Chapter 69: Bond is Confused
After leaving the church, Bond and William touched glasses. "Congratulations, William."
"Thank you," William said. "So, how do we catch Lesifer? Do we have any support here?"
Bond shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We're on our own for this one. But don't worry, I'll handle Lesifer and his men. Your job is at the gambling table."
William nodded. It was best if he didn't have to get his hands dirty, as he had no interest in fighting. He'd much rather drink wine, eat a fine meal, and watch Bond do the work.
Just as he was thinking about getting a good meal, Bond said, "I'm a bit hungry. Care to eat together, William?"
William nodded happily. "Of course. My treat."
The two entered the restaurant and saw Vesper Lynd sitting alone by a window.
Bond stepped forward and asked, "Vesper, do you mind if we join you?"
Vesper Lynd got up, shook hands with William, and said with a smile, "Not at all, please do. I just arrived."
Bond said with a smile, "William is paying today, so we're eating well. I'll have the most expensive dish on the menu."
They ordered their food, and once the dishes arrived, they chatted while they ate.
Halfway through the meal, Vesper received a text message. She looked at William and Bond and said, "Matisse needs to see me about something. He said the Americans are looking for Lesifer and want to escort him to the United States. Gentlemen, I'm afraid I must leave you. Good night."
William and Bond stood to see her off. "Good night, Miss Lynd."
When Vesper was gone, Bond grew anxious. "We can't let the Americans get Lesifer. If we do, we won't get the information we need for the security committee, and M will have my head."
Bond remembered the meeting in the church; M had specifically assigned him to this. If he couldn't recover the ten million dollars he'd lost from the treasury, his career would be over.
Before Bond could leave, William asked, "Bond, during the last hand you played against Lesifer, why did you go all-in?"
Without thinking, Bond replied, "I thought Lesifer was bluffing. I didn't expect to be deceived by him. The guy is a master. He has a tell—when his cards are bad, he touches his forehead."
As Bond said this, he suddenly froze. "Bloody hell... Matisse. Matisse has been bought by Lesifer. I only ever told Matisse and Vesper about that tell. He's setting her up! Vesper is in danger! Matisse must be planning to kidnap her to threaten us. William, we have to go save her!"
William slapped his forehead. *Good grief,* he thought, *is this guy completely blinded by a pretty face?*
William followed Bond out of the hotel. Just as they stepped outside, he heard Vesper's scream.
He saw an SUV stopped in front of Vesper. Two strong men got out, grabbed her, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the vehicle before speeding away.
Without waiting for William, Bond sprinted to his Aston Martin, jumped in, and floored it in pursuit.
William stood on the street, shouting after him. *This new Bond really is from the special forces,* he thought. *His driving is insane.* William had no car to follow in.
William had been trying to remind Bond that this was obviously a trap, and that he, William, was the real target.
Lesifer wanted to lure William out of the hotel to kidnap him, but the macho Bond was too fast. He drove off before William could even get in the car. If Lesifer knew, he'd be spitting blood.
William reached into his pocket but didn't find his phone. He remembered leaving it on the table when they ate.
William quickly walked back toward the hotel. He was going to the restaurant to get his mobile phone, and then he would call Bond.
Meanwhile, not far from the hotel, Lesifer was furious.
He had wanted to lure both William and Bond out to kidnap William. But now his primary target hadn't moved and was still at the hotel, while Bond had chased after the bait. Truly, the best-laid plans go awry.
Lesifer quickly picked up his phone. Once it connected, he snapped, "The target didn't follow. Don't bother ambushing Bond. Just lead him on a wild goose chase in the car and keep him from coming back to interfere. Take the mercenary team and return to the hotel. I don't have time to wait. I have to get that money from Devinshire by dawn!"
Lesifer hung up the phone and glared at the hotel. "I don't believe you can escape my grasp this time, William Devinshire."
William walked into the restaurant and got his phone from the manager. After thanking him, William dialed Bond's number. When it connected, he said, "Hey, Bond, listen to me. This is a trap. Lesifer wanted to lure us out of the hotel. I'm still here, so his focus is still on me. Vesper is safe for now. You just focus on rescuing her."
Bond was an ace agent. As soon as William mentioned it, he understood. "Understood, William. You be careful. Don't leave the hotel. I'll come back and find you as soon as I can. And William, be careful of Matisse. He was bought by Lesifer."
*The person you're trying to save is the real problem, you idiot,* William thought to himself.
However, considering Vesper had saved Bond on the hotel staircase, William decided not to expose the beautiful agent just yet. He would wait for Bond to "rescue" her. She wasn't a truly bad person, so if she could be saved, she should be. Besides, it might make Bond indebted to him.
"Understood. I'll wait for you at the hotel. You be careful, Bond."
"Okay. Hanging up now. I'm driving, and I'd rather not be killed in a car accident," Bond joked before ending the call.
After waiting for half an hour outside the hotel, Lesifer was met by his bald henchman, Clark. "Boss, I've brought everyone back. Do we go in now?"
Lesifer looked at the mercenaries hidden in the eight cars. After a moment of thought, he said, "You take six men in first."
"It would be best to grab William Devinshire quietly. If that doesn't work, I'll bring in the rest. The man with the bank password is still in the hotel. Be discreet, Clark."
"Understood, boss." Clark took a few men and entered the hotel in two separate groups.
Not seeing William in the lobby, Clark sent two men to search the hotel, specifically instructing them not to cause a scene unless absolutely necessary.
William was sitting in the restaurant, drinking a beer and watching a Premier League match. He didn't expect Lesifer to be bold enough to enter the hotel to capture him, so his guard was down.
Clark walked into the restaurant and saw William staring at the TV. He went to a corner of the room to summon his men. After they had entered the restaurant, Clark stood by a window, watching William.
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