Lara shivered as she remembered Volkov’s use of the space at his mountain home. “No bet.”

He nodded. “I told you I wondered why he built that house in the middle of nowhere. Sandrino liked his privacy, too, but there wasn’t anything dark about him.”

But this conversation was becoming dark. She quickly changed the subject. “It’s still almost deserted. Are we early? Or is there some reason you wanted to get here before anyone else?”

“Yes, we’re early. And I did want to get here a bit before you had to face the rest of the world so that I could talk to you.” He paused. “Things might get a little wild tonight, and I don’t want you to feel lost or that you’re not able to keep up. Sometimes I go full speed ahead and don’t stop to let anyone catch up.”

“I’ve noticed.” She chuckled. “And I feel I keep up very well. If I didn’t, I’d just rein you in and put you in a corner until you stopped thinking and started explaining. You can be maddening at times, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

He grinned. “I knew that. But you’re going to have to face Volkov tonight. I wanted everything clear for you. No matter what I have to say or do.”

“Everything is clear between us.” She smiled as she shook her head. “And I’m not afraid of Volkov, or anything he tries to do to hurt me. Been there, done that. My fight, too, Tanner. Now will you stop fretting?”

“Fretting?” He made a face. “You make me sound like your grandmother.”

“I don’t know if I have a living grandmother. Maria made no effort to contact her parents after everything that happened to her. They wouldn’t have understood. She thought it would only hurt them.”

“It might be time to take another look,” he said gently. “I think they’d be proud of both of you.”

“That will be up to Maria.” She took his hand. “We’re proud of each other, and I’m proud of you. So that may be enough.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “But a grandmother might be nice…” She chuckled. “If she didn’t fret.” Then she sat up straight. “But now if you’re through with that nonsense, you can fill me in on what’s going to happen tonight. I know you’ve had Rennell and Mallory both out here. I know there will be a poker game, but no real details.”

“It’s better that way, much more entertaining. Much more dazzle. We’ll just play everything by ear.”

She looked at him suspiciously. “But you won’t do that.”

“Maybe a few things. It’s more fun for me if I set a few traps along the way.” He tilted his head. “But what should you know? That this mountain is full of deceptions of one kind or the other. Both Volkov’s and Rennell’s. That beyond that ridge is a canyon where they’ve hidden the helicopter in which Anton brought his thugs from Russia. That Volkov had a considerable force here before he yanked them out to keep his word to me. He lied, of course. There are probably some of them out there in those rocks watching us now.”