The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp (Alfred Kropp #1)(45)

The lady with the shiny blond hair spoke up. She had a British accent. “Honestly, we think that was his plan from the beginning, to sell the Sword to us.”

“Really?” Bennacio said. “You presume much.”

“Who else could he turn to?” she asked. “We represent the richest countries in the world. And he can trust us. Not even the Dragon wants to see the whole world go up in flames.”

“Right, Benny-boy, that’s right!” Mike said. “I mean, how’s he going to enjoy his money in a nuclear wasteland? He’s known from the beginning he has to sell it to the good guys.”

“I have told you,” Bennacio said. “Mogart does not intend to give you the Sword. He will never part with it.”

“How come?” Mike was smiling at Bennacio, a hard, unfriendly smile.

“Would you?”

“Hey, come on now, Benny. We’re the good guys, remember? We’re all on the same side here, right?”

“He will take your money and keep the Sword.”

“World domination, huh? King Mogart. Well, we’re just gonna have to take our chances on that one, Benny.”

“You are a fool,” Bennacio said, turning away from the fire and glaring at Mike. “He will betray you.”

“That’s precisely why we’ve invited you to the party.” Mike turned to the British lady. “Right, Abby?”

Abby said, “We will not make the exchange until you’ve verified the Sword’s authenticity.”

“And then OIPEP returns the Sword of Righteousness to us, its friends,” Bennacio said. Now he was the one smiling hard and unfriendly.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, Benny. That’s not our call,” Mike said. “Point of fact you guys didn’t do such a hot job of protecting it in the first place.”

“We have protected it for a thousand years,” Bennacio shot back. “Only by a freakish accident was it lost.”

Mike glanced over his shoulder at me, the freakish accident. Then he looked at Bennacio, smiled and shrugged, as if to say, Look, buddy, you couldn’t even protect it from this big loser.

“Bennacio,” Abby said in a kind voice. “We have nothing but admiration for what your Order has accomplished. But perhaps the time has come for the Sword to pass on to different protectors. Why else would Samson involve us?”

“Abby’s got her hands around the issue’s throat, Benny,” Mike said. “There’s nobody on the planet better equipped to keep it safe.”

Bennacio wasn’t buying it. “I will not do this without your assurance the Sword will be returned to me.”

“Like I said, Benny, we can’t promise that,” Mike answered. “I’ve always been straight with you and I respect the heck out of you and your knightly buds. We wouldn’t dream of busting your chops. But I will give you my personal guarantee The Company has no intention of using the Sword for any purpose. We want the same thing you want: to keep it out of the hands of all the baddies and loonies.”

“I cannot betray my solemn oath,” Bennacio said. “By my life or death I will hold and protect it. I can do no less. If Mogart indeed returns the Sword, you must kill me to keep it from me.”

“Nobody wants to do that,” Abby said. She didn’t say they wouldn’t kill Bennacio, though.

“Benny,” Mike said. “We’re a go whether you come along or not. We’re just waiting for the Dragon to get back to us on the time and location for delivery of the Sword. We—I—want you along, of course, and once we get the Sword back, everything’s negotiable. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Bennacio sighed. Nobody said anything for a long time. Paul picked at a hangnail. Jeff smoothed creases I couldn’t see on his pants. Mike smacked his gum. Abby was the only one looking at Bennacio.

Finally, he stirred in his chair and said, “I will come, on one condition.”

“You name it.”

“The vengeance is mine.”

“ ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ ” Mike cracked, but nobody laughed.

34

I went back upstairs and found my clothes in the bedroom. Somebody had washed and laid them on the small bed by the window. I pulled back the curtains to look out, but there was nothing to look at: The window was boarded up. Secure location. As if I would know where I was in France. The only way I’d know is if I looked out and saw the Eiffel Tower in the backyard.

I dressed and sat on the bed. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to go back downstairs. Being around Mike and his gang of spies or whatever they were made me feel kind of twitchy.

There was a soft tap on the door and Bennacio came in. He closed the door and sat down beside me.

“Do you trust them?” I asked.

“Would you?”

I thought about it. “No choice?”

“We must use the tools given us, even those that are double-edged.”

“How’d they find out about the Sword in the first place?”

“When the Sword was lost, Samson realized at once we would need their help. I counseled against it, but now I understand the bitter necessity of it, though it cost us our greatest loss since the founding of our Order.”

“I thought I caused that.”