BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

She looked behind her out the window. Goldin’s cab was still there.

“Can we step on it?” she said to the driver.

One thing was certain. What she’d been told about Goldin was not true. Igor’s file was wrong.

The question was, did Igor know that? Did the top floor? Were they on to her, or was Goldin with the Americans?

She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Goldin had been heaving and panting on top of her, sweat on his forehead, the wiry hairs of his chest brushing her face, when she realized something wasn’t right. It came over her like a chill. The kiss of death, her grandmother would have called it.

She’d kept her cool, wrapped things up without letting him know anything was wrong, and got herself out of that room. That had been her first priority. She didn’t want to have to face off with him in the room. He’d have flung her around like a rag doll.

She was armed with a pistol, chambered in a 9mm parabellum, but she didn’t know anything about him. Everything she’d learned in her years as a spy told her never to get in a fight without all the facts. You needed to know your opponent. And you needed to have surprise on your side. Goldin was holding all the cards. He knew everything about her. All she knew about him was that he was circumcised. Not exactly the tactical edge she needed.

Goldin’s cab driver certainly wasn’t a pro. He did none of the things a trained driver would. That was something she could use.

”Turn right here,” she said.

“Why?”

“I need to check something.”

Her driver turned, and sure enough, Goldin’s did the same. He even signaled his turns when her driver did.

“Okay,” she said.

“What’s okay?”

She thought about aborting. She could get dropped off somewhere crowded, the train station maybe, and disappear. There was nothing Goldin could do to prevent that, not with the driver he had.

But this was her chance.

If she didn’t meet Spector now, she didn’t know if she ever would. She’d risked everything to get in contact with him. And if her cover was blown anyway, meeting Spector was the only thing that mattered. She had nowhere else to go.

She looked at her watch. She was already late. She prayed he was still there. He’d never given her the impression he was a particularly patient man.

“Lady?” the driver said. “Lady? You all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “Just get me to that bar.”

“It’s up ahead.”