The Romanov Ransom

45

Rolfe stared at the text from Tatiana a moment longer. “Why,” he asked Leopold, “am I paying you when that Russian is doing your work?”

Leopold, who’d just finished disassembling and cleaning his Glock and was now using a cloth to wipe the oil from each piece, barely spared him a glance. “What is it she’s saying?”

“She tells me that she has a location on the Fargos.”

This caught his attention, and he looked up. “I’m curious as to how she managed that. We had every road leading out of that forest blockaded.”

“And yet still they somehow slipped past you. At least she has a solid lead.”

Leopold’s jaw clenched. The man hadn’t liked Tatiana to begin with, and Rolfe suspected he was liking her less and less. He tossed the oilcloth onto the table, then began to reassemble his weapon. “Where are they, then?”

“That’s what I’m asking now.” Rolfe sent the text, then waited for a response. It took a long time coming, but when it did, he smiled. “She saw them walking into a hotel in Wrocław.”

“Ask how she found them.”

“You don’t trust her?”

“Why should I?”

Rolfe texted her. A moment later, he received the response. “Apparently, the Fargos have been in touch with that old man in Kaliningrad. She has someone monitoring his cell phone.”

“Convenient.”

“Or smart,” Rolfe replied. But Leopold had planted the seed of suspicion, and Rolfe couldn’t let it go. He decided to call her. “Tatiana,” he said when she answered. “Where is this hotel?”

“I’m checking into it now. Easier to break in when I’m a guest.”

“Is that wise?”

“They’ve never seen me,” she said. “How can it hurt?”

“I’ll meet you there. Where is it?”

“Seriously?” She gave a cynical laugh. “You must take me for a fool to give out that information. All so your trigger-happy Wolfmen can come through here, shoot up the place, and bring in the authorities? We aren’t in the middle of the woods. We’re in the center of town. This calls for subtlety.”

“My men had no problem breaking into their last hotel.”

“And how did that work out for you?” she asked.

The dig infuriated him. “Do you honestly believe I’m going to let you walk off with what they found?”

“Unlike you, I keep my word. If they found these items in the tunnel, I’ll bring them to you. What I need is a way out of here when I do get them. I can’t exactly use a rental car, which can be traced back to me, or a taxi, with a driver who can act as a witness.”

“What is it you’re planning?”

“I expect they have to eat at some point. If—when—they do, we’ll go in. I’ll give you the location then.”

“And what if they decide on room service?”

“I doubt it. The restaurant in this hotel is less than adequate. Should that be the case, however, I’ll let you know, and you can do it your way. As long as I’m not around when it happens.”

“I’ll wait for your call.”

He disconnected, then told Leopold what she’d said.

“The Russian’s playing you,” Leopold told him. “She’ll get what she wants and leave.”

“Which will do her no good,” Rolfe said. “She doesn’t have access to the first tin. What good will the second do her?”

“And what if she withholds it from you in order to negotiate a better deal?”

He didn’t like the feeling of paranoia that Leopold was feeding him, but he wasn’t about to admit that the very thought had also occurred to him. “Let’s see if she delivers before we make that judgment.”

“So we wait?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Yes. I call the men I have stationed in Wrocław to be ready.” Leopold picked up another box of ammunition and placed it into his gear bag, then grabbed the car keys. “And we drive there now so we’re that much closer.”

They were about halfway to Wrocław when Tatiana texted, telling him that if he wasn’t on his way, he needed to be. It bothered him that she hadn’t suggested the idea sooner. Was she trying to play him, as Leopold suggested? He went over every detail of their relationship but couldn’t find anything that stood out as being overtly suspicious. Besides, he’d had her thoroughly vetted. At the moment, there was little he could do but wait.

It was after eight when Tatiana called. Rolfe put her on speakerphone. “They’ve just left,” she said. “We’re watching from the next floor up in the same building.”

“And that would be…?”

She named the hotel. “Wait at the south end. We saw them walking north. I don’t want them to see you.” She disconnected.

Leopold called his men to tell them where to set up. “I know right where it is.” About two minutes later, he pulled behind a parked car with its emergency flashers on. Two young men loaded something into the trunk, then closed the lid, returned inside, leaving the amber lights blinking. “What are you doing here?” Rolfe asked. “She said the other end.”

“Maybe so, but I didn’t survive this long in the Guard by listening to other people. You can see the front of the hotel from here. That’s good enough. And if we see the Fargos, even better.”

After several minutes, Leopold grew restless. “Get behind the wheel. I’m going to have a look around.”

“She might call.”

“I won’t be far. She’s not getting out of here without us, is she? And if she does, I have at least half a dozen Guardsmen in the area.”

He got out, then walked across the street, strolling along the rows of restaurants, pausing at one as though to look at the menu posted at the door. Rolfe moved to the driver’s seat, then turned his attention to the hotel, growing impatient. Control seemed to be slipping from his grasp, and he tried to pinpoint when that had actually started. Durin. It had started with Durin and his backroom dealing. And now there was Tatiana and her meddling. He didn’t like that she had inserted herself into his hunt for the Romanov Ransom. How had she even known about it?

He searched the area for Leopold. Finally, he saw the man leaning against a streetlamp, his cigarette glowing in the dark as he smoked. His gaze seemed to be fixed on the window of a nearby restaurant. No doubt the man was capable — after all, he ran a widespread network far more mobile than anything Rolfe had at his disposal. That made him useful, but that also made him dangerous. Especially considering that the Wolf Guard’s sole purpose was to keep the treasure safe from anyone who went after it.

He’d have to watch the man. But as long as their purposes were aligned, he was willing to overlook any blurring of who was actually in charge.

What he couldn’t overlook was the nagging suspicion that Tatiana was up to something. Even so, he couldn’t fault the logic in monitoring that old man’s phone, especially if it ended up getting them the second tin box.

What really bothered him was, she was always first.

Surely he wasn’t jealous that a mere woman was besting him at his own game? Or was it something more?

Before he had a chance to decide, Tatiana phoned.

“I have it. We’ll be walking out the door in two minutes.”

He looked around for Leopold, didn’t see him, so called. “Where are you? They have it. They’re on their way.”

“I’m heading back now. By the way, we have a slight problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I found the Fargos.”

“Where?”

“Sitting inside that restaurant down the street. The one with the outdoor patio.”

Rolfe could just make out the tables and chairs in the dark, and then Leopold quickly walking away from the place. “So what’s the problem? We knew they were going out to eat.”

“Because there are two Russian agents sitting at a nearby table. I saw both at the Amber Museum following the Fargos. Only one reason I can think of.” He stopped at the curb, waiting for traffic to clear. “Your Russian crime princess is a police agent.”