High Stakes Read online

  But none of Nikolai’s signals had indicated threat, and Kaskov had ordered those signals. So assume dominance until he knew what the hell the bastard wanted. First, sit down behind the desk in the library and make Kaskov come to him.

  He didn’t have to wait long. Sergai Kaskov swept into the library only a few minutes later. He was dressed in a faultless tuxedo and tossed his coat on a chair beside the door. “Hello, Tanner. Thank you for seeing me. I meant to be here earlier, but I just flew in from Rome. I had tickets for a concert at the opera and there was an artist I didn’t want to miss. Superb. You’ll understand, you go there frequently when you’re in Italy, don’t you?” He dropped down into a chair beside the desk and smiled. “Life can be so tiresome; one must take advantage of every minute of beauty.” He looked almost exactly the same as he had when Tanner had last seen him several years ago. He sat there perfectly at ease, powerful, magnetic, totally dominant, gray-streaked dark hair, somewhere in his late fifties. He chuckled as he continued, “But then you know that about me. You investigated everything you could find regarding who I was and how you could get what you wanted from me. I expected it.” He leaned back in the chair. “I even admired it.”

  “I could hardly blame you for not coming earlier when I didn’t expect you at all,” Tanner said dryly. “I assume you mean Pierre Lazco. He’s a wonderful violinist. I saw him last night after I arrived in Rome from New York.”

  “I didn’t think you’d miss him. I told Nikolai I’d bet him you’d come in at least a day early for your big game. I thought I might even see you there tonight. I have a box at the opera house, and we could have enjoyed the concert together.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me? You very generously fund both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. Why not spread the largesse around to Rome?”

  “Why not?” Kaskov repeated with a wry smile. “And you very neatly sidestepped my gracious invitation to share my box. But you’re probably right, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if you’d had to concentrate on outside influences. I saw you at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall one night, and I might have been looking at myself. It was good to know. The dossier I had on you hadn’t mentioned that passion for music. I immediately dismissed the investigator.”

  Shit, he didn’t like the idea that Kaskov knew anything but the bare basics about him. “There’s no way you could use that as a weapon. I like all music from Bach to jazz, but it’s not a passion. It was understandable that your man skipped over it.” He shook his head. “And I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you wouldn’t have been that much of a distraction. I could have closed you out.”

  “Could you?” Kaskov asked thoughtfully. “Yes, you might have had the willpower, but you would have had to make an effort. Sometimes the smallest things are the ones that take us down. At any rate, as I said, I admire that you researched me so thoroughly. It shows how determined you were to save your friend. You wanted me to use my influence to get Mallory safely out of Moscow before Narzoff took a contract out on him for luring his mistress into bed. But I don’t know many men who would have come to me about it.”

  “Neither do I,” Tanner said. “Believe me, I was out of options.”

  Kaskov shook his head. “Mallory made a bad choice. Narzoff is a very possessive man, and he wasn’t even one of my family. I’m usually careful about not interfering with the members of other families as long as they accord me the same courtesy. You caused me a good deal of trouble before it was over.”

  “But you still did it.” Tanner’s lips twisted. “And I paid your price. I extracted that man Putin was after. That makes us even. So why are you here?”

  “I did it because I’d heard enough about you that I was intrigued and wanted to know more. I’m always looking for men with the right qualifications, and you were very, very good. I thought I might hire you. That extraction was necessary, but it was still in the nature of an audition.”

  “Then I must have failed it. I never got an offer from you.” He sighed. “Too bad.”

  “By that time, I’d assessed your capabilities and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to persuade you to come over to the dark side. You were moving too quickly out of range of either bribery or intimidation. You’d already had your sights set on your first leap into the big leagues. You’d become an extractor after you left special services, but you knew it was only going to be temporary until you earned a big enough stash for your first casino.” He smiled. “So I decided I’d just take advantage of those capabilities on a one-shot deal and then file you away for future notice. But even if it was temporary, you’d made the right contacts and you did my job superbly. And you were smart enough not to want any connection with me after that one extraction.” He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. “Why should you? You’re quite probably a mathematical genius, and you’ve already bought several casinos in the U.S. as well as here in Milan and Macao. You’re a fantastic gambler—no one’s better at judging the odds than you. Then you started playing the market and you opened an entirely new chapter. I’ve increased my net worth enormously just watching and following.”

  “I’m glad I could be of help,” Tanner said dryly. “Is this going somewhere?”

  “Oh, yes.” He took the cup of coffee Nikolai was handing him. “I seldom waste my time on reminiscing. I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t going at this blindly. I’ve studied you and I have faith you can give me what I need.”

  “And yet you already know that I don’t want to do another extraction for you. It is an extraction?”

  Kaskov nodded. “An extremely difficult one that involves a multitude of complications that might suit your talents. So I pulled you out of my file and dusted off all the info I’d gathered about you. You might actually want to do this one. Not only will I promise to give you whatever you wish in return, but it might bring you a certain amount of satisfaction. From what I’ve heard, I think you’re probably restless and bored and ready for a new challenge. Plus, you didn’t have to save Mallory, but you did. Which indicates a softness that may be rather naive but is an integral part of your character. You didn’t like your friend being bullied by Narzoff.” He frowned. “It’s lately been brought to my attention that I don’t like bullies, either.”

