Markovic stood and offered his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
Carmen shook the proffered hand. “It’s a pleasure.”
Markovic gestured toward the man sitting on his left. “This is Jakov.”
Like Markovic, the name was Serbian in origin. Being Italian, Carmen knew the origin of names from that part of the world. But she also knew the names were false, which made her wonder if they were really Serbian. If so, that didn’t necessarily mean the leaders of the organization were Serbian. Serbia rarely came up on the radar of national security concerns.
After shaking Jakov’s hand, Carmen slid into the booth across from them. Once she settled in, her eyes flitted around the room. It was important to make them think she was just a government geek, someone more comfortable with computers than people.
Markovic seemed to note her nervousness and started with small talk. “The server will be back shortly if you’re hungry. This is my first time on the L1, but I hear the food is excellent.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not hungry.”
“Even after such a long trip?”
“I ate a late breakfast.”
“What about some coffee?” Markovic asked. He and Jakov were already drinking.
She nodded. “Yes, coffee would be good.”
As Markovic signaled the server, Carmen glanced at the three men sitting on the other side of the restaurant. The large man was watching everyone in the room. He was probably making sure Victoria Lind hadn’t brought along any spotters. But in the brief second she looked over, Carmen also saw something else: the man’s right hand was gloved, but his other hand was not. It was odd. Did he have a prosthetic hand?
The server arrived with a decanter and filled the empty cup in front of Carmen. She had already consumed two cups in her room, but another wouldn’t hurt. She was a caffeine junkie, and three cups wouldn’t throw her off her game.
“How was your trip?” Markovic asked after the server stepped away.
Carmen added a little cream and sugar then took a slow sip before answering. “Honestly? It was nerve-racking.” She set the cup back on its saucer. “As you could probably guess, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Markovic’s eyes seemed to focus on the fake mole Carmen had affixed to her cheek. Obviously, he had been coached on what to look for.
“Of course you haven’t done anything like this before,” Markovic said. “You love your country.” He leaned forward and spoke in a lower tone. “I want to assure you of something. We will never ask you to betray who you are or what you represent.”
“Nor would I.”
Markovic sat up straight again. “I know that, and it’s one of the reasons we feel comfortable working with you.”
The line was obviously BS, but Carmen reacted as though she appreciated the compliment. She gave Markovic a look of approval as she picked up her cup and took another sip.
“If it makes you feel any better, the information we seek has nothing to do with the United States,” he continued. “In fact, it has nothing to do with intelligence at all.”
Carmen did her best to suppress her surprise. So they didn’t want intelligence information. That wasn’t what she had expected to hear, but she wondered whether it was true. Victoria Lind was an analyst with the NSA, so the CIA and Delphi had been working on the assumption that this group was looking for something related to her work. Maybe Markovic was playing a game of semantics to soften her up.
Carmen decided to do what Victoria Lind would have done, offer some measure of disbelief. “Forgive me, but I find that a little hard to believe.”
“I understand, but when I share our request, you’ll understand everything.”
Carmen was good at reading people, and he seemed to be telling the truth. What he had just said would be hard to go back on. She began to consider the possibility that they really were after some other piece of information.
It was time to force his hand. “Well, I’m not one for wasting time. What exactly do you want to know?”
Markovic exchanged a glance with Jakov. The look that passed between them signaled that Markovic was about to share something he wasn’t comfortable speaking about in public. “The leader of our organization would like to ask you in person,” he finally said.
Carmen half expected someone at another table to get up and walk toward them. When that didn’t happen, she looked at Markovic. “I’m here, so let’s do it. Call him over.”
The two men exchanged another glance.
“He’s not here,” Markovic said. “He’s in Lugano. He wants to talk to you there.”
Lugano. As someone who had spent most of her life in Italy, Carmen knew that Lugano was an Italian-speaking city in southern Switzerland. It was also one of the most picturesque places in Europe, a small city nestled along the mountainous shoreline of Lake Lugano. Interestingly, it wasn’t far away from where they were. The train’s next stop was Bellinzona, but Carmen guessed Lugano was only a stop or two beyond that.
Markovic spoke again before she could respond. “We realize this wasn’t part of our original arrangement, so we have decided to pass along a small gift to show our good intentions. You come with us, and it’s yours to keep.”
After looking around, he set his napkin on the table and slid it toward Carmen. She noticed there was a bulge, indicating the napkin had been placed over something. Reaching out, she lifted a corner of the napkin and saw a box underneath.
“Go ahead,” Markovic said. “Take a look.”
Moving carefully, she slid the box into her lap and opened the lid. Inside were five stacks of hundred-dollar bills held together with straps. She guessed each stack was about two thousand dollars, which meant the total amount could be as much as ten thousand dollars.
Markovic took a slow sip of coffee then set the cup down. “I trust that’s enough for a few more hours of your time.”
CHAPTER TEN
DEVON LIND OPENED his eyes. He was in the fetal position, his head resting on a cheap, flat pillow. Although a remnant of drugs still coursed through his veins, the effects were finally wearing off.
He sat upright and stretched his arms. He noticed the tray sitting on a table at the foot of his bed. He slid down and examined the meager lunch. It was the same thing he received at every meaclass="underline" white rice and a piece of grilled chicken that wasn’t much larger than a baby’s fist. There was also a plastic cup half filled with tap water. The chicken was always as tough as leather. He wondered if it was even chicken but quickly pushed the thought aside. Better not to know. The rice wasn’t much better. It usually tasted like it had been sitting out on a counter for a couple of days.
Devon tore the chicken in half then put a piece in his mouth. He needed to eat it before they came. As expected, it was dry and tasteless, but he managed to get it down. It was important to provide his body with a small amount of nourishment. He would need it in order to carry out his plan.
As he took a sip of water, his thoughts turned to the morning session. This time, he had blacked out completely, which he guessed was because of some new drug. But if I’m unconscious, how are they going to extract the information they’re looking for? After pondering the question, he wondered if he had only thought he was unconscious. Maybe he had woken up at some point but couldn’t remember it. He hoped he hadn’t told them something they shouldn’t hear.