Breaking the Limits: Rafe & Nicole Book 2 (10 page)

The shadowed silence in the tower room suddenly took on a presence, or maybe it was the silver streaks of moonlight shimmering in the darkened room. Nicole gave herself a quick shake, told herself ghosts didn’t exist, flicked on the lamp behind her, did some yoga breathing to calm down, lost count as usual.

But regardless of what Fiona had said, she felt as though Rafe was taking the same emotional risks; that they both had doubts, plenty of them. She also understood that it was a merciless world for Rafe right now. That every second they had together was precious.

Although, she couldn’t argue with Fiona’s long-term assessment. This shining moment wouldn’t last. It was absolutely essential she keep that in mind. Stay calm, relax, enjoy what she had. And right now, see if there was a remote somewhere ’cause no way was she going to be able to sleep after that come-to-Jesus conversation with Fiona. Ah – a remote next to the lamp. She looked around. No visible TV. So.

Flicking on the remote, she smiled as a TV rose up from the foot of the bed. Now to find a programme in English. Unlike Rafe, who spoke God knows how many languages, she was a seriously derelict linguist. A few necessary phrases in French and Spanish, that was it.

As she walked toward the bed, she warned herself to maintain a cool, calm and collected mask for the remaining days of her holiday. Avoid disintegrating into a tearful mess. Abstain from drama, temper tantrums, hysterics.

In other words, be a mature, considerate adult until Rafe left her.

Such starry-eyed optimism.

It must be love.

Chapter 10

It was nearly midnight when Rafe entered the underground rooms. Despite the hour, a number of people were busy monitoring scores of computer screens, as well as live feeds from contacts around the world. Others were hunched over keyboards, accessing data on the movements of Zou and his cohorts. Or in the case of Zou, non-movements. He hadn’t left his suite in the Shanghai office tower in two days.

Prior to his sudden departure from Unit 21986, Ganz had set up cameras in the suite’s ceiling moulding, the devices essentially invisible, the equipment undetectable with any current scrubbing techniques. Unaware of the surveillance, Zou felt secure in his suite or he would have bolted by now. He must be waiting for something or someone. He slept in his small bedroom, ate from stockpiled food to avoid poisoning. His only communications were via an encrypted cell phone that Ganz had been trying to break into for the past four hours.

Rafe came to a stop before the monitors scanning the office suite. Zou was at his desk writing in a notebook. ‘Doesn’t trust his computer,’ Rafe murmured. ‘Can we see what he’s writing?’

‘Only a word here and there,’ a technician muttered. ‘He’s shielding the notebook with his body.’

‘He’s had too many offices wired,’ Rafe said.

‘That’d be my guess. Trust no one.’

‘A survivor like him. That message is etched on his liver.’

‘Not just his,’ Carlos said, coming up behind Rafe.

Rafe turned. ‘No shit. I learned that at a young age. So what’s going on? Fill me in.’

Carlos gave Rafe a quick glance from head to toe, finger-combed hair, wide smile, unbuttoned blue shirt, shorts, bare feet. ‘Looks like you’ve been well fucked. She sleeping now?’

Rafe smiled at Carlos’ snarky comment. ‘She is. Is that okay with you?’

‘It would be okay with me if she was sleeping in her uncle’s apartment in Monte Carlo or Paris or back home in San Francisco. Then we’d have your undivided attention.’

Rafe grinned. ‘Now if only I gave a shit what you wanted. And I multi-task well, so shut the fuck up.’

‘You mean more than one woman at a time? I’ve seen you doing that kind of multi-tasking.’

‘With all due respect, Carlos, I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do, so could we cut the crap?’

‘Sometimes I wish you were twelve again,’ Carlos grumbled.

‘I was trouble then too if you recall, so tell me what’s going on. What I can do to help. Can we jack Zou out of his office and get his head in the crosshairs?’

‘Maybe,’ Carlos said. ‘I’ll show you.’ Turning, he moved toward a doorway across the room.

