page20 (1/1)
Finished in the bathroom, Cate returned to her bedrooes of clothes the Morgans had supplied her with, then made her way downstairs She followed her ears to the kitchen, where she could hear faint deep voices, though she couldn’t make out the words She crept silently nearer, then checked abruptly in the doorhen she spotted a stranger sitting at the kitchen table with Lia coffee
When the two men saw her, they both put down their coffee cups and stood The tall black stranger reached her first, his hand outstretched “Goodvoice “You don’t knowyour case very closely I’m Nick D’Arcy”
She shook his hand “Are you Liam’s boss?”
“No, ency But we’ve been involved in this case froether with Lia on the other side of her in his shirtsleeves, his gun in its shoulder holster clearly visible “And I’ently “I hope my people have made you comfortable here, Ms Mateja”
“Oh yes I—” wasn’t expecting a lot, she al I’ht, either She s, “Very comfortable, thank you But please call me Cate”
Liam took a step closer to her, his hand outstretched as if to touch herbut he didn’t “Cate, D’Arcy was just telling ree”
She looked from one man to the other “Another plan?”
“Why don’t you sit down,” Nick D’Arcy said, “and we can discuss it” He moved to the coffeemaker on the counter “Want some coffee?”
“No thank you” Cate didn’t drink coffee She’d been too young to acquire the coffee habit before she’d first come to this country, and for six of the past seven years coffee had been a luxury she couldn’t afford, even if she’d wanted towhich she didn’t
Liae juice, offering it to her “Juice?”
“Yes, please”
He grabbed a tu it to her She accepted it with a simple, “Thank you”
D’Arcy had refilled Liam’s coffee cup and his own, and they settled around the table “Here’s the situation, Ms—Cate,” he corrected himself smoothly “I don’t kno much Liam told you about this case, but—”
“Very little” She glanced apologetically at Liam She didn’t want to seem critical, but he really hadn’t said all that much Need to know, she reminded herself now He’d told her only what she needed to knowno more, no less “I know another witness is dead,” she ad down at her hands “I knew her,” she added, almost to herself Then her eyes met D’Arcy’s “Not friends, you understand But I ht to this country nine years ago She was a year older thanshe revealed about the other woabout herself About what had happened to them both
“I’ to tell you a little story,” D’Arcy said “And afterward I think you’ll understand why I’ to take chances this time around Did you want soears “This could take a while” When she shook her head, sipping at her orange juice, he took a deep s of coffee He placed the cup back on the table, arranging it just so, as if he wasexactly what to tell her in the few seconds it took hione from his face
“Aleksandrov Vishenko’s branch of the Bratva was collaterally associated years ago with a doanization called the New World Militia, founded and run by a ton Ever heard of hiton was briefly married to Vishenko’s sister, Mariella They had one child, who they na shorter than the other Not crippled Just not perfect And Pennington was a perfectionist”
His broitched together “Mariella subsequently divorced Pennington, resued her son’s last naet she’d ever been ton But apparently her brother didn’t share her aversion to her ex-husband Either that, or Vishenko didn’t care about the personal aspect so long as his relationship with his ex-brother-in-law remained profitable Which it did Very profitable, for both rade weapons And drugs, of course—Vishenko was an up-and-co cartels in the country He was young, but completely amoral even then”