Fournier snatched the folder off the table and opened it. His eyes widened and his forehead scowled as he flipped through the pictures.
“What is the meaning of this?” he said, slamming the stack of pictures onto the table.
“You’re a smart man, Mr. Fournier. I think you know all too well what the implications of those photos are.”
“Enlighten me, Ms. Petrov.”
“That is your daughter, Amelie, is it not?”
Fournier nodded.
“And that’s her attending her classes at Le Rosey in Rolle, correct?”
“And?”
“Mr. Fournier, you spend a fine fortune to send your daughter to one of the most elite prep schools in the world. I’m sure you also know how important privacy is to the families of the students who attend there. It might even be one of the main reasons why you enrolled your 15-year-old daughter there.”
“I don’t like what you’re suggesting.”
“The Chamber has people everywhere, even at Le Rosey. You may attempt to protect your family every way you can, but I can assure you that you’re not as safe as you think you are. And if you aren’t willing to agree to my terms, perhaps we can find a new head of the European Central Bank.”
Fournier stared at the table, rotating his glass a quarter and pausing before repeating. He continued in this manner for half a minute.
“In the end, Dubois didn’t actually agree with your plan, did he?”
She shrugged. “If only you could ask him.”
“You overplayed your hand, Ms. Petrov. You could’ve coerced Dubois to bring this issue to the board and more easily persuaded it to join in. But instead, you tried to strong arm him and look where that left you.”
“Look where it left him,” she said. “I believe I’m in much better shape today than he is. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Let’s not belabor the point. You made a dreadful mistake, one that you will not be able to come back from.”
Petrov smiled. “I’m afraid you’re not quite as intelligent as I once thought.”
“Resorting to insolent comments won’t persuade me to acquiesce. I’m afraid you’ve been terribly wrong when it comes to reading me.”
“And I’m afraid you’ve been quite mistaken when it comes to my resolve in getting what I want.”
Petrov pointed at the photos.
“You might want to consider very carefully what you’re about to say next because those pictures aren’t just glamour shots of your daughter enjoying her time at a ritzy private school on daddy’s money. I hope you understand what it is exactly that those pictures suggest.”
“Are you threatening me, Ms. Petrov?”
She smiled and subtly shook her head.
“Oh, no. I never threaten anyone, Mr. Fournier. But I do make promises. And here’s the promise that I’ll make you: If you do not choose to join the new world currency, I’m afraid you’ll not only find Europe isolated economically, but you’ll also find your family far more fragmented than you ever imagined. That is my promise to you.”
She raked the folder of pictures toward her across the table and stuffed them in her bag before standing up.
“You have forty-eight hours to think about it, Mr. Fournier. I expect you’ll be able to encourage others on the ECB board to join you in helping bring the European banks into the 21st century and stabilize all those floundering economies. Forty-eight hours. Good day.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Fournier, who was still eyeing the bottom of his bourbon. He then raised his hand and ordered another shot.
Petrov smiled. She knew she wouldn’t have to wait that long for his answer.
CHAPTER 3
Lisbon, Portugal
STRETCHED PRONE ON THE MASSEUSE table, J.D. Blunt looked up at the scene in front of him. The Tagus River finishing its long journey across the Iberian Peninsula by pouring into the Port of Lisbon was long one of Blunt’s favorites. He’d worked in the country before with some high-ranking officials in the Portuguese government. Blunt found that extending several off book favors went a long way in keeping friends. He groaned as the woman worked over his shoulder muscles.
“So this is how you spend all your free time?” Hawk asked as he sauntered onto the veranda, accompanied by Alex and Samuels.
“If you’ll excuse us for a few minutes,” Blunt said to the woman. She nodded and shuffled back toward the house.
Blunt sat up and pulled a robe around him.
“Are you jealous, Hawk?” he asked.
Hawk smiled. “Of this? Who could be jealous of this incredible view of an old European port city from the terrace of a multimillion-dollar home? I mean, I’d much rather be tangling with demented psychopaths in a Middle Eastern desert somewhere with my life on the line any day of the week.”
Blunt sauntered over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. He shot a glance at the television in the corner rolling through the most recent noteworthy news events.
“Help yourself,” he said, turning back toward the team and raising his glass.
“I swear, you live the life,” Alex said. “Were you getting bored with your place in Morocco?”
Blunt laughed heartily. “I don’t own all these places, especially not this one. But I do have friends. You should try it sometime.”
“How about you just let us try your friends’ houses. How does that sound?” Hawk asked.
“I’m not sure you’d be willing to do what I did in order to become pals with some of these people,” Blunt said. “And you’re better off for it.”
Samuels threw up his hands. “I don’t wanna know. Please just keep that to yourself.”
Blunt ignored Samuels. “The last time I was here, one of my friends in the Portuguese government had a problem with a relentless mistress. She threatened to expose their affair to the world just a few months before the general elections. So, I was
