We gathered in the suite—me, Thor, Consuela, Volkov, who held a bag of ice to the lump on his head, and Mikhail.
“You let Dimitriou go free?” Volkov scowled at me.
“Yiannis was going to break Mark’s neck. And, I didn’t let him go. I traded him for Mark’s life.” Volkov was unimpressed with my argument. “If Dimitriou sells those codes to a terrorist, millions may die.”
“There’s still a chance to recover the codes. Mark wouldn’t come back from a broken neck.”
“You are too sentimental.”
“You’re not sentimental enough.”
Volkov huffed. “What’s done is done. We must stop the auction.”
“Where is Dimitriou holding it?” Thor asked.
“The Maiden Tower,” Yurgi replied.
“The tower from the James Bond film? The World is Not Enough?”
“The worst of the franchise,” said Mikhail.
I couldn’t let that pass. “Octopussy is terrible.”
He shrugged, as if I might have a point.
“Christopher Walken is the only redeeming factor in A View to a Kill.”
“You are right,” said Mikhail. “It is the third worst.”
Volkov gave us an are-you-done-yet scowl.
Maybe he didn’t like films where Russians frequently played the villain. There was no accounting for taste.
“We take a boat to The Maiden Tower,” said Thor. “Then what?”
“We reclaim the flash drive.” Volkov made it sound so simple.
“What about the other potential buyers? The SVR? Terrorists?” I didn’t mention the CIA. “They won’t be happy.”
“Happy?” Volkov’s bushy brows lifted. “You Americans and your happiness. No, they will not be happy.”
Someone was extra cranky.
“We’re all exhausted.” The half-moons under Thor’s eyes were so dark they looked like bruises. “We should sleep for a few hours. We can scout The Maiden Tower when it’s light out.”
“Is Dimitriou staying there?” I wondered.
“He would not be so stupid.” Deep lines cut into Volkov’s cheeks and forehead, and half-moons hung beneath his eyes were darker than Thor’s. He tried to fight the fatigue, but his shoulders sagged like an old man’s.
“You should rest,” I told him.
“Rest? If I brought in an army, it might not be enough to get us on and off that island.”
I offered him a smile. “There are people I can call.”
Volkov rolled his eyes. “What people?”
“What about Köse?” I suggested.
“What about him?”
“If he’s not dead, would he help?”
“Poppy.” Thor lowered his head to his hands. “He kidnapped you.”
“Which doesn’t seem that important right now.” Beggars couldn’t be choosers. Not when I’d let Dimitriou go.
Volkov nodded. “If he’s alive, he’ll want to flay Dimitriou for betraying us. But I tried calling. No answer.”
I took out my cell, found the number Nehir had pressed into my hand, and dialed.
“Merhaba.”
“Merhaba,” I’d learned enough Turkish to say hello. “Is this Mehmet? This is Poppy Fields. Your sister gave me your number. I’m sorry to call so late, but this is important. Can you get a message to her?”
He didn’t answer.
“Do you speak English?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, good. Maksim Volkov needs to speak with Ahmet Köse. It’s urgent. Life or death.” Mehmet grunted.
“Please. It’s important.”
He answered me with silence.
“Also, is Rose okay?”
He grunted again, then said, “She is fine. I will call my sister.”
He hung up before I could thank him.
Volkov poured himself another shot of vodka. Alcohol and head injuries didn’t mix. But I wasn’t about to point that out to the crabby Russian.
Consuela, who curled on my lap, yawned.
Then I yawned. So big my jaw hurt. “We should sleep.”
Volkov’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and grinned. “Well done, Poppy.” He answered and launched into a conversation in Russian.
Yip. Volkov’s shoulders look lighter.
She was right. Did that mean Köse would help us?
Consuela stood and executed a perfect downward dog while balanced on my lap. Then she hopped to the floor and trotted into the bedroom.
Volkov hung up the phone. “Köse will be here in a few hours.
“Good. That’s good.” There were two more people I needed to call, but I couldn’t do that with Volkov around. I yawned again. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted. Shall we meet at seven?”
Volkov glanced at his watch and winced. “Köse won’t be here until eight. We meet at eight.”
When we closed the door on the Russians, I turned to Thor. “Do you want to call Mr. Brown or Dad?”
“Hmm.” He scratched his chin. “Tell our boss we’re working with a Russian arms dealer to recover nuclear codes we should have told him about the second we learned of their existence or tell your father I took you to a club with a Russian arms dealer where you might have died?”
“You’re just making the choices sound bad.” He was dead on accurate.
“I’ll call Mr. Brown.”
Was I relieved? Not really. I dialed Dad and spoke to his voicemail. “Dad, it’s me. Kostas Dimitriou has the flash drive. There’s an auction tonight at The Maiden Tower.” I swallowed. “I’m going to sleep for a few hours. Would you call me around seven? Please?” Did I sound too needy? “Bye.”
