Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (12 page)

“Do you feel all right to talk?” Rainer snorted.

“Yeah…yeah… I’m okay, no problem at all. I’m all ears,” he said, barely maintaining his smile.

Rainer’s expression turned stern and kept his gaze on Jorrit’s face. “Jorrit, this is going to be a very tough assignment, but what
makes it tough is not what we have to do, but that we can’t have any slip ups. This comes from the very top, the Prime Minister. Any mistakes will be severely punished, and you know what that means in our world.”

Jorrit twitched nervously, but maintained an unyielding face. “Do you all want a cup of coffee, or something?” he asked,
attempting to ease the mood.

“No, thanks, we have had breakfast before we came here.”

Jorrit glanced between the three men and allowed himself to breathe calmer. “So, what’s the assignment?”

Rainer lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He sat back into the chair, and tapped his fingers on the armrest anxiously. For the next
two
hours, he gave Jorrit every detail of the assignment, including the names they chose to handle each task. Jorrit listened without
interrupting.

“These guys work for you,” he stated firmly, “and that’s the
reasons we are here.”

“I’ll do whatever you need to help,” Jorrit said.

“We have decided on two plans. We are going to work first on plan A, and if that fails we have plan B,” he said, throwing Jorrit a meaningful look.

“Let's discuss plan A first,” Jorrit said quickly.

“I want you to break into their computer security system. I want you to access all their passwords and lift all the information from the secret documents that we need to have.”

“That’s easy enough,” Jorrit said confidently. “I’ll have my hackers start on this at once.” He jotted down some quick notes and
then set the
pen down. He leaned forward and glanced at the three eager faces across from his desk. “You said that you would stay here for a
couple of days,” he continued. Rainer nodded in agreement. “Excellent,” Jorrit, said, and reached across his desk to grab a pack of cigarettes.

“Jorrit,” Rainer said ruthlessly, his eyes narrowed to slits. His hand hovered over Jorrit’s, preventing him from taking the pack of
cigarettes.
Jorrit looked up and met Rainer’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow.
Rainer’s face was shadowy and severe. His voice came out slow and harsh.

“We can’t fail in this assignment, Jorrit. My head is on the block, and trust me, if I go down, you’ll go down first.”

Jorrit’s face stiffened, but he remained silent. Satisfied that his warning had the desired effect Rainer pulled his hand back. He reclined quietly back into the big armchair. Jorrit picked up the pack,
and took a cigarette out. He lit it with shaking hands. He took a deep puff, held it for short moment, and blew out a puff of smoke in the direction of
the ceiling. He reached for his coffee cup. After taking a sip, he
wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

He cleared his throat. “You can watch the progress yourself since you will be here for the next two days,” he said.

“I’d like that,” Rainer said, his facing softening.

“So, if we can’t crack the security codes, you'll move on to plan B?”

“Yeah,” Rainer said firmly.

“Plan B is extortion,” he said decisively.

Jorrit humphed and cracked his knuckles. Rainer watched Jorrit closely.

“All right then, let me get started,” Jorrit retorted. “And if we
need to move to plan B, then I’ll give my guys their assignments.”

“Thanks, Jorrit, I’m under a lot of pressure. I’m sure you understand.”

“I’ll try to have answers for you before you leave for Belarus. If not, I’ll call you daily and keep you informed.” He stubbed out his cigarette in the full ashtray.

“Jorrit, we selected the guys we spoke of because they seemed perfect for plan B,” Rainer pressed on.

“They are the best at what they do. I trust them with my life,
because I know that they will succeed.”

“That’s good news, because that’s exactly what you’ll be doing—trusting them with your life.” Rainer held a stiff smile on his face.

“Hmm,” Jorrit sniffed, and rose to his feet.

“Do you want to inspect the operation?” he asked, glancing
between
the three guys across from his desk. They stood up and followed
Jorrit into the rooms next to his office.

The two rooms were connected. They were buzzing with people
talking on phones, typing on keyboards, and watching the screens
on the walls for updates on different jobs. It was chaotic, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone. Jorrit walked up to one of the desks and took the chair next to a young man. During their conversation, he pointed a couple of times at three visitors behind him. The guy gave them a quick, uninterested look and a faint smile. It wasn’t long before Jorrit was back, smirking.

“We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. Jon is already on it and he’ll keep me updated as he moves along.”

“How does he know where to look?” Rainer asked, a little surprised.

“All he needs is the name of the company and he starts with that. Everything else is a game with these guys.”

“Does he work alone or do they team up?” Larue asked.

“They team up when the time is right. They create absolute chaos as they infiltrate the targeted security system.”

“Jorrit, let's go out to lunch and talk a bit about the second phase in case this doesn’t work.”

The four of them walked out of the building and across the street to a neighborhood grill. They spent a couple of hours eating and talking. As they were finishing up, Jorrit’s mobile rang.

“Jorrit, here.” His voice hard and dry. He listened for a few
minutes
and cursed under his breath as he snapped the phone shut and
shoved it in his pocket.

“What is it?” asked Rainer.

“I don’t think the first phase is going to work, but they are trying different ways to accomplish the task. Jon is going to give us the details as soon as we get back to the office.”

They left the restaurant and crossed the street in silence. Rainer racked his brain trying to figure out why expert hackers like these guys, experts who had infiltrated government systems, couldn’t break into a civilian company's system. Jon was waiting for them in Jorrit’s office.

“What’s the problem?” Rainer asked.

“This company has an amazing security system.” He looked
truly astonished. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What do you mean?” Jorrit glared at him.

