Gorevoy paused as he drank from his glass.“Pascal told them his own story of how he was a hitch-hiker who had been given a free truck ride, and after the trucker had dropped him off on the highway, he had hailed down my car. His story was checked, and the trucker who was assumed to have dropped him off on the highway collaborated the story. The cops got a search warrant. They searched my house. My car was found in the garage. They checked the car. The car didn't seem to have had any recent fuel leak. They found five million dollars tucked inside the mattress in my bedroom. That was when I realized that the whole incidence wasn't a coincidence, but a perfectly planned and executed set-up. Rico was in to see me. He brought me a lawyer. He told me, he would have to wash his hands of me. That the business was causing a lot of stink for the organization. He told me, Don Mazzo was behind the set-up. That it was payback for assassinating his friend, Don Massino and taking over

Suddenly, the front doorbell rang. Natasha started. She glanced sharply at Gorevoy, who had also stiffened.“It can't be Rico. Can it?” He asked, his voice lowered to a whisper. “The door's open. He would have made his way inside. Check who’s there.”Natasha stood up, crossed the room, and peered into the foyer. Through the double glass doors, she saw a tall, thickset young man dressed in a black linen suit. Part of his face was hidden behind the aluminum lock stile of the double glass doors. For a moment, she experienced a terrible shock as she thought this man was Pascal. But she pulled herself up immediately. Pascal was dead and buried. She turned to Gorevoy.“It is no one that I know. A man,” she whispered.“See what he wants. If you're going to let him in, you give me a sign. A cough would do. And I will get out of sight,” Gorevoy replied.Natasha turned, and with her graceful stride, she moved to th

After ten minutes of driving, Cain’s taxi turned into the street, which housed the high-rise; where he had his apartment, and as Alessa’s driver was about to follow suit, she leaned forward and said, “I’ve changed my mind. Drive me to Sam’s bar.”The driver nodded.Ten minutes later, the driver slowed down and pulled up outside Sam’s bar.“Here we are, miss.”Alessa paid him, got out of the cab, and entered the bar. Moving through the crowded, smoke-hazed air, she came to rest at the bar where Sam; an obese man, was serving drinks.He looked up from the drink he was mixing, noticed her, then smiled.“I’m expecting a friend, Sam,” Alessa said.“Room three and five, are available,” Sam returned.“I’ll take room five.”Sam took out a key from the key rack and handed it to Alessa.“You care for a drink?”Alessa shook her

There was a scuffling noise. The silence of the room was split by Cain’s scream, then a thud that seemed to shake the entire apartment.Immediately, Alessa stood up. She took a mass of foam from her pocket, crossed to the bath, soaked it with water, crossed to where Cain was sprawled on the floor, still dazed from the shock of the fall. She dropped on him, her knees pinning his hands to the ground. And as the wet foam came above his face, Cain suddenly realized what was about to happen to him. He gave a sharp squeal of terror, and he made a frantic effort to save himself, but it was too late.Alessa dropped the foam on his face and applied pressure. Water flowed down the sides of his face. His legs kicked helplessly.Keeping the pressure steady, Alessa watched the desperate heaving of his body and the movement of his fingers scrabbling at the tiles.Cain suddenly realized he had no chance of surviving this. Alessa’s weight on him felt like a h

Rose took the envelope, lifted the flap, and drew out six photographic prints. A single glance stopped her heartbeat for a split second, her heart raced, and she felt icy sweat break out on her face. She shuffled through the prints, then returned them to the envelope, and put the envelope down on the table. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Pascal had betrayed her.Gorevoy regarded her. “Four days ago, I gave the originals to Rico; these are photocopies. The next day, I read in the papers that Pascal was dead. Rico knew I was the only one who had evidence; linking him to Pascal’s death, so he dropped two tails on me. That was when I knew my life wasn’t safe anymore, and I had to talk to you. This disguise was essential to shake off the tail. If Rico gets the idea that I’ve talked, I’m as good as dead. If anything happens to me, you know who’s responsible. You are a press woman. You know what to do with these photog