“And fairly deadly?”
She shook her head. “Exceptionally deadly.”
“Such as?”
“Most of them you wouldn’t recognize. Actually, the plant and animal world is full of unexpected poisons. For instance, did you know almost every part of a pretty daffodil is poison?”
“I can’t say that I did. So you’re making a daffodil cocktail?”
“No, that was just an example. I didn’t order anything to do with daffodils. What would you recognize?” She thought for a moment. “I think I ordered some tetrodotoxin from the puffer fish. You’ve probably heard it mentioned on forensic shows. It’s twelve hundred times more deadly than cyanide, and there’s no antidote. The directors like to stress all the dramatic, lethal properties. It’s good theater.”
“Oh, yes, I’ve heard of puffer fish. When I was in the service, I recall we were warned against eating it in any foreign port. Would you care to tell me why you’re going to need it?”
“No. I may not need it.” She smiled. “But I didn’t think you’d like to have it sharing space with your salad ingredients.”
“Good call,” he said dryly. He was silent, gazing at the box. “I take it that you’re going to do some concocting yourself.”
She nodded. “Preparations,” she said quietly. “I’m a healer, not a warrior. I don’t know much about guns or knives. But I won’t ever be helpless again. So I have to make do with the talents I have.”
“Like kickboxing and creating potent brews.”
She nodded. “The first is marginal when I’m against someone as good as Catherine. But Hu Chang says there’s practically no one with the skill I have at the other.” She smiled bitterly. “I believe I’ve proven that, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you have.” His mouth tightened. “But I don’t like the idea of your using that particular skill. Huber will be on the lookout for it.”
“He won’t find it.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Hu Chang taught me that the key word is always undetectable. The next necessity is unexpected.”
“But you said that creating the poisons was only a way of learning how to invent other medicines.”
“And it was my purpose.” She began to carefully unpack the bottles and bags of dry goods. “But Hu Chang never teaches a part of any skill, it has to be the complete package.”
“I got that impression from talking to him. I wasn’t sure if he was threatening or informing during most of our conversation. I don’t believe he would have told me anything about that prison if Catherine hadn’t made the demand.”
“Of course he wouldn’t. He promised me once he would never betray me. This came very close. But he and Catherine have been together for a long time, and he trusts her. He knew she must have a reason.” She took the empty box and put it against the far wall. “Even though she was completely mistaken.”
“Perhaps not completely.” He gazed at the collection of bottles on the bar. “But their relationship interests me. Did he teach her the art of poison, too?”
“Only the basics. She wasn’t that interested. But she respects it, and she’s very wary about it as far as her son, Luke, is concerned. Luke loves Hu Chang, and all this fascinates him. He likes nothing better than to spend hours in his lab.”
“Most kids like chemical experiments. It can be harmless. How old is he?”
“Twelve. And he knows it’s not harmless. Catherine used one of the poisons to kill the man who had kidnapped Luke as a small child.”
“Perhaps he’s like you and doesn’t embrace the dark side.”
“Perhaps. But his life during those years of captivity didn’t tend to sweetness and light.” She shrugged. “But he’s smart and has a good heart, and Catherine will work it out.”
“With some help from her friends.”
“That goes without saying. That’s what friends are for.” Rachel looked at the dishwasher. “I can give you forty-five minutes to wash those dishes, but then I want you to clean out the cabinets and put everything out on the veranda for the night. After I finish, I’ll scrub up and put everything back myself.”
“Very cautious.”
“First lesson. If you don’t want to kill, you don’t take a chance on anyone else. Carelessness can kill just as easily as a deliberate act.”
“I’m not a careless man, Rachel. I’d think you’d know that by now. Let me help.”
She shook her head. “First lesson. And I’d have to be particularly careful with you because I have a tendency to trust you. As you said, I’ve seen that you’re not careless. I’d let my guard down.”
His lips twisted. “Heaven forbid.” He nodded his head. “I’ll get the kitchen spic-and-span and everything cleared. How long is this going to take?”
“Most of the night.”
“Am I allowed to watch?”
She shook her head. “I have to concentrate. I might not remember some of these ingredients or I may decide to substitute. Although they should be adequate. I called and had them sent from Hu Chang’s lab outside the city. That’s why I know they couldn’t be traced. All of Hu Chang’s assistants are superdiscreet.”
“Why did I not guess that was a given?” He made an impatient gesture. “So get out of here and give me room to move. Go outside and get some fresh air. I doubt if you’re going to do anything but work all night.” He added mockingly, “Your lab will be at your disposal on time as ordered.”
He was upset. He didn’t like being tossed out, and she hadn’t been very diplomatic. “It’s the way it has to be, Brandon.”
“No, it’s the way you’ve been trained it has to be. But I’m accepting it. Just as I accepted the training I received in Special Forces until I could bend the rules to suit myself.”
“And take control?”