“There are absolutely no security holes in the whole system. The
software they use destroys intruders without exception, and then comes right back for a second cleanup just in case. Unbelievable…I’ve never seen anything like it. Every single person
on this floor tried to infiltrate that system to no avail. We tried every known way to enter and each time we were blocked. They have installed a foolproof system with unbelievable antispyware software that protects them from receiving
any unwanted program threats. The people that designed their
system are brilliant… very impressive…” he said. “However,” he continued, holding a hand up, “give us a bit more time, and we’ll try some other avenues and see what we can accomplish.”

A moment passed and then Jorrit waved him to the door. “Okay, Jon, take all the time you need, keep me posted.”

Jon glanced quickly at Jorrit and nodded in agreement. When the door closed behind him, Jorrit heard Rainer curse under his breath.

Jorrit studied his face and frowned. “Rainer, you have to have patience,” he said confidently.

“Patience I have,” he said glumly. “Faith is what I’m lacking.”

“Let’s give them a little more time,” Jorrit offered. He hadn't lost hope yet that his guys would succeed.

Rainer shook his head. “This assignment is do or die. No
negotiations
and no outs.” His voice was ice cold, intended to send shivers Jorrit's spine. Raising one hand, he raked his finger through his hair and shifted in his seat. Deep lines creased his forehead and turning his
head, he fixed his gaze on Jorrit. “Last year’s fiasco was Nikola’s failure, and that pissed him off pretty badly. This year he is putting the whole job
on my head, and if I fail, I’m a dead man. So
we c
an’t fail.” A long moment went by before he finally rose to his feet. Shoving his hands
in his pockets, he walked to the only window in the room and looked out into the busy street.

His head throbbed. He took a few deep breaths to try and wash away the dreadful thoughts that invaded his mind. “We have to succeed,” he said firmly, still looking out the window.

“We will, Rainer,” Jorrit called out. “You need to relax, man, and leave the job to me. One way or another we will get it done. Stop worrying.” He picked up the phone and made a couple of calls.

Rainer turned away from the window and studied Jorrit for a long moment. “Whom did you call?” he asked.

“I called the four guys you chose. I asked them be here first thing tomorrow morning,” Jorrit said optimistically. He clearly was trying to make Rainer feel better by getting people ready for the second phase of the assignment in case his people's attempts to destroy the computer systems failed.

Over the next two days, they went over the details of the
assignment with Jorrit’s people. Plan A was officially a bust. The security codes and documents were safe behind the amazing system Sebastian’s people had in place.

“Don’t worry, Rainer, we aren’t going to fail the second phase.
I’m putting my best guys on the job. You saw their records, so you know that they are good. I’ll keep you posted,” said Jorrit, and
clapped Rainer confidently on the shoulder.

“I have to trust you, Jorrit, but don’t let me down,” he said quietly, but his tone was laced with warning. Jorrit winced but remained quiet.

“I’m going to meet Vasily in Belarus, so call me on my mobile. I need to keep Nikola updated daily. He’s going to have our asses if we can’t get this done.” He chuckled bitterly.

“Don’t worry, buddy.” He patted Rainer on the back again and smiled.

They left Jorrit’s office and went to the hotel to pack and then rest before the next day’s flight. Rainer didn’t get much sleep
thinking
about the assignment. The next morning, they arrived early at the
airport ready to board their flight.

They landed in Belarus at 10:30. They pulled out of the car rental lot prepared to discuss the last part of the assignment with Vasily.
Rainer hoped that Sebastian would give up the documentation
before it
came to the last resort, but if needed he knew that Vasily would
carry his part successfully. He had several previous personal experiences
with Vasily and his work, which filled him with confidence. He
smiled as he pushed on the gas and drove onto the expressway.

Vasily was waiting for them, his face showing enthusiasm. He
was a tall, lean man in his mid-thirties, well groomed and
exceptionally
well dressed. His office was clean and elegant. To the average
individual, this handsome man in the expensive three-piece suit looked like a successful businessman, not a highly paid thug for hire. Larue and
Vasily exchanged heartfelt words of greeting. They had both been well educated with promising careers ahead of them in their younger years, but money had led to their downfall.

Rainer went into the details of the assignment as Vasily listened carefully, nodding here and there. The meeting lasted more than three hours and the agreement was clearly outlined.

“I think I’ll talk with Jorrit first, and have his guys contact
Daniel. He is my expert in weapons and kidnapping, and he is located in Brussels,” Vasily said.

“Do the guys know each other?” Hahn asked.

“Yes, they’ve worked quite well together on other assignments. They actually like each other,” he said, and laughed.

“Very well,” Rainer replied, “I’ll leave you to your work. I know that you’ll do a great job and I appreciate it.”

“Keep in touch with Jorrit,” Larue added.

“I will, don’t worry,” Vasily said. “I’ll have to wait for Jorrit’s call anyway. He has to let me know if this guy, Sebastian, is ready to give up the documents before I can move on with the last leg of the plan.”

“Don’t forget to ask him for the package with the photos of the individual or individuals your guys will target,” Rainer added.

“I won’t.”

They shook hands and left for the airport. Rainer felt reasonably confident that everything was in place, making his flight home a pleasant one.

Chapter 10

SEBASTIAN AND TROY
were splitting their time between the office and classes. On the mornings that Sebastian chose to attend
class, he would wake Arielle up early to indulge in steamy encounters until it was time to leave the house. When he chose to go to the office, there
was freesia left on her pillow along with a note written in his
beautiful sixteenth-century script, “Miss me.”