Andy McDermott - The Midas Legacy

It touched down at Reykjavik airport on the outskirts of the Icelandic capital, rather than at Keflavik. Again, there was a marked absence of customs officials. Confirmation that this was Fenrir Mikkelsson’s doing came when Nina and Eddie disembarked to see the tall Icelander and his wife standing beside a line of super jeeps waiting to collect the aircraft’s passengers and cargo, the largest 4x4 a jacked-up Ford F150 king cab pickup ready to accept the Crucible.

‘Pabbi!’ cried Anastasia as she ran to her father and hugged him.

Mikkelsson patted her shoulder, looking over her to watch the jet as its cargo door opened. Sarah greeted her daughter with relief. A forklift rolled up to extract the Crucible, which had been lashed to a pallet prior to its loading in Greece. ‘Dr Wilde,’ he called to Nina. ‘Mr Chase, welcome back.’

‘We’re not here by choice,’ Nina snapped. She was not dressed for cold weather, and the wind blowing across the concrete was biting.

‘I apologise. But I am sure you understand why I wished the Crucible to be brought here without delay.’ Flanked by De Klerx’s men, the forklift made its careful way to the pickup truck and deposited its crystalline cargo upon it.

‘I understand. But it doesn’t mean I approve. Or forgive.’

‘You’ve got the bloody thing now,’ said Eddie. ‘So if you get ’em to stick some more fuel in the plane, we’ll be on our way.’

‘It will be at your service soon. But first, I would like you to come with us.’

‘No thanks,’ Nina told him firmly. ‘We just want to leave.’

‘Olivia is at the hotel. She wants to see you.’

‘Well, I don’t particularly want to see her. Not after I found out that she’d been lying to me this whole time.’

Anastasia whispered something to him. ‘Spencer told you what the founders were really doing in Nepal?’ he said, shooting the younger Lonmore a disapproving look as he descended the steps after his father.

‘Yeah. The Midas Legacy came from arms dealing. That’s something to be proud of, huh? No wonder Olivia didn’t mention it to me.’

‘It is the future of the Legacy that we must discuss, not the past,’ said Mikkelsson, unconcerned.

‘You should come with us,’ Lonmore said to Nina. ‘I wasn’t expecting to be here either, and believe me, I’m no happier about it than you are. But it means you’ll be able to say your piece to Olivia — and to the rest of us, as I think you’ve probably got a lot to get off your chest. Plus it’ll be a lot warmer.’ He chuckled, the laughter quickly fading to silence at Nina’s unsmiling expression.

‘You will be back in New York by tonight,’ said Mikkelsson. ‘Please?’ He opened the lead jeep’s rear door.

De Klerx had by now supervised the Crucible’s loading, directing his men to transfer the various cases of weapons from the hold before joining Anastasia. Eddie eyed him suspiciously, then turned to Nina. ‘I’m not sure about this, but you do have some things to sort out with Olivia. If nothing else, you might feel better after giving her a good kick up the arse. Verbally, I mean.’

‘I might not limit myself to that,’ his wife replied. ‘But… yeah. Okay. On two conditions.’

‘Which are?’ Mikkelsson asked.

‘That as soon as we’re done, this plane takes us back to New York. And that I can call home to check Macy’s okay.’

‘Of course. This jeep has a satellite phone, I believe.’ He glanced at De Klerx, who gave him a confirmatory nod. ‘Shall we go?’

Nina exchanged a look with Eddie, then reluctantly nodded. ‘Okay. Let’s get this over with.’

Even though Reykjavik’s small airport was closer to their destination than Keflavik, it actually took longer to reach than on their first visit. Iceland’s notoriously changeable weather was showing off for the visitors, flurries of snow swooping in to blind the convoy of super jeeps and reduce their pace to a crawl before vanishing as quickly as they had come. Eventually, though, the vehicles reached the buried road and followed the marker poles around the frozen lake on to the rippling plateau before the hotel.

The 4x4s stopped in the shelter of the overhanging wings to be met by black-clad security personnel. The passengers quickly headed inside, De Klerx’s team receiving orders from their leader before continuing to the upper floor, where presumably luxuries like showers and fresh clothing awaited them. ‘Lucky bastards,’ muttered Eddie, whose own clothes still stank of seawater.

‘After everything that’s happened, you’re just leaving the Crucible outside?’ Nina asked Mikkelsson. The now snow-caked artefact was still on the back of the pickup truck.

‘It will be safe,’ he replied as he led everyone towards the lounge at the western end of the floor. ‘Once we have reached a decision about what to do with it, we will bring it inside.’

‘Or take it away again,’ she said. He did not respond.

They entered the lounge. Olivia was the only occupant, the elderly lady gazing out across the wilderness from a chair near the panoramic windows. ‘Thank God you’re all safe,’ she said, standing as the new arrivals trooped past the fountain to the circular table. The graze on her cheek had faded, but was still visible. She was about to speak to Nina when she saw Spencer. ‘Well. I didn’t expect you to show your face here again.’

Spencer smiled mockingly. ‘I know how much you love surprises, Olivia.’

She glowered at him, then turned back to her granddaughter. ‘Nina, I’m so glad you’re all right. I understand things didn’t go smoothly.’

‘You could say that,’ Nina answered, with a nasty look at Anastasia and De Klerx. ‘Seeing as someone decided to mount a unilateral commando raid on Trakas’s yacht!’

‘Unilateral?’ scoffed Spencer. ‘I told you in Greece, she never does anything without Daddy Dearest’s approval.’

The redhead regarded Mikkelsson coldly. ‘Is that right?’

‘We have much to discuss,’ said the Icelander. ‘Please, sit.’ He gestured at the table. A box about a foot on each side sat before his place, its dimensions triggering a sense of unease in Nina.

Mikkelsson and his family members took their seats, Lonmore and Petra doing the same. Olivia went to her chair and gestured for Nina to take the empty one beside her. ‘Huh. Only seven,’ said Spencer sarcastically. ‘Guess I’m meant to stand here like a naughty boy.’

‘So you should,’ Olivia told him. ‘You’ve caused a lot of trouble — and you aren’t a member of the Legacy any more.’

‘Yeah, well, nor’s she,’ he replied, indicating Nina.

‘And glad of it,’ Nina said pointedly as she took her place, making her reluctance clear.

Eddie dropped into an armchair near the fountain. ‘I’ll just wait here then,’ he announced, as sarcastically as Spencer. ‘Don’t suppose the bar’s open, is it? Get me a pint, Tulip.’

De Klerx shot him a contemptuous look before Mikkelsson spoke quietly to him. The Dutchman nodded, then left the room. ‘You need to fire your HR department,’ said Eddie. ‘Speaking as someone who’s worked in private security? The kid’s shit. Too big a temper and his trigger finger’s got fucking Tourette’s — plus the only person he’s bothered about rescuing is his girlfriend! I wouldn’t hire him to secure a bloody ice cream van.’

Anastasia half stood, anger on her face. ‘Don’t you dare say that about him. Rutger saved us!’

‘Rutger kicked off the whole fucking mess in the first place when he let Trakas’s crew take back his boat. And let’s not forget how you made things worse when you shot the bugger!’

Olivia reacted in surprise. ‘Who got shot?’