Shadow Brokers (Infernum Book 5) Read online

  “What’s on it?”

  She shook her head. “Haven’t a damn clue, it’s got incredibly strong levels of encryption. I tried to break it, but no luck. And that’s when I got a call. Seems this data was sent to me on purpose by someone who said that if I wanted to know the truth, I should get on a plane to Costa Rica.”

  “Your contact sent you out here?” asked Marco.

  Julie nodded as she sipped. “That’s right. We’re supposed to meet tomorrow. Here at this resort.”

  “Why would you agree to that?”

  “I’ve been on the run since Russia. This guy says he can get me clear of the Agency. Seemed like a risk worth taking. So I took a chance, hopped on a plane, and flew out here.”

  “Didn’t you think it could possibly be a set-up?” asked Marco.

  Julie rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. But what choice did I have? Lockhart’s in the wind, I refused Infernum’s offer, what else was I going to do?”

  “You have the drive on you?”

  Julie shook her head. “Nope. Not that stupid. I’ve got it somewhere safe. Insurance in case things went south.”

  “The drive could be worthless,” said Marco. “Chandler sent me after you with that bogus background story, so maybe he set this whole thing up.”

  “Or it could be someone trying to engineer some sort of confrontation with the Agency,” said Julie.

  “Right.” Marco drained his glass and set it on the table. “So what do we do now?”

  Julie stared at him. “We don’t do anything. You’re already too deep into this.”

  “If I don’t come back with you in tow, then Chandler will assume I let you get away. My cover’s blown one way or the other.”

  “At least that still gives you a chance. But if you help me, then you’re completely screwed. I’m not letting you throw your life away for me.”

  Marco’s body stiffened at Julie’s dismissal of his help. “You know why I agreed to work for Infernum?”

  Julie shrugged. “No clue. I’ve actually been wondering about that for some time.”

  “Because I learned the truth about what the Agency was up to. About how they use their power in order to make the Cabal even richer than they already are. I’ve learned of deals they struck with cartels, of union organizers who were brutally murdered, of democratically elected leaders overthrown in coups in favor of vicious dictators. And I wanted to do what I could to fight back.”

  He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you, Jules. You’re a good person who got suckered into this. The Agency has taken advantage of a lot of people like you and I’ve stood by, unable to do anything more than watch. Now I’ve got the opportunity to do something and I’m sure as hell going to do it.”

  Julie offered him a faint smile. “Thanks, Jack.”

  “Don’t mention it.” Marco sat back in the chair. “So what’s the plan?”

  Julie opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. She held up her hand as a signal for Marco to stay silent. They both stood from their seats as they heard a voice from the other side of the door.

  “Housekeeping.”

  “I’m fine, thanks. I just checked in,” said Julie.

  “I have fresh towels.”

  “Don’t need any towels, I’m okay.”

  The maid didn’t say another word. A moment of silence passed and then, the loud, staccato rhythm of automatic fire as bullets punched through the wooden door.

  CHAPTER 6

  Julie and Marco leapt from the sitting area, moving behind the bed for cover. They both put their backs to the frame. The sound of the gunfire was intense, echoing in the room.

  After the brief moments of fury, silence fell again. But it was broken by the sound of the now-demolished door being kicked in. The two agents chanced a look over the edge of the mattress and saw a woman enter, dressed in a maid’s uniform. She had long, brunette hair twirled into a bun and a pair of submachine guns in her hands.

  Marco instinctively reached behind his back, but then remembered his gun was still on the table in the sitting area, as was Julie’s. They couldn’t get to them without guaranteeing a kill for the assassin.

  “What now?” he asked.

  Julie raised her hand for him to keep quiet. She peered over the bed again and the assassin spotted her, turning the weapons on the bed and pulling the triggers. Julie and Marco huddled behind their cover, but it wouldn’t last long. She looked across from the bed to the balcony door—the open balcony door.

  “I think I have an idea.”

  Marco followed her gaze and understood. “Say the word.”

  Julie waited until the bullets stopped flying overhead. Then the sound of magazines ejecting. “Now!”

  She and Marco both jumped to their feet and ran through the balcony door. The assassin finished reloading and opened fire again, the bullets shattering the glass. Julie and Marco jumped over the balcony, holding onto the railing.

  Marco looked down at the ground beneath them. “So now what?”

  Julie glanced down as well, then released her grip. She caught the railing on the balcony attached to the next room down. Marco followed her lead, letting go and then gripping onto the same railing. They both pulled themselves onto the balcony of the eighth-floor room and entered the door.

  There were suitcases in the room but no people. Fortunately the guests were probably out exploring the resort. Julie and Marco quickly moved to the front door and out into the hallway. They ran down the corridor and into the stairwell, quickly running down the steps.

  Once they exited the stairwell into the lobby, they moved at a slower pace so as not to draw any attention to themselves. But the lobby was already full of commotion, with the hotel staff moving around and several of them on phones. The assassin’s gunfire no doubt drew some attention.

  They walked calmly through the lobby’s front doors and out onto the drive-up to the hotel’s main entrance. A few taxis were there and a shuttle bus. But as they approached the main street, a car pulled up, skidding to a stop right in front of them.