Ducking his head for a few moments, Rafe followed Carlos into what must have been a prison cell centuries ago. A single desk with a computer and six monitors above it was being manned by a technician. The remaining space held a narrow bed with a sleeping man, a short counter, small refrigerator, sink, two-burner stove and a microwave. A door led to a compact bathroom.

Carlos waved at the monitors. ‘Look familiar? The exterior of the Shanghai office tower from every angle.’

‘Snipers,’ Rafe said, softly.

‘Yeah. Even if Zou comes out from the underground garage in his armoured car, we have a shot. Armour-piercing rounds, one of the best men in the world behind that scope; a man with a grudge. Zou disappeared his brother. No trace, not a clue, the body was never found.’

‘Our sniper’s there for the duration then,’ Rafe said quietly, understanding the nature of vengeance.

‘Until hell freezes over if that’s what it takes.’

‘If we find Zou’s second family,’ Rafe said, studying the monitor showing the garage entrance, ‘he’ll be coming out whether he wants to or not.’

‘Unless one of Zou’s enemies can muster enough support and a large enough force to go in and get him.’

‘Wouldn’t that be fucking great. We’d just have to send flowers.’ Rafe moved closer to the desk and lowered his voice so the sleeping man didn’t wake. ‘Appreciate your help, Zander. How’re Klara and Bo?’

‘Enjoying summer at our cottage.’

‘Maybe we can get you back to Stockholm soon.’

Zander glanced up and smiled. ‘That’s what I told Klara when I left.’

‘Then we’d better make sure we don’t piss her off.’

The young IT man’s smile widened. ‘That was the message she gave me to give you.’

Rafe laughed. He’d attended Klara and Zander’s wedding two years ago. They’d married hurriedly a few days after they’d found out they were going to be parents. Klara was a programmer in Rafe’s Geneva office; Zander was Rafe’s personal computer hot-shot when Ganz wasn’t around. The couple had met at Contini Pharma’s annual Christmas party and immediately hit it off. As in, five minutes after they were introduced they were undressed and on the couch in Zander’s office.

‘Does it look like business as usual at the facility?’ Rafe asked. ‘Or is there increased activity, more people coming and going, larger contingents of military? Is Zou’s siege mentality altering the schedule?’ The building had been under surveillance since Ganz had decamped; the daily routine graphed down to the food delivery men and the occasional masseuse.

‘Definitely more activity. Carlos has the new lists of GSD, MUCD and SIGINT staff entering and exiting. Times, dates, names. Frequency of individual activities.’

‘Can we distinguish between enemies and comrades?’

‘Sometimes, not always. The alliances are fluid.’

‘How fluid?’

Zander looked up briefly from his monitor. ‘That’s the million-euro question.’

‘With Zou holed up, I’m assuming no one’s gained entrance to his suite.’

‘Right.’

Rafe glanced at Carlos, then back to Zander. ‘We have to be looking at a rapidly shrinking time frame. He can’t stay in isolation long.’

Carlos nodded. ‘One would assume Zou’s superiors would eventually intervene.’

‘Unless he keeps files on them that bite. The fact that he’s being left alone even this long makes me think he has major leverage. He has enough money abroad to buy off a helluva lot of people.’

‘Or he has critical data on who’s lying to whom, plots and counterplots, that’s keeping his enemies at bay,’ Zander added.

‘We’ll find out when Gina tracks down his woman,’ Carlos murmured.

‘Maybe sooner, right?’ Rafe patted Zander’s shoulder. ‘Thanks. I’ll check in later.’

As the door closed behind them and Rafe and Carlos entered the larger operational centre, Rafe glanced at Carlos. ‘The bank accounts next. You have a desk somewhere?’

Carlos pointed.

‘You saw Gora’s list?’ Rafe had had it delivered by one of Gora’s crew. ‘Sweet, right?’ Rafe smiled and nodded to those who looked up as they passed, gave a couple of finger gun salutes to high-fives sent his way.

