Templar's Quest

18

‘Sorry, Kate. You can’t come with me to Paris.’

‘Since it’s not safe for me to stay in Washington, what am I supposed to do?’ Kate retorted, quick to bat the objection right back at Finn. ‘I need you to protect me. There’s no place in the city where I can hide. They know my name and address. No doubt, they’ve mined all my personal data off of a computer database. My place of employment and my –’

‘This is strictly a one-man operation,’ Finn said over the top of her. ‘And just so you know, the matter is not open for debate.’ Ultimatum issued, he walked over to the coffee table to retrieve his belongings.

Kate trailed after him. ‘But I have an expertise that you’ll need once you get to Paris.’

‘Oh, really?’ It was all he could do not to roll his eyes. ‘Is this where you tell me that you took karate lessons at the local Y?’

‘No. This is where I tell you that I speak passably good French. When I was an undergraduate in college, I had a three-month summer internship at the Musée de l’Homme.’

‘Good for you.’ Finn stuffed his cell phone into his pocket. ‘But I was planning to buy one of those electronic translators.’ He didn’t enjoy being a hard ass, but he needed to end this discussion here and now. If he was going to get out of Washington without putting CID on the scent, he’d have to call in some old debts. Get the ball rolling. He already knew that if he went to an ATM or used a credit card, he’d be signing his death warrant.

Apocalypse now.

However, like any trained commando, he had a contingency plan. His involved a well-stocked storage locker in Arlington, Virginia. Cash. Guns. KA-BAR knife. Night-vision goggles. Everything he needed to take out the enemy.

‘Okay, here’s my second offer,’ Kate said with a surprising measure of boldness. ‘Not only does my friend Cædmon Aisquith live in Paris, but he’s a walking encyclopedia when it comes to symbols and their meanings. If you want to decipher the tattoo and medallion, Cædmon is your man.’

Hearing that, his gaze narrowed suspiciously. ‘I thought you were the symbol expert.’

‘My field of expertise is the peoples and culture of Central Asia. Cædmon is a medieval scholar with a graduate degree from Oxford.’

‘Loosely translated? He’s one of those nut jobs who plays the lute at the Renaissance Festival.’ This time, Finn did roll his eyes.

‘I’ll have you know that Cædmon is a serious scholar.’

‘I don’t need a scholar. All I need is a loaded weapon and a clear shot.’

‘Did I mention that he owns a bookstore on the Left Bank?’ Knowing full well that she hadn’t, Kate kept pounding at a very dead horse. ‘He has a zillion reference books at his fingertips.’

‘And I’ve got Google at mine.’

‘You said it yourself –’ snatching the medallion off the coffee table, Kate hefted it in the air – ‘this is your leverage with the Seven. So it might be a good idea to know what this means. As Cædmon is fond of saying, “Knowledge is power”.’

‘This is my fight, not yours. And it sure as hell ain’t Lute Boy’s battle.’

‘Where do you get off claiming this isn’t my fight? A few hours ago the Seven arranged to have me killed. Why? Because I chauffeured you to the embassy. And I only did that because you conned me into giving you a lift. You knew full well how dangerous these people are, yet that didn’t stop you from dragging me into the viper’s nest.’ Having just laid the mother of all guilt trips on him, Kate, arms belligerently crossed over her chest, stared him down.

‘Do I feel bad about what happened? Hell, yeah. But it doesn’t change my mind.’

‘Let me be blunt, Sergeant. Because you did drag me into this mess, I now require your protection. I’m scared to death. And, trust me, I didn’t like saying that any more than you liked hearing it.’

Finn opened his mouth to lob the next salvo. Only to clamp it shut an instant later. Arguing with Kate Bauer was a lot like arguing with a computerized voicemail system. You could talk yourself blue in the face, but it wouldn’t make a damned bit of difference.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. Taking her to Paris would be a major pain in the ass. Hell, they’d be flying directly into the eye of the shit storm. But what choice did he have? She’d been targeted for execution. And he’d always been good at juggling more than one ball. So, yeah, he figured that he could protect her and hunt down the Dark Angel.

‘You’ve got me pinned in a corner. You know that, don’t you?’

‘Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?’ There was no mistaking the flicker of hope in those grey-blue eyes.

Finn nodded tersely, already regretting his decision. ‘You might know a lot about symbols, Doctor Bauer, but when it comes to dealing with unfriendlies, you don’t know your left from your right. My mission is to apprehend the Dark Angel and get my buddies the justice they deserve. And I don’t want anything to distract me from that. Which is why you will obey all of my orders. Without question. Understood?’

She nodded eagerly. ‘Understood. When do we leave?’

‘As soon as we can pack it up. And, Kate –’ he paused, making sure he had her full, undivided attention – ‘once we leave this houseboat, the only safe day will be the day just passed.’