Iris Johansen - Deadlock

Blood running from beneath the overturned truck.

"And that amulet with Rasputin's picture was Nemid's bribe money? Why? What's it supposed to be?"

He shrugged. "I didn't go into more than the bare facts with Babin. Staunton must have convinced him that it had some value. Probably it was supposed to seal the partnership. Maybe after we read the book, we'll know more."

"I want to see the amulet again."

"It's in my suitcase. I'll get it for you." He got to his feet and went outside to the lean-to. He was back in minutes and handed her the box. "Anything else?"

"You can translate Mikhail Zelov's book double quick." She opened the box and gazed down at the amulet of Rasputin. "Payment for all that blood and misery… Look at him. Those burning eyes. He looks like the holy man he pretended to be. The holy man Zelov created." Her gaze shifted to the words below the amulet. "You're sure this is just a blessing?"

He nodded. "And I looked for any secret compartments or other writing. Nothing. I checked out the map, too. No invisible ink or any¬thing similar. Though if it was a copy, it probably wouldn't show any indications. That doesn't mean that under sophisticated tests some¬thing might not show up. But you have to consider that this amulet was created in the early twentieth century."

She closed the box again. "Did Babin tell you what was supposed to be in the hammer?"

"Oh, yes." He smiled faintly. "And it's quite a treasure. Not Anas-tasia's jewels or the Tsarina's favorite pearl pendent. It's precise direc¬tions to the location of the treasure the Tsar had sent out of the country in case the royal family had to flee the revolutionaries." He paused. "Billions, Emily. Billions."

"It didn't do him any good, did it? His whole family was butchered before he could get them out of Russia."

"But you can see how it would be a lure that would attract Babin and Joslyn… and perhaps Bishop Dimitri."

She nodded. "I can see it." She got to her feet. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. Why don't you take a nap, then start working on that translation."

His brows rose. "That was more an order than a request."

She stared him in the eye. "Neither would really do me any good, would it? I know you'll do whatever you want to do. You proved that tonight."

"Is this where you tell me what a bastard I am for leaving you here while I went after Babin?"

"You like to work alone. Dardon was very definite on that subject." She paused. "So that leaves me no choice but to work alone, too."

Garrett muttered a curse. "That's exactly what I didn't want to happen. I didn't want you to get impatient and go out on your own because you thought I was dragging my feet."

"So you left me and went off and risked your neck. Was it to prove you weren't dragging your feet?"

He shook his head. "I won't lie. I was planning on doing it before we even went to Babin's office."

"And you didn't tell me."

"Dammit, I saw how you were at Babin's office. Just seeing him and knowing he was at the hut made you go into a tailspin."

"Okay, I was upset. But I worked my way through it. You didn't give me a chance. You just patted my back and said, there, there, little girl. Then you went off to do my job."

"It was my job, too, Emily."

"I thought it was our job. Last night I was going to come to you be¬cause I trusted you. I was feeling alone and uncertain, but I thought that we were partners, that we were working together. I wanted to be close to you." She added fiercely, "But I couldn't trust you. You were gone. You'd lied to me." "Not exactly."

"Don't quibble. If I'd walked out of that room before you left, would you have told me the truth?" He was silent. "Probably not."

"I rest my case." She turned away from him. "How can I trust you again, Garrett?"

"You can trust me to get the job done," he said. "You can trust me to keep you alive. You can't trust me to let you risk your life. I can't let that happen."

"It's my choice."

"No, it's my choice," he said roughly. "I can stop it. I can step in the way. I did that tonight."

"Why, dammit? We were working together."

"How the hell do I know? It just hurts me to think about it." He smiled without mirth. "And it's not because you're a great lay. Though you are. But I've had great lays before, and I didn't get torn up. You should have known it would come down to this. It's been hovering there since that first night at Shafir Ali's tent."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Is it because you pity me?"

"Lord, no."

"I think it is. Why else would you send for Irana? You'd risk her be¬cause you think that I'm not competent enough to do what needs to be done. You wanted to put me in one of those hideous burquas and throw me behind closed doors." Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Don't you dare pity me. Don't you dare discount me. I could do this alone. It would be hard. It would take me more time. But I could do it. You don't want me to go off by myself? Then you straighten up and keep the promise that you gave me. I asked you to help me, not take over." Her voice was shaking with anger, and she tried to keep it even. "And I didn't ask you to let me sit here and wonder if you were going to be killed at Babin's place tonight. You might deserve it for be¬ing so stupid and male and domineering, but that wasn't our agree¬ment, and if you ever do it again, I'll-" She whirled and strode toward her bedroom. "Now you translate that book, dammit."

STAUNTON WATCHED AS P A U L E Y and Babin got out of the car at the airport parking lot and entered the main terminal.

Yes. He'd hoped that Garrett's man would go in with Babin when he'd followed them from Babin's house. He got out of his own car and moved down the two rows separating them. He'd go in and check Babin's destination later, but this came first…

He carefully slipped a bug under the back bumper. It might not even be necessary. The man Garrett had designated to deliver Babin to the airport didn't appear any too sharp, and Staunton might be able to follow him back to Emily. But Staunton always prided himself on being thorough.

Ah, Emily. How he missed the bitch. They had been so close, they had almost become one when he was working on Levy. She would be an exquisite pleasure.

Soon, Emily. Bugging the car might not be needed at all. After re¬ceiving that call from Borg earlier in the evening, he was almost sure of it. If everything went as planned, Emily might be coming to him on her knees. What a pleasant thought.

He returned to his own car and slipped into the driver's seat. He would wait here and make sure that Babin was just being put on a plane and not accompanied.

In the meantime, he had other business to conduct. Garrett was proving to be difficult. It might be time to change tactics. Staunton had hoped to buy a little more time, but it could be that he'd have to be satisfied with what he'd already gouged out of Babin.

But he might still be able to tap the prime source. It was time

Joslyn was brought into the real world and got his hands a little dirty. He couldn't hide behind Babin any longer. Staunton would know as soon as he told Joslyn what he'd done to get that hammer whether he'd go along or if Staunton would have to go in another direction.

A new day was dawning, things were changing, and he had to meet the challenge.

He dialed his phone, his gaze on the front entrance of the airport.

"Joslyn, this is Staunton. We have to talk."

IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME since she'd been to Russia, Irana thought as she gazed out of the window as the jet came in for the land¬ing at the small private field outside Moscow. She had been only a young girl, full of enthusiasm, thirsting for knowledge, ready to ex¬plore the entire world.

She supposed she hadn't really changed that much. She was older, more experienced, a little sadder, but she hoped that she had kept that enthusiasm and boundless curiosity.