Gold Digger Read Free Page B

wouldn’t happen quite so soon wouldn’t be good. He hated disappointing his father. And he might be able to write off at least part of that expense on his taxes. It wouldn’t be the first time he bought outrageous tickets because he wanted to be in a specific place as fast as possible, or to simply get away. So he booked the damned tickets and, once the confirmation arrived, took pains to forward only the dates and flight numbers.
    He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes now. So he went for a leak, combed his mostly dry hair again, and emailed Tamás about his travel plans. He’d explain the absence to Ruslan later. It wasn’t as if he had to sit on Ruslan’s lap every hour of every day.
    He slid his credit card into his wallet, stuffed it in his back pocket, and took the hotel key card with him. Down in the lobby, he recognized Henri, who was playing with his cell phone, probably to kill the last few minutes.
    Nikolai walked up to him. “Hey. You’re already here?”
    Henri glanced up, startled, then gave him a warm, oddly heartfelt smile. “Nikolai. Yes, I thought—I didn’t want to be late.”
    “Uh. There’s been a change of plans. I don’t think anything could revive Tamás that’s allowable under the Geneva Conventions.”
    Henri looked concerned. “Is he all right?”
    “Yes, just dead tired. We’ve all been working pretty hard, but he worked the hardest. I think the most humane thing is to let him sleep.”
    “How about you?”
    “I’m fine. I’m a night owl.”
    “I don’t want to make you come out when you’d rather stay in.”
    Nikolai shook his head. “Seriously, I’m good. Just lead the way.”
    Henri motioned him outside and stepped up to a silver sports car that looked as if it could take off like a rocket. The door slid up and stood vertically. Nikolai levered himself into the car, which was awkward at his size. No way it could be easy for a woman in heels, either. But once he was inside, there was a surprising amount of legroom, and the molded leather seats held him so comfortably he wasn’t sure he wanted to get up again. Henri slid the door shut behind him and walked around the car, then opened the door on the driver’s side.
    The middle console was high enough to comfortably rest an arm on, and it led right into a panel that looked like something from a starship. Henri settled and pulled his seat belt into place. Nikolai copied him, usually comfortable not to wear one, but in this car, he figured he’d rather be safe than very squashed.
    “Where would you like to go?” Henri asked.
    “This thing probably goes to the moon.”
    “Not on what I have left in the tank.”
    Nikolai laughed and relaxed into the seat. “Wherever. I’ll trust you.”
    “Seafood? Steak? A pub?”
    “Ideally nowhere with a dress code.”
    “Let’s do steak. Though they do other things as well.” Henri tapped the starship dial thing between them, and the car came alive with a deep, gentle vibration. Nikolai almost laughed at how weirdly sensual that seemed, the sports car purring like a tiger around him. It was probably a huge hit with the ladies, even though Henri didn’t look like any of those middle-aged losers with too much money and too little hair who needed a car like this to get laid.
    “This car considerably shortens foreplay, doesn’t it?”
    Henri stared at him, then laughed. “Do you like high-end cars?”
    Nikolai wasn’t quite sure how Henri had jumped to that conclusion. “I’m more a Jeep or Land Rover kind of guy myself. This car wouldn’t be able to cope with the places I usually travel. Try driving this anywhere in the Armenian outback.”
    Henri nodded. “It’s certainly a comfortable way to be in the middle of a classic Toronto traffic jam.” He pressed another button. The engine purred louder, sounding eager now, and Henri pulled out of the parking space. And damn if it wasn’t a stylish way to float along the streets. Nikolai leaned back and listened to the