Deadlock

by Iris Johansen

  "It's a big favor. Can you come to Moscow right away?" "Why?"

  "As I said, Emily is tense. I'm trying to find a way to keep her from exploding and doing something that could be dangerous for her. You'd be good for her." He added, "But the situation isn't what I'd like it to be here. Things may get very ugly, and you could be in the middle of it."

  "That wouldn't bother me. I didn't like the fact that Staunton blew up my hospital."

  "He's capable of far worse than that."

  "I assumed that the devil had a firm hand on him. He gave Emily nightmares, and she's very tough. She's the only reason that you wish me to come?"

  "She's the main reason. You could help with something else if you would. We may have to deal with the Russian Orthodox Church. One of the paths is leading in that direction. You might be able to commu¬nicate with them on a higher plane."

  She laughed. "Where did you get that idea? A Roman Catholic nun who renounced her vows? They would probably toss me out."

  "You'd know how they thought. You're well versed in the histori¬cal side."

  "History?"

  "It's only a thread, but it occurred to me that it was strange that the Church was involved in this at all. It may have something to do with Rasputin and his battles with the Church."

  "You've lost me."

  "Dardon will explain it all to you." He paused. "If you choose to be¬come involved. I didn't want to ask it of you, Irana. I had you safely tucked away where I didn't have to worry about you."

  "Only because I allowed it." She was silent a moment. "I will help you as far as my conscience will permit. There are many things we don't agree upon, Garrett. But we do agree that Emily should be loved and protected. I'll come as soon as you want me. I'll make reservations for a plane to Moscow right after I go to church tonight."

  "No reservations. Is it necessary that you go to church today? I won¬der if you'd mind skipping attending church and head for the airport within a few hours? Dardon usually uses a pilot, Chad Nalley, in that area. He's in and out of Morocco frequently. He'll contact him, and you can be on your way later tonight. I won't risk Staunton's knowing you're in the country." He added soberly. "I promise I'll keep you safe, Irana."

  "Church is never a necessity, it's a solace. I wasn't able to get away from the clinic yesterday, so I thought I'd go today. But instead I'll go to the airport after I finish at the clinic and be ready for your Mr. Nal¬ley." She paused. "I told you I had a dream about Emily last night. You didn't ask me what it was about."

  "Threat? Danger?"

  "No. Emily was happy, very happy. She was like a butterfly soaring in the sunlight. I woke up smiling. Was Emily happy last night, Garrett?" / feel alive.

  "I hope she was, Irana."

  "So do I. I'll see you soon." She hung up.

  A butterfly soaring in the sunlight…

  He had never seen that side of Emily. No, he had seen it but never been included in the world of that woman who loved Bruce Spring¬steen and Casablanca. He had come close last night, but sex had a way of overshadowing everything.

  A butterfly soaring…

  DAMMIT, AT LAST.

  Babin had waited all day until he could get on the road in his car and away from any possible electronic wiretaps. He dialed Staunton with frantic speed. "Where the hell are you?"

  "Moscow. I arrived last night. You told me that you didn't want me to contact you directly." There was a faint mockery in his tone as he continued. "And you know I always obey you, Babin."

  "You didn't obey me when I told you to get someone good to take down Garrett and collect the woman." Babin cursed long and fluently before he continued, "They're here. They came to my office today. They know about me."

  "Really? I sent a good man, but you should have let me go myself. If you remember, it's what I wanted to do."

  "Don't give me any I-told-you-so bullshit. You had orders to get the job done, and you failed me."

  "I don't fail, Babin. You failed. You'll get the blame."

  Staunton was usually not respectful, but there was a note of arro¬gance in his voice that Babin had never heard. "Blame?"

  "Did you really think I didn't know about Joslyn? I'd never let myself go into any deal without being in control. I was very amused when you dribbled out your little bits of information to me. I knew everything you knew and more."

  Shock made Babin go rigid. "You son of a bitch."

  "But I can be generous. I won't even tell Joslyn how you've blun¬dered."

  "You're the one who blundered. Now what are you going to do about it?"

  "What do you want me to do about it?"