I glanced at Thor, who had his phone pressed to his ear. I didn’t envy him that call. I offered a sympathetic smile, stumbled into the bedroom, and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
I didn’t move for five glorious hours.
Yip. Get up.
“Go away.”
Yip. There’s bacon.
Bacon might be enough to lure Consuela out of bed, but not me. I had higher standards.
Yip. And coffee.
I slitted an eye.
Yip. A whole pot. Just waiting for you.
I groaned and rolled onto my side.
Thor slept next to me.
“Who ordered the coffee?” I could smell it.
Yip. Get up and see.
I stumbled into the bathroom, washed off last night’s make-up, and brushed my teeth. Then I traded my sadly wrinkled cocktail dress for a Hermès tee-shirt dress (so glad I bought two) and headed to the living room.
Dad sat on the couch. “Coffee?”
“You could have called.”
“How do you get yourself into these messes?”
I sank onto the couch across from him. “I honestly don’t know.” I poured myself coffee and leaned back. “What should we do?”
“What time is the auction?”
“Tonight.”
“That’s what your message said.”
I raked my free fingers through my hair. “Volkov has the time.”
Dad’s face twisted at the Russian’s name. “Volkov?”
“We’re working with him.”
“You can’t trust him.”
“We don’t have much choice.” I sipped my coffee.
Thor stumbled into the living room. Shirtless.
Dad’s lips flattened.
I supposed no father, no matter how absentee, wanted to know his daughter was sleeping with a man.
“What did Mr. Brown say?” I asked.
“We have two choices. Recover the drive or destroy it. He’d prefer we recover it.”
“I bet.” I drained my coffee cup. “So what do we do?”
Turns out the Bond film took a few liberties. The Maiden Tower was less residence, and more tourist destination and restaurant.
Dimitriou had booked the whole facility for the evening, but we were able to visit during the day.
“If there’s a problem, and by problem, I meant multiple gunshots, innocent people might be hurt. The wait staff. The people in the kitchen. If it were me. Can we get to Dimitriou before he arrives on the island?
“If it were me, I’d have my people get everything ready. I wouldn’t set foot on the island.”
“I suspect these buyers may want to see what they’re getting.”
“Good point.” Thor idled the boat, and we stared at the tiny island. “He knows we’re after him. He’ll arrive at the last possible moment.”
“Could we intercept his boat?”
“We can try.”
“Could we bid at the auction?”
“We don’t have that kind of money.”
“Yurgi does.”
“You think he’ll just give you a hundred million?”
“When you’re as rich as Yurgi, money loses its value. It’s a way to keep score, not how the mortgage gets paid.”
“It’s still a hundred million dollars.”
Not an easy ask. “We wouldn’t be here if Yurgi hadn’t sent us for that stupid box.”
Yip. They won’t let you in.
Consuelo was probably right.
Thor glanced at his watch. “Let’s go. We promised to be back by three.”
We were late. Mainly because I insisted on stopping at the hotel gift shop. When we entered the suite, Volkov, Köse, and Dad were already seated at the dining room table.
“Did you learn anything?” asked Volkov.
“Dimitriou’s people aren’t there yet,” Thor replied.
“Do we have a plan?” I asked.
“We’ll need to take out Dimitrious’s security,” said Dad.
“The SVR want lit the drive go,” said Volkov.
“We’ll need to take out the SVR,” Dad added.
“And the terrorists?” I asked.
Dad offered a wry grin. “Them, too.”
“Does anyone have a missile launcher? We could just blow up the island.”
The three men tilted their heads and considered my suggestion as if I’d been serious.
“Kidding!”
“We don’t have time to collect the armaments.” Köse sounded regretful.
“There will be innocent people on that island.”
“They just stared at me.”
“Any other ideas?”
“I sneak onto the island, take out Dimitriou’s security, then the rest of you come ashore.”
“Sneak?”
“Scuba dive.”
“We don’t know how many men he’ll have.” Dad might be killed.
“It’s our best option. Unless you want to blow it up?”
“Fine. What then?”
“We find the flash drive.”
I’d made more detailed plans with Mia when deciding which bars to visit on a Friday night. “When do we leave?”
The night air off the Bosphorus was chilly, and I crossed my arms tightly. “Why hasn’t Dad signaled?”
Thor, Consuela, and I were on Yurgi’s boat.
Volkov, Mikhail, and Köse were on another.
“I’m sure he’s fine.”
Yip. I hate waiting.
“There!” Thor pointed.
“Where?”
Three quick flashes of light pierced the darkness. And relief flooded my veins. Dad was okay. For now.
Yip. Let’s do this.
My stomach tightened as we sped toward The Maiden’s Tower. There were ten speedboats docked at the island. Ten potential buyers. Ten men who would probably kill to secure the drive.
