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And Kat was listening to a deep voice say, "Hello, Katarina"

Kat had heard of the presidential suite at Das Palace Hotel in Vienna, of course Every self-respecting thief are that this roos and princes, presidents and CEOs But for all its history, the ht of Uncle Eddie, standing beside a roaring fire

"Welcome to Vienna"

When Uncle Eddie held out his ar at him in rapid Russian No one translated for Hale, but he understood the exchange Four days ago, Kat had walked back into her uncle’s horaces, but anyone could see that Gabrielle, who had spent the last six e and quick hands to pick some of the plusher pockets on the Riviera, had never really left the family kitchen

"Your th

"Engaged," Gabrielle said with a sigh

Uncle Eddie nodded as if he’d heard it all before "He has art?"

"Jewels," Gabrielle said "Family stuff He’s a count"

"Or a duke," Hale chiet them confused," Gabrielle confessed

"Who doesn’t?" Uncle Eddie adood to see you, little one" He scanned her short skirt "I only wish I were not seeing quite so ister the insult "It’s good to see you too But how did you--"

Uncle Eddie shook his head The question wasn’t how her uncle had gotten there The question, Kat knehat had he come to tell them? What had he learned that he couldn’t share over the phone? And as she going to have to do about it?

He settled into the chair closest to the fire and looked up at Kat "You have been to see Signor Mariano?"

Kat was faintly aware of the sood coffee, and noticed that at some point a china cup had appeared in Uncle Eddie’s hand But her attention, like Hale’s and Gabrielle’s, was entirely absorbed by Uncle Eddie

"Visily Roaze settle upon her "This name is not unfamiliar to you?"

"Is it an alias?" Kat asked

"Of course" He sht still be, in part, a little girl

"And the shipping address here in Austria?" Hale asked

"You have indeed been busy" Uncle Eddie chuckled but quickly grew serious "I only wish it were not for nothing"

"Who is he?" Kat asked

"He is no one" Uncle Eddie’s eyes passed to Gabrielle "He is everyone"

Uncle Eddie was not a man of riddles, and so Kat knew the words must matter, but she couldn’t fathom how

"II don’t understand," she said with a shake of her head

"It’s a Chelovek Pseudonima, Katarina," her uncle said, and Gabrielle drew a quick breath Kat blinked against the fire’s glare Outside, the snow fell softly, and yet it felt to Kat as if all of Austria were standing still--as if nothing could ever break the trance until--

"What’s a Chelovek Pseudonied to ree of the thief, he would never be a native speaker A member of the family

"What?" Hale’s voice rose in frustration "What’s wrong? What is a Chelovek Pseudo--"

"Alias Man," Gabrielle whispered "A Chelovek Pseudonima is an Alias Man"

But the literal translation was lost on Hale Kat read it in his eyes, saw it in his impatient hands

"The old fa at him "They had nas that were too big, too dangerous--things they had to keep hiddeneven from each other They were secret names, Hale Sacred nauessed that in all of his years he had rarely seen a Pseudoniht have told her that Visily Ro doculed Nazi war plans out of Germany and done a fair amount of work behind the Iron Curtain But Uncle Eddie offered no such details

Instead, he looked at the next generation and smiled with the irony of it as he explained, "If Visily Roreatest thief who’d ever lived"

Hale looked at each one of them in turn "I still don’t understand"

"It is an alias that is not used lightly, young man," Uncle Eddie answered Kat knew the words were really for her "It is a name that is not used by simply anyone"

Uncle Eddie rose from his chair "This is finished, Katarina" He walked toward the door as if there were so "I will tell your father I will try to make amends with Mr Taccone"

"But--" Gabrielle was on her feet

"A Pseudoni!" Her uncle whirled "Any job done in the name of Visily Romani will not be undone by children!"

In a way, every thief Kat kneas a child at heart, and she merely had the body that matched--a body that could be utilized in very effective ways if the air ducts were suards were naive But she’d never been spoken to like she was a little girl

Her uncle stopped at the door Marcus was there, waiting silently with his coat