Chapter 58 Meeting with General Hawks

The office is sleek and modern, but the tension in the air is palpable. The Trader with anxious face sit over his desk, the phone clutched tightly to his ear hesitantly said" The puts expired. I'm sorry, I'm not sure yet how much you've lost."

In Bahamas Le Chiffre's icy demeanor is unchanged, who was watching the news about the Skyfleet. As he listens intently and replied to the trader"One hundred and one million, two hundred and six thousand dollars."

As he hangs up the phone, Le Chiffre calmly takes a puff from his inhaler, a small but telling gesture of his composed nature.

With a silent nod, Le Chiffre turns to his formidable bodyguard and enforcer Kratt, whose piercing blue eyes betray his loyalty.

Le Chiffre coldly told Kratt"Someone talked."

The room falls into an uneasy silence, punctuated only by the distant hum of the city outside, as the implications of Le Chiffre's words hang heavy in the air.

As Kage returned from his mission, stepping into the dimly lit sanctuary of his safe house, he found Solange waiting for him.

She was draped in a seductive satin navy nightmare, the fabric caressing her curves with a sinful allure. Delicate lace adorned the cups of her ensemble, adding a touch of exquisite elegance to the tantalizing display.

With a daring V-neckline and adjustable spaghetti straps, she exuded an air of confidence and sensuality. A lace panel adorned the back of her attire, teasing glimpses of skin with every movement, while a tantalizing tie-up detail ensured a snug and alluring fit.

Solange with worried tone asked"Is everything okay."

Kage smiled, but then delivered the news of her husband's death. Solange greeted the news with a calm acceptance.

He hugged her and gave her firm, round arse a soft squeeze. He whispered"You are okay, right." dropping a soft kiss on her forehead.Solange nodded and enjoyed comfort.

As night fell and the world outside faded into darkness, as they lay entwined in each other's embrace, the room seemed to fade away, leaving only the rhythmic rise and fall of their breaths. Solange's naked form pressed against his, her legs draped over him.

Kage slowly sild out of the bed and walked into a dimly lit room, as he enters everything lights up and it is seemingly a high-tech workspace or laboratory with dim lighting.

Kage sit a desk, surrounded by holographic displays of various technical and mechanical diagrams.

He was in deep thought, examining the complex information displayed around them.

Kage steps forward and places his hand on a console, and a holographic keyboard materializes as a three-dimensional, translucent projection, glowing with a soft, ethereal light. The holographic keys hover in mid-air, responding to Kage's touch with a satisfying tap sound, despite their intangible nature. As Kage's fingers dance across the holographic surface, the keyboard emits a faint hum, adding to the immersive experience.

Tapping swiftly, Kage initiates a secure line. The holographic display activates, revealing the stern face of General Hawks. His eyes are sharp, and the weight of responsibility is evident on his face. Alongside him stands Breaker with a holopad in hand, and Heavyduty, their figures rendered in clear 3D holographic form.

Hawks nodded to Kage and explained, "Just like we guessed, Dimitrios worked as a middleman, always knew how to get his hands on weapons and people who could use them. He worked with anyone who had the money. For years, he was tied to a man we knew as Le Chiffre; a private banker to terrorists and organized crime. He invested their money and gave them access to it wherever they needed. Saddam took a disliking to him after Desert Storm and tried to cut off his head."

Kage nodded and said, "So he changed his location to here."

Hawks sighed and said, "We believe Le Chiffre is a chess prodigy, a bit of a mathematical genius, who loved to prove it by playing poker."

Breaker, bringing up data on the stock market to the holographic from, explained, "When we analyzed the stock market after 9/11, we discovered there had been massive shorting of airline stocks. When the stocks hit bottom on 9/12, somebody made a fortune."

Heavy duty added"The same thing happened this morning with Skyfleet stock—or was supposed to. With their prototype destroyed, the company would have been near bankruptcy. Instead, someone lost over a hundred million dollars, betting the wrong way."

Kage, looking at Commander Hawks, questioned, "You're thinking Mr. Le Chiffre isn't quite as dead as he should be?"

As the holographic figure of Commander Hawks brings up a image of date and time of a poker game, while explaining, "Which would explain how he was able to set up a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro, around 3 weeks. Ten players, ten million dollar buy-in, five million re-buy. Takes all. Potentially a hundred and fifty million Winner."

Kage questions, "So, we know where he'll be. You want a clean kill or do you want to send a message?"

Hawks shook his head and answered, "We want him alive. Le Chiffre doesn't have 100 million to lose."

Kage got the idea and muttered, "So he was playing the market with his client's funds. They won't like it when they find out it's gone."

Kage hummed, while Commander Hawks added, "If he loses this game, he'll have nowhere to run. We'll give him sanctuary in return for everything he knows. We're putting you in the game, replacing someone playing for a syndicate. According to Breaker, you are the best player in the service."

Kage nodded.