*   *   *

“Jack Sen had been taken from the hospital. Someone snatched him from beneath the police guard’s nose,” Brasden said as he hung up the phone. “And one of Nagle’s men was killed in the hospital garage.”

“Son of a bitch,” Kadmus said. “I don’t give a damn about that bungler. I told Nagle to stake out that hospital. He was supposed to either get his hands on anyone who tried to get Sen away from the police or follow them and try to get Erin Sullivan. Did they do either?”

“No.” He held up his hand as Kadmus started to curse. “It was evidently a crack team who did the job. The lookout in the garage was supposed to call upstairs to the lobby if he spotted anyone.” He shrugged. “But it seems someone spotted him first. The ambulance carrying Sen got away clean as a whistle. Nagle is outside the garage questioning everyone about what they saw at the time. He said two nurses saw a dark-haired man jump into a blue Mercedes that skidded to a stop near the garage entrance.”

“License plate?”

“Not so far. Listen, give me a minute. The police are pulling the video cameras out of the garage. That may tell us something. Shall I give Nagle the okay to spend the money to get a copy? It will be steep.”

“Get them,” Kadmus said curtly. “And get Erin Sullivan. I’ve got to have a bargaining chip when we locate Cameron. Have you heard anything about him yet? Do you even know if he’s still in Tibet?”

“No word. But we have the photo that we’ve been showing around. I’ll find a lead.” He paused. “Providing I have the motivation.”

Kadmus stiffened. “I’m tired of this, Brasden. I’ve put up with your damned arrogance for too long. One more word, and I’ll have you shot.”

“Not do it yourself? Ten years ago, you wouldn’t have been afraid to go after me. But you’ve changed. You’ve gotten softer.” He said silkily, “And I’ve gotten stronger. You’ve let me take over running your little army, and now they listen to me, not you.”

“The hell they do.”

“Would you like to call my bluff?” Brasden’s hand rested on the butt of the pistol in his holster. “Go ahead.”

The bastard was too sure of himself, Kadmus thought. He had been so absorbed in getting that crucial information from Erin Sullivan that he had ignored the possibility that Brasden could be insinuating himself into a leadership position. Had he really undermined Kadmus’s power with his men? Loyalty could be bought with promises and extra pay as well as intimidation. It was possible.

Be cautious until he could determine the consequences.

“Motivation?” he repeated slowly. “What motivation?”

“I’m tired of doing all the work and having you take the biggest percentage of the profits.”

“Percentage? You work for me. I hired you to do a job.”

“That’s not good enough any longer. I want 50 percent of every fee I earn for you.”

“Screw you.”

“And I want to start with the money you’re trying to squeeze out of Erin Sullivan … and this Cameron. You want me to find them? Then don’t make me go at it blind.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out something shiny and gold and very familiar. “I went through your desk last night and found this pretty piece.” He dangled the chain of the lotus necklace. “I remember you took it from that priest you killed three years ago. You were angry because you said he died too soon.”

“Give me that!”

“And then you had us take Erin Sullivan. You tried very hard not to let her die too soon. I want to know what we’re supposed to be looking for.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“Tell me, Kadmus. I’ll still let you have half of whatever I find.”

And he was supposed to believe him? Kadmus hadn’t survived all these years by being taken in by a prick like Brasden. Play him, then take him down. He was silent a moment. “You have me over a barrel. We … may be able to work together.”

“Tell me,” Brasden said again.

“You won’t believe it. It takes a man with vision.”

“Tell me.”

“I’ve heard rumors for forty years about a city in these mountains that has a treasure trove of jewels and gold. At first, I didn’t believe it; and then I began to wonder why shouldn’t it be true when so many people I ran across thought it existed? After all, I’d always known that I was meant to rule. It’s my destiny. It could also be my destiny that I came to these mountains so that I’d find a place worthy of me. So I started searching for clues to find Shambhala.”

“The priest,” Brasden prompted.

“That priest I took the necklace from told his children about a wonderful place he would take them to one day. Yes, where there were jewels and gold and wonderful, wise people. He said that he was one of the chosen, and he’d been given the pendant by one of the wise ones who would lead him to the place of wonder.” His mouth twisted. “Old fool. He only talked about it. He stayed in his sod hut in that village when he could have gone to Shambhala.”

“Shambhala … I’ve never heard of it.”

“Because you’re an ignorant fool. Like that priest. He didn’t die quite right away. Not before he told me that those who were given the necklace were the sanctioned who would be permitted to join the wise ones in Shambhala. It was given to him by a man, a Westerner, but I wasn’t able to get a name. He kept calling him the Guardian. And I couldn’t get any other information out of him. I would have done it if I’d only had the time. But he cut his throat with a knife one of the villagers slipped him.”

“You actually believed him?”

“It’s true,” he said fiercely. “There’s a Shambhala, and it was meant to be found by me.”

“Or me,” Brasden said. “If it exists.”

“It exists. Find Cameron, and he’ll take us to it.”

“Us,” Brasden repeated. “That sounds like a partnership.”

“I’m not a fool.” It would be a partnership until Kadmus rooted out any Brasden supporters among his men and destroyed them as well as Brasden. “There’s kingdom enough to share in Shambhala. Just find Cameron.”

Brasden stared thoughtfully at Kadmus, then contemptuously tossed the lotus necklace to him before he turned on his heel. “I’ll find him.”

*   *   *

Erin and Hu Chang were the only ones in the library when Catherine and Cameron got back to Celia’s house.

Catherine felt a jolt of anxiety. “Where’s Luke?”

“In the kitchen with Celia,” Erin said. “He’s helping her with the dishes. I offered, but she chose Luke. They seem to have bonded.”

“Did you really think that I’d let anything happen to him?” Hu Chang asked. “He wasn’t at all happy that you left without him. I thought it best to keep him busy.” He glanced at Cameron. “He wants to believe in you, but Tashdon made that hard. I’d go and reinforce to him that you’ll never hurt Catherine.” He paused. “If that’s possible?”

“Not only possible but certain.” He turned and headed for the door. “Tell them about Sen, Catherine. I’ll go make sure that we don’t have any trouble with Luke.”

“I should be the one who—” But he was gone, and Catherine shrugged and turned back to Erin and Hu Chang. “Jack Sen is on his way to an airport outside the city, where he’ll be put on a flight to Hong Kong,” she said curtly. “Everything went well. Except Cameron killed one of Kadmus’s men staked out in the garage.” She told them briefly about the security cameras and Cameron’s decision to let himself be recognized. “Now we’re waiting for word that Jack Sen is on that flight.” She added, “And then we wait to see if those security-camera videos are compromised and will target Cameron. Cameron said Blake has contacts in the police department who might be able to let us know.”

“It appears that Cameron is changing his modus operandi,” Hu Chang said dryly. “Exposing himself on camera is most unlike him. And so is guaranteeing your safety. Life and death are always ebb and flow depending on his duties as Guardian.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t change his mind,” Catherine said. “But perhaps it does mean that he’s thinking that his precious committee isn’t always right.” She looked at Erin. “He must have gone through a lot with you. He’d have to be completely callous not to have it affect him.”