Stefan looked down at Raimond. His older brother’s reaction to Udo’s death had been immediate and visceral. Raimond had spared Ponte, but he would unleash hell on whomever he ultimately deemed responsible for Udo’s death. Stefan’s mind had not yet internalized the news of his brother’s death. He was in denial, but it was a denial that he was strangely conscious of. He would not start to mourn his dead brother for days, maybe even weeks. Pain would find him, but later. Grief would overwhelm him suddenly and completely. During a subway ride, or while he was having a beer at a pub. For now though, he felt nothing.
The sound of a mobile phone ringing pierced the silence.
Julie lifted her head instinctively. The ringing phone was hers. Raimond jumped to his feet.
“That’s your phone, isn’t it?” he asked her.
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“My right jacket zipper pocket,” she replied.
Raimond walked around her and retrieved the phone from her pocket. He looked at the LCD screen. The caller ID was “BLOCKED”.
Raimond pressed the Talk button on the phone and raised it to Julie’s ear. “Answer it.”
“Hello,” she said.
“Julie?”
“Will!”
Raimond pulled the phone from her ear and raised it to his own.
“You are causing a great deal of trouble for everyone.”
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you and your mercenary brothers. You took someone I care about. I want her back.”
“You’re going to get her back in little pieces in a garbage bag unless you give me what I want.”
“Then I propose a trade.”
Raimond cackled. “A trade! What could you possibly trade that I want?”
“Me.”
“Interesting. What are your terms?”
“Release Julie unharmed, and I will turn myself over to you. After that, you can do with me what you will.”
“No deal.”
Silence persisted on the line for several moments.
“What do you mean no deal?”
“I will only release the girl in exchange for you and the motorcycle rider who stole you away from the Café Sacher.”
“That is going to be impossible.”
“Then the girl dies.”
“It’s impossible because the motorcycle rider you are talking about is dead.”
Raimond held the line in silence. His mind was racing. Maybe the police had made a mistake. Maybe his brother Udo was alive and it was the other motorcycle driver who was killed. Maybe this was a trick.
“There was an accident during the chase. Both motorcycle drivers were killed. I was thrown from the bike and managed to hobble away from the accident before the police arrived. I’m tired of running. I’m ready to end this.”
Raimond rubbed his temples. He could not decide if the American was deceiving him. Foster spoke with confidence and without hesitation. His answers were logical, and they did not sound rehearsed. Unless he was an accomplished liar, odds were that he was telling the truth. Raimond decided that it didn’t matter anyway. He occupied the position of advantage. As long as he had control of the American woman, he could manipulate Foster. After the trade, he could torture Foster for the truth about the black rider. Raimond smiled. He would enjoy torturing Will Foster.
“I agree to your terms.”
“Meet me at the Karlskirche Catholic cathedral at ten o’clock. I want to make my peace with God first.”
“At this hour? The church will be locked,” Raimond said.
“I have never known a priest to turn away a man requesting his last rites.”
“Leave the church when you’re done. We’ll make the trade outside.”
“No deal. I don’t trust you. If you want me, then this exchange is going to happen in front of God’s witness. When I leave with you, Julie stays behind with the priest.”
Raimond had not anticipated this little wrinkle. A man of faith he certainly was not, but the idea of killing a priest did not sit well with him. Then the voice in his head reminded him that his brother Udo was dead; unless he was a coward, nothing should stand in the way of his revenge. Raimond shrugged. He would see how it played out, and do what was necessary in the end. If a priest needed to die, then a priest would die. Karlskirche would serve his needs well. The surrounding area would be deserted so late at night. The thick marble walls would conceal the sound of any gunshots, should things get out of hand.
“Ten o’clock. Come alone or the girl dies.” Raimond hung up the phone. He turned to Julie and studied her face a moment before speaking. “It seems your charms were quite effective. Will Foster just agreed to trade his life for yours. You must have quite a mouth on you to seduce a man so completely.” He turned to Stefan. “What do you think, Stefan? Should I let her try to earn her freedom?” he said and unzipped the fly on his pants.
Stefan laughed. “Careful, women are unpredictable. And this one has teeth.”
“I can solve that problem; teeth are removable. I just need a good set of pliers.”
Julie looked up at him in terror, and he met her gaze. He took pleasure in her fear. He let her mind churn. Her skin was pale, and she looked nauseous. He smirked and then zipped up his fly.
“Come, Stefan. We haven’t much time. We need to plan for this meeting,” Raimond said as he turned and walked toward the van.
“What do you have in mind, Brother?” Stefan asked, speaking in German and trotting to catch up.
“I want you to take the sniper rifle and go to the Karlskirche in advance. Find a position in one of the balconies. Choose your location carefully. Pick a balcony where you have a clear line of fire to all locations in the congregation area below. If Foster brings help, then you know what to do.”
Chapter Forty-One
Will stared at the twin spires and ornate copper cupola of the Karlskirche from across the reflecting pool in the courtyard. Moonlight and the breeze danced a Viennese waltz across the surface of water — the reflection of the church was a grand mosaic — a thousand ripples moving in melody. Ironic that his journey would end here, at this church dedicated to pay homage to the hundreds of thousands of Austrians who had died of the plague centuries ago. It was no accident that he had insisted on this location for the final showdown with the Zurn brothers. Fifteen hours earlier he had entered the Karlskirche sanctuary and inconspicuously hidden the stolen glass vial under a wooden pew.
Special Agent Reed knew about the vials. Apparently, Meredith Morley had reported them stolen from Chiarek Norse. But in trying to extract details from Will about the location of the vials, Reed revealed that one of the vials contained a gene therapy, believed to derived from Will’s DNA, Will had responded to Reed’s questions with a lie, and said that both vials were lost when they shattered on the floor of the youth hostel. He had no choice but to lie, the remaining vial was the only bargaining leverage he possessed. Other than his life, that was. He doubted the FBI understood the true nature of his mutation; he had not told them about his meeting with Johansen. Will estimated the formula was worth tens of millions of dollars on the black market, and he was certain that even Raimond Zurn, despite all his fury, could be persuaded by that much money. If Reed and Nelson knew the vial’s true worth, he doubted their government masters would let them hand it over to Zurn, even in exchange for Julie’s life. All that mattered now was that the vial stay hidden until he could make the trade. He would do whatever was necessary to save Julie, just as she had done for him.
Albane patted Will’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”