High Stakes Read online

  Darkness.

  * * *

  Tanner was kneeling beside Lara giving her a shot when Mallory came down the path from the creek. “Gregor’s down?”

  Mallory nodded. “I didn’t have to do it.” He nodded at Lara. “She took care of it before I got the chance. Very clean. Very neat.” He looked down at his phone. “Jordan says the helicopter is on the way. We have seven minutes to get to the edge of the forest for pickup.”

  “Then let’s move.” Tanner settled Lara in a fireman’s lift on his shoulder and started trotting down the path. “I want to be at the airport and on the jet by the time she comes out of the sedative. She wasn’t in the least grateful about getting a little help with a nasty job. And she wasn’t in a mood to listen. She tried to come after me.”

  “Maybe she was scared.”

  Tanner remembered her dark eyes glittering with fury as she’d leaped toward him. “Somehow I don’t think so…”

  * * *

  Something was wrong.

  She was lying on a bed of some sort…a bed made of the softest leather she’d ever touched.

  And she was on a plane!

  She shouldn’t be on a plane.

  She should be in the forest.

  But there was something wrong about that, too.

  Something about Razov…

  “No!” Her lids flew open and she jerked upright.

  “Easy. No one’s going to hurt you.” English again. A man in his middle or late thirties. Light blue eyes, high cheekbones in a lean face, dark hair. Black sweater and black jeans. He was sitting in a seat across the aisle and straightened warily. “There’s nothing wrong. You’re safe.”

  It was all coming back to her. “The hell I am.” Her voice was shaking. “You said that before, and then you knocked me out.” She got to her knees, prepared to leap at him. “You killed Razov. I was supposed to do it. Why did Volkov send you? It wasn’t fair. I would have brought him down. He can’t go back on his word.”

  “I imagine he does that quite a bit. Though I’ve never met him. He certainly didn’t send me.” He got to his feet. “And I knocked you out because I was short on time and you impressed me as not being willing to listen without taking up too much of it. But I’m ready to explain everything to you now, if you’ll stop threatening me and let me do it.” He added, “I’m going to go get you a cup of coffee. While I do it, I’d like you to sit there and look around and pull yourself together enough to be able to react reasonably when we have our discussion.”

  “You patronizing son of a bitch.”

  He suddenly chuckled. “It probably did sound like that. But I’m trying to handle this situation with tact, principally because I want to avoid having you leap at me and try to take me out the way you did at Avgar Forest.”

  “You’re not succeeding.”

  “I was afraid of that.” He made a face. “But just go along with me, Lara.” He bowed mockingly. “You might feel better if you know who you’re dealing with. I’m Logan Tanner and I have nothing to do with those bastards who sent you into that forest. I was sent to bring you out of there alive because I’m very good at it. I have two other employees on this plane. The pilot is Les Jordan, and Josh Mallory works with me and was down there in the forest with me.” He smiled faintly. “Mallory admired the way you took out Gregor. He said it was neat and clean. Neither of them will hurt you, and they have nothing to do with Volkov or your dear papa, either.” He started down the aisle. “I’ll make sure that it takes me at least ten minutes to get your coffee to give you time to think about the situation and get your questions in order. The bathroom is in the rear of the plane, and you won’t find any weapons. There are some parachutes in the closets, but I wouldn’t advise you jumping out. You have a much better chance with me, as you’ll see when we talk.” Then he disappeared from view.

  She stared at the door for an instant before she slowly swung her legs to the floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Think. Absorb the situation. Consider Tanner and anything she had picked up about him. She didn’t know enough about what was happening to fit him into the scenario, but that wouldn’t stop her from analyzing, comparing him with the men she knew. Razov hadn’t had a chance with him. She hadn’t, either, though she might have done better if she could have taken him by surprise. So excellent warrior skills. Clever? Probably. He’d handled her as diplomatically as possible considering the situation. She got to her feet and headed for the bathroom. Explore her surroundings. Just because Tanner had said there were no weapons, it didn’t mean that was the truth. If possible, she had to find a weapon to fight him if he was as good as she suspected.

