Fool Me Once (17 page)

“Wait
here.” The man punched some numbers into a security keypad and a massive sliding
door rumbled open. Wordlessly they escorted her inside and the door closed,
cutting off the sunlight.

* * *

Dirk
watched Josh pacing the deck. “I agree,” he said for the second time. “It has
to be Blazek.” He spread his hands. “Who else could it be?”

The
two men had determined that Carlos and Juan didn’t require medical attention,
and gave them the night off, along with a surprised chef who returned to the
yacht with a load of groceries. If Blazek’s men decided to pay a return visit,
there would be no civilians to get hurt…or to get in the way.

Dirk
had produced a Glock for Josh. It lay on the table, dark and menacing.

“I
won’t ask how you acquired that,” said Josh. He massaged the back of his neck.
“I hate the thought of using it, knowing that Olivia is likely to be in the
centre of the action.”

The
former SAS agent tipped back his chair and linked his hands behind his head.
His relaxed pose was deceptive; penetrating blue eyes followed Josh’s every
move, assessing the American’s state of mind. “Point taken. But on the other
hand, things could get ugly if we’re not armed.”

Josh
nodded his agreement and continued pacing. “I should have seen something like
this coming. I underestimated Blazek and now look where we are. Olivia is in
danger.”

“All
right. You underestimated him.” Dirk’s voice was crisp. “We both did. But let’s
stop for a minute and figure out what we know.” He paused. “And what we don’t
know.”

Josh
took several deep, calming breaths. Dirk could be irritating with that English
accent, but at a time like this, his composure was a steadying influence.

“Right.”
He gathered his thoughts. “Here’s what we think Blazek knows. He knows I’m an
American who likes to play poker. His contact in Monte Carlo told him I was
coming here. We know that because he recognized my name when Olivia first
introduced me in the Casino. We also know he’s interested in making a deal to
sell me arms, because he made a point of inviting us to his home, and showed me
his stockpile. He wouldn’t have done that unless he was interested in making a
sale. We also know he checked out my cover story and accepted it, or Olivia and
I wouldn’t have made it inside the compound.” He ran his fingers through his
hair. “What we don’t know is what happened in the meantime to change his mind.”

“We
also know that Olivia isn’t his main target. It’s you he wants,” said Dirk, his
tone matter-of-fact. “He’s taken her to use as leverage. We just need to find
out what he’s up to.”

“Thank
goodness.” Josh pressed his fingertips into his eyes. “Ever since I realized
she was missing, I keep seeing that scene in Marseilles.” He raised his head,
tortured eyes meeting Dirk’s. “We can’t let that happen again.”

“This
isn’t Marseilles.” Dirk stood up and stretched. “We’ll get her back. I
promise.”

Josh
swallowed.  He had to believe what Dirk said. The alternative was
unthinkable. “I feel so helpless,” he said, almost to himself. “Waiting for
them to contact us.”

The
phone buzzed.

“Now
remember,” said Dirk as Josh prepared to lift the receiver. “You have no idea
why anyone would take her. After all, you’re simply here to make a deal.” He
nodded toward the phone. “Do your thing, Cowboy.”

“Morgan.”
Josh’s voice was firm.

“Mr.
Morgan.” Blazek’s voice was syrupy. Josh wanted to reach through the phone and
strangle him with one hand. “I have your fiancée.”

“I
can’t imagine why. I’m the one you should be dealing with.” He injected a tone
of urgency into his voice. “She doesn’t know why I’m really here, Blazek. I’d
appreciate it if you didn’t tell her about our deal.”

“Why
are
you here, Morgan? I’m beginning to wonder if you’re here to make a
deal at all.”

It
was time to go on the offensive. “What is this, Blazek? You came highly
recommended, but I must say I don’t like your business tactics. Is this an
attempt to renegotiate the price?”

The
Czech laughed. It was a chilling sound. “You know better than that. By the way,
don’t you want to know about your…fiancée?”

“Of
course I do. I’d like to speak with her.”

