I sip my own drink, tasting the subtle flavor before pointedly setting it on the table next to Nikolai’s empty glass.
“What is it you want, Stone?” Nikolai asks, all semblance of politeness vanquished from his tone. This is the hard businessman he is known to be and the man I need to deal with.
“So many things my mind can’t even hold them all at once, but only one thing that I desire enough to invite you into my home, to hold a party in your honor in the hope that you would give your blessing.”
I’m laying it on thick, but I’ve studied Romanov’s style, his strengths and weaknesses, and his ego is one that appreciates a stroke. He needs to play the big man upon high, so this is my best shot at getting my way. But I bow down to no one. It’s merely a tactic.
“And what is that?” he asks with narrowed eyes.
“Something that will cost you nothing. I respectfully ask for safe passage, that is all,” I say, downplaying how important this favor is to me. I don’t want to divulge too much, expose a weakness, or tell such a dangerous man that I am following in my father’s footsteps in a search for a rare and valuable stone.
After all, I’m not sure who killed my father. Maybe it was Nikolai himself and I am walking into the same trap, though I don’t think so. The Romanov specialty is drug trafficking, and gemstones, whether black market or otherwise, aren’t really their thing.
Except for Mother Romanov.
That woman loves her diamonds. Pink ones, to be specific. Rare and unusual in nature, gem-quality pink diamonds make her a very happy old woman. And making his mother happy is one thing Nikolai Romanov loves to do. That is why Caleb went on that last mission for me, all the way across the globe.
Nikolai’s patience begins to fray at the edges, and he leans forward, rumbling. “Safe passage where?”
“I would like to go on a vacation of sorts, in honor of my father,” I say, playing on his family values and twisting on his sympathy. “He asked that his ashes be scattered in several locations across the globe, ones that meant something to him, either in life or in death.” The lie rolls off my tongue with practiced ease and I think that my father would be proud, though making him proud was never something I aspired to do.
“And one of the locations is in South America. Brazil, to be accurate. Now, before you play coy and act like you have no influence down there, we both know you do and why. I could’ve simply flown in and made my trip as quiet as possible, risking my own life, but more importantly, risking your appearance of control. But I did not wish to do that. I would like us to be friends, colleagues, perhaps tovarisch,” I say with a salesman’s smile.
I give him a chance to digest and continue. “So I chose to do the respectful thing, especially since you are in town for your own business, and ask for your permission, your word that my group would have safe passage through the rainforest to the Carajas Mountain caves, that I may perform the rites my father wished, and then safe passage out of the forest and country.”
I make sure I cover all my bases, because I know Nikolai would take special delight in killing me as I arrived at the airport to depart, saying that my safe passage was to the caves, not to and from. He’s conniving that way, detail-oriented in a way I can respect.
Nikola considers me for a moment then laughs, loud and uproariously. “You want me to let you into my territory to toss about your daddy’s ashes?” He doesn’t bother telling me that he has no pull in Brazil, since we both know he has the cartels by the balls, but he asks the question like it’s ridiculous, like he wouldn’t ever consider granting permission, which is the reaction I’d expected from him. He laughs so hard, one of his guards comes over to check on him. But Nikolai waves him off. “Nyet, go . . . enjoy the party.”
I watch the guard walk away, noting that the other Russians are all partying pretty hard, slamming drinks down, and several of them are dancing with the hostesses now as the music has changed. Tuning in, I hear an old club hit proclaiming, ‘It’s getting hot