by Jo Davis
“Well, that’s reassuring. Thanks.”
“I always say a little fear keeps you on your toes, but don’t let it overwhelm you or the game is over.” Lan looked away and was silent for a couple of minutes. “What?”
“I want to help,” he said firmly. “I want to do something more.”
“No. You’re doing quite enough by keeping them happy and their suspicions soothed. I don’t want you any closer than this. In fact, you need to pull back. Distance yourself.”
“I can’t. I have a meeting with Kosta this afternoon. If I cancel, it’s going to look bad. What if—”
“Forget it. I know what you’re going to suggest, and the answer is no.”
“But what if I can get them to let me in on the whole scheme? I might be able to get some good stuff for you and the government, or whoever. Has it occurred to you that they’re setting me up to take the blame for working with this Dietz guy, and planning to disappear with the money? They could plant all sorts of evidence on me.”
Dammit. “Yeah, I thought of that. It’s a possibility.”
“Listen, let me go into this meeting and push a bit. Maybe I can get them to open up and include me in the real plans.”
“Lan—”
“Please, Blaze. I’ve never done one important thing in my life except make money. Let me do this.” His earnest plea found a mark.
“Christ, I must be crazy. Okay, but you’ll be fitted with a camera/ microphone so we can monitor the situation. If it gets out of hand, we’ll get you out.”
“Fine. And Nicole is not to know about this. Agreed?”
“Absolutely. The fewer people who are in on this, the better.” He rubbed his tired eyes. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
If he’d had any idea how correct that statement would prove to be, he might never have gotten out of bed come morning.
* * *
Emma patted Lan’s tie clasp and attempted to quell her reservations about this meeting. She and Blaze had a heated argument about Lan’s involvement, and she’d lost. End of story.
Damned infuriating man! But he was convinced Lan would do fine as long as he didn’t push too hard. Kept his cool.
“You’re all set,” she told their new friend.
“Thanks, Emma.” He shot her a nervous smile.
“You’ve got to chill, or you’re going to arouse their suspicions. Find your center.”
“I will. It’s just that this is a lot scarier now than it was at two in the morning. I’m fine, though. Honestly.”
“How did you get mixed up with these bozos, anyhow?”
“Through business circles. Our paths crossed one too many times at parties, which I’m now guessing probably wasn’t an accident. I’m such an ass.”
“No, you aren’t.” She cupped his sweet face in her hands and tilted it up. “At any point did you ever wake up and say to yourself, Gee, I think I’ve been targeted by loony terrorists who are out to destroy the world? Give yourself a break.”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
Blaze hovered in the corner of their living room, glowering, arms crossed over his yummy chest. Seeing as how she was still pissed, she ignored him. Mostly.
“We have two other operatives besides Blaze who’ll be listening while you’re in there,” she reminded him. “You’re in good hands, so don’t worry.”
“That does relieve me quite a bit.” He turned to Blaze. “You’re meeting me back at my house afterward?”
“That’s the plan unless something goes wrong, in which case we’ll meet in the park about six miles from Kosta’s office.”
“Got it.”
Blaze couldn’t hide his concern despite his argument with Emma. “Are you sure about this? You can cancel, make up an excuse.”
“No, I’m in this all the way. Something’s going to happen. I feel it. Maybe this is what’s needed to shake it loose.”
Emma felt it, too, but bit her lip to keep from voicing her opinion again. Her lover was already testy, and it wouldn’t help matters.
Lan left first, and they gave him a head start to avoid following too closely. Ozzie and Willis trailed at a safe distance in the van; she and Blaze were last, in their car. Her lover had insisted they bring another vehicle just in case — the only thing they’d agreed on all morning. Well, that and the fact that Nicole didn’t need to be in the middle of what was going on. Lan had sent her shopping or something.
Nearing Kosta’s office a short time later, they parked on a side street about a half mile from the building. She and Blaze hurried to the back of the van and climbed in, immediately fixed on the bank of monitors against one side. Lan’s tie-clasp camera showed a view of the front doors getting closer as he walked up the steps.
“Going in,” he murmured, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear a response. “Wish me luck, guys.”
“Don’t let him fuck this up,” Ozzie said, more to himself than to anyone in particular.
“If he’s successful and they let him into their fold, he might be able to learn where the weapon is,” Blaze reminded them. He sounded a tad defensive.
Emma exchanged a look with Ozzie. There was no talking to their prickly leader right now, so they didn’t bother.
They tracked Lan’s progress through the lobby and up the elevator to the fourteenth floor, where he got out and greeted the receptionist with polite calm.
“I’m Landon Hart. I have a four-thirty appointment with Mr. Kosta.”
“Oh, yes. Go on back, he’s expecting you.”
Emma waited tensely as he walked to Kosta’s office, the place where Ozzie and Blaze had been caught by the bastard just yesterday. She did not have a good feeling about this at all.
The camera showed Lan’s fist reaching out to knock on the man’s office door, and he was told to come inside. Kosta rose from behind his desk to greet Lan, his smile not reaching his dead eyes. How could anybody be taken in by him for very long?
