“Seven?” Hannah’s voice was shaking with anger. “You screwed up my design and repeated your mistakes seven times? Are you serious?”
“Hannah, please. Calm down.”
“How can I? I can’t believe you blundered into this.”
“The Navy was in a hurry to get these vessels up and running.”
“Why didn’t AquaCorp stand up to them? There’s a magic word I use when someone tries to talk me into something I know is not a good idea. You know what it is? I’ll tell you. The word is no.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it is. I say it all the time.”
“It was a multimillion-dollar contract. We have a responsibility to our stockholders.”
“And I have a responsibility to the bank that holds the mortgage on my condo. And I have a responsibility to my niece and nephew to make sure they can go to college. But I still know when to say no.”
“It’s a mess, Hannah. I’ll be the first to admit that. But we need your help to fix it.”
“Unbelievable. Between the Navy’s stupidity and AquaCorp’s greed, I don’t know who to be more furious with . . .”
“Hannah, please. We need your help.”
Hannah took a few deep breaths before continuing. “I’ll say this for your people, they sure earned their security clearances. Not one of them said a word about this to me.”
“They probably didn’t want to be anywhere near you when you found out. I know I didn’t.”
“So the subs are a complete disaster?”
“Actually, no. They handle fairly well, even with the increased weight from the weapons systems. They’re just a bit sluggish on certain types of turns. The Navy engineers have tried to lick it, but they’re having problems. We just got approval to bring you into the project.”
“Approval from the Navy, not from me.”
“Come on, Hannah . . .”
“If the Navy didn’t have enough faith to include me from the beginning, I don’t see why I should have to clean up their mistakes.”
“Do it for AquaCorp, Hannah. We bankrolled the Marinth expedition for you.”
“Only because you knew the military project wasn’t working out, and you thought you might need me.”
“That was a consideration, yes.”
“But it’s the Navy that’s out all those millions on this stupid project, and I’m perfectly happy to let them twist in the wind.”
“Wherever you are, Hannah, let me send a private jet for you. We’ve brought the subs to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, so they’ll be convenient for you. Since the Copernicus is still there, I assume you’re going to return there. Come and take a look at the subs in action.”
“That’s just not possible right now.”
“When will it be possible?”
“Maybe never.”
“Please, Hannah. We’ll work with you. Anything you want.”
“Even if I wanted to help, which I don’t, I’m tied up right now. I’m not available.”
“What if I sent you a packet with all the information on the subs and where we’re at so far?”
“Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I’ll look at it.”
“I’ll have a courier bring it to you.”
“No. E-mail it to me.”
“It’s a fairly extensive packet. Blueprints, reports, videos of the subs in action . . . It will be easier to just send someone out with it.”
“Nothing’s easier than an e-mail. Scan it all, compress it, and send it to me.”
“It’s not the most secure method of transit. This is classified, remember?”
“Then encrypt it. Use the same key we used before the Marinth expedition.”
“Hannah, why be difficult about such a simple thing?”
“It’s the only chance you have of my even possibly helping you. I’d take it if I were you.”
Ebersole was cursing under his breath. “If I do this, when will I hear back from you?”
“I can’t promise you ever will. But it’s your only shot, Ebersole.” Hannah cut the connection.
Damn him, damn AquaCorp, damn the U.S. Navy. She shouldn’t have called. She knew it would only annoy her, but Ebersole had reeled her in with that photo of her mangled creation.
Eugenia poked her head out of the bar. She studied Hannah’s upset expression and slowly nodded. “Hannah, get in here. You have to start drinking. Immediately!”
A half hour later, Hannah was still nursing her first beer while she watched Eugenia down her third beer-and-whiskey-shot combo. A folk trio was performing in the wood-paneled bar, almost completely drowned out by the boisterous local crowd.
“You seriously need to catch up.” Eugenia wiped the foam off her upper lip.
“It wouldn’t matter,” Hannah said. “Alcohol doesn’t work on me when I’m angry. I’m lucky that way. Or unlucky, depending how you look at it.”
“Definitely unlucky. So what are you going to do about those subs?”
Hannah leaned back in her chair. “Ignore it for now. It’s the Navy’s problem, not mine. We have to stay focused on what’s happening here.”
“You’re going to help them, Hannah. You know it, and I know it.”
“Why do you say that? They betrayed me. They hung me out to dry.”
“Ah, but those vessels are still your children. Bastard children, perhaps, but they’re still mostly yours. I don’t believe you’ll turn your back on them.”
She scowled as she took another drink. “Well, maybe not. But I’ll still make the Navy and AquaCorp sweat a little.”
“Good. I approve.” She leaned back in the booth. “The decision is made. Now relax and enjoy yourself for a little while before we go back to the house.” She studied Hannah. “This episode has given me a new viewpoint on you. I’ve thought of you as an explorer and inventor. I always knew you were a powerhouse, but it never occurred to me that you could be very important to the military.”
“I try not to be. I’ve worked for them before. Hell, they’re an important factor in my profession. But I try to avoid it whenever possible.” Her lips tightened. “Because of stupid mistakes like this.”
