I said. "There could be trouble."
"Damn it, I said to come with us!"
I rubbed a hand across my mouth. I was in trouble, with just a little over an hour to go till I had to meet the man who'd give me the carafe. But there was no way I could get out of going with Hawk. He wasn't giving me any choice.
"All right," I said quietly.
Hawk led us to an empty private room near the security headquarters. When we were inside, Hawk closed and locked the door, then turned to me. Vincent stood off to one side, looking very embarrassed.
"Now," Hawk said in a hard, low voice. "What the devil is going on here? I've taken about as much as I can from you, Nick. You're acting like a maniac."
I gave Vincent an angry look. "You told him about the incident at the party."
"No, I didn't," Vincent said defensively. "But I should have."
"What incident?" Hawk asked.
"Just a little emotional flare-up," Vincent said.
I licked my dry lips. I was glad he hadn't mentioned my going for the Luger. Hawk was sharp. I was sure he already had doubts about my identity. Maybe he'd spotted some defect in my disguise. Maybe they'd left off some mole or scar or something else that had given me away. No, it had to be my fault. I just wasn't acting like Nick Carter.
"All right, what is it?" Hawk asked impatiently. "Why are you so damned jumpy all the time? You haven't been the same person since you came back from that villa."
The answer was easy. I was a different person. Rafael Chávez. But I couldn't tell him that. He was one of the enemy. Both these AXE men were my enemies.
"I just don't know, sir. Maybe it's because this whole thing is so damned frustrating, with the hordes of people milling around and the noise and confusion. And the worst part is knowing something could happen at any minute and we might not be able to do anything about it. This security work isn't my style."
Both men were silent for a minute. Hawk turned away and walked over to a window. "I'm afraid that's not good enough, Nick." He turned back to me. His lean frame seemed to have shrunk even further into his tweed jacket, and his cold eyes seemed to be looking right through me. "Just what happened during those two days you were gone?"
"Just what I told you," I said.
"I don't like to say it, Nick, but I think you're holding something back from me. That isn't like you, either. We've always been very frank with each other, haven't we?"
The pressure was rising in my head and chest. There was less than an hour to go before I had to be out there in that corridor. And David Hawk wanted to talk and talk.
"Yes, we've always been frank."
"Then let's be frank now," Hawk said. "I think something happened when you disappeared, and I don't understand why you're not telling me about it. I know you must have your reasons for holding back, but it would be a hell of lot better for both of us if you spit it out. Does it concern the Hoffmann girl?"
I shot a look at him. "No, it doesn't have anything to do with the girl. Why the hell should it? I told you she was clear. Do you really believe I'm lying to you? Is my loyalty suddenly in question?" I realized I was shouting, but it was too late.
"Take it easy, Nick," Vincent said quietly.
For a minute Hawk didn't say anything. He was staring at me again, piercing me with those hard, cold eyes. The pressure in my head and chest was rising dangerously, and I felt like a bomb getting ready to go off.
"Nick," Hawk said slowly, "I'm taking you off this case." His face suddenly looked old and tired.
A cold chill passed through me. I turned to meet his eyes. "You can't do that," I said hollowly. "You need me here."
"Please believe me when I say I don't want to. You're number one on my list, and you know it. Your record speaks for itself. But something is very wrong here. The feeling I had when I arrived in Caracas — the horrible feeling that something had gone haywire — is still with me. In fact, it's gotten a lot stronger in the past couple of
"Damn it, I said to come with us!"
I rubbed a hand across my mouth. I was in trouble, with just a little over an hour to go till I had to meet the man who'd give me the carafe. But there was no way I could get out of going with Hawk. He wasn't giving me any choice.
"All right," I said quietly.
Hawk led us to an empty private room near the security headquarters. When we were inside, Hawk closed and locked the door, then turned to me. Vincent stood off to one side, looking very embarrassed.
"Now," Hawk said in a hard, low voice. "What the devil is going on here? I've taken about as much as I can from you, Nick. You're acting like a maniac."
I gave Vincent an angry look. "You told him about the incident at the party."
"No, I didn't," Vincent said defensively. "But I should have."
"What incident?" Hawk asked.
"Just a little emotional flare-up," Vincent said.
I licked my dry lips. I was glad he hadn't mentioned my going for the Luger. Hawk was sharp. I was sure he already had doubts about my identity. Maybe he'd spotted some defect in my disguise. Maybe they'd left off some mole or scar or something else that had given me away. No, it had to be my fault. I just wasn't acting like Nick Carter.
"All right, what is it?" Hawk asked impatiently. "Why are you so damned jumpy all the time? You haven't been the same person since you came back from that villa."
The answer was easy. I was a different person. Rafael Chávez. But I couldn't tell him that. He was one of the enemy. Both these AXE men were my enemies.
"I just don't know, sir. Maybe it's because this whole thing is so damned frustrating, with the hordes of people milling around and the noise and confusion. And the worst part is knowing something could happen at any minute and we might not be able to do anything about it. This security work isn't my style."
Both men were silent for a minute. Hawk turned away and walked over to a window. "I'm afraid that's not good enough, Nick." He turned back to me. His lean frame seemed to have shrunk even further into his tweed jacket, and his cold eyes seemed to be looking right through me. "Just what happened during those two days you were gone?"
"Just what I told you," I said.
"I don't like to say it, Nick, but I think you're holding something back from me. That isn't like you, either. We've always been very frank with each other, haven't we?"
The pressure was rising in my head and chest. There was less than an hour to go before I had to be out there in that corridor. And David Hawk wanted to talk and talk.
"Yes, we've always been frank."
"Then let's be frank now," Hawk said. "I think something happened when you disappeared, and I don't understand why you're not telling me about it. I know you must have your reasons for holding back, but it would be a hell of lot better for both of us if you spit it out. Does it concern the Hoffmann girl?"
I shot a look at him. "No, it doesn't have anything to do with the girl. Why the hell should it? I told you she was clear. Do you really believe I'm lying to you? Is my loyalty suddenly in question?" I realized I was shouting, but it was too late.
"Take it easy, Nick," Vincent said quietly.
For a minute Hawk didn't say anything. He was staring at me again, piercing me with those hard, cold eyes. The pressure in my head and chest was rising dangerously, and I felt like a bomb getting ready to go off.
"Nick," Hawk said slowly, "I'm taking you off this case." His face suddenly looked old and tired.
A cold chill passed through me. I turned to meet his eyes. "You can't do that," I said hollowly. "You need me here."
"Please believe me when I say I don't want to. You're number one on my list, and you know it. Your record speaks for itself. But something is very wrong here. The feeling I had when I arrived in Caracas — the horrible feeling that something had gone haywire — is still with me. In fact, it's gotten a lot stronger in the past couple of
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