“Lan, sit down,” he said pleasantly. “Let’s get right to the point and discuss what’s bothering you, shall we? You know I have nothing but the greatest respect for you, and I don’t want you to lose faith in our endeavors.”
“Then show me some solid figures to prove where my money has gone, and I’ll be happy.”
“Now, Lan. You of all people know that large investments take time to pan out.” The man’s tone was patronizing.
“Not this long. I began lending you money more than six months ago, and I’ve not seen one shred of documentation to support my investment in more than four.”
Willis spoke up. “Smart of him, getting that on record.”
Everyone nodded and continued to listen and to watch Kosta’s posturing.
“What’s the sudden hurry? Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll have a report for you that shows everything you want to know. Will that suffice?”
“He’s stalling. He’s caught and he knows it,” Ozzie muttered. “Get out of there, Lan.”
Then, the unthinkable spilled from their friend’s lips.
“Tell me, Augustine — who is Robert Dietz?”
“Oh, fuck me,” Blaze moaned. “Jesus Christ!”
The camera got a great picture of Kosta’s mouth falling open, his eyes wide with unguarded shock for about a split second. Then he pulled himself together, a cold mask slamming down over the jovial façade of moments before.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“You’re not the only one with contacts, friend. You’ve forgotten that I’m a wealthy man same as you, and I can get information if I’m motivated to do so.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“I don’t think so. Does the term ‘weapon of mass destruction’ mean anything to you?”
A black hole of silence ensued, and Emma leaned forward. The poison between them was so thick that she felt ill.
“What do you want?” Kosta’s lips tightened, and his hand strayed under his desk.
�
�Uh-uh, not a good idea. Do you think I came unprepared? If I don’t walk out of here, my lawyers contact the FBI and the media. Is that what you prefer?”
“Your price,” he said softly.
“A cut equal to yours and Meyer’s, plus fifteen percent for my trouble.”
“I had you figured for the banner-waving American citizen, Lan. I must say I’m surprised.”
“Don’t be. I’m a businessman first. Do we have a deal?”
Kosta paused, hatred and the promise of retribution unmistakable in his steady gaze. “We do.”
“I’ll expect you in my office with a real report by Tuesday of next week.”
Emma was about to hyperventilate with the urgent need to get Lan out of there. Even Lan had to know that meeting would never take place. He’d placed himself in grave danger.
Kosta stood. “Show yourself out.”
Everyone in the van sat stunned as Lan exited and took the elevator. They glanced at each other, their unspoken questions the same: What the fuck do we do now?
“Talk to me, Blaze. Where do I go?”
Blaze started at Lan’s voice. Flipping open his cell phone, he punched speed dial. When the other man answered, he barked, “Don’t go home. They’ll be waiting on you by the time you get there. Revert to Plan B.”
The park.
“I’m going,” Emma told Blaze as he hung up.
“Not this time. Stay here and monitor.”
She pursed her lips, trying to hold her anger at bay. “Is that an order?”
“Damned straight it is.” Leaning over, he brushed her lips with a quick kiss. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t have time to argue with you anymore. Help me from here, okay?”
She relented some. He knew what he was doing, and she’d only hamper him by being a pain in the ass. “All right. But be careful.”
“I will.” Giving her a wink, he was gone.
The pit of sick dread in her stomach grew wider with every passing minute after he left. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this op was about to go FUBAR. Glancing at her two companions, she slipped from the van for a moment.
Fingers shaking, she made an executive decision and placed an emergency call to Bastian.
* * *
Augustine Kosta braced his hands on the edge of the desk, seething with rage. How dare that son of a bitch come in here issuing threats?
How had things gone south so quickly? First that newcomer, Chase, appearing so conveniently, and then the weird scene in the conference room…
“Fuck!”
He’d been so stupid! He’d be lucky if Dietz didn’t have him eliminated. But he had no choice except to do damage control. Picking up the phone, he punched in Dietz’s number and waited, sweat rolling down one temple.
“Another call so soon? What’s going on?”
“The new investor, John Chase, is an undercover operative,” he said without preamble. “He was here in my office yesterday posing as a lost caterer. I might not have known except for those weird golden eyes.”
“Golden? What does he look like?”
“Big. Long dark blond hair streaked with all sorts of highlights. Probably a disguise, except for those eyes.”
“I have a couple of ideas about who it could be, and if it’s who I think, he bugged your office,” Dietz hissed, voice deadly. “Which means they’re listening! I’m mobilizing a unit. Catch them before they get to Bastian Chevalier! I’m on my way — and this Mr. Chase? Save him for me.”
Goddammit, he was a businessman, not a mercenary.
Even so, he grabbed the pistol from his desk and raced out of the office.
“Dietz and Kosta are onto Kelly!” Ozzie shouted. “Go, go!”
Willis floored it and yelled, “Call Blaze and let him know!”
Bracing herself, Emma made the call, and her blood chilled to hear the message declare service was not available.
As they careened toward their destination, she kept trying, palms clammy.
He’ll be okay. He will.
He’d fought his way out of tougher scrapes. He just had to do it one more time.
