Vision Impossible (35 page)

I tapped my temple. “My radar says I’m not wrong on this one, Maks.”

He considered me thoughtfully. “I see.”

“So have you met them?” I asked again.

“No,” Maks said, and his energy insisted he wasn’t lying, which I found truly frustrating. If he had been introduced to the thief, I could have searched the ether around him for clues. As it stood, I still had no idea what our thief looked like.

At that moment there was a lot of activity at the front of the house, and Maks and I both stood up to see what was happening. A whole troop of people poured into the front hallway and in the thick of them stood Boklovich, greeting his guests while a flurry of servants bustled about, taking coats and luggage.

At first glance it looked like a gathering of the United Nations. There were all manner of ethnic groups represented, with one individual standing out from the crowd. He was a very tall man dressed in flowing robes and the traditional Arab headdress. I noticed that the man’s beady brown eyes took in everything around him, including me.

“Is that Sheikh Omar?” I whispered as Maks came to stand close to me and take my hand possessively.

“It is,” he said, and I could hear the distaste in his voice.

The man in reference did something unexpected then; he pointed to me and said something that he was clearly directing to Boklovich. Boklovich turned to look at me too and he laughed as if the Arab had just said something quite funny. Then he gave the sheikh a slight bow and began walking over to us. Maks’s hand gripped mine even tighter.

“Maksim Grinkov,” Boklovich said formally, before speaking to him in rapid Russian. I could tell that I’d attracted the sheikh’s attention, but I didn’t know why, and all the while Boklovich and Maks were talking, the sheikh’s eyes never left mine.

I finally looked away because he was making me uncomfortable, and I waited for Maks to translate what was happening.

Boklovich finally ended the conversation by shrugging and shaking his head, then walking back to the sheikh with a shrug and his palms turned up in an “I tried” gesture.

“What was that about?” I asked when Maks began pulling me out of the room and over to the stairs.

“The sheikh has taken an interest,” he said. “He wants to purchase you.”

I was offended. “Does he really think I’m a hooker?”

Maks shook his head and hurried me along up the stairs. “No,” he said. “He does not want to purchase you for an evening, Abigail. He wants to buy you and place you in his harem.”

At the top of the stairs I stopped and pulled hard on Maks’s hand. “He
what
?”

Maks came close to me again and warned, “Lower your voice!” I piped down quick. “Come with me,” he added less forcefully. “Please.”

I followed him back to our room and Maks pulled me inside and shut the door. I rounded on him the moment we were alone and demanded he tell me what was going on.

“Sheikh Omar is a
very
wealthy man,” Maks explained. “And as such he is quite used to getting what he wants. I was afraid he might take notice of you, but, as you insisted on coming, there was little I could do. He has set a price of one hundred thousand dollars for you.”

“One hundred thousand dollars?” I was incredulous, and I didn’t know if I should feel insulted, flattered, or a little of both. “What did you tell him?”

“No,” Maks said. “Obviously. But the price will climb.”

I could feel my stomach turn. “At what price will you accept his offer, Maks?”

He didn’t answer me, which I found quite troubling. “I’m going to ask you to stay here for the duration of the day, Abigail. It’s for your own good. I’m hopeful that the other women Boklovich has ordered to attend the party will take the interest of Sheikh Omar off you, but until they arrive, it’s best for you to keep out of sight. I will have a guard placed outside the door to keep you safe while I attend to business.”

My jaw dropped. “Is that really necessary?”

Maks’s beautiful hazel eyes bored into mine. “Do not underestimate the predatory nature of Sheikh Omar,” he warned. “He will not stop until he’s gotten what he wants by whatever means necessary.”

With that, Maks turned and walked out the door.

T
he moment Maks left me, I counted to fifty, then crept out the door quickly and quietly. Moving to the staircase, I tiptoed up the steps, profoundly grateful that everyone still seemed to be milling about downstairs in the main hall. Once I gained the third floor, I ran down to the end and began knocking on the door urgently.

Mandy opened it, looking groggy and out of it. “What?” she groaned.

“Where’s Rick?” I whispered.

Mandy blinked. I could tell I’d just woken her up and she looked behind her in the room. “He’s not here,” she said, her attitude changing instantly to annoyed.

“Where is he?” I demanded.

“How the hell should I know?” she complained. “God! It’s not like we’re tied at the hip, you know!”

This time I was so frustrated that I didn’t hold back. I reached up and grabbed her by the shoulders; shaking her slightly, I got right up in her face and hissed, “This is serious, Mandy, and I need you to shut up and focus!” Mandy’s eyes bulged. She gave me an obedient nod and I let her go. “Did you give him my message?”

Mandy rolled her eyes dramatically, which I took for a yes.

“Do you know what time he left the room?”

“What am I, his warden?” she snapped.

I could feel the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach intensify. Out of desperation I reached into my pocket, pulled out the note, and shoved it into her hand. “You’ve got to give this to Rick when he comes back to the room, do you hear me?”

Mandy nodded, her eyes still big and frightened. My radar pinged a warning and I knew I had to get back to my room. “Stay here until he comes back, okay?”

Again she nodded and I left her to bolt back down the hallway and race quietly to my room. No sooner had I reached it than I saw the black cap of one of the soldiers cresting the top of the stairs. I dashed into the room and closed the door behind me, exhaling slowly and leaning back against the door.

A few seconds later there was a knock on my door. I gathered my composure and opened it. A man in fatigues tipped his cap and said in a very thick accent, “I to guard you.”

“Sure,” I told him, and closed the door again.

I was left to pace the floor and worry about Dutch.

