by Helen Brenna
So what had happened to him that he’d sunk to kidnapping and theft?
The moment Riley turned his attention toward the front, she slowly reached into her pack, felt around for her cell phone and hit the emergency call button.
Riley immediately grabbed her arm and tore the phone from her hand. Without a word, March took the cell from Riley and set it on the console in front of him.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” She stared at Riley. “What do you people want from me?”
He looked away.
None of this made sense. “That one clay statue isn’t worth this trouble,” Kate whispered.
“By itself, no,” March said. “But put it with the others and the collection is priceless.”
Whether or not a collection actually existed was debatable, but many experts believed that a small rosebud carved into each of several ancient statues now located in various spots around the world indicated they’d been made by the same nameless artisan, something that was extremely unusual for the time period in which they’d been created.
“So that’s what this is about?” she said. “You’re going to steal the other primordial deity statues in that set?”
Most people were familiar with the Olympian gods of Greek mythology—Zeus, Aphrodite and the like—but many had never heard of the firstborn gods, those said to have actually created the universe. Gods like Gaia, Nyx and Tartarus, the gods of earth, night and the underworld. There were others, too, depending on the stories to which a person subscribed. Some writings told of as many as ten such primordial gods.
The statue Kate had been working on at the museum, Erebus, the god of darkness and shadow, was a spectacular piece. If more had been discovered created by the same artist…
“You’re too smart for your own good,” March murmured as his cell phone rang.
“But—”
“Someone shut her up!” March ordered, putting his cell phone to his ear.
Riley put out his arm, stopping one of the other men from reaching for her. His black long-sleeved shirt stretched tight as the muscles in his chest and arms tensed. “Kate?” he said. “Can you manage that on your own, or will I have to shut you up myself?”
She put her hand over her mouth and glowered at Riley.
“I don’t care how you manage it, just get it done,” March said into his phone before disconnecting the call.
She tried to keep her head about her, tried to pay attention to where they were going, but from the rear of the van it was difficult deciphering street signs. A short while after they’d left the museum, the vehicle pulled up to a gate and they drove into what looked like a private underground garage.
Someone opened the back van doors, and fluorescent lights beamed inside. She squinted against the sudden glare as Coben yanked her out of the vehicle. A blast of cold air hit her, sending a trail of goose bumps over her arms. With Riley following, she was led to a large table.
“Sit,” Coben ordered.
“Screw you.”
“I got a better idea.” Leering at her, Coben trailed his hand along her shoulder and over her arm. “Maybe I’ll screw you.”
“Coben, give it a rest,” Riley said, his tone soft and menacing. “And Kate.” He took a chair across from her. “Sit down and shut up.”
The fact that Riley didn’t need to raise his voice, let alone flex his obvious muscles, to exude strength and power unnerved Kate. Jerking away from Coben, she dropped onto the chair as March came to the table.
“Time to unveil the rest of my plan.” March set the statue of Erebus on the table along with her pack filled with the clay from the museum and her tools. “But first I must give credit where credit is due. Kate, you hit the nail on the head.” He smiled at her, then turned to Riley. “You’re going to help me steal the rest of these statues.”
Silently Riley held March’s gaze.
March slid a file and a cell phone across the table and directly in front of Riley. “That’s everything you need to know, and then some. Locations, floor plans, security system details. You will check in as you go.”
Riley ignored the file, but he was clearly getting angrier by the second.
Only half listening, Kate looked for an escape route. It was only Riley, March and Coben in the room. The other guards had disappeared. Her best bet was likely the stairwell on the far side of the garage, but where did it lead? If she could get to the van she might have a chance. If March’s men didn’t shoot her or the tires out first. If the keys and a garage door opener were in the van. If—
Who was she kidding? There was no chance she was going to make it to that van, and even if she did, what was the likelihood she’d make it out of this building? Still, she couldn’t just sit there.
“This is all very interesting,” she said, standing. “But since you don’t appear to need me—”
“Sit down,” March ordered.
“I want out of here, and I want out now!”
Coben came behind her, twisted one of her braids in his hand and tugged downward. It hurt like crazy, but Kate had a feeling one way or another she was going to end up dead. If she didn’t make a stand now, soon there’d be no point. As hard as she could, she swung her elbow backward, connecting with Coben’s gut. Twisting away from him, she ran two steps toward the van before Coben grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
“Bitch!” He grabbed her by the throat.
“Coben.” Riley pushed back from the table. “Let her go.”
Kate couldn’t breathe. She struggled and clawed at his hand, but nothing she did had any effect on the monster.
“That will do, Coben,” March said calmly.
Coben forced her back onto the chair before finally letting go of her throat. She sucked in a breath and caught Riley’s gaze. Although he looked as if he was ready to kill Coben, something was holding him back. What? Why was he doing this?
“Kate,” March said. “You must understand. Until I decide it’s time to let you go, the only way you’re getting out of this building is with a bullet in your head.”
And that was that. She did her best to hold back a rising sense of panic while March went on as before.
