HOSTILE TAKEOVER

THIRTEEN

Chapter Eleven

Out in the cold

The black Range Rover Evoke pulled back into the same private gate as before and they stopped at the same private hanger as Leiter could now see the Jet and the two other cars on the tarmac.

“Where’s James?” she said to Roth who did not answer.

Roth and Hennessey got out of the car and without being asked to do so; Leiter got out as well and began to follow them as they walked closer to the plane.

The huge imposing figure of Zeus now appeared in the door to the cabin and then he climbed down and began talking to Roth.

The drivers of the three cars started their engines and began to pull away from the hangar leaving them all out in the cold standing next to the plane.

“Where’s James?” Leiter asked aloud to anyone who was within earshot.

“He’s onboard…” said Hennessey “…Come on.”

Zeus now walked back up the steps to the plane and Roth and Hennessey waited for Leiter to follow him.

As she got to the top of the steps, a different air steward greeted her but she did not return the welcome because as soon as she looked down the cabin, she could see Blofeld sat in one of the large cream leather chairs and next to him was Bond. Battered and bruised, but thankfully still alive.

She quickly walked towards Bond but as she got closer to him, she could now see that he was asleep.

“James. James!” she cried as she slowly took hold of his broad shoulders and began to gently shake him.

He murmured something but she could not wake him.

“Please take a seat Miss. Leiter.” said Blofeld.

Leiter gazed at Bond and could see from the bruise on his cheekbone and the remains of dried blood around his nose that he had been having a worse time than she had.

“What have you done to him?” she cried out.

She stood and turned towards Blofeld and was about to lunge forward to attack him when the massive arms of Zeus grabbed her from behind and suddenly picked her up as though she was made of cotton candy and dropped her into one of the other chairs.

“Please don’t let me have to restrain you Miss Leiter. It would be so ungentlemanly of me.” said Blofeld.

“You’re no gentleman. You’re an asshole!” she spat at him.

The sound of the engines warming up and the door being closed told Leiter that they would soon be in the air again.

“Where are we going now Blofeld?” asked Leiter a little calmer now.

“We are going to my home. It is here that I shall finish off my work. I have planned various projects over the years, but this has been a lifetime in the making.”

Blofeld unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, but just as he was about to walk past Leiter, he put his hand on top of the chair next to her and slowly pulled it to face him.

“Miss Leiter. I hope one day that you will understand.” he said before walking towards the cockpit.

She turned to watch him as he walked in and she could now see Roth, Hennessey and Zeus all staring at her. Four other men were sat at the opposite end of the plane and they just gazed out of the window as the plane now began to taxi towards the runway.

The pilot of the Gulfstream used the ultra-modern touch screen to maneuver the jet and as she took off and began to climb higher and higher and then level off, the pilot clicked off the Fasten your seatbelt sign and Leiter moved towards Bond to check on him.