“No idealistic attitude about military use?”
“It’s my country. The military protect my country. If they start going down a path I think is wrong, then I’ll have to think again.” She shook her head. “Though the military have their own bureaucracy that’s positively maddening. But it’s not as bad as the government red tape.”
“Still, you put up with it. You could go anywhere in the world and write your own ticket. I do believe you may be a patriot.”
She shrugged. “We make mistakes, but we have a fine, basic structure to correct them. That gives us a better chance than any other country in the world.” She paused. “And that’s worth fighting for. Yes, I’m a patriot.” She glanced at Eugenia. “You live and work in the U.S. You must think we’re okay.”
Eugenia nodded. “I’ve always liked your country. It’s dynamic. I envy you. Kirov and I really no longer have a country. I wasn’t wanted in the country after I left the KGB. He was on the run for so long that when he could return to Russia, there was nothing left there for him.”
“Kirov can take care of himself.” She smiled at Eugenia. “And I refuse to feel sorry for you. No one is more successful or has a better time than you.”
“Oh, yes.” She took another sip of beer. “I like my life very much indeed. I’m . . . settled. Kirov, on the other hand, is still searching. Who knows where he will end up?”
“Who knows? I can’t imagine anyone more capable of carving out a place for himself wherever he decides to land,” Hannah said. “Good luck to him.”
“That sounds final.”
“I have my own problems. Kirov wants to deal with things in his own way and could step out of the picture at any time. If I can’t depend on him being there, I won’t let myself become involved. It would be stupid. I don’t need him.”
“
Ah, but do you want him?”
She looked down into the foam on her drink. Did she want him?
Charisma, magnetism, the heat she felt when she looked at him.
Oh, yes, there was no question that she wanted Kirov sexually. That didn’t mean she would toss wisdom to the winds and take him.
She finished her drink. “Drink your beer, Eugenia. It’s time we got back to the house.”
At ten the next morning, Kirov entered the apartment and was surprised to see Driscoll and Charlie, each wearing a brown uniform, standing in front of a full-length mirror.
Kirov smiled. “You’re working for UPS now?”
Driscoll adjusted his right pant leg. “Actually, these are the uniforms worn by the people who service Gadaire’s refrigeration unit. A ninety-year-old woman in Dundrum made them for us. She’s a wizard at this sort of thing. I showed her a photograph, gave her our sizes, and she turned these around in less than sixteen hours.”
“Sounds like Hong Kong service. Another handy person to know,” Kirov said.
Driscoll shrugged. “You don’t survive in my business without having a large network of talented people in your circle.” He flexed his arms. “It’s a good fit, and she found just the right material. We could walk through the service center’s front doors, and no one would look at us twice.”
Charlie struck a variety of poses in front of the mirror. “I have to say, I look damned good. Not all men could pull this off, but I most certainly do.” He lifted the collar of his uniform shirt and spoke in a seductive growl. “At your service, Miss Anna. And is there anything else I can help you with?”
“That settles it. I do all the talking,” Driscoll said. “You sound like a bad porn film actor.”
Charlie laughed. “Aren’t they all bad?”
“Not as bad as you just sounded. But you definitely look the part.” He motioned toward a set of schematics pinned to the wall. “Now get back to work studying the refrigeration unit.”
Charlie made a face. “But we’re only pretending to be repairmen.”
“We’ll have to fix the compressor while we’re there, remember? We’ll practice on one very similar to it.”
Charlie shook his head. “More homework . . .”
“That’s ninety percent of any job, my boy. Particularly my job. Now get to it.”
While Charlie studied the schematic, Driscoll and Kirov stepped out onto the balcony and looked at the Aviva Stadium. It sparkled in the morning sun, reflecting intense rays of light onto several neighboring buildings.
Driscoll reached into his back pocket and produced an envelope. “This came this morning. Thank you.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s my offier letter from Dennison Security. A very generous salary, plus the responsibility for hiring a five-person staff.”
“Congratulations.”
“You’re the one who made it happen, Kirov. I’m grateful.”
“It wasn’t difficult. The owner and I were in the Russian Navy together.”
“Ah. Your connections at work.”
“That didn’t really matter. He was already aware of you and your reputation. He’s thrilled to have you on his staff, keeping his clients from getting robbed by people like—”
“People like me.” Driscoll smiled.
“Exactly.”
“However it happened, I’m grateful. I can bring my son along and put him on a good path. That’s something I couldn’t have done in my younger days.” Driscoll looked at Charlie through the closed glass door. “His mother was right to keep him from me all these years. I would have just screwed him up.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“It is. I was pretty screwed up myself, so it couldn’t have gone any other way.” Driscoll looked down. “You know, as you get older, and you see the people near and dear to you pass on, the world can become a much sadder and more unfriendly place. That’s why it’s been such a joy to suddenly have Charlie in my life. It’s not the same as raising him from birth; but in our case, it’s probably better.”
