Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) (6 page)

"A convention?"

"Yes," Xavier said. "Every commander in North America will be there along with Ethel herself. The second in commands are going too. The leadership for the entire division will be in one place."

"That's great news!" Hanley said. "Instead of destroying one cell at a time, we can smash the entire organization at once. This is a huge gift."

"Don't get too excited. There are a lot of things wrong with this picture. First, conventions are very rare things. I don't think anybody who attended the last one is still alive. The fact that Ethel called one right now is suspicious. I have to believe it's because of what we did in Miami and San Francisco."

"Sounds like she's afraid. That's good for us. Fear makes people stupid."

"No." Xavier shook his head. "The
legatus legionis
doesn't fear anything. She's up to something sneaky."

"Where and when is this convention?"

"The when is two days from now, starting Friday night. The where is unknown. I'm supposed to meet the other attendees in O'Hare Airport, where a bus will take us to our destination. The note told me to pack for very cold weather."

"Somewhere near Chicago," Hanley said. "I'll issue orders to have the entire Unit sent there immediately. When you get to the convention, you can tell me exactly where you are and what the security looks like. Then we'll plan the attack. You'll be my guy on the inside."

"The fact that it's near Chicago also bothers me. That's Ethel's home town. She was the commander there for many years, and it's where she's strongest."

"Again, sounds like she's afraid. Do you think she suspects you?"

"No," Xavier said, "or I'd already be dead. And there's another issue. A guy named Aaron runs Chicago now. He's a relatively new player, but he already has a reputation as a very clever man. This whole thing smells funny."

"Doesn't matter. We have to take our shot. We'll never get another chance like this."

"That's easy for you to say. You won't be right in the middle of it."

"Calm down," Hanley said.

Xavier squeezed his phone. "I'm stating legitimate, rational concerns. And by the way, I'm not the only one at risk here. If Ethel figures out you're involved, you'll be a dead man, too."

"You're talking to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I'm not worried."

Xavier snorted. "Are you kidding?"

"I was also a Navy Seal for five years," Hanley said. "I can take care of myself."

"Let me explain something to you in small words you can understand. The Gray Spear Society isn't the mob, and Ethel isn't an ordinary crime boss. She's a thousand times more dangerous than anybody you've ever met. She has people working for her with capabilities you wouldn't believe. Your precious FBI can't protect you."

"We're still talking about human beings. If you shoot them, they die."

"Maybe," Xavier muttered.

"Regardless, we have to move forward. Go to the convention and be my spy. Once I have all the intelligence I need, I can take care of the rest. There won't be any guesswork this time. We should be able to execute the operation flawlessly."

Xavier took a deep breath. Hanley was right about one thing. This was an opportunity they couldn't ignore no matter how fishy it smelled.

"I have to go," Xavier said. "I'll call again when I get to the convention."

"Be careful."

Xavier put his phone back in a secret pocket in his pants. He didn't entirely trust Hanley to "execute the operation flawlessly." Xavier needed an escape plan just in case. No matter what went wrong at the convention, he had to live to fight another day.

He walked off, deep in thought.

* * *

Norbert looked up at the sky. It was a cold night, and the air was perfectly clear and still. He could see thousands of stars, a rare treat in Chicago. They glittered like tiny diamonds.

He leaned forward and looked down. The ground was two hundred and fifty feet below his feet. At the bottom of that long fall was packed, frozen dirt, which was probably as hard as concrete. He took a deep breath.

He jumped.

For an instant he was in free fall and his stomach tried to climb up his throat. Then, he felt a sharp jerk on his harness. His descent slowed to a merely frightening speed. The electric winch above screamed. Copper tinted windows shot past him one after another.

The ground approached rapidly, and he braced his legs for a violent impact. At the last second there was another jerk that cut his speed again. He landed with a soft thump.

His heart was racing.
That was fun
, he thought.

The last two weeks had been a time of peace and quiet for Norbert. He had spent about a third of his time looking after the twins and another third practicing martial arts on his own. The rest had been spent puttering around the new headquarters. He had installed plenty of equipment. He knew Nancy would probably redo a lot of the work, but it had kept him occupied.

He had spent most of today installing the emergency rappel system on the roof. There were ten winches, enough to allow the entire team to escape at once. Of course, he had had to test the system to make sure it worked.

Unfortunately, the retraction button was on the winch, which was on the roof. He began to climb the rope.

By the time he reached the top, he was dripping in sweat and the muscles in his arms were burning. The long climb had taken every bit of his strength and determination. The accomplishment felt very good though. Not too long ago, he would never have attempted such a feat.

The roof of the Rosemont Tower Hotel was empty at the moment. A helipad marked with bright red paint was the only splash of color. The plan was to put an array of defensive weapons up here, including a guided missile launcher. Everything would be covered or disguised when not in use. When the team finally moved into the hotel, it would have more security than the White House.

Norbert went down a flight of stairs and entered headquarters proper. It was still a huge empty space, but he and the twins had made a home of sorts here. A king-sized mattress was laid on the floor. There were piles of clothes, some dirty and some clean. A small bathroom held just a sink, a toilet, and a basic shower with reasonably hot water. Food had been the biggest issue. They couldn't take delivery, and there was no refrigerator. Norbert had made many trips to local restaurants to fetch meals.

He walked over to the twins. They were nestled in the soft webbing of their workstations. Their big eyes were fixed on giant monitors above, which displayed an endless flow of cryptic information.

He took Bethany's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. It was nicer than screaming to get her attention. He did the same for Leanna.

