Page 143 of One Minute Out

Cage himself was into his third scotch and soda when he saw Jaco at the front of the aircraft turn around and ask Claudia to come sit with him. He wondered about this; he couldn’t imagine why the severe South African, after losing a man and his target tonight, needed to confer with the psychologist used to reprogram the merchandise, but he didn’t think about it for long, because his eyes moved to Maja.

As Cage drank down more scotch, he fantasized about grabbing the little Romanian by the hair and dragging her to the sofa in the back, clearing out the bodyguards seated there, and then raping her on the spot, in full view of everyone else. The thought gave him a charge, a sexual thrill intermixed with his rage.

He needed someone to take it out on. Who better than the Romanian bitch who’d insulted him and slapped him?

He could see the fear in her eyes each and every time she glanced his way, and he loved it. He’d be home in a few hours; he’d have to spend a day or two with his family, and then he’d drive up to Rancho Esmerelda and he’d begin schooling Maja on how to treat him properly.

And when he was done with her, he’d have Jaco “take her back home,” his euphemism for disappearing the girls so they couldn’t identify him.

•••

Dr. Claudia Riesling sat down next to the big man Verdoorn and did her best to hide the intimidation she always felt around him. In an attempt to empathize with him and his terrible night, she said, “How are you feeling, Jaco?”

But he did not answer this question. He said, “I’ve been making some calls, back to Romania, back to Hungary, back to Belgrade. I’m trying to figure out how the fuck Gentry has been able to stay on our heels like this.”

“And you found something?”

“I did.”

Riesling was confused. “Well... why are you telling me this? You are the operations and security chief. Sean is the Director’s lead protection agent. I have nothing to do with—”

“I did some research on the merchandise on board this aircraft.”

Riesling said, “Research? What sort of research?”

“Genealogical research.”

“I’m sorry. What the hell are you talking about?”

“It turns out Cage’s Romanian prize Maja, seated two rows behind us, has herself a sister.”

“And?”

“She’s the fooking Europol analyst who went to the police in Dubrovnik two days ago.”

Riesling sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she said, “Why is it you are just now finding out about this? The recruiters and groomers are supposed to look into the items before they are collected.”

“Half sisters. Different last names. Our Romanian recruiter missed it. The way Cage demanded the bitch be slotted into the next shipment meant they were pressed for time.” He added, “Our whore is named Roxana Vaduva and the Europol bitch is named Talyssa Corbu.”

Riesling said, “And this Corbu, she’s working with the assassin that’s been chasing us?”

“Unquestionably.”

“But Maja can’t possibly know what her sister is doing. She’s been strip-searched multiple times; she doesn’t have a way to communicate.”

“She could know what her sister is doing if she talked to Gentry while on board La Primarosa.”

Riesling blinked hard at this allegation. “What, and then he just beat her up?”

“Was the only way we wouldn’t suspect her, wasn’t it?”

“But... why didn’t he take her with him?”

Verdoorn looked out the window. “Either he couldn’t pull that off, or she didn’t want to go because she’s on the job, working for her sister. I don’t know which, but either way, she’s bloody dangerous.”

Riesling looked over her shoulder at Cage, who was openly eyeing Maja right now with a look like a fox staring into a henhouse. She said to Verdoorn, “Why are you telling me? Aren’t you going to tell the Director?”

Verdoorn shook his head. “It won’t change anything. He wants this one back at the Ranch, more than I’ve ever seen him want any of the merchandise in the years I’ve worked for him. Telling him she poses a threat to him will only create more trouble for us. Not for him. Not for her. For us.”

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