  She went into the tiny bathroom and quickly relieved herself. Then she washed her face and hands to take off some of the mud and sweat of those days in the forest. It didn’t do much good, but it made her feel a little fresher and better able to cope. She checked the cabinets, but there were only towels and cleaning products. No weapons.

  She left the bathroom and opened the door of the closet she’d passed on the way down the corridor. Four parachutes, a first-aid kit, some rations. Nothing really useful unless she wanted to jump out of the blasted plane. Not practical until she was able to figure out how to use those parachutes and found out where the plane was heading. For all she knew they might be over the ocean.

  The thought frightened her. She didn’t know where she was or how much time had passed since Tanner had knocked her out. Did Volkov know about Gregor and Razov yet? What about Maria?

  “Considering the parachute exit?” She whirled to see Tanner standing in the aisle behind her. He had two cups of coffee in his hands. “I really wouldn’t, until you hear what I have to say. You’re much better off with me.”

  She tensed. “And what do you have to say?” she asked. “What time is it? Do my father and Volkov know what happened with Razov and Gregor?”

  “It’s a little before dawn. Since I was told you had all night to dispose of Razov and Gregor, I assume Volkov won’t know yet how efficient you were. But they should very shortly. We didn’t have time to dispose of the bodies.”

  “Damn you.” Her hands clenched into fists. “Why couldn’t you have kept out of it?”

  “Because I was given an extremely good reason not to do that. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.” He stepped to the side and nodded at the seat across the aisle. “Now why don’t you sit down and drink your coffee and I’ll explain.”

  “I don’t want to sit down. I want you to take me back. You’ve probably ruined everything, but maybe I can convince Volkov I did the kill.” She ran her hand through her hair. “But if he paid you, that won’t work. Maybe I can think of something else. What can I do to get you to lie to him?”

  “Stop.” Tanner put the coffee cup in her hand and pushed her down onto the seat. “Now listen to me, and then you can try to bribe me. Volkov didn’t send me into that forest, your friend Sergai Kaskov did. He didn’t like the odds you were facing and thought that you might need help.”

  “Kaskov? He’s not my friend.” Or maybe he was, but Lara had never been sure. “He should have stayed out of it. He might get Maria killed. I didn’t ask for help.”

  “Kaskov evidently didn’t care whether you wanted help or not. I’ve never found him to give a damn what anyone else thinks in the scheme of things. He just decided that he wanted you away from a bad situation and tapped me to get you out of it.” He took a drink of his coffee. “I have experience in extraction, and my job is to whisk you away from here and out of the country. I’m to settle you somewhere you’ll be safe from both your father and Volkov.”

  “Why you?”

  “He knew I could do the job, and he offered me something that would give me enough incentive to go to any lengths to do it well. Which I will do.” He smiled crookedly. “So get used to me. I agreed to take this job, and you’re stuck with me until I finish it.”

  “You’re supposed to take me out of Russia?” she asked slowly. His words were grad
ually sinking in and her gaze flew to his face. “Truly? You’re not joking?”

  “It’s no joke. Kaskov said that you wouldn’t be safe from Volkov while you were still in Russia. My deal was to get you out and then somewhere he wouldn’t find you.”

  “Yes, I’ll be safer out of Russia.” It was difficult to believe. It was too good to be true. But she mustn’t get this excited. “But that doesn’t mean Volkov will stop searching for me. He never lets go of anything that he owns.”

  “Owns?” Tanner repeated slowly. “I don’t believe I like the way that sounds.”

  “I don’t care what you like. Volkov is what he is. He practically owns my father, so he owns me, too. It’s been like that since the games started.” She leaned forward, her gaze focused on his face. “But this could be a way out. If you’re not lying. If Kaskov isn’t playing some kind of game. He’s very…strange. I’ve never been sure about him.”