  "I want you to find Garrett and the woman and take them out of the equation. I want you to protect me and make sure that he doesn't find out anything he shouldn't."

  "I don't believe our agreement included me protecting you, Babin. You have guards to do that. I have other fish to fry. Did you find out where Garrett and Emily are staying?"

  "No, I was caught by surprise. I thought you'd taken care of them. I didn't have time to arrange-"

  "Then it was doubly your failure. I'll have to work all the harder to locate them because you fouled up."

  "I did not-" But Staunton had hung up.

  Bastard. Babin punched the disconnect button. He had not ex¬pected this degree of rebellion from Staunton, and he'd never suspected he knew that it was really Joslyn who was in control of the money. It made him uneasy that Staunton was trying to blame him for everything that had gone wrong. After all, it was Staunton who had failed to get the information from the woman, then let her be rescued.

  Is Staunton trying to avoid a possible dismissal by trying to frame me?

  For the first time, Babin felt a jolt of fear. His instincts were usu¬ally sound, and they were screaming that Staunton was about to knife him in the back. Mistakes and failure that could not be corrected would not be tolerated. Not in Staunton. Not in Babin.

  Staunton would have to be eliminated. He had found Staunton, and he would find another killer to rid him of the son of a bitch.

  He was driving up to his impressive front gates and could see the towers of the castle through the trees. He felt the familiar flush of pleasure the sight always brought him. No grand dukes, no Tsars, no Tsarina. This world belonged to Babin now. He had worked for it. He had lied and cheated and trampled over anyone who got in his way.

  Just as he would trample over Garrett and that bitch.

  Just as he would trample over Staunton.

  THERE HAD BEEN NO SOUND from Emily's room for hours, and it was close to midnight. Is she asleep or just avoiding me? Garrett won¬dered. It could be either. She had been upset when she had left him, and their coming together last night might represent an emotional over¬load to her.

  He would have to deal with that possibility later. Tonight he was just as glad that he didn't have to find a way to avoid her. That would have been extremely delicate.

  He listened. Definitely no sound. I hope you sleep well, Emily. Time to make the move.

  He glided across the room and opened the front door. The car was parked down the driveway, and Pauley was leaning against it.

  He straightened as Garrett came toward him. "What the hell is happening? Dardon just told me to meet you out here."

  "We're going hunting. Get in the car. You drive."

  "Hunting?" he repeated warily. "I'm not really the outdoor type. I thought you might have noticed."

  "I don't think it will require outdoor activity." He got into the pas¬senger seat. "But then again, it might."

  "Look, you're not going to drop me somewhere by the wayside, are you?" He started the car. "I know you've been pissed at me, but just tell me, and I'll go."

  "How could I drop you? You're the one driving."

  "Well, it makes more sense than taking me hunting. I can't help it, you know. I'm irresistible to women. It's nothing I do."

  "Pauley, shut up."

  He was silent for a moment. "Where are we going?
" "We're going to pay a visit to Babin."

  "Oh." Pauley thought about it. "Violence and mayhem? I'm not good at that either. Wouldn't you prefer to have Dardon?" "With my whole being."

  Pauley sighed with relief. "Then I'll turn around and go back." "I need someone I can trust to watch over Emily. That's more im¬portant than having him back me up. Dardon has his orders." "And what am I supposed to do?"

  "Nothing that will get me in trouble. You may act as lookout or just as driver. I'll do the rest."

  "Good," Pauley said. "That sounds relatively bloodless. Babin lives in a fancy estate. How do we get in?"

  "We leave the car at the gate and climb the fence." He added straight-faced, "Hopefully, it's not electrified."

  "Hopefully," Pauley said. "Look, I know that you probably know everything you could know about that estate. After all, it's a historical palace. I'd appreciate it if you'd get off my back. I'll do what you want me to do. I may not be good at it, but I won't say no."

  Garrett studied him, then slowly nodded. "That's all I ask." He shrugged. "Dardon gave me a map of the place he got off the Internet, complete with security system. There's an alarm at the gate, but the fence isn't alarmed in any way. No electricity. The rest of the house has alarms, but it's a system that's twenty years old. It was installed by the former owner. I can get around it."

