“His message was full of misinformation,” I assured her.“I’m sure you’re aware, but I was clearly not snatched away from Britain.I chose to leave with Miss Craness, and anything to the contrary is intentionally misleading.”
“We are aware,” Akari answered.“But as far as your importance to Jackson goes.How would you describe your relationship?”
Sitting there, the truth was I would rather have not described my relationship with him, but glancing at the large window behind her, I recognized the point was already established.The world knew we went back as far as undergrads.Aside from the sycophants still sitting in London with him, I was the man who knew him the best.
“We were close once,” I started.“But his video overstates the extent of our current friendship.”
“Do you think we could inspire his attention if we used you as some sort of enticement?”Meyer smiled as she asked, her blonde hair falling past her eyes as she tilted her head.
“Enticement?”I repeated.“Are you suggesting I should be bait, Judge?”
“Perhaps,” Laurent responded.
“Absolutely not.”Caroline’s gaze flitted from Laurent to me.“You’re not using Adam as bait!”
“But do you think it would work?”Laurent pressed.
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.“You’d have to tell me what you were considering in order for me to say anything more with any authority.”
“There is a plan.”Akari sounded hesitant.“That we’d like your view on.”
“Go on.”After ten minutes of batting concepts around the room, I sensed that whatever came next was the reason the three of them had flown in from The Hague.
“It might be possible to lure Jackson to international waters under the premise of your return,” Akari explained.“Call it the ‘Commander General’s homecoming’, ask the Swiss to arrange your extradition under the guise of their historic neutrality, and then, have you meet on the water.”
“On water?”Skepticism echoed in my voice.“Why water?Switzerland is landlocked.”
Ian wasn’t going to fall for anything that seemedout of the ordinaryunless there was a bloody good motivation.But perhaps his commander general arriving in a fanfare of jingoistic contrition would qualify as such.My return alone might not be enough to persuade him, but the pomp and ceremony might stroke his ego enough to sneak me through the door of reasonable doubt.
“Water enables the second part of the plan,” Meyer prompted.“The Swiss can escort you to the Netherlands, where you’d leave by boat.”
“We would need Jackson out on the water to greet you,” Akari went on.“And once his ship drifts into French waters, the French authorities would be able to expedite the ICC’s warrant.”
“You want him to take a boat out to meet and greet me?”I laughed out loud at the idea.If that was the best strategy the ICC had come up with, then it looked as though I was looking down the barrel of a long stretch in a European prison.“No offense, but why would he bother?I was the one who left him, remember?”
“Because of what you have already told us.”Meyer’s grin was close to predatory as she collected the papers before her and waved them at me.“Jackson’s arrogance is so well-developed.We can hold it against him.”
“How?”Caroline urged, her voice laced with exasperation.
“By giving him enough of the one thing he loves the most in the whole world,” I answered, suddenly understanding Meyer’s meaning.
The solution was so fucking simple; I didn’t know why I hadn’t come up with it myself.
“Women?”Caroline frowned.
“No.”I chuckled sadly.“There’s something he loves a lot more than women.”
“What?”Caroline insisted, apparently bewildered by the riddle, although I couldn’t understand why.She’d had the misfortune to meet the buffoon.She knew the devil well enough.
“Himself.”My brow rose, as, straightening in my chair, I gave the answer.“Blow enough smoke up his ass, tell him how marvelous he is, and then lay it on thick enough, and watch his guard slip.”
Meyer’s lips twisted.“That, Mr.Harper, is exactly what we’re counting on.”
