She nodded. “Amazingly perceptive. I can’t let her do it. He’s surrounded by his men all the time. She could be killed herself or might be arrested for murder. Her music is everything to her, and I won’t let it be destroyed to protect me.”

“Then if I promise you that won’t happen, will you let me do my job?”

She was silent. Then she nodded. “I’ll let her know that I won’t get in your way, but you’ll have to deal with persuading her yourself. It would only make Lara more stubborn if she felt you’d pressured me.” She added with sudden harshness, “And I won’t forgive you if you break that promise. I’ll find a way to punish you.”

“I know you will. That’s why it won’t happen,” he said. “Among other reasons.”

“What other reasons?”

“I usually try to perform my work without emotion, because coolness is more efficient and productive when everyone around me is ready to explode. But I’m having difficulty this time.” He smiled. “I find myself experiencing barbaric impulses where Volkov is concerned. They’ve been growing since that night in the forest when I saw how alone your daughter seemed against those jackals. Not that she didn’t acquit herself extraordinarily well. Still, I can’t seem to shake them off, so I may have to act on them.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve no idea, but I’m sure it will come to me.” He reached for his phone. “Suppose you go tell Lara that she should get out of the shower before she drowns. I’ll call Mallory and let him know we’re ready for that dinner.”

“Not just yet.” She didn’t move. “You’ve gotten what you wanted from me, but you haven’t reciprocated. All I’ve actually found out about you is that you have no use for whoremongers and you hate cheats.” She smiled crookedly. “And you probably only let me know that because you knew that it would influence me to give you what you wanted. I want more.”

“I’ve given you more than that. I’ve been honest with you. I’ve been very open for me. That’s not my usual custom.” He tilted his head. “Think about it. What have you learned about me?”

She frowned. “You see too much. Lara said that about you, and I believe she’s right. I think you may be the most intuitive person I’ve ever run across. Everything I said today, you were weighing and evaluating and answering before I even finished. You have a strong work ethic even if you don’t like what you have to do to exercise it. Kaskov doesn’t own you, but you respect his intelligence.” She thought for a moment. “And there’s something about Lara…” Her eyes suddenly narrowed. “Yes, there’s definitely something about Lara, but you didn’t even let me get close to it. I wonder if that should bother me.”

“That’s up to you. You respect your own opinion.” He smiled. “But I’ll tell you a little more about my background if you’ll answer one more unpleasant question for me afterward. Deal?”