Darkest Deception, page 12
part #4 of Rise Of The Dragons Series
“Fancy a ride?”
I spluttered on my cup of coffee, nearly choking on my drink. Then I saw his thumb pointing over his shoulder to his bike. I wiped myself down with as much dignity as I could muster and nodded.
He let me wear his leather jacket for protection and I dug out a helmet from the barn. It was for my quad bike rather than a full visor biker helmet but it would do.
I tucked myself snugly against his body as he drove. The wind blew dust and bugs into my face as we picked up speed. I closed my eyes and leaned my face into his back for protection. It was exhilarating being blind and trusting someone else to lead the way for a change. I surrendered control. We crested the mountain and he pulled to a stop in a dusty layby. I felt him put down the kick stand and turn off the engine. I pulled myself from my tight grip around his waist and climbed off the bike.
I took off my helmet and rested it on the seat, before I stepped from the layby and walked the short distance to a low fence. It was the edge of a steep drop down a face of sheer rock. I caught a mountain goat picking its way along the cliff face. Dick came up behind me and looped his arms loosely around me.
“I never get tired of the views round here,” I sighed and leaned back against his chest.
“Beautiful,” he whispered against my ear. Goosebumps trickled along my neck at his breath.
Then my back pocket started beeping and vibrating violently.
Great. All the messages I’d missed being out of signal were catching up with me now. I reached back to grab my phone.
“Sorry, let me just turn it off.” I frowned at the device in my hand as the noise continued. How many messages did I miss? I scrolled through my home screen and saw twenty missed calls and many texts and emails. I checked who the calls were from. Dot and Maxi. The last call was from Maxi earlier today. I didn’t like this at all.
Chapter 17
I shrugged Dick away and asked him to give me a minute while I checked these messages. He didn’t look happy about it but when he saw how worried I looked, he said he was going to admire the scenery. I scrolled through the texts. Mostly voicemail notifications, but there were a couple from my team mates:
Call me when you get this. Dot
Maxi here. Found something important boss.
I need to talk to you. Dot
Sent you the files boss.
I’m going in tonight boss.
Maxi’s in trouble. Dot
My frown deepened and I dialled my voicemail. It started with Maxi’s excited voice, “Boss, I found something très excitant. I’ve sent you a picture, call me back, what should I do?”
I sifted through the mostly worried messages from Dot:
“Have you seen the picture? Call me.”
“Have you heard what Maxi’s doing? Call me.”
“I know you and he are going through a bad patch, but you should call him, he’s getting worked up. Call me.”
They went on. There was one from a spam insurance company too asking if I’d been in an accident lately. I deleted it.
I scrolled back through my messages until I found the pictures Maxi had sent. They were of an itinerary. I zoomed in. The Director’s itinerary. I scrolled down, trying to see what had got Maxi so excited. It took me a few tries but I found it. Every month on the second Saturday, the Director had a private appointment at midnight. That was suspicious. It was at the same London club each time. Pendragon. I’d never heard of the name of it, so I searched it on the internet. It looked like a typical gentleman’s club on the outside. Brass panels, painted red door, fancy footman outside in a red uniform. The pictures inside showed leather armchairs and smoking rooms. In fact it looked so archetypal, I frowned at it. Did these places even exist any more?
I checked the date on my phone. Today was the second Saturday of the month. According to the appointment time, the meeting was starting tonight at midnight.
I dialled Maxi’s number. No answer. I typed out a quick message for him to call me then called Dot.
“Finally! Where have you been?!” the vampire sounded annoyed. I didn’t blame her.
“Sorry, the signal’s lousy here.”
“I didn’t realise you were stuck in the eighteenth century!”
“OK, I’m here now. What’s occurring?”
“Maxi’s been in touch. He was panicking when he couldn’t get through to you but now he reckons he’s got something big. He’s saying he thinks it’s bigger than the Director and he’s got a chance to redeem himself.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he feels awful for what happened and he wants to get back in your good books. I think he’s going to do something stupid.”
I thought back to the text messages, “I think you’re right. Any idea what he’s going to do?”
“He’s talking about breaking into some club. He excited, he’s sorting some tech out.”
“Who’s he taking in with him?”
“No one, he wants to do it by himself. Believe me, I’ve offered, but he won’t listen.”
I swore, “Dzrak it! Why’s he going on a field op by himself?!”
“Do you want me to go after him?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose while I thought through a plan. Just then I got a call holding noise in my ear. I checked my phone’s display.
“Maxi’s calling, hang on!”
I switched calls with the press of a button, “Maxi! Thank goodness! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, really good, yah, peachy” his voice sounded shaky, “I’ve found it Jones, this is where it’s all happening.”
“Where what’s all happening?”
“You saw the pictures?”
“And? There’s a meeting tonight at some London club.”
“Yah, I spoke to some friends of mine who know all the best clubs in the city and they haven’t heard of this place. It’s shady. I’m sure. I’m going to go tonight and find out what’s going on.”
“Right, I’m glad you’ve found something, but Maxi, don’t take this the wrong way…your skills are more tech than breaking and entering.”
