Adrenaline

67

I raised the bag of sandwiches. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” he said. “Come here, Sam.”

I did and he pushed me along the street. Then into the barely lit doorway of an art supply shop. “What, you’re going back to art school and need supplies?”

“Hands on the door.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

He ran probing hands along my legs, my arms. Searching to see if I had anything I shouldn’t have had. He pulled the wad of euros from my pocket.

“That’s enough. I don’t have a phone, I don’t have a weapon. You’re really getting our partnership off to a great start after I saved your ass. Give me my money.”

He pushed the wad back into my hand. “There. Sorry,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

I pretended to be angry. “I pulled your ass out of the fire, I found you the Lings’ shipment, I took the bigger risk today. If someone’s not going to trust someone, maybe it should be me not trusting you.”

“Perhaps,” he said. “I think you think I’m not as smart as you, as tough as you.” He was threatened by me; I’d jumped onto a moving truck and hijacked it. Stupid. This was about machismo. “Come on.”

“Let’s sit here and eat, if the bar’s making you nervous. I don’t like cold food.” I had to give Eliane time to return. Otherwise I’d have to pretend I’d lost the van key in the tavern and we’d have to come back and his suspicions would skyrocket.

He seemed to feel a bit guilty about his rant, so we sat on a bench on the road and ate our sandwiches. I saw a vaguely female form race around the corner on a scooter. I could tell it was Eliane and hoped that Piet couldn’t. He seemed engrossed in his food, though, hunger winning out over the desire to make time.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said when the sandwich was done.

“Me, too,” he said.

I wanted to go back in alone; I needed that van key. Eliane was behind the bar, drawing a beer. She glanced up, caught sight of me, but gave no sign of recognition. Piet was close behind me.

We both went into the bathroom; I finished first and stepped back into the hallway. Eliane was three feet away, and she brushed by me, calling out orders to the barkeep. She pressed the key into my hand and it was in my pocket a moment later.

Piet’s hand clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re right, a break helped. I got new life. Let’s get going.”

We walked out into the darkness, the laughter and music of Taverne Chevalier fading as we headed down the avenue.

He kept his hand on my shoulder. In my pocket, I worked the key back onto the ring.

“So. Back to Amsterdam?” His phone call had to have been to Edward, now that we had the cigarette shipment to camouflage his military gear.

“Yes. We’re meeting Edward and his people. We’ll get the shipment ready with their goods and on its way to Rotterdam and then we’ll get paid and you and I will go celebrate.”

“How long do we have until the meet?”

“Three hours.”

“All right,” I said.

The parking lot was in sight; I could see the truck, the van parked next to it. Nearly there. Within three hours, I would either be dead or I’d have killed Piet and the kidnappers and found Yasmin. And have Edward talking to me about where my wife and child were.

“You know, Sam,” he said, “you’re right. You have proved yourself, more than once. Here. You drive the truck.”

I stopped. No. Not what I wanted.

“No, that’s fine. You drive it,” I said.

“No. You drive the shipment. As a sign of trust in our partnership.”

I felt a chill settle into my bones. Either he was being sincere or he’d seen the key passed from Eliane to me.

Trust or suspicion. I still needed him; I didn’t know where the rendezvous was, and if I showed up without him I’d never get inside. “Fine, whatever, let me have the truck keys.”

He dug them out of his pocket, and traded them for the van keys.

“Just follow me,” he said.

“What if we get separated in traffic?”

“We won’t,” he said.

I got into the truck. Maybe that was all this was: he was tired of driving the truck. Maybe that was all it was. But the phone, and the weapons, were now out of my reach. And once we got to the rendezvous point, there was no need for me to go near the van.

I was still heading, defenseless and alone, into the snake pit.