by Lisa Pietsch
Vince remained expressionless as he took a welcome drag off the cigarette and wondered how he could keep the lighter.
Will won’t let anything happen to her. She’s safe and they’re close to finding me.
“Your mother doing some shopping?”
“No, but your girlfriend was. It seems one of my associates ran into her. She was with Will. Just another coincidence, I suppose?”
Vince didn’t like the way Nikolai emphasized the word “ran.” His stomach tied in knots on the inside but he fought to remain calm on the outside. “Really? Well, Will can be bad when he wants to be. After all, a man’s got needs, and that woman has a knack for satisfying—if you know what I mean.” Vince flashed a wicked grin at Nikolai. “Oh, sorry. You wouldn’t know, would you?”
“I wonder how much more you might tell me about your organization if Miss Stevens were here.”
A dark cloud rolled through Vince’s mind. The thought of Nikolai using her to get information out of him made him sick to his stomach. He knew full well what Nikolai would put Sarah through, and as tough as she was, she’d never be the same afterward. Keeping quiet would kill her but talking would kill them both. Vince hoped he’d never be put in that position.
I can’t think like that. Will knows what we’re up against. He’ll be smart. The boys will take care of Sarah.
Chapter Fourteen
“Stop here!” Will grinned as Brian pulled up and parked in front of a small boutique. “Yes.” He turned to Sarah before getting out of the car. “Stay here.” He turned to Brian. “Keep the doors locked. If they know about Sarah and Vince, they’ll know that grabbing Sarah is the key to getting information out of him.”
Sarah turned to see if anyone pulled up behind them.
Brian turned in his seat. “Not a problem, Will. I’ve got some high caliber friends in the front with me.”
Sarah had to admit that Brian had style. He always managed to find a way to get a handgun in his hands no matter where he went.
Will stepped out of the sedan, and Sarah heard the doors lock almost instantly.
Like Jason, Brian would make an excellent bodyguard. She wondered why neither of them had gone that career route instead of this one.
Will emerged from the store moments later with two large shopping bags.
The doors unlocked and he slid back into the car just as Brian pulled back out into traffic. It was a well-timed dance, and Sarah marveled at how smoothly they both rolled in this sort of situation.
Will handed one bag to Sarah.
“What’s this?”
“Change in plans. We’re going native. When in Rome and all that shit.”
Sarah opened the bag and saw nothing but black. She reached inside. Her shopping skills had refined her sense of touch. Silk, rayon, and a wool blend. She rolled her eyes at Will. “You got me fabric?”
“Abaya and niqab. You can’t tell the difference between one woman and another when they’re all wearing these.”
Sarah shook her head at the convenience and simple genius of it all.
Perfect.
Will dropped the other bag into the front seat. “That one is for you. They already saw me with Sarah. If you and she are dressed like the locals, they’ll lose her trail and be stuck with me. Better for us to be one target and two defenders than two targets and a bodyguard.”
Brian looked into the rear view mirror at Sarah. “Three paces behind me, woman.”
“All the better to look at your ass.”
Brian grinned. “Oh, baby. You know I love it when you talk naughty.”
~~~
After the incident in Dubai, Will called the Burj al Arab and managed to arrange a last minute charter jet to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When they landed, Sarah and Will emerged dressed to the nines in formal attire with a natively attired Brian looking the dutiful bodyguard. An armored sedan waited for them at the airport, courtesy of yet another of Will’s contacts.
Brian pulled up at the American embassy in Riyadh. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?”
Will plucked a stray hair from his tux. “It’s an American embassy, Brian. We’ll be checked for weapons when we go in. Better you should stay here and keep those high caliber friends nearby. Just stay alert. Don’t pull a Scarface and get distracted by some bimbo in the parking lot.”
