Another chapter up! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Hope you enjoy!
"Alan," Blunt's office door swung open and Mrs. Jones strode in at a brisk pace. "We've got a problem." Blunt didn't say anything as she opened files through his computer. Eventually a video was pulled up. Blunt watched it silently, his face betraying no thoughts or emotions.
"Well?" Mrs. Jones asked when it finished. "Do we contact Wallace and Daniels, or do we dispatch others?" Blunt was already pressing buttons on his phone.
"I want the Americans in the area on alert for him. Anyone else who we have some amount of faith in- alert them as well. I'll contact Wallace and Daniels. That will be all Tulip."
Neil's mobile buzzed against his leg. He pulled it out, ignoring Ben's questioning look. The two of them were staking out a hotel that an American unit had seen two blonde boys go into with a man who didn't look to be related to either of them. They'd been there for nearly forty minutes and nothing had happened. Ben didn't expect anything to.
Neil looked at his phone with confusion before passing it to Ben so that the other man could look as well.
"They're sending us to Venezuela?" Ben asked. "We need to get back then, the flight leaves in an hour and half."
The phone buzzed again, persistently, as they moved towards their rental car. Ben glanced at Neil before answering the call.
"This is Blunt." A crisp voice said right away.
"Daniels."
"We've got new information, directly from the source. Rider and Wallace are located in Venezuela, the village of la Guerra de Lugar. Intel points to a large drug ring. We intercepted a video email intended for this phone. We were incorrect in our assumption of Scorpia being after Rider for revenge, this is directed at Neil Wallace. A woman called Leila Passek is demanding a total of 1.8 million for the return of both hostages. She has no qualms over killing either of them. Time is of the essence. A flight has been arranged. American army support will be at your destination to meet you."
The phone beeped and the line was dead.
"Who was it? Laura?" Neil asked as they climbed into their rental. Ben gave him back his mobile and guided the car onto the road that would take them back to their own hotel.
"No, it was Blunt." Ben paused, trying to find a suitable way to inform his friend of this new development. "Do you know a woman called Leila Passek?" He tried gently.
He saw the recognition on Neil's face before he answered. "Yes. Why? She isn't involved in Scorpia is she? Her husband was a big time drug lord but I've heard nothing about her recently."
"She's got Sean and Alex. She wants 1.8 million for them. MI6 won't pay that, Neil. They don't cut deals with terrorists or anyone else who demands money."
"That woman has my son?" Neil croaked with a pale face and wide eyes.
"Why? She's got a grudge against you- what did you do?" Ben demanded, speeding up and weaving in and out of the light traffic around them on the roads. Neil was silent and Ben feared he wouldn't get an answer. "Neil? What did you do?"
"I killed her husband." Neil finally answered. "It was an assignment a few months ago. I was sent in with a small team of other SRR agents. We were there to scout out Passek's routine, the lay of the land, weak points in security, everything."
"You were planning an assassination."
Neil nodded. "One of our men was found out, he'd been snooping around in a warehouse full of cocaine, a guard found him. We had our orders to kill him when we had a chance then to get the hell out. We figured it was as good a time as any so we stormed the place. We had American reinforcements on the way and a few of them there.
"A grenade or something blew up right next to me and even though I wasn't hurt much by it I was still dazed. Another man from the unit found me, we entered the headquarters building to find Passek- we knew where he would be- and Eddie was shot. He was my best friend and they shot him. I killed Passek with two bullets. Right there in his office."
The car was silent for a moment.
"So she took Sean to get back at you." Ben said, voicing both of their thoughts. "They're flying us in to Venezuela; will they be at the same complex?"
"Yes, I think so. Passek's wife and kids lived in a villa not far from it. I can't see them moving away even though all of the cocaine was seized. I wouldn't be surprised if she's taken up the business herself."
"Then we can get in and get out with them. It's going to all be over soon, Neil."
"And when it is, I'm getting out of this line of business."
And there you have it! The sixth installment in this story!
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