“The way he fought my men. He’s been trained by an elite unit or intelligence service. He’s no FSB thug. He’s the real thing, Martin.”

“Israeli?”

“I think so.”

“If that’s true, what does it say about Zoe?”

“She may be telling the truth. She may know nothing. But it’s also possible they recruited her. Using an agent in place, especially a woman, is consistent with their operating doctrine. It’s possible she’s been spying on you from the beginning.”

Landesmann glanced over toward the cars, where his family was waiting with visible impatience. “How much material has Onyx managed to intercept?”

“Enough to raise eyebrows.”

“Can it be contained?”

“I’m working on it. But if a friendly service like the DAP is suspicious about what they’re seeing, imagine how the material must look to an intelligence agency that doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

“You’re my chief security adviser, Ulrich. Advise me.”

“The first thing we need to do is find out who we’re dealing with and how much they know.”

“And then?”

“One thing at a time, Martin. But do me one favor. Stay off the phone for the rest of the night.” Müller glanced at the black sky. “Onyx is listening. And you can be sure everyone else is as well.”

CHAPTER 70

70

CANTON BERN, SWITZERLAND

Zoe did not know where they were taking her, of course. She only knew that the road they were now traveling was winding and that they were gaining altitude. The first fact was readily apparent by the violent lurching of the car, the second by the fact her ears were popping at regular intervals. To make matters worse, her abdomen ached where she had been struck, and she was intensely nauseated. Zoe was only grateful that she had been far too nervous to eat at Martin’s party. Otherwise, it was quite possible she would have vomited into her duct-tape gag long ago and choked to death without Martin’s bodyguards knowing a thing.

Her discomfort was made worse by the cold. The temperature seemed to be dropping by degrees with each passing minute. During the first part of the drive, the cold had been manageable. Now, in spite of the heavy blankets binding her body, it was eating away at her bones. She was so cold that she was no longer shivering. She was in agony.