Thor left me standing in the bedroom, staring at the safe. Our guns were still inside, the flash drive was not. I stood there for long seconds. Frozen. As if the passage of time might change the safe’s contents.
Yip. Did your brain melt?
“No sass. Not now.”
Yip. It’s a legitimate question.
“My brain is just fine.” If tired and stressed and aching counted as fine. “Mark?” He’d know what to do next.
He didn’t answer.
I peeked into the living room and found it empty. Frowning, I stepped onto the terrace. Dad’s boat was no longer at the dock, and two boats sped across the Bosphorus.
Yip. What’s Mark doing?
Thor climbed aboard a third boat, the one Yurgi had arranged for us, pushed it away from the mooring, and took off after Dad.
They’d left me.
“Well, that’s just great.” My neck and shoulders throbbed with tension. My hands fisted. My lips flattened.
Yip. Poppy?
“I’m fine.” If fine meant angry and worried and hurt, all snarled together in a giant ball. I couldn’t just stand there.
I returned to the bedroom and locked the safe. I was unfamiliar with Turkish gun laws, but it was safe to assume that Thor and I weren’t supposed to have firearms.
Yip. What now?
“I don’t know.” Questioning Yusuf about how the man gained access to our room seemed like an exercise in futility.
I wandered into the living room, stood at the windows, and scanned the strait. The three speedboats were long gone.
I rested my forehead against the glass. “Did Yurgi have any inkling how much trouble that box would cause?”
Yip. He would never deliberately put you in danger. He didn’t know about the flash drive.
“Dimitriou knew.”
Yip. He was the last one to have the box. For all we know, Volkov put the flash drive in the box right before he gave it to the Greek.
“That actually makes sense.”
Yip. Of course it does.
“That’s what Dimitriou was auctioning when the box was on the island.” I rolled my neck and shoulders, easing the tension. “He was selling the flash drive.”
Consuela stared at me with bright, button eyes and grinned.
“If I’m right, the flash drive I found is a fake.”
She tilted her head.
“It makes perfect sense.” I was on to something. I was sure of it. “Dimitriou kept the real drive for the auction. The one in the box wasn’t real.”
Yip. So they’re racing around the Bosphorus for nothing?
“If I’m right.”
Yip. You’re right. I feel it in my fur.
“What did Dimitriou do with the real drive?” It could be anywhere. Also, where was Dimitriou?
Yip. He still has it.
“Unless he’s already sold it. I wonder, did Köse and Cho know about the codes?”
We considered that question.
Yip. Hold that thought. Consuela trotted over to the suite’s entrance, sat, and stared at the door.
I frowned and tiptoed after her.
Grrr.
I yanked open the door, and Yusuf stumbled inside, landing in a heap at my feet.
“Listening at doors is a nasty habit.”
His cheeks turned brick red. “I wasn’t…”
Grrr.
I scooped Consuela into my arms. “What were you hoping to hear?”
He spluttered. “It’s a misunderstanding, Miss Fields.”
“Did you let that man into my suite?”
“What man?” The confusion on his face seemed genuine.
“Never mind. Tell Ali I’ll need a different butler.”
“But—”
“Would you prefer I tell him why?” I tapped my ear.
He hung his head, pushed off the floor, and backed out of the room. “No.”
I closed the door behind him. Hard.
“Enough is enough.” I dialed Thor, but the call went straight to voice mail. A frustrated sigh rose from my toes. “Call me.”
Yip. Now we wait? I hate waiting.
It wasn’t my favorite either. “The veranda?”
Consuela gave me a doggy grin. Yip. The veranda close to where the boats dock? Yes! I can’t wait to tell Mark what I think about him leaving us behind.
That made two of us.
Five minutes later, I sat at a shaded table with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc in my hand. I studied each speedboat that passed.
“May I join you?” The accent was Russian.
I turned my head and found a man in his mid-sixties already pulling out a chair.
“Mr. Volkov?” The way my day was going, who else could it be?
The man, who wore a salt-and-pepper beard, offered me a wolfish grin and nodded.
I swirled the wine in my glass. “How did you find me?”
“I’m staying at the hotel. I was disappointed to learn my favorite suite was already booked.”
“It’s also Yurgi’s favorite.” A light dawned. “You paid Yusuf to eavesdrop.”
He chuckled. “Apparently, he’s not very good at it.”
“He is not.”
We both stared at the water.
“We have a problem,” he said.
Well, duh. “Yes.”
“You picked up the box for Yurgi?”
“I did.”
“The box holds a dangerous secret.”
I looked into his icy blues eyes and said, “Two dangerous secrets.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You found the flash drive?”
“I did.”
“Do you have it?”
“No.”
“Where is it?”
“Stolen.”
His lips flattened. “When?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.” I put my wine glass on the table. “You should have found a better hiding place.”
“Better?”
“A safe deposit box in a Swiss bank?”
