Compact with the Devil: A Novel by Bethany Maines Read Free Book Online Page B

suddenly perking up. “What’s the date over there? You should go to the Kit Masters concert!”
    “You listen to Kit Masters?” asked Nikki, surprised.
    “Er … no. I mean, maybe some of my friends in the European branches sent me a song or two. I looked him up when we started working with Camille.”
    “Uh-huh. I don’t think he’s very Goth, Jane.”
    “Whatever,” said Jane with a sniff.
    “Yeah, whatever,” said Nikki, smiling. “Look, I’ve got to go.”
    “No, wait,” said Jane. “Don’t you think you could use some help? Don’t you definitely need to send for your intel officer?”
    “Sorry, Jane,” said Nikki. “You’re just going to have to sit on that beach a while longer.”
    “Whatever,” said Jane gloomily. “Bye.”
    “Bye. Enjoy yourself!”
    “Be careful!” said Jane as Nikki hung up.
    “Your friend wanted to chat?” asked Astriz with a hint of sarcasm, taking the phone.
    “My intel officer. She doesn’t want to be on vacation,” explained Nikki. Astriz raised a questioning eyebrow; Nikki shrugged. Explaining Jane, the CIA, and Z’ev to Astriz was last on her to-do list, especially since it would turn into defending Jane rather than explaining.
    The phone rang again; this time Astriz checked the number before answering it and Nikki pulled her mind back to the present.
    “Ja?” There was some chatter on the other end, and Astriz nodded.
    “Wir sind fast am Ziel,” she said, and paused again. “ Ja. Ja, ja , bye.” She hung up and looked at Nikki. “Almost there. Cano is in a café near the stadium. I have a surveillance post set up.”
    Nikki thought they had been driving at a good rate of speed but felt her head jerk back as Astriz put her foot down on the accelerator. She took a sidelong look at Astriz, her long cigarette and driving gloves, and nodded to herself. What was she? Six, seven years younger than Val? Just young enough to think Val was the coolest agent ever when they had met. Nikki didn’t blame her; she remembered the feeling. But sitting next to the German woman, it was clear to Nikki that Val had shaped Astriz just as much as she had shaped Nikki. She wondered if Astriz was aware of it; then she shook her head. It didn’t matter; it just meant that Nikki was going to have to be careful. Val would never have welcomed a foreigner on her turf.
    Astriz wound her way through an industrial neighborhood, slowing as they neared their destination. Down side streets, Nikki could see the bulk of the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. And as Astriz parked the car, Nikki realized that they must be in the kind of commercial area that sprang up around stadiums and mostly catered to fans of one variety or another.
    “This way,” said Astriz, leading her toward a corner building, her trench coat billowing behind her. Nikki buttoned her cardigan, shivering. First chance she got, she was going to buy a jacket.
    They were entering an office building that appeared to be closed. Astriz breezed past the janitors and headed for the back stairs. Nikki followed Astriz upstairs to a conference room, where what looked to be an espionage picnic was laid out for them. Binoculars, a mark-7 remote listening device, two sandwiches, and a thermos sat on the table.
    “Loni is kind,” said Astriz, smiling at the sandwiches. “What do you see?” she asked as Nikki picked up the binoculars.
    “Mmm…” Nikki scanned the café, looking for Cano. “Got him! Corner booth. He’s with someone.” The signage from the café obscured the head of Cano’s dining partner, but Nikki saw that both their hands were resting clearly on the tabletop, where no sudden moves could be made.
    “He’s got backup,” said Astriz, pointing away from the coffee shop to a building kitty-corner from the office building. A man leaned against a wall by a bike rack, smoking. Nikki nodded and went back to Cano.
    “Do you have any idea who he’s meeting?” asked Nikki, handing the binoculars to Astriz.
    “We