Good Intentions - Adrian Hell #6 (Adrian Hell Series) (7 page)

Now… where the hell are they taking me?

6

May 6, 2017

11:16
MYT

I’m standing on the balcony of an expensive hotel room, fifteen floors up, leaning on the rail and looking out at the Petronas Twin Towers looming over me. The heat in the center of Kuala Lumpur’s business district is already pushing eighty-five and it’s not even lunchtime. I’m only wearing a towel, as I’ve just stepped out of the shower, but I’m already sweating because of this humidity.

Yesterday, the chopper took us to Tan Son Nhat airport, a few miles north of Ho Chi Minh City. From there, a private jet flew us across the water to Malaysia. Once we touched down, Pierce and his team drove me to this hotel and said someone will be in touch. They told me not to leave my room—and reminded me I have a tracking device in my neck, so they would know if I did. They said to just sit tight and wait for someone to make contact.

It started out as a long-ass evening. I was pacing up and down the room with all kinds of things running through my head. But, eventually, I came to the conclusion that worrying and pacing wasn’t very productive. So instead, I ordered room service, ate like a king, and crashed out on the bed watching TV.

I slept like the dead.

Which makes sense… I mean, that’s what I am now, right?

Dead.

I took my time this morning, taking advantage of being able to lie in bed and not worry about who might try to kill me today. I ordered breakfast and grabbed a nice, hot shower before stepping out here for some air. Not that I’m getting much as it’s that hot!

I’m still exhausted after everything that’s happened in the last few days. Well, I say
the last few days
, but it’s been almost a
month
since fate decided my life would change forever. Almost a month since three assholes walked into my bar and dragged me into
this
shit. And now here I am, nearly four weeks on, standing alone in a Malaysian hotel room with very little to show for my efforts besides a heartbeat.

Not that I don’t appreciate still having one.

I’m looking out at a world still trying to make sense of everything after witnessing not only the largest terrorist attack in history, but also the global war that followed. Far below me, I see people hustling around in every direction, desperately trying to carry on as if nothing’s happened. The aftermath of 4/17 hasn’t reached this far south of China, so people here in Malaysia, as well as in places such as Thailand and Singapore, are still living relatively normal lives.

But
normal
is now a thing of the past for me. Thanks to Cunningham’s master plan, the North Korean invasion was indirectly responsible for my adopted hometown being turned into a three-mile wide crater. The final stages involved him using the Cerberus satellite to take control of another country’s missile, and blow up part of his own country with it. His thinking being, the American people would turn to him in their hour of need, pledging undying support in return for him finally stepping in and saving the world. He was beyond deluded, but I still couldn’t stop him. He launched a tactical nuke and that was it—game over. Everything’s gone. My bar… my life…

Tori.

I had to watch it happen on a fucking laptop. But I’m still not allowing myself any time to dwell on it. To all intents and purposes, I ceased to exist about five minutes later, so the way I see it, any grief belongs to another life.

That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. Right now, denial seems the sensible option. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole Order of Sabbah thing, so I don’t want to overload myself with too much shit. I’m on my own now… I have to look after number one. I’ve never been great at handling all the emotional baggage that comes with the life I lead—at least, it does if you allow it to. I know I’ll struggle, so I’m choosing to ignore it completely and focus solely on what lies ahead.

I assume after everything in Vietnam yesterday I’m in now—that I’m officially a member of The Order’s ranks. So I’m also assuming whoever’s going to make contact will be doing so to either give me a proper induction or give me a job.

I wish they would hurry up, though. I’m getting cabin fever in here.

I turn and walk back inside the room, which really is incredible. I remember thinking that place we had back in New Jersey was nice. But this… this is a goddamn
palace
! For a start, there’s a water feature in the middle of the room. Seriously! I shit you not—it’s a marble plinth about three feet high, with a discreet fountain trickling out of it in a nice pattern. The sound is relaxing, but I can’t wrap my head around why any hotel room would ever need one.

