Eugenia was silent again. “But what if Kirov doesn’t want to be found?”
“Even by me?”
“Especially by you. I’d guess that’s why he hasn’t been in touch. He doesn’t want to put you in danger. He also probably knew that the authorities would come to you looking for him, and this way you didn’t have to lie to them.”
“Or give him up?”
“You and I both know you wouldn’t have done that. I’m sure Kirov knows it, too.”
No, she owed Kirov too much. But that didn’t mean she was feeling anything but extreme annoyance toward him at the moment. “You’re right, I’d want to deal with Kirov myself. But, dammit, I can’t do it if I can’t find him. I need your help, Eugenia. Please.”
Eugenia looked away. “You’re putting me in an awkward position. I owe Kirov my life, and my loyalties have to be with him. And if I were to guess what he wants, it’s that you stay as far away from him right now as you possibly can.”
It was the answer she expected, but she couldn’t accept it. “Eugenia, I’m involved in this whether he wants me to be or not. My communications have been monitored, I’ve had government agents boarding my boat, a priceless artifact has been hijacked . . . I don’t understand any of it, but I believe Kirov does. Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?”
Eugenia did not reply.
She threw in the one argument to which she knew Eugenia would respond. “And Kirov may need help. Our help. And I need to know whatever you can tell me about Gadaire. I take it he’s someone we should be worried about?”
Eugenia nodded. “Oh, yes, he most definitely is.”
“Then don’t do this for me. Do it for Kirov. And if we find him, and he tells me to go to hell, I’ll go home.”
Eugenia’s brows arched skeptically. “Just like that.”
“Well, maybe after I get some answers.” Hannah put her hand on Eugenia’s. “Will you do it, Eugenia?”
Eugenia let out a long breath. “Kirov will be furious with us, you know that?”
Hope soared within her. “I don’t doubt it. Are you saying you’ll help me?”
“Yes.” A brilliant smile lit her face. “I’ve been bored. I need a challenge. Let’s find that stubborn, secretive son of a bitch.”
Paris, France
Rue de Rivoli
Ah, Anna . . .
Beautiful as ever, Gadaire thought as he caught sight of Anna Devareau standing waiting for him on the sidewalk near the Café Marly. She was wearing a short black skirt that showed off her long, tanned legs. In the thirty seconds it took him to reach her, he counted at least a half dozen passersby—both male and female—who felt compelled to turn and catch another glimpse of this woman with long dark hair, full lips, and sparkling green eyes. He felt the familiar surge of lust. He was never more turned on than when he saw others admiring his Anna.
He stopped at the curb, and she climbed into the passenger seat of his Mercedes.
She smiled. “You’re late. No driver today?”
He kissed her and continued driving. “No. I had a few sensitive phone calls to make on the way, and I didn’t need anyone listening. How did your meeting go?”
“Good. Dr. Hollis has agreed to do everything we need him to do. It didn’t take much prodding after I offered him the money. He’s a fanatic about anything relating to Marinth, and you’re right, he feels very competitive toward Melis Nemid. He’s excited to know that he can look at that trellis before she has a chance at it.”
“But you made it clear he can’t discuss it with anyone?”
“Of course. And I made sure no other employees were present at his office at the Louvre.” She tilted her head. “But once he’s examined the trellis, you don’t really think he’ll keep his mouth shut, do you?”
Gadaire shot her a sideways glance.
She smiled. “Ah, it’s going to be one of those jobs? You didn’t tell me. Am I going to get a bonus?”
“Why should I bother? You like it. Who was it who insisted on going into that Customs warehouse in Tenerife? You should pay me.” He turned left at the corner. “Once we’re finished with him, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get him to take you someplace out of the way.”
She laughed. “Someplace secret, someplace remote, someplace he won’t be telling anyone about . . . He is a married man, after all.”
“You don’t anticipate a problem with him?”
“I rarely have problems in that area.”
“I know.”
