‘If you believe a word that comes out of her mouth,’ Ryker said, in Russian, ‘then you’re even dumber than you look.’ Sergei again made eye contact with Ryker and held it for a few seconds. Ryker didn’t care that he’d insulted him. The last thing he wanted was to show a man like Sergei any hint of weakness. ‘And I’ve been to a gulag. I’ve been held there, more than once. I’m not a threat to you. Not unless you make me one.’
When Sergei finally looked away, Ryker gazed over at Eva. He could see the anger in her eyes. But it was him that should have been angry. Her words to Sergei had been one hell of a stab in the back for Ryker. It wasn’t that he’d thought he could trust Eva, but to have her try to lay a trap for him while he was sat next to her? That was cold. Heartless.
Ryker knew he wasn’t off the hook though. He could only hope that his words would ward Sergei off. For now. But Ryker wondered what Eva had been doing on her phone – what message she might have sent. Ryker’s brain filled with thoughts of what might come next. Last time he’d been to the Kozlov house, Rambo and Buzzcut had come after him. Who or what would it be this time?
He contemplated reaching out and choking Sergei as he drove. It would take away any immediate threat.
But was that a step too far?
Yes. All Ryker had was the suspicion that Sergei was a Vor, probably a low-ranking one, and that alone wasn’t reason enough to take a man’s life. Even if he was about to drive Ryker straight into an ambush.
Instead, Ryker prepared himself for the worst. It was the sensible thing to do. In the end, he was surprised when Sergei simply kept going along the same roads back to the Kozlov’s house. Ryker had been expecting to be driven to some secluded spot where they’d try to take him out.
Still, the estate where the Kozlov’s lived was such a secure and private location that it wasn’t unthinkable that the trap for Ryker lay within the gated sanctum. It was dark out now – much easier to attack with stealth under the cover of night.
Yet when they arrived at the house, there wasn’t a person in sight on the property, nor any additional cars. Ryker looked over at Eva suspiciously as the car came to a stop. Eva smiled at Ryker as she reached for her door handle. Was it all in his mind?
Ryker opened his door and stepped out, did a quick scan of the grounds around him. Saw no one. But it was difficult to tell with the faint glow of the streetlights. Sergei got out of the car. Ryker didn’t take his eyes off him. He was ready, waiting for the move.
It didn’t come.
‘Next time you want to come over for a little chat,’ Eva said, sourly. ‘Don’t bother. Come on, Sergei.’
Eva walked away from Ryker toward the house. Sergei followed. Ryker didn’t hesitate. He turned round and walked with purpose back to his car. He just wanted to get out of there.
He had his hand on the door handle when he stopped. He glanced along the side of the car. It was difficult to see clearly in the dark, even with the glow from nearby streetlights, but the metalwork was covered in a thin layer of dust from the dry, sandy air. Ryker stepped back and inspected the body of the car, paying particular attention to the handles, the door frames, the panels that ran along the underside. He was looking for finger marks. Scuffs in the dust. Anything that would indicate someone had been snooping around the car. Or underneath it.
Ryker dropped down onto the ground, lay flat and looked under the car, using the light on his mobile phone to help him see more clearly. He saw nothing unusual. He moved around each of the four sides, inspecting the chassis as closely as he could. No. There was nothing there.
Maybe he was being overly suspicious. But he had to be sure.
When he was done, Ryker went back to the driver’s side and opened the door. He sat on the seat and sunk the key into the ignition. As he turned the key, he held his breath. The engine rattled to life and Ryker exhaled.
He looked up at the mansion and spotted Eva standing in one of the ground floor windows. She was staring over at him with a wicked smile plastered over her pretty face.
Okay, that’s plenty of excitement for one day, Ryker thought without even the faintest hint of amusement. It was about time he got some much-needed sleep.
CHAPTER 30
Early the following morning, Ryker was rudely awakened by the incessant buzzing of his mobile phone. He groggily opened his eyes and waited a couple of seconds as his brain re-calibrated where he was: his hotel room in Malaga. Ryker answered the vibrating phone. It was Green.
‘Ryker, where the hell are you?’ The policeman sounded harried.
‘In bed,’ Ryker said, pulling himself upright, suddenly alert.
‘Get the hell up and get yourself over here, right now.’
‘What is it?’
‘It’s Inspector Cardo. He’s dead.’
From Malaga, it took Ryker a little under an hour driving along a twisting mountain road up the Sierra de Mijas to reach the hotel where Inspector Cardo’s body had been found. On the outskirts of the Moorish town of Alhaurin el Grande, the hotel was on a modern road junction that connected the town directly to both Marbella and Malaga.
As Ryker approached, it was clear to him that the building out-dated the recently tarmacked roads by a considerable number of years. Large wine barrels were scattered around the outside of the hotel – makeshift tables for drinking and eating at. Built from a hotchpotch of stones and timber, the hotel looked like a rest stop for ranchers and their horses from years gone by. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Wild West. All that was missing was a paddock to tie up your horse and some swinging saloon doors.
High up in the Sierra, the location was a remote and unusual position, and Ryker couldn’t fathom why Inspector Cardo had chosen to stay there.
It was ten a.m. when Ryker arrived and already the temperature was steadily rising towards thirty degrees with another unblemished blue sky above. There were three marked police cars in the hotel’s car park. Ryker also spotted Green’s car. He parked next to it. As Ryker stepped from his Ford, he saw the detective approaching.
‘Ah, sleeping beauty,’ Green said. ‘Glad you could join us.’
Ryker said nothing.
‘This is not good, Ryker,’ Green said. ‘Not good at all.’
‘What is this place?’
Green stopped walking. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Why was Cardo staying up here?’ Ryker looked out over the landscape down to the coast. The morning sun cast a warm orange glow over the hills and valleys that were dotted with white villas and small villages, and swathes of pine, orange and lemon trees. ‘I mean it’s picturesque, but it’s the middle of nowhere.’
‘I’m not sure what you’re getting at,’ Green said. ‘It’s hardly the most relevant detail to be concerned about right now.’
‘So you don’t know the answer is what you’re saying.’
‘No, I don’t know the answer.’
‘So it might yet be relevant.’
‘Could be. Probably isn’t. This way,’ Green said, turning.