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She spun, pivoting on her left foot, and her right leg clipped the gun from his hand, sent it skidding across the floor. She followed with an elbow to his jaw, snapping his head back, knocking him into the table. She darted across the room to the weapon, raised it, aimed as he turned and started toward her.
Her voice was ice. “Stop. Right now. Or I will shoot you, Lanighan, and you will get nothing.”
He dropped his hand to his side. His rage was barely controlled. He said between clenched teeth, “It seems the warnings against you were correct.”
“Who would say that about me? I always play by the rules. You’re the one acting like an amateur. Now, I’m going to watch you transfer the money, then I will give you the key, and we will part ways, each satisfied our end of the bargain has been upheld.”
“Very well. Give me the key. An act of good faith.”
Without lowering the weapon, she tossed him the small envelope.
“It is a five-minute walk from here. Now transfer my money.”
“You will come with me.”
She shook her head. “If you try to walk out this door without transferring my money, I will shoot you dead and keep the diamond for myself.”
“Where is the diamond now?”
“Bank Horim. You can see it from here, Saleem. Go out on your balcony and look to the right.”
He considered her for a moment, then shrugged and went to the balcony. The outside air was biting, and the sun was disappearing rapidly. He turned to the right and saw the pulsing blue and white lights half a mile away.
“Kitsune. Come here.”
“So you can throw me off the balcony? No, thank you.”
“Come here now!”
She edged carefully toward the open door. She saw the lights immediately, realized there were police ears in front of the Bank Horim.
Her mobile rang, a secure number. It was Marie-Louise Helmut.
The older woman’s voice was a whisper. “People are asking about you.”
“What people?”
“An America FBI agent and an Englishman from Scotland Yard, plus a French FedPol agent. I am holding them off as long as possible, but they know you were here, and they are bringing warrants. I will not be able to stop them from opening the box.”
Drummond had found her. She’d known he would; deep down, she’d known. But how? How had he found her here?
Kitsune couldn’t allow them to open the box, not while the stone was inside.
Kitsune said, “You must open the box yourself and remove the contents.”
“I cannot, the FedPol agent is still here.” Then Helmut said, “I did send the man and woman to Sages, as you instructed. If only the third agent would leave, I could retrieve the contents of the box unnoticed.”
Kitsune’s heart sped up. A chance, then.
She said, “Do what you have to do. Make it happen.”
She turned to Lanighan.
“There is a problem, but I am handling it. Meet me back here in two hours.”
She didn’t wait for an answer, turned and left so quietly he wouldn’t have known she’d even been in his room if he hadn’t seen her with his own eyes.
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