Shadow Zone (27 page)

“Work on it. This is the second time that bastard has gotten in my way. I don’t want there to be a third. In the meantime, I’ll deal with the woman.” Though he wasn’t going to fool himself that she would be easier than Kirov. He knew just how deadly a woman could be. “I’ll make her wish she’d never been born. I want her to hurt. I want to see her cut to pieces.” Anna might enjoy doing that, he thought. Though she preferred working on men. No, he wanted to reserve that pleasure for himself. Bryson and Kirov had made him look like a fool. He needed to set an example. “Find them.”

“I’ll get right to work on those numbers.” Ames turned away. “I’ll see you back at your suite, sir.”

Ames might be there before he arrived, he thought, annoyed. His limo wasn’t here yet, dammit. No, there it was, pulling in at the far gates. He had time to make that call to Devlin that he’d meant to do before he left France.

Devlin answered the call on the first ring.

“Devlin, I had good news in France. The project is a go. Proceed as planned.”

“Immediately?”

“As soon as possible. Two days max.”

“It may take a while to—”

“No longer than two days, and I want a name.”

“You’ll have it.” Devlin hung up.

Devlin wouldn’t fail him, Gadaire thought. Not like those damn security men who had let him be stripped of his dwindling supply of TK44.

The limo pulled into the hangar, and the driver jumped out to help the flight crew load Gadaire’s luggage into the trunk.

Gadaire climbed into the limo, but called back to Ames at the last moment. “Meet me in my office at six. You can give me your progress report then.”

The driver closed the door behind him.

“Welcome back, my love.” Anna sat in the car with her long legs stretched out and crossed in front of her. She held up a champagne flute.

“This is a nice surprise.” Gadaire kissed her. “A bit early for a drink, don’t you think?” Anna seldom drank. He always thought it was because she never wanted to lose control.

“Apple juice. The tumblers are being cleaned.”

“I see. Not that I couldn’t use a drink right now. Or four.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry you had to cut your trip short.”

“Ames has found out that the bastards behind it are Hannah Bryson and Nicholas Kirov. We need to know how to find them. Call in every marker and work your charms. This is important.”

She took a sip from her glass. “Too bad I didn’t find out more from the old man before he passed on to a better place.”

“Dammit, you couldn’t have brought him in? We have people on the payroll who could have made him talk.”

“None better than I am, darling. There were too many witnesses. Two minutes later there were half a dozen people there. And I still needed to retrieve your precious cargo.”

“What do we know about the dead man?”

“His name was Martin Driscoll. In his day, he was a pretty good thief. He was only convicted once, and that was several years ago.”

“Has he worked for any of our competitors?”

“Not as far as I could find out. We’re still looking into that.”

“Any luck tracking down his partner?”

“Not yet. The other man was quite a bit younger, in his twenties. Driscoll usually worked alone, and he had no known associates. I have people on it.”

“Good.”

She took another sip from her glass. “Judging from your phone call, it sounds like France was a success.”

Gadaire smiled. “A rousing success. I didn’t want to discuss it on the phone, but I have the best possible news.”

She gave him a questioning look.

“Anna, we hit the jackpot.”

“You don’t mean—”

“It’s the missing piece of the puzzle. The artifact was everything we hoped it would be.”

Anna laughed. “I can’t believe it!”

“It’s true. I’ve informed our friends in Pakistan that we may only be days away. I’m expecting a call from them this afternoon.”

She kissed him. “You never stopped believing.”

“No, but you can see why I was so upset about what happened here last night. We can’t let anything derail us now. There’s too much at stake.” He nodded at the small cooler on the floor. “Are those the TK44 samples you recovered?”

“Yes, I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do with them.”

He picked up the cooler and opened it. “We’ll take them back to my office in the stadium. I’ll have Ames put a couple guys there around the clock, at least until after—” Gadaire’s voice trailed off as he stared into the cooler.

“What is it?”

“I think there’s a tray missing.” He started moving the samples. “Dammit, where is it?”

She frowned. “Are you sure?”

He felt the tension and anger tightening his chest as he searched frantically. “I don’t see it.” He glared at her. “Where is it, Anna?”

She stared him in the eye. Her voice was icy. “Just what are you accusing me of, Vincent? I suggest you keep on looking. Count them.”

