* * *

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Lara asked impatiently as she quickened her pace to keep up with him as he strode across the icy tarmac. “You said a walk. This is more like a run.”

“Stop whining.” He smiled at her. “You’re tough, you can keep up.” He nodded at the hangar just ahead. “They’ve fueled up the jet and it’s ready to go. It will be warm enough so that you’ll be comfortable for the time you’ll be here.” He opened the hangar and nodded at the plane steps. “I told them to have a thermos of coffee ready. I noticed you didn’t drink any wine at dinner. Why don’t you get a cup?” He was strolling toward Jordan, who was sitting at a desk across the hangar. “I need to check with Jordan to make sure he’s taken care of our arrival arrangements. I don’t want any surprises. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

It appeared she had no choice, she thought ruefully as she ran up the steps and entered the dimly lit plane. She found the thermos and cups and settled in a seat to wait for him. She should be glad that she had this break to consider the “options” they were supposed to be talking about. She had an idea they wouldn’t be inviting.

Then he was dropping down into the seat next to her. “All in order,” he said as he took the thermos from her. “I just don’t like being this close to Mother Russia. I would never have stopped here if I hadn’t needed to pick up your mother.” He poured his coffee. “Kaskov made it clear you wouldn’t leave without her.”

“He was right,” she said coolly. “Though I suppose you could have taken me anyway. I was already on this plane and halfway here when I woke up.”

“But then it would have been kidnapping and not extraction,” he said lightly. “Not that I wouldn’t consider it if the price was right, but I prefer a willing extraction.”

“Then you must be disappointed. I’m not willing. If Kaskov was going to be generous enough to get us out of Russia, he should have let me do it my way.”

“I’m not disappointed. Kaskov is paying me in information, not in cash. I’ll still get the information because I’ve already gotten you safely away from your father and Volkov. All I have to do is keep you safe until he finds a way to do so himself.”

“Why should he even want to do that?” she asked in exasperation. “I know what he is. Even Volkov was nervous around him. Why should he help me?”

“A whim? Because he chooses to?” He paused. “Because he likes the way you play the piano? Who knows?”

“And you don’t care?”

“Not as long as it doesn’t affect how I do my job or my agreement with him.” He added slowly, “Though he was very sure that I’m the right man for this job, but he might have been wrong.”