‘It was fucking beautiful. The man has contacts.’

‘Agreed. Gora’s going to find men to handle half the bankers. That leaves fifteen for us. Or fourteen. I’ll talk to Balthus myself. I know how to deal with him. Did you know he’s fucking his sister-in-law?’

‘The young one?’ Carlos pulled over a chair for Rafe.

Rafe smiled and sat. ‘Of course the young one. Hugo’s a fucking creep. But she’s his wife’s step-sister. Same father, polo player, no money. It’s Hugo’s wife who has the money.’

Carlos chuckled. ‘He should be easy to roll.’

‘No shit. You’d think he’d know better than to do his little sister-in-law when he has a jealous wife. By the way, he was one of the crew who was harassing Basil at that hell-hole school in Lucerne.’

‘I thought you and Henny took care of that.’

‘As much as we could. Basil had been there for almost a year before we showed up.’ He lifted one brow. ‘Fucked-up childhoods, I know. So I figure a little more payback for Basil, we get what
we
need, and Hugo can keep fucking his sister-in-law any way he wants if he can still get it up after I scare the shit out of him.’

‘So you two have a little history.’

‘Just a little.’ Rafe grinned. ‘I’m looking forward to our discussion.’

‘In person?’

‘Course. Have to.’ Rafe grimaced. ‘Fly out this morning. About a two-hour flight. Talk to him. Be back by one.’

‘And your little sweetheart?’

‘She comes with. Don’t give me that look. What do I have left? A week? Probably less.’

‘She might rather stay here. That’s a quick turnaround.’

‘I’ll ask her.’

‘No you won’t, but she still might say no.’

Rafe smiled. ‘You can’t afford that bet. Now, let’s set up a plan for the other fourteen accounts. They have to be shut down quickly.’

Chapter 11

Gina slipped her key card into the lock of her hotel suite in Brisbane, opened the door slowly, scanned the luxurious entrance hall, stepped inside and shut the door softly.

‘I’m in here,’ a man’s voice called out. ‘You can holster your Beretta. I’m Webster.’

Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t. She didn’t answer, nor did she holster her handgun. She slid off her shoes, moved down the hall noiselessly on bare feet, visualized her target’s location from the sound of his voice, and considered her options should this be a trap. She was on the top floor for a reason. She was in the premier suite for a reason. Private elevator, private floor, security. Anyone who got in had to work at it.

She stopped just short of the end of the hall, blinked against the early morning light pouring in the floor-to-ceiling windows, took a breath, dropped into a crouch, spun around the corner and targeted the man sitting in a chair across the large room, his hands up in the air, a smile on his face.

‘Fucker!’ Gina exploded, easing up out of her crouch, her handgun still trained on the space between the man’s eyes. ‘How did you get in?’

‘There was a nice young lady at the reception desk,’ Webster said, his smile tipping the corners of his eyes upward just a little. ‘I told her I was your brother, I’d gotten in from Hong Kong ahead of you and you were expecting me to have champagne chilling for you when you arrived.’ He lifted his chin in the direction of an ice bucket with champagne on a nearby table. ‘I told her you drink any time of day. It’s kinda sad but I take care of you.’

She frowned. ‘The receptionist bought your stupid story? No questions?’

He nodded. ‘Gullible does not begin to describe Miss Kelly’s lack of judgment. We should move out quickly. May I put my hands down?’

‘We?’ She flicked up the barrel of her Beretta as he began lowering his hands and he stopped. ‘Show me some ID. One hand, slowly.’

He laughed. ‘You spies. Trust issues.’

She took her time; let him wait. ‘Tell me my original destination.’

‘Cold,’ he said, clamping back a smile. ‘Original destination, Hong Kong. Your flight diverted over India. I was already at the airport in Hong Kong when I talked to you. Do I pass the test or are you gonna pull out my fingernails?’