“It wouldn’t have taken much encouragement for him to jump me right there in his office in the Louvre. When he’s given you what you need, let me know. I’ll take him into the countryside and dispose of him.” She leaned forward, brushed her lips across his cheek, and whispered, “Unless you want to come along and watch. I don’t mind screwing him before I kill him. I know you like that sometimes. Remember Mordalen?”
“Yes.” He could feel himself getting hard as he recalled that night when he’d ordered her to kill Lew Mordalen, one of his competitors in an arms deal. He had been filled with power as he had stood over them and ordered her to perform every variety of the sexual act on Mordalen. Then as a climax he had ordered her to cut the bastard’s throat. She had not hesitated and when she had come to him only minutes later, her body had been covered with blood. She had been wild that night, and the term bloodlust had taken on a new meaning.
“You’re thinking about it.” She reached out and slowly rubbed him. “Anything you want. You know that, Vincent. I only want to please you.”
Yes, he knew she was willing to do anything he wanted because it was what she also wanted. He had never met a woman who was more sexual or more lethal. Anna had no sense of right or wrong, but only what gave her pleasure. She could be totally reckless, and there had been moments when he had even felt a hint of trepidation at some of her suggestions. But excitement always overcame any reluctance. As it was doing now.
“We’ll see.” He put his hand on her knee. “It might be amusing.”
“I’ll make sure it is.” She leaned back in her seat. “So, have you thought about where you’re taking me to dinner, darling?”
Brooklyn, New York
Hannah walked with Eugenia down Meserole Street in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. The street was lined with small family-owned shops, which were now mostly closed, though the few restaurants were packed. Sharp odors wafted from the dining establishments and hung in the humid evening air.
“You think your contact down here can help us?” Hannah said.
“One thing I know about Kirov is that he always carries a firearm. He feels naked without it. But he almost never travels across borders with one since that would make it too easy for governments to detain him at airports and railway stations.”
“I can see that any number of governments would be eager for an excuse to close their borders to him.”
“They are. That means he has to buy a gun wherever he goes. Fortunately, I know some of his sources. If Kirov has recently contacted one of them, I might be able to find out where he is.”
“Then why are we here? Shouldn’t you be calling someone overseas?”
“I will be. Kirov’s favorite contact is based in Rome, and this man can arrange transactions pretty much anywhere in Europe. But the only way we can call him is through a computer in the back room of his brother’s store. That’s it up ahead.”
“Couldn’t he just buy a disposable cell phone?”
Eugenia smiled. “You are an amateur, aren’t you? If he tried that, the Italian authorities would zero in on him in no time. He uses custom software to scramble Internet telephone calls from several stations around the world. If his system doesn’t recognize the IP address of his brother’s broadband connection or one of the others, the call doesn’t come even close to going through.”
Hannah grimaced. “I’m still getting up to speed on this business.”
“Trust me, there are some things you’re better off not know
ing.”
They approached a small store with red-painted lettering in the front window that read GORECKI’S BICYCLE SALES AND REPAIR. Although a CLOSED sign was displayed on the front door, they could see a bald middle-aged man at a workbench in the middle of the store. A cigarette protruded from his lips as he balanced a bicycle’s rear wheel.
Eugenia rapped on the front window, and the man’s annoyed look quickly gave way to an expression of eagerness. He ran to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open. “Eugenia, my dear! You have made my day, my week, my month . . . Why do you never come to see me?”
Eugenia hugged him. “The Brooklyn Bridge goes both ways, Ed. Good to see you.”
He stepped back and looked at Hannah. “And who is your lovely friend?”
“Hannah Bryson, this is Edmund Gorecki.”
“Ed, please,” he said.
Hannah smiled. Ed still hadn’t taken the cigarette from his lips, making his voice sound like a bad ventriloquist struggling to keep his lips still. Yet somehow, the man’s warmth and excitement managed to come through. “Nice to meet you, Ed.”
