The Few (The Abductions of Langley Garret Book 2) (11 page)

'For lunch?'

'Yes,' she said, as we arrived at the meeting room door.

'Are you free to join me? I think I could probably do with a debriefing after this. Even if it's just to help me remember all the names after the meeting.'

'Sure,' she said, as she opened the door. Her hazel eyes almost smiled, but only nearly.

As I scanned around the room, the only face amongst the twelve people I recognised was that of Marcus. Their eyes turning towards me as I entered – some were welcoming, but most were full of incertitude. I couldn't blame them, as I was trying to hide my apprehension from them as best I could. I wasn't Nelson and I had serious doubts that I ever would or could be. Ellen strode forward confidently and I tried as best I could to imitate her cool-headedness. But that's all it was, an imitation. I didn't feel like the leader of anything. The phrase, terrorist organisation, hit my mind again and my stomach tightened.

Once seated, I looked down the distance of the long meeting table. Ellen was on my right, with a line of six men with grim faces past her. To my left, two women dotted the line of men, with Marcus sitting in the middle of the line of unsmiling souls. Almost all were consulting their notes and files, which was probably only cover for them not wanting to look at me. I looked at Marcus and he half nodded and I although I couldn't hear, I think he sniffed. I took this as a sign of his reassurance that everything was going well. Ellen leant towards me.

'You can start the meeting when you're ready,' she whispered, as she pushed a sheet of bullet-pointed notes in front of me. I nodded my understanding, and then took a very deep breath.

'I call this executive meeting of The Sons of Cleito to order, and ask for your reports in the order of the meeting agenda,' I said, and from my notes I saw that I was to now invite the report of the financial advisor. I decided to add something of my own first though.

'Before I call on you for your briefings however, I would ask you all to stand with me, in one minute's silence, in honour of the memory of Kratos,' I said, and rose from my seat. My relief was palpable as everyone rose with me. I had the feeling I had at least done one thing right. It was a good start.

*****

Still in shock at what I had heard at the meeting, which included details pertaining to political assassinations, derailing of certain central banking policies and methods that were being considered to undermine the effectiveness of a newly elected European government, I left the meeting with Ellen, knowing that I was involved in something that was beyond my ability to imagine, let alone comprehend. Some recent events that I had read about in the newspapers took on a whole new understanding, as the measures that led to their eventuality were described in detail to me, and attributed to operations undertaken by The Few, or The Sons of Cleito. I followed Ellen, not giving a thought to where we were going, and it wasn't until we had exited the elevator back up inside the house, and walked through towards the terrace doors that I realised where we were going. I didn't say anything, but when we sat down at the small table in the alcove near the kitchen, where I'd had lunch with Nelson, I knew Giovanna would be arriving shortly.

'You did very well,' Ellen said.

'Thank you.'

'It was a bit daunting for you, I'm sure.'

'To say the least, but a lot of what was being said went over my head, so I don't know that I'm any wiser for it.'

'No one is expecting you to perform miracles. It'll take time for you to get to grips with being the new Strategos, but I'm sure you'll have the support of everyone in the organisation during the first few months.'

'And after?'

'Don't worry. You did well last evening and this morning, so I'm sure that once you understand things better you'll succeed.'

'Ah, Soter!' I heard from behind me, and stood immediately. Giovanna waddled towards me, dressed in her apron, and hugged me.

'You shouldn't be cooking for us. We can….,' I started to say.

'Thank you, but we all have to move on now and accept what cannot be changed. Now please sit down and I'll bring lunch for you.'

'You don't need to do that, really.'

'I've cooked lunch almost everyday of my life for the Strategos, and no one is going to stop me doing that. Especially not a new upstart one. Now sit down, and I'll be back shortly,' she said, smiling.

As she walked back to the kitchen, I sat back down and caught Ellen smiling too. 'So you can actually smile then.'

'I try not to. It's not good for my reputation.'

'Oh, I understand that all right. Don't worry, I won't tell a soul.'

'Thanks,' she said, with just a hint of a quarter smile. 'So should we start on your briefing?'

'I guess so. So where do we start?'

'I want to start with the executive powers of the office of the Strategos and then onto an overview of the strategic aims that are developed through the Grand Council, and how these are implemented and approved by Council. Then we can look at the various protocols that are used to enable cooperative projects with statutory and non-statutory bodies and entities.'

'And you expect to get through all that over lunch?'

'No. But the sooner we get started….'

Giovanna came and went, serving us the courses. Between the soup and the main course, Ellen filled the space with articles, codes and laws that could be enacted by the office of the Strategos. By the time we had finished lunch and Giovanna had cleared the table and served coffee, Ellen was well into policy development by the Grand Councillors. She was half way through explaining the function of the Secretary, when I caught sight of Marcus coming towards us. His face was even more ashen than normal.

'Would you like to join us for coffee?' I asked him as he neared. He didn't reply, but then sat down at the table between Ellen and me.

'There's been an incident.'

'Yes?' I asked.

'Just after midday, one of our cars was attacked just north of Milan. We're not sure if it was a device planted in the car, or whether it was hit by a propelled grenade. All we know is that we have three casualties.'

'Casualties? You mean injured?'

'All three occupants were killed.'

'Who?' I asked, and then paused. 'Oh for fuck's sake Marcus! No!' I said, in a state of shock, but somehow held back an instant desire to scream, as I suddenly realised who was supposed to be arriving today.

'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'Malcolm was with Chara, along with a local driver.'

