Elite Operatives: Demons Are Forever Part 32

"I did no such thing."

"But you didn't stop his insinuations or decline his card.

Instead, you seemed flattered. I did not bring you here to score a new client. Your place is with me, and your body only for me."

"My body is my own."

"Not for the money I'm paying you. Furthermore, you are to act like my date and not a harlot."

"My acting abilities only go so far," she said calmly. "I can't pretend you didn't pay me to be here."

"Very well." Dario threw his napkin on the table. "If you insist on acting like a wh.o.r.e, then you shall be treated like one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Besides, you appear to be considerably more compliant and pleasant after you've...worked."

"I don't know where you're going with-"

"I want you to pick someone up right now." She gasped audibly. "You can't be serious."

"And then I want you to bring him to the suite, so you can please me. You've been nothing but recalcitrant. Maybe this will remind you who calls the shots."

"I don't want to. We're staying here. I can't pick someone up in the same hotel." She was desperate for an excuse to change his mind."I frankly don't give a d.a.m.n about what you want," he said with a smug expression. "Courtesy apparently hasn't worked with you. Perhaps crudeness will."

* 246 *

She tried to remain calm and think of a way out of this predicament. What complicated matters was the fact she was wired.

If Dario asked his men to force her back to the room to entertain, she'd be screwed.

She glanced over at Landis's booth. She and Jack seemed to be in a serious conversation, and Landis looked angry.

Heather had to do something before Dario picked someone for her and it was too late. "I need to go to the ladies' room," she said, setting her napkin on the table. She got up slowly and reached for her purse, hoping to catch Landis's attention.

The opulent restroom was empty. She went into a stall and prayed for Landis to show up, her mind working overtime on what to do. Take off the wire? She heard a soft knock on her door and jumped because she hadn't heard anyone come in.

"Heather, it's me," Landis said.

"Thank G.o.d." Heather opened the door. "I suppose you heard what he wants me to do."

Landis's jaw was tight. "I did. I heard that and a lot more."

"You mean the two calls."

"Whoever was on the phone with him sounded a lot like Rozsa, and the second call sounded like someone was directing Dario about what to do. Dario's getting a call back from them tonight at eight for more instructions so we have to bug his room."

"How?"

"I'm going to place them."

"How are you getting in? He has men at the-"

"He wants you to pick someone out to entertain him."

"I refuse to. I told you that before we ever left for China. You promised me I wouldn't have to. He can go to h.e.l.l."

"Yes, I promised you wouldn't have to entertain him again, but this could work to our advantage."

Did Landis really think she would have s.e.x with someone in order to help her mission? She didn't know what hurt more, the fact that Landis expected her to do that, or the fact that it didn't bother her.

But why should it bother her? Landis knew what she did.

She'd even listened in while she did it. Why did she think even for * 247 *

a moment that Landis might be upset if she had to sleep with yet another client? "I'm not going to...to have s.e.x just to help you out.

I agreed to this crazy plan, but s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g someone wasn't part of it." Landis met her eyes. "I'm coming in as your...client." Heather's face flushed hot. "No way."

"Listen to me. I need to get in the room, and you have to find someone. If we combine both, no one gets hurt."

"I'm not going to have s.e.x with you. I can't." Landis went silent and turned to wash her hands. She looked at Heather in the mirror above the sink. "I promise you won't have to.

I'll be fast, so you won't have to suffer very long." Her voice was serious, her expression indecipherable. "Just pretend to go through the motions."

"I always do."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. It's either me, or you run and this whole operation goes to h.e.l.l."

She sighed. "Fine."

"Let me help you remove the wire," Landis said.

"I can manage." She ducked back into the stall, took off the bug and transmitter, and placed them in her purse. She went to the door.

"Wait for me at the bar."

"Have you picked our man yet?" Dario asked as soon as she sat down.

"No. I can't say I want to."

"I can't say I'm very interested in your disposition at the moment. Now pick someone, or I will."

"Very well." She looked around the restaurant. "I'm in the mood for a woman. I hope you don't have any objections." He looked surprised, but pleased. He licked his lips. "Who do you have in mind?"

"The tall blonde at the bar." She indicated Landis with a tilt of her head. She was pretty sure he'd agree to the proposition. Landis did look hot, in black trousers, a crisply ironed shirt that matched the deep blue of her eyes, and a tailored black blazer.

Dario looked at Landis, then back at Heather. "She'll do."

* 248 *

She asked the waiter to serve the woman at the bar whatever she was drinking. Moments later, Landis looked her way and Heather lifted her gla.s.s and smiled.

Landis pretended to look surprised, then brought her gla.s.s to their table. "Thank you for the drink."

"Why don't you join us?" She smiled seductively. "I'm Heather, and this is Dario."

Landis took a seat next to her. "Brett. Nice to meet you. Are you and your husband here on business or...pleasure?" Dario smiled, obviously satisfied with Landis's conclusion of his relationship to Heather. "A bit of both," he said.

Heather put her hand on Landis's knee and moved it slowly and provocatively upward along her muscled thigh. Dario openly stared at the interaction.