“Oh I’m not breaking and entering, I’m going to walk in.”
“What?!” I exploded down the phone, “Don’t even think about it. I’m coming to see you, we’ll think up a plan together.”
“Er, Jones, don’t take this the wrong way but I’m far more likely to get into a gentleman’s club than you are.” He was right, he probably knew all the secret handshakes thanks to his time at a posh boarding school. “Vass is going to get me an introduction anyway.”
“Vass?” Something felt off.
“Said he knew someone. Anyway, don’t worry, I’ve rigged up a camera, you can watch me via live stream if you want.”
“Of course I want! Send me that link immediately and don’t do anything until I get there! We’ll think up a plan that doesn’t involve you putting yourself in danger.”
He hung up. I stared at the phone. Great. An insistent beeping told me that Dot was still holding the line. I jabbed my screen.
“I’m back.”
“And?”
“Maxi’s going to infiltrate some shady gentleman’s club that’s somehow involved with supernaturals.”
Dot gave a low whistle.
“I’m going to London.” I made my decision.
“Do you want me to meet you there?”
“No, best not. No one’s tracking my movement as far as I know but if they call the Office and no one’s there…too risky.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I but look, you can cover for us and handle any calls that come in.”
“O..K..”
“I mean it Dot! Stay in Cardiff!”
She hung up. I had a bad feeling about this.
Chapter 18
A ping on my phone told me that Maxi had sent through the link to the live stream. I clicked it and a small grey circle rotated around the screen. Great. I couldn’t figure out if it was connection issues or if Maxi just hadn’t started it yet. I swore at my phone and hit the refresh button several times in a row, tapping my foot as I got more frustrated.
“Everything alright, chief?” Dick interrupted my frantic refreshing just as I was considering throwing the phone over the edge of the mountain. Instead I forced myself to take a deep breath. I explained the situation to Dick. I decided to come clean about my job and the reason I was on sabbatical. I didn’t know what was going to happen between us, but he’d already seen me shift so I figured I might as well be completely honest. His expression turned from disbelief to concern as I raced through the story in short sentences.
“So, basically, I need to grab some things and head to London tonight to stop my friend from doing something stupid.”
“OK,” he thought a moment, “I’m coming too.”
I shook my head, “You’re a civilian. I’m not risking any more lives. I don’t even know what the situation is.”
“I don’t want to get involved in your…operation…but you can’t drive and monitor a live stream. Let me drive you there. I’ll find a hotel, stay out of your way. You can find me when it’s over.”
“You mean that? You’ll stay out of the way, you won’t try to be a hero?”
“Scout’s honour,” he made a salute and then gave a slight bow as he motioned for me to mount the bike, “Your chariot awaits.”
I tried to stop from smiling as I climbed on. He gave one of my hands a reassuring squeeze, “It’s going to be alright.”
“I hope so,” I muttered in reply.
We got back to the house in record time and I threw things into my enchanted crocodile skin handbag haphazardly.
“You want the kitchen sink too?!” Dick asked as I picked up the Fang Dagger and placed it in the bag, followed by a box of matches.
“I want to be prepared,” I retorted as I added a selection of sharp kitchen knives. He shook his head, bemused as he tossed a spare change of clothes into his backpack and walked to the car. I sprinted over to the barn for a blowtorch. Fire was always useful against magical beings. I put it carefully into my bag. I considered trying to muscle one of the ladders currently on the side of my house in, but decided there were limits and instead selected a coil of rope from on top of some dusty boxes.
I stuck the bag in the back of my standard issue grey Volvo and then thought for a second. If we were going to a fancy London club, I might need a smarter outfit than my current jeans and t-shirt. I ran back inside and grabbed one of my tailored suits and a pair of stiletto shoes. At least I’d brought something smart with me, and I felt more confident in my work gear. I slung the suit and shoes into the car and clambered into the passenger seat. Dick had settled himself into the driver’s seat and was readjusting the mirrors. It felt odd not driving myself. I liked to be in control.
“Right, let’s go,” I forced myself to do up my seatbelt and not insist we swap.
Dick nodded and turned the car round before heading along the bumpy track to the main road. He stalled once. “Damn stick shift!”
I shook my head and tried to suppress a smile, “You sure you can handle this thing?”
He smiled back, “I’ve handled things a lot more powerful than this, little lady.” I hit him lightly on the arm for that remark. He laughed good naturedly. It lightened the mood, helped me forget why we were setting off on this road trip, helped me put the fact that my friend and colleague was in danger.
“Me and Sally just need to get to know each other.” He drew my thoughts away from Maxi. I watched as he ran his hand over the steering wheel lightly to emphasise his point.
“You named my car?! What is it with people naming vehicles?”
“Helps the vehicles to respond,” he looked serious.
“OK, why Sally?”
“She just looked like a Sally…and, uh, the registration starts with SL and has a Y in it.”
I rolled my eyes as he pulled onto the main road. My phone pinged. Finally the live stream was up. Maxi’s face filled my screen in extreme close up. I jolted backwards in surprise.
