Then everything happens extremely fast.
Leaving Charlie behind, unharmed, tied and gagged, Kurt’s men shove me into their helicopter. The rotors spring to life, and we fly eastward, toward the Alps. To one of Kurt’s estates, no doubt.
His piercing eyes survey me from across the passenger cabin.
I meet his gaze. “How did you find us?”
“After you outed my first guy, I sent three of my best people to tail you day and night.” He points at the merc who’d picked up my gun earlier. “Him, and two others that I pulled off the team tailing Eugénie. You see, I was beginning to suspect that the little princess wasn’t the real key seeker.”
The man he pointed out addresses me, “Mr. Ozzi’s instincts were excellent. This morning, I realized there had been a switch, that the man with Stella wasn’t you.” He rolls back his shoulders.
“That doesn’t explain how you found me,” I remark.
“We didn’t.” The man smiles. “We found Charlotte Gotteland. She was already on our radar, so we took a closer look. Mr. Ozzi’s friends at the police could see she’d texted you the night before. They managed to triangulate her position.”
Damn!
“You’re loyal to the Valois-Montevors, and I respect that,” Kurt says to me. “But I hope you’ll consider my offer, Darrel. This is your chance to go up in the world, instead of going down with your royals.”
“They aren’t going down.”
“Of course, they are, and you know it.” He inclines his head to one side. “Even if they manage to lay their hands on the remaining four keys by the UN’s deadline, they’ll be missing this one.” He opens the box. “They need all nine to open the vault.”
“They’ll think of something. They’re a resourceful bunch.”
He purses his lips and shakes his head as if assessing the accuracy of my statement. “It’s true; I won’t deny it. But there will be no more extensions of the deadline, no matter how hard Theodor and Louis lobby the UN, no matter what bunnies Richard pulls out of his hat.”
“What makes you so sure?” I narrow my eyes at him. “The committee may decide to give us more time, considering that the fate of a nation is at stake.”
“They won’t. They don’t see the point in delaying the inevitable.”
“You don’t know that! You’re not inside their heads.”
“No, I’m not,” he agrees unexpectedly. “But they are inside my deep, deep pockets.”
His mercenaries burst out in laughter, gloating, and basking in their boss’s power.
He allows himself a tight smile. “My friends and I have the UN, with all its bloated agencies, eating out of our hand, my boy! We’re feeding them both officially, through our donations, and unofficially. Didn’t you know that?”
“Even if what you claim is true, it changes nothing for me.”
He furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t understand how a highly rational, experienced, pragmatic man can put his royals’ interests above his own.”
“National interest, Monsieur Ozzi,” I correct him. “I’m putting my country’s interest above my own. Why does that surprise you so much?”
His frown deepens before a slight lift of the eyebrows. “Is this… Is this a matter of price? Whatever the Montevors are paying you, I’ll double it.”
I say nothing.
“I’ll triple it!” He leans forward. “And I’ll gift you a small castle in Switzerland and an island in the Caribbean.” He peers at me. “What say you, Darrel?”
The mercs on either side of me shift uncomfortably. I’m guessing they don’t like the idea that their prisoner might walk out of this helicopter a free man, making more than they do.
I level my gaze with Kurt’s. “No.”
“You fool!” he bites out. “You idealistic suicidal fool!”
His men’s shoulders slacken with relief. Their prisoner won’t outrank them, and they won’t have to take orders from him.
