Rise of the Order (26 page)

When Jake kicked in the door, he found Hermann Conrad lounging on a leather sofa, a glass of brandy in his hand. On an end table next to the sofa sat a 9mm Glock. Conrad's eyes were wide when he saw Jake.

Moving from left to right and back again, his gun aiming about the room for anything that could harm him, Jake finally trained the pistol on Conrad.

“Easy or hard,” Jake said. “That's up to you.”

“What are you talking about? I own Sachsen-Anhalt.”

“Maybe. But you don't own me. Pick up the gun.”

“Why?”

“Because I never shoot an unarmed man.”

Conrad's eyes shifted toward the Glock on the table and then back to Jake. He must have been calculating how long it would take to pick up the gun, aim it at Jake, and fire. The numbers were not working for the guy, Jake could tell.

“I said. . .pick up the fucking gun.” Jake shot a hole in the wall behind Conrad's head.

With one jerky motion that seemed slower than it was, Conrad went for the gun. Just as the man raised the gun from the table, Jake stepped to his right and shot three times. Two to the chest and one to the forehead. Conrad sunk into the sofa, the gun in his hand, laying on the table.

It took Jake only two minutes to find the small aluminum case. He figured Conrad would have the remaining nanoprobes close to him, not trusting anyone else with his precious discovery. Looking inside the case, Jake found the five secure tubes wedged delicately into thick foam rubber. He smiled and closed the case.

Taking a deep breath, Jake picked up his spent brass, backed out of there, and made his way back to the rental car.

●

Two days later, after Jake had first gone to get his car in Vienna, he drove back to Zell am See to spend a day with the Schult family. He met Anna's parents; they had a great New Year's Eve meal and party, and then Anna and Jake went back to the chalet for their own private party.

Now the two of them sat again before the fire and drank champagne.

“I got a call today from Franz Martini,” Anna said. “They found Hermann Conrad in Germany. Shot twice in the chest and once in the forehead. Looked like a professional hit.”

“Really. That's too bad. I was looking forward to another meeting with the man.”

“I'll bet,” she said. She clinked her glass on his and they both drank down the champagne.

“Any thought about moving to Vienna?”

“A lot of thought,” he said. “I think it's a great idea.” He took her glass and set both down on the coffee table. Then he took her in his arms and they kissed for a full minute before embracing again, lost in the glow of the fire.

●

Two weeks later in a semi-private ceremony in Vienna, Gustav Albrecht, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, made Jake Adams an honorary knight. Moments later, the Federal President of Austria conferred upon Jake the Great Golden Decoration with Star of Austria, the highest honor Austria bestowed upon any civilian.

The Cold Edge
(Jake Adams #6)

Without Options
(Jake Adams #7)

The Stone of Archimedes
(Jake Adams #8)

Lethal Force
(Jake Adams #9)

Memory Leak
by Trevor Schmidt

Mako
by Clabe Taylor

Crown of Thorns
by Hank Luce

The Seventh Deception
by G. Dedrick Robinson

Spirit Flight
by P.R. Fittante

Codebreaker
by Katherine Myers

Dog Walker
by Heath Kizzier

Hypershot
by Trevor Scott