He did as she suggested. They were all there. One had slipped beneath the tray above it.

“You’re right.” He closed the cooler. “I just thought there might have been a screwup.”

“And you were the one who made it,” she said coldly.

Gadaire leaned back in his seat. He had gone too far. If he couldn’t trust Anna, who in the hell could he trust? If she hadn’t performed so brilliantly last night, he could have lost everything and had to start the project over. “You’re right, as usual. I was out of line. Forgive me.”

Anna relaxed a little, but her demeanor was still chilly. “I can understand that it’s been an upsetting night for you. But you really should think before you speak.”

And she wasn’t going to let it go without him paying for that mistake. It might not be at this moment, but it would come. “You’re absolutely right,” Gadaire said. “Let’s forget about it.”

“Of course. But Vincent . . .” She leaned close to him. “Don’t ever question my loyalty again. I killed a man for you tonight. And we both know it probably won’t be the last time.”

“Not if you have your way.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry, Anna. To make it up to you, let me tell you how I dispensed with your admirer, Hollis. It will amuse you.”

Stodwell Airport
London, England

“Gadaire knows that we stole the TK44.” Kirov hung up his phone. “Walsh said that Gadaire’s men are questioning everyone on the street about us. Very intense. Sometimes brutal.”

“Is Walsh angry?”

“Yes, but not with us. Or he wouldn’t have warned us.” He added, “It was bound to happen, Hannah. It was just a matter of time.”

“I know.” But it still made her uneasy to know that Gadaire was using all his considerable resources in Dublin to track them down. “What do we do now?”

“Proceed as we planned. We’re being careful. That’s all we can do.” He paused. “Unless you want to stop.”

She shook her head. “We can’t do that. Driscoll died. How many other—” She drew a deep breath. “I’m ready. Make the call.”

“I could do it.”

“No, I told you, I want to do it. Gadaire’s not real enough to me. He’s a shadow figure who destroys everything around him. I don’t want to think of him as bigger than life.”

“Then let’s cut him down to size.” He dialed the number. “Three minutes.”

She took the phone.

Gadaire answered on the fifth ring.

“You bastard,” Hannah said angrily. “You killed him. You’re not going to get away with it.”

Gadaire didn’t speak for a moment. “Who is this?” He answered himself. “Why, I believe it must be Hannah Bryson.”

“Yes.”

“How delightful. Is Kirov with you?”

“Not at the moment. He keeps telling me to calm down. I can’t calm down. She murdered Driscoll in cold blood.”

“Anna never acts in cold blood. Her blood always runs hot.”

“Driscoll was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die.”

Another pause. “Then he shouldn’t have gotten in my way. He was lucky his death was comparatively easy.”

“Easy. She broke his neck.” She added shakily, “It’s not going to do you any good. We’re not going to give up. We’ll find that trellis. We’ll take every bit of that TK44 away from you.”

“Not a chance.”

“And I hear you’re looking for us. You won’t find us. Do you think we’re stupid?”

Another pause. “No, I think you’re a
bitch.
” His smooth voice was suddenly vicious. “Yes, I’ve been looking for you. And I will find you. And, when I do, would you like to know what I’m going to do to you?”

Kirov checked his watch and held up one finger.

“I’m going to hurt you more than you can dream.” Gadaire’s voice was laden with malice. “I’m going to cut off your breasts and then start on every limb of your body. How dare you waltz into my territory and steal my property.”

“It’s not your property. Neither the trellis, nor the TK44.”

“It’s mine because I say it’s mine. Possession is everything. I won’t have you getting in my way. I’ll find you and Kirov, and I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.”

“Empty threats.”

“I’ll show how empty they are. You’re nothing. I’ll do whatever I have to do to—”

“Cut it,” Kirov said.

She hung up.

She drew a deep breath and tried to keep from shaking. “Was I on it long enough?”

He nodded. “He had time to trace. And it was clear he was doing it. There were a lot of pauses while he tried to stretch the call.”

She shuddered. “Ugliness. I’ve known what a monster he was. He’s always been hovering in the background, but it’s different actually hearing his voice. All that malice . . .”

