“We’ll be there,” Cate assured him.
“Frau Marsh,” Brunner’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
Cate and Draco leaned closer to hear his words.
“Do not say the name Alpenhorn to anyone, on any phone, in any building. And don’t say it to your friends. And for the love of God, don’t say it to your father.”
Cate frowned but didn’t say anything.
“And don’t say it to anyone in the US State Department.”
The call ended abruptly.
Cate lowered the phone, still staring at it, her brow furrowed.
As if coming up for air, she raised her head and met Draco’s gaze.
A trolley rolled past on the next street. People moved along the sidewalks. A horn honked, and the scent of baking bread drifted past Draco’s nose.
The city continued to bustle. People went to work, shopped for groceries and lived their lives despite the dire warnings imparted in that one phone call.
“He said State Department.” Cate stared at Draco, a frown denting her forehead. “His list of who not to tell included the State Department.”
Draco nodded. “He did.”
“My father works for the State Department,” she said softly.
“Brunner may not know your father is a member of the State Department,” Draco said. “He lumped him in with friends and anyone.”
Cate lifted the end of the scarf and worked it with her fingers. “The State Department made his list. How much more specific could he have gotten? My father works for the State Department.”
“As did Marcus Calloway.”
“And who else?” Cate whispered, her hands moving over the scarf.
Draco reached out and took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. “We find out. Tonight.”
Chapter 5
Cate was on edge the rest of the day.
Draco insisted on visiting the Brotherhood Protectors International headquarters to check in with Dmytro, hoping he had more information about Alpenhorn, Brunner, Calloway, Freddie and anyone else who might be associated with them.
Though Draco trusted Hammer’s team implicitly, Brunner’s warning echoed in Cate’s mind.
Don’t mention Alpenhorn to anyone.
Well, it was too late, anyway. They’d mentioned it to the entire team and her father, who worked at the State Department.
Thankfully, only Dmytro and Hammer were in the office when Draco and Cate arrived.
Cate filled in Hammer on their meeting with Stefan Brunner and the man’s strained reaction to the mention of Alpenhorn, along with his warning not to mention it to anyone.
“I sent one of my men to the address listed for Alpenhorn,” Hammer said. “There was nothing there. No office, mail or documents to be found. The lease on the address had been paid for two years. When my guy tracked down the landlord in the auto repair shop, the man said the place had been empty since he leased it. All the lease documents had been handled through a leasing agency via phone and mail. Once the rent for two years was paid, the landlord didn’t question it. The leasing agency said it was a backup location in case they needed it. They might not occupy it immediately.”
“Did he have the name of the leasing agency?” Cate asked.
Hammer nodded and tilted his head toward Dmytro at his computer terminal.