Freedom's Promise: Task Force 125 (8 page)

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 putting 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."

"I see.  How did you know we'd take care of him?"

"Please.  I'm not a fool.  After Hassan, it was too much of a coincidence.  Miss Stevens proved herself a Black Widow once again.  I have to commend her.  Few people would expect so much danger from such a pretty package.  She played it very well."

That explains how Nikolai was one step ahead.  It's probably a good thing Sarah is retiring.  She's already too conspicuous as the glamour girl, although she could be respected in organized crime circles, if she ever wanted to go over to the dark side
.

The bruised girl in the abaya entered the room carrying a large tray and began to serve dinner.

Shocked by the sound of his own stomach as it growled, Vince savored the smell of the steak, baked potatoes, and grilled vegetables. 
He smiled slightly as he wondered what the meal cost Nikolai
since
none of those items could have possibly been locally grown.

Great.
  Digesting steak after a couple days of not eating at all is going to be torture
.
  This isn't going to be pretty
.

As if reading Vince's mind, Nikolai spoke.  "Now we will have a nice dinner and then, you can sleep on your decision in a comfortable bed.  What you tell me at breakfast will determine how well you are treated for the duration of your stay, as well as how long your stay may be."

Vince didn’t miss his emphasis on the word
stay.
  This was a life or death decision.

Chapter Sixteen

Sarah ran a brush through her hair as they waited in the sedan outside Davidson's home.  "Will, I don't like this.  That guy is an ass. 
And his wife?
  Please!  I'll bet good money she's got more boobs than brains."

Will
scowled
at Sarah.

She recoiled from his stare.  She had never seen him look at anybody that way, and it made every hair on her body stand on end.

"Sarah, you are the last person on this earth who should be judging a woman's brains by her beauty.  You're a damned trophy girl if ever I've seen one and trust me, I run in circles that are big on having trophies draped on their arms."

Speechless, Sarah closed her mouth and listened.

Rather than stop, Will barely took a breath as he continued to light into Sarah.  "You aren't the only intelligent woman in this world who uses beauty as camouflage.  Davidson is our only lead on Vince.  If the Agency knew what
we were up to, we'd be burned just like
Guinea
was.  We are in no position to be selective here."

Sarah nodded. 
"Point taken.
  Hey, why did the Agency burn
Guinea
anyway?"

"He and his partner were on a mission in
South America
, and his partner got snatched.  The Agency told him to continue with the mission, but he decided to go get his partner first.  They still finished the mission, but his handler was a real asshole and burned him anyway."

"What happened to his partner?"

"He retired early and became a contractor."

"Contractor?"

"He runs a major private military company now."

"So does he know
Guinea
is alive?"

Will grinned. 
"Oh, yeah.
  Who do you think helped him fake his death?  Brock is the one who sends him his smokes and coffee by the case now."

"That's pretty generous."

"Sarah, when a guy pulls your ass out of a South American prison where you're getting the crap beat out of you every day, you don't think twice about sending him care packages for the rest of his natural life."

"I see your point."

Brian fidgeted in the front seat.  "They're ba-ack."

They'd been sitting in the sedan outside the Davidson's house for nearly an hour.  After talking to Buffy, both Will and Sarah knew that hanging around the embassy was inviting trouble so they stayed in the car with Brian and drove around the city for a while to be sure they weren't followed.

"Okay, let's go see if they have any information."  Will stepped out of the car and held the door for Sarah.

They walked together up the front steps of the grand house and rang the bell.

A maid answered the door.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davidson are expecting us."

"May I tell them who is calling?"

"Mr. Adams."

"And?"

"Just Mr. Adams.
  This is important so, if you don't mind?"

"Yes, of course, sir."  The maid scurried away and left them standing in the front hall of the immense house.

Mark Davidson appeared at the top of the stairs with a smile that seemed to happen mostly on one side of his face.  "Hey, there you are!  Come on up.  We'll have our drinks in the library."

Sarah and Will climbed the stairs quickly and followed Davidson into a large library.  Dark wood bookcases lined the walls.  Glass doors on all of them protected the aging leather books inside.  It appeared to be an impressive collection—likely all at the expense of the State Department.  The
brown
leather furniture set off the
dark
woodwork and provided a magnificent frame for the most exquisite
Persian
rug Sarah had ever seen.  A small fire burned in the fireplace and rich, sweet cigar smoke scented the air.

"Should I close these doors?"  Will was the last one into the room.

Davidson waved a hand nonchalantly.  "No, no.  Leave it open, please."

"What would you like?”  He walked over to the bar at the far end of the room.  “We've got everything here, and Buffy makes a mean martini."

Buffy glowed with that pageant smile again.

Sweet Jesus, if I could pull off a smile like that I could
rule the world.

"Just Scotch for me.
 
How about you, Sarah?"

"I'll try one of those martinis, thanks."

Will and Sarah sat on
the
coffee-colored
leather sofa and waited for the information they’d come for about Vince’s whereabouts.

Buffy brought them their drinks and then said the last thing Sarah
expected. 
"So, are you enjoying your visit to the kingdom?"  If the cluelessness was an act, it was a damned good one.

Sarah and Will shared a quizzical glance, and Sarah's mind spun with how ridiculous this couple seemed.

Do these people think we're here on vacation or what?  What the hell are we doing here?

Will
nodded
politely. 
"Yes, very much.
  Unfortunately we have pressing business elsewhere and really can't stay."

Davidson stood and walked to the desk.  "That's a shame.  We're going to the races tomorrow.  It's a big social thing here.  We'd love to have you join us."  He picked up a small box from the desk and turned to face them again.  "Will, can I interest you in a cigar?  I just received some great Cubans from one of the princes.  Too damned many princes in this country, but I really can't complain when they're so generous."

"Don't mind if I do."  Will took a cigar from the humidor Davidson offered.

Sarah was becoming unnerved by the small talk and stalling.  She crossed her ankles to the left and then to the right.

Will placed a steady hand on her knee.  "As much as we'd love to stay for the races, we really do need to hurry back."

"There is some wonderful shopping in
Riyadh
.  Sarah, do you enjoy shopping?"

"Uh, yes."

"You'll have to come back again soon so I can take you to a few of my favorite shops."

What the hell is up with these people?

Will gave Sarah a resigned look and stood.

"Look, I'm sorry.  I think there's been a misunderstanding.  We meant to meet someone at the party tonight and thought it was you."

Sarah followed his lead.  "Thank you very much for the drinks.  It was lovely meeting you."  She and Will walked toward the door.

Buffy said something in a language that sounded to Sarah as though it could be Greek.  In the blink of an eye, two Roman mastiffs appeared
in the doorway
, complete with bared teeth
.

Will put his hand in front of Sarah, gently pushing her behind him, and spoke calmly.  "Look, I don't know what you two are up to, but you're making a very big mistake."

Buffy spoke sternly in English this time.  "Sit down, Mr. Adams. 
Sarah, you too."
  With another
foreign
command
from Buffy
, the monsters at the door sat and transformed into adorable but
massive
puppies.  Buffy walked over to the
m
and stepped outside the room.