Chapter 20

The Global Pharmaceutics Consortium was holding a conference in Rome, and even though this was Excella's homeland, she was overburdened with her current projects in the wake of Albert's disappearance to attend personally. Tricell sent a small delegation of her subordinates instead while she worked to unravel the tangled mess that occurred overnight. Crow found himself having to tag along, though he preferred to stay quiet and observe the convention as it unfolded before him than actively participate.

The conference was stretched over three days, this being the second day of various lectures, presentations and dinners all given in the ballrooms at the St. Regis hotel. Crow personally found it all to be dreadfully boring. Despite the luxurious settings of the five-star hotel, most of it was spent endlessly listening and waiting. Perhaps Wesker might have taken a better interest in it, if he were still alive and not been a wanted man. Excella certainly would have fit right in. The talks ranged from new ways to implement medicine to the latest in bioengineering, filled with all sorts of science he didn't even bother to understand.

It had been Excella's request that he join the delegation, however, one given over dinner. He simply couldn't turn that down. At least there was a positive side to it: while she could review the notes taken by her subordinates, he could be there to personally 'brief her' on the entire conference once it was over. There were other things for him to manage as well, such as Tricell's security force, which was overseeing a majority of the security for the conference.

Also weighing heavily on his mind was the kill order he sent the previous day. His men were late in reporting to him, and he was expecting that something had gone wrong, though he couldn't guess what. Since he was so busy filing the spot on the delegation, there was no way to get wind of anything happening in America. The longer the silence in communication, the more it felt off. They had been given free reign in their planning and methods, but this was…unprofessional. And unnaturally so, given that his men were remnants of the organization.

As if it was reading his thoughts, his PDA suddenly chimed quietly with a buzz inside his coat pocket. He was relieved to see the familiar number on the screen. At least an update was better than nothing, regardless of the news, though he would wait to exercise that particular judgment and braced himself for the worst.

He brought it to his ear, turning away from the presentation, as to not disturb the Tricell staff he was seated with. "Report," he demanded quietly through gritted teeth. "I expected to hear from you sooner."

Strangely, the other end of the line was quiet, and he thought for a second that the call had dropped. But then shock, and somewhat of a chill ran down his spine when a familiar purr sounded in his ear.

"Hello, James."

Suddenly, the worst he imagined didn't seem so bad…

Crow tried not to swallow just too hard, but there was no hiding the pause in his reply as he gulped. "Hello Ada. This is…certainly a surprise, though I must say it is delightful to hear your voice again. I didn't expect to be hearing from you, of all people."

"Your men are dead," she said coldly, ignoring his charm. "If you have any more targeting the BSAA's data, they're not going to get it without drawing a lot of attention. The government has it locked away."

He pursed his lips together, gut clenching in anger. This was outside the scope of his projections. Ada shouldn't have been a factor with the BSAA. She hadn't mentioned how she knew what she did, but she clearly had a hand in what happened. After all, she had acquired his number, and that probably meant she had been the one that eliminated the Tricell assassins.

…but somehow, no matter how angry he felt or what dread he felt creeping up the back of his neck, he couldn't block the admiration for her. She was so cunning, so adaptable. What he wouldn't give to have her at his side…

"I guess I have you to thank for eliminating them," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral and casual. "Disappointing. You're calling to gloat then?"

"No, I'm calling to tell you that I'm going to kill you."

The way she said it was so casual, nonchalant, but it was spiced with a sense of hatred. It reminded him of Wesker: bland and colorless, but cold. He felt a cool sweat start to bead beneath his bangs. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Ada wanted him dead, but hearing it from her directly was a lot more terrifying than he thought it would be, especially given the surprise of her call.

But threats were only words. He had money, information, and all of Tricell's support backing him; the equivalent of a nation and an army. He had the advantage. It didn't matter what she said. She couldn't find him, and she was just one woman against an army. The odds were tipped in his favor, and the outcome was inevitable.

He forced a chuckle. "Please, Ada, there's no need to be violent. Business is business, after all. I wish you wouldn't take it so personally, especially after you insist on being so meddlesome."

"You forget that I'm not part of your business anymore, Crow," she replied icily. "What I do meets my own needs."

"Very well then," he snorted. "Is there anything else you wish to say? I'd rather not listen to someone tell me how much they hate me, even if it is from a woman as lovely as you."

"No," she sighed lazily, "I'm just thinking about how I'm going to kill you without alerting all those people sitting around you."

The chill moved from his spine and plummeted straight into his gut like a sack of ice. She knew where he was!

Crow licked his lips, trying to look unfazed, but his face grew hot. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her chuckle was rich and sultry. "It wasn't hard to trace your number from your thug's phones, even if it only did point me towards Europe. I figured you'd go for something related to pharmaceutics, and here you are."

