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The bureaucrat shrugged his shoulders “I’m here at your request I’ll listen to what you have to say But that’s all If you want so from me, tell me Then I’ll decide if it’s worth itto me”

“Three million,” Vishenko said

The retfully and shook his head He put down his cognac, stood up and turned as if to go

“Ten million, and that is my final offer,” Vishenko said on a desperate rush He had to silence Caterina Mateja He had less than four weeks to do it, so ti, and he was the only one Vishenko kneho knew Others had to know her location, but Vishenko didn’t know their names It was certainly possible one of the others would accept far less than ten million dollars, but he couldn’t afford to wait

“Ten million” The other man considered the offer “That isa possibility But what exactly do you want for your ten million?”

Vishenko spoke in Russian The other man shook his head “Sorry, but I don’t understand”

Vishenko wasn’t sure about that The bureaucrat’s reputation was one that led hi Russian But he wasn’t positive He hesitated, then was reassured their conversation couldn’t be recorded Mya wire, he reun if he’d brought a gun “Caterina Mateja has been a thorn in ,” he said “I want her dead”

The bureaucrat shook his head again “I’m not a murderer,” he insisted “Not for any price”

The admission reduced him in Vishenko’s eyes Vishenko had ordered men killed over the years, but had never hesitated to kill with his own hands when called uponif necessary Early in his career he’d made his reputation as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, and nothing had changed He could kill Caterina Mateja himself, despite his one-time obsession with her

“Then I want to knohere she is,” he said “I can take it from there”

The other man nodded slowly “I’ll think about it”

Vishenko cursed foully, but in Russian Then said in English with more than a touch of contempt, “What is there to think about? I want Caterina Mateja Now Do you knohere she is or not? Ten ht have about her”

The other man smiled, but his smile was as cold as Vishenko’s usually was “I knohere she is,” he said softly, fully “But you will never find herwithout me”

Vishenko lunged to his feet and grasped the lapels of the man’s suit coat “Give me her location,” he shouted as he vehemently shook the other man

The man crossed his arms, and with a swift movement freed himself from Vishenko’s hold Then he stepped back, and brushed down his crumpled lapels “I will think about it,” he said once ain, however, and I will see you in the courtroom and not a minute before” He turned his back, opened the plane’s door and walked down the stairs

Vishenko moved to the doorway and watched the other ain in Russian, relieving his anxiety and frustration by calling the other atory name he could think of Then he stomped back into the center of the cabin and knocked the othersound of splintering glass

When he finally calmed down, he picked up his own snifter and refilled it, then dashed off the contents in one abrupt move “Every man has his price,” Vishenko reminded himself Ten overn it because he wanted to believe it “He’ll be back”

Chapter 10

Lia at the end of a dirt road and parked with a sh of relief He hadn’t been absolutely sure he knew the way to Cody’s cabin near Granite Peak—he’d been here only once before, shortly after Keira had married Cody—but he wasn’t about to call his brother-in-law for directions And he would have called Callahan only as a last resort He s for directions anyway? A GPS was different He didn’t otten him most of the way here The rest had been trial and error, a little blind luck and a sudden memory of what the turnoff looked like

The good neas that even if someone knew Cate was here in Cody’s cabin, unless that person had specific directions and a better GPS than Liam’s, they’d be hard-pressed to find it And even if that person got as far as this dead-end road, there was still the issue of finding the cabin itself It wasn’t visible, no matter which direction you looked And there were several openings that looked like paths, but if he re trails—and not easy hiking trails, either None of those paths led to the cabin