He inclined his head. “But there has to be a certain amount of trust involved in those around you before you can think about control. You don’t have it, so I have to work on that first. Venable told me that he hadn’t given you reason to trust him.” He smiled faintly. “And that brings up the question, if trust is present, is it really control?” He turned toward the cabinets. “But neither of us wants to answer that at present. So go get that breath of air while I prepare your den.”
She hesitated, watching him, before she turned and went outside. It was fully dark now, and she stood there, listening to the surf. She wanted to trust Brandon. The last few hours had been … good. She had not wanted the meal to end. He was intelligent, warm, and dryly amusing, and the stories he had at his disposal must have been as entertaining as the ones his father had told him when he was a boy. And she’d bet Brandon’s stories were probably true.
But trust was rare in her world. She trusted Hu Chang and Catherine. Her father had never given her reason for total trust, as he had told Brandon.
And how much she had wanted to trust her father, to feel that he loved her as much as she loved him. He had said the words, but did they mean the same thing to him as they did to her?
She might never know.
People felt things differently. She had already accepted that in her father. Why had Brandon’s words triggered that memory? Because she also wanted to be able to trust him? Because for some reason it was important to her?
Good God, all she needed was to have Brandon become emotionally essential. Far worse than needing him sexually. So much easier to be irretrievably hurt.
Not irretrievably. She would survive and go on. What was she thinking?
And it might not happen. Now that she was aware of the danger of caring about him, she would be as wary as she was of those poison ingredients on the bar.
Those ingredients …
Concentrate on her task for tonight. Go over the possibilities mentally and make the decisions. Stop thinking about anything other than preparing another protective barrier against Huber.
The puffer fish?
Deadly, but it might take too long to take effect.
&nbs
p; Maybe go in another direction …
4:35 A.M.
“That’s it. You’ve been working all night.” Brandon was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her scrub the tile floor. “I believe I can be trusted to scrub that floor.” He strode forward. “Unless you coated it with some exotic poison. I wouldn’t put it past you.” He pulled her to her feet. “Tell me now, or I’ll throw you out of here.”
“No, it’s just a precaution in case I dropped something and didn’t notice.”
“And did you do that?”
“No, but that’s why it’s called a precaution. You shouldn’t be touching me. I’ve washed, but I haven’t showered yet.”
“More of Hu Chang’s rules? I’ll take the chance. I trust you.” He looked at the row of small vials on the counter. “All these hours to produce that?”
She yawned. “Hu Chang would say that each one is worth a fortune to the right purchaser. You have no appreciation.”
“I appreciate the fact that you’re almost collapsing. Your eyes are red, and the circles are black. I’m not fond of that color combination. You should have stopped hours ago.”
“I couldn’t. You never stop in the middle. You can spoil everything.”
“Well, now you’re done. Get out of here while I finish cleaning. Do you want me to pack those vials up for you?”
“No, I’ll do it.” She took a small plastic container and put the vials in it. She was so tired, her hand was shaking, but this was her responsibility. “I haven’t made the choice yet. And I haven’t decided how to do the presentation…”
“Presentation,” he repeated. “Never mind. We’ll go into it later. Just tell me if there’s anything that I should be careful about before I kick you out?”
“Everything.”
“So says your teacher, Hu Chang. What do you say?”
“No, I was supremely careful. I didn’t miss anything. It’s cleaner and more sterile than when you left it last night.”
“Now that hurts. I did a damn good job for the time you gave me.” He turned her around and gave her a gentle push. “Go to bed. You’ll probably have Catherine knocking on your door in a couple hours wanting to beat up on you again. You should at least have some sleep so that you can stay on your feet.”
“In kickboxing, staying on your feet isn’t always a good idea. You need to be more mobile than—”
“And you need to get some rest so that you make sense. Go take your shower and spare us the micro possibility that you’ve made a mistake. I’ll handle everything here.”
“Control again.”
“Bullshit. You know better. Partners, Rachel. Say it.”
She looked back over her shoulder. He was standing there staring at her, demanding, impatient, but there was a kindness …
He smiled. “Say it.”
She wasn’t sure it was true, but it would be nice if it was. Nice to not be alone. Nice to reach out and have someone there …
She turned away, and said what he wanted her to say, “Partners…”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later she had showered and washed her hair and was heading for bed.
Brandon was right, she had only a short time before Catherine would be here, and she needed rest. Those hours in the kitchen last night had been draining. They’d required not only intense concentration but an emotional commitment. She was dealing with death instead of life, and she always felt it weighing on her.
Admit it, the memory of the guilt she’d felt when she’d found out how her father had used one of her poisons was also still weighing heavily. She might have accepted that she had to stop Huber any way she could, but the philosophy of a lifetime wasn’t easy to banish.
It would be fine, she told herself. It might take time, but she would become accustomed to the thought that she had to—
The message light was blinking on her computer.
She stopped short in the middle of the room, staring at it.
It might be Phillip or One World or some company wanting her to buy software.
Or it might be Nemesis.
She moved slowly toward the desk.
