Page 29 of Croatia Collateral

For all she knew, they could be luring Evan Maas into a dungeon to torture him and force him to transfer all his assets into their bank accounts. Then they couldn’t turn him loose to rat them out. Instead, they’d murder him and stash his body in the catacombs beneath Old Town.

Her fake smile faltered as they entered the elevator.

Dax ran his key over the card reader inside the elevator and then touched the button for the penthouse suite.

The elevator whisked them up to the top floor and opened into a short hallway with only a couple of doors and one marked EXIT.

Giva led the way to the room number assigned.

Dax used his key card to unlock the door and pushed through to enter the spacious penthouse suite. “Only the best for Evan Maas.”

Giva snorted, dropped her backpack on the sofa, and wandered around the suite.

It consisted of a sitting area with a posh sofa, gilded end tables and a glass coffee table. The bar in the corner wasn’t the typical minibar Dax was used to. Crystal decanters filled with amber liquid stood beside matching crystal tumblers and wine glasses. Bottles of wine were set into the latticed cubby behind the bar.

“Look at this view,” Giva called out from the other room, which was divided only by a wall, with no doors on either end.

Dax stepped into the bedroom with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Old Town and the Fortress. The harbor beyond was lit with a gorgeous sunset, coloring the water and casting shadows over the city.

A king-sized bed stood against the wall he’d walked around. Whoever slept there would have that view going to sleep and waking in the morning.

Giva touched a button on the wall, and a motor hummed softly, lowering shades over the windows, blocking the view out as well as the view in.

“This would be a great place to stay...” Dax started.

“If we weren’t here for a purpose,” Giva finished. She turned toward the bed, a smile tilting the corners of her mouth, one eyebrow lifting into the swath of hair dipping over her forehead. “Care to test the mattress?”

His cock jerked to attention at the thought of getting naked with Giva and testing the firmness of the mattress. He even glanced at his watch, wondering if they had time.

A sound from the other room brought him back to reality.

He hurried into the sitting room to find Dmytro, dressed as one of the wait staff, pushing a cart into the room. “A light snack for Mr. Maas and Ms. Royce, care of hotel management.” He rolled the cart into the room, letting the door close behind him.

Once he was fully inside, he pulled out a foot-long black wand, clicked a button on the side and walked around the room, waving the wand over light fixtures, end tables, televisions and mirrors.

When he’d completed a full sweep of the room, he nodded. “No bugs detected,” Dmytro said with his heavy Ukrainian accent.

He slid the wand into his uniform pocket and pulled the metal cover off the plate on the cart. “Thought you would like a bite to eat while I prepare Evan for his meeting. You should receive the message soon and need to be ready.”

“Prepare me?” Dax asked, reaching for a cracker and a square of cheese from the charcuterie board Dmytro had brought for them.

“We must assume the location will be somewhere they’ve blocked all tracking devices and radio waves. They won’t want anyone leading others in or allowing anyone to listen to their plans.”

Dax nodded. “I expected as much.”

Dmytro continued. “You must not carry anything that will set off a metal detector, including weapons, radio headsets, voice recorders or tracking disks. Still, we need a way to track you, should we want to find you, should you not emerge in a timely manner.”

“If we can’t rely on electronics, it sounds like I need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs.” Dax chuckled. “My luck, some dog would follow, eating them as I go.”

Dmytro gave a brief nod. “I have something better.” He held up one of the shoes Dax had purchased in his shopping expedition with Giva.

“You want me to leave a trail of shoes?” he asked.

Dmytro laughed. “No. Your shoe will help us find you. Put it on.”

Frowning, Dax slipped out of the boots he was wearing and pulled on the shoe. “I don’t understand how this will lead you to me. I thought they would be looking for tracking devices. Wouldn’t they find one if it’s inserted in the shoe?”

“They would. But there aren’t any tracking devices in your shoe...that they can detect.” He tipped his head. “Walk a few steps, bearing down on the heal every other time.”

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