months of sluggish greyness. New buildings lined the bank across the river alongside old decaying warehouses. There was still an edgy chill in the air, but it only served to make the new season more fresh, a cleanness in the breeze sweeping away the dregs of winter.
Halloran was winding his way through the circular tables, holding the two drinks chest high to avoid nudging heads and shoulders of other diners.
She watched and she was just a little afraid of him. The casual way in which he had dealt with Monk's aggression made her wonder how lethal he could be if the situation were desperate. Yet at first glance he seemed anything but a violent man. He was tall, but not massive, his body lean, certainly not muscle-bound. Even his clothes were casual, nothing sharp or self-conscious about them.
That was at first glance. Take another look and notice the pale blue eyes, the warmth in them that could turn to a bleak coldness in an instant. She'd seen that happen when he'd been introduced to Felix. And Felix had been aware of it, too.
That worried her, for Felix might need this enigmatic man, no matter what mutual dislike had already sprung up between them. There was something about I-lalloran's quiet strength that was totally reassuring: he was a man to feel safe with—unless you were his enemy.
Cora thanked him with a smile as Halloran placed the gin and tonic in front of her; she deliberately left it there, aware that she'd taken the first one too fast (to Halloran's surprised amusement). His own was a whisky with ice and he put it to one side as he tucked into his ham salad. She tried a dismal attack on her own food once again, but gave up after a few mouthfuls.
'I don't seem to be very hungry today,' she said, and wondered why it sounded like an apology. She lifted her glass and drank, finding the gin more sustaining than lettuce and cucumber.
Halloran nodded and took a healthy sip of his whisky to keep her company. His smile was gentle.
'What part ofIreland were you born in, Mr Halloran?' Cora asked, the sinking warmth from her second drink already beginning to relax her.
'Call me Liam,' he replied. 'I wasn't born inIreland . My parents were Irish, but I was born here inLondon , although I grew up in Kilkenny. My father was a captain in the British Army, and spent much of his time abroad while mother and I stayed on my grandfather's farm.'
'And did you eventually join the army?'
'It was a natural enough thing to do.' He put down his knife and cut pieces of cheese with the edge of his fork. 'I need to know a good deal about your employer, Miss Redmile. His private life as well as business.'
'Cora.'
'Okay—Cora. Tell me about him. Tell me how long he's been your boss.'
'I joined Magma about five or six years ago, but I haven't worked for Felix all that time.' He encouraged her with a nod.
'Felix took me on as his PA three years ago. I don't know why. He saw me when I was delivering some documents to Sir Victor's office one day from my department on the sixteenth. The documents were urgent and I interrupted their meeting. Apparently he asked about me and the next thing I knew he'd put in a request to have me as an assistant. I wasn't even sure who he was at that time, although I'd heard rumours.'
'Rumours?'
'Yes. No more than office gossip. Felix Kline's presence at Magma has never been official; you won't find his name mentioned in company papers, not even on a pay slip or P.45.'
'Isn't that illegal?'
'Not if he's never been employed by the Magma Corporation. As far as the outside world is concerned, he could just be paying rent for the penthouse suite.'
'Except I bet even that isn't on record,' suggested Halloran.
'The official resident is Sir Victor himself.'
'So Kline's role for the Corporation really is that secret? Your board of directors is afraid that he'll be nabbed by the competition?'
'More than that. There are over a hundred thousand shareholders of Magma, most of themUK
registered: imagine their reaction if they found out their Corporation was guided by a mystic.'
'It's a relief to hear you say that. I was beginning to wonder if I was the one who was out of touch with modern business practices.' Cora laughed and he was glad. She had been tense ever since she'd taken him away from the white room, as if the minor tussle she'd witnessed between himself and the heavy had upset her. Later, in the daylight, he'd noticed a faint darkness beneath her eyes, like smudges under the surface skin, the look of someone who'd recently found sleep difficult. Maybe she was concerned for her employer, worried because the danger to him was considered serious enough to warrant hiring a K & R
agency, despite the fact that Kline already had his own bodyguards.
'I gather—and this might sound naive given all I've learned so far today—that Kline has achieved fantastic results for Magma.'
'That's an understatement.' Cora smiled at him before sipping from her glass.
'When did the Corporation discover his talents?' Halloran left his fork on the plate and leaned forward, resting his folded arms on the table's edge. 'I mean, just who approached who?' Now she avoided his eyes. 'I'm not at liberty to say. I'm sorry, Liam, but my instructions are to supply you with information relevant only to your protection plans.'
'Is there a reason for that?'
'The same reason that just one person—you—will be allowed to stay close to Felix: secrecy, discretion, call it what you like. The less people who know about Felix Kline, the easier Sir Victor and others will feel.' She was suddenly anxious. 'I'm not assuming too much, am I? You have accepted the assignment.'
'Oh yes,' he replied softly and again, there was something disconcerting in his eyes when he smiled. 'But there are certain ground rules he'll have to agree to.' Halloran reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and drew out a folded sheet of paper. 'A simple list of Do's and Don't's,' he said, handing it to Cora.
'Make sure he reads through it today. If Kline's willing to go by them, call Shield later this afternoon, talk to Mather.'
'And if Felix isn't willing?'
'Then we've got problems. Possibly Shield will turn down the assignment.~ 'May I see the list?'
'Of course. You'll be part of the set-up.' Cora unfolded the sheet of paper and ran her eyes over the lines of type. She nodded her head. 'It all seems straightforward enough.' Halloran reached over and tapped the corner of the paper. 'Point three there. Does Kline have a chauffeur?'
'Yes. One of his bodyguards. Janusz Palusinski.'
'Is Palusinski familiar with anti-kidnap driving techniques?'
'I . . . I don't know.'
'It's important.'
'I'm sorry, I really have no idea. Palusinski has been with Felix a lot longer than I have.'
'Okay. If he isn't he'll have to spend a day or so with one of Shield's drivers. He'll need to learn the handbrake turn, the reverse turn, how to break through a road-block—that kind of thing. None of it's too difficult to master for an experienced driver. Until then, I'll do any driving for Kline.' Cora looked down at the list again. 'Covert signals?' she asked.
'We'll work out a system of identifying each other with code-words. Handy for telephone conversations, knocking on doors and the like. We'll arrange non-verbal signals too for emergencies where words either won't help or might put us at risk. Nothing fancy, just simple signs. There'll be other key words for use in a kidnap situation, words that will let us know if Kline is hurt, the number of abductors, maybe even clues to his location if he's aware of it himself. If he sticks to the rules there shouldn't be any need for those.'
Cora shivered, caught by a breeze skimming off the river. 'This is scary,' she said.
'Sure it is. But that's how it should be—scary enough to keep you both on your toes.'
'That isn't very reassuring.'
'You're hiring my company for Kline's protection, not far giving false comfort. I've got to be frank with you, Cora: if an organisation, be it terrorist or hoodlum, is out to get someone, it's virtually impossible to prevent them from at least making the attempt—and that's usually when people get hurt. We can only do our best to minimise the risk. But if it's any consolation, it's far easier to assassinate someone than it is to kidnap them.' She visibly
