Uriel: The Inheritance (Airel Saga Book Five)

Chapter I

Washington, D.C.—Present Day

ELLIE WORE DARK, OVERSIZED sunglasses and a hooded coat to hide her blue hair. She was a little pissed off that John had forced her to go all the way to D.C. instead of somewhere cool. But this was the price of the truth, and she would have the truth.

John walked toward a table for two, low light, back of the house. Ellie faded into nothing and moved in close enough to ensure she wouldn't miss anything. The longer she stayed invisible, the harder it was to get back together, and the more it hurt. Nothing was free, not even her gift.

A man at the table who appeared to be FBI, CIA or just a run-of-the-mill spook motioned for John to sit. He sat and both men sized one another up, then John ordered an espresso.

He seemed to relax a little after that. Ellie wondered how many meetings like this he'd had in his lifetime. "What do I call you?" he asked, his voice low.

"My op handle is PILLBOX, if you must call me anything other than 'sir'."

John swallowed. "Got it."

"I'll get down to business, John, because I know if I were in your position, I'd appreciate the courtesy. I'm working for an individual who will go by the name MAGICIAN, at least for now. This individual requires that you procure an item for them."

"I gather there's no brochure?"

"Don't get smart. It's real simple. You can either bring the item in, or we can turn the dogs loose on you and your family. You racked up quite a bit of debt over there in Cape Town when you decided to cowboy up."

John clenched his fists under the table, but his voice was steady. "I could have handled things differently, you know,"

"Yeah, you could have, John. But it wasn't working out in your favor. Besides, where would it have landed you?"

John sighed. "Tell me what you want."

"MAGICIAN wants you to bring back a little trinket. It's a precious stone. Looks like a ruby. We tracked it from South Africa to Zurich, where it changed hands. One of our guys tells us that its new handler took it on to the UK, that it's in or around Glasgow now."

"And where do I come in?"

PILLBOX dug around in his overcoat and produced an itinerary, sliding it forward on the table. "You fly out tomorrow morning."

John looked at the travel documents and pulled out boarding passes for a series of flights that went from Dulles to JFK to Heathrow to Edinburgh. He was already checked all the way through. The name on the tickets was Morgan Hale, U.S. diplomat, so customs wouldn't be an issue.

Ellie was impressed—these guys didn't mess around.

PILLBOX answered John's questioning glance by producing a folio that contained several thousand British pound notes in small denominations, and a passport that matched the tickets. "Don't worry. You look like a Hale, comma, Morgan. Hire a car in Edinburgh and drive. It's only about forty miles."

"Who's the mark?" John asked.

Ellie wondered if the mission was an assassination. John's not into that kind of work, is he?

PILLBOX tapped the folio, prompting John to shuffle through the papers. At the back was a thin dossier with the photo of a woman. As he stared at the black-and-white image, he asked, "Rules of engagement?"

"Improvise. Zero collateral—if possible. The mark keeps the item on her person at all times. Retrieve it however you can and return stateside. Hitch a ride with the waiting U.S. Air Force bird at RAF Lakenheath. They're expecting one VIP Morgan Hale within the next 24-48 hours. That C-37 will be standing by, and you can drive right onto the ramp with these credentials. The usual drill, really, John. Morgan. Further questions?"

"So I've become a jewel thief now?"

PILLBOX shrugged. "If you want to look at it like that. Really, what you are is a kept man. After you become a jewel thief, you can stop being both of those. Just as long as MAGICIAN gets what he/she wants."

"What's the attraction?"

Ellie knew the Bloodstone when she saw it. Now she was sure John was somehow involved in at least some of what had been going on with Airel. Maybe not intentionally, but he's far deeper than she knows. I wonder if he's for us or against us. Her thoughts turned dark as she wondered about the implications. If John's connected with the Brotherhood...

"I'll say it like this, John," PILLBOX said. "You have lots of experience running guns. We thought you'd be perfect for this job."

"So it's a weapon of some kind?"

"I never said any such thing." PILLBOX tapped his wristwatch. "Better get to work, John. That Air Force return ticket's only good for another couple of days." He stood and adjusted his overcoat. "Best of luck. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

John sat at the table and watched the man walk out the front door into the December cold.

He said nothing. He sat and stared, looking lost.

Ellie wondered what he was thinking and decided to risk it. If she was the only immortal within range, tapping into his thoughts wouldn't give too much away. The implications of this meeting had too many possibilities. It was worth the risk. She concentrated and listened.

"How did I get here?" John thought. "Didn't I used to be something more than a freakin' cog in the machine? John's thoughts came at Ellie in flashes of images—glimpses of royalty and majesty from some other time and place. The words PILLBOX and MAGICIAN rolled over and over the landscape of memories in his head, and Ellie could hear them echo back to her. John thought, "It's time I get out of this business, focus on my family. Once this debt is paid, I'm out."

He looked at the dossier again. Eve Crawford. What do I need to know about you, Eve? Will I be forced to kill you? Will I be able to? And what about that stone? Tell me, Eve, he thought, why is that little trinket so very important to everybody?