Kirov smiled. “Then you’re both very lucky.”
“Do you have children?”
“No.”
“Ever think about it?”
Kirov nodded. “I was married once, and my wife and I wanted to have a big family. She had it in her head that she wanted five kids. Not four, not six, but five. She had even started naming them. She wrote prospective names on pieces of paper and put them on the refrigerator. If she got tired of looking at the name after a week or so, it was stricken from the list.”
“Interesting system.”
Kirov smiled. “Yes, it was a special time.” He abruptly turned away. “Well, you have work to do. I’ll leave you to it. Congratulations again, Driscoll.”
Agent Elijah baker adjusted his telephone earpiece and braced himself for another barrage of excuses. The two agents he had brought with him to Ireland had botched the operation at every turn.
“I tested those tracking pellets myself,” Agent Bradley said. “They should have worked anywhere in the city.”
“So what happened?”
“I don’t know. Hawlings and I put them in every pair of shoes that Bryson had with her, and in her coat pockets. They disappeared off our monitors within an hour.”
“Yes,” Baker said bitterly. “That’s when you offered me your ‘local interference’ theory. You thought it would pass. In the meantime, Hannah Bryson vanished.”
“Well, I’m calling to tell you that the tracking pellets reappeared on our monitors just a little while ago.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. Every one.”
Baker’s face brightened. Maybe Bradley and Hawlings weren’t such total screw ups after all. “Did you reestablish visual contact with Bryson?”
“Not exactly.”
Uh-oh. “What does that mean?”
“We followed the signal. It led us to the General Post Office. Specifically, a trash receptacle in front of the building.”
“Hannah Bryson’s shoes were in the trash?”
“Uh, no. The pellets themselves had been removed and placed into a small gift box. The box was wrapped in decorative paper and labeled to you.”
“To me?”
“Yes, sir. ‘To Elijah Baker, with love.’ We took the liberty of opening it. Inside, the pellets were arranged in the shape of a heart.”
Very funny, Kirov. “Any activity on her mobile phone?”
“No, sir. Not since yesterday morning.”
“Okay. Stand by, Bradley.” Baker cut the connection and cursed under his breath. He should have had Hannah Bryson tailed rather than relying on those damned GPS tracking devices. Shit.
“Tough day at the office?”
“Yes.” He turned toward the bed at her question. “We’re no closer to finding Kirov than we were yesterday. We’re now a bit farther, actually.”
Anna Devareau sat up in bed and pulled the covers around her, leaving her shoulders bare. “I told you that you should have let me handle it.”
“And how would you have handled it? Kidnap Hannah Bryson and torture her until she tells you what we want to know?”
Anna shrugged. “Much more effective than your approach.”
“I think this requires more finesse.”
“Your finesse isn’t getting you very far right now.” She leaned back in bed and smiled sweetly. “Sometimes, my darling, a blunter instrument is required.”
CHAPTER
11
Hannah opened the door of her rented house to see Kirov standing on the front porch.
“I’m moving things up,” he said curtly.
He pushed past her before she could open the door wider for him to enter. “By all means, please come in.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “My sources tell me that Gadaire will be back in the country within forty-eight hours. We’ll need to execute our plans tomorrow.”
Hannah took in a deep breath. “Nothing li
ke a little pressure. Is Driscoll ready?”
“He needs to make sure his contact at the telephone company is prepared, but otherwise he’s all set. The man’s a pro.”
“That’s more than I can say for the two of us.”
Kirov put a reassuring hand on her arm. “We’ll do fine.”
Hannah looked up at him, surprised. His voice was gruff, but his smile was almost comforting. It wasn’t a side she had often seen in Kirov. “If you say so.”
“I do. You look tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?”
“I tossed and turned most of the night, thinking of ways to torture AquaCorp.”
He chuckled. “The entire corporation or someone in particular?”
“All of ’em.”
“What did they do to deserve the wrath of Hannah?”
She waved her hand. “Long story.”
“I see,” he said absently. He changed the subject. “Before we finalize our plans, I’m going to need your help.”
“That’s what I’m here for. What do you need?”
“I need to tap into that amazing memory of yours. We were interrupted before I could take photos in the lab yesterday. I’d like to take another look around . . . through you.”
“I thought this might be coming down the pike,” Hannah said. Ever since she was a small child, she had possessed a photographic memory that enabled her to recall the tiniest details with only a brief glance. As a second-grader, she convinced her teacher of her powers of X-ray vision by describing the previously glimpsed contents of a purse and desk drawer. As much fun as she’d had with her unique ability as a child, she chose to keep it hidden from the majority of her adult friends and associates. It was too easy for people to ignore her genuine achievements while they were being dazzled by circus stunts. As she had told Melis, she preferred not to deal in mental hijinks. “So you want to see my dog and pony show again.”
“It would be a great help.”
Hannah sat on the living-room sofa as she motioned for Kirov to join her. “I’ll do the best I can.”
“I have faith in you,” he said quietly. “I’ve seen you do it before under much more difficult circumstances.”
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