“Hey now, I only did that once and I was off duty. Nobody got hurt.” Brian gazed up at the ceiling of the sedan and rubbed the short beard he’d been growing since he left Las Vegas for the Middle East. “What was her name?” He shook it off. “I got your back.” He turned and eyed Sarah from over the front seat. She wore a long, black, low-cut gown that maximized her favorite assets. “You look like a million bucks, Black Betty.”
Seeing Brian dressed in traditional robes and headdress and saying something like that just seemed laughable, so Sarah did. “Thanks, Bri. You look like a whole different guy. Whatcha got on under those robes anyway?”
He raised a playful eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Okay.” Will interrupted their flirty banter. “Money time. Let’s go find this Davidson guy and get back so we can go get Vince.”
Sarah took a deep breath. She’d been trying to keep her mood light, knowing that her stress only stressed the team as well. The knowledge of what Vince might be going through was always there. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Sarah and Will made their way through several security stations before strolling into the ballroom. They instinctively paused just inside the door of the sunken room to check the crowd of attendees while they had a height advantage.
Sarah noted the positions of the security cameras covering the ballroom and pointed them out to Will.
“Don’t worry, pork chop. So long as there isn’t a scene here, nobody is going to review the security camera footage. We’ll be long gone before they ever realize we were here.”
So much for security.
After a few moments, they walked the three steps down into the ballroom and began looking for Davidson.
Will grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and handed one to Sarah.
She sipped the dry, bubbly nectar, anxious to take the edge off. “How are we supposed to find this guy?”
“He said he had our files and would find us if we didn’t meet him right away.”
Sarah scowled and spoke through her teeth. “Nice. I don’t feel so comfortable with that don’t find me, I’ll find you stuff.”
Will took a sip from his glass as he scanned the room. “Yeah, I know. Not exactly ideal but it’s all we got.”
They slowly walked through the ballroom hoping to hear a conversation that identified someone there as Davidson.
Sarah stopped a passing waiter to leave her half-full glass on his tray.
No sense carrying this around. With my luck, somebody will back into me and spill it on my dress. Two ruined designer dresses in two days I don’t need.
She looked around and heard a man’s voice carrying from a few clusters of people to her left.
“Okay, I’ve got a great one for you. A horse walks into a bar and the bartender says ‘so, what’s with the long face?’” The man grinned and waited for the polite chuckles that finally came.
Luckily for him, a buxom, blond bombshell showed up and took over the crowd. “Speaking of horses, I understand the Prince’s stallion has been having a very good season.” She looked at the man in robes who was as wide as he was tall. “You must be very pleased.”
Sarah tried to ignore the dull conversations and boorish jokes and listened for some reference to Davidson so they could find the guy, get the information they needed and bust Vince out of Nikolai’s clutches.
“Are you enjoying the party?” Sarah looked to her left where the voice came from. She smiled a tolerant smile and met the gaze of the horse joke guy. “It’s lovely, thank you. And you?”
Will closed the gap and appeared quietly at her side snaking his arm
gently around her waist.
His touch and familiar scent reassured her.
The man nodded at Will and then swigged down what was left of his drink in the short, etched crystal glass. “I always enjoy a party.”
The buxom blond walked up to the horse joke guy. “Honey, the Ambassador has someone he’d like you to meet. They’re over by the East entrance.” She straightened his tie and gave him a stern look. “Don’t ever tell that joke again.”
“What’s wrong with the joke?”
The blond just smiled at him like a mother might smile indulgently at a child. “The Ambassador is waiting, darling.”
He shook his head and sighed. “Probably some policy wonk.” He nodded to Sarah and Will. “If you’ll excuse me.”
The blond extended a hand to Sarah and grinned as though she were on the pageant circuit. “I’m Buffy.”
“Nice to meet you, Buffy. I’m Sarah and this is Will.”
“I know. We’ve been waiting for you.” Buffy handed Sarah a calling card. The name on it was ‘Buffy Davidson’ and there was an address below the name. “Mark and I would love it if you’d join us for a nightcap after the party.”
