Secrets of the Dead (19 page)

But once they were off the property…once she had the proof she required…he didn’t doubt she would hesitate to order their deaths.

“Please. Can one of my men drop you off at your destination?”

“No, thank you.” He stood, collected his coat from the chair it was draped over. Eve slipped into hers. “We’ll take a cab.” Declan turned to Shuang. Stuck out his hand. “If there is anything else I can do for you, please ask.”

The air in the room hummed with tension. Her smile was frigid as she placed her hand in his. “Who knows? I may do so.”

_______

Zupan tried not
to tremble as he was beckoned into the third floor room where the other men were going over the plans once more. “You have a chance to redeem yourself,” Shuang told him. Her Slovenian was mixed with English. “Do not fail me again.”

He shook his head violently. “I will not fail.” Earlier that day he’d entered into an agreement with Malsovic, and his allegiance had been bought. But Lafka wasn’t here and a man did what he must to stay alive.

She gestured for him to sit down in front of a computer. “Here is the email account that Gallagher will use to send me the evidence I have requested.” She handed him a sheet of paper. “This has the email address I set up for this purpose and the log in information. And here is the account number that I must make a deposit in.” She indicated it on the sheet. “I want you to fix it so the money rests there for a few hours before transferring to another account. Is that possible?”

Relief filled him. Zupan would have agreed to anything at that moment, but this was something he was able to do. “Yes, it can be done. I need the account number where you want the money to end up.”

She handed him a second piece of paper and he studied it. “I will take care of it.” He would, or he would not live to join Lafka in his new plan. And he trusted Malsovic slightly more than he did Xie Shuang.

“We could have overpowered him here.” Amin dared to say what Harris and Taufik were thinking. “We could have forced him to give us the evidence you wanted. He would have done anything we asked if we put a gun to his woman’s head.”

“The man is not stupid. The woman, yes. But Gallagher would have taken precautions.” She gave them a self-satisfied smile. “I, too, took precautions. The end result will be the same. And I will have the information, the money and the two will still be dead. Malsovic will make certain of that.”

_______

“Are we still
on the expense account?” Eve pushed away her empty plate. “The sushi here was phenomenal. But I’d have been happy with pizza.”

“I’m sure you would have.” It occurred to him that in all the times he’d had to feed her she hadn’t been difficult to please. “I think we’ve earned a decent meal after what we accomplished the past few days.”

“I sent Raiker the information Brina gave me about Shuang owning the hotel.” Declan had been as surprised as Eve by the news, and he was reserving judgment on its accuracy. Despite the questions that remained about how the woman would have managed to acquire the property, he almost hoped it was true. At least then it would be more likely that they had the mastermind responsible for Royce’s attempted abduction.

The waiter tipped more wine in Eve’s glass, and she sent him a smile that had the poor guy looking more than a little dazzled. She had a way of doing that. If Declan weren’t careful he’d be in danger of being dazzled himself. If he felt himself falling, even a little bit, all he had to do was remember his reaction when she’d told him how she’d acquired that deck of cards.

The familiar burn was back in his belly. He’d kept his reaction to himself this time. At least he’d learned that much from last night. Whatever Eve’s experience on the job, he had to trust it. And not dwell on what the hell might have happened if Malsovic had come back to his room while she’d been searching it.

Feeling in need of fortification, he sipped from his own glass. It really was damn fine wine. “How is your father?”

“I called a few hours ago and he sounded cranky.” Her smile was wry. “Which probably means he’s feeling better. He’s already talking about returning to work. Mother will make sure he follows doctor’s orders in that regard, however. He’s on medication to treat his condition and coupled with the lifestyle changes recommended by his doctor, hopefully he’ll be fine.”

“He should be feeling better by the holidays.” He nodded at the waiter to bring the check.

“Hopefully. Christmas is a bit more festive since the grandchildren arrived.” She sipped at her wine. “My parents are atheists, so our celebration of the day when I was growing up was nontraditional. Now, however, there’s some limited gift giving when we all get together, although my siblings are insistent that their children receive only educational presents.” Her smile was mischievous. “I take pleasure in skirting the rule to make the gifts more fun. Last year I bought Cynthia an edible chemistry kit.”

