Scion (18 page)

Andrew left the conference room where he had been holding court and
went back to his office to wait.

Ernst’s final call was to Hong Kong
.

“Mr Astor, Mr Baker wishes a conference immediately,”

Peter Astor was CEO of Asia, Australasia and South America. However, with the explosion in the Eastern economies, particularly China and India, the South American division was about to merge with the North American one, which would create Transcon Americas under Henry’s control.

Peter moved from his lounge to his study and waited.

Ernst with all five now holding pressed a button and instantly connected the five most powerful men in the world. Five men who had known each other since University. Five men who had taken an oath to do whatever it took to rule the world. Five men who had killed to get what they wanted. Five men who would do anything to protect their world.

Thirty minutes later, Walker called
Dan back.

“If you get it done with no more issues, you have a dea
l,” said Dan.

“Thank you,” replied a relieved Walker.

Chapter 28

United Airlines 922 powered down the 11,500 foot runway of Dulles International Airport. Ashley Jones had not stopped since leaving the scene of her kidnapping earlier in the morning. A race back to her house had been followed by a mad dash back to the airport to catch her flight at 9.31 a.m. As she took seat 2A, at the rear of the First Class section, she kicked herself for all the things she hadn’t done. She hadn’t cancelled her BA tickets nor checked in with her boss before leaving in case there had been any new developments. Although she re-assured herself that he would have called her had there been any.

She also realised that she had told the
policewoman she would already be there. Damn, she thought. Ashley didn’t mind spending $11,000 on her tickets for First Class but she did mind the exorbitant cost of using the sky phones, ten bucks a minute was just wrong. She knew herself it was ridiculous but principles were principles. She reluctantly lifted the phone and placed the call.

“
Parkside Police Station.”

“Can I speak to Detective Sergeant
Kelly, please?”

“I’m sorry she’s not available just now, would you like to leave a message?”

“Yes please, Can you tell her Rosie said she’ll arrive tonight and see her tomorrow. Goodbye.”

Ashley’s abrupt end to the call caught the operator off guard
. The mention of the name Rosie would set off a number of procedures but due to her hanging up, would fail. All he could do was dial Kelly’s number and reaching her voicemail, leave the message.

Twenty eight seconds thought Ashley checking her watch
. $10 per minute and $10 connection, $20, she’d check her statement. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d tried to stiff her for more money. With nothing left to do, she reclined in the large armchair and tried to sleep.

***

Kelly finished her champagne and looked across to see if Scott was still catatonic. He had not spoken to her since the call with Rosie had ended half an hour earlier. They had been allocated seats 4D and 4G, side by side, and thanks to the space in First Class they were offered some privacy from the other passengers.

“Are you sure you’re OK?” asked
Kelly.

Scott
simply nodded, his thoughts firmly on what Rosie had said. She knew who his dad was, past tense. The dad he never knew would remain so. Scott had always harboured the dream that one day his father would find his long lost son.

A hand appeared on his thigh, startling him
. He looked up to see a concerned Kelly looking straight at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You can tell me what’s wrong, it won’t go any further,” she said reassuringly.

“I don’t even know who you are,” he said despondently, “I only know you as DS
Kelly, I don’t even know your first name.”

“And I don’t know your surname.”

“I’ve told you before I don’t have one. And don’t you have a first name?”

“Jane.”

Scott smiled for the first time since the call.

“Jane?”
he looked into her eyes.

“
It suits you, you look like a Jane.”

Kelly
let the silence fall easily between them. She could see Scott was struggling to decide whether he could trust her and she felt he should make his mind up himself.

After what seemed an eternity
, Scott looked at her and said, “OK.”

“OK, what?” asked
Kelly.

“I’ll tell you about me but it’s reciprocal, you tell me about you
.”

“Deal
.”

“OK, you first,” said
Scott smiling.

Jane smiled and rose to his challenge without complaint
. “My name’s Jane Kelly, my dad was a policeman and his father before him was a policeman. My mother was a housewife. I have no hobbies or interests, boyfriends, husbands or lovers. I live for my work. It consumes me.”

“Is that it
? Your life in a nutshell?”

“All twenty eight years,” replied
Kelly with a sigh.

“What a waste,” said
Scott quietly.

Kelly
took offence at her life being referred to in that way and turned away.

“No
, the husbands, boyfriends or lovers, you’re a very attractive woman, Miss Jane Kelly.”

The redness came quickly as
Kelly blushed at the compliment.

“Thank you,” she replied
bashfully. “So come on then, what about you?”

“Not quite as simple
. My mother and I were shipwrecked just off the coast of the island of Borneo. I don’t know why we were the only survivors but can only assume it may have been that my mother could swim. Amazingly, most of the seafarers in that part of the world can’t. Anyway, I’m told we spent days at sea before finally washing ashore on a small remote island. The islanders were wonderful and immediately took us under their wing. My mother was very weak and didn’t recover. She died a few weeks later. I was only three months old. The islanders had offered many times to take my mother to the mainland for help but she had begged them not to, only saying that her life and mine were in danger. She begged them to raise me as their own and made them promise her that they would. Not thinking she would die, the elder of the island agreed, thinking it would calm her down and let her rest. The next day she died, it was almost as though his promise allowed her to die in peace. The elder, having made the promise, could and would not renege on it. I was taken into his house and raised as one of his own and am in his eyes his son. The only details my mother left were the name of a lawyer in Singapore. Papa, my adoptive father, contacted the lawyer but he simply took contact details for Papa and informed him the only thing he had was a letter that I would receive at a later date. He knew however it did not contain any detail as to who my mother was nor who my father was.”   