  "I'm sure you can. You're sure you don't want to go back for Dar¬don?"

  "I'm sure. I think you need a new challenge. It's good to stretch yourself occasionally." His smile was crooked. "You told me it was no effort at all being irresistible."

  "STAY HERE, PAULEY." GARRETT checked his infrared detector. "Three people in the downstairs service quarters. One occupied bed¬room on the second floor. Two guards at two o'clock. They're not moving. Just stay here in the shadows and come and warn me if there's anything that-" "Come where?"

  Garrett did a pass with the detector to make certain. "Bedroom. Second floor. I'll disable the side-door alarm and motion monitor." He moved toward the huge door at the side of the palace. "Don't move."

  "Not a muscle." He tilted his head. "Do you know, I'm beginning to get a kind of zing from this. I'll be watching like a hawk. Trust me."

  He wished he could trust Pauley, Garrett thought as he worked on disabling the security alarm. His response had surprised Garrett once he'd realized that he was going to have to go along with him. He might be able to trust his mind-set and willingness to help, but Pauley didn't have Dardon's experience. Well, he would have to do. Garrett needed to move forward quickly. Not only because Emily was on the edge and might go out on her own if he didn't show progress, but now that they'd exposed themselves to Babin, he might rush to cover his tracks before Garrett could convince him otherwise.

  He made the final adjustment and swung the heavy door open.

  No alarm.

  It was strange that Babin hadn't updated the security. But maybe he had been so wrapped up in the past glories of the place that he'd assumed that everything was top-notch. Or maybe Garrett would get an unpleasant shock when he tried to get into the master bedroom.

  He opened the door a tiny crack. He didn't get a surprise.

  Okay. Move fast before Babin woke and could get his hands on a weapon.

  He threw open the door and darted across the room toward the bed.

  Babin wasn't there.

  He'd rolled off the bed as the door opened and was clawing fran¬tically at the drawer of the nightstand.

  Garrett encircled his neck with his arm and jerked him backward. The next moment Babin was on his back, Garrett on top of him, his knife pressed against Babin's throat. "I thought it over, and I decided that we needed to talk a little longer." He reached up and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. He wanted to see expressions. Babin's face was flushed and full of venom. No fear. That wasn't good. He pressed the tip of the knife a tiny bit harder, and a rivulet of blood ran down Babin's throat. That was better. A trace of fear flickered. "Of course, if you choose not to tell me what you know, I could just kill you. That would be good, too. Emily would like that."

  "That bitch."

  He pressed a little harder. "I wouldn't talk about Emily in those terms if I were you. It annoys me."

  Babin's dark eyes were blazing with rage. "You can't do this to me.

  This palace is full of guards. Any minute one of them will find out you're here."

  "You have four guards on the ground. Two near the gates. Two on the west side of the palace. My men will take care of them." Yeah, sure. That was the bluff of the century. "You have servants, but I doubt if they'd come to your rescue. No, it's just you and me, Babin." He added softly, "And soon it will be just me if you don't talk. These are such grand, majestic halls. Do you want your spirit to be haunting them with the Grand Duke Igor's? No, somehow I think you won't be allowed any earthly territory. Straight to hell, Babin."

  His expression changed, hardened. "I don't know anything. I told you the truth."

  "Emily knows you were at that hut in the mountains. Staunton made a slip."

  Babin's lip curled. "That son of a bitch. I knew he was out to get me.

  "So you do know him. Now we're getting somewhere." He leaned forward. "Listen closely, Babin. Emily wants revenge, but I may be able to convince her that she doesn't need your head as well as Staunton's." He added, "If you give me something that I can work with."

  "You're not going to kill me," Babin said. "That would be stupid. You'd still end up in the dark, knowing nothing."

  "True. But there are always more ways than one to find out any¬thing. You only appear to be the most convenient at the moment."

  Babin shook his head, then yelped as the knife cut across his neck with the motion. "Look, take that knife away. And when my guards come, I'll tell them to let you go. I won't be vindictive."