  “May I point out that your life is devoted to enforcement and criminal activities? One might even call you a bully.”

  “Not to my face,” he said softly. “I’d suggest you change your phrasing.”

  Nikolai had turned back at the door and was looking at Kaskov.

  Kaskov made a motion. “It’s all right, Nikolai. Tanner is feeling a bit pressured. We’ll either come to an agreement or we won’t.”

  “We won’t,” Tanner said flatly. “I’m not interested. Who is it? Another scientist you’re trying to get out from under Putin’s thumb?”

  “No, though that was a case of bullying in the extreme and would have ended very badly if you’d not gotten him out of Russia.” He paused. “This is more personal. Lara has nothing to do with politics. She’s just trying to survive.” He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a large manila envelope. He opened it and spread a group of passport photos on the desk in front of Tanner. “Lara Balkon.” He pointed to a beautiful dark-haired woman with high cheeks and slightly slanted eyes. “She’s the one I need you to extract.”

  “Your mistress?”

  “No.” He pointed to another photo of an attractive older woman. “Maria Balkon, her mother. She’s English, and she and Lara are very close. Lara probably won’t consent to be extracted without her.” He pointed to a photo of a dark-haired man in his forties. “Anton Balkon, Lara’s father. A total son of a bitch. He’s head of his own family business in the south Georgia area and does moderately well. Mostly drugs, he’s no problem for me. But Boris Volkov might be a different matter. He’s boss of a neighboring family and has recently taken over several other syndicates in the area and become a close friend of Balkon.” He threw down an
other photo of a tall, smiling man with sun-streaked brown-gray hair. “Volkov. He now controls the south territory except for a small area he allows Balkon to run. He’d like to move in on me in Moscow if he had the nerve.”

  “Which he doesn’t?”

  “No, but he keeps testing me. I think Lara might be part of that test.”

  “You said she wasn’t your mistress.”

  “But he knows I’ve stopped by the Balkon house and listened to her play every now and then over the years.”

  “Play?”

  “She’s a pianist. Remarkable. I heard her play at a recital in Moscow when she was eleven. She won first prize, which was a grand piano and a scholarship at the Moscow Conservatory. I thought she was a prodigy then. But she never used the scholarship. Her father took her back to the country the next week, and she never performed after that.”

  Tanner’s eyes were narrowed on Kaskov’s face. “And therein lies the tale,” he said softly. “You couldn’t stand to see a talent wasted.”

  “I won’t deny the idea makes me angry. But it’s a bit more involved than that.” He added curtly, “And it’s not been wasted. She’s still brilliant. She practices four or five hours a day when she gets the chance. She’s twenty-one now, and I heard her last year. I’d judge, if allowed another few years, she’ll be one of the top pianists in the world.”

  “You’d be a good judge if you weren’t swayed by other factors.” He glanced at the woman in the photo. She wasn’t smiling but there was an intensity, an eagerness, an odd expectancy in those dark eyes that was fascinating. “She’s beautiful. You’re sure she’s not your mistress?”

  “No, and I’m not swayed by anything other than her ability.” He thought for a moment. “Or perhaps her courage. Those are the two things that impressed me about her. She reminded me of someone…”

  Sentiment? Not likely, Tanner thought. Kaskov’s expression was as hard as ever. “Why don’t you get her out yourself?”

  “I told you, it’s not my custom to interfere with the decisions of other families. It’s not good business and sets a bad example.”

  “And?”

  He didn’t speak for a moment. “I have to get her out right away. She has to totally disappear for a period of time so that I have time to rearrange her circumstances. That disappearance must not be connected with me.”

  “You’d rather it be connected with me?”

  “If you’re so clumsy that you make that kind of a mistake. I don’t believe you will.”

  “I don’t believe I will, either. Because I have no intention of doing this extraction. Find someone else.”

  “If you weren’t perfect, I’d take your advice. But there’s no real reason why you shouldn’t do it. You’re bored, and this would be something to fill in the time until you move on to your next project.”

  “I’m not bored.”

  “You set up one of your poker games for tomorrow night. You usually only do that when you’re—”

  “I’m not bored. And the poker game is another good reason why I can’t do it. You said it has to be done right away. The game is tomorrow night.”

  “Cancel it.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “You have to get her out of there right away,” Kaskov said quietly. “It’s a priority. You can set up another poker game anytime.”

  “Priority?” he asked impatiently.

  “She might not be alive after this weekend. Volkov’s men are laying bets she won’t be. The odds are against her.”

  Tanner went still. “The odds?”

  “I told you that Anton Balkon is a son of a bitch.” He shrugged. “Volkov is far worse. He’s a sadistic bastard, and he never forgets an insult. I don’t know the details, but Lara managed to make him furious before she went to that recital in Moscow. It was Volkov who ordered Balkon to bring her back. He had plans for her.”

  “Plans?” His hand clenched on his cup. “She was only eleven.”

  “Not sexual. At least, not then. He had something more long-range in mind. He came up with a punishment that could amuse both her father and him for years to come.”

