PRIMAL Reckoning (Book 1 in the Redemption Trilogy, the PRIMAL Series Book 5) (6 page)

Roberto
scowled. “You want us in debt to a cartel?”

“It would
be better than letting those criminals level our farms and poison our water.”

Roberto
considered the old man’s words. “If we cannot do this ourselves, then we’ll discuss
it. Let’s see what the demonstration brings tomorrow.”

CHAPTER
6

NEW YORK CITY

Bishop was dining with Christina at a
restaurant in New York’s Meatpacking district. He took a sip of wine and admired
her new outfit.

She was dressed in thigh-high boots,
black leggings, a grey singlet top, and a leather jacket. All newly purchased
thanks to Bishop. Her hair was down and she wore a bright shade of lipstick
that drew attention to her rosebud mouth.

“You
think it’s safe to be out?” she asked.

“New
York’s a big city, Christina, I think we’re OK.” He’d left his cap at the hotel
and swapped his T-shirt for a white button-down shirt.

Together
they appeared to be a good-looking professional couple out on a Friday night
dinner date.

A spicy
calamari dish was placed on their table and Christina eyed it hungrily. “This
place is amazing. How did you know about it?”

The
restaurant was outfitted to resemble a 19th century Indian tea warehouse with
teak beams crossing the ceiling and raw timber floorboards.

“TripAdvisor.
It has great reviews.” He caught the attention of their waiter and ordered another
bottle of wine.

Christina
spooned some of the calamari onto her plate. “I thought you were going to keep
me cooped up in that hotel all night.”

The wine
arrived and he sampled it before giving the waiter the OK to fill their
glasses.

“So,” Christina
said before taking a sip, “are you going to tell me what you found out about
RED?”

He tore
off a piece of roti bread and used it to mop up the sauce in an empty dish. “Unfortunately,
not a lot. I did find out they’ve got links to a security company based here.”

“And you
think the goons who chased us work for them?”

“It’s a
fair assumption.” He poked the empty bowl with his fork. “I guess you liked the
calamari?”

“Sorry,”
she said with a laugh. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

“A big appetite
is a sign of good health. There’s more on the way.”

She smiled.
“Aden, I want to thank you again for what you did this morning.”

“Don’t worry
about it, you just owe me a coffee. You can get them tomorrow.”

“I was
kind of hoping to go back to my apartment tomorrow.”

Bishop
shook his head. “I’m not going to pretend that I can keep you locked up, but going
home’s not a good idea just yet. Do you have a friend you might be able to stay
with?”

“For a
few days, but then I’m thinking about going back to Mexico.”

He frowned.
“Even after what happened?”

“Because
of what happened. These people are trying to scare me off because what they’re
doing is completely immoral and criminal. I need to go back and get real
evidence. I need photos of the mine, the church ruins, and I need to interview
more of the victims.”

“These
people are playing hard ball, Christina. They’ll come after you in Mexico.”

A waiter
placed a bowl of beef curry on the table and she eyed it eagerly. “I’ve got a
friend who’ll take care of me. Although I’d feel a hell of a lot safer if you
came along. You can gather your own evidence and get the UN interested.”

“I can
ask, but my gut feeling is my boss won’t approve it. My next job is already lined
up.”

“There’s
no pressure.” She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. “I’m very grateful
for what you’ve done already. Now, let’s enjoy dinner. We can talk Mexico
tomorrow.”

***

“Can you give me a little more room around the stomach?”
Mirza asked the tailor who was marking chalk on the suit he’d ordered. “I’m
going to be doing a lot of eating.”

The
tailor raised an eyebrow and adjusted the marks he’d placed on the back of the
grey pants. His client was one of the most wiry and muscular he had ever measured
up. “As you wish.” He adjusted the pins he had placed in the hem. “All done, sir.”
He waited as Mirza removed the pants and put on a bathrobe.

“I’ll
have the suit and the three shirts delivered by nine in the morning.”

“Excellent.
Please have it put on my account along with two hundred dollars gratuity.”

“Thank
you very much, sir.”

There was
a knock at the door of the of the hotel suite. “Come in,” Mirza called out.

A smartly
dressed hotel staffer entered and handed him a paper bag. “These arrived for
you, sir.”

“Appreciated.”
Mirza handed him a crisp twenty-dollar bill and the attendant dipped his head
as he departed.

The
tailor excused himself while Mirza inspected the package. Inside he found a box
of business cards, and checked the details were correct. Putting the cards
aside, he peered into the bag, and pulled out an embossed leather box. The
container opened with a snap, revealing a Breitling Navitimer watch. It was a striking
yet functional timepiece. Crafted from the highest quality stainless steel, it
was as rugged as it was handsome. He savored the weight and snapped it onto his
wrist. The watchmaker had sized it perfectly. Mirza would have preferred
something a little more subdued but it fit the role of an investment banker.

He
adjusted the dive dial as he walked to his dresser and picked up his iPRIMAL. Accessing
a hidden menu, he initiated a secure call to the intelligence team inside the Bunker.

Paul
‘Flash’ Gordon, PRIMAL’s digital intelligence specialist, was waiting for the
call. “Hey bud, you get the cards?”

“Yes,
they just arrived. They’re good.”

Flash had
generated the business cards using the logo and details of an existing India-based
investment firm.

“Glad you
like them. Now, I’ve just finished hacking the company’s website and updated
their contacts page to include Mr. Adir Premiji.”

“So
everything’s in place for the cover story?”

“Yep.
I’ve also re-routed their mail and phones through a server I control. Any calls
or emails originating from New York will be routed through to us here.”