  The driver emerged and pulled out a submachine gun, aiming it at the two of them. He looked like a local, tan skin and a beard. And when he spoke, his English was accented.

  “Don’t move.” He kept the gun trained on them and reached into his pocket with his free hand. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed quickly and held it to his ear. “I’ve got them out front. They aren’t going anywhere.”

  He turned off the phone and tossed it back into the car, his gaze remaining fixed on his new prisoners. “Once my friend gets down here, the four of us are going to go on a little ride. You’ve certainly landed in some deep shit, my friends.”

  “You don’t know what you’re doing,” said Marco. “I’ve got a very delicate situation here and you just completely fucked up my mission.”

  The man scoffed. “And you expect me to believe that? I think not, Jack Marco.”

  Both Julie and Marco saw a convertible coming down the street, taking a sharp turn into the hotel. It maintained its speed and rammed right into the gunman’s vehicle, throwing it forward. The gunman spun in surprise, but he barely had a chance to react.

  The driver of the second car stuck out her arm and fired several shots before the gunman could even aim. Bullets punched through his chest and head and he fell to the ground, blood pouring out over the asphalt.

  Julie recognized the driver and her eyes narrowed. The woman who had brown skin and long hair tied into a bun fixed her own dark eyes on the two of them. She held the gun on them for only the briefest of moments, but then pulled it inside and revved the engine.

  “Tauna…” muttered Julie.

  “We don’t have much time,” said Tauna. “Get in now.”

  Bullets fired from behind. Marco and Julie looked quickly over their shoulders and saw the maid from before emerging from the lobby. Tauna returned fire as the two agents quickly climbed into the convertible. Once they were in
their seats, Tauna turned the wheel hard and slammed on the gas pedal. The car swerved, then shot off into the distance.

  The maid ran after, returning fire, but the car was moving too fast and erratically for her to get a clean shot. She sighed and looked down at the body of her partner on this mission. There was no feeling of remorse for the man, though.

  She took her phone from her pocket and dialed her contact. “Marco and Kim escaped. Judging from the brief look I got at the driver, it looks like it was Tauna.”

  “At least we now know for sure where Marco’s loyalties lie. What about the drive?”

  She shook her head. “There was nothing in the room. I checked the safe and it was empty.”

  “That means she’s hidden the drive somewhere else. Backtrack Kim’s movements since entering the country. Find out where she’s been and check each and every location. She must have hidden that drive somewhere.”

  “And Infernum’s involvement?” she asked.

  “Forget them for now. The drive is all that matters. Find it before Dante’s people do.”

  “Understood.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Just what in the hell is going on here?” asked Marco from the backseat of the convertible.

  Julie sat in the front passenger seat, her gaze also fixed on Tauna, who was behind the wheel. Tauna looked at Marco in the rear-view mirror and slid on a pair of sunglasses. She increased pressure on the gas pedal, speeding through the road and swerving from lane to lane to drive around the slower vehicles.

  “Jackal informed us about your meeting with him and Dante sent me after you to observe. I’ve been tailing you ever since you left the airport. I’d been content to just stay back and not get involved, but then I saw that you’d been targeted by those assassins and chose to intervene.”

  “Who were they?” asked Julie.

  “The man appeared to be no one, just a local contact,” said Tauna. “But the woman’s name is Fiona.”

  Julie scrunched her eyebrows together in thought. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone named Fiona working for the Agency.”

  “Because she’s not part of the Agency,” said Tauna. “Fiona works for Johnny Venom.”

  “He’s involved in this? Why?” asked Marco. Johnny Venom was an arms dealer who’d had frequent dealings with the Agency in the past.

  “Venom is part of the Cabal as well, and the drive that Ms. Kim managed to get her hands on is very valuable to them,” said Tauna.

  “What exactly is on this drive?” asked Julie.

  Tauna glanced over at her, then turned her eyes back to the road. “You have it with you?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  Tauna grimaced. “You’re not being very helpful, Julie.”

  “I’m not part of your crooked little organization.”

  “No, you were just part of a different crooked organization.”

  Julie glared at the driver. “What I wouldn’t give for a gun right now.”

  Tauna drew her handgun and held it over the armrest. “Here. Let’s see if you’re willing to kill me at this speed.”

  Marco took the gun from Tauna. “I think I’ll hold onto this.” He sat back in the seat and shook his head. “You two need to calm down. Jules, Tauna just saved our lives. So I think she’s earned the benefit of the doubt for now. Tauna, whatever is on this drive is clearly important, or else you wouldn’t be here. And Julie is the only one who knows where it is. That means you’re both going to play nice for now. Is that understood?”

  Julie and Tauna exchanged furtive glances, but said nothing further. Tauna sped up and the rest of the drive passed in silence. They drove along the coast, moving into one of the wealthier residential neighborhoods.

  The homes here were mansions of a massive size. Tauna took them into the rotunda driveway of one of those mansions and pulled the car to a stop in front of a staircase leading to the entrance. At the top of the steps stood a man in a tuxedo, his hands clad in white gloves.