“I want you to tackle the easiest target first,” March said to Riley. “The Church of Sant’ Aurea in Ostia Antica, about fifteen miles southwest of Rome. They don’t know what they have on their hands, so stealing those two particular statues should be a piece of cake.”
“Did you say two statues?” Kate asked, feeling her jaw drop. This was impossible. “In Italy?”
March smiled. “That’s right. Word is some grave diggers found them in a cemetery in town. Nyx and Hemera.”
The goddess of night and her daughter, the goddess of daylight. If this was true, it was an amazing find. “By the same artist?” she asked.
March nodded.
He was right. If all the primordial deity figurines had been found, then the collection would be priceless.
“Now may I continue?” March asked with more than a touch of sarcasm as he turned back to Riley. “The second target will be a bit trickier. Although this statue is displayed in a private home in Athens, there are at least six armed guards surrounding the estate at all times. The owner is Angelo Bebel.”
Riley snorted and shook his head. “Figures.”
Kate recognized the name. Nick, her brother-in-law, was old friends with Bebel. The Greek was the one who’d sent Riley to protect Kate.
“You never know,” March said. “Ask nicely enough and Bebel might give you his statue of Chaos.”
The first of the primordial gods, the god of nothing and everything, the creator of the cosmos. Kate had only seen pictures of this figure, the most spectacular of them all. To hold the artifact in her hands would be incredible.
“Angelo’s not going to hand over the statue,” Riley said. “And you know it.”
“Then you’ll have to take it. The approach is entirely up to you,” he said. “The last two statues will be the most di
fficult of all. They’re in a private collection. In Moscow. Very well guarded.”
“So that’s what this is all about.” Riley shook his head. “You can’t go into Russia.”
“You know Grigori,” March said, snickering. “Now, there’s a man with no sense of humor.”
“You bastard.” Riley stood to pace. “You don’t have the balls enough to do your own dirty work.”
“Why should I when I can get you to do it for me?”
“Grigori Kozmin swore he’d kill both you and me if we ever put one foot on Russian soil. If he finds out I’m in Moscow, I’m a dead man.”
“You’ll have to make sure he doesn’t find out.”
Riley glanced at Kate for a moment before returning his focus to March. “Well, Kozmin sure doesn’t care about art, so who do the statues belong to?”
“Belong is a relative term. They are currently in the possession of Vasili Belov.”
“The Russian mafia boss.” Riley shook his head. “You really are a pansy ass, aren’t you?”
March shrugged. “You say pansy. I say you’re better than me at breaking and entering.”
“What makes you think I won’t be missed at the Pentagon?”
“Call your CO,” March said, all humor gone. “You’ve had a family emergency and are taking a personal leave.”
“Is that it?” Riley asked. “Anything else you’d like me to take care of for you while I’m at it?”
“No, that should do it.”
“And while I’m sweating bullets trying to pull this together you’ll be, let me guess, sitting back sipping on a rum punch on some tropical island.”
“Don’t I wish, but my buyer’s in a hurry. He needs this collection by next week and there are four other statues that need stealing besides the ones you’ll be responsible for,” March said, glancing at Kate. “Isn’t that right, Ms. Dillon?”
She kept her mouth shut. Ten gods, so theoretically ten statues in the complete set.
“I’ll be heading to Japan for two of them,” March went on. “Then there’s one in China. And the last is in Turkey, near our final meeting place in Istanbul.”
“So you know where they all are and you’ve got a plan to steal them,” Kate said. “What do you want from me?”
“Simply one week out of your life.”
“To do what?”
“Well, that should be obvious. Museums, as well as individuals, have been known to put replicas on display, and you, Kate, are an expert on Hellenistic pottery.” March walked to the stairway and yelled up to the first floor. “Stanley! You’re needed down here.”
A moment later a small, anorexic-looking man with glasses came down the stairs.
“This is my expert on Hellenistic pottery, Stanley Manning.” March handed him the Erebus statue. “Real?”
While closely examining the statue, the man turned it over and over in his hands, paying particular attention to the rosebud formed in the figure’s robes. “Yes. This is authentic.”
“Good. Stanley will be coming with me. Kate, you’ll be going with Riley to verify the authenticity of the statues he steals. It doesn’t hurt that your restoration work is amazing. If anything should happen to any of the statues along the way, you’ll be repairing them.”
“No, I won’t.” Kate shook her head. “I’m not doing anything for you. And I am definitely not going anywhere with Riley.”
“Yes.” March studied her, and the predatory look in his pale gray eyes was almost enough to make her look away. “You are. And you will check in with me along with Riley at each location. I insist.”
“Why should I?”
March opened a folder, withdrew a small stack of photos and flicked one at her. “Your sister Shannon is married to Craig Stanton. They have two children.” The picture showed Shannon and her family laughing as they exited a movie theater. “Here’s Maggie and her husband, Nick Ballos. Three kids.” He flicked another photo at her depicting Maggie, Nick and their kids coming out of their home in Bethesda. Nick had his arm around Maggie’s waist and was planting a kiss on her cheek. “Tessie, Daniel and Liam. Cute kids. Perfect families. Too bad.”
