“I don’t suppose you’d mind if I took a shower?” Allyson asked. “I mean, we have a few hours until dark.”
Adriana had kept her lips shut about Allyson’s ragged appearance and the fact she’d clearly not bathed in a day or two. “Go ahead. There are some things I need to get in town.” She trusted Allyson about as much as she trusted an ax murderer in a hardware store. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. If you make a play on Immelman’s, he’ll catch you. And if he doesn’t and you screw this up for me, I’ll kill you myself. Understood?” Adriana picked up her rucksack and slung it over her shoulder.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going into that place alone. Besides, I’m assuming you’re getting us a car and a way over that wall.” She thought for a second. “I don’t suppose you could grab me some clothes while you’re out. Mine are back in Berlin.” Her request was lathered in contempt.
That would be cutting it close, but Adriana knew exactly what she needed to get — and where to get it. A quick stop at a retail store wouldn’t hurt. Nah, forget that. She can wear what she has on.
“We’ll see if I have time,” she lied. “Just be ready when I get back. As soon as it’s dark, we’ll make our move.”
19
Frank’s phone only rang twice before he picked up. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the prodigal daughter. Calling to tell me you have my painting?”
“No, Frank. I don’t have it yet, but I will. Besides, I still have time before the second deadline.”
He laughed hard, crackling the earpiece. “You don’t have that much time, dear. Tomorrow is the day.”
“I know when it has to be dropped off. Now shut up, and listen. I only have a second.”
“Whoa. Getting a little testy, are we? Okay, no need to get edgy with me. I’m still your employer, remember? How about a little respect?”
Allyson remembered what Adriana said about the Englishman’s plan to kill her once the game was over, whether he had any of the paintings or not. It was unclear whether she could trust the Spaniard. She was cunning and beyond clever. But earlier, when she’d had Allyson by the wrist, she could have easily snapped it and finished the fight once and for all. It was the only reason Allyson even stuck around at this point.
She couldn’t know for sure if Adriana was telling the truth about the Belgian or if that person even existed. The part about the syndicate was far-fetched, especially Frank being a part of it. Then again, she’d seen him do some awful things to people who’d been loyal to him for a long time. Frank was capable of ruthless cruelty when he didn’t get what he wanted. It was entirely possible Allyson could fall into that category if she failed with getting any of these paintings. During their conversations, Frank made it seem like no big deal, as if it was just a friendly competition. But for stakes worth hundreds of millions? Better to proceed with caution from here on out. When all this was over, she would disappear. Even if she got no money out of it, she had enough to vanish. As soon as Adriana left, Allyson put in a call to her hacker friend to see if he could dig up anything on the syndicate. She’d heard nothing back yet.
“Sorry. I have a lead on the next painting, but we’ll see how it pans out. Not sure if it’s here or not.”
“Where are you?”
She pictured him spinning around in his leather chair, kicking his feet onto his giant desk.
“You know where I am, Frank. Don’t act like your boy Evan isn’t following me. I know he’s here in Zurich somewhere.”
“Fine. I know you’re in Zurich. At least Evan reports in with some regularity. Where’s the painting?”
She wasn’t falling for that. “Why? So you can send Evan to go and screw up the job for me? I don’t think so.”
Frank pretended to sound offended. Maybe he was a little. “He did pull you out of Mexico for me. Where’s the trust? I’ve never heard you act like this before.”
Allyson sighed. “I work alone, Frank. You know that. I need you to call him off.”
“And take eyes off my best asset? I don’t think that’s a very prudent thing to do.”
“Your lack of trust is unsettling, Frank.”
He hummed for a second and then clicked his tongue. “It isn’t a lack of trust. It’s just a little… how should I say… insurance?”
“You don’t need insurance with me. Haven’t in the past.”
“That’s true, but nowadays one can never be too careful. And besides, as I said before, Evan got you out of Mexico safely. Were he not there, things might have got very ugly for you. From what I hear about Mexican prisons, they aren’t a place for a pretty white girl like you to be. If you even made it back to the police station. With the corruption that goes on down there, you likely would have been used up and dumped in a ravine somewhere, never to be heard from again.”
He was wasting her time in an attempt to keep Evan around. The fact was even if he agreed to pull him out, Frank would probably keep Evan on her tail just because men like Frank didn’t take orders. They also liked to protect their investments, as he’d said. Which was why she’d come up with a decoy. Before calling, Allyson found a wealthy area on the other side of town that she could use as a distraction. Frank would send his man there, and then she would be free to operate freely with Adriana. At least until the time came to cut her out of the deal.
She spoke in her best giving up voice. “All right, I’ll tell you where I’m going, but I need you to promise me that Evan will keep clear. I have to do this on my own. I don’t want him coming in and mucking it up.”
“That’s better.”
“There’s a house on the edge of town. It’s owned by a local businessman. Last name is Zimmern.” She gave the address and description of the house she’d looked up on Google Earth. “Just tell him to stay clear unless things go badly.”
“Those are his orders. He’s not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.”
“Right. Which makes me wonder about his little move with the car in Amsterdam. He tried to run her over.”
Frank let another short laugh escape. “What? Accidents happen.”
“Yeah, but he did a poor job of it. She got right up and chased me through the city.”
“And from what I hear, you got your tail kicked.”
He had a lot of nerve to say that, and the comment stung her pride a little. It didn’t matter. She’d have the last laugh soon enough. “Just see to it he stays clear. Okay? I don’t need his help.”
“Whatever you say, dear. Is there anything else?”
“No. I have to go. Thanks, Frank.”
“You’re welcome.”
Allyson ended the call and set the phone down. She ran a finger through her tangled hair. A quick shower, and then she’d get ready to move.
Rain pattered against the window on the far side of the room. The storm had settled in now, and according to the radar info on her app, it would be here for several hours. So far, so good — although that meant she and Adriana were going to get soaked during the storm, which made the shower a pointless endeavor.
Allyson didn’t know how long it would take Adriana to get the supplies they needed so she hurried over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hot steam poured out beyond the shower curtain. She slipped out of her dirty clothes and into the soothing water. Instantly, she felt better as it cascaded over her skin. For now, the partnership between her and Adriana would have to work, she thought. But as soon as the moment presented itself, Allyson would take the upper hand.