Nicholas Stone is a Rogue Special Operations Agent with a deep wallet and a hungry dark passenger who has a ravenous taste for blood and a pension for playing the long game. He has chosen his new target, the Cross brothers, Sebastian and more specif...
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Point of View: Nicholas Stone
Sebastian Cross. One of the most elusive men I have ever had the opportunity to encounter. He was an enigma, yet here I was, on his tail. I had won, he had failed to evade me. I pretended to read my newspaper as I watched him stroll casually through the gate with his luggage. I had suspected that he wouldn't be able to resist, and that he would lead me straight to his brother Alex.
I waited patiently for instructions to board. The first class was called; I watched Seb get up and make his way to the entrance. He handed over his ticket and vanished down the tunnel. Today I would be going to Verona, Italy. It was not exactly what I had planned, but then again, plans rarely worked out. I had learned that the more flexible I was, the better the results. A true testament to Sebastian Cross's discovery. I had located him when no other person could. Ha, but then again, I was not an ordinary individual.
Tomorrow, I will have done the impossible. I will have discovered not only the Cross brothers, but Miss Ardelean as well. Sometimes, I even amazed myself. It wasn't really a challenge if I was honest. Perhaps I had raised the bar too high. It wasn't often, if at all, I found a worthy opponent. Life had become boring. I sighed.
The gate agent called for the final group. I folded my newspaper, removed my ball cap, and tucked it under my arm. I handed the woman my ticket and flashed her a smile. She blushed and averted her eyes. She didn't even inspect my ticket. I was the master of distraction. Another task too easy. Damn, was anything difficult anymore? I believe I will soon die of boredom.
I followed Sebastian from hotel to hotel until we arrived at the Vista Palazzo. I waited while he booked a room and then proceeded to follow suit. Once I settled in, I went through my belongings and retrieved a file. It was the reason I was here. I glanced through the pages once more. I had memorized every detail of the Cross brothers. Their lives were an open book. Both men had promising futures, and both men chose to abandon that. I had contemplated on the cause for so long until I discovered the reason, Miss Isla Ardelean.
I had never been in love. I found it resulted in too many distractions. I was devoted to my work and that was the only thing that mattered to me. No money, nor family and friends could prevent me from doing my job. That led me back to this file. Why did Alex go awol for this woman? He was a green beret, special forces, one of the elites and he threw it right in the trash for a woman. How foolish could he be? What was so special about Isla?
It was difficult to imagine that this was the same Alex Cross that men feared. He was nothing more than a love-struck marionette, pathetically being manipulated by the master's strings. When I had gone rogue and sought a good adversary, I had assumed the Cross brothers would be it. I had begun to wonder if I was wasting my precious time. The sheer lack of intelligence on both their parts since they met this woman had astonished me. It was one poor decision after another.
It would be satisfactory, however, I assumed. I had come all this way and I intended to make it worthwhile. Sometimes, the most powerful beast comes out when defending their love. I had seen it numerous times in my career, what a mother would do for a child, or what a husband would do for a spouse. This could be the best case I'd ever taken. I even admired the unfair odds I was against. Three against one could be exhilarating.
