St Kilda Consulting 02 - Innocent as Sin

morning at nine.” At least I sure hope that’s the case.
    Foley muttered something savage under his breath.
    “I’ll be glad to take care of the transactions on the account first thing Monday morning,” she offered.
    He shook his head abruptly. “No. Andre’s instructions for the transactions are very detailed. Nine o’clock Monday?”
    “Not a minute before. But everything would be posted to the account Monday, anyway, even if you made transfers today. So Andre won’t lose any interest or anything. On an account of that size, interest will matter.”
    Rand started humming “Diamonds and Rust.”
    Kayla kicked him again under the table.
    “You said my portal was only part of the problem.” Foley frowned at her. “What’s the rest?”
    “You don’t have the password. Without it, you can’t move money out of the account.”
    Foley shrugged. “Bertone will give it to me.”
    “He doesn’t have it.”
    Rand went still.
    Foley’s mouth opened, closed, opened again. “What?”
    “Everyone was in such a lather to open the account, I couldn’t get through to Bertone for him to choose a password, so I did it. I’m the only one who can move money out of that account.”
    “Christ Jesus,” Faroe breathed in Rand’s ear. “Why didn’t she tell us!”
    It took Foley a moment to digest her words. When he did, he spoke through clenched teeth. “What. Is. The. Password.”
    Subtly Rand gathered himself, ready to jump Foley if he went through with the violence vibrating in his voice. He’d rather belt Foley than twitch to imaginary music any day.
    “I don’t know the password,” Kayla said.
    Rand forced himself not to react.
    Faroe groaned. “So near and yet so far.”
    “What do you mean, you don’t know?” Foley asked.
    Kayla yawned and nudged Rand in the ankle. “I use a million passwords, so I write them down in code in my little black book.”
    “Where’s the book?” Foley demanded.
    “At Jerry’s apartment with my overnight case.”

50
    Chandler Mall
Sunday
11:33 A.M. MST
    B ertone couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, could barely think.
    Kayla had the password.
    Gabriel would kill her the instant she left the restaurant.
    Cursing in five languages, Bertone punched Gabriel’s number into his cell phone. He tugged one of the earphones out, slammed the cell phone to his ear, and listened to it ring.
    And ring.
    Foley’s voice talked into his other ear. “Get it. Right now. I’ll follow you.”
    Kayla’s voice declining. “We’ve got errands to run. I’ll call you with the password as soon as I get it.”
    “I want it now!”
    “What’s the hurry? Even with the password, you can’t move anything until Monday morning.”
    Gabriel’s phone was still ringing.
    Nobody was answering.
    Caught between rage and fear, Bertone willed Gabriel to pick up his cell phone.
    “Wake up, Jerry.”
    And a man’s voice. “You finally through, sweet thing?”
    “Oh, yeah. I’ll call you in a few hours, Steve. Enjoy our meals.”
    Bertone listened to the sounds of Kayla and her boyfriend leaving the booth, walking away, heading for the restaurant door.
    Going straight into Gabriel’s ambush.
    Numbly Bertone sat and waited to hear the shots that might as well be aimed at his own heart.

51
    Chandler Mall
Sunday
11:34 A.M. MST
    J ust as Rand and Kayla passed Faroe’s table, he shoved to his feet, bumping against her. He grabbed her arm to steady her.
    “Sorry,” Faroe said. “Didn’t see you.”
    Then in a voice so soft Rand thought he imagined it, Faroe said in his ear, “Take her shopping. It’s going down now.”
    Rand pulled Kayla close. “You okay, sweet thing?”
    “Never better, stud.”
    Faroe’s mouth twisted as he fought a smile.
    “Remember that naughty little pink thingy you showed me?” Rand said. “I’ve decided I’m going to buy it for you right now.”
    He hauled Kayla out the restaurant’s side door and onto an escalator headed for the second floor of the shopping mall. He made sure that he was standing between her and any view of the parking lot. He wasn’t going to expose her until he was sure Gabriel and the two Galils were out of the game.
    “What was that all about?” Kayla asked under her breath.
    “Faroe didn’t want us in the parking lot right now,” Rand said.
    The escalator gave him a clear, gliding view of the parking lot in front. The place was alive with squad cars.
    “Now that’s sweet,” Rand said, grinning.
    “I can’t