“Yes, it must have been very satisfying for him.” He added, “He got very personal with you. It made me angry. I knew it was going to happen but I didn’t realize it was going to cause me to react quite that strongly. It appears I’ve become somewhat barbaric in my attitude toward you. I believe I may have to go back and pay Gadaire a visit.”

“No, don’t be stupid. Promise me you’ll stay out of Dublin.”

He didn’t answer.

“Dammit, promise me.”

He shrugged. “Very well. We’ll just have to try to draw him into a trap on our own ground.”

“It was worth it?”

“Red herrings are always worth the effort. It will buy us time and security.”

“I take it the trace won’t lead him here.”

He shook his head. “The call will be traced directly to the University of Edinburgh.”

“How is that going to happen?”

“It’s an old spy trick. Tape two telephone handsets together, mouthpiece to earpiece, earpiece to mouthpiece. It’s a hard relay. If they try to trace the call, it will only lead to the office where you have two phones fastened to one another. These days, the poor audio quality is a dead giveaway, so it’s important to temporarily hardwire the earpieces and mouthpieces together. I have a contact in London who does very good work.”

“Of course you do,” Hannah said. “And I guess he owed you a favor?”

“No, actually I now owe him one. Especially since he’ll want to be reimbursed for his time and travel expenses.” He smiled. “And those of two look-alikes who resemble us who will make sure they’re seen and noted in those hallowed halls of learning. They should keep Gadaire’s men busy tracking them.”

“So now we’re free and clear.”

“For the time being. I’ve contacted some friends in Athens, and they assured me there was no sign of a Gadaire presence there, but I always believe in safety measures.” He turned away. “Come on. It’s time we got on the plane. Eugenia and Charlie are waiting for us.”

She nodded and moved toward the small jet waiting by the hangar. It had been worth it, she told herself. All that ugliness had purpose.

Kirov glanced back at her. “You did well,” he said quietly.

Just a few words, but they made some of the ugliness go away. “Sure I did. Now let’s get on that plane to Athens and forget that bastard.”

“You got it?” Gadaire asked. “Dammit, I held her on the line long enough.”

“Yes, I think we got the trace.” Ames had a phone pressed to his ear. “Though it was close. You shouldn’t have threatened her and made her—”

“Are you telling me it’s my fault if you screwed up?”

“No, sir. I wouldn’t do that.”

No, Ames knew better.

Gadaire’s hand slowly clenched on the desk. He hadn’t played it as well as he should have done. He had just been so angry when he’d heard Hannah Bryson’s voice. He was so close to making the biggest score of his life, and Kirov and that woman were standing in his way.

Okay, calm down. Go on with what needed to be done.

It was only a matter of time until he had both of them in his sights.

“We’ve got it,” Ames said. “Edinburgh University. Edinburgh, Scotland.”

And the university that had one of the finest botany departments in the world. He’d initially been considering sending the TK44 to Professor McDaniel instead of Lampman to research.

Now it appeared McDaniel was going to get his chance at it after all.

But not for long.

“Go,” he told Ames. “Get a team up to Edinburgh right away. I want those samples and Bryson and Kirov brought back here.”

“You want them alive?”

“That’s what I said, didn’t I?”

Oh, no, don’t kill them. I have plans for you, Hannah Bryson.

CHAPTER
14

Marinth Science and History Museum
Glyfada, Greece

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Kirov pointed to a large white building built atop an oceanside bluff. “The Marinth Museum?”

He drove the rental car along the coastal highway with Hannah sitting beside him and Eugenia and Charlie in the backseat.

“That’s it,” Hannah said. “I’ve never actually been there, but I’ve seen enough pictures to know what it looks like. There’s nothing else quite like it.”

“It’s not open to the public yet, is it?” Eugenia asked.

“No, the official opening is still a few weeks off. But the research labs have been in operation for over two years. Melis and her team are anxious to get a look at the TK44 alga samples we’re bringing.”

“Does she know where we got them?” Kirov asked.

“No, and it should probably remain that way. Plausible deniability, you know.”

“Right,” Kirov said as he drove the winding road that took them to the museum’s back entrance. After passing through the security gates, they were met on the driveway by a tall young man obviously of Middle Eastern descent. He shook Hannah’s hand as she climbed out of the car. “Good to see you again, Ms. Bryson. I’m Dr. Aziz Natali.”