Read Online A Perilous Eden by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Heather Graham
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you have to offer?â Ali asked.
Adam smiled, folding his hands in his lap. âContacts, gentlemen. The U.S. government doesnât know what to think of me. They want me on their side. Theyâre ready to woo me. I can go places the very best of you canât reach.â
âBut how do we know youâre really on our side, then?â Khazar asked sharply.
âYouâll have to test me, wonât you?â Adam asked.
âYes,â Ali murmured, watching him carefully. âWe shall have to test you. And I have the perfect situation in mind.â He rested his arms on the table and leaned close to Adam. He began to speak slowly, describing what he wanted, watching Adam all the while. His eyes were old, but very sharp. As Adam listened, he felt tension coiling in his stomach again. The rumors had been right. And now he knew where the next action was going to take place, and who was going to be their next target.
âYou will make sure the senator is where he is supposed to be,â Ali told him.
âAnd then â¦â Khazar said, his eyes dark, intense, deadly. âThen you will come to the compound. When the mission is complete, we will know that you are one of us. And if you are not â¦â He paused for effect, Adam knew. His cup was in his hand, thick pottery.
The cup cracked and broke. Khazar smiled.
âIf not, I will see to your death myself. And you may trust in the fact that I am a master, an artist, at death.â
Adam smiled. He felt very cold. Khazar could not know that he was a master at death himself. This was between them, he thought. He knew, sitting there, meeting the two men, that Khazar had caused the death of his family. To Ali, those murders would have been pointless. To Khazar, they would have been pleasure.
Adam sipped his espresso, then lifted his cup to Khazar. âI will prove myself to you, Monsieur Abdul.â He looked at Ali. âWhen shall I leave?â
âTonight. You must go home tonight. I want to have the senator in my hands with the others by the first of July. On the fourth I will have my men returned to me, or I will kill an American for the celebration of his independence.â
4
Washington, D.C.
May 28
T he Templeton house was ablaze with lights. Chinese lanterns were strewn all around the gardens and the lawns. The pool reflected the colored shades with a mesmerizing beauty. The people in attendance were decked out in splendor, too, the men in tuxedos, the women in silks and satins and velvets, some demure, some startling, all created by the most famous designers. It was a Washington society party, and society was there in force. The president wasnât in attendance, so the place wasnât crawling with security, but there were a number of congressmen present, so Amber knew that some of the men moving around the room were probably security.
She hadnât really wanted to come to this party, but her father had asked her, and despite her wealth and popularity and importance, Helen Templeton was one of the nicest women Amber had ever met. It was just that she was anxious to leaveâshe and Josie and Myra were due to start their vacation late the next day, and she still hadnât packed.
The waiting hadnât been half as hard as she had expected. She had even been somewhat disturbed at herself, because she wasnât as miserable as she had expected to be. She had spent time with her father. She had gone to lunch with friends. And she hadnât really thought about Peter, not at all. In fact, when she had dreamed, she had been haunted by the man with the ice-blue eyes, the man who had disappeared after the memorial service. She would most probably never see him again, she thought. And yet he walked through her dreams. He strode through them, and though they didnât speak or touch, his eyes were on her, and she could not look away from them. One morning she realized that she had awakened to wonder
Adam smiled, folding his hands in his lap. âContacts, gentlemen. The U.S. government doesnât know what to think of me. They want me on their side. Theyâre ready to woo me. I can go places the very best of you canât reach.â
âBut how do we know youâre really on our side, then?â Khazar asked sharply.
âYouâll have to test me, wonât you?â Adam asked.
âYes,â Ali murmured, watching him carefully. âWe shall have to test you. And I have the perfect situation in mind.â He rested his arms on the table and leaned close to Adam. He began to speak slowly, describing what he wanted, watching Adam all the while. His eyes were old, but very sharp. As Adam listened, he felt tension coiling in his stomach again. The rumors had been right. And now he knew where the next action was going to take place, and who was going to be their next target.
âYou will make sure the senator is where he is supposed to be,â Ali told him.
âAnd then â¦â Khazar said, his eyes dark, intense, deadly. âThen you will come to the compound. When the mission is complete, we will know that you are one of us. And if you are not â¦â He paused for effect, Adam knew. His cup was in his hand, thick pottery.
The cup cracked and broke. Khazar smiled.
âIf not, I will see to your death myself. And you may trust in the fact that I am a master, an artist, at death.â
Adam smiled. He felt very cold. Khazar could not know that he was a master at death himself. This was between them, he thought. He knew, sitting there, meeting the two men, that Khazar had caused the death of his family. To Ali, those murders would have been pointless. To Khazar, they would have been pleasure.
Adam sipped his espresso, then lifted his cup to Khazar. âI will prove myself to you, Monsieur Abdul.â He looked at Ali. âWhen shall I leave?â
âTonight. You must go home tonight. I want to have the senator in my hands with the others by the first of July. On the fourth I will have my men returned to me, or I will kill an American for the celebration of his independence.â
4
Washington, D.C.
May 28
T he Templeton house was ablaze with lights. Chinese lanterns were strewn all around the gardens and the lawns. The pool reflected the colored shades with a mesmerizing beauty. The people in attendance were decked out in splendor, too, the men in tuxedos, the women in silks and satins and velvets, some demure, some startling, all created by the most famous designers. It was a Washington society party, and society was there in force. The president wasnât in attendance, so the place wasnât crawling with security, but there were a number of congressmen present, so Amber knew that some of the men moving around the room were probably security.
She hadnât really wanted to come to this party, but her father had asked her, and despite her wealth and popularity and importance, Helen Templeton was one of the nicest women Amber had ever met. It was just that she was anxious to leaveâshe and Josie and Myra were due to start their vacation late the next day, and she still hadnât packed.
The waiting hadnât been half as hard as she had expected. She had even been somewhat disturbed at herself, because she wasnât as miserable as she had expected to be. She had spent time with her father. She had gone to lunch with friends. And she hadnât really thought about Peter, not at all. In fact, when she had dreamed, she had been haunted by the man with the ice-blue eyes, the man who had disappeared after the memorial service. She would most probably never see him again, she thought. And yet he walked through her dreams. He strode through them, and though they didnât speak or touch, his eyes were on her, and she could not look away from them. One morning she realized that she had awakened to wonder
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