door at the bottom was ajar, wisps of steaming air rising from the gap. He opened it wider. A white-tiled room came into view, twenty or so aproned staff busy preparing the resplendent evening meal for their billionaire guests.
Eddie quietly entered, gun at the ready. At first none of the kitchen staff noticed the intruders, being too involved with their work – then a woman chopping vegetables looked round at the cold draught. Her irritation instantly turned to fright.
‘If I can have your attention, please!’ said Eddie loudly to forestall her scream as the other camouflage-clad men rushed in behind him. ‘Dinner’s cancelled. Nobody’ll be hurt if you do what we say, so stop what you’re doing and keep quiet.’ A flash of movement – a waiter lunging for a telephone mounted on the wall. ‘Oi!’ he shouted as he fired, the silenced shot shattering the phone just before the waiter reached it. ‘That means you, Manuel!’ The large man froze.
Eddie quickly surveyed his surroundings. Through the circular windows in a set of swing doors he could see a lift and stairs leading upwards, presumably to the dining area, as well as a dumbwaiter near the exit, but of more immediate interest was a single door, at the kitchen’s rear, to a storage area full of catering-sized bags of dry goods. ‘Okay, everyone in there. Move!’
Glas’s men spread out to corral the staff into the storeroom, quickly searching them to confiscate phones. Eddie examined the makeshift cell’s door; it didn’t appear to be lockable. ‘Someone’ll have to keep an eye on them.’
‘I’ll do it,’ volunteered Amsel. Eddie nodded, and the German took up a position to watch both the storeroom and the main entrance. The waiter who had tried to reach the phone glowered at him through the door’s little window.
Eddie hurried for the exit, the remaining men following. He hoped the delays hadn’t made the situation worse for Nina.
Gorchakov picked up Nina’s gun. He turned it over in his hands, then glared at Stikes. ‘Why did you not search her?’ he demanded.
The Englishman was unconcerned by the anger directed at him from around the table. ‘To give her a false sense of security. I knew that if she thought she had an ace up her sleeve, she’d reveal her true intentions sooner rather than later. Don’t forget, I’ve dealt with her before. I know what kind of person she is – and she’s not the type to start blasting away at unarmed civilians. She leaves the shooting to her husband.’
Nina expected him to question her again regarding Eddie’s whereabouts, but he left the comment hanging. Instead, Warden spoke. ‘This is twice you’ve done something without telling us, Stikes – first kidnapping Chase’s father –’ he gave Larry a brief glance – ‘and now this. Don’t make us question our decision to take you on board.’
‘You took me on because you know I get results,’ Stikes replied. ‘And I have. You’ve got Dr Wilde, and you’ve got the statues. Everything you need is here.’
‘If Dr Wilde cooperates.’
‘Oh, she will.’ Stikes gave her a lupine smile. ‘One way or another.’
‘Don’t bet on it,’ said Nina.
He sighed. ‘Are we really going to go through this routine again? I make a demand, you refuse, I put a gun to someone you care about, you cave in.’ He slid the case across the table to Nina. ‘So why not just save everybody’s time and put the statues together?’
‘Nina, I don’t know what the hell’s going on here,’ said Larry with nervous bravado, ‘but, er, much as I’d like you to do what he says so we can all go home, I’m getting the distinct feeling it’s not a good idea. So don’t give this bastard what he wants, not on my account.’
Stikes regarded him with an odd sense of approval. ‘I didn’t think you had that much backbone, Larry. Maybe you and your son have more in common than either of you would like to admit. Oh, and Gerard,’ he added to the man holding Larry, ‘shoot him in the knee.’
‘No!’ Nina screamed as Gerard unhesitatingly pointed the gun at Larry’s leg. Stikes snapped up a hand, and the big mercenary stopped, his finger tight on the trigger.
‘I told you,’ Stikes said to her. He gestured at the case. ‘Now. The statues.’
Nina and Larry exchanged helpless looks. The gun was still fixed on his knee; at point-blank range the bullet would shatter the bones, almost certainly crippling him for life – if he survived