The Lucifer Code (19 page)

‘I have. It might just be possible. I don’t like the idea that some mercenary force employed by an American citizen or an American corporation would do something like this.’ Waggoner shook his head. ‘But these are desperate times, and this country isn’t as well liked overseas as she has been in the past. I’m betting it’s somebody else. Somebody who doesn’t like us. We’re still coming out of the recession, and we’re overextended militarily. We’re vulnerable. Other countries are going to throw that possibility around.’

Webster let the silence in the room stretch out for a time before he said anything. ‘You know I’m there for you, Mike. Anything you need, anything at all, and I’ll do my best.’

Waggoner stared out the window, put his cup on the desk, and shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘I know you will, Elliott. That’s why I’m telling you this now. You’ve got friends over in Riyadh, and it may be time for us to call in a few favours from those people.’

Webster waited for the president to cut to the chase. It sometimes took the man a while to get to it, but he never flinched when it came to making hard decisions. Part of it was because of the military training he’d had, but part of it was due to the fact that Waggoner was a man who believed in good and evil. His weakness, as far as Webster was concerned, was that he still believed good always triumphed over evil.

‘What do you want me to do?’ Webster asked.

‘I want you on the ground over there in Saudi. I want to know what’s going on there. And I want to know it as soon as you can find out.’

Webster stood. ‘All right, Mike. Is there anything else?’

Waggoner shook his head wearily. ‘Just be careful, Elliott. I watched the sun come up this morning and I felt that somehow the whole world had changed overnight.’ He paused. ‘Isn’t that a strange thought?’

Smiling confidently, Webster dropped a hand on the president’s shoulder. ‘You just need some rest, that’s all. You get some sleep and you’ll feel better. Me and you, we’re keeping the faith. That’s what we promised the American people we would do when they put us in office.’

‘I know, I know. I keep telling myself that. You just keep your head down over there until you figure out what’s what.’

‘Will do.’ Webster shook hands a final time, then turned and left the room. He said goodbye to both secret service agents and took out his phone to start making arrangements. Between figuring out what to do with Professor Thomas Lourds and the coming unrest in the Middle East, it was going to be a busy day.

Burger King

Taksim Square

Istanbul, Turkey

17 March, 2010

Cleena sat at a booth in the back of the restaurant and tried not to feel like a voyeur as she looked at the laptop Sevki had given her before she had left his apartment after Lourds’ release from the police department. Of course, a voyeur was what she was. There was no getting round that. She was watching Lourds and his lady friend—the older college professor, whatever her name was—in the hotel room.

The problem was Cleena wasn’t the only voyeur.

‘Your professor—’ Sevki started.

‘
So
not my professor,’ Cleena interrupted.

‘Sorry. One of us was working while you were sleeping and may be a little fatigued at the moment.’

‘Spare me. I went three days without sleep working on something for you.’

‘And you were paid quite handsomely for it, as I recall.’

Cleena glanced from the laptop monitor to the restaurant’s clientele. It was late afternoon before the early evening rush. Most of the clientele would be American tourists looking for a familiar meal, or Istanbul college and high school students wanting to sample food from an American chain restaurant.

She had chosen the place as a base of operations because Taksim Square was only four kilometres from the professor’s hotel. If he went somewhere, she felt certain she could intercept him on the motorcycle she’d purchased from a black market contact. She also hoped that the men from the catacombs, if they could find the professor, would stand out in a place like Burger King.

Sevki had also given her an earwig tied into an encrypted sat-phone that also functioned, like now, through WiFi hot spots. The device felt bulky in her ear, but she had been surprised at how small it was. Unless someone looked closely, no one would know she was wearing it.
Except for the way I apparently keep talking to myself.

‘Anyway,’ Sevki went on, ‘as I was saying, the professor isn’t alone in there.’

‘I can see the woman.’

‘I know, and I must say she’s even better looking than her photograph.’

‘Focus.’

‘The room is bugged,’ Sevki said. ‘That’s why you’re getting video feed from inside the room instead of just the hallway.’

