|
?Why not? We have several things to discuss perhaps a million, if broken down into francs
?It?s yours under the conditions stated
?Who are you?? asked Santos sharply
?That?s not one of the conditions
?You?re not a young man
?Not that it matters, but neither are you
?You carried a gun and a knifeThe latter is for younger men
?Who said so??
?Our reflexesWhat do you know about a blackbird??
?You might as well ask me how I knew about Le Coeur du Soldat
?How did you??
?Someone told me
?Who??
?Sorry, not one of the conditionsI?m a broker and that?s the way I work
?Do they also expect you to bind your knee so as to feign an injury? As your eyes opened I
pressed the area; there was no sign of pain, no sprain, no breakAlso, you carry no identification
but considerable amounts of money??
?I don?t explain my methods, I only clarify my restrictions as I understand them to beI got my
message through to you, didn?t I? Since I had no telephone number, I doubt I could have done so
very successfully had I arrived at your establishment in a business suit carrying an attach? case?You never would have gotten insideYou would have been rudely stopped in
the alley and stripped
?The thought occurred to meDo we do business, say a million francs? worth??
The Jackal?s man shrugged?It would seem to me that if a buyer mentions such an amount in his
first offer, he will go higherSay a million and a half
?But I?m not the buyer, I?m the brokerI was authorized to pay one omega constellation lady watch million, which is far too
much in my opinion, but time is of the essenceTake it or leave it, I have other options
?Do you really??
?Certainly
?Not if you?re a corpse found floating in the Seine without any identification Jason looked around the darkened flat; it bore little relationship to the shabby caf?
belowThe furniture was large, as required by the oversized owner, but tastefully selected, not
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
229
elegant but certainly not cheapWhat was mildly astonishing were the bookshelves covering the
wall between the two front windowsThe academic in Bourne wished he could read the titles; they
might give him a clearer picture of this strange, huge man whose speech might have been formed at
the Sorbonne?a committed brute on the outside, perhaps someone else insideHis eyes returned to
Santos?Then my leaving here freely under my own power is not a given, is it??
?No,? answered the Jackal?s conduit?It might have been had you answered my simple
questions, but you tell me that your conditions, or should I say your restrictions, forbid you to do
soWell, I, too, have conditions and you will live or die by them
?There?s no reason not to be
?Of course, you?re forfeiting any chance of collecting a million francs?or, as you suggested,
perhaps a great deal more
?Then may I also suggest,? said Santos, crossing his thick arms in front of him and absently
glancing at the large tattoos on his skin, ?that a man with such funds available black leather chanel purse will not only part
with them in exchange for his life, but will happily deliver the information requested so as to avoid
unnecessary and excruciating pain The Jackal?s man suddenly slammed his clenched right fist
down on the armrest and shouted, ?What do you know about a blackbird? Who told you about Le
Coeur du Soldat? Where do you come from and who are you and who is your client??
Bourne froze, his body rigid but his mind spinning, whirling, racingHe had to get out! He had
to reach Bernardine?how many hours was his call overdue? Where was Marie? Yet what he
wanted to do, had to do, could not be done by opposing the giant across the roomSantos was
neither a liar nor a foolHe would and could kill his prisoner handily and without hesitation and
he would not be duped by outright false or convoluted informationThe Jackal?s man was
protecting two turfs?his own and his mentor?sThe Chameleon had only one option open: to
expose a part of the truth so dangerous as to be credible, the ring of authenticity so plausible that
the risk of rejecting it was unacceptableJason put the ice bag on the tray and spoke slowly from
the shadows of the large couch
?Obviously I don?t care to die for a client or be tortured to protect his information, so I?ll tell
you what I know, which isn?t as much as I?d like under the present circumstancesI?ll take your
points in order if I?m not too damned frightened to forget the sequenceTo begin with, the funds
are not available to me tiffany inspired jewelry personallyI meet with a man in London to whom I deliver the information,
and he releases an account in Bern, Switzerland, to a name and a number?any name, any
number?that I give himWe?ll skip over my life and the ?excruciating pain??I?ve answered
bothLet?s see, what do I know about a blackbird? The Coeur du Soldat is part of that question,
incidentallyI was told that an old man?name and nationality unknown, at least to me, but I
suspect French?approached a well-known public figure and told him he was the target of an
assassinationWho believes a drunken old man, especially one with a long police record looking
for a reward? Unfortunately the assassination took place, but fortunately an aide to the deceased
was by his side when the old man warned himEven more fortunate, the aide was and is extremely
close to my client and the assassination was a welcome event to bothThe aide secretly passed on
the old man?s informationA blackbird is sent a message through a caf? known as Le Coeur du
Soldat in ArgenteuilThis blackbird must be an extraordinary man, and now my client wants to
reach himAs for myself, my offices are hotel rooms in various citiesI?m currently registered
under the name of Simon at the Pont-Royal, where I keep my passport and other papers Bourne
paused, his palms outstretched?I?ve just told you the entire truth as I know it
?Not the entire truth,? corrected Santos, his voice low and guttural?Who is your client??
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE chanel j10 watch knock off ULTIMATUM
230
?I?ll be killed if I tell you
?I?ll kill you right now if you don?t,? said the Jackal?s conduit, removing Jason?s hunting knife
from his wide leather belt, the blade glistening in the light of the floor lamp
?Why not give me the information my client wants along with a name and a number?any name,
any number?and I?ll guarantee you two million francsAll my client asks is for me to be the only
intermediaryWhere?s the harm? The blackbird can turn me down and tell me to go to hell
Three million!?
Santos?s eyes wavered as if the temptation were almost too much for his imagination?Perhaps
we?ll do business later??
?Now
?No!? Carlos?s man pushed his immense body out of the chair and walked toward the couch, the
knife held threateningly in front of him
?Plural,? replied Bourne?A group of powerful men in the United States
?Who??
?They guard their names like nuclear secrets, but I know of one and he should be enough for
you
?Who??
?Find out for yourself?at least learn the enormity of what I?m trying to tell youProtect your
blackbird by all means! Ascertain that I?m telling you the truth and in the process make yourself so
rich you can do anything you want to do for the rest of your lifeYou could travel, disappear,
perhaps have time for those books of yours rather than being concerned with all that garbage
downstairsAs you pointed out, neither of us is youngI make a generous brokering fee and you?re
a wealthy man, free of care, of unpleasant fake cartier watch drudgery |
| 