"Do what?"

"Stoke the fires by reminding me of Conner." Hannah's voice shook with anger. "It's okay that we're using each other to get what we want here, but it's not okay for you to use Conner. Understood?"

Kirov paused a long moment before nodding. "Understood. May I just say I didn't mean to use him? Sometimes manipulation comes a little too easy to me. Forgive me."

And this wasn't manipulation. Kirov meant what he was saying. She could feel the anger ebbing away. She tried to hold on to it. "Is that supposed to disarm me?"

He smiled. "I hope so."

And it had disarmed her, dammit.

LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

Bradworth picked up his telephone. "Fahey, where are you?"

"I'm at the site on my satellite phone. Your source was correct. There are skeletal human remains in the vegetable cellar. Adult male."

"Is there enough material to extract DNA?"

"There should be. We're almost finished packing it up."

"Good. What about size?"

"I measured the fibula, and the height calculations jibe with Ivanov. This man was about six-foot-one. We'll know more once we get it into a lab. By the way, do we know where we're headed with it yet?"

"One of our specialists is already on his way to Moscow. We'll be using the facilities at the Burdenko Military Hospital there. We found an uncle of Ivanov's, and he's given us a blood sample so that we can compare DNA."

"Good. We'll have the skeleton there by this afternoon." Fahey's voice lowered. "Bradworth, his skeleton was hacked to pieces by a barrage of bullets. Somebody really didn't like this guy."

VALDOSTA, GEORGIA

6:15 A.M.

Kirov's cell phone ring broke the silence as Hannah drove past a marker on I-75 informing her that the Florida state line was only forty-four miles away.

Kirov put the phone on speaker mode. "You're up early, Eugenia."

"Actually, not that early for me. I'm in Moscow."

"What?"

"I have to be done with this mess you brought on me. It's become dangerous to my business and my health."

"You can opt out."

"No, I can't. But I can handle it myself. My contacts are good, but I'm better." She went on brusquely, "There are two GRU operatives who are known to sell information and services to the highest bidder. Salvak and Danzyl. I'm betting on Danzyl. From what I've learned, he worked closely with Pavski before he was sent packing from Moscow."

"And can we get him to sell information to you?"

"I don't think so. And if I tap Salvak, Danzyl may hear about it and make things difficult for me. I'm having to walk very carefully. I may have to find another way." She changed the subject. "And I didn't forget about Dane. I've just been a little busy. Your bomb maker is working in Florida. Panama City. He should be fairly easy to find."

"Well, unless you were able to come up with a street address-"

"9860 South Thomas Drive."

Kirov frowned. "Eugenia, how were you able to-"

"The Yellow Pages. Brilliant, yes?"

"Are you positive it's him?"

"No doubt. It's the address of his bar."

"They all know him there?"

"They should. He owns it."

He shot Hannah a glance. "You're not serious."

"He's actually in semiretirement from the bomb-making business. As far as I can tell, he won't work for terrorists or mobsters, which keeps him off high-priority U.S. watch lists. If you're hoping to draw him out by promising employment, it might not work. He does quite well by selling tall, colorful drinks on the beach."

"What's the name of the bar?"

"You're really going to like this. It's called 'TNT.'"

A few hours later Kirov lowered his high-powered binoculars and handed them to Hannah. "See it?" he asked.

Hannah scanned the beachfront bars until she found TNT. The colorful sign featured a graphic stick of dynamite traced in neon lighting. She shook her head. "Subtle." She smiled. "And amusing. He obviously has a sense of humor."

"I'm sure he gets a good chuckle every time he looks at it."

"Maybe he's not who we're searching for. It doesn't look like he needs Pavski's money."

"It may not be the cash. He's always considered himself an artist. He likes money as much as the next man, but I'm sure he still jumps at the chance to create new and better designs for his explosive devices. Especially if a lucrative offer came from someone he knows and trusts."

"Like Pavski?"

"Yes."

"Or you?"

"If he did the job for Pavksi, I'm not sure what he's been told about me. We can't just go stumbling in there. We have to have information."

"And how do we get that?"

"It's an electronic world. We'll try that first. But he's very smart. We have to have a hook."

"You know what he's like. What kind of a hook? What buttons can we push?"

"His ego, his conviction that he's the Michelangelo of explosives, his passion for good-looking women, his love of the good life." He took the binoculars from her. "Come on, we'll check into a hotel and clean up and plan strategy."

They found a decent Best Western Hotel located on the beach. Two hours later they had showered, rested, and met in the coffee shop on the lanai for dinner.

"The fish looks good," Kirov said as he handed her the menu. "Fish is almost always a safe bet on the coast. The competition for the tourist dollar is a guarantee."

Hannah nodded. "Order for me. I don't care. Anything."

"You're trusting me to make a decision?"

She smiled faintly. "I figured you couldn't mess up too badly on a menu choice."

"I'm flattered." He gestured to the waitress and ordered quickly before turning back to Hannah. "Did you get a nap?"

"No, I got a business call, and I had to take it."

"Business?"

"I do have a life apart from Silent Thunder. The sub was supposed to only be a fill-in job." She waited until the waitress filled her wineglass, then said, "I'm going to the Canary Islands and help with the exploration of Marinth. It's an underwater city that some people think may be Atlantis."

"I've read about it. The security surrounding it is cast-iron. Skeptic that I am, I wondered if that security was hiding a bogus discovery."

"It's not bogus. It's the real thing. I've seen some of the artifacts they've pulled up." She took a sip of wine and leaned forward, eagerness surging through her as she thought about it. "I don't know if it's Atlantis, but the city is ancient. It's going to be exciting. I can't wait."

"It's good to see you excited." He was studying her expression. "I haven't had the opportunity since we came together. Were you like this with the Titanic?"

She shook her head. "We knew too much about it going in. Marinth is different. It's a whole new world to explore." She chuckled. "You said something like that to me, remember? That there were new worlds to discover. Well, Marinth is one of them. Scholarly tablets and ancient inventions and fabulous treasures. Who knows what we'll find?"

"Who indeed?" He was cradling his glass of wine in his hands, rolling it back and forth. "A true adventure."

Hannah found herself fascinated by that lazy, almost sensual movement. The crystal seemed fragile, infinitely breakable in those big hands, and his rubbing fingertips were light but oddly rhythmic.

Watch his hands.

Eugenia had said those words when she'd been describing Kirov's sexuality. Hannah could see what she meant. That restrained, rhythmic delicacy made one wonder how it would feel to be intimately touched by-

"But treasures?" Kirov asked. "I didn't think you'd be impressed by treasures. You didn't seem interested in the Golden Cradle itself. Yet the cradle is probably as ancient as your Marinth."