in love with him. What mattered was everything he had said had been a lie. I had been an asset to him, something to be used and then discarded.

  “I would like to know how they knew that you would be in Barcelona in that particular area of Las Ramblas. Did they follow you from Nice, or even all the way from Monterosso?” Niko asked aloud.

  Something tickled the back of my brain and then words came out in a rush. “It was the conductor on the train when we crossed into Spain. He is the only one it could be.”

  Niko took in this information without comment. His hooded eyes watched me, contemplating.

  Chase was nodding that he thought I was on the right track. “If they found the two guys in Nice, the Gendarmerie could have alerted the conductors on all trains that left that station to be on the lookout for you. When the conductor checked our passports, it would have been easy for him to notify them that we were on our way to Barcelona. If Marcello and his buddies were in Nice, they could have hopped a plane and been here in no time. Then all they had to do was wait for us to get off the train.”

  It was obvious he was angry at himself, even though it really wasn’t his fault that they had found us.

  “Now what do we do?” I asked. “Do we head to Sevilla?”

  Chase glanced at me before looking back at the crowd. “I don’t think we have another choice. The only other option is to run until they lose interest in you. Although, I doubt that’ll happen any time soon.”

  He looked at Niko who nodded in agreement. “They will not stop until they get the girl. I’m sorry, my dear,” he added apologetically to me.

  His silky, rough voice was full of compassion. Despite my overall wariness and the strangeness of the situation, I found myself liking Niko. He was unorthodox, but very charismatic.

  “There is something else I haven’t told you,” Niko said quietly. Chase’s gaze snapped to Niko’s. “Your boss is very interested in where you may be.”

  Chase’s expression went blank.

  “How interested?”

  “He dropped me a note.”

  “What did it say?”

  Niko looked at him steadily. “He wanted to know if I’d either seen you or been contacted by you. He indicated that he hadn’t heard from you in a while. He was curious about how your assignment was going. He was also concerned that he hadn’t heard from Max.”

  “Is that it?”

  “He was worried something had happened to you. I doubt he would think you would go rogue over an assignment.” Niko shot a surreptitious look at me.

  “Did you tell him anything?” His voice was almost disinterested now.

  “You know better than to ask me that.” Niko was politely scornful. “I told him I hadn’t seen you or heard from you.”

  “Do you think he believed you?”

  “What he believes is irrelevant. He has no way to find out what I actually know. He did ask me to give you a message if I happened to run into you. He wants you to check in because your objective has changed.”

  Chase mulled over this for a few seconds before speaking. “He may not be able to find out what you know but he could send people to watch you. If you’re under surveillance then they may have already found me.”

  “I am appalled you think so little of me that you believe that I could lead you into a trap. I know when I’m being shadowed. I also know how to lose a tail. No one followed me here, and no one has compromised my system.”

  The confidence with which he spoke was reassuring. The way that he looked hesitantly around the balcony was not.

  “I know that you’re good, but so are they. Every once in a while if you’re good, and lucky, you can get one up on someone who is better than you.” Chase looked like he was getting ready to leave.

  Niko gave a half shrug as if to say he didn’t agree, but wasn’t going to waste time arguing the matter.

  “Is it really that bad if your own company is looking for you? Maybe they’re just concerned,” I said. I felt at a disadvantage because I didn’t have the intimate knowledge of the players that they did.

  Niko looked at me. “They sent Chase in with a mission. When he stopped reporting to them, they were bound to wonder why. Just as I have information channels all over the world, they do too. Your value to them has increased. They no longer want him to simply be watching you. They want him to bring you to them.”

  “For what?”

  Things were going from bad to worse, and I still didn’t know the basis for any of it. I wanted to scream out my frustration and anger in order to release the pressure. I focused on my breathing: one breath in, one breath out. Again. I will not freak out. I will not freak out. They will not beat me. I chanted this mantra over and over in my head.

  On that stone bench surrounded by a sea of people, I felt completely isolated. I was a hairsbreadth from complete mental collapse. Then I felt Chase take my hand. That subtle reassurance was all that I needed to remind me that I was not alone. The tightness in my chest eased and I could breathe without having to tell myself to do it. Returning to rationality, I tuned back in to what Niko was saying.

  “How can I be of any other assistance to you?” Niko asked. “If there’re people looking for you in Barcelona, we should not linger.”

  “How would they know we’re here?” I asked.

  “There are people and cameras everywhere, so it is not if they will figure out you are here, it is when. We’ve probably stolen more precious time together than we should have. To be safe, we should part company soon.”

  “Can we take the bike?” Chase asked.

  “Of course you may.” Niko didn’t hesitate. “There are some items you may find helpful in the storage compartment.”

  “That is one of the things I like about you, Niko: You plan ahead.” Chase smiled slightly, but was obviously distracted.

  “Where should I begin looking in Sevilla?”

  “I suggest you start at the Café Alcazar near the cathedral. A lot happens at that café. Things you may, or may not, want to get involved in.”

  Chase stood up, pulling me with him. “It looks like our time is up.”

  I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but if he said it was time to go, it was time.

  “Good luck, my friend.” Niko rose to clasp Chase’s hand firmly in his own.

  Niko turned to face me. “Good luck, young lady. It was nice to finally see what this brouhaha was all about.” He bent at the waist while brushing his lips across the top of my hand. His green eyes were warm, but tight around the edges with tension. Releasing my hand, he turned smartly on his heel and disappeared into the crowd without looking back.


  “We have company,” Chase said as he led me in the opposite direction from which Niko had gone.

  “Where?” I asked as we reached the far side of the observation area.

  “Behind us,” he said, picking up the pace.

  Hustling down a trail lined with trees, we bypassed the crowded main stairs. Tall pillars shaped like enormous plant holders were a blur as we raced along. We were forced to weave our way around startled tourists on the crowded path. Abruptly, Chase veered off the path to the exterior wall.

  “Up and over,” he instructed, turning so his back was pressed up against the wall.

  It was a big wall but there was no time to question the plan. I placed one foot in his interlaced hands and pushed off the ground with the other. With the added boost from him, I was able to pull myself up to the top. The rough stone scratched my hands and bruised my knees. I ignored the discomfort, dragging myself upward until I straddled the fence.

  I leaned down so Chase could clasp my outstretched hand. The combination of him jumping and me pulling was enough for him to be able to haul himself up next to me. Just as he swung his leg over, two men raced to the base of the wall below us. One was shouting into a cell phone as the other started to try to climb after us.

  Chase swung his other leg over, dropping down to the ground. I pushed myself off the wall, landing next to him. Chase took off in the direction of the bike with me right behind him.

  Several men in dark clothes ran out of the park entrance, looking up and down the street. As soon as they spotted us they headed in our direction. The police near the gate recognized that something was up. They started to follow the men who were chasing us. One cop made frantic hand gestures as he spoke into his cell phone.

  Reaching the bike, Chase started the engine. Just as I climbed on behind him, I heard the distinct click of a gun being cocked inches from my head.

  “Not so fast,” a familiar voice said.

  CHAPTER 14

  I TURNED TO FIND Marcello standing with a gun pointed at Chase.