Page 90 of Deadly Charade

Violet moved behind him. “I can’t see the bottom.”

One of the wooden planks was missing. Had someone fallen into the abyss? He shuddered at the thought. God, please. Not Kira. Not anyone.

“What’s the plan?” Ivan said, keeping his voice low. “We’re powerless if they catch us on the bridge. I say we ambush them on the way out. This way we have some semblance of control.”

“But in the meantime they could kill Kira and Sophia—assuming they’re still alive. You and I both know they want to get rid of everyone standing in the way of the treasure.”

Ivan grunted. “Still, I don’t like leaving the entrance unprotected, even if the FBI has the place surrounded. Any of Victor’s men could slip in. I’m going to make sure we weren’t followed, and I can let other agents know we need some backup in here.”

A minute after Ivan left, voices rang out from across the chasm.

Were they too late?

They retreated to the tunnel to stay out of sight. Bryce didn’t like hiding but conceded it might be the best course of action at the moment.

I’m coming for you, Kira. I promise. You’re not on your own.

23

KIRA NEEDED TO DEFUSE this situation. Fast.

Sophia continued to face off with the maid, who was supposed to be dead. The woman had screamed at Natalia, despite the fact Natalia held a gun.

“You kidnapped my son,” Sophia said, heaving great lungfuls of air. “You used my husband and destroyed our lives.”

Sophia still had Victor’s gun, but would she use it?

“I did what I had to do to preserve my family’s legacy.” Natalia stared Sophia down.

“I’m Russian too. Why would you turn against your own people? You stole my child!”

The woman laughed, a low chuckle that sent a shiver up Kira’s spine. Natalia spoke in Russian. “You’re too trusting, Sophia.”

Defiance spread across Sophia’s face. “I saw you get shot,” she said. “They killed you right in front of me. Blood poured out of your head.”

Natalia gave a small smile. “We were close to the treasure and I needed to disappear. The FBI can’t come after me if I’m dead. No one will suspect that I’m in charge of the Amber Crown Society. Meanwhile, this treasure belongs to my family. This is our legacy, stolen from us. And I will take it back.”

Kira’s mind spun, trying to put the pieces together—and keep Natalia talking until she had a solid plan to get them out of this. “So you blackmailed the Dominiks into tracking down the treasure for you, all while working for them, watching their every move?”

Nothing like hiding in plain sight.

“I was a maid. Invisible. But had access to many conversations and no one was the wiser. My only regret was not figuring out that your husband was really an FBI agent. I caught him snooping around but bought the billionaire art buyer act.”

From the look on Sophia’s face, she had no idea her enemy had been under her nose the entire time.

Natalia glared at Kira. “You pulled a fast one on us. But don’t worry, we’ll take care of you and that precious husband of yours.”

Kira’s breath hitched. If Natalia had Bryce on her radar when it came time to clean up, that meant he was still alive.

Sophia sniffed. “Why, Natalia? Why would you kidnap an innocent child?”

The woman scoffed. “We needed a reason to legally be here in the United States. And Alex was involved with the art auctions here, so we knew he could get us access to the statues.”

“But what do you hope to gain from this?” Kira asked. “It’s not like you can get all this treasure out of the country.”

“The Amber Room belongs to me. The rest can be sold, but I will inherit what is rightfully mine.” Natalia scanned the room, admiring the beauty of what lay before them. “Where is Victor?” The lust in her eyes turned to fear. “I don’t see my husband. He came with you, no?”

Things just went from impossibly bad to apocalyptic in one second. Natalia was about to find out that her husband had died, swallowed up by a black cavern.