The Scoundrel Worlds: Book Two of the Star Risk Series by Chris Bunch

Author:Chris Bunch [Bunch, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781440553776
Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
Published: 2012-09-01T06:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-FIVE

“The first thing we need to do,” Jasmine King explained, “if we’re going against Cerberus, is hit them hard enough so they’ll start whimpering and hopefully go home. Which means not just a first strike, but several strikes, since Cerberus is very proud of its backups, both men and data.

“So we’ll start with finding out which of these addresses M’chel got is their home office. That will be our first target. That should be fairly simple, because if we assume Nowotny is in charge of this operation, all we need to do is find him.”

She realized with surprise, and more than a bit of pleasure, that the other four Star Risk operatives were listening closely. It was the first time she’d instituted a plan of violence.

“I am disappointed,” Grok said. “No one has suggested a way to make use of my turning my coat with Mr. Nowotny. Can’t my treason be used somehow?”

Von Baldur thought hard, then shook his head.

“I cannot come up with a way, my friend,” he said. “Plus, the way the situation has developed, with Nowotny taking a personal interest, no doubt at the instigation of his superiors, he might get suspicious, and decide to take you for a one-way boat ride.”

“He would not be the first to try that,” Grok said, “nor would it be the first time that I came back by myself on the boat.” But he subsided.

“Find Nowotny,” Goodnight said, “make a buncha bangs, and then I can go off on my mission of love, as soon as Riss tracks down her perfume.” He snickered.

“Don’t laugh,” Riss said. “It’s just liable to work.”

“I’m not laughing,” Goodnight said hastily. “I’m admiring.”

“You’d better be,” M’chel snarled.

• • •

Step One was finding Ceberus’s headquarters.

That was simple. They put operatives on all of the security firm’s offices, noted which one Nowotny visited the most.

They staked that one out around the clock, taking note of half a dozen Cerberus operatives. These, then, were tailed, but not by the experts.

The Cerberus personnel were far more experienced than the door-rattler guards Star Risk had hired, of course, fully trained at detecting and losing a tail. But it’s almost impossible to shake a tail when there’s half a dozen of them, each working no more than a block or two, letting another operative take over, dropping off and picking up in another half a dozen blocks.

Similarly, when a Cerberus agent would duck into a department store, intending to leave by another exit, all of the store’s exits would be covered by Star Risk people.

It took three days of monitoring traffic, and then Star Risk had two Cerberus central offices located, one at a location not on the ex-premier’s list.

Cerberus Systems played its cards very close, not trusting anyone.

One office was in a high-rise, the other two were storefronts, including what King and von Baldur had decided was the main office. The other was three doors away from a police station.

“That one shall be yours,” von Baldur decided.

“No problem,” Goodnight purred. “Just line up the steaks for afterward.

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