She waited in the hotel lobby cafe behind a wilting palm tree and a mosaic-tiled fountain. The others were still upstairs, those that were going on the descent, preparing. But Nina was already packed and ready. Now she wanted a minute alone with Waxman, and after calling up to his room five minutes before, he was on his way.
Of course, the merry widow had been with him up there. Always with him, Nina thought, stewing that she had to wait for her assignments until he had a chance to sneak around and come to her room in the middle of the night. He always stayed longer than necessary, which was fine by her. Waxman was powerful, and a skilled lover. Two qualities she desired in a man. But this time she only needed a minute.
She opened her makeup case, turned away from the lobby and started to apply, watching. The stairwell door opened and George came out, looking flushed with excitement, a book bag slung over one shoulder and a diving bag over the other. He came right up to the pillar by the palm tree and, glancing around the lobby first to make sure no one else from the group was lingering about, whispered, “What is it?” He stood on the other side of the palm’s trunk, pretending to check through his bag for a lost item.
Nina brushed her eyebrows. “I’m not convinced.” She waited for his reaction, then continued when he made none. “I want to find another Keeper and be more deliberate this time. I think I might have led the last one in my questioning-”
“I thought you were a professional,” he said. “Did you lead him or didn’t you?”
In her mind, Nina replayed Ullman’s last words again, trying to recall the nuances in his voice, listening for any signs that he had misled her. Then she cursed herself for killing that first Keeper so quickly, reacting out of fear. She snapped the case shut. “No,”… but I can’t be sure.
“Well, the rest of them won’t be so easy to find. Now that you’ve put the fear of God into them, they’re scurrying under the rocks, afraid of their own shadows.”
Nina shifted uncomfortably. “I know, but I can still get to them. We have the location of their families, and it would be easy to grab key relatives and convince one of them to-”
“No,” Waxman said. “You did your job. You got a confirmation. I say we go.”
Finally she nodded.
“Good,” Waxman said. “And remember, if we get inside the vault, the others don’t make it out.”
Nina grinned. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten. And I assume you mean everyone…?”
“Yes. Make it look like the traps took care of them and only we survived.”
“So… Helen as well?”
“Yes,” he said without pause, “especially her. It’ll be easy. Caleb already believes we’re all doomed.”
Maybe he’s right, Nina thought. But at least Waxman hadn’t made this mission personal. If he had asked to spare Helen, Nina would have had to question his priorities. Despite last night, Nina’s priorities were intact. At least she could say that much, even though she had to admit she was tempted. Caleb had a certain darkness about him that attracted her, and a streak of individuality she saw as a challenge, something to tame.
“Okay,” she said, and steeled herself for the coming tasks, the culmination of their project, and hopefully the end to all this mess of novice psychics, codes, legacies and secrets. She glanced over her shoulder. But Waxman was gone, already heading to the front desk to call up to the rooms and bring everyone down to the waiting jeeps.