Page 41 of Belgian Betrayal

“Roger,” Atkins whispered into his mic. “Coming up on the market.”

Fearghas and Jasmine stopped walking and turned back to the marketplace.

“Ace, are you in place?” Fearghas asked.

“I am now,” Ace responded. “Took a minute to skirt the square and come in from behind the Belfry. I passed several clumps of men smoking on corners.”

“Did they see you?” Catya asked.

“No. I slipped down side streets and circled around.”

“Are you on the Belfry?” Fearghas asked.

“I am,” Ace said. “Had to break into the church and climb up some narrow-ass stairs carrying the duffel bag.”

“Coming into the market now,” Atkins said.

“I have my rifle assembled, complete with silencer, and aimed at the platform in front of the church entrance. My sights are set on the designated meeting location,” Ace said. “I can shift my aim should you send us somewhere else on the hard surface of the market square. I can’t fire at people on the opposite side.”

“Spotted two bogeys close to our position on the edge of the market square,” Catya said. “I can see Atkins coming around the back side of the statue. Dmytro, you good?”

“In position,” Dmytro reported in his gruff voice. “I have Atkins in sight.”

“I see movement on a rooftop to my left, Atkins’s right,” Ace said. “Three men coming out of the shadows. Atkins, head straight for the meeting location. You don’t want to give them a chance to grab you before the negotiations begin.”

Atkins altered his direction. Instead of circling wide and coming in from the right, he cut across the huge city square, aiming for the Belfry.

“Got your back, Atkins,” Dmytro said from his position at the base of the statue as Madison’s father passed within ten feet of him.

“Catya, be ready,” Ace said softly. “You’ll need to get Atkins’s daughter and get the hell out of the square as quickly as possible. It’s too open.”

“My two bogeys are stepping out of the shadows now,” Catya warned. “Two more just came out of the side of the Belfry. They’re gathering around Atkins. All are wearing hats, shading their faces.”

Fearghas and Jasmine increased their pace, heading back to the market square. He didn’t like that he and Jasmine were still out of sight of the market square. They couldn’t step out until Catya made her entrance. At that moment, all they could do was listen to the voices in the headset to know what was going on.

Unacceptable. He had to have Catya in sight. He urged Jasmine to close the distance between them and the end of the street leading back to the square.

Once they arrived, they paused. Fearghas whispered to Jasmine, “Leaning into you like I’m about to kiss you. Don’t shoot me, Ace.”

“Then don’t kiss her,” Ace responded.

“Kiss her, and I’ll shoot you,” Catya murmured.

Fearghas’s lips curled. “Jealous?”

“Don’t fuck with me now,” Catya responded.

“I have Atkins in sight,” Fearghas reported as he leaned closer to Jasmine, his gaze on the front of the Belfry, not the woman in front of him.

The three men Ace had mentioned timed their arrival in front of the church for the same as Atkins, stopping twenty feet from where Atkins came to a halt.

“Here goes,” Atkins whispered and then louder. “Where is she?” he demanded. “Where’s my daughter?”

Fearghas tensed, his hand going to the handgun tucked into the holster beneath his jacket.

“Show us the disk,” the men at the center of the threesome said.

Atkins shook his head. “Not until you show me my daughter. And if you think shooting me will get you that disk sooner, you could be very wrong. I may not have it on me.”

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