Dread washed over Sarah.
Will took the lead. “Buffy, we were really hoping to get back early tonight. Is there any way we could visit with Mark privately for a few minutes?”
Loud laughter came from the East corner of the ballroom.
Sarah looked over and saw that it was Davidson again, the horse joke guy. She and Will shared a disappointed glance.
“I’m sorry. That just won’t be possible here. Meet us at this address after the party. We’ll have some drinks and a few laughs.”
Sarah’s heart sank to the soles of her Manolo Blahniks. She gave Buffy a weak smile and acquiesced with a nod. “We’ll see you later then.”
Buffy was suddenly distracted like a kitten who’d just spotted a butterfly. “Pamela!”
And she disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter Fifteen
Vince was escorted to a large, black marble bathroom where he was allowed to shower at gunpoint. The water washing over him gave his mind pause to escape back to happier times. He remembered the one rainy day he and Sarah spent together in Italy. He’d built a fire in the master suite’s fireplace, and they spent the whole day in that room, exploring each other’s bodies and making love. It was a very good day.
Vince grabbed the fresh bar of soap. He put it to his nose. It was simple. There was no fragrance, just the smell of clean. A scent he hadn’t smelled in several days.
This is just another delay. We’ll take care of Nikolai and then Sarah and I can run away and never look back.
After he dried off, Vince wrapped the towel around his waist and ran a hand over his now bearded chin.
How many days has it been?
He looked up at the guard and hoped for the best. “Any chance I could shave too?”
“No blades, mate. We don’t invite trouble.”
Invite trouble? You stupid son of a bitch, you’ve already invited more trouble than you can possibly handle. Giving me a blade and letting me walk out the front door is pretty much your only option for survival.
“Looks to me like you’ve already sent those invitations out, pal.”
The Aussie glared at Vince. “You think so?”
A smile curled Vince’s lips for the first time in days. “Oh, yeah.”
There was a glint of light off metal and pain shot through his head as the Aussie hit him in the face with the butt of his gun and hard steel hit with the force of a baseball bat. He fell to the floor and scrambled to get up, looking around for anything he could use as a weapon. Unless he could pull the toilet from the floor, there was nothing.
The guard tilted his head. “You talk tough for a guy who’s about to be in a world of hurt. You want some more?”
“Nah.” Vince groaned as he stood and looked in the mirror at his quickly swelling cheek and eye.
No blood, no infection. Could be worse.
“Shaving is overrated.” He pulled on his dirty jeans and T-shirt, wishing he could have washed those too, and left the bathroom as instructed by the guard.
The Australian escorted him to a dining room dripping with velvet tapestries where Nikolai waited at a table set for two with gold plates and flatware. Crystal goblets with gold rims sparkled under the crystal chandelier.
Nikolai stared at Vince’s face. “Run into some trouble?”
Vince felt the tightness in his swelling cheek as he smiled at Nikolai. “My friend here was just extolling the virtues of growing a beard.”
“I’m glad you saw things his way. Any more of that and I couldn’t possibly let you dine with me.”
“It was hard not to. He had a very convincing argument.” Vince moved to the only other place setting at the table, across from Nikolai, and pulled out the chair. “What’s for dinner?”
“Why don’t we start with a drink?”
Vince tried to stay positive. He knew full well this could be his last supper and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. “I’d love one, thanks.”
Nikolai motioned to the woman standing in the corner, quiet as a piece of furniture. “Bashira, bring Mr. Hennessee a drink.”
Vince had barely noticed the silent woman in the abaya.
She quickly mixed and delivered a vodka martini to Vince. She barely made a sound as she walked across the floor.
Vodka. Should have known.
Vince tried to be kind. Being a servant in this house had to be a miserable existence. “Thank you, Bashira.”
She made brief eye contact with Vince and quickly turned away.
That’s a fresh bruise on her cheek that’ll be a big green lump in a couple days.
