The Lost Key

“Why take her there? Shouldn’t we keep her close?”

“Edward, do as I say. I want her guarded. It’s called leverage, Edward. Do you understand?”

He nodded curtly.

“Excellent. Adam Pearce will be in London soon, mark my words. And when he arrives to help the Order retrieve the key, we will be there to alter his path. I have all the insurance we need, ready to go at a moment’s notice. If the authorities try to intervene, I will deploy the MNW.”

Weston tried not to show any fear, any concern. But this? The miniature nuclear weapons were the last resort. “Have we come to that, then?”

“Perhaps not yet, but we must be prepared. I will not be stopped, Edward. Today is the day the Order goes down and a new one arises in its place.”

46

Over the Atlantic

The sun hit Sophie’s face. But that couldn’t be right. Then she heard an odd, low background purr and was suddenly jostled a bit.

A plane. She was on a plane. She had an ache in her neck, and felt the slightest bit hungover. Grossman had stuck a needle in her.

She whipped around to see Alex Grossman sleeping on the seats opposite her, a small table in between them.

All she wanted to do was kill him, but he must have cat senses, because as she threw off her seat belt to attack him, his eyes flew open and he caught her arms midair.

He couldn’t push her back into her seat because the table was in the way. He held her locked motionless for a moment, looking at her, just looking. “Don’t be afraid, Sophie, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”

“Yeah, right. Protect me? By kidnapping me?” She jerked her arms free and punched him in the face, but he caught her wrists this time, wouldn’t let her move. They were still leaning toward each other, close, the table between them.

“Good shot.”

“Give me a gun and I’ll show you a good shot.”

“Sit down now and we’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

What choice did she have? She nodded and he lightly shoved her back into her chair. The plane hit another pocket of turbulence. “Put on your seat belt.”

She did, then watched him fasten his. “Where are you taking me? Where is this plane going?”

He glanced at the flight path on the screen in the table. “To London. We’re about an hour from the London City Airport. After we land, we’re headed north, to a safe house, where you’ll be protected by the Order until we get our hands on the key and the book.”

“Don’t forget the millions of dollars in gold bars. And after Adam tells you the exact location of the sub, I’ll be free to go?”

“Of course.”

“Where is Adam?” You bastard was unspoken but clear.

Grossman frowned a bit, stroked his chin. “I was hoping you knew. He called you last night, gave you instructions to run. Where were you heading, when I met you in the garage?”

“France.”

“Well, no matter, now you’re in England. Your disguise was top-notch, your passport as well. I was impressed. Adam does good work. He was going to meet you in France?”

“That’s none of your business. Who are you, really?”

“I work for the Order, it’s the truth.”

“That book I wrapped for you this morning, there was something inside, wasn’t there?”

“The SD card with the exact location of the sub, among other things. Your father was supposed to have it waiting for me.”

“What do you mean? It wasn’t in the book? Then where is it?”

“That big son of a bitch British FBI agent took it from your father’s apartment before he had a chance to put it in the book. I took the liberty of getting the files back. They do belong to us, after all.” He pulled Dr. Who’s Tardis thumb drive out of his pocket and waved it, nodded toward the laptop on the chair beside him.

“Where did that ridiculous Tardis come from?”

“Drummond had already uploaded all the information from the SD card onto this nifty thumb drive, easier to deal with.”

“Did Agent Drummond see your face?”

“Yes. There was the FBI woman as well, a good dirty fighter, but not good enough.”

Sophie lowered her head in her hands. “Great. The FBI had me under surveillance, and you stole the info from them. You know they’re going to come after us. How did you get me out of the garage without their seeing us?”

“In a diplomatic car, you were tucked nice and snug in the trunk. As for the FBI, we’re in England now. They won’t come here. You’ll be safe. Sophie, please, I’m telling you the truth.”

“Your American accent slipped. You’re British, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m from Cambridge originally, but my folks moved to London when I was a boy.”

“All right, keep talking.”

He sat forward, his hands clasped together on the small table. “Your father was the Messenger for the Order for years, as you well know. He was responsible for moving delicate information around to the members. However, as of yesterday, everything’s changed. Three members of the Order are suddenly dead, and our cha

“Gold, a key, Marie Curie’s books, instructions, I heard Dad say.”

“The key is to a very powerful weapon, a weapon we can’t allow out into the world. No government can be trusted with it.” He thought of Manfred Havelock. “Nor any single individual. We must find the key and the book and destroy them.”

How could a weapon created by Marie Curie a hundred years ago be of any use today? Radium, yes, she and her husband had discovered both radium and something else—polonium. But what good would either do today? But she didn’t ask. She saw Grossman was still looking at her, studying her face. Did she believe him?

“You’ve known me for a couple of years, Sophie. You know your father trusted me. And now that he’s dead, my only purpose is to keep you and Adam safe and to protect the Order and what we stand for.”

When she remained silent, he pushed a can of orange juice her way. She cracked it and took a big sip.

“The drug I gave you, it makes you thirsty, so drink up.”

She finished the can. She pushed her hair back, realized he’d taken her wig. “You said three people in the Order died? Who besides my father?”

“Wolfgang Havelock—he had a stroke last month. On the surface, it looked like natural causes; he’d had an aneurysm clipped the year before, but after what’s happened today, I’ve changed my mind. This morning, about the same time your father was killed on Wall Street, Alfie Stanford, the leader of the Order, was murdered as well, here in London, and the contents of his safe, with all our fail-safes and the other SD card, were taken.”

Alfie Stanford dead? She hadn’t heard. It didn’t seem possible. Both Stanford and her father. They’d been close friends since before she’d been born. “That’s crazy, it sounds like a B movie.”

Alex leaned back in the chair, his eyes on her face. “B or C, doesn’t matter. The fact is, the Order is under attack. It’s Edward Weston who is now the acting leader. Do I trust him? He has been a member for over thirty years, so yes, I suppose I do. But our files have been compromised, both by Mr. Stanford’s murderer and by the FBI. Sophie, I’m afraid, for the Order, for the future of mankind.”

Did she believe him? “Who are you?”

He crossed his arms on his chest. “Alexander Shepherd, at your service.”

“So you’re like a super-secret double agent or something?”

He smiled, and his face changed utterly. He no longer looked terrifyingly brutal, not with that white-toothed smile. He was wearing a gray jacket over a white button-down and jeans. She’d never noticed him dress like that before. She’d always seen him in casual gear, chef’s gear, perfect for ru