He frowned at the memory. He could count on one hand how many times he had acted on his anger, and he was certain he would still have several fingers left. It wasn’t in his nature. He wasn’t a violent man. Was he an angry man? Yes, at times, perhaps many times. But just because one became angry, one had to become violent? Anger was an emotion like any other, and it was often valid—it was how one reacted to that anger that separated him from the heathens.

  She secured the vase in place and he reached forward and gave it a shake, testing her knots. “Good?” she asked.

  “Very good.”

  “Then let’s get this over with. The sooner this is out of here and into Canaan’s hands, the better.” She paused and regarded him. “I think we should ask for payment of the commission upon delivery, as we normally would.”

  Lot paused as he eyed his wife. “We’re not going to the party then? We’re giving up the triple commission?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. But after what you did last night, should someone find out, he may refuse to pay.”

  Lot folded his arms and scratched his chin. “I hadn’t thought of that. I think you’re right. We’ll ask to be paid then tell him we’re still coming to the party tonight when he can pay us the rest.”

  They wheeled the cart into the back courtyard. It wasn’t far to Canaan’s residence. Unlike many of the elite who lived clustered in a part of the city away from the riffraff, Canaan preferred to be in the thick of things, and with a fine home in the center of Sodom, he could walk out his door and partake in all its sinful pleasures.

  They were shown in by a servant and Lot gasped at the opulence as they rolled the vase into the room. Polished stone floors, intricate columns, tapestries, works of art, vibrant colors that he rarely saw outside of his wife’s creations. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, the wealth involved unfathomable.

  “Ah, my favorite couple!” cried Canaan as he emerged from a side hall, his arms outstretched, his robes crisp and unblemished. His eyes widened at the sight of the wrapped vase. “Is this it?”

  Idit bowed slightly. “It is.”

  “Let me see it! Let me see it!”

  She carefully unwrapped it then stepped back as Canaan slowly circled it, his mouth agape, his eyes wide in awe. “This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s so lifelike.” He pointed, laughing. “Is that me?” Idit nodded and he chuckled at whom his artistic representation was having sex with. “And is that Lady Adah?”

  “It is.”

  He roared with laughter and his head tossed back as a hand gripped at his chest. “That is so scandalous. I love it!” He eagerly continued, pointing out other figures from his list. “They’re going to love it!” He pointed at the center of the room. “We’ll put it right here. When everyone arrives tonight, they’ll see it, and I have a feeling I’ll be commissioning another one from you with more likenesses to be immortalized.”

  Lot wasn’t so sure of their benefactor’s prediction. He helped his wife roll the vase into position, then dared a question. “Will these people be here tonight?”

  “Yes, they will. Every one of them.” Canaan grabbed Lot by the shoulder and gave him a shake. “And I highly recommend you try Lady Adah. Exquisite creature.” He winked at Idit. “And very open-minded should you wish to participate.”

  Lot wrapped an arm around his wife. “Like we said, we’ll be attending, not participating.”

  Canaan smirked. “And like I said, you won’t be able to resist. I guarantee it.”

  “We’ll see.” Lot sucked in a breath. “Are you satisfied with the commission?”

  Canaan redirected his attention to his new prize. “Absolutely.”

  “So, the commission is fulfilled?”

  “And then some.”

  “Then I respectfully request payment. We have bills to pay.”

  Canaan batted a hand at him. “You’ll get paid tonight, the amount depending on what happens.”

  Lot bowed his head, clasping his hands in front of him. “With respect, those are two separate transactions. We’d like to be paid now for the commission, and then tonight, based upon what happens, you can pay us the bonus. It just squares everything away.”

  Canaan frowned, staring at him before giving an exasperated sigh. “Very well. I understand these things are thought of differently among your kind than mine.” He leaned forward and wagged a finger at them both. “But I expect to see you tonight. And make sure you’re here before my guests arrive so you can stand beside your creation and answer their questions. Then, God willing, earn more commissions tonight than you could possibly imagine.”

  Lot bowed as Canaan retrieved his purse, dropping a handful of coins into Lot’s hand. “We’ll try, but we have guests. We’ll have to see what time they leave.”

  Canaan appeared far more interested in the mention of these guests than Lot had expected. “And just who are these guests of yours? Family? Friends? Do I know them?”

  Lot turned toward the door in an effort to end the conversation. “No, nobody you know.”

  “How can you be so sure? Most of this city has passed through the doors of one of my establishments.”

  “I can assure you they haven’t.”

  Canaan followed them toward the door. “Why don’t you bring them tonight?”

  “Absolutely not. They wouldn’t…” Lot’s voice trailed off. He had to be careful.

  “They wouldn’t partake in such things?”

  “No, they wouldn’t.”

  Canaan smirked. “Yet you would have said the same of yourself a week ago, and tonight, you’re my guests. Why don’t you bring them and let them decide?”

  “Again, no. They have a long journey ahead of them.”

  “Oh, so they’re not from Sodom?”

  Lot cursed himself. “No.”

