The killer was days away from his or her last breath. And he knew that in the depths of his evil, wicked soul.
HALSTON
Halston spentthe morning in a meeting translating for the ambassador and his American visitors. Though she was paying attention, she kept sneaking peaks at her watch. Never before had she been so anxious to leave. When the meeting ended, she escorted the attendees to the lobby and returned to her office. As she was catching up on email, the ambassador entered her office.
She forced a smile. “Excellent meeting, Mr. Ambassador.”
“Yes, very good. It is good to meet successful Americans with deep pockets and much power.”
When he didn’t leave, she said, “Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”
He sat in the guest chair, steepled his fingers. “I asked you to stop in Milan for thumb drive.”
This oughta be interesting.
“Yes, sir.”
“That person been tracked here. Bob Smith has been assigned to find him. Once we know more, you will meet him, get close to him. Search for thumb drive at his home.”
“Who is he?”
“A career criminal named Gabriel Santini. Extremely dangerous. When Bob finds him, we strategize how you and Bob handle job.”
He knows too damn much.
“Of course, sir. Whatever you need.”
“Speaking of Bob, how was your evening?”
Here we go.
“Very nice. We had drinks at Krov bar. Have you been there?”
“No. No I haven’t.”
She leaned forward. “He asked me to call him Pavel,” she murmured as if she were sharing a great secret.
The ambassador didn’t move. He just continued staring at her. A chill slithered around her heart. Never before had she felt uncomfortable around her boss.
“Um, Minka, I heard from Dmitri Petrov. Bob Smith—Pavel—was supposed to meet Dmitri today, but he didn’t.”
No, he didn’t.
She said nothing.
“Did you go somewhere after Krov?”
She furrowed her brows. “I went home. Why?”
“Did Pavel join you?”
Up went her eyebrows. “At my apartment?”
“Yes.”
“You forced me to have a drink with him. I did, out of respect for you. Now, you’re asking if I had sex with him?—”
“Minka—”
