pragmatic," Karpov said. "I'm soon to become the head of FSB-2, so why kill me? I'd be an excellent friend to have, don't you agree?"
"The only good friend," Maslov said, "is a dead friend."
He took aim at Karpov, but before he could squeeze the trigger, an explosion blasted him backward off his feet. A hole had appeared in Karpov's smock from the bullet he had fired. He threw off the smock at the same time as the two other clients - both FSB-2 undercover agents - fired through their smocks. Yevgeny's two men went down. Yevgeny killed one of Karpov's men before Karpov shot him three times in the chest.
Karpov, his face still covered with shaving cream, walked over to where Maslov lay on the black-and-white tile floor.
"How do you feel?" He aimed his pistol at Maslov's face. "At the end of an era?"
Without waiting for a reply, he squeezed the trigger.
Moira opened her eyes after what seemed like days or weeks of sleep, and saw Berengaria Moreno's face.
Berengaria smiled, but it was a smile full of concern. "How do you feel?"
"Like I've been hit by a train." Her left leg was in a full cast, suspended by a sling-and-pulley system, so the lower half was above the level of her head.
"You look beautiful, mami." Berengaria's voice was light and breezy. She kissed Moira lightly on the mouth. "I have a private ambulance waiting downstairs to take us back to the hacienda. A full-time nurse and a physical therapist have already settled into their guest rooms."
"You didn't have to do that." It was a stupid thing to say. Luckily, Berengaria had the good grace to ignore it.
"You'll have to get used to calling me Barbara."
"I know."
Then her tone changed, her voice softened, and she leaned close to Moira. "I was sure I'd never see you again."
"Which only goes to prove that there are no sure things in life."
Berengaria laughed. "God knows."
"Barbara..."
"Mami, please, I'll be angry if you think I expect anything. I would do anything for you, including leaving you alone, if that's your wish."
Moira put her hand against Barbara's cheek. "Right now, all I want is to recover." She sighed deeply. "Barbara, I want to be able to run again."
Barbara put her hand over Moira's. "Then you'll make it so. And I'll help you, if that is your wish. If not..." She shrugged.
"Thank you."
"Get better, mami. That's how you'll thank me."
Moira's expression clouded over. "You know, I wasn't lying to Arkadin. Corellos has to be dealt with, and the sooner the better."
"I know." Barbara almost mouthed the words, so softly did she speak.
"It will take some thought, but the problem will give me something to concentrate on besides my leg."
"I'm tempted to say just concentrate on getting better, but I know you'll laugh in my face."
Moira's expression darkened even further. "You're in the wrong business, you know that, don't you?"
"It was my brother's life."
"I'm tempted to say that it doesn't have to be yours, but I know you'll laugh in my face."
Barbara smiled ruefully. "God knows there's no escaping family." Absently, she stroked Moira's cast. "My brother was good to me, he protected me, he looked out for me when others tried to take advantage of me." She looked into Moira's eyes. "He taught me to be tough. He taught me how to hold my head up in the world of men. Without him I don't know where I'd be."
Moira thought about this for some time. One compelling reason to stay with Barbara was so she could convince her to leave her brother's business behind, despite her perceived obligation to him. Moira hadn't been in touch with her own family for years, didn't even know whether her parents were still alive. She wondered if she cared. Her own brother was another matter entirely. She knew where he was, what he was doing, and with whom he associated. She was certain he knew nothing of her. They had severed ties in their early twenties. Unlike with her parents, she felt something for him, but it wasn't good.
She took a deep breath and exhaled the stale air of her past. "I'm healing faster than the surgeon had expected, and no one thinks more highly of his work than he does."
Barbara's eyes twinkled. "Well, you know, nothing is as we expect."
This time, both women laughed together.
Benjamin El-Arian sat behind his desk in his study. He was on the phone with Idir Syphax, the top-echelon member of Severus Domna in Tineghir. Syphax had