“I hope
you can do a convincing Indian accent.”

“Good
day, Mr. Premiji. How can I help you?”

Mirza
laughed. “That’s actually not bad.”

“I’ll
work on it. So, you going to tell me what this is all about? You and Bishop up
to something dodgy over there?”

“We’re
conducting an initial investigation into a mining company involved with murder,
kidnapping, and environmental degradation.”

“Does
this have anything to do with the girl Chua sent him to see?”

“Yes.”

“Enough
said really. Chua’s got a nose for these things. Well, Mr. Premiji, I will
check in with you later. Good luck.”

Mirza
terminated the call and logged on to the company’s website. There, under the
contacts tab, were his cover name and details. Now everything was in place all
he needed to do was contact RED and organize a meeting. Then he could relax for
the evening and maybe order some room service for dinner. After all, he did
need to fill out his new suit.

***

Bishop and Christina were in no rush when
they strolled back from the restaurant. New York was alive and bustling, and
the air was warm. It was midnight before they reached the hotel.

“Thanks for
an amazing evening,” said Christina as they reached her room. “It was nice to
escape from the world for a few hours.”

“A good
bottle of red will do that.” Bishop smiled. “Or was it two?”

“Do you
want to come in for a night-cap?”

“I won’t
say no.”

“Help
yourself to the bar.”

He
followed her into the room and opened the mini-bar. “What are you having?”

“I think
there’s a Malbec in there.”

 
Christina sat on the end of the bed as
Bishop poured some wine and handed her the glass.

“Thanks. So
what’s your story, Aden? How’s a handsome man like you single?”

He sloshed
a hefty slug of scotch into a tumbler and sat in the armchair in the corner of
the room. “I’m rarely in one place for longer than a week.”

She
sipped from her glass. “Makes it hard.”

“What
about you?”

“Had a
boyfriend when I was researching my Sudan piece but we drifted apart”

“Yeah, I
know the feeling.”

Christina
raised her glass. “A toast. To lonely souls wandering the earth in search of
the truth.”

“Cheers.”
He raised his tumbler and threw the rest of the scotch down his throat. “Now,
if the lady permits, I’m going to turn in.”

Christina
intercepted him as he crossed the room, grasping his arm. “You don’t have to
go.” She stood on her toes and kissed him.

Bishop
wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He was surprised at how
passionate the kiss was. Their lips stayed pressed together for what felt like a
minute.

“I wanted
to give you a proper thank you,” Christina said when they finally broke. She
looked up at him with brown eyes that said a lot more than just thank you. She
lifted her singlet over her head, dropped it, and unfastened her bra in one
smooth movement.

Bishop
exhaled; her body was amazing. Her shoulders and neck were elegant, almost
athletic. She had small, pert breasts, and a lean stomach.

“We
shouldn’t do this,” he said.

She gave a
sly smile. “If you’re worried about taking advantage of me, Aden, I can assure
you that’s not the case.”

“No, it’s
just I don’t have a great track record when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“I’m not after
a relationship, just company for the night.” She put her hands on her hips and
cocked her head to one side. “Or are you one of these guys who falls in love at
the drop of a hat?”

He smiled.
“I’ve been accused of that before, but this is a little more complicated.”

She pursed
her lips. “Another woman?”

He shook
his head. “Not any more. I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her gently on
the cheek and made for the door. As he departed, he glanced over his shoulder.
“I must be an idiot,” he mumbled and walked down the corridor to his room. As
he undressed he could barely keep his eyes open. Sleep came quickly.

***

Bishop
focused on the unwavering barrel of the pistol pointed at his face. “Lower the
weapon!” he screamed, his finger taking up the last ounce of slack in the
trigger of his
Tavor assault rifle
.
“Lower the fucking weapon!”

On the
floor, Kurtz was lying on his back, blood dribbling from his mouth as he held
his hands over the gunshot wounds to his chest. “Don’t shoot,” he mumbled. “Don’t
shoot.” His hands slipped to his side as he passed out.

“Bish,
we’ve got multiple hostiles following up.” Mirza’s voice sounded in his helmet.
“I’ve been hit. I can’t find Saneh.”

Time
slowed to a crawl as Bishop focused on the weapon in front of him. The slender
fingers gripping the pistol were white around the knuckles. The shooter had the
gun in a death grip.

“Bishop,
I can’t find Saneh.” Mirza’s voice was slow and distant.

He
squeezed the trigger once. He released until it reset then fired once more.

Time
raced forward and he watched his black-clad target shudder as the high velocity
rounds punched home.

Bishop
lowered his weapon and stood over the fallen hostile. He looked down at the
almost alien full-face helmet and realized it was exactly the same as his.

“I can’t
find Saneh,” Mirza repeated, a distorted sound that barely registered.

Bishop reached
under the jawline of the mask and unclipped it. As he pulled the visor away his
heart jumped. It was Saneh. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and
mouthed the words, “I love you.” Then her eyes glazed over, fixed in a death
stare.

“NO!”
Bishop screamed as he sat upright in his bed, his heart racing.

It took
him a second to realize it was a dream, but when he did, it didn’t make it any
less painful. He swung his legs out of bed, walked across to the mini-bar, and
poured himself a hefty slug of bourbon. His hands shook as he lifted the glass
to his lips.

According
to the clock by the bedside it was three in the morning. He pulled open the
curtains and stared out at the city that didn’t sleep. The dazzling lights
seemed to soothe his racing mind as he sipped from the glass.

This
wasn’t the first time he’d had this dream. Every time it was a slightly
different variation but this was the first time the girl Karla had been
replaced by Saneh.