The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [84]
After several seconds, the birdlike face of Vanita Khoil appeared. ‘Well?’ she said. ‘Do you have it?’
‘There has been a . . . complication,’ Khoil said. ‘Get Dr Wilde.’
‘What? Why do we still need her? We should have—’
‘Get her!’
Vanita’s eyes narrowed in clear anger at his outburst, but she looked off-camera and issued an order in Hindi. After a short wait, someone was pushed into frame behind her.
‘Ay up, love,’ said Eddie. ‘So how’s India?’
‘Eddie!’ Nina cried. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Well, I got the Codex—’
‘You did what?’ she gasped. ‘I told you not to give it to them - they’re going to kill us once they get it!’
‘Yeah, I know that - that’s why I didn’t give it to them, the bunch of backstabbing twats. Once you’re safe, then I’ll turn it over.’
‘You will not,’ she said firmly. ‘Whatever these two are planning, it’s not—’
‘Bite your tongue!’ snapped Vanita. ‘Pramesh, why is Chase still alive?’
‘He exchanged the real Codex for a dummy, without Zec even noticing.’ The Bosnian lowered his head, humiliated. ‘One of his friends has hidden it. If we do not let Dr Wilde go, he has threatened to destroy it.’
‘What?’ the outraged Nina yelped in the background.
‘Qexia will be able to identify all his friends,’ said Vanita, ignoring the interruption. ‘We can track them down—’
‘There isn’t time,’ Khoil cut in. ‘We can’t risk losing the Codex, not now. Make arrangements to have her sent back to America.’
Vanita looked silently into the camera for several seconds before replying. ‘No.’
Khoil was taken aback by her blunt refusal. ‘But if they destroy the Codex—’
‘They won’t.’ She leaned closer to the camera. ‘Chase. Give up the Codex, now, or your wife will suffer.’
‘Do anything to her and you’ll never get it,’ Eddie countered. The normally unemotional Khoil had been unable to conceal his genuine fear that the Codex might be lost. As Eddie hoped, he was desperate to get his hands on it.
But Vanita was more willing to gamble. She gave a sharp order to Tandon, who grabbed Nina.
‘Hey!’ Eddie shouted. ‘I’ll have the fucking thing melted down into home shopping channel jewellery if you do anything to her. You think I’m kidding?’
‘Do you think I am?’ Vanita replied. ‘Chapal!’
Tandon took something from a pocket. Before Nina could react his hand whipped up - and pulled a plastic bag tightly over her head. She struggled, trying to claw it from her face, but it was too thick to tear. He tugged harder, the bag tightening round her throat.
‘Let her go!’ Eddie shouted, lunging at Khoil. The shark-toothed man darted forward and slammed him against the curved fuselage. He fumbled for the revolver, but the guard pressed his gun’s muzzle hard against his cheek.
On the screen, Nina jabbed at Tandon with her elbows. But the martial artist was too quick, twisting out of the way of her blows.
‘Give us the Codex,’ said Vanita. ‘Or she dies.’
‘Fuck off!’ Eddie snarled. ‘If I give it to you, you’ll kill her anyway!’
Her lips curled at the insult. ‘But first, she will suffer. Over and over.’
Nina was now grasping uselessly at the plastic drawn tight over her mouth, face distorted and indistinct as her breath misted up the bag. Eddie watched helplessly. The only way to help her was to surrender the Codex - but that would condemn them both to death. Certainly if he was dealing with Vanita.
Which meant he had to deal with Khoil, find something the dispassionate, logical half of the partnership would respond to . . .
Nina’s muffled choking sounds became weaker, more desperate. Vanita’s gaze was cold, intense, waiting for him to break—
‘All right!’ he yelled. ‘I’ll give you the Codex!’
A thin smile of triumph spread across Vanita’s face. ‘Chapal,’ she said, waving a dismissive hand. Tandon released his hold. Nina staggered away from him, pulling frantically at the bag. It finally came free and she gasped for air.
The gun was withdrawn. ‘On one condition,’ Eddie added.
Vanita scowled, about to order the suffocation to resume,