  “I’m not lying, Lara,” he said quietly. “I can’t vouch for Kaskov, but he’s going to a lot of trouble and expense if this is a game to him.”

  “That wouldn’t matter to him. Men don’t care about pain or money or trouble when it comes to their games. It’s worth it to them.”

  “Is it?” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “I suppose there’s something in what you say, but not in this case. I fully intend to get you out of here.”

  She met his eyes. “You really mean it,” she said in wonder. She drew a deep breath and then let it out. “But it’s not that easy. I can’t go with you. Not unless you find a way to take Maria with us.”

  “Maria?” he repeated. “Your mother? I’d hardly leave her behind. Kaskov already told me that you wouldn’t go without her. I had two of my men pick her up before I went after you. She should be over Finland by now. She’ll be meeting us in Stockholm.”

  “Finland.” He’d rattled off those words so casually. Why not? He had no idea what they meant to her. Or how often she’d dreamed of flying away anywhere to freedom. She’d almost done it once before, but she’d been caught…and punished.

  “I hope that’s okay?” Tanner was staring at her quizzically.

  “I don’t know if it is or not. It might be. If it’s the truth.”

  “Would you like to talk to her?”

  “Yes.” She moistened her lips. “Could I?”

  “I don’t see why not.” He smiled as he took her cup from her. “You didn’t drink this. I’ll get you a fresh cup when I go get Nash’s phone number from Mallory. He took your mother’s phone away and got rid of it so that she couldn’t be traced. It’s standard operating procedure. I did the same with yours. We’ll replace them in Stockholm.”

  “It seems like a smart idea,” she said absently. Then as he turned away, she suddenly called, “Tanner.”

  He looked back at her.

  “No one’s ever done anything like this for me,” she said awkwardly. “If it’s true. If it really works, I’ll always be grateful to you. There’s nothing I won’t do to pay you back.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said lightly. “I’d much prefer gratitude to the fate you had in mind for me when you first opened your eyes.”

  “I thought you were just another enemy,” she said. “I’m not used to having anyone do anything for me. It was…strange.”

  “But then so is our entire encounter to date.” He smiled. “We’ll just have to become accustomed to it, since we’re going to have to be around each other.”

  He was gone again.

  She leaned back in the seat and tried to relax. It was either a lie or the truth. She was still leaning toward thinking he had lied to her. As she had told him, she couldn’t see why anyone would want to help her. She and Maria were alone in a world that had seldom shown them mercy. Why should Kaskov or this stranger bother themselves to interfere with her life?

  So don’t want it too much. Don’t expect it to be true.

  It was safer like that.

  * * *

  Tanner came back fifteen minutes later and handed her his phone. “She’s going to call you right away. She’s fine. She gave Nash an argument, but she finally went with them without having to be persuaded. I told them I’d prefer to have it that way.”

  “You mean they didn’t have to knock her out?” she asked sarcastically.

  He nodded. “She was much more reasonable than you. She didn’t go on the attack. I had to protect myself, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did. I was going to kill you if I could.”

  “I thought that was where you were headed.”

  “I still will if you’re lying and they hurt Maria.”

  “I’m not lying.” He sat down across from her. “Why do you call your mother by her first name?”

  “My father didn’t like it when she got pregnant. Then she compounded the sin by having a girl. I learned when I was very young that it was better for both of us not to remind him of that terrible mistake. I’ve always called my mother Maria and my father Anton.”

  “What a son of a bitch,” he said softly.

  “Yes, but we learned how to survive him.” She was gazing impatiently down at the phone. “When is she supposed to—” The phone rang and she pressed it to answer. “Maria? Are you all right?”

  “A little bewildered and suspicious, but that’s all. I’ve been so worried about you for these past days. And then these men showed up and told me something about Kaskov and that you weren’t hurt and would stay that way as long as I went along with them. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I haven’t been hurt. Are they treating you well?”

  “Insistent,” Maria said. “But very polite. What’s this all about? What does Kaskov have to do with it?”

