I thought the Ra guys had taken me. Balthazar…
So why was he here?
“You look like you know me.” He observed, looking me over.
“I don’t know you. We’ve never met. Let me go now!” I demanded.
He laughed. He looked at me and laughed like I’d actually said something funny.
“That’s not how this works, Miss Marchesi. You see, my people need you. Your father has something we need and you’re the way we’ll be getting it.”
I saw it now.
I understood.
He wasn’t who people thought he was. So many players in this game wearing masks. He’d double crossed Xander. I was sure of it.
“You’re part of the Ra and part of the team Xander works for. Didn’t think you could do both.”
He smiled. “Thought you didn’t know me. I wonder when it was you found out about a mission that should have been secret. He told you, didn’t he?”
“He didn’t tell me anything. I saw for myself and kept the secret. How could you do this? Those prints are for nukes. The Ra are terrorists.”
“You say that like you think I’m under some kind of spell. As one of the Ra leaders I’m very aware of what they represent.”
My mouth fell open. He was one of The Ra leaders. Jesus. We were all doomed from the beginning.
He laughed when he saw my reaction, moved closer and resumed his speech. “Terrorist is such a strong word, watch how you use it. Put simply, we go where the money is. We enable. We make the unimaginable possible and force leaders to bend to our will. It’s not always by the gun that you get people to listen to you.Science.That is power.” He tapped the side of his head. “Science and knowledge are formidable when combined. You have the key, you can open the door then anything can happen. Anything you want if you make it possible. That is what we do, we’re just ruthless bastards.”
“What do you want with the blueprints?” It was a question that was irrelevant to my situation but I needed to know what it was all for. The why of it.
I just wanted to know what had led me here.
“War. It’s on the horizon. Countries get antsy and start slipping when there is unrest and they can’t come to an agreement on what to do, and who to side with. That’s when the most powerful countries start making back up plans. They contact people like us to get hold of something that gives them the upper hand. This time we did the choosing based on previous clientele who offered us a billion dollars. That is how much the blueprints are worth to them.”
I’d only heard of such things in the movies or the news. Wild and bizarre. As he’d spoken I had the sensation of hearing him but not quite believing he was talking to me or believing what he was saying.
I thought Pa was evil…
What about a man who worked for the government? Xander was under the impression that he was doing this mission to prevent the prints from getting into the wrong hands.
I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he’d actually been successful and handed them over.
It didn’t matter now because look at me.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” I spat. It sounded stupid to say. It was the sort of thing my great aunt Layla would say and everyone would laugh because she sounded so ridiculous trying to tell off a bunch of mafia guys.
Ethan laughed now. I guess I sounded the same, trying to point shame on an anarchist.
Fuck him for laughing. I didn’t care, he was getting my opinion whether he liked it or not, and whether it meant anything to him or not. He could go fuck himself.
“Asshole, you’ll get yours and I hope you fucking die a painful death.”
“Wow, looks like she has balls.”
“Yeah? Guess what, you may think you can lure my father here and he’ll do whatever you say because you have me, but you messed with the wrong people. We’re the Marchesis, you prick. My father may give you what you want but you might not be alive to enjoy it or see that fucking plan of yours come to be.”
He didn’t like me saying that.
