Death is Forever

slowly, understanding too late that Erin was as bright as Cole had warned him she would be.
    And as hostile.
    “I won’t even discuss the Chen family’s persistent interest in strategic minerals, which are handled through one of ConMin’s many companies,” Erin continued. “Nor will I dwell on the fact that if the cartel goes under, Black Dog Mines’ value goes through the floor, taking with it BlackWing’s half interest in a hugely lucrative chunk of real estate.”
    Wing shot Windsor a look.
    Erin’s father didn’t notice. He was watching his daughter with amused admiration.
    “You’ve done your homework, baby.”
    “As in opening my eyes?” She smiled coolly. “As I said to Cole, I’m a slow learner, but I do learn.”
    “The Chen family is already quite wealthy,” Wing said neutrally. “We don’t depend upon ConMin for that wealth, or upon Black Dog Mines.”
    Erin looked at her father.
    “He’s telling the truth,” Windsor said. “The Chens aren’t bucking Hugo van Luik and DSD just for money. They want power.”
    “How does Nan Faulkner feel about that?” Erin asked.
    “She’d rather give the Chen family power than sink the diamond cartel. Right now the Soviets need the cartel too much.” Windsor shrugged. “Besides, the cartel is the devil we know, and we’ve spent forty years learning how to get a handle on it. We’ve turned it into a game of checks and balances. At this point no single country’s interests rules. Not even ours.”
    Erin waited. Her father simply watched her. “No advice for me?” she asked. “That’s new.”
    “You’re too busy looking for blood to listen.” Windsor smiled slightly. “Besides, you don’t need my advice. You’ve changed, baby.”
    “Being hunted like an animal does that.”
    “Don’t get me wrong,” he said quickly, smiling. “I’m not complaining about the changes. You can’t own half of Black Dog and be a trusting soul. And you’re not planning on giving up control of your half of the mine, are you?”
    “I haven’t decided.”
    “Three choices,” Windsor said, yawning. He’d spent too many sleepless nights worrying about Erin’s safety and Nan Faulkner’s mistakes. “One: Hand over control of your half of the mine to someone and walk away. Two: Keep control and grab a piece of the diamond tiger. Three: Kill the tiger by talking Cole into withholding his half of the rough from DSD.”
    She nodded, having reached the same conclusion herself in the middle of the many long nights she’d spent neither awake nor asleep, half dreaming, half remembering, regret and desire and anger clawing her soul. “As I said, I haven’t decided.”
    With a small sound, Wing cleared his throat. “The third choice isn’t a realistic option.”
    “What you’re saying is that dear old Uncle Li won’t let Cole break the cartel.” It was a statement rather than a question.
    The smile Wing gave Erin was as thin as the cutting edge of a knife. “Unfortunately, no one controls Cole Blackburn, not even my very clever uncle. But Cole is far from stupid. He knows it would not take much of a bomb to close off the cave or even to destroy the commercial value of the diamonds with radiation and pass it off as a mining accident.”
    Erin’s mahogany eyebrows lifted. “Sounds rather drastic.”
    “Quit baiting the man,” Windsor said, yawning again. “One way or another, nearly every country in the world has a stake in the cartel. No one would help you cut its throat. All of them would rather have Black Dog destroyed, and you with it, than have the cartel broken.”
    “Cole knows the danger,” Wing said to her. “He does not want you hurt. He has made unpleasantly vivid to Uncle Li exactly what would happen to the family of Chen if any, ah, accident were to overtake you.”
    Windsor’s eyes narrowed. “If Erin had an ‘accident,’ Blackburn isn’t the only one who would come down on the Chen family like seven years of bad luck.”
    Wing nodded. “Granted, but it is Cole Blackburn we fear.”
    With an effort Erin kept her face impassive, revealing nothing of her inner turmoil. “You’re jumping at shadows, Mr. Chen. Cole Blackburn would trade me for a bucket of diamonds. In fact, he already did.”
    “Bullshit, baby,” Windsor said instantly.
    She gave him a bleak look.
    “I’ve talked to Cole,” Windsor said, “which is more than you can say.”
    “When?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Is he all