“I see we have something in common, Bashira. Is your bruise courtesy of that big Australian brute too?”
Bashira pulled up the face scarf of her plain, black niqab and scurried back to her corner with her head down.
“You really should treat your help better than that, Nikolai. If you aren’t careful, they might kill you in your sleep.” Vince raised his glass as if to toast the idea and then took a drink of the martini. “Mm, very good. My compliments.”
“Thank you. And I’ll thank you not to put ridiculous thoughts into the servants’ heads. They know what will happen if they step out of line.” Nikolai finished his drink in a single gulp. “Vince you’ve had time to think. I’m sure you’ve put everything into perspective by now.”
“Yeah, I’ve got perspective.”
Bashira replaced Nikolai’s empty glass with a fresh martini without even making a footfall on the floor.
Poor thing is probably barefoot.
Nikolai continued as he picked up his drink. “You have an opportunity here. You can be my friend and associate or my enemy. We’ve done deals in the past, and I’ve found you to be a very shrewd businessman. As it happens, there has been a recent opening in my organization, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”
Vince raised his eyebrows. “You want to hire me to replace Victor?” He laughed.
What a mercenary thing to do. Hiring the killer to replace the dead had to be the coldest thing he’d ever been party to. The brotherhood did that though. They respected power, action, and decisiveness.
“Consider it more of a buy-in situation. You can buy into my organization by sharing the information you have such as people, places…well, you know.” He smiled.
Vince’s stomach turned. Nikolai wanted him to turn traitor.
Of course, he does. If I turn, he gets the credit, and I still get dead. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t and I know it.
Nikolai spoke as he lit a cigarette. “I would be especially interested in any more information you may have on Sarah Stevens. I thought she and I got along quite well. If everything Victor said is true, she and I could get along even better.”
Vince clenched his jaw. The last thing he wanted was this bastard p
utting his filthy hands on Sarah.
Stay calm. Don’t give it away.
“Really? Somehow I don’t think she’d be your type. May I?” Vince motioned toward the pack of cigarettes on the table.
Might as well take advantage of every hospitality I can. He’s clearly waiting for something.
“Yes, of course.” Nikolai pushed the pack toward Vince. “You and Will have established significant contacts in your business dealings. We’ve seen your operation grow almost exponentially over the past several years. With all of your contacts and the information you could share on Miss Stevens, I’m sure we could come to a profitable, if not amicable agreement.”
“You know, Nicolai.” Vince paused to light his cigarette. “What I can’t figure out is if you connected me with Sarah when Victor told you about her, why didn’t you tell him about it?”
Nikolai tilted his head as he looked carefully at Vince. “To be honest, you did me a favor. Victor was becoming a nuisance. He did wonderful business for my organization and even did a considerable business with the United States government, earning us billions over the years. The problem with Victor was that he thought he was bigger than the brotherhood.”
Vince leaned back in his chair. “So you were hoping he’d meet an untimely end?”
Nikolai shrugged. “Do you know he had plans to write a book?” He shook his head as though disappointed. “In fact, the manuscript is still out there somewhere. My people are trying to locate it now.”
Vince smiled. “What was it about? How to be an arms dealer for dummies?”
Nikolai smiled, he seemed to see the humor in the title Vince offered but the grin disappeared quickly. “He wanted to tell the world about how the brotherhood made its money off the U.S. government. He found irony in the fact that the Soviet Union was ground to dust by the arms race, but the former Soviet republics were being resurrected almost instantly through arms trades and transporting for the U.S. government.”
He set his cigarette in the ashtray. “While I’m sure we all see the irony, I don’t think I need to explain what such an explosive tell-all would do to one of our most significant income streams.” He stubbed out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray and sat back in the large dining chair. “Victor’s days were already numbered. When I put you and Sarah together, I decided to wait it out. He didn’t know enough to give you anything of value so it was easier and far less expensive to let you take care of him rather than hiring someone myself.”