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“Yes, of course I remember them.”
Dieter Vandergraff had been a sanctioned hit. The CIA had farmed out the job to ORUS. It had been part of a joint task force effort to see which organization could get the closest. Of course, my former employer had been the one to get it done.
I’dbeen the one to get it done.
“What about them?”
There was a knock at the door and Alan called out, “Come in.”
“Alan, sorry I’m late.” The woman turned her attention my way. “Agent DeMarco? Long time no see.”
Oh shit. Emilie. How long had it been since I’d seen her?
The woman standing on the other side of the room had long hair in such a deep red color that I’d always doubted it could be real. She was pale and statuesque, with the kind of curvy figure and impossibly small waist that usually had men’s tongues hanging out. Her eyes were dark, and shaded by delicate, fluttery lashes. She was beautiful. I acknowledged the fact in a distant fashion, but when our eyes met, I felt nothing but wariness.
Emilie Durand was the type of woman who could cut your throat and have you smiling throughout the entire thing.
Dangerous.
“Rafe, you remember Interpol Agent Emilie Durand?”
There was nothing in Alan’s voice to indicate hostility, but I got the distinct impression that he wasn’t too fond of the woman in question. And I understood why.
“Agent Durand.”
“Nice to see you again, Agent DeMarco.” Emilie held out her hand, and I shook it quickly, pulling back when she held on a moment too long.
Ah, that is going to be a problem, I thought when I registered the look of interest in her eyes. She wasn’t even bothering to hide the fact that she was ogling me. Some things never changed.
“Can you bring me up to speed?” I directed the question at Alan, but Agent Durand was the one who answered.
“Since Dieter Vandergraff’s death, the family has mostly been quiet. Small-time gigs. We primarily allowed the Austrian authorities to deal with them in whatever manner they saw fit. But it looks like they’ve gotten into bed with the Russian mob. And they’ve ramped up their father’s old business pursuits and have started making a nuisance of themselves in a major way.”
I scowled at the thought of Dieter Vandergraff’s sons. At the time I’d taken out their father, they’d been younger, small-time thugs. They certainly hadn’t been strong enough or powerful enough to take over their father’s empire. Their organization should have withered away, but they’d apparently proved more resilient than any of us had predicted.
“What do you want from me?” I prayed the answer would be nothing. It was the only job that still haunted me after all these years.
Those dark eyes.
I’d left one crucial fact off my original report. Dieter’s daughter. Our intel had said she wasn’t supposed to be at the house. I knew what was in the ORUS playbook for such events and as an FBI agent on a joint task force team with the CIA and Interpol, I should have put her in the report. But I hadn’t.
That omission might be coming back to bite me in the ass now.
I had taken her to a closet and told her to stay quiet. And she’d been so terrified she did exactly as I asked. I wasn’t sure why I’d left her off the report. The Feds and Interpol would’ve hardly expected me to harm a civilian.
The CIA was a different game. They were almost as brutal as ORUS. So I’d stayed silent about her presence there.
“Interpol has issued a red notice for the Vandergraffs. They’re implicated in a massive human trafficking operation that covers most of Western Europe. Of course, they’ve been on several countries’ radar for decades now, as I’m sure you’re aware, but they were always very careful to keep their tracks clear.”
I ignored the look she sent my way when she saidas I’m sure you’re awaresince she’d obviously seen the files relating to our previous operation in Austria. Having been deep undercover with ORUS at the time, my files at the FBI wouldn’t have revealed that I was the one responsible for the hit on Dieter Vandergraff, but I figured she could guess. She seemed like the type to read between the lines. Exactly what I didn’t need.
“So they’re here. In New York?”
“Yes, so we all need to be on alert. Likely they’re not here for vacation. They want something.” Alan finally pushed away from the wall and walked closer. Although he’d included us both when he spoke, I was pretty certain the message was for me.
“You think they know we’re working on a case against them?”
Alan nodded. “No doubt they’re building up their contacts here in North America because they’re on the radar of law enforcement agencies in so many countries in Europe. With their contacts, they could easily take up new identities in the States and start an entirely new criminal enterprise here. They just need funds and to partner with the right organization. They appear to be having financial problems.”
