He also felt good about himself. In a few hours, he would be safely under the protection of the US government.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A TRAY OF food was delivered to Carmen’s room about twenty minutes after she woke up. She had been told she would eat alone because Jonas Brehmer didn’t normally take breakfast. Apparently, his morning routine consisted of a protein bar and two cups of coffee followed by a brisk jog around the estate. Carmen had briefly considered skipping breakfast herself but eventually accepted the offer in order to get something in her stomach. She had a big day ahead, and if all went according to plan, she might not eat again until that night.
The large tray was filled with four Weisswurst sausages, three eggs cooked over medium, two English muffins, an assortment of cheeses, and a glass of orange juice. It was a breakfast typical in parts of Germany and Switzerland. After finishing the meal, Carmen walked to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She let it run for a minute or so, then once it was warm enough, she cupped her hands and splashed the water over her face. The soothing warmth invigorated her skin. It felt so good that she repeated it several times before finally grabbing a towel and drying off.
As Carmen brushed her teeth, she thought back over her conversation the night before. When Brehmer had asked for Dr. Noah Lind’s location, Carmen had panicked. The request had been totally unexpected, and it left her in the precarious position of having to talk about a person she knew nothing about. She did know who he was — as part of her due diligence, she had memorized the names of all Victoria’s close relatives — but she had no biographical information whatsoever. Fortunately, the discussion had ended quickly. Carmen had asked if she could sleep on the offer, and Brehmer was quick to grant her request.
Ross had promised to send her further instructions overnight, so Carmen had risen at four to turn on her device. She had chosen that early hour to avoid detection. She figured that most of Brehmer’s security team were probably asleep, and those who were awake probably weren’t monitoring things as closely. At least that was what she hoped. She acted quickly, opening the window and extending the device far enough out to get a signal. Once the message was received, she quickly downloaded it to the device’s hard drive and turned it off. The window had been open for less than a minute.
The message from Ross was longer than she had expected. He instructed her to accept Brehmer’s offer of cash in exchange for Noah Lind’s location. Ross then provided Carmen with two things: an address for Noah Lind and a bank account number. The account number linked to an account at a federal government credit union in the US. Because of their relationship with US intelligence agencies, Delphi was allowed to set up dummy accounts there.
The address Ross had given Carmen was actually that of a CIA safe house located just around the corner from Lind’s actual home. They decided to do that in case Brehmer already knew Lind’s approximate location. The plan was to wait for Brehmer’s men to enter, at which point they would be taken into custody. They would then be taken to a black site where they would be interrogated about Brehmer’s operation.
Once Carmen gave Brehmer the information, she would ask for the money to be wired to the fake account. She would then ask to be driven back to Lugano, where Zane would pick her up. Ross said Zane and two other operatives were currently watching Brehmer’s estate just in case things went south, but once they confirmed she was on her way to Lugano, they would depart and pick her up.
The plan seemed sound, yet Carmen felt a twinge of concern. What if Brehmer made her remain at the estate until Lind’s whereabouts were confirmed? That would be an unmitigated disaster. Zane and the extraction team had the estate under surveillance, so help was less than a mile away, but how was she supposed to communicate that she was in trouble? If the worst-case scenario unfolded, her only option would be to flee and hope Zane and the others could pick her up before she was caught.
Carmen sorted through a few ways she might escape then pushed all such thoughts aside. Despite her concerns, Ross had developed a sound plan, at least in theory. She needed to let it play out.
Carmen had just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard a tap at the door. Someone had come to escort her downstairs.
“Be right there,” she said.
Before leaving, Carmen memorized the fake address in Tel Aviv then deleted all information on the compact. But instead of putting it away, she slid it into her bra. If things fell apart, she needed to have the ability to communicate with the outside world.
After whispering a quick prayer, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. To her surprise, the giant Khaan was standing there. It was the first time the two of them had been alone together. She hoped it wasn’t significant that he had been sent to pick her up.
Khaan motioned for her to follow him. Carmen was beginning to wonder if the man even knew how to speak.
As they traveled down the hall, Carmen noticed that Khaan would occasionally look back at her, the hint of a smirk playing on his face. The look gave her a chill. Does he know something I don’t?
After going down a stairwell to the second floor, Khaan led her down a corridor and into the library,
Brehmer had been facing the fire but turned as she entered. “Ah, Miss Lind. Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
He came toward her then gestured toward a chair at the end of a table in the center of the room. “Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
In an act that seemed to conflict with his earlier behavior, Khaan pulled the chair out for her then helped guide it closer to the table when she sat down. Carmen waited for him to walk off, but he remained in place.
“I trust you enjoyed breakfast.”
“It was fabulous. I’m a huge fan of Weisswurst.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. I didn’t even know most Americans knew what it was. Have you traveled to Germany or Switzerland before?”
His emphasis on the word Americans seemed odd. Did he suspect she wasn’t who she said she was? She had tried to hide her Italian accent, but perhaps something had slipped out.
“I work for the NSA, so without going into detail, let’s just say I’ve traveled quite a bit in my time.”
“I see.”
Carmen decided to change the subject. “How was your run?”
“Wonderful, as always. Most people are forced to run in gyms with sweaty people who smell bad. Me?” He swept his hand toward one of the windows. “I get to run in one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
“I could get used to that.”
“It never gets old, as they say. I’m a blessed man, Victoria.”
Carmen’s stomach tightened. Something about Brehmer’s demeanor bothered her. She hoped it was just her imagination. For the time being, she needed to press on with the plan. If Brehmer was suspicious, it would eventually come to light.
“I want to thank you for giving me a night to sort things out. It was a difficult decision, but you seem like a man I can trust not to bring my uncle any harm.” She held his gaze for a moment. “I’d like to take you up on your offer.”
Brehmer smiled, but she couldn’t tell whether it meant he was pleased or not.
“While I appreciate your trust, I’m afraid the offer is no longer on the table.”
Carmen frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. You said you wanted to make contact with Uncle Noah, and I’m telling you I can give you the information you’re looking for. We had a deal.”