26. Typhon

26

TYPHON

F rom the end of January through the first week of October, things remained relatively quiet for Eliza and me. We spent as much time as we could at Casa Melro, but returned to Brighton at least twice a month for a few days. El was happy to have time in her studio when I had to go to London.

Saint and Harper's baby, who they'd named Agatha, was born the first week of September, and El spent a lot of time with them, particularly during the first week, when she stayed at the cottage with them overnight. Out of respect, I'd kept my distance.

We were in Brighton, intending to return to Algarve later that day, when I received a call from Z.

"Nemesis is stepping up her efforts in Italy," he reported.

"Meaning what exactly?"

"She's invited a man named Brando Ripa to a meeting in Shere. My understanding is he has experience with the Sicilians."

I was familiar with the name and also intimately aware of what had gone down between Mr. Ripa, the Sicilians, and the Calabrians. It had been a few years ago, and while he didn't know it, I was the man who'd saved his life. "I thought he was in prison," I responded.

"Quite right. However, Doc Butler arranged for his early release."

"Fatale's husband."

"Again, you're right."

Fatale was the code name of a former SIS agent, Merrigan Shaw, who I'd campaigned hard to get to join Unit 23. At the time, she was also being considered for the job Z currently held, chief of MI6. She was one of the best agents I'd ever worked with, as was her husband, Kade "Doc" Butler. Better put, the two were legendary, as was Doc's father, code name Burns. So why had a man considered "intelligence royalty" gotten involved with Ripa? Another question was, what did any of this have to do with Nemesis?

"I'll ring you back from my office," I told him, knowing this conversation was about to get more intense.

I found El in our bedroom, packing. I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She smiled and looked over her shoulder.

"Change of plans?" she asked.

"Possibly. Are you terribly disappointed?"

"With the amount of time we've been able to spend at Casa Melro in the last few months, as well as the very few times you've needed to leave Brighton, I won't complain."

"I've a call, then we'll talk more."

I took the lift to my office and initiated the videoconference. "All right, Z. Start talking," I said when he appeared on the screen.

"As you know, Ripa forged art for the Sicilians."

I nodded. "He almost got himself killed by attempting to defraud the Calabrian don."

Z's eyes opened wide. "That's right. I'd forgotten. You held the contract for Scaglione's hit on him."

It had taken a fuck of a lot of negotiating to get it called off. In the end, millions of dollars plus two priceless originals were exchanged for Ripa's life. My involvement was concealed, of course, but I was the one who'd saved the man's life. "Explain Doc's involvement first."

"Right. His daughter is a partner in an art gallery doing business in New York City. They, along with many other galleries around the world, were defrauded out of millions after originals they purchased from an auction house were found to be forgeries."

I nodded a second time. "I'd bet anything the Sicilians are behind it."

"Ripa agrees with you." Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. "Nemesis is sending Ripa undercover with the Sicilians. Doc's goal is to prove they were behind the millions his daughter lost. Nemesis wants Ripa to gather intelligence on their involvement in trafficking."

"In summation, yes."

"Bloody fucking hell. I didn't risk my neck to save his life only for her to get him killed. And that's exactly what's going to happen."

When Z agreed, I ended the feed.

As if my conversation with Z had manifested it, almost a month to the day, I was notified of a meeting with the Calabrians. Their don, Valerio Scaglione, had specifically requested my attendance. I had three days to travel to Tropea, where it was being held. It was just enough time for me to plan a route that would allow my team to pick up anyone attempting to tail me.

When I arrived at the compound where the meeting was taking place, I was met by Scaglione's consigliere, who informed me that everyone at the capo level and above would be in attendance. I thanked him for giving me advance notice of what I'd be walking into.

Technically, my alter ego, Benito Carpinelli, wasn't a made man. Thus, some family members in attendance might question my inclusion. Not that anyone would challenge Scaglione's decision publicly. It was more that I'd need to watch my back.

