Chapter 26
Flirting with Andrew Bailiwick was a lot easier than Harriet would have expected. Jake had managed to get on an elevator. He was going up. She would have preferred it if she were up there too but because she looked exceptionally exquisite tonight she was going to have to lay back and let Jake do his thing.
"What kind of gentleman leaves his golden prize unguarded?" Andrew pitched in.
"Oh golden prize?" Harriet smiled. "And what might that be?"
"Why you of course my dear," Andrew brought her hand up to his lips.
Oh he's smooth, she thought.
"I couldn't help but recall that Mr. Higgins did not tell me your name," Andrew stated.
"Oh just call me Harriet…," the name slipped out before she could stop herself.
"Well then Harriet I am glad that our rates have crossed paths tonight," he said
"Yes of course," she said and for a moment there was silence between them. "So do you have a woman in your life?"
"No…I guess I'm still searching for the woman of the right valour," he said while looking into her eyes. Harriet couldn't help but slightly blush.
"Oh?" was all she could manage to say. "So do you have any hobbies? Swimming, skiing sky diving?" Harriet asked.
"Well I there is on thing in particular thing I love to do but I prefer not to tell anyone out loud," he replied before bring his head closer to and whispering in her ear.
"FIFA?" she laughed silently. "Are you serious?"
"I never joke about that love," he smiled. He was about to say something when bulky man in a black suit came and whispered something in Andrew's ear.
"Is security already on it?" Andrew's face turned to a grim expression.
"Yes sir they're already making their way up sir," the man who was obviously a bodyguard said.
"Thank you Chuck let us just wait for the management to update us," Andrew said and the bodyguard who Harriet had now come to know as Chuck walked off.
"Is anything the matter?" Harriet asked
"Someone just broke into my room. Nothing major," he said and less than a minute later five guys in police uniform matched into the building and headed up the elevator. Andrew walked away and Harriet took the opportunity to speak to the team. Apparently Jake was the one who had broken into Bailiwick's room, had carelessly shot a digital safe which would have sealed itself permanently unless someone cut through the metal and had fired at the guards who had gone to check it out which would explain the police heading up now.
Harriet heard a woman screamed outside before she rushed out through the glass doors.
The cold air hit her like a brick but that didn't bother her. There was a small crowd that gathered at the side walk and they were pointing up in bewilderment. Harriet followed there gazes and from high above she saw the chopper hovering beside a window.
"What the hell is going on?" Harriet asked through the earpiece.
"Oh no biggie ma'am. Jake just jumped out of the window and is hanging onto the landing skid," Jerry replied.
"What!" Harriet said in bewilderment. She knew Jake was an idiot but she didn't think he'd be that stupid, but then again after their experience in India where they had to face Abdul Azizi, she shouldn't have been so surprised.
Harriet had her eyes focused on the helicopter which wasn't very visible when it was so high up. Something jabbed her in the back really hard, her hand reached for her gun but strong hands restricted her movement.
"I'd stay still if I were you," a deep voice whispered in her ear. She froze, a lump collected in her throat and she could hear her heartbeat race to it's fastest degree. Working with the CIA for a long time you'd think you'd get used to being held at gunpoint, the truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter how many times you've been in life threatening situations you can never be truly prepared to die.
"Walk calmly as if we're long lost friends," the man said as he stepped slightly by her side but still had his gun pointed at her kidney.
The man led her slowly past the crowd.
"And who might you be?" Harriet asked once she had recovered from her initial shock. They'd walked away from the crowd and had now turned to an alley on the side of the Empire State building. The alley was between the walls of two adjacent buildings and was cramped with garbage containers, old cardboard boxes and steaming piles of hot trash. It was hard to believe that the Empire State building was clean to the public eye but behind it's glamour there lied more dirt than anyone could have imagined.
They walked past a solid metal door that was shut but they could hear someone yelling in Italian and a clouds of steam spilled through the top and bottom of the door carrying with it an enticing smelt which was contradictory to their surroundings.
The man still hadn't replied to Harriet. "So are you going to say something or what?" she said again.
"Just keep walking Harriet," the man said flatly. It freaked her out that she almost gasped.
"You're one of them aren't you?" she said without showing how freaked out she was.
"Way to state the obvious," the man said flatly.
They turned left out of the alley and crossed the street.
"Why don't you just kill me now?" she asked though she immediately regretted it.
"You have no idea how tempting that actually is"
She saw a black van parked right next to a closed convenient store. Before she could think further, the man grabbed an electric Taser and shot about a hundred volts through her neck.
She felt the electricity travel throughout her entire nervous system. She couldn't even scream, her teeth felt like shattering, her eyelids got heavy and her weight toppled her sideways but before she could hit the ground, the man lifted her over his shoulder, opened the van's back doors and pushed her in before closing them up and driving off.
Once he was sure he was away from the Empire State building he took out his phone and dialed.
As usual the handler picked up after two rings. "The who team is out of the game," he said in French. He heard his handler sigh.
"Well did you at least retrieve the case?" the handler asked.
"I'm afraid not," he replied. "But I think we might have other means to get it." He was looking at the still form of Harriet Beecher that was lying on the floor in the back of the van.
"I am coming your way. Don't do anything before I arrive," the handler ordered.
Spencer was surprised, it would be the first time he would ever meet with his handler in person.
"Yes sir," he replied and with that his handler cut the call. Spencer placed the phone on the dashboard and drove on.
Will Frankfurt slammed the telephone down and cursed in French. How could the entire team have been eliminated?
"Sir we'll be arriving in fifteen minutes," the captain of the Fallen Angel opened Will's quarter's door and announced. Will nodded and the captain vanished.
The Fallen Angel was a luxurious ship that Tonitruum had provided for Will's use when traveling undetected to places of great importance. It was a black vessel that screamed No one onboard has a gun!
Will wondered how Crane was planning to get the codes back even though his trusted team had been exterminated. Will had brought about fifteen men on board just in case something like this happened but he wasn't sure if Crane was going to appreciate it.