“Name.” He pounced on the word. “What the hell are you talking about? I gave you the name. Sandrino.”

“But he was the victim,” Kaskov said quietly. “Not the killer. You asked me what happened to him. You’re a very intelligent man. You must know that your friend may no longer be alive.” He added thoughtfully, “Or is it that you don’t want to admit it to yourself?”

“Of course I knew that was a possibility.” But the bastard was right: His instinct had been to deny the possibility, because it was too painful. “But Sandrino was extraordinary, and he wouldn’t have been easy to kill. There might be a chance that he walked away from an attack. Or he could be a prisoner somewhere. I was looking for any explanation.”

“It wasn’t an explanation you wanted.” Kaskov’s voice was suddenly weary. “I’ve been there myself a few times. But you’ll get what I promised, even if it’s not what you want. You’ll know what happened to him.”

Tanner had to go deeper. “But you already know he might have been murdered? You just don’t have a name. That’s not good enough. I want more, Kaskov.”

“You won’t get it. Not until I’m ready. But I’ll tell you one thing that might interest you. Though Sandrino was definitely in Russia, he wasn’t killed here. He took the bait and moved on.”

“To where?”

“I’ve no desire for you to take the same bait when I prefer you to remain occupied with Lara Balkon. Now that I’ve decided my judgment of you wasn’t in error and I won’t have to remove you, I’m still satisfied in our arrangement.” He added before Tanner could speak, “Be patient. It may only be a day or two. I told you once you were perfect for this job, and I’m even more convinced now. You’ll have either your friend or your revenge, and I’ll tuck Lara away somewhere she’ll be safe and happier than she’s ever dreamed of being. I just have to put up safeguards to make sure that everything flows together. It’s all in the package.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?”

“It does sound a bit bizarre. Yet I’ve been known to have a few moments of whimsy now and then. This is definitely one of them. So take advantage of it and you’ll get to know what happened to Sandrino.” He paused. “Now, is there anything else?”

“The name of the person responsible for him disappearing. You might not be sure, but you have a damn good idea.”