Kate stared at the photos and felt a pain as sharp as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest. Ever since her mother had died so long ago, when Kate had been only eight, she’d yearned for her own family, for a house filled with a husband and kids, the sound of banter and laughter. She’d ached for that long-gone sense of place and belonging, would’ve given about anything for the opportunity to carve out her own piece of heaven. To imagine this man might destroy what Maggie and Shannon had somehow managed to build for themselves…
“Leave them alone,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Kate. My men nabbed Maggie’s oldest, a first grader, I believe, as the child was leaving school today.”
Tessie. Oh, God. Staring at March, Kate pushed back from the table. “You’re an animal!”
“Not really. But for ten million dollars, any man will push himself as well as others to the limit.”
“And your cut?” Kate glared at Riley. “I hope it’s worth it.”
Colder and more focused than even March, Riley held her gaze.
For the first time since this nightmare had begun Kate felt her control slipping. She could deal with anything these men dished out for her, but Tessie? Oh, Tessie. She’d babysat her niece and nephews just last weekend while Maggie and Nick had taken a break in Cape Cod. The couple had come back looking relaxed and happy and more in love than ever. This would destroy them. They had to be out of their minds with worry.
March pushed back from the table. “So that’s it. You two are booked on the first flight to Rome in the morning.”
Coben yanked Kate from the chair.
“Hold on.” Riley stood. “I want to see Jenny and Ally.”
March considered him for a moment. “Five minutes. Maybe some time with them will provide you with some…incentive.”
With Riley following, Coben shoved her into the elevator. As they went up two flights, Kate was too preoccupied with thoughts of Tessie to resist. The moment the door opened, he pushed her down a hall. One of the guards unlocked a door and forced her into a furnished bedroom. A four-poster king-size bed and large dresser. A sitting area with two chairs, an entertainment center and a table and lamp.
A woman, a gorgeous, blue-eyed blonde, looking to be in her mid-thirties, stood alert but quiet in one corner, her arm jutting protectively in front of a young girl by her side. They looked even more frightened than Kate felt.
Kate swung back around in time to see Coben and the other three men in the hallway point their guns at Riley. “When this is all over,” Riley growled, “you’re all dead.”
“Yeah, yeah, Mr. All-Talk-And-No-Action,” Coben said, motioning with his weapon. “You got five minutes. You wanna waste them out here in the hall, it makes no difference to me.”
Riley backed up, and the guards slammed the door, locking him inside the bedroom.
“So you’re not working with them?” Kate stared at him. “Then why did you take my cell phone?”
The woman in the corner ran forward, barreled full blast into Riley and hugged him. “Are you all right?” he asked.
The fact that a man like Riley had a significant other surprised Kate even more than she’d expected. She hadn’t taken him for anything other than a man with a gun, a soldier through and through.
“I’m all right.” The woman stepped back, her hands trembling. “You?”
“Fine.” Riley set the woman away from him and glanced at Kate. “My sister-in-law, Jenny.”
So Riley had a wife, or was Jenny a brother’s wife? Kate had a feeling it would be best to wait with the questions, given this woman’s state of mind. Jenny’s face was a mass of emotions. Clearly she was tired, scared and confused.
“I’m Kate Dillon.” As Kate gave the other woman a reassuring smile, the adolescent girl, who looked to be no older than thirte
en, with long, silky blond hair, stepped out of the shadows to stand next to Jenny.
“And my daughter, Ally,” Riley said.
Riley had a daughter? The reality wasn’t computing. But then, she supposed, once was all it took to get pregnant, and women made mistakes all the time. “Hi, Ally.” Kate smiled reassuringly at the young girl. “I’m Kate.”
Ally nodded.
“I took your cell phone,” Riley explained, “because March would’ve killed them both if anything had gone wrong with tonight’s operation.”
“I thought you were in on this,” Kate whispered, turning to him. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Like I care what you think? Besides, it’s not like we had a lot of time or privacy to discuss the situation.”
He had a point.
“James, what’s going on?” Jenny asked.
James? Go figure. While knowing his first name didn’t soften Riley’s image one iota, watching him with his sister-in-law did. He rubbed one of her shoulders as he quickly explained why Kate was here and March’s plans to have him steal the statues. What didn’t make sense was the way his daughter kept her distance.
Kate recognized that distrustful and obstinate look in the young girl’s eyes. The kid was scared out of her mind and too tough to show it. Kate hadn’t been all that different herself at thirteen, but then with a father who’d hit the road before she’d been born and a mother who’d died before Kate was Ally’s age, who wouldn’t expect a rocky road? Maggie and Shannon had done their best to raise Kate after their mother had died, but they’d both been teenagers, too. No wonder Kate had felt a little bit lost ever since her mother’s death. She couldn’t help but wonder about Ally’s story.
Kate turned toward her. “You okay?”
“Oh, sure.” The young girl shrugged. “I get kidnapped every day.”
“You’ll certainly have a story to tell the kids at school.”