"I think Dominic hired you because he was told to do that. This Qadir wanted Dominic to bring you to Tajikistan."
His mind raced, spinning back to the past, to the casual meeting in London, the job offer that was absolutely perfect, the timing of everything that had followed. He'd thought he was using Dominic, but Dominic had been using him. "He was setting me up. That's why he has never really cared about my plans. He doesn't need me to be safe; he needs Qadir." He paused. "But that plan was about getting me into Qadir's territory, and I don't think he's in Tajikistan anymore. I believe he's in New York City."
"I think you're right. And I think Dominic talked to him last night, right after he spoke to you. That's when he really started drinking. He also told me he wasn't going to the summit, but no one could know that until the last minute. And he wanted me to pack my bags, get his plane ready, make sure we could leave at any moment."
"Dominic thinks Qadir is going to blow up the summit."
"I'm not sure he knows what this person is going to do." She licked her lips. "I talked to him an hour ago, and I wasn't sure what he remembered telling me. He said he was exhausted and drunk, so whatever he'd said was just part of some fever dream. I told him what he'd said about having the plane ready, cancelling out of the summit at the last second, and he said that was ridiculous; he wasn't going anywhere. Now, I'm totally confused. He asked me to forget whatever I thought I'd heard and reassured me that everything was fine, and that we would all be safe. I don't know if that's because something changed since last night, or if he was just drunk and hallucinating, or if he's lying to me."
There was a lot of self-interest in her story. The person she was most concerned with protecting was herself. And she probably should be worried. If anyone caught wind of what Dominic had let slip, her life would be over.
"What do I do, Max?" she asked, looking nowhere near the self-assured person he'd always thought her to be.
"Just act normally for now. If Dominic asks, reassure him you didn't really understand what he was saying, but he knows you're always there for him. Make him feel that you're still loyal to him. And do not mention that you spoke to me."
"What are you going to do?"
He thought about that. She'd dropped some breadcrumbs they could follow. "Find out who Dominic was talking to last night, for one," he said. "Did he mention anyone by name?"
She shook her head. "I just heard Qadir, but nothing else."
"What about a location? Qadir is in New York City, and he needs money and a place to stay. If Dominic helped him with those issues, how could we figure that out? Dominic would have had to use an intermediary. Who would that be? His security team? Someone else he trusts?" He watched her face. Caroline knew Dominic probably as well as anyone did. "His chief of staff, Nina Willey. She's been with him for eight years. She's practically a second mother to him, but not a nurturing one. She's cold and ruthless, and a lot of people think Dominic has fired them based on her opinion."
He'd met Nina a few times, and she'd always given him an assessing stare as if she wasn't too impressed or too certain that he should be working for Dominic. In fact, she'd offered him little help even when he'd asked for more details on Dominic's trip. Maybe that's because she'd always known he was just a pawn." That realization stung. But he didn't have time to get emotional about anything. Because that plan had clearly changed. Once Caleb's operation had begun, and the money had started flowing from Hartford to Caleb, Qadir had seen an opportunity to create a different plan, one that would be funded by a couple of billionaires whose ambition or revenge plans had made them so easy to use.
"I should go. I'm supposed to meet Dominic at eleven thirty."
"In the office or at his house?"
"His house. He's working remotely today."
"You need to stay in touch with me," he said. "Report exactly what Dominic is saying and doing. You work for me now."
She bristled at that. "I don't work for you."
"If a bomb goes off in this city and kills people, and Dominic is part of it and you don't help us, I will make sure you go down with him."
"I came to you for help, not for threats."
"I am helping you. I just want you to know what's at stake."
"I already know. I'm not stupid, Max. Well, not about this anyway. I must admit that I never thought Dominic would make a deal with a terrorist that involved turning over a friend of his."
"Did you specifically ask him about that?"
"I hedged around about it. He laughed and said I must have been drunk, too, because that didn't make any sense at all." She got to her feet. "I'll text you later with an update, but you need to find this Qadir person fast."
As Caroline left, he took out his phone and called Kara. Her phone went to voicemail. She'd probably turned it off for the meeting. He glanced at his watch. It was ten forty-five. He got to his feet, debating his next options. And then his phone rang.
"Hello?" he asked, not recognizing the number.
"It's Tyler."
His stomach twisted into a knot. He knew immediately that Tyler wouldn't call him unless he had a very good reason. "What's up?"
"Is Kara with you?" Tyler asked.
"No. She went to a meeting almost an hour ago."