He had the same philosophy, although he knew most of his family were just waiting for him to have kids for a little payback. Declan wasn’t opposed to the thought of children in his future. It was the idea of marriage that had him wary. His gran and grandda aside, his family wasn’t noted for their success with long-term commitments. That didn’t seem to stop them from continuing to skipping into and out of relationships with abandon.

“If all this gets wrapped up soon, it’ll be the best imaginable gift for the Raiker family.”

Declan nodded. “Adam seemed satisfied enough with what we accomplished so far. The cards with the women’s likenesses on them will likely speed up the move on the hotel.” He wasn’t any closer to appreciating the chance Eve had taken to get the cards, but they verified Brina’s story. “With one woman dead, I have to believe the raid on the Latifma is imminent. We’re lucky we got what information we did. Likely we wouldn’t have been given more time if we’d needed it.”

“Twenty-nine women soon to be rescued?” Eve raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.” They were silent for a moment. He knew she felt a special kinship for the imprisoned women. She’d taken risks for them above and beyond what the op had called for. It was difficult to think about what they’d suffered at Malsovic’s hands. Whatever they had awaiting them if they were sent back to their countries of origin had to be better than the life they’d been forced to live here.

“Why do you think Malsovic was looking up bin Osman?” Eve’s fingers worried the fluted stem of her glass absently. “It already seemed as if they were taking a page out of the man’s book. Running the same type of human trafficking ring in the exact hotel bin Osman had. Do you think he’s running things from afar? No,” she answered her own question before he could weigh in. “If they have a relationship with the man Malsovic wouldn’t need to look him up. Unless it’s Shuang who knows him. Is it possible that Shuang and Malsovic were at the Latifma at the same time bin Osman was?”

Declan lifted a shoulder. “Anything’s possible. Although neither of their names showed up in the accounts of the raid seven years ago.” He stopped to pull out his card and place it on the tray the waiter had produced with the bill, scribbling his name and the tip on the receipt before the server took it to the register. “We’re really no closer to figuring out the mystery surrounding Royce’s birth.” And their failure to do so burned. Circumstances dictated that their time at the hotel was over, but he wasn’t a man to enjoy leaving a job half done. “Answers to those questions will have to come from Shuang and Malsovic.” And would likely require a promise of reduced sentencing to get one of them to flip on the other. That didn’t set well with him either, but he’d learned from his time spent in law enforcement that justice was often a series of tradeoffs. He knew without asking that Eve would vehemently oppose the sentiment.

“There’s been nothing else picked up from the listening device in Shuang’s office?”

“No, and that’s odd, isn’t it?” Pensively, she rubbed at the condensation on the glass with one index finger. The wire holding the earbuds was draped around her shoulders. The MP3 player was clipped to her cardigan. “No phone calls. No talking. The device is voice activated. Either the office has been vacant since we left, or Shuang is working uninterrupted.”

He reached for his wine glass. He preferred beer, but his grandfather had a sophisticated palate and an extensive wine cellar. Declan would never be a connoisseur, but he’d developed an appreciation for a well-aged white Bordeaux. “There would have been conversations after we left. You can count on it. Maybe held in 311. Evaluating the information I shared.” He paused to drink and then added, “Shuang trying to figure a way out of making the last payment.”

“But you sent the last piece of evidence she requested.”

“And the payment hit my account—or rather, the one Raiker set up for this purpose—minutes ago.” But unless he’d underestimated the woman, she wouldn’t give up that easy. There was no reason to alarm Eve. But the danger of their assignment hadn’t ebbed since they walked out of that hotel alive. It’d peaked.

“Raiker thinks she’ll send Malsovic after us.” Her words, coming on the heels of his resolve to remain silent about it, was enough to rock him a little. “It would be in character for her. It doesn’t help her get the payment back—I can’t figure that part out. But that’s the reason he won’t let us return to the apartment. Or to our homes.”

