Page 108 of The Lazarus Protocol

She got a nod, and he repeated the word. “There must be a local small airport up here,” Steph said. “The kind wealthy skiers use to get to their favorite resort.”

“Ever been skiing?”

She shook her head. “I went to an all-girls boarding school in Canada. Lived there from kindergarten through when I left and went to college. The CIA paid for all of it.”

“Seriously?”

“It was the deal my father made with them for providing information they wanted. As soon as I was old enough to be recruited, the deal went out the window. They transferred him to a secure facility I’ve never been able to find and refused to let me see him. I was told that if I didn’t comply, they would renege on the deal to keep him captive but leave him alone, and they would take all the information they wanted from him whether he chose to give it or not.”

“That’s who has him now?”

She nodded. “That’s why I need to make things right.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Seems like you’re the one who needs help right now.” She planned to figure out how to convince the CIA to put him back in his cell and leave him alone. But right now, a life was in danger and she could do something about it.

Steph was about to pat the driver’s shoulder when the van turned onto a single-lane road at the break in an aging brick wall covered in moss.

He hit the brakes at the last second and pulled up to the opening, stopping the car across the lane where the turnoff was.

Adam said, “Guess this is where our ride ends.”

“I gave him two thousand Euros! This is daylight robbery.” She reached for the wad of cash on the dash, but the driver slapped her hand. She pointed his gun at him. “Thief.”

Adam had his door open. “Come on!”

She raced to catch up, leaving the back door open out of spite. The car engine revved, and he sped away. Adam jogged down the lane.

Steph huffed. “We’re completely exposed out here.” Nothing but a rolling hill, a single lane with deep green grass all around. Everything was damp, even the heavy air under the gray clouds. “It’s gonna rain. I don’t even have a jacket.”

She tried to catch up with Adam, who was apparently a faster runner than her in open country, rather than in a short hallway. His pace picked up from a jog to a full-out sprint. He crested the hill, and she managed to get to the top before he set off again like she hadn’t been going full speed to catch up. In the valley below was a white house, surrounded by a short picket fence. Sheep grazed to the left, but the house itself seemed unoccupied.

Behind it, she spotted the tail of a helicopter.

The van raced around the house.

“They’ll take off before we get there!” No matter how fast he could run.

Adam stumbled and fell to his knees.

She ran to him. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer. She grabbed the phone from his offhand and used the camera to get some shots of the chopper, zooming in to try to catch the tail numbers. Just in case the information might help them find their friend later.

The helicopter lifted off the ground and flew away. Too far for them to reach the vehicle, or anyone inside. Too far to help Dan.

Adam gasped. “He’s gone.”

THIRTY-SEVEN

Berlin, Germany

Ash paced the floor between two sets of bunkbeds in the corner room at the hostel. He’d claimed this room for himself and shoved out anyone who tried to come in, finally offering the proprietor extra cash to instruct guests this room was off limits.

He checked out the window which had bars on it. Through the cloudy glass he could see the street below. Never mind that the same red car had circled the block twice. Or that he was pretty sure the same helicopter was circling the area.

None of it mattered more than Kai, or anyone else in his team. Unless whoever took Kai wanted to take him, too? In which case, he’d be fine with it. They’d simply escape together.