“Not
a chance.” He was enjoying himself. “You Americans are so arrogant. Like I said
before, I simply want to know who you are, and why you’re here. Trust, Mr.
Morgan. It’s everything in this business.” The bantering tone was gone. “To
that end, I’ll be doing some further checking on you, and while I’m doing that
you’ll have a few hours to decide just how badly you want to see your fiancée
again. I’ll call you at eight o’clock. Be there.” The phone went dead.

Josh
hung up slowly, closing his eyes. “I blew it. He knows.”

Dirk
shook his head. “On the contrary. You had me convinced. What was that last
part?”

“He
says he’ll call at eight in the morning.”

“Then
we’d better get our assets in place.” He picked up his cell phone. “I’ll get on
to Colin again and bring him up to date. Then you and I will calculate every
possible scenario. Would you mind putting on a pot of coffee? We have a long
night ahead of us.”

* * *

Olivia
peered into the gloom, her eyes adjusting slowly. She was in some sort of a
warehouse. Wooden boxes of various sizes were stacked neatly along the sides of
the building, leaving a broad central area wide enough to accommodate a small
truck. She stood hesitantly in the middle of the open space.

A
door opened and light spilled out, illuminating the piles of crates and
creating ominous shadows between the rows. Olivia recognized the figure walking
toward her, footsteps echoing on the concrete floor.

Jiri
Blazek stopped in front of her, lips curled in a sardonic smile. “How kind of
you to join us.”

Her
thoughts raced. She’d been right. This was somehow connected with Josh’s
mission. Had Blazek found out about it? If so, why had they accosted her? “Your
choice of words is hardly amusing, Mr. Blazek. Would you mind telling me why
I’ve been brought here?” She could scarcely bring herself to look at him. His
eyes were cold and lifeless. They frightened her more than she was willing to
admit.

“You
had lunch with my daughter today.”

“That’s
right.” Olivia feigned a confusion she didn’t feel. “Is she all right? She
hasn’t been in a car accident, I hope. The way she drives…”

“Silence!”
He glanced at a slim gold watch on his wrist. “Eliska and her mother are on
their way to Paris by now.”

Olivia
wanted to pump her fist in the air, but her friend’s triumph would have to be
celebrated later. She took strength from her friend’s victory.

“Oh,
that’s right. Well, we had a very enjoyable lunch. But that doesn’t explain
what I’m doing here.” She eyed him warily as he circled her, his bearing
predatory and menacing.

“You’re
wet,” he observed belatedly. He turned to the two men who stood quietly in the
shadows. “Why is she wet?”

“I’m
sorry Mr. Blazek. We had her hands tied, but she jumped out of the boat.”

“Yeah,
but I pulled her back in,” said Garlic Breath. “I grabbed onto that thing
around her neck and hauled her in like a fish.”

Blazek
pointed to her neck, eyes flashing angrily. “What ‘thing’ are you talking
about? There’s nothing around her neck.”

Olivia
squared her shoulders. “It was a very special necklace, and it broke when he
grabbed it. I really must protest at this rough treatment.” The words were
pompous and hollow, but she didn’t care. Lashing out made her feel stronger.

Blazek
wheeled on the two men. “Where is it now?”

“I
don’t know, boss.”

“Well
find it, you idiot.” He waved them toward a small side door. “Check inside the
van.”

The
men disappeared and Blazek turned back to Olivia. “Now, Miss MacMillan. You’re
going to tell me all about your fiancé.” His eyes suddenly came alive; their
intensity was frightening. “I want you to repeat everything you told my
daughter at lunch. And then I want to hear the rest of it.”

Blazek
had just confirmed her worst fears. This had something to do with Josh’s
mission. She squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze with a calm she didn’t
feel.

She
shrugged her shoulders. “Really, Mr. Blazek,” she said impassively. “Your
interest in me is very flattering, but I value my privacy. I’m not in the habit
of discussing my personal affairs with strangers.”

He
raised his hand as if to strike her and then dropped it by his side. For a
moment she thought she saw a glint of admiration in his eyes, but it slipped
away, changing quickly to dislike.

“Oh,
no,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “You’d like me to lose control, wouldn’t
you? That would make you feel superior.” He smoothed his tie, a gesture she had
noticed in the Casino. “But that’s not going to happen. And now you will tell
me about your fiancé.”

