Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Evolution - Brian Freeman Page 0,130
thought she was wrong for me. Funny thing is, I always had the suspicion that she wanted you even more than me. Anyway, it came down to a choice, and I was young and in lust, and I chose her. You went home. I kept traveling with her. You and I didn’t talk again for a long time after that.”
“Well, I’m sorry we let it come between us,” Bourne told him.
“As am I. But it’s been water under the bridge for a long, long time.” Scott put down his glass as he heard the ringing of his phone. He grabbed it and listened to the call, and then he hung up with a smile. “The limo’s on its way in. Miles is back.”
“I’d like to meet the car,” Bourne said.
“Whatever you want, but it’s not really necessary. We have security on the grounds, and even a sharpshooter would struggle in this rain, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Even so.”
Scott nodded. “Of course, let’s go. But we’ll use the front door this time, if you don’t mind.”
His friend gestured at a larger doorway out of the library, and the two of them headed down a wide set of carpeted stairs past walls paneled in oak, featuring ornate carvings and medieval paintings that Bourne assumed could be valued in the millions of dollars. In the marble foyer, Scott retrieved a trench coat and secured a hat on his head. A security guard opened the heavy castle door for them, and they walked out under the covering of the stone porte cochere. In front of them, an entrance road crossed over a pond from the gardens and led into a circular driveway. Bourne could see a stretch limousine emerging between the trees, drawing closer to the castle.
He checked the area. There were no threats from the tree line. He spotted no aircraft over their heads, and Scott was right that there were no useful sightlines for a sniper. Four security guards converged on the car from both sides of the estate, and he saw that they had light weapons in their hands. The men looked capable and alert. Even so, Bourne left the cover of the porte cochere and walked into the driving rain to meet the limousine himself.
His gun was in his hand.
He wiped rain from his face and yanked open the back door of the limo. It took him a moment to see into the back seat, which was mostly in shadow. Miles Priest was there, his tall frame slumped down in the leather seat, his chin tucked on his neck. Bourne thought at first that he was asleep, but he wasn’t.
He was dead.
A bullet in his forehead. Blood covering his face.
Bourne ducked out of the car to shout a warning, but as he spun around, the four security guards all pointed their weapons at him. He had nowhere to go. Meanwhile, the driver’s door of the limousine opened, and a dark-haired woman climbed out into the rain and pierced him with her reptilian eyes. Her lips bent into a nasty smile.
Miss Shirley.
“Scott, run!” Bourne shouted.
But his old friend, his best friend, made no attempt to get away. He walked into the rain in his trench coat and headed for the limousine. There was no fear or surprise on his face. When he got to Miss Shirley, he grabbed her neck and their bodies slammed against each other like the horns of two rams as he pulled her into a violent kiss.
“Hello, Shirl,” Scott said when they finally broke apart. “I’ve missed you.”
FORTY-FOUR
“MEDUSA is you?” Bourne said to Scott.
His old friend slung his arm around Miss Shirley’s waist, and the dominatrix assumed an unexpected new role and nuzzled him like a kitten, licking his face. “I’m sorry, Jason. There was never an assault team hiding in the woods. Medusa didn’t need to storm the castle. We’re already here.”
Bourne shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t know you at all. I never did.”
“Actually, you knew me better than you think,” Scott told him. “Right from the beginning. That political argument we had back in college? You accused me of believing the ends justified the means, and you were right. Profound change always requires disruption. I had the raw idea for Medusa even back then. It took a few years for the technology to catch up to what I wanted to achieve, but I knew it would eventually. When I saw what Gabriel Fox was doing with Prescix, I knew it was time