I feigned a level of unveiled disinterest throughout the meeting. Most of the discussion was above my "enforcer" pay grade. However, when I heard the acronym AMPS, my ears pricked up.

According to the capo who mentioned them, the organization who'd controlled trafficking throughout Europe and the Middle East for decades was reported to be in trouble. Not much else was said during the meeting, but afterwards, Scaglione invited me in for a private conversation.

"I want to know if the Sicilians are serious players in going after the territories that are becoming available."

"You're referring to AMPS' territories?"

He nodded once.

"What you're asking of me is outside the scope of what I do for you, Boss." Again, I feigned disinterest.

"Name your price."

"With all due respect, Valerio, we have spoken of my increased involvement in the past, and I have consistently declined."

"Understood, Benito. Should your position change, my door will remain open."

"Thank you, sir." I stood and left not just the room but the compound.

He could, of course, hire someone to take me out, and one day, it may come to that. For now, I made my own rules, and he respected them. Had I agreed to "increased involvement," I would lose that power. That I knew it as well as he did was another way I'd earned his respect.

On my return trip, I flew from Tropea to Milan, from there to Budapest, Prague, and finally, to London. After landing at Heathrow, I contacted Z and requested a meeting.

"Nemesis is onto something," he said after I reported what was said about AMPS and in my private meeting. "Mithras' death has crippled them."

"Or that's what they're hoping their rivals believe. Meanwhile, they're lying low, replenishing their resources."

"I agree, Ty. What's the next step?"

"This stays between you and me for now."

"Roger that," Z responded. "You should know I've spoken with Doc. Ripa is undecided about going undercover. Neither he nor Fatale will force him to do it."

I smiled. I'd heard chatter about her running the private intelligence firm her husband had founded with three other partners. They were lucky to have her.

"If Nemesis pushes this, she may very well undo what it's taken me years to put into place, Z. She will be in so far over her head that the ramifications of her actions may haunt us for years to come." The other thing I didn't say was it would likely end up blowing my cover. In other words, I'd be a dead man walking.

"What will you do, Typhon?"

"If anyone is going to infiltrate an Italian crime syndicate, it will be me. That's the only way this can work."

"Understood."

I was about to leave when both of our mobiles lit up.

"Jesus fucking Christ. O's been abducted!" I shot out of my chair and followed Z into the situation room.

"What else have you got?" he asked Reaper, who'd loaded surveillance footage showing the abduction taking place.

"Ares has engaged the NRO. They've pinpointed the vehicle. The rest of us are en route now, sir."

Live footage from the overheads appeared on one of the digital boards. On the one next to it, a map was superimposed, showing the precise location we were viewing.

Z pointed at the screen. "That's Ares and Poseidon. They're five minutes out."

He tossed me a comms set so I could hear the same thing he was.

We watched on the live feed as a car pulled up to a warehouse in an industrial complex. The front driver's door and rear passenger door opened, and two people got out.

"The driver looks familiar. Who the fuck is she?" I demanded.

"Fucking hell," Z spat. "We've been infiltrated."

Z and I have the realized who the woman was who'd just abducted O at the same time. She was a member of the UK task force, which meant the coalition had a double agent in their midst. I couldn't all that entailed in terms of ramifications. I had to focus on was the scene playing out on the screen in front of me.

The man who'd exited from the rear of the vehicle opened the front passenger door, pulled an unconscious Oleander out, and carried her to a door leading into the warehouse.

"On my three," I heard Poseidon say through the comms moments after we saw them pull up to the same warehouse. Seconds later, he and Ares stormed into the building, where we'd no longer have eyes, firing as they went.

I held my breath as multiple rounds of shots rang out.

"All suspects are down. O is safe. No apparent injuries other than the effects of being drugged," Ares reported a minute later. "We're gonna need a cleanup crew in here."

I pulled off the comms set and walked out of the room. When Z came out, he found me pacing the hallway.

"Once I know where O is being transported, I'll let you know," he said. "You can see her in the morning. For now, Eliza is already on her way. A car is waiting downstairs to take you to her apartment. She should be there by the time you arrive."

