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“You were on the right path.” Mironov stood up and coldly adjusted the lapel of his suit. “But it was a path that was going to take too long. We’ve found a shortcut, and you’re going to help us take it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” muttered VanGelder. It was becoming harder and harder to move the muscles around his mouth. “You’re mad if you—”

He never finished his sentence. As the room began to fade away, he saw Mironov signal with his head. A few seconds later, strong hands grabbed him as the room went black.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Carmen and Reid arrived at the door just moments after the bald man disappeared into the room. They couldn’t pick up any noise coming from inside, although the buzz of the gala crowd would have prevented them from hearing anything short of a gunshot.

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going through your mind right now.” Reid pulled out the program and pretended to read it. “But let me be the voice of reason, here. We can’t just go charging through that door.”

“You’re right. We can’t just go charging in there. But I am going to take a look.”

“So basically what you’re telling me is that you’re going to stick your head inside and announce we’re here?” Reid asked. “We need to position ourselves so we can see inside the room when he comes back out.”

“There is only one problem with that.” Carmen unsnapped her clutch in case the Beretta was needed. “He’s not coming back out.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Pretty simple, actually. Skinner tells us there is a boat waiting outside. Baldy gets a transmission in his earpiece and then goes running into a room that backs up to the river. You don’t have to be a Nobel laureate to figure that out. They’ve finished their business, whatever that is, and they’re heading out. It couldn’t be any clearer if we were reading a script.”

“Of course,” replied Reid, nodding his head sarcastically. “And we know from experience, things always play out just that easy. One, two, three.”

“Look, it won’t hurt. If they see me I’m just going to act is though I was looking for the restroom. Besides, I think there is close to a zero chance Baldy recognized me from the other day. And what's the worst they can do? Start a gunfight in the middle of several hundred people?”

Reid shook his head but then relented. “Make it quick.” After thinking it through, he had to admit what she said made sense. He doubted the Renaissance team would risk causing a stir in the midst of the gala.

Carmen surveyed the crowd around them. Servers buzzed back and forth, carrying more trays of drinks, and the guests all seemed to be lost in conversation. Comfortable that no one was watching, she placed her wineglass on a nearby table and turned toward the door. Fortunately it was unlocked, and the latch turned with ease. She opened it a few inches and stuck her head in. The wood-paneled room was apparently a private dining area. It was also empty, save for a few tables. On the far end, one of the tables was covered with white linen, and there were two empty champagne flutes.

“Pssst. Let’s go.”

“What?” Reid turned around.

“Now. They’re gone.”

Carmen held the door open as Reid entered. Before following him inside, she took one last look around. She was about to deem everything clear when she noticed a familiar face coming toward her through the crowd: the CERN employee they had spoken to only minutes before. Gone were the smile and the flirtatious demeanor. He had a serious look on his face and was surveying the crowd as though looking for someone. She knew she had seemed too anxious to find VanGelder.

As his head began to turn in her direction, Carmen threw caution to the wind and entered the room, closing the door hard behind her. She hoped she had made it inside before the man spotted her, but she couldn’t be sure.

“All clear?” Reid asked.

“Not sure, to be honest.” Carmen placed her hand on the door handle in case someone tried to enter. “Our friend from CERN appears to be nosing around.”

“Where do you think the exterior door is?”

“Over there.” Carmen pointed toward a door on the far end. She hadn’t seen it before because it was made out of the same paneling as the walls. “They must be leaving. Call Skinner.”

She watched Reid answer his phone, which was already vibrating. “Do you see anyone leaving?” There was a pause as Skinner spoke on the other end. Finally, Reid said, “That could be VanGelder. Take your bike across the pedestrian bridge, and see if you can find Mironov. Then follow him. We’ll take care of the ones on the boat.”

Reid ended the call. "Four men just walked out of the building. One is tall — it's probably Mironov. He's heading along the dock toward the front entrance. The others are loading someone into the boat."

“Keep your phone out so we can use the light,” Carmen said, taking a chair from one of the tables and bracing it against the door that led to the gala. She wanted to make sure they weren’t surprised from the rear by her friend from CERN. Once she had confirmed that the door was secure, she found a switch and turned out the lights.

The two operatives made their way over to the door leading to the dock. Carmen pulled the Beretta out of the clutch and then handed the purse to Reid to put inside his coat.

She then pulled him close to her and whispered, “We can’t let that boat leave because we have no way of following them. When I open the door I’m going to step out and remain low. I need you to remain standing and cover me. We only fire at armed men who initiate force. Keep the shots high.”

“Copy that.” Reid drew his suppressed Glock.

Carmen took a deep breath, turned the latch, and opened the door. As soon it opened, she heard voices a short distance away. She bent over and crept out onto the dock. Once clear of the building, she got down on one knee and raised her gun. Reid stepped out behind her and raised his Glock with two hands.

In distance was the silhouette of a boat. Four men were standing, hovering over two men that were seated. Both of the seated men appeared slumped over and lifeless. Carmen thought the man on the left had long hair and realized that it might be Zane.

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion for Carmen. One of the men standing in the back of the boat happened to glance back in their direction. At first he just stared, but the surprise didn’t last long. He shouted instructions at one of the other men, who scrambled into the front seat and started the engine.

Carmen crouched even lower, reducing her profile, and squeezed off two shots. The boat motor roared to life, and one of the other men pulled out a pistol and fired back. Reid was able to fire a shot directly at the muzzle flash. There was a loud scream, and the man tumbled into the water.

The bow rose up, and the boat began to charge away from the dock. As it did, something happened that neither Reid nor Carmen had expected. One of the men that was slumped over in the back suddenly stood up and leaped into the water.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Zane suddenly felt the boat rock. It was hard to tell exactly how many men had boarded, but it seemed like several. Not exactly ideal for what he had in mind, but his plan hinged more on getting into the water than fighting off men.

Seconds later, he felt someone sit down beside him. Did they sit down on their own or were they placed there? The body leaned against him, indicating the latter. As the voices moved back toward the bow, Zane stole a quick glance by cracking open his right eye. Leaning against him was a large man who was obviously under the effect of a tranquilizer. His eyes were closed, but he appeared to be breathing.