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Authors: James Patterson
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busy gouging people that night.”
Rice hit play, and the cab, the kid, and the leather bag with the diamonds were gone.
“He wasn’t carrying any luggage,” Rice said. “So he’s either a regular commuter or he works in one of the shops here at Grand Central. I’ll pull a screen shot of his face. We can find this guy.”
“And when we do, I will personally put a bullet through his head and bring the diamonds back to Chukov,” Benzetti said.
“Y’know,” Rice said, grinning, “there really ought to be a finder’s fee for something like that.”
“There will be,” Benzetti said. “A fistful of diamonds.”
“Two fistfuls,” Rice said.
A close-up of the young man filled the thirty-inch screen, and Rice froze the image. “And if the Russians notice that any stones are missing,” Rice said, “we can just blame it on Pretty Boy.”
Benzetti nodded. “LOL, baby. L.O. Fucking L.”
Chapter 24
Nathaniel Prince sat on his bed, his eyes fixed on the cordless phone beside him.
“You can’t make it ring by staring at it,” Natalia said.
“Chukov should have called hours ago,” Prince said.
“Then call him.”
“It’s not my job to follow that incompetent prick around with a broom and a dustpan,” Prince said. “Chukov is the underling. He’s the one who should be calling me.”
Natalia looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. Pretty soon he’ll be too drunk to dial.”
Prince couldn’t argue with the logic. He picked up the phone and pushed a single button. Chukov didn’t answer until the fourth ring.
“Nathaniel, I was just going to call you,” Chukov said. “I have good news. We zeroed in on the guy who has our diamonds.”
“It’s about time,” Prince said.
“I e-mailed you his picture.”
“His picture? I want his head delivered to my front door with his balls stuffed in his mouth,” Prince screamed. “Who is he?”
“He’s just some asshole kid who was at the right place at the right time. Zelvas stashed the diamonds in a locker at Grand Central. This guy found them and took off.”
“You told me the diamonds were in Zelvas’s safe,” Prince said. “Why did he move them to a locker in a train station?”
Because Natalia knew the combination, and Zelvas didn’t trust a whore who would bed down with her own father, Chukov thought.
“I don’t know, Nathaniel,” he said.
“What do we know about the guy who has the diamonds? What’s his name?”
“We don’t know his name yet,” Chukov said, “but he probably either works at Grand Central or is a regular commuter. Somebody has to know who he is. We definitely will find him.”
“Who’s we? ”
“Me, Rice, Benzetti, and the Ghost,” Chukov said.
“Not enough,” Prince said. “I want more people on it.”
“I have a dozen of my men…”
Prince cut Chukov off before he could finish. “I don’t want foot soldiers. I want a professional. A hunter. A killer.”
“The Ghost is a professional…”
“He’s one man,” Prince said. “The Syndicate is going to blame me for the missing diamonds. I don’t care how good this Ghost guy is. He can’t be everywhere. I need insurance, backup. Somebody smart. Somebody we’ve worked with before. What about the German?”
“Krall?”
“That’s the one.”
“I don’t know,” Chukov said. “These killers for hire are like prima donnas. They don’t like to be in competition with someone else. They want an exclusive contract.”
“I don’t care what they want,” Prince said. “They’re mercenaries. I pay, I make the rules. I want you to find the bastard who took my diamonds, and I want his fingers chopped off, one by one. And if Krall doesn’t want to do it, find somebody who will.”
Prince hung up the phone and went to his computer. He printed out the picture of the man who had stolen his millions. He showed it to Natalia. “You know this muzhik? ” he asked.
She studied the picture. “I’d definitely remember him if
Rice hit play, and the cab, the kid, and the leather bag with the diamonds were gone.
“He wasn’t carrying any luggage,” Rice said. “So he’s either a regular commuter or he works in one of the shops here at Grand Central. I’ll pull a screen shot of his face. We can find this guy.”
“And when we do, I will personally put a bullet through his head and bring the diamonds back to Chukov,” Benzetti said.
“Y’know,” Rice said, grinning, “there really ought to be a finder’s fee for something like that.”
“There will be,” Benzetti said. “A fistful of diamonds.”
“Two fistfuls,” Rice said.
A close-up of the young man filled the thirty-inch screen, and Rice froze the image. “And if the Russians notice that any stones are missing,” Rice said, “we can just blame it on Pretty Boy.”
Benzetti nodded. “LOL, baby. L.O. Fucking L.”
Chapter 24
Nathaniel Prince sat on his bed, his eyes fixed on the cordless phone beside him.
“You can’t make it ring by staring at it,” Natalia said.
“Chukov should have called hours ago,” Prince said.
“Then call him.”
“It’s not my job to follow that incompetent prick around with a broom and a dustpan,” Prince said. “Chukov is the underling. He’s the one who should be calling me.”
Natalia looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. Pretty soon he’ll be too drunk to dial.”
Prince couldn’t argue with the logic. He picked up the phone and pushed a single button. Chukov didn’t answer until the fourth ring.
“Nathaniel, I was just going to call you,” Chukov said. “I have good news. We zeroed in on the guy who has our diamonds.”
“It’s about time,” Prince said.
“I e-mailed you his picture.”
“His picture? I want his head delivered to my front door with his balls stuffed in his mouth,” Prince screamed. “Who is he?”
“He’s just some asshole kid who was at the right place at the right time. Zelvas stashed the diamonds in a locker at Grand Central. This guy found them and took off.”
“You told me the diamonds were in Zelvas’s safe,” Prince said. “Why did he move them to a locker in a train station?”
Because Natalia knew the combination, and Zelvas didn’t trust a whore who would bed down with her own father, Chukov thought.
“I don’t know, Nathaniel,” he said.
“What do we know about the guy who has the diamonds? What’s his name?”
“We don’t know his name yet,” Chukov said, “but he probably either works at Grand Central or is a regular commuter. Somebody has to know who he is. We definitely will find him.”
“Who’s we? ”
“Me, Rice, Benzetti, and the Ghost,” Chukov said.
“Not enough,” Prince said. “I want more people on it.”
“I have a dozen of my men…”
Prince cut Chukov off before he could finish. “I don’t want foot soldiers. I want a professional. A hunter. A killer.”
“The Ghost is a professional…”
“He’s one man,” Prince said. “The Syndicate is going to blame me for the missing diamonds. I don’t care how good this Ghost guy is. He can’t be everywhere. I need insurance, backup. Somebody smart. Somebody we’ve worked with before. What about the German?”
“Krall?”
“That’s the one.”
“I don’t know,” Chukov said. “These killers for hire are like prima donnas. They don’t like to be in competition with someone else. They want an exclusive contract.”
“I don’t care what they want,” Prince said. “They’re mercenaries. I pay, I make the rules. I want you to find the bastard who took my diamonds, and I want his fingers chopped off, one by one. And if Krall doesn’t want to do it, find somebody who will.”
Prince hung up the phone and went to his computer. He printed out the picture of the man who had stolen his millions. He showed it to Natalia. “You know this muzhik? ” he asked.
She studied the picture. “I’d definitely remember him if
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