Eugenia lowered her voice. “Are you alone here?”
Ed nodded.
“I need to call your brother.”
“Of course. But you realize that it’s very late there.”
“This can’t wait. It’s important I talk to him right away.”
“For you, Eugenia, I’m sure he won’t mind. Come this way.”
They followed Ed to the back room, which was a miniwarehouse of bicycle parts packaged in plastic bags and hung from pegboard hooks. Ed walked over to a desktop computer, where he picked up a headset and handed it to Eugenia. She adjusted the earpiece and microphone while he opened a software application and keyed in a series of numbers.
After a moment, Hannah was startled to hear Eugenia speaking rapid-fire Polish into the headset. Ed chuckled as he saw her reaction, and said quietly, “You’re surprised.”
Hannah nodded as they stepped away from the computer. “Yes, but of course Eugenia surprises me quite a bit.”
Ed finally removed the cigarette from his mouth. “She speaks like a native. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she grew up in my neighborhood in Warsaw. She picks up languages as easily as most people pick up bad habits.” He tapped his ears. “Language lessons on her iPod.”
After a couple of minutes, Eugenia finally took off the headset and turned back to Hannah and Ed. “I may have gotten a lead.”
Ed raised a hand. “Save it, please. I don’t wish to hear. For your protection and mine.”
Eugenia nodded. “I understand. I am in your debt, Ed. If there’s ever anything I can do for you . . .”
He shrugged. “My wife’s mother wants to become an American citizen, but she’s having some difficulty. Anything you can do?”
“I might.” Eugenia thought for a moment. “There are people in the State Department who owe me favors. I’m about to leave the country for a few days, but when I get back, I’ll call you and get the details.”
“Thank you, my dear.” He walked with them to the door. “I’ll tell my wife. She’ll be delighted.”
Hannah turned to Eugenia as they left the store. “When you said you’ll be out of the country, do you mean we’ll both be out of the country?”
“Yes. Gorecki’s brother wasn’t exactly forthcoming at first, but he and I go back a long time. He still made me swear I would never tell Kirov where I got my information.”
“He’s been in contact with Kirov?”
“He didn’t supply Kirov with a gun himself, but he recently put him in touch with someone else who did.”
“Where?”
“Dublin. This was just in the past couple of days, so there’s a good chance he’s still somewhere in Ireland.” A troubled expression crossed her face. “But I’m uneasy. I don’t like this at all . . .”
“What’s wrong?” Hannah asked. “It’s a lot more than we knew just a few minutes ago.”
“Gorecki told me something else,” Eugenia said grimly. “Kirov didn’t want only one weapon. Apparently he was looking for enough weaponry to equip a small army.”
After a quick stop at Eugenia’s Union Square apartment, they made their way to JFK Airport to catch a 10:50 P.M. flight to Dublin. At midnight, Hannah found herself in the alcove of the 787 Dreamliner wide-body aircraft, sipping her sparkling water. She had been peppered with questions by a nearby couple who recognized her from the Discovery Channel specials, and she hoped they would be asleep by the time she returned to her seat. She checked her watch. Three and a half hours before they reached Dublin.
Eugenia approached her and leaned against the bulkhead. “You’re more famous than I thought. Your two fans are wondering where you went.”
“I usually like talking to people, but I have a lot on my mind right now. I hope I wasn’t rude.”
“No, you were quite gracious. After you left, the woman made her husband get a camera out of her carry-on bag. I think they want a picture with you before we land.”
Hannah smiled. “I’d better freshen up, then. I’m sure I look like hell.”
“Only a little bit like hell. It won’t matter to them anyway.”
Hannah finished her sparkling water. “Thank you, Eugenia. I don’t know where I’d be if you didn’t help me.”
“You would have found a way. Your whole life is about finding solutions to problems. I’m quite sure you would have found a solution to this one.”
“Well, I’m happy the solution turned out to be you.”