  “He wouldn’t let her take the scholarship.”

  “Oh, that was definitely gone. But he was still going to permit her to play the piano as long as she agreed to go along with the rules of the bet he’d made with her father.”

  “Bet?”

  Kaskov smiled bitterly. “I told you this extraction was perfect for you. Volkov and Balkon don’t have your talent, but they do have a passion for gambling. Particularly Volkov. So why not set a master gambler to spoil their very dirty games? It seemed Balkon wouldn’t have minded having a son, but he was disgusted with not only having a daughter, but having one who could do nothing but pound a piano. Which also caused him trouble with his boss, Volkov, who seemed to be impatient with everything Lara did. He grabbed at the chance to earn his approval when Volkov told him his idea of letting Volkov choose certain goals twice a year for Lara to reach to make her into the kind of person they both wanted her to become. Then they’d make a wager as to whether or not she could meet each goal.” His lips tightened. “I don’t have to tell you what kind of punishment she’d have to take from her father if she failed him and he lost a bet. I’m sure that Volkov made those goals very difficult for her to reach.”

  “But you don’t know?” Tanner was gazing at him. “And if you don’t interfere with other families, how do you know so much about this particular horror story?”

  “Word gets around. I didn’t hear about it for a few years, but then both Volkov’s and Balkon’s men started to make their own bets on Lara. It was bound to happen after she started not to lose all the time. You know gamblers will bet on anything. You’ve made some crazy bets yourself.” He was studying Tanner’s face. “But I thought this setup would turn you off. You don’t like bullies, and a kid isn’t exactly fair game.”

  “I didn’t say it turned me off,” he said coolly. “Life’s not often fair. You’ve got to accept that and go on.” He looked down at the photo again. “She looks…fragile. You said she began to win?”

  “So I heard.”

  “That’s right, you kept your distance. Which is what I intend to do.”

  “Oh, like you did when you and Mallory and a few of your men broke up that dogfighting ring in the backwoods outside your casino in Atlantic City? I understand you inflicted serious and permanent damage.”

  Tanner carefully kept his face without expression. “It seemed the thing to do at the time. I like dogs.”

  “And you have problems with bullies. As I said, some gamblers will bet on anything. Not you. You have a passion for the game, but it annoys you if the rules are ignored. Or if there are penalties to anyone but the opponents involved.” He shrugged. “But if I’m wrong and you’ve made up your mind, then I suppose I should tell you what you’re turning down so that you can compliment yourself on staying away from it. Lara’s goal this time is basically just keeping herself alive for this weekend. Her father is turning her loose in the forest outside Avgar. Volkov is sending two of his best men after her with orders to take her down. Which means that to live, she’ll have to kill them. No weapons allowed. She’s not as fragile as she looks and she’s trained herself, but what do you think her chances are?”

  “I think if Volkov and her father have been enjoying their game, they’ll back off or they’ll lose the mouse they’re toying with.”

  “We’ll see. They haven’t backed off before.” He nodded at the manila envelope. “I’ve included the principal hoops that Volkov made her jump through in the past and the results. It might interest you. But the hurdle this weekend is a step beyond. It’s clear that this ‘game’ has become an obsession with Volkov over the years. Yet lately he’s been losing too often, and he might be getting frustrated. He has a reputation for hating to lose. There’s a chance that he’ll want to end it.” He paused. “Or to damage her so badly that it will happen anyway.”

  “But
then you’d lose your prodigy, and you don’t like to lose, either,” Tanner said mockingly. “I can’t believe you won’t find someone else to accommodate you.”

  “I think I’ll wait for you to change your mind. I hate making do when you’re so perfect, Tanner.” He got to his feet. “If you need my help, I’m at your disposal as long as you keep it confidential. You’ll find additional information in that envelope that may assist you. It’s only fair since I realize it’s short notice and you’ve had no opportunity for preparations.” He took his coat off the chair. “There’s also a copy of the DVD I had taken of Lara Balkon last year so that you can understand what they’re killing.” He headed for the door. “Nikolai will be in the lobby all night. I hope you’ll be in touch.”

  “I won’t be. If time is of the essence, I’d suggest you start making a few calls.”

  “I rarely take suggestions.” He smiled at him over his shoulder. “I tend to make a decision and then roll the dice. Like you, Tanner.” Then he hesitated as he reached the door. “But you’re being more stubborn than I thought, so it might be wise to give you another incentive to please me.” His gaze narrowed. “How about Antonio Sandrino?”

  Tanner stiffened and inhaled sharply. “I’m listening.”

  “Your reason for coming to Moscow the first time was because of business, but you sent me a message about six months ago and asked me if I had any information about Sandrino.”

  “And you told me you didn’t. It was a lie?”

  “No, not at the time. And I had no reason to explore the matter.” He smiled. “But there’s not much that I can’t find out if I go to the trouble. People seem to want to tell me anything I want to know. And I decided I wanted to know when this unfortunate matter of Lara appeared on the horizon. I’m sure I’ll have your information when you’ve finished taking care of her problem.”

  Then he was gone. Tanner heard him speaking to Nikolai in the foyer and then the sound of the elevator.