Page 89 of Dangerous Secrets

She nodded.

“Say as little as possible, get in, get out.”

She nodded again.

They looked at each other in the silence of the room. Nick was panting, as if he’d run a race. His fists clenched tightly, then opened.

“Go finish getting dressed,” he said, “before I change my mind.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Parker’s Ridge

Vassily Worontzoff’s mansion

“My dear Arkady,” Vassily said, coming towards him. “My dear, dear friend.” They embraced, kissing each other’s cheeks.

“Vor.” Arkady’s voice was thick. He coughed to hide his emotion. He hadn’t seen his Vor in three years.

“Come my friend, you must sit down. You must be weary after such a long journey.” Vassily indicated a comfortable leather armchair next to what was obviously his desk and brought Arkady a glass of vodka himself, a sign of respect.

Arkady drank and looked around. The Vor’s home was luxurious, as was only right. It was fitting that they end their lives in comfort. The Vor had property in Rome. Maybe he would go there to live while he strengthened Vassily’s position in Italy.

He smiled. It was a pleasant thought.

The Vor sat in an armchair next to him, placing his shattered hand on Arkady’s arm. “You have done well, my friend. Therewill be many such trips, if you are willing to take them—” He paused while Arkady nodded.

No question. If the Vor needed him, he was at his service.

“Good.” The Vor nodded. “We will make much money and when we have finished, I will send you to look after my interests in Europe. Would you like to settle in Switzerland? France?”

“Italy,” Arkady breathed and the Vor nodded again.

“Italy it shall be. There will be work for you there. Our empire is growing. You will be my viceroy.”

Arkady bowed his head. “It would be a privilege, Vor,” he murmured.

The two men turned their heads at the sharp knock on the door. A man stuck his head in. A former zek. Arkady could tell. “He’s coming Vor. We just got word. He’ll be here in less than an hour, in a three-car caravan.”

“He comes in alone,” Vassily said sharply. “Or not at all. Tell him I will be without bodyguards myself. There will only be the engineer in the room.”

The man looked uneasy. “Vor,” he said. “Is that wise? These are dangerous men.”

“Yes, they are. But we have something they badly want. And we have more coming. They won’t harm me.” He flicked his hand. “Now go and be prepared to greet him when he arrives.”

The man hesitated briefly, then bowed his head and withdrew. The heavy door made a softwhumpsound as it closed.

Vassily gave a wintry smile. “This business will be over soon. Come, let us retire to the living room where we have tea waiting for us. And when this is over, there is someone I must introduce to you. You will be astonished, my friend.”

Outside Worontzoff’smansion

Those werethe last words they heard before Alexei pulled the plug. Nick knew Alexei had to—if you looked carefully, you could see the laser beam as a faint line in the gathering darkness—but he had to stop himself from banging a fist against the wall in frustration.

He and Di Stefano were hunkered down behind a bush, to one side of the study windows, unable to see into the room. Essentially blind and now that Alexei had cut them off, deaf, too.

They were clad head to toe in a special uniform and balaclava made of Nomex that repelled thermal imaging.

Worontzoff’s security was shot to shit tonight, all his guards milling about, offloading the truck that had driven in a quarter of an hour before. He and Di Stefano had been careful and they were good. They’d had zero trouble infiltrating.

---