Cleena was so used to Sevki producing technological marvels that she hadn’t even realized she was peering inside the hotel room.

‘Who bugged it?’ she asked.

‘Judging from the frequencies and the hardware, I’d say it was the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Or a similarly equipped corporate security team. It’s getting hard to know whose toys are whose these days. Corporate espionage has cutting edge stuff, some of it even better than the CIA’s.’

‘The CIA?’ Cleena pushed back from the laptop a little. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’

‘As in, if the CIA has already got someone watching the professor, why do they need you? I started wondering the same thing when I locked into these feeds. I played with the idea that this might be the work of some corporation, but no likely suspects spring to mind. Why would anyone, including the CIA, suddenly develop an interest in the professor?’

Cleena didn’t like the route her mind automatically took.

‘If this is the CIA’s handiwork, the only thing I can figure you for is a fall guy if things get sticky’, said Sevki.

‘Can they catch you spying on them?’ The idea that the CIA might even now be spying on them while they spied on Lourds was unsettling, to say the least.

‘Doubtful. But look at our professor. Looks like he’s got his hands full.’

On screen, Lourds and the college professor were more amorously engaged than previously. Cleena wasn’t mortified, but she wasn’t interested in watching either.

‘Lech,’ she growled at Sevki.

‘Sticks and stones and all that rot.’

‘I was talking about the CIA catching you.’

‘Oh.’ Sevki sounded distracted, and Cleena had to admit that what she was watching was distracting, and a little more intriguing than she’d thought it would be. Lourds was evidently a man of considerable skills.

‘The CIA,’ she reminded Sevki.

‘Them. No. I don’t think they’ll find us. I’ve masked all the work I’ve done to break in there. If they even find out we’re in there, it’ll be a miracle.’

‘Can you trace their video and audio feeds back?’

‘Already done that. The trail leads back to the United States embassy offices here in the city.’

‘And … the professor has no idea he’s being watched right now?’

‘Would you be doing what he’s doing right now if you knew someone was watching you?’

Mild irritation swept through Cleena. ‘You really shouldn’t be watching this.’

‘Then who’s going to watch the professor and make sure he stays put?’ Sevki’s tone was mocking.

‘You said you have access to the video in the hallway.’

‘I do.’

‘Then you can use that to keep tabs on the professor.’

‘And miss the show? I’ll make you a deal. You turn your computer off—and I’ll know when you do—I’ll do the same for mine. Up the ante, so to speak. Do we have a deal?’

Cleena didn’t answer, but she didn’t cut the video feed either.

‘Are you using the audio feed?’ Sevki asked.

‘I’m in a public place.’

‘There’s a pair of earbuds tucked into the computer case.’

Cleena hesitated only a moment, then opened the computer case and took out the earbuds. She attached them to the computer and adjusted the volume. The sound was good. It was as though she was in the room with Lourds and his professor lady friend. The idea was faintly embarrassing but more erotic than she would have thought.

While on the flight over to Istanbul, she had listened to the audio-book version of
Bedroom Pursuits
. The narrative had been more compelling than she had imagined. And that type of entertainment definitely wasn’t her usual venue.

‘Ah,’ Sevki chuckled. ‘Aren’t you the dirty girl?’

‘Shut up.’

Eserin Crown Hotel

Sultanahmet District

Istanbul, Turkey

17 March 2010

Lourds kissed Olympia as he unbuttoned her jacket. They stood just inside the room. No one else was there, but the scent of the strange perfume he’d noticed still lingered on the air.

Breaking free of the passionate kiss they shared, Lourds gazed into Olympia’s wide-set brown eyes. ‘Do you smell the perfume?’

‘Yes.’ Olympia’s hand curled round the back of his neck and played with his hair. The sensation was incredibly delightful and Lourds knew she was aware of that. They’d been good lovers who had explored each other’s bodies well enough to know what worked and what didn’t.

‘Doesn’t that worry you?’ Lourds ran his hands under her jacket and the matching teal chemise she wore to unfasten her bra. He managed the feat with one hand, which brought a smile to Olympia’s beautiful face.

