“Bozo did not die alone. The Greek’s nephew was in the car with him.”
“Wait! All I did was provide the device. I didn’t set it off.”
“Then it would be in your best interest to talk to me.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
The rest of the story fell into place over the next few hours. When Korolev was confident he had all the facts, he called the Bean Counter.
Lauren answered the phone. “Hello, handsome.”
“Good afternoon, gorgeous.”
“Is this a social call or business?”
“Business, I’m afraid. I need to see the boss. Is he in?”
“Not at the moment, but he should be here in an hour.”
“Can I see him then?”
“You can, or you can come now and wait until he gets here. I’m sure there’s something I could find for you to do.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Trench killed himself with his own bomb?” the Bean Counter said. Gromyko was not going to like this.
“He did.”
“How?”
“This Bozo character used some rookies to distract the driver of Trench’s intended target, presumably to plant the bomb. Why it was still in the car Trench was in is a mystery.”
“Did you find out who he was trying to kill?”
“At least two people, perhaps three. One is a woman he’d dated named Matilda Martin. The other is a lawyer she apparently took up with after Trench. There was a third person with them that night, not counting the driver, but I don’t know her name yet.”
“Trench’s immature jealousy strikes again. Who was the attorney?”
“Stone Barrington. He’s a partner at—”
“Barrington?” the Bean Counter said, cutting him off. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir. Why? Do you know him?”
“Of course, I know him. You should, too.”
Korolev’s brow creased.
“Barrington is the one who killed Serge Gromyko.”
Korolev blinked. He’d been on an assignment in Las Vegas when the first Greek had been killed, so he hadn’t heard all the details.
“You’re absolutely positive it’s him?” the Bean Counter asked.
“One hundred percent.”
“Dammit!”
Trench had been an idiot to the end. If he wasn’t already dead, the Bean Counter would have killed him himself.
Things had finally calmed down where Barrington was concerned. With Alexei now in charge — and, in effect, the Bean Counter — business was running smoothly, and most importantly, profits were up. Any renewed thoughts of revenge against the attorney put all that at risk.
“What about the woman? Melinda...?” he asked.
“Matilda Martin.”
“What about her? Where is she?”
“From what I’ve learned, she’s been staying with Barrington.”
The Bean Counter cursed under his breath. “She must have her own place.”
“She does.”
“Put a team together and stake it out. She’ll have to show up sometime.”
“And when she does?”
“Bring her to me. And whatever you do, stay away from the lawyer. Do not cross paths with him.”
If the Bean Counter played it right, he could use the woman as a sacrificial lamb to Gromyko and avoid the topic of Stone Barrington altogether.
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Leonid, not a word about anything you’ve told me to anyone. Just tell them she is someone of interest.”
“I understand,” Korolev said.
He exited the Bean Counter’s office and shut the door.
“Everything okay?” Lauren asked. “It sounded a little tense.”
“Some news he wasn’t expecting.”
She wanted to ask him more, but she could get that from him later. She walked to him and played a finger down his chest. “Still on for dinner? Or should I look for other plans.”
“Still on. I just need to set something up for the boss first, so I might be a little late.”
She pushed up on her tippytoes and kissed him. “You know it’s not good to keep a girl waiting too long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“See that you do.”
Later that night, after Korolev had fallen asleep in her bed, Lauren tiptoed into the bathroom with her phone.
She had been involved in the organization for years, joining back when the Pentkovskys had been in charge, and had served as secretary to the youngest Pentkovsky, Egon, until the Bean Counter took over the role of mob CFO. And while she considered the Bean Counter a decent enough boss, she was less pleased with the Greek, both former and current.
In her mind, Egon — who now went by the name Peter Greco for safety reasons — should have been offered the top job instead of Gromyko. She had not given up hope of that happening one day.
To that end, she had been keeping him up to date on organization politics. It had been a week since she’d last contacted him, and a lot had happened in that time. Things that could directly affect him. Specifically, that the Greek was on the warpath in the wake of Trench’s death. She thought it likely he’d take out his anger on the wayward Peter Greco. The Greek already considered him a threat, simply for being the brother of the family’s first leader, Anton Pentkovsky. Now, with Peter slipping away from the family, who knew what the Greek might do?
She wrote a long text, and included the information that the Bean Counter had learned Stone Barrington was somehow involved with Trench’s demise but was holding off passing that information along to the Greek for the time being.
Once satisfied that she’d covered everything, she sent the text, then returned to the warmth of her bed.
Chapter 31
A week had gone by without an attempt on Stone’s life. When there was not even the hint of anyone following him or paying him any undue attention, he called Mike Freeman. “It looks like I may have dodged a bullet. Figuratively speaking.”
“I take it you remain untouched.”
“Indeed. I think you can call off your men.”
“Are you sure?”
“Gromykos have a notoriously hot temper,” Stone said. “If the new Greek suspected I had anything to do with his nephew’s death, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you.”
“Go put your men on a more exciting task.”
“Very well. But if you sense even a hint of a problem, I can have them back in a hurry.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
The next day, Stone attended a meeting with Carly’s new clients, Jones & Jones, in Bill Eggers’s office, then walked downstairs with her, so she could show him her new office.
Stone looked around, impressed. “I had to move out of the building and into my house before I got an office this big,” he said.
“That makes me feel good,” she said, switching on MSNBC.
Stone walked two doors down to Herb Fisher’s office and found him looking glum. “What’s the matter, Herb?”
“Nobody comes to see me anymore. They all come to look at Carly and see if she’s real.”
“They’ll get over it, then you’ll be the star of the floor again.”
“You promise?” Herb asked expectantly.
“Sure. I just came from a meeting with her new clients, in Eggers’s office. Turns out they own two other businesses that are coming aboard, too.”
“Please,” Herb said, holding up his hands in surrender. “No more good news.”
“Take the rest of the day off and go to the zoo,” Stone suggested. Then he left the building and walked home.
When he arrived, Joan looked up from her desk, and said, “You look a little winded.”
“It’s called exercise,” Stone replied.
“It’s called heavy breathing,” she said. She scrutinized him. “You aren’t carrying, are you?”