“Too obvious.”
“How many houses do you own, Mr. Volkov?”
“Maksim.”
“Maksim. The question stands. How many houses?”
“Seven.”
“You had seven opportunities to bury the flash drive in your backyard.”
He barked a laugh. “You amuse me, Miss Fields.”
Nothing about this situation was amusing. “How many people know you have—had—the codes?”
“A handful.”
“After Dimitriou announced his auction?”
He winced. “Let us say I am no longer welcome in Russia.”
“I bet.” I reclaimed my wine and took a sip. “I’ve had a tough couple of days.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I was on a private island when someone sent men to kill me.” I studied his face. Had he sent the men? Was I sitting with the man responsible for Melia and Oscar’s deaths?
His expression remained one of polite interest.
“Since then, I’ve been kidnapped. Twice. A box that should be in my possession has been stolen more times than I can count. And I—”
“The box. Who stole it?” Volkov was interested in my litany of woes. “Who has it now?
I resisted checking my cell for the box’s location. “It doesn’t matter. The box is empty. Entirely empty.”
He stiffened.
“I suspect your flash drive has been missing for a while.”
He stared at the Bosphorus. “We need to find Dimitriou.”
Before we spoke further, I needed to know. “Did you send those men to Yurgi’s island?”
His brows lifted as if my question surprised him. “No.”
“They were Russian.”
“Yurgi and I have been friends since we were five. He is like my brother. You are like his daughter. I would not hurt you. I swear this on sixty years of friendship. I did not send anyone to the island.”
Yip. I believe him.
I did, too. “Then who?”
“Cho. He lost his mind when Dimitriou announced the auction.”
“Cho thought Dimitriou would sell the Putin documents?”
He shrugged. “It’s a possibility. Of the five of us, Kostas is the least dependable.”
“But you gave him the box with the flash drive.”
“I did not believe he’d find it.”
“Whoops.”
He grinned. “As you say. Whoops.”
“I know what’s on the drive.”
His heavy brows lifted. “Then you know how important it is.”
“Where can we find Dimitriou?”
“He is in Istanbul.”
Yip. He’s got to be kidding.
“Why do you think Cho, Köse, and I are here? We heard whispers that Dimitriou had rescheduled.”
“Köse? I was told he died.”
“Köse is like a cat. He has nine lives.”
“When is the auction?”
“Tomorrow night.” He stroked his beard. “The SVR will be there. And the CIA. Who knows how many terrorists?”
Yip. Nope. Poppy you’re not going. Too dangerous.
I ruffled Consuela’s fur. “We need to find Dimitriou before the auction.”
Volkov’s wolfish grin made a second appearance. “I know where to look.”
Yip. Look who’s back.
I followed her gaze to the dock, where Thor tied up the speedboat.
“Friend of yours?” asked Volkov.
“Do you often ask questions when you know the answer?” Volkov had paid Yusuf to listen at our door. It was safe to assume Yusuf had told him about Thor and me.
“You’re a bright young woman.”
“Is it my being young or a woman that makes my being bright a surprise?”
He held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to sound condescending.”
Yip. Smash the patriarchy.
“I apologize.” Volkov reached for my hand, which was the exact moment that Thor arrived at the table.
I snatched my fingers away and looked at Thor over the rims of my sunglasses. “You’re back.”
He grimaced.
“I thought we were a team.”
“Not now, Poppy.”
“What happened?”
He glanced at Volkov. “Who’s this?”
“Mark Stone, meet Maksim Volkov.”
Thor’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Yip. Did you think she’d just sit around after you left her?
“Maksim was telling me that Dimitriou has scheduled another auction. Here. In Istanbul.”
Thor frowned. “What’s he selling?”
“A flash drive.”
He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he scowled at the water. “That was one of Dimitriou’s people? Dimitriou stole it from us?”
“I don’t know who stole the drive from the safe. Chances are we never had the real on. Why would Dimitriou risk losing it, by handing it to us?”
Thor’s eyes widened. “He put a fake in the box.”
I nodded. “Where’s Jack?”
“I lost him.”
“Who is Jack?” asked Maksim.
“An old acquaintance,” I told him.
Yip. Cold.
I frowned at my dog. I wasn’t cold. I just refused to tell a Russian arms merchant that my supposedly dead father was alive and well and chasing bad guys through Istanbul.
“When’s the auction?” asked Thor.
“Tomorrow night,” I replied. “We need to find Dimitriou before then.”
“It’s a big city, Poppy.”
“I know where he’ll be tonight.” Maksim eyed us, me in a tee-shirt dress from Hermès, Thor in wrinkled khakis and a faded polo shirt. “Do you have evening clothes?”
“Not with us.” A smile tugged at my lips.
“You will need them.”
I grinned.
Thor groaned.
Consuela snickered.
We were going shopping.
