‘The control tower has informed me that your transportation has already arrived. It is waiting for us on the tarmac.’
Payne frowned. ‘Transportation? What transportation?’
‘Did you call ahead?’ Jones asked.
‘No,’ Payne said as he glanced out the window and spotted a black town car. A burly chauffeur stood at its side. ‘The driver looks like a bear.’
Jones cursed as he unbuckled his seat belt. After a long nap, it wasn’t the response he had hoped to hear. In a flash, he lifted the cushion off the bench seat. Hidden underneath was a private arsenal. He selected a pistol and handed it to Payne. Then he chose one for himself.
‘Wait!’ Sahlberg said. ‘Don’t do anything rash! I think they’re here because of me.’
Jones nodded. ‘That’s why we’re going to shoot the bastards.’
‘No,’ he pleaded as he stepped in front of the duo. ‘You don’t understand. I let them know we were coming. They’re here to help. They’re not a threat.’
‘What do you mean?’ Payne demanded.
Sahlberg tried to explain. ‘Just because I’ve never been here doesn’t mean I don’t know people who live in the area. You have friends at Pendleton. I have friends in La Jolla. People who can help our cause.’
‘Scientists?’ Jones asked.
Sahlberg nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Friends of Berglund?’
‘Some of them.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ Jones said as he checked his ammo. ‘Jon, I’ll head out first—’
‘Wait!’ Sahlberg shouted. ‘What are you doing? I told you I know them.’
‘Maybe,’ Payne said, ‘but you don’t know their intentions. What if they’re mixed up with Berglund and the lab in Stockholm? What if people are following them to get to you? Do you know the burly guy next to the car?’
Sahlberg shook his head.
‘Then how do you know it’s safe?’
‘I guess I don’t.’
‘You’re damn right you don’t,’ Jones said angrily. ‘We’ve been in the plane for five fucking hours, and in all that time you never said a single word about your colleagues in California or a town car at the gate. If you had, we would have had a security team search him before we even landed.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t know.’
‘Didn’t know what? That you were in danger? Is that what you were going to say? Because I find it hard to believe that a genius like you is struggling to grasp the situation.’
Sahlberg sensed that Jones was too upset to reason with, so he turned his attention to Payne. ‘Jonathon, I didn’t tell you about them because I didn’t know if they would show.’
‘Them? Who’s them?’ Payne demanded.
Sahlberg didn’t know what to say. ‘I can’t … I’m not allowed …’
‘Spit it out!’ Payne ordered. He had come to like Sahlberg quite a bit, but right now they weren’t seeing eye to eye. ‘Tell me who they are, or I’m going to shoot the driver where he stands. And if you don’t believe me, think back to the incline.’
A strained look spread across Sahlberg’s face. It was obvious he wanted to answer, but something was preventing it. ‘Jonathon, listen to me. Please listen to me.’
Payne took a deep breath. ‘What?’
‘If I asked you questions about your military career — probing questions about specific missions like that one in Afghanistan where you saved your commander’s son — would you be allowed to tell me everything?’
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘It’s classified.’
Sahlberg stared at him, allowing his eyes to do some of his talking. ‘Same situation here. There are certain things I can tell you, and some I can’t. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t. Men like you and David — you have to know what that’s like. The lies. The secrets. You can’t let people in unless you have permission to do so. Right now, I don’t have permission.’
Payne clenched his jaw and nodded.
He hated surprises. Especially when his life was on the line.
But he had been in the game long enough to recognize the truth. It didn’t mean he liked being deceived, but he believed what Sahlberg was saying.
‘When will you get permission?’ he asked.
‘Hopefully now,’ Sahlberg said as he glanced out the window. ‘You have to trust me on this. They mean us no harm. They can help us. Just let me talk to him alone.’
‘Not going to happen,’ Payne said as he jammed his gun in his waistband. ‘I’m heading out first. If I get any bad vibes, I’m getting back on the plane and we’re leaving. If everything checks out, I’ll signal and you can join me. Understood?’
Sahlberg nodded, but said nothing.
Jones stared at his best friend. ‘I’ll give you cover.’
Without waiting for a response, Jones found a hidden seam in the rug and pulled it back to reveal a trap door. Payne knew that Jones could drop to the tarmac without being seen, shielded by the rear wheels. Hidden there, he could provide cover if anything went wrong. While Jones scrambled into position, Payne stepped off the plane and made a beeline for the town car.
‘Mr Payne,’ the chauffeur announced. ‘Welcome to California. My name is Stanley. I will be your driver for the duration of your visit.’
His tone was pleasant, inviting. If he was packing a weapon, Payne could not see it.
He continued. ‘I was told there would be three passengers. Was this information incorrect?’
‘Stanley, I get the sense you’re just doing your job, which is the only reason you’re still alive. But you have to understand my position: I don’t know you or your employer.’
He smiled. He could see that Payne’s adrenalin was surging, that he was a coiled snake, ready to strike. ‘I assure you: you have nothing to fear. We’re here to help.’
‘We? Who is we?’ Payne asked forcefully.
His smile grew even wider. ‘Mattias didn’t tell you?’
‘No, he didn’t tell me! Who the hell is we?’
Just then, the tinted back window was lowered, which forced Payne to pull his gun. Had he spotted a weapon of any kind, he would have emptied his clip into the driver and the back seat while Jones did the same from his position near the plane. However, the face that appeared in the window was possibly the least-threatening one that he had ever seen.
The occupant of the car was a cheerful old man, with dark leathery skin that looked like a saddle that had been left in the sun for too long. What little hair he had was sheer white, and he combed it left to right in order to cover his scalp the best he could. He looked like a Muppet — a grinning, withered Muppet.
He spoke with a Spanish accent. ‘Don’t blame Mattias. He did what he was supposed to do. He kept our organization a secret.’
Payne lowered his weapon. ‘What organization is that?’
‘The Einstein Group.’
47
Payne stared at the old man like he was crazy. ‘The Einstein Group? Never heard of it.’
The old man grinned. ‘That’s because our members are good at keeping secrets. Isn’t that right, Mattias?’
Payne turned and saw Sahlberg standing behind him. Left unguarded, he had taken it upon himself to exit the plane and approach the conversation. Between the hum of the engines and the assumption that Sahlberg would stay on the plane, Payne had never heard him coming.
‘That’s correct,’ Sahlberg said. He turned toward Payne to apologize. ‘I’m sorry, Jonathon. I couldn’t talk about the group until they gave me permission to do so. As I said on the plane, I’m hoping that’s what they’re here to do — to give me their blessing.’