Deadlock

She stared him in the eye. 'Neither would really do me any good, would it? I know you'll do whatever you want to do. You proved that tonight.'

'Is this where you tell me what a bastard I am for leaving you here while I went after Babin?'

'You like to work alone. Dardon was very definite on that subject.' She paused. 'So that leaves me no choice but to work alone, too.'

Garrett muttered a curse. 'That's exactly what I didn't want to happen. I didn't want you to get impatient and go out on your own because you thought I was dragging my feet.'

'So you left me and went off and risked your neck. Was it to prove you weren't dragging your feet?'

He shook his head. 'I won't lie. I was planning on doing it before we even went to Babin's office.'

'And you didn't tell me.'

'Dammit, I saw how you were at Babin's office. Just seeing him and knowing he was at the hut made you go into a tailspin.'

'Okay, I was upset. But I worked my way through it. You didn't give me a chance. You just patted my back and said, there, there, little girl. Then you went off to do my job.'

'It was my job, too, Emily.'

'I thought it was our job. Last night I was going to come to you be¬cause I trusted you. I was feeling alone and uncertain, but I thought that we were partners, that we were working together. I wanted to be close to you.' She added fiercely, 'But I couldn't trust you. You were gone. You'd lied to me.' 'Not exactly.'

'Don't quibble. If I'd walked out of that room before you left, would you have told me the truth?' He was silent. 'Probably not.'

'I rest my case.' She turned away from him. 'How can I trust you again, Garrett?'

'You can trust me to get the job done,' he said. 'You can trust me to keep you alive. You can't trust me to let you risk your life. I can't let that happen.'

'It's my choice.'

'No, it's my choice,' he said roughly. 'I can stop it. I can step in the way. I did that tonight.'

'Why, dammit? We were working together.'

'How the hell do I know? It just hurts me to think about it.' He smiled without mirth. 'And it's not because you're a great lay. Though you are. But I've had great lays before, and I didn't get torn up. You should have known it would come down to this. It's been hovering there since that first night at Shafir Ali's tent.'

She shook her head in disbelief. 'Is it because you pity me?'

'Lord, no.'

'I think it is. Why else would you send for Irana? You'd risk her be¬cause you think that I'm not competent enough to do what needs to be done. You wanted to put me in one of those hideous burquas and throw me behind closed doors.' Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. 'Don't you dare pity me. Don't you dare discount me. I could do this alone. It would be hard. It would take me more time. But I could do it. You don't want me to go off by myself? Then you straighten up and keep the promise that you gave me. I asked you to help me, not take over.' Her voice was shaking with anger, and she tried to keep it even. 'And I didn't ask you to let me sit here and wonder if you were going to be killed at Babin's place tonight. You might deserve it for be¬ing so stupid and male and domineering, but that wasn't our agree¬ment, and if you ever do it again, I'll-' She whirled and strode toward her bedroom. 'Now you translate that book, dammit.'

STAUNTON WATCHED AS P A U L E Y and Babin got out of the car at the airport parking lot and entered the main terminal.

Yes. He'd hoped that Garrett's man would go in with Babin when he'd followed them from Babin's house. He got out of his own car and moved down the two rows separating them. He'd go in and check Babin's destination later, but this came first…

He carefully slipped a bug under the back bumper. It might not even be necessary. The man Garrett had designated to deliver Babin to the airport didn't appear any too sharp, and Staunton might be able to follow him back to Emily. But Staunton always prided himself on being thorough.

Ah, Emily. How he missed the bitch. They had been so close, they had almost become one when he was working on Levy. She would be an exquisite pleasure.

Soon, Emily. Bugging the car might not be needed at all. After re¬ceiving that call from Borg earlier in the evening, he was almost sure of it. If everything went as planned, Emily might be coming to him on her knees. What a pleasant thought.

He returned to his own car and slipped into the driver's seat. He would wait here and make sure that Babin was just being put on a plane and not accompanied.

In the meantime, he had other business to conduct. Garrett was proving to be difficult. It might be time to change tactics. Staunton had hoped to buy a little more time, but it could be that he'd have to be satisfied with what he'd already gouged out of Babin.

But he might still be able to tap the prime source. It was time

Joslyn was brought into the real world and got his hands a little dirty. He couldn't hide behind Babin any longer. Staunton would know as soon as he told Joslyn what he'd done to get that hammer whether he'd go along or if Staunton would have to go in another direction.

A new day was dawning, things were changing, and he had to meet the challenge.

He dialed his phone, his gaze on the front entrance of the airport.

'Joslyn, this is Staunton. We have to talk.'

IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME since she'd been to Russia, Irana thought as she gazed out of the window as the jet came in for the land¬ing at the small private field outside Moscow. She had been only a young girl, full of enthusiasm, thirsting for knowledge, ready to ex¬plore the entire world.

She supposed she hadn't really changed that much. She was older, more experienced, a little sadder, but she hoped that she had kept that enthusiasm and boundless curiosity.

But Russia had changed in those years, and she was eager to see those changes.

'We're here, Dr. Povak.' The pilot, Chad Nalley, came out of the cockpit after taxiing to a stop. His smile lit his wholesome, boyish face with warmth as he said to Irana, 'And if I'm not mistaken, that's Dar¬don parked by the hangar. Evidently he wants to make sure you're whisked back to Garrett with the speed of light.'

'I got that impression.' Irana smiled as she released her seat belt. 'Thank you. You've been very kind.'

'My pleasure. You're a very nice woman, Dr. Povak.' He turned the switch that let down the automatic stairs. 'You take care of your¬self.' He went down the steps ahead of her and turned to help her. 'Garrett isn't the safest man to-'

Pain!

She was lifted, thrown like a paper doll down the rest of the stairs. Fire. Heat.

Blast. There had been a blast…

She rolled over on the ground and saw Dardon trying to get out of the car. But the windows had been blown out, and the doors were twisted.

The pilot was groaning a few yards away from her, blood dripping from a deep cut on his forehead.

She had to get to him. She had to help him.

She couldn't move. What was wrong with her? She struggled to her knees. If she could get to her medical bag in the plane, she could-

What was left of the Gulfstream jet was in flames.

'Welcome to Moscow.'

She looked up at the man who was coming toward her. Sandy hair, broad fair eyebrows, carrying an AK-47. He was smiling… Who would smile at a moment like this?

'Come along, I've been waiting for you.' He jerked her to her feet. 'Emily must have told you about me. I'm Staunton.' He was pulling her toward a car on the other side of the burning aircraft. 'Now be a good girl. I'm in a hurry. You can either accommodate me, or I'll send a few bullets toward Dardon in that car and a few more at that pilot lying on the ground.'

He would do it.

'Please, just give me a minute. The pilot is hurt. I need to help-'

'How kind you are. But he really doesn't deserve it. All Borg had to do was offer him enough money, and he gave him your flight plan.'