Blaze sped along the gravel road to the wooded end of the park, a secluded place where he could give Lan instructions on what to do next. Like get the hell out of Dodge.
He spotted the man’s car next to a copse of trees and breathed a sigh of relief. How the fool had gotten out of Kosta’s building in one piece was a mystery. Throwing his own vehicle in park, he strode to where the man paced, body strung taut as a bow.
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” he shouted, grabbing Lan and shaking him hard.
“I didn’t know what else to do! I wanted a confession and I got it, right?” His turquoise eyes were wide.
“Not exactly, because he didn’t actually admit anything. But what you got was damning. It’ll probably be good enough.”
“Probably? Shit, I just risked my neck for nothing?”
“No, I didn’t say that. Listen, the main thing is to get you out of here ASAP to someplace safe. I’ve got clearance to send you to our compound until Dietz and his men are either brought in or terminated. You’ll be safe there.”
Lan paced a few steps from his car and turned — just as a dozen or so armed men in fatigues burst from the trees.
“Get out of here,” Blaze shouted, going for the gun under his shirt.
A pop sounded, and another. The bullets caught him in the shoulder and leg, flung him backward. The impact took him down, but he didn’t feel the burn. He knew only that he wasn’t going to make it, and Lan had to get out of here.
Pushing to his hands and knees, he raised his arm and popped off a few shots. Had the satisfaction of seeing two men go down before dizziness overtook him and he slumped to the ground.
God, this was it for him. He prayed they’d kill him quickly instead of taking him to Dietz.
“You bastards!” Lan screamed, dropping to his side. “Why?”
The men surrounded them both, laughing and taunting. With his cheek pressed against the earth, Blaze had a great view of their boots as they began kicking him in the ribs. Grunting, he curled into the fetal position, but it was no use. He couldn’t protect himself from the relentless blows. One man delivered a hard kick to his head, and the world spun crazily.
He heard Lan yelling and wondered what they were doing to him. Wished he could help.
Then oblivion took him, and he knew nothing more.
Sixteen
Still no answer. Emma was in a state of near-panic, desperate to reach him.
“Are you sure we’re on the right road?” she called to Willis.
“I’m sure. We’ve got to approach with caution, though. I’m going to park in the trees about a mile from his meeting point. Then we’ll walk it.”
“That will take too long,” she protested.
“We don’t have a choice. You want to get caught?”
She clamped her lips shut before she became a hindrance and they left her behind, though it wasn’t easy. After they left the van in a relatively secluded spot, they struck out through the woods toward the parking lot where Blaze should’ve met Lan.
When they were halfway there, the noise of several vehicles coming down the road toward them broke the stillness.
“Get down,” Ozzie yelled.
They dove for cover. As the vehicles passed, Emma chanced a peek, and her pulse stuttered. “Military style,” she said, voice shaking. “Oz, they’ve got them.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” After the last one was gone, he rose. “Let’s go.”
They hurried now, pushing on almost at a dead run. When they broke through the trees, the sight of two abandoned vehicles brought them up short.
As did the pool of blood next to Blaze’s car.
“Dammit, no,” Ozzie yelled to the heavens.
“Oh, God. We’re too late.” Dietz had them. “But Blaze has on a camera, and a tracking device, right?”
Willis answered grimly. “Yeah
, let’s just hope Dietz’s men don’t think to look for it until we lock down their location. We need to get back and call in reinforcements.”
“I already did,” she confessed. “Had a bad feeling and called Bastian right after Blaze left to come here.”
“Good girl,” Ozzie praised. “You should’ve gotten clearance from us, but I’m glad you didn’t, this once. I would’ve told you to wait.”
They’d just started back for their van when they heard an engine coming up the road. The car was moving fast. They hurried for cover again, just in time to see a snazzy sports car slide to a stop beside the other two vehicles. To Emma’s surprise, Nicole jumped from her car, screaming.
“Lan? Lan!” She looked into both of the other cars and then spun around, scanning the trees frantically. “Lan!”
Ozzie glanced between her and Willis. “What the hell?”
“Let’s find out.” Emma stepped from the trees and called out softly. “Nicole? What are you doing here?”
The woman spun, pulling a gun from her jacket. It was tough to say which of them was more shocked. Emma held up her hands as though soothing a crazy person.
“Okay, whatever your involvement in all this is, we can work out a deal. You don’t have to go to prison for something you didn’t do. How long have you been working for Dietz?”
Nicole stared at them, momentarily stunned, then lowered her weapon. “I’m not working for that scumbag! I’m trying to put him away.”
“Come again?”
Sticking the weapon back into a holster in her coat, she brought forth a small black wallet-sized folder and flipped it open.
“Nicole Ventura, FBI.” She flipped it closed again and angrily swiped at a tear that had escaped to roll down her cheek. “It seems we have a lot more in common than we thought. We both want to put away the asshole who took our men.”
“Does Lan know you’re a Fed?” she asked gently.
“No. After I knew he was innocent, I still couldn’t tell him who I really am. The fact that I fell in love with him made it ten times harder. I’m not sure he’ll forgive me.”
