It all added up to one thingthe tumor was growing, and putting pressure on the retinal nerves behind his eyes. To tolerate the pain he had started mixing pills and booze. That wasnt smart, but there would be no convincing Merrick to have the surgery until he was ready.
They started to walk again. Ordinarily Id remind you that personal contact with an associate or suspect is frowned upon at Onyxx, Merrick said, but on this mission anything goes as long as we recover the file and Holic Reznik ends up on a slab next to the Chameleon. There is some concern that Holic might contract out the assassinations in that kill-file. That is, if he doesnt get the use of his hand back. Youve profiled him. What do you think?
If theres killing to be done, and hes capable of doing it, Holics going to be the one pulling the trigger. The question is, will his hand be up for it? Multiple fractures and nerve damage Bjorn shrugged. It doesnt sound good. If theres a God upstairs, Holics assassination days are over. If not, at least his victims will be up against better odds. Holics MO is taking out his victims with one shot.
He could decide to contract the work out.
They had been strolling through the museum, and so far neither had looked at a single painting. Bjorn, still matching Merricks steps, said, That would mean he would have to trust someone. From what I know about him, Holic trusts damn few. Thats why hes been so elusive.
Then if he doesnt hire someone to pull the trigger, what do you think hell do? A useless hand isnt going to get the job done.
Hell retire. Hell find a buyer for the kill-file, sell it for a few billion, then enjoy his money and his myriad of mistresses until hes too old to find his zipper.
Merrick stopped in his tracks. Sell the file? You think thats a possibility?
Thats what Id do. Holics life revolves around two things, killing and women. If he cant do one, then hell bury himself in the other. No pun intended. His reputation is flawless, and if thats all he has left then hell want to preserve his legend status. Hes got a big ego.
Then the sooner we locate him the better, before he starts shopping for buyers and the perfect getaway. Which brings us back to the question of the hour. Which lucky lady is going to keep you warm in Austria? It doesnt matter to me who goes, so make your choice.
It would matter, Bjorn thought. If Merrick knew that he and Nadja Stefn had a history and he decided to take her along, there would be a dozen questions. Questions he wasnt prepared to answer. Hed never mentioned her in his report five years ago when hed gotten back from Vienna. Shed had no bearing on his mission while he was there, and hed wanted to forget her.
But that had been impossible for a man with a telephoto memory and instant-recall capabilities.
Normally Nadja wouldnt have minded cooling her heels. She could use the time to pull herself together. But nature was calling and she needed to use the rest room because her morning routine had exploded into chaos the minute shed opened her eyes and realized she had overslept.
She stood
and glanced at Pasha Lenova across the room, then down at her friend, Casmir. Im going to the little girls room. If Im still gone when our almighty commander decides to show himself, tell him I went for coffee. Still take two creams, Cass?
Two creams, no sugar. I dont get paid for being super-sweet like you do. Im the ruthless bitch, remember?
Nadja smiled. Casmir was good at playing a ruthless bitch, just like all the other roles she had perfected in the name of Quest. But thats not who she really was. Out of character, she had a beautiful smile, was extremely generous and had impeccable manners, thanks to her Russian mother, Ruza.
I thought that was Pashas job, Nadja teased. Presenting attitude.
Pasha blinked open her eyes and gave Nadja and Casmir the finger. I do my talking behind a gun, thats a fact. I dont play dress-up, or straddle my victims. Being a hard case suits me just fine.
Pashas words had Casmir on her feet and on the defensive. She was the slightest of the three, but fiery nonetheless.
Nadja stepped in front of her friend before she did something stupidlike knock Pasha off her chair. They were all friends, but sometimes the pressures of the job put Cass and Pasha at each others throat, and they took things too far.
If Polax walked in and found a monkey pile on the flooragainthey were all going to be sitting this one out.
She said, Sit down, Cass. You two have already been caught fighting once this week.
Casmir touched the faint bruise on her cheek, the last bit of evidence that there had been more than words exchanged with Pasha, then settled back in her chair. Why arent you wearing your jacket? Polax is going to say something.
Its missing a button.
Nadja glanced at Casmirs crisp white shirt beneath her immaculate black suit jacket, then at Pasha who was wearing a similar outfit. If Im lucky, hell be satisfied with seeing it. If he does say something, Ill complain about being too hot.