That had to mean she was being transported by helicopter. "Thank you, Z."

"Try to remember to send my secretary flowers tomorrow."

"I'll take care of it on the way," I said as I approached him. We embraced, then I rushed off in the direction of the lift.

As promised, Eliza was waiting for me when I arrived at her building. I raced inside and gathered her in my arms while she held onto me in the lift and continued to do so until we were inside her apartment.

"What can I do, Levi?"

"Exactly what you've been doing."

As we lay in bed, I rested my head on her stomach while she stroked my back and ran her fingers through my hair. I'd never had anyone comfort me in the way she was, and realized how much I needed it. I also knew I could never, ever give it up.

The next day, we drove to Shere together. While I went to see Oleander, Eliza waited in town. I'd offered to take her to Brighton first, but she insisted she wanted to stay close by.

After my meeting ended, I was grateful El was here. What I'd learned from O had shaken me to my core. For the first time since I'd met her, I finally knew what had driven her to pursue AMPS the way she had. As I'd suspected, it was personal. Salvatore Rávdos, the man whose name I'd used to taunt her, was responsible for her parents' deaths when she was still a teenager.

The person the coalition had been tracking since Mithras' death, Pharaoh, had confessed Rávdos was dead shortly before she'd been killed in the shootout with Poseidon and Ares.

In a similar way to how much she'd changed after reuniting with Poseidon, this news was transformative for O. The fight had left her. While she'd agreed to continue assisting the coalition in their hunt for the remaining AMPS' leaders, her perspective was night-and-day different. "I have the answers I sought. It's no longer my battle, Typhon," she said shortly before I left.

I couldn't begin to describe the relief I felt. In the last couple of years especially, I'd almost lost her more than once. Knowing Poseidon would keep her safe both from harm and from herself, I accepted her resignation from the unit. I expected to feel sad about it, but I didn't. It was the right decision for her.

"What do you say we head straight to Algarve?" I asked El when I picked her up after checking in with Kima before leaving the command center compound.

"It's an excellent idea. We could both use the visit."

While she'd included herself, I knew what she really meant—what she saw—was how much I needed it, and I loved her for it.

I slept on the flight, and when we landed and I checked my mobile, there was an urgent message from Nemesis.

"What now?" I barked when she answered my return call, still angry over her intended interference with the Italian crime families.

"Typhon, when was the last time you spoke with Z?"

"Yesterday. I was with him at Vauxhall Cross during Oleander's rescue. Why?"

"Were you aware of his intention to resign as chief?"

Z Alexander was one of my closest and most trusted friends. That Nemesis was questioning me about him sent my ire skyrocketing. "Whatever conversations Z and I have had are confidential."

"Thanks for your help, Typhon," she spat before abruptly ending the call.

If the woman, whose position with the coalition already seemed a grave error on the UN's part, kept this attitude up with me, she'd soon learn how it really felt to go up against the commander of Unit 23.

I rang Z, and when my call went straight to voicemail, I sent a message instead, requesting he get in touch with me as soon as possible regarding a rumor he'd left SIS.

El and I made love, went for a swim, made love again poolside, then went to one of Quinta Do Lago resort's restaurants. I checked my mobile once more when we returned home. There was still no response from Z, which wasn't unusual.

Maybe, like me, he'd needed to get away for a few days. No one realized the toll jobs like ours took on our minds and bodies. Not until they stepped into the role themselves. Since I, above most everyone else, understood, I let him be.

The following early afternoon, I rang again. When the same thing happened, and it went to voicemail, I sent another message, congratulating him on the news of his retirement and giving him shit for sleeping the day away.

When he still hadn't responded, I contacted Hornet to see what he'd heard. He said he wasn't aware that Z had retired, but he'd look into it and get back to me. Less than five minutes later, he returned my call.

"I don't have all the details, but word is that Z was abducted last night?—"

"What did you say?" I roared, gripping my mobile that I was tempted to hurl against one of the windows.