“You look lovely.” Maksim held open the door to a Maybach.
“Thank you.” I wore a dark silver Alaïa sequin halter dress (the fit was loose in case I had to run). Thor, who stood just behind me, looked incredibly handsome in a Tom Ford poplin suit (we’d paid a fortune for immediate tailoring). Consuela, who was freshly bathed, had a leash decorated with rhinestones.
Maksim wrinkled his nose. “The dog is coming?”
Yip. Damn straight.
“I promised her I wouldn’t leave her behind. Where is it we’re going?”
“A club in the Sirkeci district. There’s a woman there. Dimitriou would not come to Istanbul without seeing her.”
Maksim drove, seemingly unfazed by the winding warren of narrow streets. He came to a stop in front of a nondescript building.
Three men in black shirts stood in front of a single wooden door. The tallest among them approached the car. “Reservations?”
Maksim muttered something in Turkish, and the man produced a welcoming smile.
One of the other men opened my car door, and, holding Consuela against my chest, I stepped onto the sidewalk.
The third man opened the door to the building.
Despite the bland exterior, the building’s interior was luxurious. Marble floors. Mirrors in elaborate gilt frames. The scent of serious money. A pretty woman in a tiny dress smiled a welcome, led us up a flight of stairs, and showed us to a table overlooking a stage.
“Vodka,” said Volkov. “And white wine for the young lady. What do you drink, Stone?”
“Vodka’s fine.”
The hostess, whose gaze lingered on Thor, shook her head. “The show will begin soon.”
Thor didn’t notice her interest. He was too busy scanning the other tables. “Where’s our friend?”
“He’ll be here,” Volkov replied.
A band took their seats in the pit in front of the stage. I spotted a drummer, a man holding an oud, and a musician holding an instrument that looked like a wooden trumpet. They played the first few notes, and the curtain rose.
A woman wearing a Mona Lisa smile and not much else stood alone on the stage. Her stomach moved with each beat of the drum. Faster. And faster. Then she twirled, and the gauzy material at her hips spun in a blur of color.
“Belly dancing.” Thor mumbled.
I was transfixed. “I could work out for two hours a day, every day, for a year, and not look that good.”
“Poppy, you already look better.”
“This is why I love you.”
Yip. Get a room.
Volkov said nothing, but his eyes sparkled in the dim light.
A waiter brought our drinks, and another belly dancer took the stage. This one had the ability to move her breasts up and down as her hips moved from side to side.
“What muscles are required to do that?” I wasn’t sure I had them.
Volkov leaned forward and spoke into my ear. “The truly talented women come on later.”
“Wow.” I tore my gaze away from the dancer and took in our surroundings. Not surprisingly, men made up most of the audience. I was one of only a few women in the whole club. “Dimitriou has a thing for one of the dancers?”
“Karima.”
“She comes on later?”
“Near the end.”
“So we wait?”
Yip. I hate waiting.
I stroked her soft fur. “Behave.”
“How long is the show?” Thor showed little interest in the gorgeous woman on the stage.
“Ninety minutes.” Volkov grinned as if Thor’s question was amusing.
“You’re sure Dimitriou is still interested in this woman?”
“Wait until you see her.”
“What exactly is the plan?” I asked.
Volkov shrugged. “We find Dimitriou and escort him to a place we can talk in private.”
That was it? That was the plan? “Do you think he’ll just give you the flash drive if you ask nicely?”
“No.” Volkov’s eyes gleamed with a dark intensity that made me shiver. “I do not.”
“Where will you take him to convince him?” asked Thor.
“I own a warehouse not far from here.”
A chill traveled from my nape to the base of my spine.
Thor crossed his arms. “I don’t want Poppy anywhere near there.”
Normally I’d have objected. On principle. But I preferred not to know what Volkov did to convince Dimitriou to give up the flash drive. “If that doesn’t work, Consuela can be quite terrifying.”
She showed Volkov her sharp teeth.
His answering smile was even sharper.
Note to self, don’t cross Volkov. “When you get the flash drive, what will you do with it?”
“I’ll bury it in my backyard.”
Thor scowled. “It’s a serious question.”
“My country should not be run by crooks and thugs. I cannot remove them, but I can temper their actions so that Russia is not destroyed.”
Thor nodded as if he approved.
“I love my country. My people. Not the government. Russians deserve better.”
Thor’s gaze caught on a table near the stage and his eyes narrowed. “Is that Cho?”
Volkov and I searched the lower level. “Yes,” we spoke at the same time.
The next dancer took the stage.
Across from me, Volkov stiffened.
“Dimitriou is here?” My heart thudded in my chest, and the first trickle of adrenalin hit my veins.
The Russian nodded. “To the left of the stage.”
“How many bodyguards?” asked Thor.
“Two.”
Bodyguards? No one had said anything about bodyguards.
Before I could express my reservations, Thor stood. “Let’s do this.”