  Hell's bells, Babin was so full of his own pomposity and agenda that Garrett wasn't getting through to him. "But I'll be vindictive. Listen carefully, Babin. I want to know everything, but there are a few things that could save your life. I want to know who pays you and Staunton. I want to know why Nicholas Zelov came to Russia and why he went away with money to burn. I want to know where to find Mikhail

  Zelov's Book of Living. I want to know what's hidden in Zelov's ham¬mer. And I want to know about the Rasputin amulet that Nemid had hidden away. If I find out all of those things, then I'll give you a re¬prieve." He held Babin's gaze, and said softly, "I want very badly to kill you. I'm getting impatient. Can you see it?"

  Fear at last. Stark fear. Babin swallowed hard. "Why should I be¬lieve you?"

  "Maybe you shouldn't. That's up to you. On the other hand, it might not be smart for me to kill you now in case there was a little de¬tail I might need to know later." He said softly, "But it would have to be a very small detail, Babin. You'd better not hold back."

  He moistened his lips. "I'll have to think about it. Will you let me sit in that chair?"

  He was stalling.

  In spite of his panic, the bastard was still hoping for a rescue. And the more time that passed, the better the chance that the guards would find Pauley and raise an alarm. "I like you where you are. By all means, think about it. I'll give you two minutes."

  IT'S NO USE, EMILY THOUGHT. She couldn't sleep. She had been lying here for hours, and her mind wouldn't shut down. Not only her mind, her emotions were so charged that she couldn't sort one from another. Garrett.

  The thought of him was a beacon in the darkness. In all this con¬fusion and depression all around her, she could trust Garrett. They were working together, and though she didn't agree with everything he said or did, she knew that she could rely on him.

  And she knew that when he held her, she felt safe and alive.

  She needed that feeling after staring into that pig Babin's face and knowing that he was oblivious to anything but his own selfish greed.

  She shouldn't go to Garrett and use him just because she wanted to push away the darkness and feel that same
sense of beauty and Tightness that she had last night. That would be selfish, too.

  To hell with it. She needed him, she wanted him, and she'd make sure that he'd use her as much as she used him.

  She swung her legs to the floor, got out of bed, and moved toward the door. Bare feet again. She didn't want to stop and put on shoes. She wanted to get to Garrett. Oh well, it was only a few yards to the lean-to, and it wouldn't hurt her to-

  She stopped in surprise as she left her room. Dardon was sitting at the kitchen table, working at his computer. He quickly looked up and smiled. "Can't sleep? Neither can I. How about a cup of coffee?"

  "Coffee? The caffeine would keep you awake."

  "I'm not going to sleep anyway. Might as well enjoy a nice jolt of Java. Did you know Garrett likes his with vodka?"

  "He told me."

  "Sit down." He got to his feet. "I'll make it."

  She shook her head as she moved toward the front door. "I'm go¬ing to see Garrett."

  "Emily." She looked over her shoulder to see Dardon standing there and shaking his head. "I knew that something would go wrong. Nothing is ever easy."

  She froze with her hand on the doorknob. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Garrett?"

  "No." He made a face. "But he's not here right now."

  She turned around and stared at him. "And where is he, Dardon?"

  "Come back and sit down. I'll make that coffee."

  "Where is he, Dardon?"

  "He decided that he needed to get Babin to talk before the bastard could marshal his defenses and maybe pull in any big guns."

  She wasn't even shocked. She'd known when she'd seen Dardon's expression where Garrett had gone. God, she'd hoped she was wrong.

  "I'm sure that scum has big guns on his payroll anyway. He hired

  Staunton, didn't he?" She felt a sickening panic at the thought. "Maybe Staunton will be-"

  "I imagine Garrett will be glad if he does run into him, but he's not expecting it," Dardon said quickly. "He can't see Staunton acting as watchdog for that slimeball."

  Neither could she, and it was the only good thing she could see in the situation. "Why didn't you go with him?"

  "He didn't want me." He turned away and ran water into the cof¬feepot. "He said that Pauley would do."