Why wasn’t she more eager and excited? This was what she had been waiting for, wasn’t it?
Because if it was Nemesis, it would mean everything would begin, and she might not be ready.
Screw it. She’d make herself ready.
She flipped open the computer and pressed the access.
Nemesis!
You’re the daughter? Venable is really dead?
She sat down and typed:
I’m Rachel Venable. Yes, my father is dead. You didn’t know? I find that hard to believe when Huber killed him. If you worked for him, you must have known.
The answer came swiftly and rudely.
Why should I care what you believe? You’re the one who wants something from me. Who else can tell you Huber’s target in San Francisco? And who says that I work for Huber? I told Venable I had information about Huber, not that I was in his pocket.
That didn’t make sense.
But my father was shot because he went to meet you near Huber’s compound. Why would you be there?
It was convenient for me.
It was a trap.
Think what you like. Venable said you’d negotiate with me if he wasn’t around to do it. Is it true? If it isn’t, I can sell the information somewhere else. It’s not as if there aren’t thousands standing in line who’d want to save this fair cty. I only went to Venable because I knew he’d have the influence at Langley to get me the money quick. I need to get this deal done and catch the next flight out before Red Star finds out what i’m doing. Yes or no?
Rachel tried to stall so that she could think.
Are you here in San Francisco?
Yes or no?
She couldn’t let him hang up.
Yes. How much?
Twenty million.
That sounded exorbitant to her.
Too much.
Cheap. I’d charge more if I didn’t need to get out of here. I don’t like it that Venable was killed. It makes my position less than secure. I’ll send you my bank ID, and you’ll deposit one million by tomorrow noon after you receive my first verified piece of information. We’ll negotiate the final payment after you’re suitably overwhelmed by how valuable my association with you will prove to be.
She felt a chill. She didn’t like this.
Noon tomorrow? Why not now?
Because it’s not up to me, it’s up to Huber. It’s all up to Huber, haven’t you found that out yet? You will, Rachel. Venable did, didn’t he? [A pause.] I’ll be in touch tomorrow after Huber gives the world a taste of what he has in store for them on the 25th. It was supposed to be a little surprise preview, but I know he wouldn’t mind me letting you know. It would amuse him to see you scramble to stop him. But don’t get too close. He really has problems with you. I need to have someone left alive to authorize that money transfer.
She was shaking. It was horribly clear what he meant.
Preview? Where? You’re lying. Nothing was supposed to happen until next week.
Yet you believe me, don’t you? Huber likes his surprises. A little teaser to show everyone how helpless they are against him. Don’t panic, it’s not one of his more spectacular demonstrations. You’re right, that comes later. Did I mention that Huber wants to shape the California Coast to suit himself? How arrogant can you get?
She was desperately trying to fight through the shock and get something of value from him.
If it’s just a teaser, tell me when and where. I’ll get you payment. Don’t let it happen.
The answer came immediately.
But then you might not be impressed enough to do anything I wish to make the bigger threat go away. No, you have to see it, Rachel. I look forward to doing business with you.
The message had ended.
Rachel was shaking as she stared at the screen. She wasn’t sure she knew what had happened. She had
negotiated for $20 million she didn’t have. She had made contact with a man who was quite possibly as bad as Huber. He had been totally callous about having a part in getting her father shot. And she was scared to death that something terrible was going to take place tomorrow that she wasn’t going to be able to stop.
She took a deep breath and read over the text. It was just as cold and faintly mocking as she’d thought when she’d first read it. As well as there being a definite element of threat to the message. Preview? It was those last few lines that were frightening her, and she wasn’t going to try to decipher them alone.
She jumped to her feet and was out of her bedroom and running down the hall toward the kitchen.
Brandon was still there and looked at her quizzically as she came into the room. “Checking up on me? I assure you that I didn’t do anything that wasn’t strictly sterile and hygienic. You have to learn to—”
“Come with me.” She took his hand and pulled him from the room.
“May I ask where we’re going?”
“My bedroom. You wanted to be partners. Now’s your chance.”
“Provocative. But I don’t believe you mean what I want you to mean.” He was looking at her face with narrowed eyes. “What’s upset you?”
“You’ll see.” She opened her bedroom door and pushed him inside. “The computer. Nemesis. Did I screw everything up? Am I right about what I think is going to happen? Or was he bluffing. And what can we do to stop it?”
“Nemesis.” He was over to the desk in seconds and sitting down at the computer. “Why didn’t you call me when he came online?”
“I didn’t think about it. He was just there. Read it.”
He was already reading the text. “You tried to bargain with him?”
“I didn’t know what else to do. I thought he’d expect it. I’m not accustomed to dealing with terrorists, dammit.”
“And that’s why you should have called me.” His lips tightened as he finished reading the text and looked up at her. “Though he is right, his price is cheap considering what he has to sell. It’s clear he thinks that Huber might be suspicious.”
“And he said he didn’t work for Huber, but he was at that compound.”
“Which might be true or false.”
Vendetta Page 17