  Tauna turned off the engine and got out of the car first, ascending the steps with Julie and Marco following behind her. The butler gave a brief bow to them.

  “Madame Tauna, so good to see you again,” he said.

  “Thank you, Carlton,” said Tauna, returning his bow.

  “Mr. Marco, Ms. Kim, welcome,” he said to the two new guests. He opened the double-doors and stepped inside first. Once everyone was inside the large foyer, he closed the doors behind them and gestured down a corridor. “Right this way, if you please.”

  Carlton led them from the foyer with a massive staircase leading up to the second floor. He directed them down a corridor beside the staircase, which led deeper into the house. They moved through a large library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled to capacity and large chairs beside a fireplace.

  Past the library was a kitchen with an island in the center and marble countertops that looked brand new. Carlton led them through the kitchen to a door leading behind the house.

  They stepped out onto a large terrace. Stone steps led down to a private dock and chairs and tables were set up. A man sat on one of the lounge chairs, facing the ocean, smoke rising from the cigarette he held between his index and middle finger, dangling over the edge of the chair. They heard the clinking of ice cubes in the glass tumbler he held in his other hand.

  “Your guests have arrived, sir,” said Carlton.

  “Thank you. That will be all, Carlton.”

  “Very good, sir.” Carlton gave a bow and returned inside the house.

  Their host rose from his chair and slowly turned to face them. He wore a red bathing suit and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, exposing his toned torso beneath. His hair was platinum blond and slicked back, which contrasted with his black eyebrows and facial hair. Lines of hair ran from the edges of his lips down to his chin with a third strip in the center. He removed his sunglasses, his bright, turquoise eyes studying the new arrivals.

  “So good to meet you.” He set down the glass of scotch on the nearby table and stamped out the cigarette in the ashtray. Standing upright, he flashed the group a wide smile. “You may call me Dante.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “You bastard!”

  Julie lunged at Dante, grabbing the collar of his shirt with one hand and driving her other fist into his face. Dante made no move to stop her—in fact, he allowed her to pummel him.

  “Jules!” shouted Marco. But she ignored his cry.

  She’d thought of this moment for years. Ever since Christian’s death. What she would do if she ever had the opportunity to meet Dante face-to-face. And now, here they both were. She was going to make it count.

  Julie’s head was yanked back by her hair. She was pulled off Dante and stumbled across the terrace, but didn’t fall. Tauna stood between Dante and her, staring down the former operative.

  “You do not want to test me,” she said.

  “Is that so, Tigress?” asked Julie, using the moniker Tauna had picked up in her years working with Infernum. “Let’s see just how good you are.”

  Both women moved into fighting stances. Marco stepped forward to stop them, but Dante placed a hand on his shoulder. Marco looked at his employer in curiosity. Dante’s gaze was fixed on the two women.

  “Lesson the first, dear Jack,” he said. “Never, ever stand in the way of a cat fight.”

  Julie and Tauna maintained their distance, staring each other down, each woman sizing up her opponent. Julie made the first move, lunging forward and raising her leg in a high kick. Tauna twisted to the side, then moved in. Her hand struck Julie just below her ribcage and the Tigress pivoted around her.

  Julie felt the sting in her side, but wouldn’t let it deter her. She charged again with another kick and Tauna grabbed her leg, twisting it. Julie stumbled, falling on the cobblestone terrace.

  She was back on her feet in an instant though. Tauna just eyed her dispassionately. It was like the assassin didn’t consider her a real challenge.
If anything, that only fueled Julie’s rage even more.

  The women went at each other with a flurry of punches and kicks. Julie tried to maintain the offensive while Tauna stuck mostly to defense. But every now and then, Tauna would get in a blow that threw Julie off her game.

  “All right, I believe that’s enough,” said Dante.

  Julie ignored Dante’s order and continued to fight on. Her body was in pain, but she wasn’t going to get out of here without killing the man responsible for her partner’s death.

  But Tauna was good at following his orders. She blocked a few more of Julie’s strikes. And when she returned fire with her own attacks, they were far more fierce than they had been before.

  Julie now realized that the Tigress had been holding back this entire time.

  A flash of metal, the sunlight glinting off a blade. A silver blur twirling around Tauna’s hand. And then the razor-sharp edge of a balisong blade held against Julie’s throat.

  Then, the sound of a slow clap.

  “Now that’s what I call a show.” Dante had a broad smile on his face. He stopped clapping and picked up his cigarette case and lighter from the table. Lighting a fresh cigarette, he stepped closer to the two women.

  Julie took stock of her options. She could try and get the balisong away from Tauna, but she knew from Agency files that if there was one weapon Tauna excelled at, that was it.

  “If you ladies are done, I’d like to get down to business,” said Dante. “We have quite a lot to discuss.”

  “The hell we do,” said Julie. “It’s because of you that Christian’s dead. You think I’m going to sit down to chat with you over coffee?”

  “No, I don’t blame you that,” said Dante. “Carlton does a lot of good things, but making coffee is sadly not one of them.”

  “Don’t think that was her point, boss,” said Marco.

  “Right, the dearly departed Agent Pierce.”