The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [85]
‘Crudely put,’ said Khoil, ‘but correct.’
‘Okay, so here’s my new offer. A straight swap. I bring the Codex, you bring Nina, and we make an exchange. Somewhere public with lots of people around. Soon as we’re done, that’s it - we go our separate ways. No tricks, no double-crosses. How does that sound?’
‘Unacceptable,’ Vanita said from the screen, but Khoil spoke over her: ‘Good - in principle. Where do you suggest?’
‘I don’t know yet. But . . .’ He decided to make at least the appearance of a concession in the hope of pacifying Vanita. ‘We’ll do it on your turf. I’ll come to India, and we’ll agree on a place once I’m there.’
Khoil mulled it over. ‘That is . . . acceptable,’ he said, with a glance at the image of his wife, who was clearly displeased in the extreme.
‘In Bangalore,’ she insisted. ‘The exchange will take place here in Bangalore.’
‘So long as I pick the spot,’ Eddie agreed reluctantly, sensing she was itching for an excuse to torture Nina again.
It seemed to work; Vanita said nothing. Khoil turned to Eddie. ‘You will fly back with me?’
Eddie half laughed. ‘I don’t fucking think so, mate. I’ll sort out my own flight. And I won’t be taking the Codex in my carry-on luggage, you can be sure of that. But,’ he went on, knowing what Khoil was about to say, ‘you’ll get to see it before I hand it over, so long as I see Nina at the same time. We both get what we want, and everyone’s happy. Do we have a deal?’
‘We have a deal.’
‘Good. Nina, are you okay?’
‘Oh, super fine,’ she croaked, rubbing her neck. ‘Eddie, don’t give it to them.’
‘Sorry, love, but I’ve got to. I know you’re going to be really pissed off about it, but you can rant and rave at me once you’re safe, okay? I’ll see you soon.’
Nina was about to say something else, but Vanita angrily terminated the video link. Khoil looked at the armed guard. ‘Escort Mr Chase off my plane.’
‘What, don’t I even get a hot towel? All right, I’m going,’ said Eddie as he was prodded with the gun. ‘Oh, one last thing.’ He jerked a thumb at Zec. ‘Tell laughing boy here to give me his car keys. I’m not walking all the way back to fucking Manhattan.’
Zec wasn’t happy, but handed them over under Khoil’s stern gaze. ‘How am I supposed to get back?’
‘That is not my concern,’ the Indian told him icily. ‘After your failure tonight, I will have to reconsider your continued employment.’
‘Don’t worry, mate,’ Eddie said, jingling the keys. ‘I’m sure someone with your talents’ll be able to find other work. I mean, New York always needs street sweepers.’ With that, he stepped out into the night.
‘Eddie!’ Lola cried as Eddie entered the room. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine,’ he said, seeing all the concerned faces anxiously awaiting news. They were in Matt’s Brooklyn apartment, the Australian joined not only by Karima, Rad and Lola, but also the members of ‘Plan B’: Grant and Macy, drawing a crowd with their ‘tryst’ to provide the necessary confusion; Amy Martin, on duty as an NYPD officer, to distract Zec at the crucial moment . . . and Mac, who had actually carried out the switch.
On a table was the now-empty briefcase, lid open to reveal the trick mechanism that made it possible. The high-power electromagnets provided by Matt, unsuited for their originally intended purpose, had found another use. The metal plate attaching the handle to the case had been unscrewed . . . as had that of the identical briefcase containing the weights. Only the magnets inside each case kept them firmly attached - until a radio-control circuit built by Matt was triggered by Mac as he ‘accidentally’ fell against Zec and banged the cases together in the scrum outside the hotel. The electromagnets inside the case containing the Codex shut off, causing it to drop away. A moment later, the magnets in Mac’s decoy case did the same - then reactivated once Mac’s hand was clear, snapping the dummy case back on to the handle Zec