“Of course. I’ll sneak you out of the compound before I raise the cry that my father’s been murdered. I’ll have no difficulty shifting blame to one of the malefactors who were brought here for chastisement. Be assured, nobody will ever suspect it was you.”
“Sounds better than any other option I had going for me,” Chopper muttered ruefully. “I’ll be damn glad to be done with the Nephilim once and for all.”
“I give you my word,” Joshua said solemnly. “You’ll never have to see any of us again after tonight.”
The mercenary checked the magazine of his pistol. “Let’s do this.” He quietly turned the handle of the office door and stepped inside.
Joshua hung back in the shadows.
Abraham looked up from the documents he’d been inspecting. Narrowing his gaze when he recognized his visitor, he demanded, “What do you want?”
“My severance pay,” Bowdeen remarked coldly.
Abraham rose to his feet to face the intruder. The expression of disbelief on his face proved that he’d noticed the gun in the mercenary’s hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m making sure I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.” Chopper shrugged. “Nothing personal.” He raised his pistol, aiming it at the old man’s chest.
Before he could fire, a dull thud sounded. Bowdeen grabbed his own chest and whirled around. “Joshua?” He gasped in disbelief before crumpling to the floor in a heap.
The spymaster emerged from the darkened corridor. Stepping over the mercenary’s lifeless body, he grabbed the diviner by the arm to steady him.
The old man listed to one side.
“Father, are you alright?”
“I... I...” Metcalf stuttered.
“Here, sit down.” Joshua helped him back into his chair.
The diviner rubbed his forehead, confused. “I don’t understand. Why did he try to shoot me?”
Joshua poured his father a glass of water from the carafe on the desk. “Please, drink this.”
The old man silently obeyed.
“I was afraid something like this might happen. In Australia, Mr. Bowdeen was talking wildly. He had convinced himself that the Nephilim would never let him leave because he knew too much. He suspected you would have him killed once he’d outlived his usefulness.”
“I would do what?” Metcalf’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Of course, I told him his fears were groundless, but he wouldn’t believe me,” Joshua protested. “That’s when I decided to keep tabs on him personally. Tonight, I saw him disable the surveillance cameras in the guard shack. Realizing his intentions, I armed myself and followed him. When I saw him approaching your door, there could be no doubt that he planned to kill you. I did what was necessary to stop him.”
Metcalf’s eyes never left his son’s face as the younger man spoke. It was as if the diviner had never truly seen him before. “Joshua, you certainly have a cool head in a crisis.”
“Thank you, Father,” the spymaster replied modestly.
“You just saved my life,” the old man added in wonderment.
“As head of the Order of Argus, it’s my duty to protect you at all times.”
Abraham rose shakily. “Yes, but you did more than that. You not only saved your father’s life, but you preserved the glorious destiny of the Nephilim. If I had died, all my plans and hopes for the brotherhood would have died with me.”
“Then perhaps you need to confide in someone to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Joshua suggested softly. “Daniel ought to be party to whatever—”
Abraham cut him off. “No, not Daniel. He hasn’t the temperament. Perhaps...” The old man hesitated. “Perhaps, I was hasty in naming my successor. I must pray on the matter further.” He glanced at the spymaster. “I shall reveal the full nature of my plans to you, my son. In due time, when the day of reckoning draws near.”
Joshua adopted a solicitous manner. “We must not talk of such things now, Father. There will be time enough once you’ve recovered. Sit down and let me attend to the intruder.”
He settled Abraham comfortably.
“Thank you, my boy.” The diviner took another sip of water.
Joshua smiled. “I’ll always be here for you, Father. You can depend on me.”
The old man, weakened by shock, sank his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes.
The spymaster went to the desk phone and called the guard shack. “Send a detail to the diviner’s office immediately. Mr. Bowdeen has just tried to kill my father.” He paused to listen to the question coming from the other end of the line. “Yes, that’s right. He’s dead. We’ll need to dispose of the body tonight.”
Chapter 33—Keyless Entry
Cassie paced to-and-fro beside the window in Griffin’s hotel room.
The scrivener sat hunched over the desk scribbling notes and referring to his computer screen. “You’re going to wear out the carpet if you continue at that rate,” he commented without turning around.
She wheeled toward him. “Are you done yet?”
“Very nearly.” He consulted the display again and made a few more notes. “Yes, I believe I’ve got it.”
At that moment, a knock was heard at the door.
“That’s got to be him.” Cassie rushed to answer.
Their visitor was a muscular Asian man in his mid-twenties.
“Rabten! You made it in record time.” She gave him an enthusiastic hug.
The field agent dropped his duffel bag and returned the greeting. “It’s good to see you again, Cassie.”
Griffin rose to shake hands. “So glad you arrived quickly.”
“I was waiting for your call,” the agent confessed. “Hopped on the first flight I could get out of O’Hare.”
“How’s life in the States?” the pythia asked.
“A lot duller than what’s going on around here, that’s for sure. By the way, Rinchen sends his regards. He called me to say he met Zhang Rou today.” Rabten gave a knowing grin. “That sort of assignment is right up my brother’s alley.”
“What do you mean?”
“He likes rescuing damsels in distress. You have to keep an eye on him. He’s a heartbreaker.”
“Good to know,” the pythia murmured, now worried on Rou’s behalf.
The agent’s gaze swept the room. “Did