The bed is far too big for two people, never mind just me, but it gave me the most comfortable night’s sleep I’ve had in years. It’s against the left wall, surrounded by fitted closets and drawers made from dark, presumably expensive, wood.

The thick, cream-colored carpet underfoot makes you feel as if you’re walking on clouds or something. In the middle of the room, facing the opposite wall and the cinema-sized TV mounted on it, is a long, five-seater leather sofa. At either end, angled slightly inward, is a matching armchair. There’s a glass table in the middle, with a bowl of potpourri in its center.

And the TV… Wow! I watched a bit of news on it last night. It’s slightly curved, and the picture quality is so clear it’s like looking through a window. Josh would be in heaven in a place like this…

I sigh, frustrated at myself.

Damn it! I need to stop doing that. Josh is part of my old life. He believes I’m dead. Maybe it would help me to start doing the same. I mean, I’m—

There’s a knock on the door.

About time!

I walk across the room. I’m not bothered that I’m only wearing a towel. I’m not exactly having a business meeting, am I?

I grab the handle and lean forward to look through the—

Ooof! Shit!

The door just burst open and hit me in the face!

A woman strides casually past me and into the room. She stops next to the sofa and turns to face me. I push the door closed and rub my forehead where the door hit me as I turn and walk over to her. “Come in, why don’t you? Christ… you nearly took my damn—”

I stop talking as I look up at her. She’s beautiful. I mean, she’s… just…
staggering
. I don’t know how else to say it. No words I can think of right now would do her justice.

She’s shorter than me, but probably slightly above average height for a woman. Maybe five-seven or five-eight. She’s slim and toned, and I can tell from the way she’s standing that she can take care of herself—there’s a relaxed confidence in her body language. Her muscles are constantly tensing and twitching, her body weight perpetually shifting, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

Her hips are slightly wider than her torso, and her thighs angle inward slightly. She’s wearing fitted jeans tucked inside black knee-high suede boots, with a thin white top hanging loose on her slight frame. She has jet-black hair that stops at her shoulders and an Oriental complexion, accentuated by large, hypnotic brown eyes. She’s staring at me, looking a little bemused with the faintest of smiles on her lips, as if she knows I’m checking her out.

Whoa…

I look down at my towel, then back at her. I smile, a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting—”

She holds a hand up. The smile fades. “Save it. I don’t care what you’re wearing. Or
not
wearing, in your case.”

Her English is flawless. Her attitude needs a bit of work though.

I shrug. “Okay then… So, who are you? Do you work for The Order?”

She nods. “I do, yes.”

“And your name is…?”

“Unimportant.”

“Okay. Well… Miss Unimportant, I’m Adrian, and—”

“I know who you are.”

I frown. “You were a cheerleader in High School, weren’t you? I can tell. It’s your warm, friendly demeanor that gives it away…”

She raises an eyebrow. “Do you think you’re funny?”

“Most days, yeah.”

“You’re not.”

“Well, you can’t please everyone… So why are you here, Miss Unimportant?”

She sighs. “My name is Lily.”

I smile.

She frowns. “What?”

“Nothing… It’s just that’s a really nice, sweet-sounding, delicate name… and you’re… y’know…”

“What?”

“…None of those things. Or, if you are, then you need to work on your first impression…”

“Please don’t assume you know me, smartass.”

“I know enough, Lily.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Really? Go on then—what do you know?”

I look her up and down for a moment. “Okay… you’re in your late twenties… definitely single… left-handed… very well trained—I’m gonna go with Muay Thai… no formal military experience, but you’ve seen your fair share of fighting. I’m gonna say… only child. Oh, and orphaned.”

I’m very aware of the cold silence filling the room. The tension is palpable and awkward. I should have added
poker player
to my list, as her face isn’t giving anything away whatsoever… I reckon I hit the mark with most things.

She takes a small step forward and lets out a short sigh. “That was… impressive.”

“Was I right? I wasn’t sure about you being an only child—I was playing the odds there, but—”

She shakes her head. “No. You were wrong about practically everything.”

“Oh…”

“Asshole. Have you finished? We have a lot to cover.”

