“You know, Raven, I’ve been thinking. We could just kill you right here, take our money and all the goods you’ve brought us. I doubt anyone would miss someone like you.”
Han-Jae raised his weapon and pointed it at Raven’s chest.
Raven’s breath quickened. He felt his heart pounding inside his ribcage. Panic rushed into his mind. It was all he could do not to turn around and try to barge his way through the man guarding the door.
“Yes… that… that’s true,” Raven stammered. “You could do that. But… but then who would you call when you need something in the future? Right? I mean, don’t kill the golden goose. I’m your guy here in Western Europe. We’ve got a good thing going here. I don’t know your names, you don’t know my real name. It’s great for business, for both parties.”
He was rambling now, desperate to say or do anything to keep from being a headline on tomorrow’s front page.
Han-Jae cocked his head to the side as if deciding to shoot an animal. His eyebrows closed the gap above his nose. “I’m sure there are many others out there who will be happy to fill the void you leave behind.”
Raven shook his head violently now. “Fine, you know what, keep the money. I don’t need it anyway. Been a good year for me up to this point. I can take a loss on this one. It’s fine.”
Han-Jae’s finger tightened on the trigger. “You think we need the money?”
Raven shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, obviously not. If you can afford… listen, please, just let me go.” He started sounding pitiful.
“If there’s one thing I detest, it’s someone who can’t die with honor,” Han-Jae said. “At least learn how to die like a man.”
He pulled the trigger, and the weapon clicked.
Raven winced, tightening his shoulders and nearly every other muscle in his body. After a second of waiting for the pop followed by a bullet tearing through his flesh, he opened one eye and saw Han-Jae standing with the weapon still aimed.
“I didn’t load it,” Han-Jae said. “Did you really think I was going to kill my best connection in Europe?”
He started laughing. The other three men started laughing, too, all the while watching their guest for a reaction.
Raven swallowed hard and then forced a smile. He chuckled even though he didn’t find anything funny.
“Good one, sir. Good one. Okay, thank you. I’ll just be on my way.”
He turned around, and the man in front of the door stepped to the side. As Raven reached out to grasp the doorknob, he heard the familiar sound of a magazine clicking into place.
Had his customer changed his mind? He didn’t dare turn around to find out. He pulled the door open and took a step across the threshold, expecting the weapon to fire at any second.
He kept walking, one foot after the other until he heard the door mercifully close behind him. Only then did he turn around and look back to make sure no one was following him.
The door was closed, and no one else was in the hall. He took in a deep breath and sighed. His body still shook from fear.
Raven hurried down the hall and around the corner to the elevator, unable to get away fast enough to calm his nerves. As the elevator door closed, he shook his head and rubbed his face.
“I’ve got to get into another line of work.”
Back up in the hotel room, Han-Jae handed out the passports and weapons to his men.
First thing they’d done when they arrived in Brussels was send one of the men into a market to buy a few hygiene products. Now every man’s hair looked different. One had shaved his head completely. The other three changed their style as well to better conceal their identities.
“We’re going to have to travel separately from now on,” Han-Jae said after he finished handing out the supplies. “The authorities will be on the lookout for the four of us.”
The others nodded that they understood.
“Fortunately, we know where we’re going next. The Americans got a call from Bellevaux about something they discovered at the dig site in France. That’s where we will rendezvous.”
The guy with the shaved head raised an eyebrow and a question. “What do we do if one of us doesn’t make it?”
“Complete the mission,” Han-Jae said without hesitation. “Even if I don’t show up, finish what we have started. According to the email, the excavation revealed something else that might help us find the sword. There are two Americans in charge of securing the artifacts. They are staying at this hotel in a town not far from the dig site.”
He handed out three pieces of paper he’d scribbled an address on previously.
“Be at this hotel at nine o’clock tomorrow night. There’s a bookstore across the street that closes at seven. Next to it is an alley. That is where we’ll meet. If I’m not there by nine, go to the room number on the paper, apprehend the two Americans, and find out what they know or where this new artifact is.”
“What if they won’t give us what we want?” one of the others asked.
“From what I understand, they are a husband-and-wife team. To get the husband to talk, torture the wife.”
Chapter 17
Sean and the others stood inside one of two hotel rooms they’d rented for the night. As promised, Baldwin’s men had taken them where they requested. The hotel, while clean and modern, was not as upscale as some of the places Sean and Tommy had stayed through the years. Not that that mattered. Nicer places simply had better food, at least in their experience.
Baldwin’s men had been kind enough to return all their things, too. Phones and clothes were stuffed into the Americans’ gear bags. No guns, though. Those had been confiscated by Baldwin’s Brotherhood.
Sean knew better than to think the blond would let them keep their weapons. That didn’t keep him from checking.
“They kept our guns,” Sean said.
“You didn’t think they’d give them back to us, did you?” Tommy asked.
“No, but hope springs eternal. Not that we need them right now anyway. We’ve got to put a plan together to get your parents back. Figuring out how to get in and out of North Korea will be no easy task no matter how thorough Baldwin’s research might be.”
Tommy went silent for a moment. He looked down at the floor and then back to his friend. “Sean, we’re not going to North Korea. Not yet.”
Sean’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned. “What do you mean? We have to get your parents out, like yesterday. Who knows how much time they have left?”
Tommy nodded absently. “I know. You’re right. And no one wants to get them out safely more than me. Maybe a part of me doesn’t really believe it’s them. I mean… it’s been twenty years, Sean.” He clenched his jaw to fight back the tears.
Sean stepped a little closer. “I know, buddy. But you saw the pictures. I think Baldwin is telling the truth. Let me call Emily. She can help me put something together—”
“No,” Tommy said, shaking his head. “We’re going to get my parents out my way.”
“Okay…”
“All the plans and maps in the world won’t help us if we get caught inside North Korea. And just a heads-up, we will stick out like a crocodile at an alligator party.”
Adriana raised both eyebrows at the metaphor. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”
“Simple,” Tommy said. “We find the sword and use it as a bargaining chip for my parents.”
“Um, I don’t mean to tell you what to do in regards to your parents,” June said, “but if what that guy said was true about the sword, are you sure you really want to give it to an evil dictator?”