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* * *
Aleksandrov Vishenko’s private airplane landed on the single runway of a local airstrip in Arlington, Virginia, then taxied toward the hangar. Once there, the pilot turned off the engines, then he and the copilot exited the plane and entered the office to arrange for refueling and to file a new flight plan. As always, Vishenko wanted to be ready for anything, including a quick getaway if necessary.
He was early for his meeting, but he’d planned it that way. The government official he was there to see—his most dangerous gamble—would not arrive for another hour. But the stage would be set and Vishenko’s men—who’d arrived earlier and were waiting inside the hangar—would search the bureaucrat for weapons and listening devices when he arrived, before allowing him to board Vishenko’s plane. Then, and only then, would Vishenko offer his bribe in absolute secrecy...to the man he feared most. To the man who’d been after him for years and who was one witness away from putting him behind bars for life. To the man who had a reputation as an incorruptible man...but Vishenko had learned differently.
“Every man has his price,” Vishenko reassured himself now as he reviewed the details in his mind. Overtures had already been made—through an intermediary, of course—and the government official had proved...amenable. Corruptible after all. But greedy. He had not named his price—but all indications hinted the price would be steep. If that was the price of his freedom, though, Vishenko would pay it. Gladly.
* * *
Cate and Liam had a leisurely breakfast, during which they talked about nothing in particular, then loaded their things in the SUV. As she buckled her seat belt Liam asked her, “Is there anything else you need before we get on the road to Black Rock? I know the agency provided you with a few changes of clothes and toiletries, but they might have overlooked something. There are stores where we’re going, but your choices might be limited.”
She shook her head. “I’m used to making do.”
Liam sighed softly. “That’s not the point, Cate. If you need something, now’s the time to speak up.”
She hesitated. “How long am I staying with Sheriff Callahan?”
“Hard to say. The trial has been postponed for a month, that’s all I know for sure. The way D’Arcy was talking yesterday, though, I got the feeling he doesn’t plan to produce you until the last minute. So at least a few weeks.”
“I’ll go crazy with nothing to read,” she said finally. Reluctantly. “If there’s a library...”
“I’m sure there are libraries in Buffalo and Sheridan, if not in Black Rock itself. But unless Callahan or his wife checks the books out for you, you’re out of luck—no local address to apply for a library card, remember?” He turned the key in the ignition, then put the SUV in gear. “We have time. We’ll stop and get you some books to read.”
Liam pulled into the parking lot of the first Walmart he came to, then led Cate inside, grabbed a shopping cart and headed over to the book aisle. Once there she glanced around, picked a book off the shelf and read the back cover, then put it down again. She did that numerous times, he noticed, before finally settling on one book.
“This one,” she said. But her eyes stared longingly at the last book she’d set down.
Liam shook his head. “Come on, Cate. One book won’t last several weeks.” He already knew from the conversations he’d had with her that she was well-read. One book might have been good enough for some people, but not her. He went back down the aisle, selected the books she’d picked up but rejected and tossed them into the cart.
“Liam, no!” Her protest wasn’t loud, but it was insistent.
He ignored her. When he had a dozen books in the cart he turned around and faced her. “If there’s something you really don’t want—fine. Put it back. But if you want to read it, then I’m buying it. This is my money, Cate, not the agency’s, so you don’t have to worry.”
“But, so many,” she said faintly. She glanced at the price of the paperback in her hand. “I can’t let you—”
“I want you to have the books you want to read,” Liam said, cutting her off. He knew his face was set in stubborn lines, but he wasn’t going to back down on this, no matter how much Cate protested.
“But I—”
“No arguments, Cate,” he said. His left hand came up of its own volition and cupped her cheek. She didn’t flinch away, so his thumb brushed gently over her lips the way his lips longed to do. “Let me do this for you,” he said softly. “My way of apologizing for what I said last night.”