  “I have no idea about Kaskov. We hardly saw anything of him except those times he’d stop by and you’d have me play for him. He wouldn’t speak more than a few words to either of us and then he’d be gone again. I don’t know why he’d interfere like this. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Maybe it was just a random impulse. Anyway, I’ll take it.”

  “Interfere? You’re not being clear, Lara.”

  Her mother was right. Nothing was clear at this moment. It was all guesswork. “Kaskov did something that might change everything for us. I can’t promise, but there’s a chance.” She looked at Tanner. “We’re leaving Russia. We’re not coming back. You’re going to be safe.”

  Maria was silent. “Thank God. But you’re the one who has to be safe. Volkov was getting…I’ve been afraid for the last month. But you know Volkov isn’t going to let you go.”

  “He won’t have a choice. Once I’m free, I’m going to stay free. If Tanner gets us out of Russia, I’ll find a safe place for you and then just disappear.”

  “Tanner?”

  Lara looked Tanner in the eye and said defiantly, “Kaskov’s errand boy. But Kaskov wouldn’t have sent him if he hadn’t thought he could manage to get us out. You know how afraid everyone is of Kaskov, and they don’t screw up. We’ll trust Tanner unless he proves that we can’t.”

  “It’s really true?” Maria whispered. “It’s not a trick?”

  “Not as far as I know.” But Lara was afraid to tell her anything more than that. They had both been disappointed before. “If it’s a trick, it wasn’t one of Volkov’s. Tanner killed one of Volkov’s men. That’s good enough for me to take this chance. I just don’t know why Kaskov would interfere.”

  “I might be able to guess. I’d watch his face when you were playing. At times there was something…” She paused and then said quietly, “It’s too good to be true, you know. I’m afraid to believe it.”

  “Believe it,” Lara said. “All I need is an opportunity, I’ll take it from there.” She added quickly, “Do what this Nash tells you to do until we meet in Stockholm. After that we’ll talk and make decisions for ourselves. Okay?”

  “It will have to be,” Maria said. “I’m just having a little trouble with remembering about decisions. I haven’t had the opportunity
to do that for a long time. Take care, Lara.” She ended the call.

  “Content?” Tanner asked as he took his phone.

  “No, I want you to call that Nash back and make sure he treats her very carefully. She didn’t really know what was happening. It worried her.”

  “I don’t have to call him back. He had his instructions and I’m sure she told you she was treated very courteously. She’ll have no complaints when she meets you in Stockholm.” He smiled. “We don’t generally harass mothers or children. And a bit of worry wouldn’t have been a criminal offense.”

  “It depends on the person. Maria is tough, but you don’t know what my mother has gone through in her life. It might have brought back memories I don’t want her to have to ever think about again.”

  “I can’t be responsible for memories,” he said. “Not hers, not yours. You’ll have to handle those yourselves. I can only guarantee that I’ll inflict as little insult or pain as possible.” His lips lifted in a lopsided smile. “Which you weren’t being too careful to do yourself. ‘Errand boy’? Neither word accurately describes me.”

  “It served its purpose.” She shrugged. “Though I admit I don’t like that you’ve been in control of my life since the moment I saw you in that forest. It makes me feel…I don’t like it.”

  “So you decided to sting me.”

  “I’m sure it didn’t bother you.”

  “No, it amused me. Still, quite a change from that moment when you were tearing up with gratitude.”

  “I didn’t tear up. I don’t cry. I meant what I said, but it’s all mixed up because I’m afraid that you’ve been lying to me.” She lifted her chin. “And I won’t forgive you if you are. I’ll find a way to punish you.”

  “I’m sure you could,” he murmured. “But it’s wise of you to wait until you’re sure, so that you won’t have to exert unnecessary energy if you’re wrong.” His gaze was raking her face. “You look very tired. You were out there in the forest for three nights?”

  “I’m not tired.” She kept her back very straight in the seat as she added sarcastically, “How could I be, when you so kindly saw that I was unconscious for the past few hours?”