  “Where are they from?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Only in that you don’t want me to know.” Canaan’s tone had changed slightly, his veneer of friendship tarnished with a hint of anger.

  “They’re from Gomorrah. They’re coming to discuss a commission,” said Idit. “Word of my work apparently has reached them.”

  A smile flashed on Canaan’s face as he leaned back, his hands splayed. “Now, how hard was that?” He gestured at the vase behind them. “I do believe this is the finest example of your work. Extend my invitation and leave it up to them to refuse it. Should they come with you, they can have a private viewing.”

  Lot bowed. “I’ll ask them.” He hurried Idit out of Canaan’s large home. He stepped aside as a woman mounted the steps, a vile-looking creature from the way she was dressed, clearly one of the man’s prostitutes.

  She smiled at him. “Fancy seeing you twice in one day.”

  He eyed her, saying nothing as he continued down the steps, the woman cackling behind him.

  “Don’t worry, love. He didn’t lay a finger on me.”

  Lot grabbed the cart and they hurried away. Idit looked up at him. “What was that all about?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before in my life.”

  “What did she mean by twice in one day?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve only seen you, the children, and Canaan today. You’ve been with me the entire time.”

  Idit chewed her cheek. “Perhaps we crossed her path on the way here.”

  “Perhaps.” He picked up the pace. “Our guests will be arriving soon.”

  “Are you going to invite them to the party?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  She giggled. “And are we still going?”

  He felt the bundle of coins in his robe that could be triple in weight before the end of the night. “What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “If we go, we get our payment, then secure the season for our children. Besides, like he said, we might get more commissions out of it.”

  He brought their tiny procession to a halt and faced her. “You would paint more like that?”

  “Why not? It harms no one. And now that we know how much he’s willing to pay, we can increase the price without any of this other nonsense. We could probably charge double or triple just for the straight commission.”

  “But is this how you want to be remembered?”

  She stared up at him. “What? As a woman who used her talents to feed her family?”

  He frowned and resumed heading to their home. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

  “It’s the only way to look at it. We’re not in any position to turn down money. Certainly not this amount. While we may frown upon these people, perhaps some good can come of it. We take advantage of their depravity, feed and clothe our children, keep them warm at night, all with Sodom’s ill-gotten gains. Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  He wasn’t so sure about that, but for the moment, she was right. They were poor. These people were rich. If they were willing to pay exorbitant amounts to immortalize their debauchery, then who was he to say no?

  He sighed. “If my plan works, there might not be any more commissions to be had.”

  41 |

  Ponta Delgada Airport

  Azores, Portugal

  Present Day

  Mary stepped off the private charter and onto the tarmac. She had never been to the Azores and had never had any desire to do so. It was merely a curiosity, another place she could check off her list that she had visited, but it certainly wasn’t a bucket list item. When she had agreed to help Palmer fake his own death, he had paid her a huge sum of money with one condition—that she insert herself into his sister’s life and watch out for her. They had brainstormed just how that insertion might work. Pretending to become friends with her had been dismissed. Friendships came and went, and this relationship would have to last years, perhaps decades.

  It would have to be a business relationship. Palmer had suggested travel agent, and after some discussion, Mary had set about creating her own private company, establishing a fake history for herself and the business, then after the funeral, which she attended, approached Laura and offered her services. Once Laura had inherited the unfathomable amount from her brother’s estate, she had agreed and the relationship had developed over time, initially restricted to commercial bookings, hotels, the usual, but she had eventually convinced Laura to purchase a part of a lease-share, and once James Acton had entered her life, things had become truly busy.

  Laura had never attracted trouble until she met him, but now the two of them were truly a full-time job. It was impressive the trouble they could get into. The job she had agreed to was to watch out for Palmer’s sister in case anything went wrong with his plan. Never could she have imagined what she would end up dealing with.

  The truth was all coming out now and she had to wonder, once this was over, what she would do. She rather enjoyed what she did for Laura and her husband, and their extended family, and whenever they got in trouble and she had to help bail them out, it was a thrill, reminding her of her old career at MI6. Yet it might be time to move on. Assuming everything was settled in some satisfactory way, her job was over, what she had agreed to, fulfilled.

  She sighed as she stood by the terminal, enjoying the sunrise. Laura’s plane would be here shortly then they would all be taking hers to their final destination, and then her life as she knew it was likely over.

  And she didn’t like the sound of that.

  Laura rushed down the steps of the private jet and into Mary’s arms, hugging the woman hard as tears flowed. “Oh, thank God you’re here. I just don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to think. I’m so confused!”

  Mary smiled at her, her own eyes glistening. “Let’s get on the other plane and I’ll explain everything.” She stepped back as James joined them. “Do you have any luggage?”

  “Just what we’re carrying,” replied James. “There was no time to pack.”

  “Do you have any weapons?”

  Kane stepped over. “Yes. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “It will be where we’re going.”

  “And where is that?”

  “I can’t tell you until we’re in the air. I recommend you leave every weapon you have, including knives, on the aircraft. I’ll have it returned to a safe location where everything will be recovered by one of my people.”

