Friday, 5th May 2006

Four years and two months since Day One

Two years and eight months since Day Two

Four months until Day Three

14:00 - Montevideo, Uruguay

Nina sighed as she put her phone back into her pocket. She had been talking to Marcus Alvers, or at least she was talking to him about his plan. He was keeping her in the dark about everything, which was not helping her mood. All she did know was that it involved an upcoming deal she was to complete for a client. That was why she found herself in the Uruguayan capital, where Alvers had been meeting a contact.

She gazed out at the city as the car moved through the busy streets full of noise and people. Having only arrived hours before, she would be leaving before the sun set. If things had been different, better, then she would have gone to Annie in Ireland. Instead, she planned to visit a friend in Greece.

As she thought of her lost lover, she raised her hand and began to fiddle with her necklace. It was a simple piece, made of leather with a couple of silver ornaments hanging from the bottom. Annie had given it to her, a souvenir of a trip where they had been able to be normal people. Then the police had swooped in a few months later, whilst she had been away. There had been no trace of her ever since, and Nina had resigned herself to never knowing.

"We'll be there in five minutes," the driver, a man Nina knew only as Cale, announced.

She nodded. This would be a short event, but it was important both for her and for Alvers. At least soon she would know more about this plan of his, and whether she wanted to have any part in it.

Her thoughts turned to Alvers, who she knew in both senses of the word. She had met him in London, where they had worked together a couple of times. After the last time, they had spent a forgettable night in a hotel. The morning after, he was trying to convince her that he had a plan to make a lot of money. The fact that it had something to do with her client had both confused and intrigued her.

Moments later, the car pulled into a parking lot. Deserted except for a black BMW in the centre, there was three men stood nearby. One of them was Alvers, another was likely one of his goons. The third was a man she didn't recognise, but she already knew she disliked him. He looked slimy and untrustworthy, which annoyed her. What was Marcus thinking?

Cale parked their car twenty feet away from the other, before the two climbed out. Nina made a point of letting the sleazeball know about the gun on her hip. He seemed unconcerned about this display.

The two groups met in the middle and Alvers was quick to get the meeting started.

"Nina, this is Michael Amador. Michael, this is Nina Myers," he spoke.

Nina, with some reluctance, shook hands with Amador. She made a point of looking straight into his eyes as she did. That only strengthened her impression of him.

"Marcus has told me quite a bit about you," Amador spoke as if impressed by her.

Nina, who was not impressed in the slightest, nodded before turning to Alvers. "What are we doing here?"

"Your client wishes for you to buy something for him. I'll soon be in possession of that item," Alvers announced.

She raised an eyebrow. How did he know that? Even she didn't know what the client wanted. All she knew was that he was waiting for it be available.

Alvers grinned. "Word gets around when a weapon worth hundreds of millions is about to enter the market."

Nina nodded, knowing that Alvers wasn't exactly planning on helping her client. "You said this plan would make us rich?"

"We'll hold an auction, with you as one of the bidders."

Nina was beginning to feel a little annoyed. "How can you be sure I'll win?"

Amador smiled. "Let me handle that, Nina."

She glanced at him, not at all assured by his words, before turning back to Alvers. "What's the timeline here?

"We're hoping to hold the auction in September. If it all goes to plan. we split the money three ways."

Nina frowned. "And what happens to the weapon?"

"That won't be a problem," Amador replied.

She restrained herself from beginning to ask him questions, turning back to Alvers. "Okay, so you have some idea of the when. What about the where?"

"Nothing concrete yet, but there's a few interested parties. The usual terrorists and cartels."

Nodding, Nina decided she had heard enough. She wasn't sold on the idea, but there was time to think it over. "If that's everything, I've got a plane to catch."

Alvers smiled. "This will all work out," he replied before his group turned to go back to their car.

Nina and Cale watched as they climbed inside, before making a quick exit from the parking lot. Neither said a word as they returned to their own car.

As they set off, Nina fell into deep thought. They could make a lot of money out of this, but at what cost? Her client was both powerful and dangerous, not someone she wanted to piss off. Her list of enemies was long enough as it was.

After a few moments, a loud noise outside shook her out of her thoughts. She looked up in time to see a sign informing her that the airport was only a mile away.

Taking out her ticket and passport, she studied them both. She had already done so that morning, but she wasn't taking any risks. Any discrepancies, no matter how small, would bring unwanted attention. She was not going to go down over a spelling mistake.

Then she noticed the date and frowned to herself. It was the fifth of May? She wondered how she had managed to forget.

"Happy birthday," she whispered.