Unless he figured out a way to climb into the ceiling and get out of this desolate entryway so he could start exploring this building. One in a row of early twentieth-century militarystructures. Maintained well but not updated much. Purposed and repurposed.
“Care to explain what you’re doing?” Hollace stood at the open front doorway, holding the door with his body. Letting cool, fresh air in from outside. Wearing a suit and tie and shined shoes.
Ramon looked at him, still standing on the reception counter. “None of your business.”
They’d taken him on that mission to Norway and brought him here, creating the ruse that they were all going to be killed, but only so the accountant would give them access to his books.
Ramon jumped down, seeing this man he’d have called…well, not a friend. Maybe a colleague. He’d have said he trusted the guy. But now he knew that MSI—Bear and his team—were working for the president.
No way was he going to trust them.
They were doing the bidding ofDominatus. Following someone who was an asset of theirs, reporting to her and taking orders.
There was no excuse for this.
“Care for the tour?” Hollace motioned with his head at the outside, with its blue sky and frosty green grass. The backdrop of mountains.
Ramon didn’t want to stay here, so he said, “Sure.”
He was trying to act nonchalant. He needed a phone or a computer, and then he was going to stock up. Take his chances on those mountains surrounding this secret military base and get back to his life. These weren’t people he was prepared to help.
Hollace backed up as Ramon approached, still holding the door.
Ramon strode outside like he hadn’t just been locked in that lobby for four hours. “So, you guys live here now? What happened to the deep-sea platform?”
They hadn’t heard from MSI in weeks. No surprise, given that none of these guys would have been quick to confess to Kenna that they’d made a deal with the devil.
“Too far out. We still control it, but we needed to be in a more central location.” Hollace led him along the street in the center of the base. “There’s a contingent there, but not many. We have too much to do.”
“This is one of General Schnell’s compounds? His secret bases?” Ramon wasn’t going to explain about Spokane and the run-in he’d had with a look-alike there—some of the most gruesome displays of murder he’d ever seen. All for clientele who wanted to rub elbows while death was on display.
“Places we can fly under the radar are few and far between.” Hollace walked a steady pace, his dress shoes getting dirty.
“Probably helps when you have protection from on high.” Ramon threw it out, just to see what the guy did.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”
“Try again.” Ramon frowned, pushing his body to keep up with the pace. He hadn’t eaten or had water since they landed. The dehydration from flying was making his head swim.
“I didn’t have time to think of a story you’re going to accept. I was busy burying my friend.”
Ramon stopped outside a Quonset hut. Hollace turned to face him.
Ramon said, “If you’re taking orders fromDominatus, you’d have to think twice after they murdered your friend. You went into their territory, but you didn’t have protection?”
Hollace stared at him, not even grief in his expression. “Do you want the tour or not?”
Ramon waved with his hand, and they set off again, into a building with multiple satellite dishes on the roof. It had been modernized, but the decorator hadn’t figured out how to hide all the wires that now ran along the top of the wall, through a hole in a vent above the door, and into a room filled with computer equipment.
One entire wall was nothing but screens. The only person in the room was Hazel, the MSI computer tech—their version of Maizie. She typed on a Bluetooth keyboard she had on a strap around her neck so that it sat in front of her. While she entered keystrokes, she also wandered around, looking at different displays.
Over to a metal table, probably not meant to hold beverages. Ramon didn’t know what science had been done on these tables over the century since this place had been consigned. She lifted a tall cup and drank from the straw in big gulps.
Ramon swallowed against the thick dryness in his throat. “What do you guys have?”
Hazel turned and smiled. “Ramon!” She came over, set a hand on his arm, and lifted up to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?” Her expression faltered. “Maybe you weren’t there. I don’t remember seeing you actually, now that I think about it.” She wrinkled her nose. “You might need a shower, bro.”
Ramon shrugged. “Among other things. You have the information that accountant gave us?”