  Kane’s eyes narrowed. “One of your people?”

  She smiled slightly. “I’ll explain—”

  “When we’re on the plane.” Kane rolled his eyes. “I know, I know.” He indicated for Sherrie and Fang to join him and they returned to the plane, reappearing a few moments later. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” said Kane. “If the Chinese managed to get a team here, we’ve got no way to defend ourselves now.”

  They boarded Mary’s plane, their travel agent heading for the cockpit then joining them again a few moments later. “The pilot has confirmed we’re all fueled up and cleared for immediate takeoff. I had some friends arrange a lockdown of the entire grounds and a diversion of all flights except for yours and mine for the past six hours. That’s not as big a deal as it sounds since there’s not a lot of overnight flights here, but it means if the Chinese didn’t already have somebody in position, then they didn’t get anybody in by plane, and it’s too far to get anybody in by boat in time.”

  The plane taxied as everyone took their seats. Laura sat and James dropped beside her, buckling up. “So, what you’re saying is we’re hoping the Chinese didn’t think the Azores was of enough strategic importance to bother positioning a team?”

  “Exactly.”

  The plane turned onto the runway, its engines powering up. The pilot’s voice came over the speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be a little bit rougher than you’re used to, as per instructions from your hostess.”

  Mary turned in her seat to explain. “I told him there was a chance we might get shot down, so he should try to gain as much altitude as rapidly as possible.”

  Mai yelped. “Do you really think we could be shot down?”

  Mary shrugged. “Anything’s possible, though I doubt it. Even if the Chinese had a team here, I doubt they’d have equipped them with shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles.”

  The plane surged down the runway, rapidly gaining speed. The nose gear lifted off, then the rear, the engines of the jet screaming behind them, the entire airframe rattling as the steepest incline Laura had ever experienced on takeoff continued. She peered out the window to see the ground rapidly falling away, giving way to the ocean that surrounded the small islands. The angle of ascent slowly eased into something she was more accustomed to, then the engines eased off slightly, reducing the vibrations.

  The pilot’s voice returned. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s safe to say we’re out of any danger, and I’d like to thank our hostess for taking me back to my days when I used to fly Tomcats for the Navy.”

  Mary unbuckled and rose, standing in the aisle. “That’s why I chose him, because of his military background.”

  Laura shook her head. It was yet another piece of the puzzle that didn’t make sense. How did this woman know about the pilot’s military history? How had she been able to select him to be the pilot on a last-minute flight? “Just who the hell are you?” she finally blurted out. “And don’t tell me you’re a travel agent.”

  Mary laughed. “Well, I am a travel agent. That’s the truth, but I’m your travel agent and one other.”

  Laura stared at her blankly as she attempted to make sense of the nonsensical statement. “How the hell does somebody make a living with only two clients?” Her eyes shot wide. “Charles!”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then he is alive.”

  “Very much so.”

  Laura’s shoulders slumped and the tears of betrayal, relief, and confusion flowed. James wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her, taking over the questioning that she could no longer manage.

  “I think you owe us an explanation.”

  “And Charles has authorized me to tell you everything and to answer all questions that I’m capable of answering.”

  And for the next fifteen minutes, Mary described in detail why and how Laura’s beloved brother had felt it was necessary to fake his own death, and it broke her heart. She now understood why he felt it was necessary. That had been made clear by the events of the past day. There indeed wasn’t a government on this planet that wouldn’t kill for this technology. What hurt was that he had excluded her. She would have happily disappeared with him, yet she supposed she could understand why he didn’t want that life for her.

  She lay her head on James’ shoulder. For one, she never would have met the love of her life. Mai would still be living under a repressive regime in Vietnam, never to have met Tommy. James would have found the crystal skull in Peru and would likely have been killed by Bravo Team since he would never have fled to England to find her, because, on paper, she would be dead.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, humbled at how much her being alive had affected the world around her. How many people were alive because she had met James? How many lives had been saved?

  She sighed.

  “Are you okay?”

  She looked up at her husband. “I will be. I just can’t…what’s happened, it’s like a dream, a nightmare.”

  “Where are we heading?” asked Kane.

  “I’ve been instructed to tell you only that it is one of the Gulf States.”

  James’ eyebrow shot up. “The Gulf States?”

  “Yes, I purchased the top three floors of a luxury condominium there through a shell corporation that can’t be traced back to Charles. We needed him to live in a stable regime where there was little likelihood of him being recognized, and money could solve any problem.”

  Laura tweaked on that statement. “But I inherited all of his money.”

  Mary smirked. “No, actually, you didn’t. In the weeks leading up to your brother’s, shall we say, accident, he made a series of very large, very risky investments that all bombed on paper. The inheritance you received was about half of what he actually had. He paid me a substantial sum to watch over you so that I could have a business with only two clients and give up my career, but the rest actually bounced around multiple shell corporations and numbered accounts. It allowed your brother to lead a life of luxury that compensated in some little way for the solitude that became necessary, and also allowed him to continue his research.”

 

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