Page 44 of Belgian Betrayal

They took their time crossing, stopping to stare up at the statue where Dmytro sat.

“Look,” Atkins said. “You have me now. We’ll give you the disk as soon as you release the girl.”

“Why should we when we have you and your daughter?” Middleman said. “Give me the disk.”

“Why make this harder than it has to be? You can have the disk. Just let her go,” Atkins said.

“Search him,” Middleman said.

The man who’d been tagged with shooting Madison’s toes and Middleman’s other sidekick converged on Atkins. One pressed a gun into his back while the other went through the pockets of Atkins’s jacket, pulled the jacket off and went through his trousers.

“You’re not going to find it,” Atkins said.

The man pulled out the MI6 agent’s wallet and dumped the contents, ripping the wallet apart while searching for a hidden compartment. When that didn’t yield the disk, he removed Atkins’s shoes one at a time and even pulled off his socks.

Finally, the man straightened.

“Where’s the disk?” Middleman demanded.

“I told you. I’ll give it to you when you release the girl,” Atkins said. “You’re wasting time.”

“I’ll decide when I’m wasting time,” Middleman said, his voice tight and angry.

“I can’t shoot him,” Ace said. “The girl and Atkins are too close. I have my sights set on their sniper. He’s in position, but I can’t tell who he’s aiming at.”

The drama had gone on too long already. “Let the girl go,” Catya said.

Middleman motioned toward the two men closest to Catya. “Grab her.”

Catya pulled her handgun and aimed it at the man nearest to her. “I wouldn’t do that.” She glanced toward Middleman. “You’re wasting time, and my patience is getting thin. We know you have a sniper ready to fire. So do we. Your men are surrounded. Even if you have more hiding nearby, we have just as many armed and ready to open fire.”

Middleman glanced up, his gaze going to the rooftops closest to him, including the Belfry.

Ace hid well. He couldn’t be seen from the ground where they were standing. Middleman’s gaze swept the nearly empty market square, landing on Fearghas and Jasmine. Moonlight glinted off the guns they’d drawn and pointed at the men surrounding Middleman.

Dmytro stepped out from the other side of the statue, carrying a submachine gun.

Catya gave him a second to digest the predicament before continuing, “You can take the disk and walk away, or we can all start shooting, and you’ll fail in your mission. I’m betting someone put you up to getting that disk. If you live through this standoff and show up emptyhanded, what will your boss have to say?”

After a long moment, Middleman jerked his head toward the men holding Madison. “Release her.”

The two men hesitated.

“Now,” Middleman barked. “We have her father.”

The men released Madison and gave her a little push toward Catya.

Madison stumbled several steps forward and stopped, looking back at her father. She tried to say something, but the tape over her mouth garbled her words.

“Go,” Middleman said. “Before I change my mind.”

The girl shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Please, Madison,” Atkins said softly. “I’ll be okay as long as you’re safe.”

When she still didn’t move, Atkins said. “Go!”

Madison glared at Middleman and cursed behind the tape over her mouth.

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