Around eleven a.m. there was another knock on my door and I opened it to reveal Maks’s butler holding several garment bags and packages. “Hello, Ms. Carter,” he said cordially, while the guard eyed him suspiciously. “Might I come in?”

I’d completely forgotten about Maks insisting that Eddington go into town and find me a dress suitable for that evening. “Of course, Mr. Eddington,” I said, giving a small wave to the guard to let him know it was okay.

Eddington came in and began to shut the door, but the guard put his foot out and said, “If she have company, I vwatch to make sure no hanky-panky.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily, taking a few of the bags from the butler’s overloaded arms. “I’ve brought you an array to chose from,” Eddington said. I could tell he was nervous to have the guard staring at us through the doorway. “Mr. Grinkov suggested you were between a size four and a size six?”

“Yes,” I said, watching him hang the garment bags along the door to the bedroom and more than a little curious.

“I also guessed that you wear a size nine shoe?”

“I do,” I said, surprised that he’d guessed correctly.

Eddington smiled and tilted his head. “I shall leave you to select the outfit which most pleases you for the party,” he told me, and moved to the door. Pausing on his way out, he said, “Mr. Grinkov will be along at three thirty to collect you. Might I send up some lunch for you in the meantime?”

Given the state of anxiousness I was in, I wasn’t very hungry, but then I realized I’d probably need my strength if Dutch and I were going to escape that night. Who knew how long we’d be stuck tramping through the wilderness before we could reach the other landing strip and signal for help? “Some lunch would be wonderful, Mr. Eddington, thank you.”

“Very good, ma’am,” Eddington said, and took his leave of me, closing the door and shutting out the probing eyes of the guard.

As soon as the doors were closed, I moved over to the array of garment bags. There were eight in all, and upon closer inspection I discovered that there were actually only four styles to choose from, but one of each in a size four and size six.

The instant I pulled back the cover of the second dress, I knew it was for me. I swept it immediately off the door where Eddington had hung it, and turned it around to admire it fully.

The cocktail dress was a black sequined Dolce & Gabbana number that looked almost liquid on the hanger, like a shimmering black river as the ebony sequins caught the light. The cut was short, to my upper thigh, and tight, but when I had it on, it was incredibly flattering. Also, the fact that the four fit me without being uncomfortable gave me a temporary ego boost.

I sifted through the other shopping bags to find a pair of black patent leather pumps and a matching sequined clutch. I moved into the closet to dig through my luggage and see what I had in the way of jewelry. My engagement ring was there, tucked safely among an assortment of jewelry, and seeing it brought me up short. I sat down on the floor of the closet, staring at my ring, and felt all the tension of this mission and the fear for Dutch catch up with me and I had myself a little pity party right there on the closet floor.

After about ten minutes I wiped my eyes, placed my engagement ring onto my right ring finger, vowing not to leave it or Dutch behind, and rummaged through my luggage again. Finally, I located the small handgun Frost had given me, and tucked that into my clutch along with the stun gun from Maks’s luggage. The clutch was heavy, but I vowed to manage.

My lunch arrived just after I’d washed my face and collected myself again, and I ate every bite.

I then paced the floor until two, jumped in the shower, and stayed in the bathroom for the next hour and a half. When I was satisfied with my reflection, I emerged. Maks was standing in the bedroom as if he’d been waiting for me, and I sucked in a breath as much for the fact that he was there as for how the man looked.

Which . . . in a word . . . was breathtaking.

He wore black silk dress slacks that fit him beautifully, with a matching velvet dinner jacket. A crisp white dress shirt had several buttons open to reveal a bit of chest hair, and the outfit was completed by a beautiful purple pocket square with flecks of gold, and diamond and amethyst cuff links. “You look stunning,” he said, catching sight of me.

I felt heat hit my cheeks again and inwardly I cursed my own attraction to this man. “Thank you,” I said. “And might I say the same about you?”

He grinned sideways at me. “You may.”

That made me laugh, which helped ease the terrible knot of tension that had been building inside me all day. There was a knock at the door and Maks moved over to answer it. I followed him out into the sitting room and peeked over his shoulder when he opened the door. I noticed two things immediately: The guard at the door was gone, and Mandy was there, looking nervous and fidgety. She was also dressed in a black cocktail dress, but her dress hugged her a little tighter than mine and showed off her long legs, small waist, and size DD boobs. In an instant I went from feeling confident to chopped liver as I saw how a tasteful and flattering dress on Mandy was all it took to transform her into something amazing. “Hey,” she said, spying Maks immediately and doing a terrible job of tucking the note I’d given her earlier behind her back to hide it from him.

I stepped immediately to the door, alarm bells going off in my head. “Hi, Mandy!” I said with false warmth. “You look incredible, girlfriend! Did you need me?”

Mandy was a little slow on the uptake—no shocker there—and she replied, “Uh . . .”

“You needed to borrow some more lady things, am I right?”

“Uh . . .”

Maks was looking from Mandy to me, and he seemed to know something was up. “I have some in my bathroom, honey, so don’t be embarrassed. Just come with me and we’ll get you taken care of.”

I then grabbed her by the hand, said, “We’ll just be a minute” to Maks, and half pulled, half yanked her in the direction of the bedroom. “Right in here,” I sang, moving her inside, where I shut the door and mouthed, “Where’s Dutch?”

Mandy shook her head and held out the note to me. “He didn’t come back to the room!” she whispered.

I eyed the door to the bathroom. I had little doubt that Maks was trying to eavesdrop on our conversation, so I said loudly, “These should do the trick, honey. And they’re nice and small to fit into your purse!” I then motioned to the note and her purse and she caught on, thank God.