Sarah was tall, sleek, and agile, a physically gifted athlete who stood in stark contrast to the softer features of the much shorter Jasmine. Of all the team members, the two women had the least in common — not only physically, but also emotionally. Sarah was aggressive and combative, always looking for a weakness that she could exploit to her advantage, whereas Jasmine was kind and respectful, more concerned about others than herself. Part of that was their upbringing, and part was their training.
Sarah had learned her craft at Quantico.
Jasmine had learned hers in a library.
‘Where he’s been is not important,’ Cobb said before McNutt could regale them with tales of debauchery from south of the border.
‘It is to me,’ Sarah countered. ‘We’re all in this together. I don’t need him going off on a bender and announcing what we found to a crowded bar.’
Garcia shrugged. ‘Even if he did, do you really think anyone would believe him? I mean, c’mon. Ancient trains? The occult? Covert operations in Transylvania?’
‘Exactly!’ McNutt said. ‘Thanks, José, for the vote of confidence.’
‘Actually, it’s Hector.’
‘Close enough. They both start with the same letter.’
‘Actually, they don’t.’
‘They don’t? Since when?’
‘Since, um, they invented the alphabet.’
McNutt fought the urge to grin. He knew damn well what Garcia’s name was; he simply chose not to use it. ‘Well, that explains it. I don’t know the alphabet.’
‘That’s enough,’ Cobb announced. He didn’t raise his voice. His tone alone let everyone know that he was done with their banter.
The group gave him his due respect and stopped at once.
‘Sarah, keeping things to ourselves was never part of the arrangement. You’re all free to say whatever you want to whomever you want. But you all know the risks of letting this information get out.’
Sarah started to object, but Cobb cut her off.
He glanced at McNutt. ‘That being said, I’d consider it a personal favor if you would keep your mouth shut about team activities.’
McNutt nodded. ‘I haven’t told a soul.’
‘Good,’ said Cobb, who had figured as much. McNutt wasn’t a trained spy like Sarah, but he was a former Marine who was programmed to be loyal to his unit. ‘Hector, is there anything on the Internet about our recent activities?’
‘Nothing,’ the techie replied. ‘It’s like there’s a coordinated effort to keep our news out of the news. It’s actually a bit odd, if not altogether disconcerting. Nothing stays off the radar like this — especially not something as interesting as what we went through.’
Cobb glanced at their host — a Frenchman named Jean-Marc Papineau — who had quietly entered the kitchen through a back hallway and had listened to the tail end of their conversation. Impeccably dressed in the finest clothes from Europe, he carried himself like royalty, as if he were the king and the world was his playground.
Ever since they had met a few months earlier, Cobb had wondered how far Papineau’s reach extended. He had worked wonders in Eastern Europe, obtaining everything that the team had needed for their mission, including a retrofitted train. As impressive as that was, it paled in comparison to his latest trick. In an age of camera phones and social media, how did he keep their major discovery from the rest of the world?
It took more than money to do something like that.
It took influence and power.
‘Jasmine,’ Cobb continued, ‘have you heard anything from your sources?’
As the resident historian, she had connections at several universities around the globe. Even if their quest had not made the newspapers, the academic community had their own channels of communication. If anyone had gotten wind of their historic discovery, she would have heard about it from one of her peers.
‘Yes and no,’ she admitted. ‘The rumors about a major find are out there, but it’s just scattered rumblings. I’ve heard so many versions of what might have happened that I don’t even know where to begin. We’ve been credited with finding everything from the Amber Room to the lost city of Atlantis. The stories are unbelievable.’
Cobb stared at Papineau. ‘Anything to add? Can we expect an official confirmation of our discovery anytime soon?’
The team whirled around, surprised by his presence.
‘Nothing official,’ he said as he took his place next to Cobb at the front of the group. ‘In fact, I plan on crafting a few more rumors that I would like each of you to spread through your sources. The more, the better.’
‘What kind of rumors?’ Sarah asked.
Papineau smiled. ‘Given that it involved the Russians and a famous treasure, I thought my tale about the Amber Room was particularly poetic.’
‘Your tale?’ Jasmine asked, confused.
‘Yes, my dear. Mine.’
‘But why?’
Cobb answered for him. ‘Because it is far easier to lie about an event than to deny it took place. The world knows something happened, so it’s up to us to control the narrative. To put it in spy terms, this is disassociation through disinformation. We need to keep the world off our scent until our mission is complete. Correct?’
Papineau shot him a glance but said nothing.
‘Wait a minute,’ Sarah hissed. ‘What are you talking about? We already completed our mission when we found the treasure. That was the deal.’
Cobb shook his head. He knew that wasn’t the case. ‘That’s what we were led to believe, but Romania was only the first step. Isn’t that right, Jean-Marc?’
‘It is,’ he confirmed.
Sarah slammed her fist on the counter, and then stormed toward the Frenchman. ‘You lying sack of shit! You promised me five million dollars for my services. I did everything you asked and more. You owe me my goddamned money!’
Cobb stepped in front of her before she reached her target.
Papineau took a step back. ‘Calm down, my dear. You’re absolutely correct. You earned your money. Five million dollars to each of you, as promised.’
‘That’s more like it,’ Sarah blurted.
‘Or…’ A grin returned to his face. ‘You can double your take.’
The room grew still as the comment sank in.
McNutt was the first to speak. ‘Did you say double?’
‘I did indeed. Ten million dollars. Each.’
‘What’s the catch?’ Jasmine asked.
‘The “catch”, as you say, is that none of your money — including that which you are already owed — will be available to you until after you have completed the next task. It will remain in trust until the mission is over.’
‘And if we fail?’ Sarah demanded.
‘You will have the original five million waiting for you upon your return,’ Papineau assured her. ‘However, our relationship will cease to exist. We will sever all ties, immediately and permanently.’
‘Meaning the next task may not be the last task.’
Papineau shrugged. ‘I wish I could tell you what the future has in store for us. Unfortunately, I cannot. There is only so much I can guarantee this far in advance.’
‘That’s not good enough,’ Jasmine said. A few months earlier, she had been timid and vulnerable, but after surviving multiple attacks in the field she had emerged with a new level of confidence. ‘I’ll do it, but I have a condition.’
‘Being a nerd isn’t a condition — it’s more of a life choice,’ Sarah teased.
Papineau ignored the comment and focused his attention on Jasmine. She wasn’t the type to make outrageous demands. ‘What is it?’
‘Bring my family to America.’
‘No problem. I’ll have them on the next flight.’
Papineau knew that Jasmine’s involvement was motivated by her desire to rescue her extended family from the clutches of poverty. All her life she had saved her money, hoping to finance their trip from the slums of Seoul to a new life in America.