‘A comedian,’ she said, nothing in her voice, her expression blank. ‘You didn’t think to tell me you were coming here?’ He’d reeled off his explanation like he might have rehearsed it.

He thought about saying,
We’re both on the same side.
But he understood her suspicions so he answered, simply. ‘I wasn’t sure. I was on hold with a contact in Shanghai when I spoke to you and later, I still didn’t know if I’d land here or somewhere else. Bao Yu
is
here by the way. Face-recognition software picked her up at the mall of all places. So I landed.’ He slowly withdrew his wallet from his inside jacket pocket, tossed it on the floor at Gina’s feet and raised his hand again.

Stooping to pick up the wallet without taking her eyes off him, Gina flipped it open, scanned the ID, then him, then the photo again, slid out the card with her thumb, rubbed it. It felt real. Slid it back in. ‘So the little twit at reception really let you sweet-talk her.’

The start of a grin. ‘I can be charming.’

A flash of amusement in her eyes, gone in a blink. ‘And you look like a rugby player.’ A big handsome man, well-dressed, expensive sport coat, expensive jeans, lean, muscled, brown hair cut short military-style; she’d have to ask. He knew his way around the world of covert operations.

‘That’s because I was a rugby player.’

‘Which team?’

‘Melbourne at the last. Go Rebels.’

‘I thought you were UK.’

‘My wife. She likes Kent.’

‘Christ, so I might have been whacked by some Aussie rugby player who knows how to chat up the ladies into giving him their panties.’

‘Just a key card. I’m happily married.’

‘Yeah, I heard. Rafe warned me off.’

Webster’s brows rose faintly. ‘You into strangers?’

‘Don’t tell me a rugby player doesn’t know about strange stuff.’

‘I’ve sworn off.’ He grinned. ‘True love. It’s not just a myth.’

‘My loss. But you were such an incredible computer whiz, it turned me on. I love clever men. Relax, Rafe was pretty clear. You’re off limits.’

‘I can take care of myself. But Rafe as duenna – definitely novel. I’m getting up now. Don’t shoot. We have to leave. Zou’s hit squads wouldn’t even have to break a sweat to get past Miss Kelly and associates. I know a better place to wait for Bao Yu to surface again. You know she’s an artist, right? I thought we could scope out some galleries later. Not that I’m expecting her to just land in our net, but she was at the fucking
mall
. Seriously.’

‘Do I get a say in this plan of yours?’

‘You’re the lady with the gun. Talk all you want. But the longer we stay here, the closer Zou’s hitmen are getting. They’re in town. Zou’s babe needs protection from people like us.’

‘And from Zou’s enemies.’

‘Them most of all. So?’

‘I don’t like men telling me what to do.’

‘I heard different.’

‘During business hours, then, okay? Are we done with the gossip?’

‘You handed me that line. I couldn’t resist. Won’t happen again.’ He mimed locking his lips. ‘Now, could we get the fuck out of here? I have a life back home, a good one. Dying in Brisbane isn’t on my agenda.’

Gina lowered her weapon, shoved it back in her shoulder holster, turned and, buttoning up her jacket, walked away.

Webster caught up with her in a few long strides. ‘Where’s your luggage?’

‘In a storage locker. Yours?’

‘At the house.’ At her raised brows, he added, ‘If you fire up a computer in a hotel you might as well send out a message to the world. Even with encryption, your location’s likely to be compromised. I don’t take chances, even miniscule ones.’

‘I’ll go first,’ Gina said, slipping her shoes back on. ‘We don’t want to be seen together on the camera feed.’

‘I’ll take the stairs. What? Miss Kelly liked me. I have the code. There’s a coffee shop two blocks down on the right. Take a cab there. I’ll be at a table in the back room.’

She gave him a sharp glance. ‘How long have you been here?’

‘Couple hours this time. I did some grad work at UQ.’ He grinned. ‘Two years that time.’

‘You’re just full of surprises.’

‘I’m gonna find Zou’s babe. That’ll be my big surprise. The rest is up to you.’