High Stakes, page 34
She smiled. “You speak as if it’s a competition.” And maybe it was, she thought. The two men had always been contentious and driven where this mission had been concerned. Completely different motivations, but the combativeness had been there. Though perhaps not terribly different. Lara hadn’t known about Cara. She felt a rush of warmth. She was grateful for Kaskov’s help, yet she couldn’t let Kaskov think that she was on anyone’s side but Tanner’s. “It would be hard. But if Tanner tried, he might be able to do it. He’s made a habit of being the best. Of course, he doesn’t have a family, either.” She was looking back at the cottage. “I think I’m definitely going to meet your granddaughter, Kaskov. Are you coming to introduce me?”
He shook his head. “They’re expecting you. I’m tolerated but not welcomed.” He turned back toward the car. “I’ll have Nikolai take me to the airport. I think you’ll be here awhile. I’ll phone Tanner and let him know Nikolai will put you on a later plane.” He glanced back at her. “Don’t think I’m soft. It’s not as if I cared. I did it all for Cara.”
“I know.” She smiled gently at him. “And for the music.”
* * *
New York City
8:40 P.M.
“Well, you do look happy.” Tanner’s skeptical gaze was narrowed on Lara’s face as he took her duffel and headed for the limo stand. “Kaskov said that he’d already taken care of a number of your problems, and I wasn’t to interfere. I told him to go to hell. Is everything okay?”
“I believe everything may be very much okay. I’ll tell you all about it later.” She chuckled. “I got the impression that Kaskov was a little annoyed that you’d seen fit to take over getting me settled here in the U.S. He particularly mentioned Juilliard. I think he was outraged you’d interfered with his plans. I decided he may be regarding it as a competition.”
“Too bad.” He stopped her before she got into the limousine and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Did you tell him I always win?” He kissed her again. “And I’ve no intention of losing this one. It’s too important. The stakes are too high. Kaskov doesn’t stand a chance.”
“I told him you like to be best.” She reached up and caressed his cheek. “I didn’t tell him that you were definitely the best for me because that would only have irritated him. He was sure I couldn’t ignore what he was offering me.” She shook her head in amusement. “He researched me very thoroughly. He made it almost irresistible.”
“Almost? That never wins the game.” He opened the door for her and nudged her gently into the limo. “Not when I’ve got an ace in the hole.” He leaned inside and kissed her again. “I’ll join you later. Turn on the videoconferencing. Maria wants to talk to you.” He slammed the door shut and motioned for the driver to take off.
Lara sat there stunned for a moment before she found the videoconferencing app on the console monitor screen and punched it. Maria’s face came on the screen. “Thank heavens you’re here, Lara. What’s Tanner up to?” she asked. “Ever since I arrived here this morning, I’ve felt like I’ve been in the middle of a tornado.” She added, “Not a destructive tornado. Some exceptionally good things, but difficult to assimilate and take in. I decided I’d wait for you instead of trying to dig deep into Tanner’s psyche. That could be very time consuming.”
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Tanner made all the flight arrangements to get us here, and the only thing he told me was that he’d take you to New York to get you settled.” She drew a deep breath. “But I think that you’d better begin telling me about the tornado. First, where are you?”
“Our apartment. Very nice. Not like the Taj, but you’ll like it. Tanner brought me here to okay it before he took me to the office.”
“What office?”
“Tanner has an office on Wall Street. Very sleek, but I think I can make it comfortable.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The first time I met Tanner, I hadn’t been with him for thirty minutes before he was talking about hiring me for a managerial position. He said I was a natural.” She grimaced. “And I thought it was bullshit. I never thought about it again until he took me to that office today.”
“And what did you think then?”
“I could do it.” Her face was lit with excitement. “Give me a little training and I could do a damn good job of anything Tanner’s executives could throw at me. Anything Tanner could throw at me.”
“And you want to try it?”
“I want to try it. I felt alive today.”
And how long had it been since Maria had felt that excitement and hunger for life? Lara wanted to reach out and hug her so that she could physically touch that excitement. “That’s fantastic. Of course you can do it. You can do anything. What else did you do today?”
“Tanner took me for a tour of the city. I liked it better than Las Vegas. That was nice, all gloss and make-believe, but New York is real, sometimes wounded, but always strong. I like strength.”
“I know you do.” Lara added lightly, “But I bet Tanner can find us some glitter that we’d enjoy to balance that strength. He has a talent in that direction.” She changed the subject. “I imagine we’re going to head your way for dinner, if you’re not too tired.”
“I’m not tired.” She hesitated. “What about the tornado?”
“Nothing to worry about. Tanner was just excited about being right about you. I’m glad you got along well together today. I’ll see you soon.” She cut the connection.
It was only a couple moments later that Tanner called. “Ace in the hole?”
“Maybe. You’ve made her very happy. But do you value her? Do you realize what you have?”
He said soberly, “I realize that she’s a unique personality who made you the person you are. I like her and respect her, and I feel closer to her all the time. I will care for her and honor her. Value her? I think she’s brilliant and will probably run that office like a brigadier general. Is that enough?”
“That’s quite a bit.”
He grinned. “Then do I win the competition from Kaskov?”
She laughed. “You’re very persuasive. He had only one thing to offer me you didn’t.” But that one thing had filled her day with warmth, laughter, hope, and togetherness. It had opened a new world to her. Her eyes were suddenly twinkling. “Now, I don’t want you to panic. It’s not what you think.” She paused. “But how do you feel about families?”
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About the Author
Iris Johansen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 consecutive bestsellers. Her series featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has sold over 20 million copies and counting and was the subject of the acclaimed Lifetime movie The Killing Game. Along with her son, Roy, Iris has also co-authored the New York Times bestselling series featuring investigator Kendra Michaels. Johansen lives near Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more at:
IrisJohansen.com
Twitter @Iris_Johansen
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Also by Iris Johansen
(in order of publication)
EVE DUNCAN SERIES
The Face of Deception
The Killing Game*
The Search
Body of Lies
Blind Alley*
Countdown*
Stalemate
Quicksand
Blood Game*
Eight Days to Live*
Chasing the Night
Eve
Quinn
Bonnie
Sleep No More
Taking Eve+
Hunting Eve+
Silencing Eve*+
Shadow Play+
Hide Away+
Night and Day
Mind Game*
Shattered Mirror
Dark Tribute
Smokescreen
The Persuasion*
The Bullet
*Starring Jane MacGuire
+Featuring Margaret Douglas
CATHERINE LING SERIES
Chasing the Night
What Doesn’t Kill You
Live to See Tomorrow
Your Next Breath
KENDRA MICHAELS SERIES
(written with Roy Johansen)
“With Open Eyes” (short story)
Close Your Eyes
Sight Unseen
The Naked Eye
Night Watch
Look Behind You
Double Blind
Hindsight
Blink of an Eye
STANDALONES
The Ugly Duckling
Long After Midnight
And Then You Die
Final Target
No One to Trust
Dead Aim
Fatal Tide
Firestorm
On the Run
Killer Dreams
Pandora’s Daughter
Silent Thunder (Iris & Roy Johansen)
Dark Summer
Deadlock
Storm Cycle (Iris & Roy Johansen)
Shadow Zone (Iris & Roy Johansen)
The Perfect Witness
No Easy Target (featuring Margaret Douglas)
Vendetta
Chaos
Iris Johansen, High Stakes