Thor tied off the boat, and we raced into the tower’s shadows.
I pressed my back against stones that still held heat from the day and tried to slow my breathing.
Thor tugged on my hand, and I turned toward him.
He kissed me. One quick, savage kiss.
“Be careful,” he whispered.
“You, too.”
We inched our way to the building’s corner and peeked around its side.
“It looks clear,” said Thor. “Let’s go.”
I gathered Consuela into my arms, then we crouched and ran to the entrance, where Dad waited for us.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded, too nervous to speak.
He eased open the door, and we slipped inside.
Ten men stood in the room to the right of the door.
Where was Dimitriou?
I inched toward the stairs.
Dad frowned at me.
“He’s not in there,” I whispered.
I climbed the first step of the spiral staircase, leaving my boyfriend and father to deal with ten men who were desperate for power.
My rubber-soled shoes were silent on the stone steps, but Consuela’s nails clicked.
I paused when I heard voices.
“Have the boat ready,” said Dimitriou. “We leave immediately after the money is transferred.”
The man was an idiot. There was no way this auction ended peacefully.
I pulled Dad’s Glock from the holster at my hip, grateful that I’d added the silencer.
Yiannis appeared a few seconds later.
I shot him. Between the eyes. And, unlike Köse, Dimitriou’s bodyguard would not be returning from the dead. His body fell toward me, thudding against the stairs.
“Yiannis?”
I crawled over the body and raced to the top of the stairs.
“You!” Dimitriou seemed surprised to see me.
“Give me the drive.”
He shook his head.
We didn’t have time for this.
Yip. Just shoot him already.
I shot Dimitriou in the knee.
He gasped and grabbed the edge of the nearest table.
“The drive?”
“My pocket.”
“Show me. Slowly.”
He reached into his right pocket and pulled out a flash drive.
“Now empty your left pocket.”
“Here’s the drive. Take it.”
“Your left pocket.”
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Shall I shoot your other knee?”
He thrust his hand into his left pocket and produced a second drive.
“Put them both on the table.”
He did as I asked.
“Now step away.”
“You shot my knee.”
“Crawl away.”
He managed a few steps backward, and I reached for the drives.
Yip! He has a gun.
I reacted without thinking. I pulled the trigger. I shot Dimitriou through the heart.
He fell backward and a Sig Sauer clattered to the floor beside him.
“That was for Melia and Oscar.” I glanced at my dog. “We will not be telling Dad or Thor I didn’t search him for a weapon.”
Yip. Your secret is safe with me.
I glanced over my shoulder. We were still alone. I took the flash drive I’d bought at the hotel gift shop from inside my bra and put it into my pocket. I hid Dimitriou’s flash drives in the bottom of my B-cups.
“Ready?”
Consuela and I descended the stairs. Slowly. Carefully.
I heard murmurs.
Dimitriou’s potential buyers were getting restless.
We reached the bottom of the stairs as the front door opened.
Mikhail slipped inside. “Dimitriou?”
“Dead.”
“You have the drive?” he whispered.
I nodded.
He drew a Makarov pistol and pointed it at me.
Yip. I knew we couldn’t trust Volkov.
“Mikhail is SVR,” I told her.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“It just made sense. The Federal Security Service would be fools not to keep tabs on Volkov.”
“Give me the drive.”
I reached for my pocket.
“Slowly.”
We’d attracted attention. Three men watched us.
I pulled the flash drive from my pocket and lobbed it into the air. Four men knocked into each other to get to it.
The drive hit the floor, and four men scrambled for it.
I backed up the steps. The spiral gave me cover.
Bang!
I flinched. Someone had fired the first shot, and it was a catalyst. The downstairs erupted.
Consuela raced up the stairs to escape the noise that echoed off the stone walls.
I lingered, just out of range. My heart beat nearly as loud as the gunfire, and I prayed that Thor and Dad were okay.
When the shooting ceased, I descended the stairs.
The foyer was awash in blood. The walls were painted crimson.
Mikhail slumped against a wall with his hand pressed to his stomach.
“You got it?” I asked.
He gave me a crimson grin and opened his left hand.
The front door flew open, and Volkov stormed inside.
He spotted Mikhail and roared. “You betrayed me!”
Then Volkov, who carried a Sig Sauer, took aim and shot him.
I did, too. But I shot Mikhail’s left hand.
Volkov turned and pointed his gun at me. “You destroyed the drive!”
“It’s better this way.”
“No. It is not.”
“Put it down.” Thor pressed his Glock against Volkov’s temple.
The Russian dropped his gun.
“You and Jack got the staff to safety?”
He nodded.
The wash of relief was so strong my knees gave out. I sat on the stairs and called for my dog. “Consuela, come downstairs. It’s over!”