You were once a criminal yourself. Sorry, a survivor.”
“We all have a past.”
“Baggage in this business can be deadly. You had a beautiful wife once. A pity she died so young and so senselessly. But as you say, that’s the business we’re in.”
Ash winced. Stillman had just crossed the line into forbidden territory. No one at Onyxx talked about Johanna Merrick and her tragic death at the hands of the Chameleon. Merrick’s arch enemy was still out there enjoying the fruits of his debauchery, and so far no agency had been able to stop him. He had more hideouts than a centipede had legs.
Merrick leaned back in his chair. “You’re a reckless sonofabitch, Stillman. The worst kind of loose cannon. Say what you came to say, then get the hell out of my office.”
“You left a loose end in Italy when you pulled out. Yurii Petrov’s brother escaped Nescosto before you leveled it.”
“We’re aware that Filip got away.”
“Are you going after him?”
“We know where he’s at, and he’s being watched.”
“A nice way of saying you’ve learned something that makes him more valuable alive than dead.”
Merrick didn’t dispute Stillman’s claim.
“Unlike you, I don’t have the luxury of sitting back and watching. My superiors are demanding answers for the deaths of Chanler and Grant.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. Not unless you’d like to tell me what your agents were doing at Nescosto.”
“That’s classified.”
“Even to your superiors?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. The bottom line is your timing at Nescosto couldn’t have been worse. Your victory has destroyed any chance for me to get mine. So you can understand why dropping a bomb in the middle of your agency would make me feel marginally better.”
Merrick sat back in his chair. “I don’t think this has anything to do with the SDECE wanting restitution. I think this is about you, and what you need to save your ass. I’d say your superiors didn’t sanction the mission you sent your agents on, and now that they’re dead, you’re scrambling to salvage a piece of the pie to save your job.”
“A colorful scenario, mon ami, but untrue. What I came here for was to ask you to—”
“Ask? Let’s be clear, Stillman. You came here to muscle me, not ask. I can’t bring your agents back. As much as I’d like to, I don’t have that kind of power.”
“But you do have the power to gift the SDECE with a replacement agent. After all, it was your firecracker who killed mine.”
Ash had been in the middle of a yawn when Stillman dropped his bomb. He glanced at Merrick and saw that his boss was just as surprised as he was.
Merrick had sacrificed everything for Onyxx—over twenty-five years of his life. His personal happiness. His comrades.
His wife.
His current status was an extension of those sacrifices, and it went far beyond sitting behind a desk in a cushy office.
The bottom line was, he’d earned the right to be whatever he chose to be, which was a supremely confident, fearless commander. He was unflappable and possessive, and some days a real ornery sonofabitch. But Ash had never met a more honest man.
“You want me to hand over one of my men?”
“You’re lucky I’m not asking for two. Chanler was a loyal agent, and he will be missed. But Jaz Grant was irreplaceable. Since it was the Ashtray’s trigger finger that took her from me, I want him to replace her. An eye for an eye.”
“No disrespect to Grant, but Ash is a seasoned veteran. Twice the agent.”
“I have files of data that would dispute that, but then I had the privilege of working with Grant for the past six years. She was the most fearless, skillful agent the SDECE has ever recruited. To me the Ashtray is nothing but a criminal who likes to play with fire. Grant was peerless.”
“What Ash is, for the record, is the number one explosives expert in the country. Onyxx trained him, and he belongs to me.”
“Don’t you mean he belongs to Onyxx?”
“I am Onyxx, Stillman. If you’ve read up on me, then you know that. Contrary to the gossip that continues to question who and what I am, and the one mistake I made sixteen years ago, I still call the shots at this agency. And unlike you, I don’t have to check with my superiors every time I blow my nose or scratch my ass.”
“Lose one man, or lose your integrity, and the future of Onyxx? You know how it works. How the media loves a good scandal. I guarantee the leak will result in a lengthy investigation. When they’re finished the world will know what your men eat for breakfast, how often they piss, and every dirty secret you’ve covered up to bring them into this agency.”
“You’re blackmailing me?”
“I’m sure you’ve done worse to get what you want. One man to replace the two he killed. That’s my deal. It’s a small price to keep Onyxx the NSA’s best kept secret, don’t you think?”
“And you plan to send one agent after Filip Petrov.”
“What I plan to do with him is no concern of yours once he’s mine, mon ami.”
“My answer is no. I won’t hand him over so you can send him on some suicide mission.”
“You don’t sound like you have much faith in your man. As you said, he’s no ordinary agent. He’s a survivor.”
“You have my answer.”
“Then this is the end of Onyxx, Merrick. I promise you I won’t rest until I’ve exposed you, and every man in this agency.”
Ash expected his boss to counter Stillman’s threat with one of his own, or maybe offer a more reasonable solution. But Merrick only watched as the Frenchman stood and headed for the door.
Ash sat forward and cleared his throat.
Merrick looked at him, shook his head—a warning to keep his mouth shut. But how could he do that? They were about to be crucified by the media. Onyxx would be flushed down the toilet, along with every man with a checkered past. And that would be Merrick’s entire team of rat fighters—his team.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“The hell you will.” Merrick’s fist crashed down on his desk. “I won’t agree to it.”
“I can opt out of my contract,” Ash reminded. “I’ve put in my seven years. I’m a free agent if I want to be. I can leave any time.”
“We’ll discuss it later.”
“It won’t change anything.”
