Charles Brokaw - The Lucifer Code

‘You do make sense.’

‘Of course I make sense.’ She leaned in to kiss him. In that tender touch, he realized that he had missed sharing her bed the last four days.

Some vacation, he thought ruefully.

Olympia glanced down at him, and smiled. ‘Maybe you should make that a cold shower.’

‘Or,’ Lourds prompted, taking her hand in his and kissing her fingers, ‘you could shower with me.’

‘And who would get your breakfast ready?’

‘When we get back, all scrubbed clean and satiated, I’ll help you get both our breakfasts ready.’

‘You do realize that if we get caught it would mortify my brother.’

‘I suspect it would take rather more than that to mortify your brother.’

Olympia hesitated only a moment, then she nodded and took Lourds by the hand.

Oceanview Offices had at one time been the workspace for an import/export business. Lourds hadn’t heard the whole story from Joachim, but the gist seemed that the business had ended suddenly. A few bullet holes and suspicious-looking stains decorated the walls and floor of two of the rear offices. Lourds had pointedly stayed out of those rooms. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but he didn’t want to chance the negative energy that might be left over there.

Whatever business had actually taken place in the offices, the enterprise had been well accoutred. In addition to the conference room where Lourds worked, which had a view of the coastline and of the Hagia Sophia, there were five other smaller offices, two bathrooms – one with a small shower and a kitchen. The monks had brought in simple sleeping bags and kitchen utensils. At the moment, the offices were between leases. Lourds didn’t know if Joachim had made arrangements with the owners or if they were simply squatting there. In the end, it didn’t really matter. They wouldn’t – couldn’t – be there long.

Feeling refreshed from the shower, Lourds helped Olympia make breakfast from the breads, fresh fruit, cheeses and sausages she’d brought back from the market. When they finished filling their plates, they retreated to the balcony with a pot of dark Turkish coffee.

Some time over the last few days, someone – and Lourds suspected it was Olympia – had brought a stray table and five mismatched chairs out onto the small balcony overlooking the waterfront.

‘I’m surprised your watchdog hasn’t made it up yet,’ Olympia said, referring to Cleena.

Lourds looked out over the water and the line of restaurants that stood at its edge. ‘Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair to her?’

‘She did force her way into our group.’

‘Perhaps.’

‘And that’s only because she bungled the original kidnapping for Qayin and his people.’

‘As I recall, she rescued me from Qayin.’

‘Only after bringing you to him.’

Lourds couldn’t argue the point there.

He buttered a roll and ate it thoughtfully. His mind still churned through all the symbols he had been studying for the last few days. A few times, he had thought they were starting to make sense, then they would just slip away like minnows through his fingers.

‘And the little friend she keeps in her ear is another problem,’ Olympia said. ‘How do we know we can trust him?’

‘How do you know it’s a him?’

Olympia gave him a look. ‘Please. It shows in the way she acts. The friend is a man. You can trust me on this one.’

‘Okay, I trust you.’

A look of frustrated disbelief filled Olympia’s face. ‘You’ll trust me that her friend is a man, but you won’t trust me that having her with us is a bad idea?’

Olympia picked up her tray, silverware and cup and departed without another word.

Lourds sighed tiredly. Obviously there were two languages he presently didn’t understand. He sipped his coffee and caught movement from the corner of his eye. At first he thought it might be Olympia returning. Instead, it was Cleena.

The young woman only had a couple of pieces of buttered toast, grapes and melon wedges on her plate. She wore her red hair pulled back.

‘Are you planning on going anywhere for the next hour or so?’ Cleena asked.

‘I hadn’t planned to. Why?’

‘I’ve got an errand I have to run.’

Suspicion darkened Lourds’ thoughts immediately, and he knew it must have shown on his face.

Cleena smiled at him and lifted an eyebrow. ‘You don’t trust me?’

‘I do,’ Lourds assured her. ‘As much as I can.’

‘Do you trust me as much as you trust your girlfriend?’

‘She’s not my-’

‘Maybe no one else noticed you slip off to the shower together a few minutes ago, but I did.’ Cleena bit into a melon wedge. Juice trickled down her chin.

‘I trust you a lot, as it happens. In fact, I think I’m the only one who trusts you.’

‘Probably.’ Cleena glanced at the notes he had at the side of his plate. ‘Still haven’t figured out that scroll?’

‘Not yet, no.’

‘I have faith in you,’ Cleena said simply.

‘What’s your errand?’ Lourds took a bite of melon and found it sweet.

‘I’ve got to go somewhere.’

‘Where?’

Cleena gave him a wan smile. ‘Running out of trust, Professor?’

‘It appears to be a scarce commodity these days.’

‘Old Mother Hubbard and her cupboard, eh?’

‘Something like that,’ Lourds replied. ‘You’ve been around our group for four days, and you’ve talked less than anyone.’

‘I’m a private person.’

‘Private people don’t force their friendship on others at gunpoint.’

Cleena smiled. ‘You have to admit, it’s a lot more effective and it gets quicker results.’

‘There’s something to be said for people who take the long way to do things.’

‘There’s not always time for that.’

‘You’re asking for a lot and are giving only a little.’

‘Maybe I’m giving you more than you suspect.’

Lourds took a breath and let it out. ‘We’re coming to a critical juncture in our partnership. Trust is getting to be a hard thing to come by, so maybe it’s time you started trusting me.’

‘Are you forgetting who you’re up against, Professor?’ Cleena pinned him with her gaze. ‘You’ve got a phantom army on your tail, judging from those ghosts who have wandered out of Iraq. You’ve got Qayin and his people on another side. Then there are the monks.’

‘They’re on my side.’

‘For the moment. But you have to remember: they didn’t tell you everything at the beginning. Neither did your girlfriend. In the Church I was brought up in omission was considered a lie. If you’re not going to trust me, do yourself a favour and don’t trust them either.’

Before Lourds could respond, Cleena picked up her plate and coffee cup and departed. He sat in the chill morning shade and watched her walk away. He didn’t know whether to be more afraid of her or for her.

‘Where you like to go, miss?’

Cleena pulled her attention from the ocean and peered along the line of shops and bars on the left side of the street. Cruise ships lined the docks and tourists were out in force. Hawkers called out their wares from doorways and carts. Small bazaars had opened beneath cargo tents in alleyways. The crowds of people would make it difficult to keep an eye on her surroundings, but she hoped they would also provide an easy way to disappear if it came to that.

‘There.’ Cleena pointed to a cyber café that advertised battling robots rendered in neon tubing. Popular game names and posters littered the windows.

‘Of course, miss. At once.’ The driver cut across two lanes of traffic, narrowly avoided locking bumpers with another taxi trailing too close, and skidded against the curb.