"He takes care of the business end, and I the pleasure." She looked Landis straight in the eyes. She didn't know what she expected to see there, but it wasn't the look of raw desire Landis returned. She's either played this role before or...or what?

Landis leaned forward until her mouth was an inch away from hers. "Any suggestions for where we can all get some pleasure?"

"My husband likes to watch," Heather said.

"Suits me fine." Landis never took her eyes off her.

"Why don't we take this to our suite?" Dario suggested.

Landis turned to him for the first time. "Yes, let's."

Belesta-en-Lauragais, France Ca.s.sady woke to birdcalls, and when she opened her eyes the brilliant, welcome sunshine after her long days of darkness was initially painful. Her head ached and she felt hung over, but she retained enough of her faculties to know immediately she'd been moved from the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Her muscles cramped badly and she couldn't move. Hazily, she realized her hands and feet were tightly bound, her mouth gagged with duct tape, and she was lying in a bathtub.

* 249 *

She remembered Rozsa injecting her with something, and the body of the policeman. Evidently he'd gotten away before anyone came around inquiring about the cop's disappearance and had taken her with him. Where were they now?

Grunting from the exertion, she tried to maneuver herself so she could see more of the room, only then realizing he'd hog-tied her, too. She could barely see over the lip of the enormous steel tub, and only then through maximum effort.

The bathroom was tiny. A sink, tub, and toilet, the usual toilet paper and toilet brush, a couple of towels, and some soap. On a little shelf beside the tub, three small plastic bottles filled with shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel. A closed cabinet beneath the sink hinted at more resources, but she had little chance of breaking her bindings and getting to it.

The window that let the sunlight in was too high to reach and too small to fit through. The ceiling light fixture above consisted of a cheap plastic cover over a single bulb.

Where was Rozsa? She listened intently, but could hear no sounds except the birdcalls.

She tried unsuccessfully to work up some spit to loosen the duct tape. She'd been without water too long.

Water.

The faucet for the bathtub was on the end near her feet. If she could maneuver herself around, maybe she could turn one of the handles with her chin, get some water flowing, loosen the tape.

At least then she could scream for help.

Andor Rozsa sat in front of the window, the sheer curtain pulled so he could see out clearly, but anyone outside would notice only a silhouette. Not that he had much to worry about, at least for the moment. No one had walked by all morning, and as far as he could tell, they were the only guests. He was fortunate it was the off-season.

For a hastily chosen stopping point, it could be worse. The Le Moulin Pastelier Guest House lay between Toulouse and * 250 *

Carca.s.sonne, in a region filled with vineyards and farmland and dotted with small lakes. The converted sixteenth-century brick structure was remote, but only ten minutes from the A61 highway.

By the time he'd moved the policeman's car out of sight in bushes near his cottage, hastily packed his things, and moved his hostage, it had been after midnight. He'd had only eight hours of darkness to get as far away as possible and find a place to hole up where he could figure out what to do. He'd been lucky to spot the small, dark sign to the guesthouse an hour before sunrise.

The sleepy proprietor had happily agreed to let him have his pick of the rooms and see himself in without a.s.sistance. The corner room he'd picked was farthest from the owner's, on the opposite end of the converted farmhouse.

Now, he needed a plan.

They couldn't stay here long. They had to get somewhere much more private as soon as the owner retired tonight and it was safe to leave. He was too recognizable as it was, and the situation could quickly get worse. It had been weeks since his image had been plastered all over the news, but it might soon be again if they managed to connect him to the murdered policeman. Who knew whether, even now, the proprietor of the guesthouse might be seeing his face on his television? Andor had managed to keep the man from getting a good look at him in the dark, but he couldn't avoid him for long.

He had to move them to another private home, or somewhere equally suitable, and that took money. More money than he'd gotten from Dario. He couldn't rely on getting his own money back from his hostage's people.

So he'd squeezed Dario again, this time for half a million US dollars. But Dario had resisted, and he wasn't sure he would comply.

Andor glanced at his watch. He'd give Dario another few hours to think about it. While he waited, he'd catch some much-needed rest. He lay down and was nearly asleep when he heard the sound of water running. He bolted from bed and hurried into the bathroom.

* 251 *

His hostage had her head under the tub faucet and was trying to remove her gag.

Alarm and fury drove him across the room. He pummeled her face with his fists until she groaned and lay still, her blood mixing with the water to form a pale-pink pool around her.

He turned off the water and went to get some sleep.

* 252 *

ChaPter twenty-seven.

Beijing, China Chase trailed Dario and Heather as they entered the Presidential Suite so she could scope out the place. Doors off to the right and left of the s.p.a.cious main area of the suite no doubt led to bathrooms and bedrooms, but she didn't know which was Heather's and which was Dario's.

"Why don't you make our visitor comfortable, Heather?" Dario wheeled himself into the living area.

Heather turned to Chase. "Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Thank you, I'm fine." She removed her blazer and sat on the wide, plush couch, legs apart and one arm resting on the back.