I looked at Marcus and Ellen. Stunned, shocked and in disbelief. 'Are you absolutely certain about this?'

'Yes.'

I sat, in shock. Unable to find words, and perhaps feelings to react to it, while my heart and stomach exchanged places and sickened me. I looked at Ellen, and perhaps sought sympathy from her hazel eyes, as I knew I would get none from Marcus. If ever there had been a moment in my life when I desperately needed someone to hold me, and comfort me, it was now. Unfortunately, no such comfort was forthcoming. I breathed deeply, trying to hold back an embarrassing flood of tears. I succeeded, with great effort, but my emotions were running rampant through my body, along with pitiful disbelief.

'Are you one hundred percent sure?' I asked Marcus.

'I'm sorry. Yes.'

'I glanced at Ellen, and noticed her face was totally expressionless. I understood only too well why. It's how we all look when we're fighting hard to hide our suffering from the world.

I waited for a long silent moment, and then stood up. 'What are you…..?' Ellen started to ask.

'Someone has to tell Giovanna.'

'I can do it,' Marcus offered.

'No. I need to tell her about her grand daughter,' I said, and for some reason, suddenly started realising what had happened, and why. 'Cancel the meeting with the Secretary,' I told Ellen. 'Now, find out what you can about this Marcus, and I'll meet you in my suite in an hour. You too,' I told Ellen, before walking off to the kitchen.

Giovanna didn't shed a tear for Nelson, but she did for her grand daughter. I held her in my arms as she sobbed in anguish. As I held her, my feelings for Chara whelmed, as did my understanding.

Giovanna looked up at me, her eyes drowned in grief, as she struggled to force the words from her mouth. 'You know ….. what you have to do.'

'Yes,' I said, with barely a notion.

'She loved you.'

'Yes Giovanna, I know.'

'Avenge her death with your very own hands Soter.'

I nodded in involuntary agreement, and felt a searing pain rushing from my scrotum up through my bowels and then all the way up into my throat. Her head fell onto my shoulder, as the loss of her grand daughter painfully throbbed through her body. I held her, with rage erupting through in veins. We held each other in the long silence that followed, and with each minute that passed, I felt my sorrow being supplanted by surreal strength.

'The Few have sent you their recognition Soter.'

'Yes. I understand.'

'Did you love her?

'Yes Giovanna, I loved her,' I told her, not knowing if it was true.

'Then you know what you must do,' she said, as she stood back from me. 'And thank you.'

My face must have asked,' What for?'

'For telling me yourself.'

'It was the least……'

'No Langley, it took courage, I know. Now leave me be and do what you have to do,' she said, and I immediately registered her calling me by my name for the first time.

'Are you sure. I'll get someone to …….'

'No, let me handle this my way. I have learnt.'

'And now I have to.'

'Yes.'

*****

'So? What do we know about this?' I asked Marcus, as soon as I opened my door to his knock.

'A little more,' he said, just as Ellen appeared behind him.

'Well, come in both of you,' I said. They filed in and we sat in the anteroom.

'Well?' I asked, after we were all seated.

'It was a timed device. As best as we can ascertain, it was probably fitted to the motor compartment sometime during last night. I'm trying to narrow down who knew of Chara's travel arrangements. She flew out of Lausanne early this morning to Milan, and was collected by the car there. The driver has worked for us for a long time, but I'm checking his contacts,' Marcus explained.

'How many people could've known about this?' I asked.

'Not many. I'll have more information later this afternoon though. I've got everyone I can working on it.'

'Yes. Thanks, I'm sure you have. Now just one question for you both. Is this a message from The Few?'

'It could hardly be put down to coincidence,' Ellen said.

'I'd have to agree. Not that I have hard facts to support it yet, but if it was an act to test your resolve and your strength as the new Strategos, it was well timed,' Marcus said.

'And aimed at hurting you emotionally. If you don't mind me saying,' Ellen added.

'Yes perhaps, but that's all irrelevant now in my mind. All I want to know is who ordered this, and who carried it out.'

'It could take some time,' Marcus said.

'I don't care how long it takes. Just find out.'

'And then what?' Ellen asked, almost flippantly, and I realised that she doubted my ability to respond to the attack. I could see by the look on her face that it was a slip of the tongue; and she knew it too.

I stared at her, and felt her suffering from her lack of tact. 'Look, both of you know exactly what I've been through. You know because you were both party to it. And since then, all I have to show for meeting you both is a dead fucking wife and now an equally dead young woman, who's only sin was to befriend me. So don't either of you think for a moment that I have forgotten what you both did to me. But with that said, you can do something now that while it won't ever make up for taking away my wife, a friend, and my whole fucking life, not to mention a hand smashed to a pulp, it will perhaps give me something I want.'

The both looked at me, with their faces and eyes flashing towards each other with a vague hint of guilt.

'I want to know who did this to Chara. And not only the hand that placed this device, as you call it Marcus, but I want to know who ordered it, and who passed on the order. I want to know about every single motherfucker who was involved in this.'

'And when and if we know who was involved?' Marcus asked.

'The Sons of Cleito are not going to be led by an irresolute Strategos. I can assure you of that. Just get the information, and then I'll decide what course of action needs to be taken.'

'To avenge?' Ellen asked.

'No. I don't simply want revenge. I want whoever did this to know that there will be a very heavy price to pay for their intimidation. A price that will make them understand from the very outset, that I am Soter, the son of Kratos, and that I am of the same blood.'

'If it's The Few, as I think we all probably suspect, this could lead to something that we …..' Ellen started to say, but I cut her short.