121

Latin Quarter, Paris

Present day

Jack Winthrop stared at the tourists gathered around the Saint Michel fountain. He had waited for hours and was watching them because he was badly in need of a distraction. Just as another group of travelers arrived, his phone vibrated. Another encrypted message.

Aurora Source to Aurora Security

Operation Chimera: Tail canceled. Go immediately to the Quai Branly, near the Eiffel Tower. Bring a weapon. Contact me when you get there, using the number below. Then wait for further instructions.

He felt for the familiar shape of a pistol under his leather jacket. A fabulously hot woman had walked up to him earlier. She had leaned in and whispered that she had something from Aurora. The woman had handed him a gift-wrapped package. Too bad it was a Zastava M57, a Serbian weapon that the Eastern European mafia loved. He himself hated the gun.

A police car slowed in front of the fountain. Jack stood up slowly and headed toward the Cluny museum. He had decided to give it all up and take care of his family, but here he was, walking the streets of Paris with a gun in his belt. This was crazy and dangerous. And opening fire under the Eiffel Tower would be suicide.

Of course, disobeying the head of Aurora would also be the end of him. Just then, he passed a store that specialized in equestrian clothing and equipment. He looked in the window and stared at the reins and helmets. A whip! It could be a highly effective weapon—and even more versatile than a gun.