I’d managed to hack into the Giovanni’s computer a few days ago and found a listing of inventory for some of the vaults in the Castle. There were a couple of vaults labelled miscellaneous. I’d figured that maybe it was to cover up what was inside. Like the prints. It would be a miracle if it was them.
Not having surveillance made it hard, but the listing was something to work with.
“Xander,” Wes stated, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Can you still talk?”
“For a few seconds.”
“Xander, I don’t like the messiness of this mission man.” He sighed and the static crackled in my ear.
“I hear you buddy.”
“It feels like we’re casting off relevant information at things that should be considered.”
I agreed. It didn’t help that when I’d reported back Giovanni’s suspicions over a terrorist group, Ethan was still adamant that we keep the focus on the mission and allow the other team to worry about everything else. To be honest I felt he was just scared. Scared to fuck things up.
“I think he’s just being careful,” I surmised, hoping it was the right thing to tell him.
“There is careful and there is stupid. Bro, you and I have been friends for years and I’m here but I’m not an agent like you. I don’t have to follow the lead. I’m only telling you this because you’re my bro and I wouldn’t want to run off and do shit without you knowing. But I can’t stand back and watch you fly into something blind. I trust myself and my instincts. Over the years we’ve learned to trust each other.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Do my own checking around.”
“Be careful Wes.”
“Always bro. You too.” I just turned down the corridor for the vaults I’d wanted to check out. “We’ll talk later man,” I told him.
“Over and out.”
I figured I’d have half an hour tops, before Frankie and Vinny started wondering where I’d gotten to. I said I was going to do a full sweep of the place.
I made my way down the path as quickly as I could and got to the first section of vaults.
In the bigger section of the courtyard which was situated toward the front, Giovanni had panels with fingerprint access. This section seemed older so it had the standard turnstile number code panel that old school safes used.
The code was 5520 for this vault. I tapped it in and when the door opened I widened my eyes when I cast my gaze on a series of glass display cases holding diamonds. Fucking hell. This was what Giovanni classed as miscellaneous.
There was an easy million inside from what I could see from a glance. It was just a little less spectacular than looking at the crown jewels. Then again, I didn’t know what kind of diamonds they were. Some diamonds were so valuable that just one was worth a million.
Whatever they were, they were none of my concern. That from a thief. I guess I really did have some element of honor.
I closed the door and made my way to the next vault.
Something, however, caught my eye as I passed by the metal door that led out to the fire escape. There was movement on the other side. Shadows. Lights in the darkness flickering underneath the door.
Wes hadn’t looked past the vault area. There didn’t seem to be anything else of interest. But, maybe that was because there was nothing there at the time.
There were no cameras inside the vaults, just as Armand had pointed out that there was no surveillance past a certain point. That meant secrets were being kept more secret.
The door had a panel lock so I’d have to use my fingerprint for recognition. That meant there’d be a record of me being here and I didn’t want to take that risk.
Above the door was a vent. The sort I used frequently to escape.
Using the wall for leverage. I kicked off it and pulled myself up by pressing down on the barely-there door frame. The rim was just wide enough for me to secure my feet and I was stable enough to press my back into the wall and grab the mini screwdriver from my back pocket.
It never hurt to be resourceful, or think outside the box.
I leaned forward and turned the little screws to loosen the panel on the vent. It gave and was just wide enough for me to fit inside. If I were any bigger though there would have been no way. I shuffled back around to re-secure the panel. The last thing I wanted was for one of the guys to come back here and see the damn vent had been tampered with.
Once I did that, I moved toward the light and flickering shadows.
We were in the basement so I had to be above or close to some part of the parking lot. That was a good guess in relation to my location.
I crawled along until I heard voices. I got to the end of the path and looked through the panels.
My breathing stilled when I took a good look and saw Giovanni talking with not just The Chameleon, but Diego Sanchez too.
Thick as thieves in the den they were, in their secret meeting and I was in a very good spot to hear what they were saying.
Two black Sedans were parked side by side and it was just them on the outside, talking. I was able to make out two guys in the cars.
While The Chameleon and Diego held an air of cool, Giovanni had that antsy vibe about him, the one he’d sported all week.
“I want my money and then I want out,” he demanded.
“Keep yourself calm Giovanni,” Diego hissed.
“Calm? Those mother fuckers came into my hotel and opened fire,” Giovanni spat back. “This was supposed to be a secret opp. An investment on my part, but this is shit. Bull fucking shit. I want my money and then I want out. I am done.”
“That my friend is not the way it works,” The Chameleon answered in a deep Russian accent. “You have the facility here to keep the blueprints hidden.”
I could have rejoiced. The prints really were here. They were here. But where?
Where the fuck were they?
“Move them somewhere else.”
“And risk exposure?” Diego threw back. “Giovanni, think about this.”
“I am - they came to kill me.”
“No, they came to kill me,” The Chameleon replied and damn did I ever get another answer. Wes was right and my thoughts were correct too.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m the one who knows the rest of the plan and when I go you will not see me again. We are still not ready for the prints. The leaders are gathering and once we have gathered and have everyone where they are supposed to be you will get paid and we will take the blueprints then.”
I felt like I should be taking notes.
“You fucker, nothing had better happen to my daughter. I mean it. Nothing.”
“That is not how the Ra operate.”
Holy shit!
My heart just stopped beating.
Ra. He said the Ra.
Ra… as in Balthazar. There were so many associates and accomplices associated with the Ra, he could be involved.
Fuck…
The Ra.
The Chameleon said the Ra…
They were the terrorist group that Giovanni was talking about.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck….
It was them. God, this whole mission really was getting worst by the minute.
Now I understood it. All of it, and Giovanni’s worries.
He was worried they would take Jia.
It fucking made sense and pieced together all his actions so far to protect her. Stopping her from going to Europe, having someone with her at all times, taking away all the access she had… it was this.