The Golden Bond

CHAPTER 2

William pulled the BMW's door shut and calmly turned the ignition.He put the little red box with the wrapped obsidian on thepassenger's seat and headed towards Adam's house. He wasn'tfocussed on the driving because for most of the journey he was on thephone, first calling the Master.

"I need your authorisation for a Code 8, sir.Yes, it's concerning him. I've found a way to give back what belongsto him. No, no, sir, I know what to do. Yes, thank you."

Then he called Eve: "Eve, Code 8. I need to know whether the targetis at home or not. Yes. Please, send me a message." A few secondslater his smartphone beeped, he had received the message. The air isclear, perfect.

Before he arrived at his childhood friend's house, he took a momentto think. Usually, he would spend these moments preparing tactics forthe mission or planning his own activities for the immediate future.Today, a slim brunette with dark brown eyes and lightly tanned skinsnuck into his mind. She had an unusual beauty. Soft features, fulllips, a seductive smile, distinctive eyebrows and a slim nose nicelyrounded at its end. While she was leaning over her work desk, he hadadmired the gentle femininity of her hands and her symmetricalhourglass figure. Her curt manner and indifference to his influenceboth attracted and annoyed him at the same time. William foundhimself unable to get her out of his head.

It was strange but he didn't have even the slightest effect on thatwoman. How on earth was that possible? Throughout his entire careerat the Club he'd never come across a person who would be totallyunaffected by his... what, manipulation? No, they called itcharisma... especially that is, if the 'object' in question was awoman.

William somehow knew that today wouldn't be thelast time he saw Sofia. Oddly reassured by this thought, he finallymanaged to get her out of his mind and concentrate on the mission athand. He parked the car in front of Adam's house, picked up thelittle red box from the passenger's seat and crept around to theback. With the skill that befitted a well-trained agent, he openedthe back door easily and crept inside.

In other circumstances he wouldn't do it this way, but today was anexception, or rather Adam was an exceptional enemy.

The house was silent.

William spread an invisible cloak around himself, in actuality aprotective bubble that would prevented the wearer from leaving anytracks or picking up undesirable energy from unknown fields. He wasused to protecting himself in this way routinely, but today he paidparticular attention to it. Adam was not allowed to know who had beenthere, although he'd surely figure it out. The only thing that couldremain there after he left was a little packet he'd just placed onthe coffee table of the large, modernistic living room.

That's how it was supposed to be, but, unfortunately, it wasn't.William left the house the same way he came in, not having theslightest idea what a boon he'd just given the man who'd once beenhis closest friend.