‘You’ve still got your touch, I see,’ she whispered.

‘The perfume?’ Lourds reminded.

‘And you still have a one-track mind.’

‘I wouldn’t say that.’ Lourds closed his hands over the tender flesh of her breasts and gently tweaked her nipples. ‘I’m quite capable of multi-tasking when there’s a need.’

A quiet moan escaped Olympia as she tilted her head back. ‘Oh, there’s a need. A definite need.’

Lourds grinned and kissed her again. He slid his hands across her back and pulled her close to him. He felt the heat of her melding into his.

‘The perfume could have been from a maid stopping by to turn down the bed,’ Olympia suggested. She pushed free of Lourds and gazed up at him. ‘There is a bed, isn’t there? I specifically asked for one when I reserved this room.’

‘There must be one in here somewhere. I just haven’t seen it yet.’

Olympia looked around the room. ‘If it were me, I’d guess it was behind that door.’

‘Well, then we’ll try that one. You do have a doctorate, after all.’

‘Three, actually.’

‘You’re obviously overcompensating for something.’ Lourds bent down and lifted her into his arms, then started for the bedroom door. Once inside he fumbled for and found the light switch. He turned it on and a soft glow filled the room.

The bedroom was spacious and adorned with pastel-coloured curtains and bedding. The king-sized bed dominated the room. Lourds carried Olympia towards it and gently laid her on it. When he tried to crawl after her, she pushed him away.

‘You’re dirty,’ she said.

Lourds stood at the side of the bed, only then remembering his current state. ‘You weren’t objecting a moment ago.’

‘A moment ago, we were in the living room, not in the bed where I expect to be happily entertained for the next ten or twelve hours.’

Lourds cocked an eyebrow in mock surprise. ‘You do have grand designs, don’t you?’

‘A large appetite, thank you. And it’s already been kept waiting for two days while you’ve been off gallivanting around.’

‘I’d hardly call nearly getting killed—on more than one occasion—and getting interviewed by the local constabulary “gallivanting”.’

‘An imposition, then.’

‘Most impositions I’ve had don’t include getting shot at.’

Olympia sat on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. She ran her hands across the flat planes of his chest and stomach. Years of playing soccer had kept him taut and lean. He ran his fingers through the shimmering waves of her hair, then bent down to kiss her. As they kissed, her fingers busied themselves with his belt buckle and trousers. A moment later they slid down his slim hips. He’d already been erect, and getting freed only promoted that. Her fingers closed round his erection and he shivered in anticipation. He cupped her breasts again and squeezed just enough to elicit a moan. She broke free of his lips then trailed kisses down his chest and stomach. She made him wait, his hands knotted in her hair, before she slowly, delicately, took him into her mouth.

Lourds’ knees almost buckled at the sensation. His breath came in ragged gasps and he teetered on the edge of control. He was aware she knew that, and doubtless enjoyed being in a position of power. Olympia had always been a generous lover, but she’d also been an incredible tease. Just before he begged for mercy or permission, Olympia drew back and smiled wickedly up at him.

‘Go,’ she said sternly. ‘Shower. We’ll continue the frivolity after you’re clean.’

‘Of course, my lady.’ Lourds took her hand and kissed her fingers. ‘I won’t be but just a moment.’

‘You’d better take longer than that. You reek.’

Lourds turned to walk away and very nearly tripped over his own trousers, which were down round his ankles, forgotten during the distraction. He unlaced his boots and stepped out of them, then the trousers. He glanced back at Olympia, who sat on the bed half-undone with one sleek leg tucked under her.

CHAPTER

13

Washington Dulles International Airport

Washington D. C.

United States of America

17 March 2010

V
ice-President Elliott Webster’s cellphone rang as his private limousine glided out onto the tarmac to the waiting military jet scheduled to fly him to Saudi Arabia. When he checked the Caller ID, he answered and said, ‘One moment, please.’

The limo driver parked the vehicle in the shade of the jet. Webster raised the soundproof glass that separated the rear of the luxury vehicle from the chauffeur. Then he nodded at the three secret service men who were part of his personal detachment.