Free Girl Takes Up Her Sword by Jacques Antoine

every junk shop, following up every rumor about some black market dealer. It became an obsession.
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Chapter 9
    An Unexpected Visit
    “She’s here, nearby,” the younger man said. That he knew this so clearly surprised him. Perhaps it was even a little unsettling.
    “Where? Can you see her?”
    “No. Not yet. But I imagine she’ll seek us out before we leave. She’s strong, much stronger than you thought.”
    “Stronger than you?” the older man asked.
    What an irritating question. Walker rubbed his chin and tamped down his annoyance. Meacham had hunted her for the better part of a year. How could he understand so little about her? And about him , after all these years?
    The limo rumbled up the winding gravel drive. Security let it pass, just as Cardano had agreed. No one inquired about the men sitting in back behind tinted glass.
    “The only question is how much of her strength she’s aware of.”
    “What about the plan?” Meacham asked. “Can we still kill him?”
    “I think it’s too late for that. She’s the master now. He’s taught her too well. Killing Oda won’t accomplish anything. It certainly won’t make her easier to handle. Probably just piss her off.”
    At the front of the house, several of Cardano’s security people took charge of the limo driver and the bodyguards. Walker knew the old man didn’t care. They were just along for show. He was the real protection, the only one Meacham ever completely relied on. A large man with an Israeli accent escorted the two of them inside.
    “They’re watching us, you know. But they won’t come out, the women of the house. I don’t think they trust you.”
    “Michael doesn’t want me to see Dr. Kagami,” Meacham replied. “As if I didn’t already know he has her here. We’ll play along.”
    As they passed through the entry hall, Walker thought he sensed something else, someone else. It was faint, distant, but still distinctive. Had Cardano found another one? “Why not?” he thought. After all, Meacham found him and his cousin all those years ago. Why couldn’t there be more like them? If he had, it might even put an end to the old man’s idiotic preoccupation with genetic experiments.
    They found Cardano sitting at one end of a long couch in his study. In the absence of a desk to dominate the center, the room had a convivial atmosphere. A couple of smaller sofas, a few occasional tables and several caned chairs supplied the rest of the furnishings.
    “Well, Robert, you’re here. Now what was important enough to bring you out of your lair?”
    Andie slipped in behind them, trailing Ethan and two more men from the security staff. She sat in a chair across the room, obviously simmering with anger.
    “It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Cardano, after all these years,” Meacham said stiffly. “Allow me to introduce my... ‘son’ David.”
    Walker nodded. Andie gave no indication of hearing a word he’d said.
    “Is that what we’re calling him now?” Michael asked.
    “He’s my right hand man, Michael. I trust him implicitly. After you left, I had to....”
    Meacham’s voice trailed off. Even he had lost interest in whatever story he was intending to tell. Michael obliged by interrupting.
    “Can we dispense with the formalities and get to the part where you tell me what you want?”
    “Fine,” Meacham began again. “I’ll be blunt. After Taipei... well, my resources are much diminished. I can’t keep Burzynski in check anymore. I think you know how dangerous he can be.”
    Michael’s eyes contracted at these words. Walker heard a low growl coming from the general vicinity of where Andie was sitting.
    “I have an idea how he might be taken down a peg or two, but I’ll need your help to put my plan into effect.”
    Walker listened distractedly as the old man spun out his web, which he knew to be a mixture of truths and half-truths. He didn’t expect Cardano to be fooled by it. But to avoid giving anything away, he