“Whatever happens, I just wanted to say that there are no hard feelings. If she picks one of us and not the other, that’s fine with me. I won’t be happy about it, but that’s life, you know? We take our victories, we take our defeats. Or, hell, maybe she won’t pick a single one of us. No matter what, we’re a team. Simple as that.”
“Yeah, boss,” Hud said.
“Definitely,” Kid added with a nod.
“OK. Now, let’s focus on getting our girl back.”
I leaned back and prepared to close my eyes to get some rest. Before I drifted off, however, I could’ve sworn I spotted Kid and Hud sharing a knowing look, one that said they had something on their minds only they knew about.
I didn’t think about it long, however, before drifting off to sleep, my last thoughts being of Victoria, and how I’d do anything to get her back safe and sound.
34
KID
It was the middle of the night when the plane landed outside of Dusseldorf. Ajax had rented us the top floor of a nearby hostel, which would serve as our base of operations in the area. I’d gotten a bit of shuteye on the plane, but I’d been too damn restless to sleep deeply.
We rented an SUV and left the airport, the entire team quiet as we reached the hostel. The upper floor was big enough for each of us to have our own private room, along with another room where we could spread out and strategize. Once we were situated, we gathered to come up with the skeleton of our mission.
“So,” Ajax said. “My contact, Justin, is in a house not too far from here. He said he’s got some intel but wants to show us in person. That’s fine with me—if what happened back in Boston is any indication, there’s a damn good chance Jurgen’s got some kind of line on our comms. I might be paranoid, but I’m not about to take any chances.”
“I’ve got a contact, too,” Hank said. “German guy who likes blowing up stuff as much as I do. Well, almost as much. Give me five or six hours and I’ll be geared up with everything I need.”
Ajax nodded. “Right. Hank, rent a car from the nearby dealer and do what you need to do. We’ll head over to Justin’s and see what he has for us. Justin’s good, so I’d bet he has everything we need to move in on Jurgen tonight.”
“The king,” Hud said. “We need to tell him.”
“He already knows,” Ajax replied. “I was in touch with him at the airport.”
“Ah, hell,” Hud replied. “I’m going to guess he’s all kinds of pissed.”
“He’s mad, but he said that his security team knew they’d tracked us to Boston and, through some major incompetence, hadn’t given us the warning in time. Lucky for us, the king’s wrath is directed at others for the time being.
“But it’s still up to us to get Vic back. However mad the king is at his crew for dropping the ball, it’s going to be nothing compared to what’s in store for us if something happens to his little girl.”
The idea of Vic being hurt was enough to send a flash of rage through me. I felt strong enough at that moment to march right to Jurgen’s doorstep and rip apart anyone who stood in my way.
“Let’s not waste another second,” Hud said. “I want her back, and I want her backnow.”
There was no disagreement from anyone else in the group. We broke up, dropping Hank off at the nearby car rental location so he could do what he needed. Once he was on his way, we headed to Justin’s place, which ended up being a small cabin in the woods outside of Dusseldorf.
Justin was tall and built, with a shaved head and mustache, his attitude that of a no-nonsense professional. When we arrived, he had the wood farmer’s table in the middle of the dining room covered with intel. Most of it appeared to be photos of a chateau, three stories tall and big enough to make Blanc Mont look like a tiny cabin in the woods.
“This is Jurgen’s place,” he said. “He has it heavily guarded day and night, and it’s built like a fortress. In fact, that’s what it was during both world wars. The only times he’s popped his head up over the last few weeks has been in and around Dusseldorf, so it’s a damn good bet that he’s holed up in there.”
“Until what?” I asked. “That’s the big question. He’s got Vic. What’s the game plan? It’s not a simple assassination mission, clearly. We have to agree on a strategy of how to exterminate Jurgen while getting the princess out safe and sound.”
Ajax nodded, suggesting he’d been thinking the same thing. “It’s a good question. We can’t just go in there blind. We must have a clear plan of execution.”
Justin placed his finger on the satellite map of Jurgen’s property. “The chateau is surrounded by a wrought-iron fence, and you’d better believe he’s got state-of-the-art tech. You’re going to have to find some way in without him knowing.”
Ajax spoke up. “We’ll get it done. All we need is the address.”
Justin nodded, handing him over a folded slip of paper. “I’d go with you—God knows I’d love to shoot up some bad guys. But I don’t think my pregnant wife would be too thrilled if I slipped out while she was visiting family to risk my life.” He followed this up with a smile.
“Don’t even worry about it, brother,” Ajax said. “You’ve done enough. I know you’ll be there in spirit.”
“Pop some baddies for me. And get that girl back,” Justin replied with another smile.