“We’re not going to give it to him. I just said we’ll use it as a bargaining chip.”
“So we’re going to just walk into North Korea with a big sword and say, ‘Hey everyone, we got your leader a present’?” Sean asked.
“Look, I don’t have it all planned out. But you know as well as I do that it never hurts to have a little insurance. If we can find that sword, it might be the safety net we need.”
Sean couldn’t disagree with the assessment. That still didn’t make it easier to accept the plan. He knew his friend wanted to see his parents again more than anything. If they’d survived this long, though, maybe they could make it just a little longer. From the images Baldwin showed, they looked to be in good health. The leader of the Brotherhood even said that they’d not been tortured. Still, after twenty years of leading the North Koreans down a twisty path of misinformation, time had to be running out.
“Fine,” Sean said finally. “Where do we start?”
“Remember that call I got from Mac and Helen?”
Sean thought for a second and then gave a nod. “Oh right. I almost forgot. They said they found something that might help us.”
“Maybe it’s time to make a little trip to see what they’re up to.”
“I’m coming with you,” June blurted.
“No, absolutely not,” Tommy said, his voice insistent.
“You’ve dragged me into this,” June said. Her tone was every bit as stubborn as Tommy’s.
“I can’t let you come with us. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can handle myself.”
Sean and Adriana exchanged a sidelong glance. “She really is perfect for him,” Sean whispered.
“Remind me to never let them decide on where we meet for dinner.”
“Or which movie to see.”
“I saw how you handled yourself,” Tommy said. “And while I’m impressed, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I… it’s just that… I like you… and…”
June blushed. “That is very sweet of you. And I appreciate your concern. I really do. But at this point, I’m not going back. Not until all of this is done and over with.”
“But what about your friend, the one you were going to stay with?”
“I’ll visit her some other time.”
Sean and Adriana kept their lips sealed as they watched Tommy struggle.
“Okay,” he said. “Fine. If you won’t take no for an answer.”
“I won’t.” Her lips curled into a smirk.
“What’s the plan, chief?” Sean asked after he figured the discussion was over.
Tommy thought for a second and then crossed his arms. “Well, I’m sure Baldwin has assigned one of his goons to watch us to make sure we stay out of his way.”
Sean nodded in agreement. “Probably.”
“So we will need to figure out a way to sneak out without him knowing.”
“And how will we do that?” Adriana asked.
“I’ll tell you first thing in the morning,” Tommy said. He turned to Sean. “Got any connections in Europe that could hook us up with some weapons?”
“I’m not going to call Emily for that one. But I do have a guy I’ve used before. He’s a little… how should I say… eccentric?”
“So he’s an arms dealer.”
“Arms, drugs, counterfeit ID. You name it; he’s got it. Let’s just say he has a diverse portfolio of products and services he offers.”
“Sounds like some of the people I associate with,” Adriana said.
“This guy got a name?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know his real name. He just goes by Raven.”
Chapter 18
Cars passed by on the street outside the coffee shop. Sean sat alone, watching the pedestrian traffic rushing around to get to work. A window-cleaning crew busily washed the seventh-floor windows on a building across the road.
Sean took a sip of his cappuccino as he stared at the workers. “No way in the world I would do that,” he said to himself. “They couldn’t pay me enough.”
He’d often wondered how people could force themselves to work in the extreme conditions at incredible heights on those moving platforms. He recalled a video he’d seen online that showed men swinging back and forth out of control on one of those window-cleaning platforms. The platform had been a terrifying ninety-one stories up on China’s second-tallest building. Fortunately, the men aboard the swinging platform survived the ordeal, walking away with only minor injuries, though Sean figured it would be a while before they did that job again. According to the story he’d read, the wild ride ended when the platform crashed into the windows and broke the glass.
Sean preferred to not even be inside a ninety-one-story building, much less outside.
He chuckled and took another sip of coffee. Some people would say the line of work he got into was more dangerous than cleaning windows. Maybe, but it’s a funny thing how what you don’t know can sometimes be comforting. In the secret agent world, he was constantly in the dark on things. For whatever reason, that made certain tasks easier.
His eyes shifted from the street to his watch. It was almost nine in the morning, local time. Raven wasn’t usually late. If he was this time, Sean would give him a pass. Raven claimed he was leaving Belgium, heading south toward Geneva. Sean promised that if he’d make a short detour east, he’d make it worth the while.
Having enjoyed Sean’s generosity before, it was too good for Raven to pass up. Only problem was getting what Sean needed on such short notice would be difficult. And costly. Fortunately, money wasn’t a problem.
Sean put the cup to his lips again and heard the door open on the other side of the cafe. He smiled and kept the cup close to his face, waiting for Raven to approach. When Sean could smell the cheap body spray the young man always wore, he set the cup down.
“I was starting to think you’d be late,” he said and spun around in his chair.
Raven looked like he’d been awake for three days. His ratty hair was disheveled, his clothes worn down. Dark circles hung under his bloodshot eyes.
“First of all, I wish you wouldn’t do that. It’s creepy. I mean, how on earth did you know it was me coming?”
Sean rolled his shoulders. “Call it a sixth sense.” He didn’t tell the younger man that his body spray gave at least an eight-foot warning radius. Plus, Raven wasn’t exactly a quiet walker. His feet shuffled along the floor every time Sean met him.
“Fine, whatever. Second, do you have any bleedin’ idea how hard it is to find guns in a”—he looked at his watch—“twelve-hour window? Much less get them across the German border?”
“I got you a latte,” Sean said, ignoring his guest’s irritation. “Pumpkin spice. Your favorite.”
The aggravation melted slightly, but not all the way. Raven took a wary step toward the table and eased into the seat. “It’s not fall. How’d you get a pumpkin spice?”
Sean put his palms up. “You’re not the only one who knows how to get things. Oh, and do me a favor. If you’re going to bring up guns, lower your voice. I’d rather the other good people in this coffee shop not know I’m buying illegal arms from you.”
Raven gave a sheepish nod. “Yeah, sorry.”
“So what’s in the bag?” Sean asked with a cheery smile. He found that approaching these types with less intimidation and a more casual demeanor helped them relax. That was especially true in Raven’s case.
The younger man set a blue duffel bag on the table and nudged it a few inches. “Hard to get you everything on your Christmas list with the small amount of time and minimal resources I had on me. But I managed to get you a few good pieces. There’s a Walther in there, a couple of Smiths.”
“Springfield?” Sean asked.