Page 48 of Near Miss

“Your concern is touching.”

“It’s not you I’m concerned about. It’s the fact that if you died, I’d have to find a replacement.”

“Again, I’m touched. Is there another reason for your call other than to remind me how important I am to you?”

“There is. I’m afraid you might have kicked a hornets’ nest.”

“How so?”

“If my information is correct, last night’s car bomb had been intended for you. But it was relocated before it was set off.”

“Let’s pretend that’s correct. What does that have to do with a hornets’ nest?”

“Do you know who Trench Molder is?”

“I believe you mean ‘was.’ ”

“The question is the same.”

“He was a self-important layabout with too much time on his hands.”

“He may have been that, but he was also related to the Greek.”

That stopped Stone. He’d had an up-close and personal relationship with Serge Gromyko, aka the Greek. The man was the former head of the Russian mob. Former because Stone had ended the Greek’s life with a bullet to the head.

“Trench was a Gromyko?”

“No,” Lance said, “but his uncle is.”

“Again, I think you are confusing your verb tenses. The Greek is dead.”

“I’m talking about the new Greek.”

“The new Greek?”

“Alexei Gromyko.”

“There’s another Gromyko?”

“Serge’s half brother. Took over after you removed Serge from the picture. And before you ask, he’s also half Russian, half Greek. Their mothers are sisters.”

“That’s a disturbing family tree.”

“The important branch to you is that Alexei’s sister is Trench’s mother.”

“And now you’re going to tell me this new Greek and Trench were close.”

“Close or not, he will not be pleased his nephew is dead.”

“The bomb wasn’t mine, and I didn’t set it off. Trench killed himself.”

“Do you think that’s how the Greek will see it?”

“Gee, thanks for being a bright ray of sunshine.”

“I am only the friendly messenger. My suggestion is to take the appropriate precautions.”

The line went dead.

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