“I’m happy to help you, Hannah. I’m very loyal to my friends, and I count you as a true friend. But like I said, I owe Kirov my life. I would never do anything that I thought might hurt him.”
“I was afraid you would feel like you were betraying Kirov.”
She shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t be here if I thought that’s what I was doing. As much as I want to help you, my real mission here is to help Kirov. And not the way you were talking about. He’s quite capable of taking care of himself. But when you told me that he was involved in the deaths of those two men in Venice, that worried me more than anything else.”
“Why?” Hannah asked.
She was silent a moment. “After his wife was murdered, Kirov was totally consumed. You know how that feels. You went through it after your brother’s death. But for you, it was only a matter of a couple weeks. Think about what it would have been like to have that rage inside you for fifteen years. That’s how long it took Kirov to eliminate the people responsible for his wife’s killing.”
“But he succeeded. It’s over.”
“That’s what I thought. All those years he traveled the world and lived outside the law, all for the sake of vengeance. I thought he might finally find peace. But from what you’ve told me, I don’t believe he’s found it.”
“How can you be sure? We don’t know what he’s doing.”
“I’m not sure. I’m just trying to work my way through this.” Eugenia shook her head. “He may be like a man who’s spent most of his life in prison, unable to function in the real world. Kirov spent almost fifteen years in the prison he made for himself, and he may not know how to live any other way.”
“Lord, that sounds terrible. I hope that’s not true.” But that might explain why Kirov left so abruptly, she thought. Oh, what the hell, she just didn’t know, and she refused to speculate until she was face-to-face with Kirov.
“I may be wrong. But if I’m not, he needs to know he has connections in this world, people who love and care about him.” Eugenia gave her a cool smile. “And I’m very fond of you, but in my mind, that’s what all this is about. And it’s especially important that you be there, Hannah, because I know how he feels about you.”
“You don’t know any such thing. It’s all guesswork on your part.”
“I’m very good at guessing. If you’re important to him, then I’m going to do what’s necessary to bring you to him.”
“Why
do I feel as if I’m being served up to Kirov on a silver platter?”
“Nonsense. I’m too much of a feminist to ever do that. But I owe him my life, and he comes first. I had to give you warning that I want Kirov to have whatever he needs or wants.”
“Including weapons to supply an army?”
“If he can convince me it’s good for him. That’s the bottom line.” She turned and started down the aisle. “Now you’d better get back to your seat and have that picture taken with your fans. I don’t want to waste any time when we reach Dublin.”
After the plane landed and they cleared Customs, Hannah stepped outside to make a phone call to Melis while Eugenia went to the business center to print out and sign some e-mailed documents. Melis answered on the first ring. She was still on the Fair Winds, heading home.
“Ireland?” Melis asked after getting a full update. “I didn’t think we’d find any answers there.”
“We still may not, but it’s the only lead we have. I’ll let you know what we turn up. By the way, how are Pete and Susie?”
“They left even before we moved away from the site. Their usual communion with the local dolphin population.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll find you.”
“We’ll see. By the way, Ebersole wants to find you. He was annoyed that you helicoptered away from the Copernicus without talking to him. He says you two have some unfinished AquaCorp business to discuss.”
“They have another job for me, but he wouldn’t discuss it at the time. I didn’t push him. I got the impression I wouldn’t be happy about it. Frankly, I don’t need the aggravation right now.”
“Well, I gather Ebersole’s bosses are putting a lot of pressure on him. I’m sure you’ll be getting some frantic phone calls.”
“I saw them in my voice-mail box. I’ll be sure to screen my calls while I’m here.”
“Good idea.”
Hannah could hear a somber note in Melis’s voice. She wasn’t accustomed to hearing her sounding so depressed, but between the theft of her prized artifact and the possible loss of Pete and Susie, who could blame her? “Melis, get back to your lab and work. It’s the only way you’re going to get your mind off all this. I’ll bring back that trellis, I promise.”
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