“
God, I’m so sorry.”

“That’s OK
.”

“But Rosie knows who you
r father is?”

“Was.”

“Oh.”

“But the islanders are wonderful and treat me as the
ir own,” said Scott more cheerfully.

“So what’s
the link to the Prime Minister?”

“That’s something we can’t discuss but
let’s just say I sort of work for him.”

“Oh
, OK,” replied Kelly struggling to hide her disappointment.

“Time for sleep, I think,” replied
Scott reclining his seat into a fully flat bed, the discussion having reached a natural end.

Kelly
wasn’t ready for sleep, her mind still racing as to who the mysterious Scott really was. With no one else to talk to, she picked up the sky phone and dialled her messaging service. She had three messages. One told her Harris was OK, nothing more than a slight concussion, her second was her mum asking when she’d be home for dinner and the third was the message Rosie had left via the police station which told her nothing more than she already knew which was strange.

Hong Kong was a blur
. As the doors opened, Scott and Kelly had to sprint to catch their connection, jumping on board the Dragonair flight with only seconds to spare. Scott was becoming increasingly nervous as he took his seat. In three hours, he would find out who his father was.

Chapter 29

As flight UA922 taxied to the jetway at Terminal Three, Ashley switched her phone on. The familiar welcome tone from Nokia was followed by the tell tale messaging sound. She quickly opened the text and found she had three voice messages. The gaze from the stewardess warned her to not even try using the phone before the door was opened but Ashley couldn’t care less. Her DIA badge sat ready to ward off even the most scary of the stuck up waitresses. As she dialled the number and put the phone to her ear the stewardess immediately rose and walked towards her. Ashley let her get all the way next to her before flashing the badge and mouthing ‘back off’.

As she listened
, the first message caught her attention. One of her colleagues had called just after her flight had left to ask if she had any idea where Jackson could be. He hadn’t been seen since he had climbed aboard a mysterious helicopter just after he had spoken to Ashley. Ashley knew this was major. Jackson was head of the SSB, the most clandestine unit of all the US’s intelligence operations. His location was tracked at all times. If he had been kidnapped and was being tortured, the lives of hundreds of agents were at risk. Alarm bells would be ringing across the intelligence community as they tried to understand which operations could be compromised and decisions made as to which of those should potentially be cancelled. 

The next call she hoped would tell her he was OK and it had all been a huge
misunderstanding. Unfortunately, it was not. The next call was actually concern over where she was. She had not responded to the earlier contact and she was now considered missing. Could she please call as soon as she received the message as a matter of urgency. Oh shit, Ashley thought. That call had been over four hours earlier. Before calling in, she checked the third message, hoping Jackson had been found.

It wasn’t, the third message was the most shocking of all
. It was one of her colleagues calling to let her know that Jackson’s body had been found. One bullet had killed him instantly and the time of death suggested it was not long after his disappearance. Concern over operational integrity had been reduced but not discarded. However, Ashley’s disappearance was raising eyebrows and lots of questions were raining down from on high. The message went on to say that even the Secretary of Defence had been asking questions. The final comment from her colleague was that there was some very strange shit going on and wherever Ashley was, she should watch her back.

Ashley
walked off the plane in a daze. The news of her boss’ death was hitting her hard. She didn’t even notice the two men standing at the end of the jetway, at least not until they each grabbed one of her arms.

“What the hell are you doing
?” protested Ashley loudly struggling against the men’s grip. They were taking no risks and were most definitely going to leave bruises behind as they refused to let go.

“Don’t do that Miss Jones, there’s no need to make a scene.”

“Make a scene! Let go of me right now!”

“We’re FBI officers,” the man on her right flashed his credentials
. “Please don’t struggle.”

Ashley relaxed and as she did their vice like grips relaxed also. Although only enough to minimise bruising
.

“Do you know who I work for?” she asked
.

“Yes
we do and our orders are to get you back to the US asap.”

“On whose orders?”

“A warrant has been issued for your arrest, your flight details were picked up and we were sent over from the embassy to escort you home.”

Ashley stopped walking and pulled away from both men,

“Arrested for what?”

“Murder.”

“Of who?” she asked in disbelief.

“Brigadier General Robert Jackson.”

Ashley just looked stunned and refused to move. A third man joined the group and motioned for them to enter a doorway near the jetway, a set of stairs led to the tarmac below.

Ashley pulled back harder,

“I’m not going anywhere. We’re not in America, you can’t just pull me off a plane and detain me in a foreign country.”

The third man stepped towards Ashley and made a point of invading her personal space, spittle from his mouth sprayed onto her face as he spoke
.

“You forget we’re not anywhere, we’re
airside in an international airport terminal. You will be refused access to the UK as you are currently wanted for murder. Now you can come with us quietly or not, it doesn’t bother us.”