Chapter 41

41

The next morning, the rest of the Storm’s Eye press tour crew flew into Berlin and found Ben Bacchetti waiting for them at the private jet terminal.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it,” Tessa said to him, after they’d untangled themselves from their passionate greeting.

“I finally convinced the boss to let me go,” Ben said.

“Aren’t you the boss?” Adriene asked.

“Sadly, yes. And I can be a real hard-ass when I set my mind to it.”

They boarded a VIP van. As they pulled up to their hotel, a cab stopped behind them from which emerged Mark Weldon.

Stacy did a double take when she saw him. Forcing a smile, she walked over to him. “Good morning, Mark.”

“Hi, Stacy. How was the flight?”

“No complaints.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and said, “You’re supposed to be Billy, remember? He’s the one with an interview this morning.”

“Change of plans. Billy won’t be able to make it until the premiere tomorrow night.”

“Are you trying to make my life miserable?”

“Not consciously.”

“What am I supposed to tell Lizzie?”

“That Billy was unavoidably detained and begs her forgiveness.”

“Hmm. So, about promoting me to producer. Can we do that sooner than later and get a new assistant to run interference for you?”

“But you’re doing such a great job at it.”

Lizzie emerged from the hotel. “Have either of you seen Billy?”

Until that moment, Mark had never seen anyone smile and groan at the same time.

Teddy had barely entered Mark Weldon’s suite when the room’s phone began ringing.

“Hello?” he answered.

“If you could come to suite ten twenty-one when you have a moment, I would appreciate it,” Lance said, then the line went dead.

Teddy had half a mind to ignore the summons.

Last night, as soon as he, Vesna, and Kevin had made it back to the safe house, he’d called Lance but had been put straight through to voicemail.

He’d then called Rick La Rose, who told him that he didn’t know why Lance was unreachable.

Now Teddy knew the answer.

Lance opened the door when Teddy knocked.

“Ah, good, you’re here. Come in, come in.”

As Teddy entered the suite, he saw Stone Barrington standing near the windows.

“Morning, Stone,” Teddy said. “Playing messenger again?”

“More like deliveryman this time,” Stone said. “Lance found out I was flying here for the festival and finagled a ride.”

“Something to eat?” Lance asked, motioning to the dining table where a platter of pastries sat next to a bowl of fruit.

“I’m good,” Teddy said.

“Then why don’t we all have a seat.” After they did so, Lance said, “Apologies for not responding to your message sooner. I take it you have news.”

“I know who hired Braun.”

Lance leaned forward. “You know or you think you know?”

“I know.”

“That’s excellent news,” Stone said. “Who is it?”

“No one.”

“I’m not following,” Lance said.

On his phone, Teddy brought up the picture he’d taken of the photograph in Braun’s office and handed it to Lance. The photo was at least twenty-five years old and showed a middle-aged man in a business suit standing next to a beaming boy who couldn’t have been more than ten.

“Is that…?”

“Tovar Lintz, head of the Trust? Yes, it is.”

“And the boy?”

“Felix Braun. Tovar Lintz’s son.”

Lance lowered the phone. “There was no mention of Lintz having a son in his file.”

“Braun was illegitimate, and Lintz never publicly acknowledged him. Braun’s mother was Lintz’s mistress for only a short time. My guess is that their relationship ended when she became pregnant.”

“You’re positive?”

“Confirmed by three sources.” The last of which had reported in just before Teddy had arrived at the hotel, but he saw no need to mention that.

“That should have been in his records.”

“That sounds more like a you problem than a me problem.”

“So, Braun has been killing Golden Hour agents as revenge for his father’s death?” Stone asked.

Teddy nodded. “He has.” He briefed them on all that had happened since Danielle Verde had been shot in Budapest, including that Braun’s associate guessed that Billy Barnett was Teddy.

“The idea to leak that you were still alive seems to have worked a little too well,” Stone said.

“They think they know who Billy is,” Lance said. “They don’t know for sure.”

“What they think is also the truth.”

Lance shrugged. “Details.”

“That’s a pretty big detail,” Stone said, then looked at Teddy. “Aren’t you concerned?”

“I won’t be walking around as Billy Barnett until Lance has cleaned everything up, if that’s what you’re asking,” Teddy replied. He stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen.”

“Where are you going?” Lance asked.

“To fulfill my obligations to Centurion Pictures. We have a full schedule today.”

“But the mission isn’t done.”

Teddy shrugged. “ My mission was to find out who was behind the Golden Hour deaths. Answer: Felix Braun. You’re welcome. I also uncovered a plot to kill the president of the United States and the director of the CIA. You’re welcome again. As way of thanks, you can remove Braun and his people from circulation as soon as possible. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I can see myself out.”

“There is,” Lance said.

“And that would be?”

“I believe you are in the best position to neutralize Braun.”

“And I believe you have plenty of Agency resources who can handle it.”

“Be that as it may, for my people to plan and execute such a mission from scratch will take days at least, if not a week or more. You, on the other hand, already have a handle on the players. Plus, Billy Barnett’s presence also provides us with the perfect time-sensitive opportunity.”

“And that is?”

“The premiere of Storm’s Eye and the opening gala that will follow. You said it yourself. Braun wants to be there.”

“With an eye on killing Billy Barnett,” Stone said.

“At the risk of repeating myself, the perfect opportunity,” Lance replied. “All Teddy will have to do is turn the tables on him.” He looked at Teddy. “Well? What do you say?”

Teddy knew what he wanted to say, but the responsibility he felt toward his fellow Golden Hour agents both dead and alive prevented him from doing so.

He grimaced and stood. “Looks like I have some planning to do.”