"There are conflicting reports, but apparently, he was found safe and is on his way home."

"Why did you say conflicting reports?" I asked.

"According to Ares, Z is insisting there was no abduction and he'd willingly met up with an agent who's been undercover on an assignment Z gave him."

"Have you received verifiable assurance Z has been found and is uninjured?"

"Yes, sir."

None of this made sense to me, and while I was certain Nemesis could clear it up, she was the last person I'd call to do so.

Eliza stood beside me, rubbing my back when I leaned against the kitchen island. "Is it anything you can talk about?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Even if I could, I wouldn't know where to start."

Two days later, when a call came in from Nemesis, I thought about ignoring her. However, the opportunity to rip her a new one for not informing me of Z's alleged abduction was too hard to pass up.

"Nemesis, just the person?—"

"Typhon, it's about Verity. I received word that she's been shot and is in critical condition."

"Where?"

"Dubai. Her brother, Killian Curran, is en route to Gatwick. He's requested you accompany him. I've made arrangements for the two of you to be transported directly to the hospital."

"I'm in Portugal. We're almost equidistant from the UAE. Make arrangements for him to meet me in Athens. I'll have my plane and can transport him from there."

"You should know Zeppelin was also hit. He'll require surgery, but his injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. I'm assembling an additional team now. We'll follow in the next couple of hours."

"Roger that." I ended the call and reached for Eliza's hand.

"I can go with you if you'd like," she offered.

Her words were hesitant but so very welcome. "Would you?"

"Of course."

Throughout the four-hour flight from Athens to Dubai, Killian, Verity's next of kin and a contract operative I'd worked many missions with, received sporadic updates on his sister's condition. His code name was Dagger.

"What the fuck do you mean you're waiting?" I heard him bellow.

When I went to stand, El put her hand on my arm. "Let me."

She approached, and he said something I couldn't hear, then handed his mobile to her. When she handed it back after a few minutes, he put it in his pocket and I approached.

"Alena's condition remains critical. They're waiting for her to stabilize before they take her into surgery," said El.

"I want her out of Dubai, Typhon." Dagger's eyes bored into mine. "I want her somewhere secure. Whatever you have to do. Whatever favors you have to call in. I want the best transport and the best medical team traveling with her."

"Understood."

When Dagger sat down, Eliza led me toward the aft of the plane. "It's her spine, Levi. I spoke directly with her surgeon. He recommends stabilizing her enough for medical transport to Germany. There's a specialist at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, who he believes can save her life as well as make sure she can one day walk again."

I nodded, unable to speak until El reached up, cupped my cheek, and said, "What else needs to be done, Levi? How can I help?"

"It will be easier for Z to make the arrangements from London."

Eliza nodded, and I called him.

Less than twelve hours after we'd landed in Dubai, we were on our way to Germany, where we remained with Dagger while Alena underwent two consecutive surgeries followed by the start of intense physical therapy.

I was thankful every day that Eliza was with us. I had no idea how the three of us would've managed without her, Alena in particular.

After a few days, she insisted El and I go home. She'd suggested her brother do so as well. However, I knew he wouldn't.

"When she's released, Alena wants to return to Switzerland," El said to Dagger when we were leaving for the airport. She handed him a piece of paper. "That's where she wants to stay."

He glanced at it and nodded, then we embraced and said goodbye.

"I feel like we've been gone for months," El said on the flight to the UK.

"Would you like to remain in London for a few days or return to Brighton straightaway?"

"Brighton first, but then, I'd like to return to the city for the holidays."

I snuggled her close to me. "How do you typically celebrate Christmas?" I asked.

Eliza's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It isn't you. Nigel and Millicent were never big on the holiday."

"This year, you and I will make our own traditions," I said, brushing a tear from her cheek.

She smiled. "I'd like that very much, Levi."

I knew exactly what I'd give her, and when I did, I prayed she'd say yes.