She didn’t want his protection. She’d made that clear enough. But it was his nature to calm. “Merely a precaution. We hole up in a secure location Raiker picked out for a day or two.” Because surely it wouldn’t take more than that for the whole group operating out of the Latifma to be caught up in the raid. “Then we go our separate ways.” And if that thought brought a pang, he’d blame it on too much raw fish.

“Sure.” She brought her glass to her lips and regarded him over the brim. Taking a sip, she set it down and reached out to pat his hand. “And I don’t want you to worry about that armored car with the special plates and the driver who looks like a trained operative that Adam sent to fetch us from the bank. The driver is probably really a preschool teacher. And the car…likely a rental.”

Amusement mingled with annoyance. “Have I told you that you’re a smart ass?”

She sipped again. “I believe you may have mentioned it.”

The waiter returned with Declan’s card, and he slipped it in his wallet. “All right. Nothing wrong with taking proactive measures, is there?”

“Not at all. But let’s call them what they are, shall we?” Her gaze caught his, held it. “I don’t require mollycoddling. I thought we settled that last night.”

He was beginning to believe they had settled very little last night. Had in fact started something that he was still grappling to come to terms with. “We did. We have more to settle on the way to our temporary home, however.” Pulling out his cell he texted the driver to bring the car to the back entrance of the restaurant. Then rose.

Eve followed suit. “And what’s that?”

“The sleeping arrangements for this evening.” Her expression showed a gratifying flicker of shock, followed by another emotion too fleeting to be identified. His hand touching her elbow lightly, he walked them to where they’d left their coats. “If there’s only one bedroom this time around, I’m telling you right now you’re back on the couch. My back is starting to feel like an accordion.”

“The one and perhaps only benefit of being short is that I’ll never suffer from the same problem.” Her pause was deliberate. “So I’ll flip you for it.”

The words lightened something in him. He helped her with her coat. Donned his own. “An offer that embodies the Christmas spirit. You’re on.” With his coin. And him doing the flipping. He liked his odds better that way.

When it came to Eve Lassiter, he’d take any edge he could get.

The restaurant was flanked front and back by heavily trafficked streets, surrounded by parking on all sides. The back had been the least congested when they came in, but it was full of cars now. Their vehicle was idling fifteen feet from the door. The driver, Kellan Burke, was indeed one of Raiker’s operatives. Like Declan he’d started out in law enforcement, although Burke had been with the Baltimore police department prior to joining Raiker Forensics.

Icicle lights dangled from the overhang of the restaurant’s roof, spilling more light into the lot and lending it a faintly festive air. Burke got out of the car. Began rounding the hood. A taxi pulled into the lot and stopped parallel to the vehicle. A heavily bundled driver got out to open the passenger door on his side.

“Gun!”

Declan would never know which of them shouted it first. He tackled Eve, taking them both to the ground with Burke’s car between them and the taxi. The crack of the first rifle shot was loud. The next two shots pinged off metal, kicked stone from the restaurant siding that was flung back at them like tiny razor sharp missiles.

“Stay down!” He scrabbled to the vehicle. Burke had taken up position behind the right front wheel so Declan took the back. Kell had two shots off before Declan got his gun wrestled from inside his coat and opened fire, ducking when the rifle sounded again.

Eve appeared at his side, weapon in her hand. He spared her a quick hard glance. “I told you…”

“To stay down. I am.” She belly crawled a foot from him and aimed her weapon beneath the armored car. Put three rounds in the taxi’s front tire. The vehicle began to list to one side almost immediately.

The shooter fired twice more. Then he was running, darting for cover between the parked cars. Declan and Kellan rose as one to give chase. The man sprinted out into the traffic, barreling across the street, his escape accompanied by screeching tires and blaring horns as he dodged cars and bolted to the opposite curb and down the sidewalk.

Burke ran to the edge of the parking lot, but Declan already knew it was a lost cause. The shooter was lost from sight, swallowed up by the crowd on the opposite sidewalk, their fists clutching shopping bags.