“Testing, testing, one two three. Feed is now live!” he stepped back and I recognised the plain white tiles and black walls from the Magical Liaison Office’s London branch. I realised he was looking in the mirror and holding up his own phone to test the stream.
“No schiztz,” I muttered. “How do I talk to you?” I asked the screen.
I knew he couldn’t hear me but he answered anyway, “I’ve sent you an audio link. It’s a secure channel. Talk into your phone once you click it and I’ll be able to hear you. You should hear me through the other feed. I’ll give you two minutes to respond, yah?”
I watched him send me a link on his phone. It popped up on my screen and I clicked it. Nothing seemed to happen. I tried talking into my phone, “Maxi?”
“Loud and clear! Repeat I can hear you loud and clear!”
“Calm down Maxi!”
“Right, right, sorry. Got a bit carried away!”
“Why are you wearing those glasses?”
“I thought the camera should go in them, good idea what!”
I groaned, “But you don’t wear glasses!” I didn’t bother to point out that they were massive frames that looked incredibly suspicious.
“They don’t know that!”
“Vass does!”
“Ah, right, well, I thought they won’t make me take off glasses but they might search my jacket, you know if they’re onto me. Anyway, this is my decoy!” He took a massive pin badge with his school logo on it and attached it to his blazer jacket. He was right. The logo of a pig’s head being carried by a lion was so awful, no one would notice the glasses.
“Was that really your school’s logo?”
“Well, my house in the school. Leones domin-ah-te!” he quoted in Latin, then for my benefit, “Lions rule! Our arch rivals were the boars, bloody porkys! Beat them in cricket every year!”
“Right, what’s the plan?” I pulled him back from reliving his glory days.
“I’m going to check out the building, see if there’s a back way in. If not, I’ll go in the front.”
It was a terrible plan. “You can go scope the building but wait until I’m there before you try to go in. Understood?”
He stared sullenly at the mirror.
“Understood?” I put more force into my voice.
“Yah, yah. Over and out.”
I didn’t bother to point out that it wasn’t a walkie talkie. He walked away from the mirror and soon I could see the corridors of the Office. He seemed to be looking away from people and he quickly left the building and headed into a nearby tube station. I propped the phone up on the dashboard, opened the window and cranked up the volume on the radio. It was set to a station that played the best of the nineties.
“Uh, you mind turning that down?” Maxi’s voice hissed through my phone. Oops. I frantically grabbed the phone away from the speaker and whispered sorry. Maxi grumbled to himself. I hit the mute button on my phone and kept the volume on the car radio down as we carried on driving. Dick was not looking impressed. I pressed my lips together and stared out of the window. It was a gorgeous day. I would have enjoyed the drive if I wasn’t embarrassed at my ineptitude at using technology, racing to do surveillance on my Director and stop my friend from doing something stupid.
The drive felt interminable. We hit traffic a few times as we jostled with holiday makers clogging up the motorways. The sat nav app changed routes so many times, Dick was in a constant fight with the robotic voice.
“Turn left.”
“You want me to go where?”
“She said turn left…there!”
“Now stay on the road for ten miles.”
“Ten miles on this tiny track?!”
“That’s what she said…”
“Son of a gun, is that a tractor heading for us?!”
“Just pull in at the layby by there!”
He hyperventilated as the farmer gave us a wave and trundled past.
“Right, do you want me to drive?”
“No, no, it’s OK. I’m just not used to these roads any more. Let me get my bearings. In the US everything was wider! It would help if the sat nav wasn’t taking us to the bum end of nowhere!”
I let him vent at the sat nav and glanced at the live stream. Maxi was still making his way across London. The sounds of the city filtered through my phone. It was a stark contrast to the peacefulness of the country that I had been beginning to enjoy again. Sirens blared, the drunks on the cramped underground tube stations ranted, city workers talked about their day and their evening plans. It almost made me nostalgic for my time in London. Almost.
Maxi had initially been giving me a running commentary of his movements and expected arrival time. I had unmuted my phone and hissed at him to stop, but he was still sounding suspicious as he announced every single tube stop. Through the camera, I saw a few people give him odd looks, but compared to some of the other travellers, he was relatively normal. I shook my head and rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see my reaction. Eventually he found the club. The stream showed a non-descript London building, flanked on one side by a high-priced hipster coffee shop advertising infused foam toppers and on the other side by a tailor’s shop with smartly dressed mannequins in the window. It didn’t look suspicious to me. Maxi walked past it three times, going up and down the street. I caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. He had clearly run his hands through his already wild hair a number of times, making it stick up like a crazy professor. Combined with his large glasses, he only needed a lab coat to look as if he might be some sort of Back to the Future cosplayer. He was acting what he thought was nonchalantly. Obviously this meant he was sticking out like a sore thumb. I turned off the car radio and spoke into the phone.
“Stop just walking up and down the street! Stop looking around at everything like you’re trying to spot something. Go in somewhere, look at a shop.”
“Roger that!”
“And stop talking to me!”
“Which way is that machine trying to take us now?!” Dick cut across our covert conversation.
