The Sacred Vault

destroyed. Understand?’

Khoil’s lips were tight. ‘Come inside.’ He stalked back up the steps, almost barging Zec out of the way. Eddie followed, relieved to have survived his triple-cross.

The question now was: how desperately did Khoil want the Talonor Codex?

He entered the cabin, an armed guard following. Inside, another Indian man standing between him and Khoil gave him an unpleasant smile, exposing jagged teeth. ‘Is the Codex intact?’ the billionaire demanded. ‘Have you damaged it?’

‘Not yet,’ Eddie said. ‘I told you, I don’t give a shit about your book or what you want it for. All I want is Nina. If I get her back unharmed, you’ll get it the same way. Sound fair?’

‘Yes,’ Khoil hissed.

‘Great. Now I want to talk to her.’

Khoil went to one of the luxurious seats. Eddie expected him to pick up a phone, but instead he pushed a button, and a flatscreen monitor smoothly emerged from the chair’s arm. The blank black eye of a webcam was set into its bezel. A menu appeared; Khoil tapped an option, and an animated ‘Connecting . . .’ icon popped up.

After several seconds, the birdlike face of Vanita Khoil appeared. ‘Well?’ she said. ‘Do you have it?’

‘There has been a . . . complication,’ Khoil said. ‘Get Dr Wilde.’

‘What? Why do we still need her? We should have—’

‘Get her!’

Vanita’s eyes narrowed in clear anger at his outburst, but she looked off-camera and issued an order in Hindi. After a short wait, someone was pushed into frame behind her.

‘Ay up, love,’ said Eddie. ‘So how’s India?’

‘Eddie!’ Nina cried. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Well, I got the Codex—’

‘You did what?’ she gasped. ‘I told you not to give it to them - they’re going to kill us once they get it!’

‘Yeah, I know that - that’s why I didn’t give it to them, the bunch of backstabbing twats. Once you’re safe, then I’ll turn it over.’

‘You will not,’ she said firmly. ‘Whatever these two are planning, it’s not—’

‘Bite your tongue!’ snapped Vanita. ‘Pramesh, why is Chase still alive?’

‘He exchanged the real Codex for a dummy, without Zec even noticing.’ The Bosnian lowered his head, humiliated. ‘One of his friends has hidden it. If we do not let Dr Wilde go, he has threatened to destroy it.’

‘What?’ the outraged Nina yelped in the background.

‘Qexia will be able to identify all his friends,’ said Vanita, ignoring the interruption. ‘We can track them down—’

‘There isn’t time,’ Khoil cut in. ‘We can’t risk losing the Codex, not now. Make arrangements to have her sent back to America.’

Vanita looked silently into the camera for several seconds before replying. ‘No.’

Khoil was taken aback by her blunt refusal. ‘But if they destroy the Codex—’

‘They won’t.’ She leaned closer to the camera. ‘Chase. Give up the Codex, now, or your wife will suffer.’

‘Do anything to her and you’ll never get it,’ Eddie countered. The normally unemotional Khoil had been unable to conceal his genuine fear that the Codex might be lost. As Eddie hoped, he was desperate to get his hands on it.

But Vanita was more willing to gamble. She gave a sharp order to Tandon, who grabbed Nina.

‘Hey!’ Eddie shouted. ‘I’ll have the fucking thing melted down into home shopping channel jewellery if you do anything to her. You think I’m kidding?’

‘Do you think I am?’ Vanita replied. ‘Chapal!’

Tandon took something from a pocket. Before Nina could react his hand whipped up - and pulled a plastic bag tightly over her head. She struggled, trying to claw it from her face, but it was too thick to tear. He tugged harder, the bag tightening round her throat.

‘Let her go!’ Eddie shouted, lunging at Khoil. The shark-toothed man darted forward and slammed him against the curved fuselage. He fumbled for the revolver, but the guard pressed his gun’s muzzle hard against his cheek.

On the screen, Nina jabbed at Tandon with her elbows. But the martial artist was too quick, twisting out of the way of her blows.

‘Give us the Codex,’ said Vanita. ‘Or she dies.’

‘Fuck off!’ Eddie snarled. ‘If I give it to you, you’ll kill her anyway!’

Her lips curled at the insult. ‘But first, she will suffer. Over and over.’

Nina was now grasping uselessly at the plastic drawn tight over her mouth, face distorted and indistinct as her breath misted up the bag. Eddie watched helplessly. The only way to help her was to surrender the Codex - but that would condemn them both to death. Certainly if he was dealing with Vanita.

Which meant he had to deal with Khoil, find something the dispassionate, logical half of the partnership would respond to . . .

Nina’s muffled choking sounds became weaker, more desperate. Vanita’s gaze was cold, intense, waiting for him to break—

‘All right!’ he yelled. ‘I’ll give you the Codex!’

A thin smile of triumph spread across Vanita’s face. ‘Chapal,’ she said, waving a dismissive hand. Tandon released his hold. Nina staggered away from him, pulling frantically at the bag. It finally came free and she gasped for air.

The gun was withdrawn. ‘On one condition,’ Eddie added.

Vanita scowled, about to order the suffocation to resume, but Eddie had already turned to Khoil. ‘We’ve both got something the other one wants and isn’t willing to lose, but neither of us trusts the other not to fuck about, right?’

‘Crudely put,’ said Khoil, ‘but correct.’

‘Okay, so here’s my new offer. A straight swap. I bring the Codex, you bring Nina, and we make an exchange. Somewhere public with lots of people around. Soon as we’re done, that’s it - we go our separate ways. No tricks, no double-crosses. How does that sound?’

‘Unacceptable,’ Vanita said from the screen, but Khoil spoke over her: ‘Good - in principle. Where do you suggest?’

‘I don’t know yet. But . . .’ He decided to make at least the appearance of a concession in the hope of pacifying Vanita. ‘We’ll do it on your turf. I’ll come to India, and we’ll agree on a place once I’m there.’

Khoil mulled it over. ‘That is . . . acceptable,’ he said, with a glance at the image of his wife, who was clearly displeased in the extreme.

‘In Bangalore,’ she insisted. ‘The exchange will take place here in Bangalore.’

‘So long as I pick the spot,’ Eddie agreed reluctantly, sensing she was itching for an excuse to torture Nina again.

It seemed to work; Vanita said nothing. Khoil turned to Eddie. ‘You will fly back with me?’

Eddie half laughed. ‘I don’t fucking think so, mate. I’ll sort out my own flight. And I won’t be taking the Codex in my carry-on luggage, you can be sure of that. But,’ he went on, knowing what Khoil was about to say, ‘you’ll get to see it before I hand it over, so long as I see Nina at the same time. We both get what we want, and everyone’s happy. Do we have a deal?’

‘We have a deal.’

‘Good. Nina, are you okay?’

‘Oh, super fine,’ she croaked, rubbing her neck. ‘Eddie, don’t give it to them.’

‘Sorry, love, but I’ve got to. I know you’re going to be really pissed off about it, but you can rant and rave at me once you’re safe, okay? I’ll see you soon.’

Nina was about to say something else, but Vanita angrily terminated the video link. Khoil looked at the armed guard. ‘Escort Mr Chase off my plane.’

‘What, don’t I even get a hot towel? All right, I’m going,’ said Eddie as he was prodded with the gun. ‘Oh, one last thing.’ He jerked a thumb at Zec. ‘Tell laughing boy here to give me his car keys. I’m not walking all the way