“Hey, wait a minute—what did I get wrong?”

She sighs again. “I’m thirty-one, I’m right-handed, I’m incredibly well trained, but not in Muay Thai… I’ve had lots of formal military experience, and I have a sister. Happy now?”

“But you
are
single?”

She rolls her eyes. “Enough. I have no desire to get to know you, or allow you to get to know me. Am I clear?”

I hold my hands up defensively. “Crystal.”

“Now get dressed. There’s much to discuss, and you’re buying me lunch.”

“I am?”

“Yes, to make up for being such an asshole.”

I sigh and shrug. “Fair enough.”

I pad quickly over to the bed. The closet was full of clothes when I arrived here, all my size, so I picked out something to wear earlier and laid it all out, ready.

I glance back at her over my shoulder as I reach for the jeans. “Do you mind?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all.”

She crosses her arms and stands watching me challengingly.

I sigh again. “Whatever.”

11:49
MYT

We’re sitting on opposite sides of a small table in the middle of a restaurant downtown. It has an open front that leads directly onto the busy street outside, the noise of the traffic making any conversation difficult. The Petronas Towers dominate the skyline to our left, and the sun is high and bright overhead.

This place is… cozy, shall we say. It doesn’t matter which table you’re sitting at, everyone’s sitting next to someone. Plus, I’m twice the size of most folks in here, so I’m feeling a little cramped. I forgot that personal space isn’t that big a deal in Eastern culture.

Lily is staring at me curiously, sipping on an ice-cold bottle of beer, the condensation dripping over her fingers and onto the thin cloth covering the table. We haven’t said much since we sat down. We ordered drinks and a bite to eat, but that’s been it.

I take a sip of my beer. “Okay, I’m sorry about before. Can we start over? You know who I am, and I know you work for The Order. So, lay it on me, Lily.”

She doesn’t do or say anything at first, but after a few moments, she nods and smiles reservedly. “Okay, Adrian. Let’s start over. Vietnam was a test, which you passed. Quite impressively, I might add.”

I shrug. “Thanks.”

“The Order has had its eye on Mr. Way for a while now, monitoring his human trafficking operation and following the money—and the girls—to see who his clients were, to determine if he was actually the top of the food chain.”

“And was he?”

She shrugs. “As far as we could tell, yeah. That’s why the contract on his life was activated.”

“So why wait for me to come along to get it done?”

“We didn’t wait, it was just good timing. Horizon has had his eye on you for a while, too, and after—”

“Okay, hang on—who the hell’s
Horizon
?”

She smiles, more relaxed and genuine than before. “The man who wears the white suit. You’ve met him a couple times, I believe.”

“Yeah, once or twice…” I frown. “What kind of a name is that?”

“The kind people like him are given.”

“And who hands out the aliases?”

She shakes her head. “One thing at a time, okay? After what you did in Washington a few days ago, we knew we had to make our move if we wanted to recruit you. Once we saved you from your execution, we had to make sure you have what it takes before revealing the full nature of the organization to you, so we used Mr. Way’s contract as a means of testing you.”

“And…
Horizon
… thought I was impressive?”

“No,
I
did.” She smiles and takes another swig of her beer.

“Uh-huh… So what happens now? Why bring me here?”

“The Order has a presence in the city, and it’s far enough away from your old life that you’ll be safe here for now. It gives us time to bring you up to speed on everything.”

“Yeah, I do have a few questions…”

“Thought you might.”

A waiter approaches the table carrying our food. He places a bowl in front of us both, and a large dish of rice in the middle. He then puts our individual meals at the side of us, nods, and walks away.

We both spend a few moments preparing our meals. I dig in heartily, doing my best to eat with chopsticks.

“Okay,” Lily says between mouthfuls. “What do you want to know?”

“First of all, what’s happened with North Korea? Did GlobaTech kick their asses?”

She nods. “About six hours after President Cunningham’s assassination was announced to the world, North Korean forces began to retreat. Footage from all over the world showing GlobaTech soldiers repelling the attacks was on every news channel on every television. Your friend did an exceptional job.”