Why
had she been so foolish as to confide in Eliska? Her friend had obviously told
her father everything she’d revealed at lunch. Her mind raced. Assuming she was
right, and Eliska had repeated their conversation, there was nothing to be lost
by giving Blazek the same information. In the meantime, she decided to carry on
with the pretense a bit longer. She sighed, touched her hair and smiled a
dreamy smile.

“Josh
is the kind of man every woman dreams of meeting. I mean, what’s not to like?
He’s good looking, he’s wealthy and he treats me well.” She tapped her lips
thoughtfully. “Although there is that business with the gambling. Oh well,
nobody’s perfect.” She turned guileless eyes on Blazek. “But he comes very
close.”

“That’s
quite a glowing recommendation, considering you’re not really engaged to him.”
He looked at her scornfully. “You see, Miss MacMillan. I know that he hired you
to pose as his fiancée.”

Olivia
bristled. “I’m quite aware of that, thank you.” She tossed her head. “But it
doesn’t negate the fact that Josh is a very exciting man.” At least that much
was true. She looked around, feigning confusion. “I still don’t understand why
I’m here.”

“Because
your precious boyfriend is an arms dealer, that’s why.”

Olivia
struggled not to appear victorious. If Blazek still thought Josh was an arms
dealer, then his cover hadn’t been broken. She masked her joy with a show of
anger.

“He
is not!” Blazek was watching her response carefully; she hoped she was
convincing. “Josh is a rancher from Montana.” She gave him a haughty look,
aware that she was pushing her luck. “That’s in America, in case you didn’t
know.”

He
brushed aside her comment with a flick of his hand. “Where do you think he gets
the money to fly around in a private jet? To stay on an eighty-foot yacht? To
lose thousands at the poker table without batting an eye?”

She
looked at him coolly. “Really, Mr. Blazek. Discussing my fiancé’s bank balance
is even more distasteful than discussing personal matters. But I simply won’t
believe he’s an arms dealer. Not Josh.” She tossed her head, as though
discarding a thoroughly unacceptable notion.

Blazek
reached up to smooth his tie and then dropped his hand. “He has assured me that
he is. If that’s not true, he’s gone to a lot of trouble to convince me
otherwise.”

She
allowed a hint of uncertainly to creep into her voice. “I just can’t believe
that’s true.” She pretended to think for a moment. “But if it is, what’s your
role in all of this?”

“That
should be obvious.” He spread his hands, encompassing the entire warehouse.
“I’m the main distributor for the area. All of the local dealers buy from me.”

Olivia’s
heart pounded. Blazek was the ‘kingpin’ Josh had mentioned.

“You’re
an arms dealer?” For the first time, she looked directly at the stacked
cartons. “So your import-export business is a front for illegal arms. How
original.”

“Not
original perhaps. But effective…very effective.” He indicated the stacked
cartons. “These will all be gone by tomorrow evening.” He seemed to swell up
with pride. “I run a very efficient organization.”

“What
are they?” Olivia couldn’t help it; she was fascinated.

Blazek
sensed her interest and his attitude changed. He became a salesman, expounding
on a subject dear to his heart.

“RPGs,
launchers, AK-47s, mortars, and of course everybody’s favorite, Semtex.” He
shrugged indifferently. “Nothing unusual, but in the right hands, extremely
deadly.”

He
turned on her. “But I digress. Your…” He hesitated theatrically. “Your fiancé
has expressed an interest in making a purchase. As you can imagine, this is a
very dangerous business, and one cannot be too careful.” He extracted a gold
cigarette case from his jacket and slid out a cigarette, tapping it thoughtfully
on the closed case. With equal deliberation he flicked a slim gold cigarette
lighter, eyeing her over the flame. “It’s my job to check on Mr. Morgan,” he
said, blowing out a stream of smoke. “And although his bona fides seem to be in
order, something isn’t right. Why would a man of Mr. Morgan’s obvious
confidence ask you to pose as his fiancée?” He examined the glowing tip of the
cigarette. “You can see my dilemma, I’m sure.”