Page 52 of Lash
"I need to see Oberstleutnant Nils Weissmann," I say. “Find him, wake him up, and tell him that Leutnant Nicolae Dragos is back from the dead and here to collect. Use exactly those words. Repeat them back to me please, Private Larimer."LOYT-nahnt.
He blinks at me “Um."
I put the snap of authority into my voice. "Repeat the message, Private—now.”
He blinks, stammers, and then goes to attention. "Find Oberstleutnant Nils Weismann and tell him Leutnant Nicolae Dragos is back from the dead and here to collect. Sir."OH-burst-LOYT-nahnt.
"Very good, Private. Get moving—we do not have all night."
He double-times it back into the guardhouse, dials a number, and lets it ring. A transfer, and a second, and then a long wait. I hear him speaking, passing along my message in a mix of English and halting German, and then he hangs up and returns to my window.
“He is on his way, Leutnant Dragos," he says. "You'll have to wait here—I'm not authorized to allow you in, sir."
"I understand," I say, using the imperious tone of dismissal common among officers and noncoms. "That will be all."
The private salutes, I salute back, and then he goes to stand outside the guardhouse at attention.
"What is it you're here to collect?" Solomon asks me.
"An old debt," I answer. "Nils got himself into trouble—gambling and drinking. He was a talented young noncom on a bad downward spiral. For reasons that were never entirely clear to me at the time, I stepped in and helped him get out of debt, helped him quit both drinking and gambling, and he soon got promoted above me. We were in different units—I was in counterintelligence, and he's in transportation and logistics, which is why he will be able to help us. He is, last I knew, a liaison between NATO, the US Air Force, and the German Air Force. He should be able to get us on a flight out of Germany on a C-130 or something."
Fifteen minutes later, an SUV with bright white LED headlights halts on the other side of the gate; the driver's door opens, and a tall, slender figure emerges and strides with confident, military precision toward us.
I recognize Nils' gait as he approaches my side of the BMW.
He leans into my open window. “This is illegal tint, Leutnant Nicolae Dragos." He’s a very tall man, almost as tall as Rev, with a shaved head, a short, neat blond beard, and brown eyes.
"It's a…loaner, Oberstleutnant Weismann," I answer.
He grins, tapping the insignia on his uniform. "It is Hauptmann, now, as a matter of fact."HOWPT-mahn.
"Ooh, very fancy," I say. "Hopefully that shiny metal on your collar means you can help me and my friends."
Nils peers into the car, assessing my companions. "I can help, but you'll have to tell me the truth, Nicolae," he says in German. "What do you need, and why is it so important that you show up here in the middle of the night, especially after disappearing the way you did?"
"Let us in, give us somewhere to rest, and I'll explain everything," I tell him. "But you know damned well I wouldn't be here like this if it wasn't important."
Nils nods. "Very well," he says, switching back to English. "It is good to see you, Nicolae."
I shake his hand. "Truly, Nils, it is good to see you, too."
He waves at Private Larimer. "Let them in, please, Private." He turns to me. "Follow me. You can stay with me for now.”
A few minutes later, we're parking outside the DRC and following Nils inside. At this hour, all is still and quiet. His quarters are small and spartan.
"It's this or pay for lodging," he explains. "But I assume you're contacting me because you need to get out of the country undetected, and I've got a flight leaving tomorrow. Once I know more about your situation, I can arrange logistics for you."
We find seats wherever we can, which mainly means the floor, although Nils insists Scarlett and Tatiana take seats on the bed.
Once again, we find ourselves relating the events of the past few days—I know Nils well and I trust him, so I explain thesituation with Roberto Pugli, and thus our need to get to Brazil quickly and off-book.
Once the whole convoluted, multi-faceted story has been related, Nils spends a few minutes thinking. "Quite a situation you've gotten yourself into, Nicolae. My girlfriend is a senior intelligence officer. Obviously, there's much she cannot share, but I do know she has been investigating reports of a corrupt official within Interpol—that's all I know, but it is likely the same person."
"I have evidence, Nils." I look down, struggling with my emotions. "After…what happened, what he did, I…I took the warning. I let him think he'd destroyed all the evidence I had against him—and Ididgive him all my original copies. But I am no fool—I have backups hidden. But I lost my appetite for justice. I was so…" I let out a shuddering breath, and Tatiana rubs my back, “so broken that I just didn't care anymore. But now, I care. Get me in touch with your girlfriend, Nils. If she is investigating Roberto, then my evidence could be vital."
He nods. "I will tomorrow. Now that you’ve gotten me up, I might as well get to work putting together your trip to Brazil. I assume Manaus will be acceptable?"
"Of course, my friend. Wherever you can get us. We are all rather resourceful."