Chapter 4 – Edmond Mason

London, England

Edmond Mason stood very straight and very still, staring with narrowed eyes upon the busy streets of London's business district. His eyes were steel grey and rimmed with the lines that accompany many sleepless nights. He was built tall and thick, with muscular arms and a broad chest. His face looked as though it were carved of granite, all blocks and fine lines. He wore a finely tailored suit made of grey silk, and his jet-black shoes matched his thick head of hair. He stood in darkness, as was his custom. He had never enjoyed the light. His surrounding office was spacious, quiet, and beautifully furnished. The window he stood in front of stretched the entire horizontal length of his office, which was considerable. He turned slowly, facing an ornately fashioned desk of mahogany matched with an upholstered chair from the time of Louis XVI, done in crimson velvet. He sat down rigidly, always a practitioner of perfect posture. He looked around him, looked at all of the wonderful things he was able to surround himself with. A little to his right was a marble fireplace graced on the sides by two small Corinthian columns. On top of this were two of his most prized possessions. A large gilded sword fashioned in the early years of Asia. It had once been held in one of the many hands of a statue of Siva made of rare blue jade. Next to this was an enormous emerald, glistening in the firelight. It was cut and shaped to look like a winged woman, the Seraph. He smiled to himself as he thought of how much he had paid to acquire these two items. He smiled a more devious smile when he thought of how many lives it had cost.

He pushed a small silver button on his office phone, and a husky voice called over the intercom, "Yes Mr. Mason?"

"Nicholas, come in here please. I have something of importance to speak with you about."

"Of course, sir." A moment later the grand double doors leading to Mason's office opened, and a tall young man in a dark suit came in.

"Shut the door, Nicholas." Nicholas, a slim man with light hair and a somewhat sinister face, closed the door as he was told. "Come here and sit down."

"What can I do for you sir?"

"I'm expecting a guest tomorrow."

"A guest, sir?"

"Yes, Nicholas. A guest. Is that a problem?"

"Of course not, sir. I only wondered because of your engagement with Lord Baker in which you planned to…"

"Oh, Barnaby Baker! That windbag! Forget the meeting. Cancel it at once."

"Of course, sir. However, his lordship will be most displeased."

"As if I actually cared about that no-brained neanderthal. Cancel it immediately, Nicholas."

"Yes, Mr. Mason." Edmond Mason rose from his chair and began pacing very slowly and deliberately in front of his window.

"I am expecting someone very important."

"May I inquire as to whom, sir?"

"The Lady Lara Croft," Mason replied slowly. He watched as Nicholas's face brightened in recognition.

"Why, you mean the infamous adventurer who supplies us with such amazing artifacts?"

"The very same, Nicholas," Mason responded with a tone of exasperation. "Now, everything must be arranged for her arrival. I want the place immaculate. And make sure you get rid of those… those… you know. What are they called?"

"Janitors, sir?"

"Yes, those. I can't tell you how many times I've come in here in the mornings only to have my first site be that of some… janitor… scooping trash and such."

"I'll see to it at once, sir."

"I don't want Lady Croft to come here and see those… janitor people sweeping and… whatever else they do. Just tell them to come earlier. Or later if it suits them."

"Of course sir."

"Make reservations at Luc's for two at, oh say… eight o'clock."

"At Luc's sir? It might be a little high-end for a tomb raider."

"I'll be the one to make that decision, Nicholas."

"Of course, sir."

"I want this office to be outfitted with bowls filled with every one of Lady Croft's favorite treats."

"I don't know what she prefers, sir."

"Well then I suggest you find out."

"Of course, sir. Anything else?"

"Of course there is, you idiot. I want every piece of research and information we have so far on the item of interest. If Lady Croft decides to take me up on my offer, she'll want the known facts immediately."

"Yes, sir. I'll have Nida send them down first thing tomorrow morning."

"Very good. Next I want you to get Richie in here and tear out all of that audio-recording shit I had him install in here. I want the conversation Lady Croft and I have to be completely private. What is said in this office between the two of us is to stay between the two of us. Understand?"

"I'll call him at once, sir."

"That's fine. Other than that, you should of course make the necessary reservations and such for Lady Croft at the finest hotels and restaurants. And if anything goes wrong, I will have your testicles on a silver platter. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Mr. Howard?"

"As always sir, crystal." Mason smiled.

"Thank you for your attention, Nicholas. I'll make sure to express my gratitude on your next check. You are dismissed." Nicholas bowed only slightly and left the room, closing the double doors behind him.

Mason let the smile fade. How he hated the morons he was forced to be in contact with. How he despised playing the fop, the fool. He, a brilliant historian, a highly educated member of upper class society. Playing stupid to the masses. He understood what a threat his true brilliance could be if made public, but oh! How he longed to show the world who he really was. What he was really capable of doing. If they thought he was bad enough as one of the most powerful men in the world, he could only writhe in pleasure at the thought of what they would think when he finally found his treasure.

But those were thoughts for later. He had business to attend to now. Though he knew for certain that once he could come out from underneath his self-made veil, the first person he would destroy would be Nicholas. That insolent little prick. He thought he knew everything. He truly believed that Mason was indeed a fool. Well, let him continue in his delusions. When the time came, Mason would enjoy wiping his ass with him. He strode to the very edge of the window, looking down upon the busy streets. The cars, the buses, the people, all the commotion of the city. Just to think that one day soon, all of it would be at his feet. He would have the world eating out of his hand, groveling before him. He laughed heartily as he thought of the faces of everyone who had ever underestimated him, ever believed he was as stupid as he pretended to be. He supposed he would enjoy melting those faces. Yes, that's what he would do. Melt them into mush. Or eat them. Whichever method suited his fancy when the time came. He let his mind settle as he straightened his tie. He couldn't allow himself to get too worked up. He became violent when he got worked up. He needed release, something to take his mind off of it all. He went to his phone and pushed another small silver button. This time, a woman's voice answered.

"Yes Mr. Mason?"

"Hello Bonnie. Send for Alexa, would you?" A pause.

"Of course sir. I'll send her in at once."

"Thank you, darling."