He scanned the crowd, still seated and watching the presenter page slide through slide of a powerpoint. The lecture continued normally. There were plenty of people with dates and significant others. He had taken the time to admire many of the women since the conference started, but none of them were Ada Wong, and none of them were acting suspicious. But the ultimate truth was that she had more than just his number. She wouldn't call without confidence…unless she was watching him though a rifle scope, with her finger on the trigger, but then he remembered that there weren't any windows in the ballroom.

Or was she just bluffing? The uncertainty began to rise. He shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling very hot in his black Armani suit.

"I'd be careful Crow," she chimed in his ear. "You can alert security that there's an assassin afoot, but that means plenty of attention on you. We wouldn't want any pictures of you showing up where the BSAA can see them, would we?"

She was right, of course. If a panic started at the conference, one that he started no less, he would draw too much attention to himself. That could lead the BSAA straight to Excella and Tricell, and he would be finished…assuming of course, that Ada didn't know that already and chose not to reveal that she did.

At least he could defend himself…except that he suddenly remembered his revolver was in his suite. Even though Tricell's private army was supplying most of the security forces, Crow would rather not be the focus as someone above security if part of the other forces caught him wearing a firearm. Now he was kicking himself for being too careless.

Don't panic, he tried to think coolly. Arm yourself, then call for extraction. She's playing you, trying to goad you into something stupid. Keep her distracted. She hasn't struck yet because you're surrounded by staff and guards.

That seemed like a reasonable could regroup, call for backup, and then escape in a matter of minutes with a simple call from his hotel room phone.

He pushed his chair out from the table he was seated at, keeping his PDA to his ear. No one paid him much mind; other conference goers had left due to calls, and more than once, cell phones had disrupted a presentation. It almost seemed to be expected. The Tricell associates seated at his table didn't even seem to notice he was leaving.

"Do you remember our first face-to-face talk?" she said idly. "Back then, I was protecting you from an assassin that was picking off the organization one by one. Seeing as how you and Wesker made it out of that tight spot, I think you had something to do with it, but I digress. You were expressing your pride as a physicist."

"Yes, what of it?" he asked impatiently, looking over his shoulder, specifically at exits and doorways. He couldn't make out anyone following him. There were only the other conference goers and hotel staff, as well as the occasional wealthy tourist staying at the St. Regis. He also tried to stay as far away from windows as he could, in case she was looking through a rifle scope.

"You ignored a very simple little fact for being such an acclaimed physicist, Crow: initial conditions."

"Really, initial conditions?"

"You screwed up from the start, and it all went downhill from there. How many times could you have had me killed between Spain and sending me after Donovan? I would have never seen it coming. But it was obvious why you didn't. It was all over your face when we met, and it's always been in your voice when we've talked. You just couldn't let me go."

"I admit, I rather detested the idea of putting you down like some mad pet," Crow admitted tightly. As much as he believed that earlier, he was quickly realizing his mistake. Unchecked, she had been the source of all his problems. "I would have preferred that you allied with me. A woman of your caliber, Ada Wong, is a rare find."

"Thank you for the compliment," she purred pleasingly.

He tried not to picture Excella sneering at him and saying 'I told you so'. She was right, as Wesker had been before her. As an unmarked variable, Ada was able to cause a surprising amount of chaos in a relatively short time. One little butterfly flapped its wings and caused a hurricane, one that was quickly forming around him. He'd been stupid to try and think he could control that force and collect it for his own use later.

"I mean every word of it," he said sincerely. "As I mean every word of my offer to join me. You're a sensible woman, Ada. Wealth and power at your fingertips, and you know I can be pleasurable company."

The last hallway to his room was empty, void of anyone save for a lone maid at the far end. She gave him a peculiar look as he glanced behind himself, the phone still glued to his ear with a terse look on his face, but didn't pay any further attention.

"You flatter too much, Crow," she said, sounding amused. "Especially with women. We're not just toys, you know. It'll be your downfall."

"Let's hope not."

He dug into his suit pocket and procured the keycard to his room, then stabbed it into the receiver, missing the first time in haste. The suite was comprised of a living room, a bedroom, a small office, and a master bathroom. He shut the door behind him, and made straight for the office. He could already see his Korth revolver sitting on the corner of the desk where he had laid it last night before turning in, and a sense of relief was already beginning to replace the initial panic.

"Besides, Ada," he said, moving towards the desk, "Despite all my flattery, do you really think you could find it in your heart to kill me?"

Click.

He froze as he heard the metallic sound. A cold circle of metal pressed against the base of his skull hard enough to tilt his head forward.

"Oh, I believe I could."

Her sultry purr was right behind him, so close that he felt warm, scented breath against his ear.

The relief vanished, and genuine panic began to rise as he realized just how badly he had underestimated her.