"Tomorrow is the big day," Norbert said. "Are we all set?"

Bethany nodded. "All the new software is installed. The entire surveillance system is operational. Automated tracking is online."

"Good. We should sleep now. Once the convention starts, we'll be extremely busy, and there may not be much time for rest."

The twins climbed out of their chairs.

"I want to be touched tonight," Leanna said.

"Of course." Norbert smiled. "Anything you want, darling."

Chapter Four

"Sir," Sampson said, "do you mind if we stop for a snack? I'm starving."

Xavier faced his second in command. Sampson had received his nickname because of his magnificent mane of curly, blond hair. He had other impressive attributes besides. He was as strong as an ox and as ferocious as a lion. His boundless energy was so infectious it was hard not to get excited in his presence. Xavier didn't know anybody who didn't like Sampson. Most importantly, he never questioned orders. He was so stubbornly loyal and obedient it was almost embarrassing.

"Sure," Xavier said.

They were walking through the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. In terms of physical size, it was smaller than the Houston Intercontinental Airport, but O'Hare was much busier. The curved roof lines and intricate window arrangements made the airport seem more sophisticated, too. Xavier had never been to Chicago before. As a rule, members of the Gray Spear Society rarely left their home territory.

Sampson went to a kiosk that sold specialty nuts. He bought two pounds of a variety mix. The man was always hungry.

"Come on," Xavier said. "We can't be late."

They both hurried through the airport, each man pulling a large suitcase.

The latest instructions from Ethel had told them to go to the top level of the parking garage. The signs were confusing, which cost Xavier more time. Finally, he exited through what he hoped was the right door.

The cold hit him like a slap in the face. Weather like this didn't exist in Houston. He couldn't believe people would choose to live in such a miserable place. He was wearing a heavy leather jacket, the warmest coat he owned, but it wasn't nearly warm enough for these conditions.

"It's like walking into a freezer," Sampson said.

"We'll just have to deal with it," Xavier said. "Keep moving."

Eventually, they found the other convention attendees. About forty people were standing around in a loose group on top of the garage. All of them appeared to be in tremendous physical condition. They wore a variety of clothes but gray was the dominant color. Xavier was certainly in the right place.

As he got closer, he started noticing odd things. One woman had green hair that seemed to move independently of her head. A man had an odd lump in the center of his back. Another wore oversized sunglasses, and the shape of his skull was wrong.
It's like a carnival freak show,
Xavier thought.

The group was very quiet. Clearly, nobody knew the proper social etiquette at a Society convention. They were falling back to their default behavior, which was silence and paranoia.

Two buses arrived. They were painted gray and had no markings at all.

A man stepped out of one of the buses. "Hi!" he said with a pleasant smile. "I'm Aaron, commander of Chicago. I'll be your host this weekend. If you need anything at all, let me know and I'll make sure it gets taken care of."

Aaron was fairly tall and had the muscles of a body builder. His straight brown hair was neatly trimmed. Bushy eyebrows shaded his eyes. He wore an ordinary jacket like Xavier, but the cold didn't seem to bother him. Xavier, on the other hand, felt like he was slowly freezing to death.

A beautiful woman stepped out of the other bus. Her strawberry blonde hair was long and lustrous. Her green eyes caught the sunlight. Freckles on her rosy skin made her seem a little girlish.

"And this is Marina," Aaron said. "She's my second in command and your hostess. If I'm not around and you need something, she'll be happy to help you. I'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun together this weekend. It will be a memorable experience."

Seeing Marina made Xavier feel a sharp but familiar pain. His lover, Rhiannon had been his second in command before her death. He didn't know whether Aaron loved Marina, but Xavier was still jealous.

"I'd like everybody to pick a bus," Aaron said. "We have a very long ride to the convention site. You can use the time to introduce yourselves to each other. We're all friends here."

All the men and women climbed onto a bus. The interiors were heated, which came as a great relief to Xavier. There was plenty of room, more than enough for people and their luggage. He and Sampson picked seats across from each other.

Xavier noticed the man with the oddly shaped face had taken off his sunglasses. His eyeballs were three times as big as normal and looked like cat eyes. His vertical slit pupils were a full inch long. The man nodded politely to Xavier.

He settled into his seat.
Definitely a freak show.

Three hours later, he checked his watch in disbelief. Aaron hadn't lied about the length of the ride. They had even stopped at a gas station and convenience store half-way through the trip.

Xavier had used the GPS system in his thick, gray Society phone to track his position continuously. He had confirmed his location using road signs. The bus was now in the eastern part of Wisconsin, not far from Lake Michigan. The area contained a mixture of thick forests, small farms, and lakes. The land undulated but wasn't particularly hilly. After spending so many years in Texas, the cold, wet terrain seemed alien to Xavier. There was a lot of snow on the ground, which didn't help his comfort level. He wasn't sure how to fight in the stuff.

Finally, the bus stopped and the trip was over.

Aaron stood up at the front of the bus and announced, "Welcome to Camp Zonta. This is one of the better summer camps in Wisconsin. It's shut down for the winter, so we have the whole place to ourselves. Everybody you meet will be a member of the Society, either an attendee of the convention or part of my team. There are absolutely no outsiders here. You can let your hair down, so to speak."

He walked down the aisle and handed out sheets of paper.

"Here are maps of the camp," he said. "They show who is staying in which rooms. We fixed up the accommodations as best we could, but it's still a little rough. I'm hoping that will add to the adventure."