Page 61
38
Put the gun away,” Tatiana said to Viktor. “They’re gone.” She glanced down the hill through the trees at the handful of men who were catching their breath after chasing the train.
Wolf Guard.
She would have dismissed them outright if not for Rolfe’s involvement with them. “I’d be interested to know how long they’ve been in Rolfe’s pockets. Every time I turn around, that man surprises me.”
“Speaking of . . .” Viktor nodded toward their left.
She glanced in that direction and saw Rolfe with a half dozen Guardsmen tromping through the woods. His attention was fixed on the heavy brush where the Fargos had emerged and where a couple of the Guard were trying to extract the body of one of their fallen comrades.
Rolfe said something to the men, then continued on. When he reached her side, he stood next to her, his eyes on the departing train. “Not too bad. We only lost one man,” he said.
“Which would not have happened if you’d done as I asked and not shot at the Fargos. What’d you expect? That they were going to ignore the bullets flying past their heads?”
He gave her a thorough appraisal. “Whose side are you on? Not mine, apparently.”
“When it comes right down to it, mine. However, I’m not the only one searching for this treasure. Which makes it difficult when I have to work with—” She stopped at the look of warning from Viktor. He was right, of course. Making an enemy of Rolfe Wernher at this point wouldn’t be wise. “Let’s just say I’m not used to being the one who isn’t in charge.”
“So I’ve gathered.”
Time to deflect attention away from her. “Are you sure you can trust those men?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t trust anyone.”
“Then why are they working for you?”
“Their ability to gather forces anywhere in Western Europe at a moment’s notice, and their willingness to skirt the law, has been indispensable.” When Leopold and his men reached them, Rolfe gave a benign smile. “Any chance the Fargos found something down there?”
“Unfortunately,” Leopold said, “we believe so.”
“‘Believe’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ve long suspected the chamber was in one of these tunnels. Until today, we’ve never found it.”
“And the Fargos did?”
“No doubt. What we don’t know is whether or not it was sealed when they entered or if anyone else had been there before them.”
Leopold’s radio crackled as someone called in. He listened, then turned to Rolfe. “The train is headed to Wroclaw.”
“Can you get it stopped before it gets there?”
“Possibly.”
“Good. Find them. I want to know everything they have in their possession.”
Leopold walked off, relaying Rolfe’s orders into his radio. Tatiana waited until he was out of earshot, then leveled her gaze on Rolfe, not about to let him skip over what she needed to know. “You were saying . . . ?”
“About what?”
“About what the Fargos found down there. Clearly, it’s not the ransom. All they had was one backpack. So what is it?”
“I really don’t have time—”
“If you want to do business in my country, you’ll make time.”
Rolfe glanced at Viktor, then back at her. “I’ll tell you, but it goes no further.”
Put the gun away,” Tatiana said to Viktor. “They’re gone.” She glanced down the hill through the trees at the handful of men who were catching their breath after chasing the train.
Wolf Guard.
She would have dismissed them outright if not for Rolfe’s involvement with them. “I’d be interested to know how long they’ve been in Rolfe’s pockets. Every time I turn around, that man surprises me.”
“Speaking of . . .” Viktor nodded toward their left.
She glanced in that direction and saw Rolfe with a half dozen Guardsmen tromping through the woods. His attention was fixed on the heavy brush where the Fargos had emerged and where a couple of the Guard were trying to extract the body of one of their fallen comrades.
Rolfe said something to the men, then continued on. When he reached her side, he stood next to her, his eyes on the departing train. “Not too bad. We only lost one man,” he said.
“Which would not have happened if you’d done as I asked and not shot at the Fargos. What’d you expect? That they were going to ignore the bullets flying past their heads?”
He gave her a thorough appraisal. “Whose side are you on? Not mine, apparently.”
“When it comes right down to it, mine. However, I’m not the only one searching for this treasure. Which makes it difficult when I have to work with—” She stopped at the look of warning from Viktor. He was right, of course. Making an enemy of Rolfe Wernher at this point wouldn’t be wise. “Let’s just say I’m not used to being the one who isn’t in charge.”
“So I’ve gathered.”
Time to deflect attention away from her. “Are you sure you can trust those men?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t trust anyone.”
“Then why are they working for you?”
“Their ability to gather forces anywhere in Western Europe at a moment’s notice, and their willingness to skirt the law, has been indispensable.” When Leopold and his men reached them, Rolfe gave a benign smile. “Any chance the Fargos found something down there?”
“Unfortunately,” Leopold said, “we believe so.”
“‘Believe’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ve long suspected the chamber was in one of these tunnels. Until today, we’ve never found it.”
“And the Fargos did?”
“No doubt. What we don’t know is whether or not it was sealed when they entered or if anyone else had been there before them.”
Leopold’s radio crackled as someone called in. He listened, then turned to Rolfe. “The train is headed to Wroclaw.”
“Can you get it stopped before it gets there?”
“Possibly.”
“Good. Find them. I want to know everything they have in their possession.”
Leopold walked off, relaying Rolfe’s orders into his radio. Tatiana waited until he was out of earshot, then leveled her gaze on Rolfe, not about to let him skip over what she needed to know. “You were saying . . . ?”
“About what?”
“About what the Fargos found down there. Clearly, it’s not the ransom. All they had was one backpack. So what is it?”
“I really don’t have time—”
“If you want to do business in my country, you’ll make time.”
Rolfe glanced at Viktor, then back at her. “I’ll tell you, but it goes no further.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133