information you recovered -'
'You want Miss White to analyse the data I recovered from the company laptop while you and I sort through the scanned documents. It will save time, and possibly allow us to identify our shooter before the plane lands in Chicago.'
'Either you've developed psychic abilities, or I need to develop a better poker face.'
'You intended to use her from the very start, Ali. That's why you brought her along.'
'I've come to rely heavily on M's talents.'
'That is, of course, your choice. But I won't be joining you on the return flight.'
Karim's expression turned stoic. 'After all our time together, do you honestly believe I'd bring someone into the fold who would put your freedom in danger?'
'No, I don't. But you're not living under the sword of Damocles. A man in my position has to be careful.'
'I know this woman, Malcolm. I trust her as much as I trust you, which is considerably.'
'Be that as it may, the three-million-dollar bounty on my head might change her mind.'
'Your fears are unwarranted. Even if she knew who you really are - and she doesn't - M would never do such a thing. She's incapable of it.'
' "Passion persuades me one way, reason another." '
'I'm sorry, but I forgot to bring along my copy of Bartlett's Familiar Quotes .'
'Clearly this woman has cast some sort of spell on you. You should see the way you simper in her presence.'
Karim chuckled as he dropped the last of his cigarette.
'I'm not judging you,' Fletcher said. 'In addition to being attractive, she projects a rather intense magnetism. Your choice of paramours is your business, but I would suggest you exercise caution.'
'Oh, and why's that?'
'Ali, the woman is young enough to be your daughter.'
'That she is,' Karim said, stubbing out the cigarette butt with his heel. 'She is, in fact, my daughter.'
25
'My adopted daughter,' Karim said, fetching the crumpled cigarette pack from his shirt pocket. 'My simpering, as you called it, is nothing more than the expression of a proud father.'
Fletcher, taken aback by Karim's admission, said nothing.
During the course of their professional relationship, Karim had made it abundantly clear that he would never remarry, let alone have another child. Burying his son and having to endure the painful mental disintegration of his former wife had banished Karim to a private hell from which few emerged. When he had finally managed to claw his way back to the demands of the living, Karim made the conscious decision to conduct his emotional life from within a fortified prison. He kept people at a distance, and in his private life the handful of women who had aroused his interest had been amputated like a necrotic limb the instant they expressed the wish for a serious emotional connection. Fletcher knew this was partly a coping mechanism but even more an act of self-flagellation. Karim refused to forgive himself for having failed to protect his child.
'When did this happen?'
'The adoption? Officially, when she turned sixteen.'Karim lit his cigarette. 'No one knows about it. Not even Boyd. I took some rather elaborate and extensive measures to make sure no one could find out. You're not the only one with powerful enemies, Malcolm.'
Clearly there was more to the adoption story, and Karim's connection to a woman who had been born and raised on the other side of the pond. Fletcher's natural investigative instincts prompted him to delve further, but this matter was none of his business, and counter-productive to the issue at hand.
'How long has she been working with you?'
'Since she graduated from university,' Karim said. 'M came to the States and went to work in my IT department. She lasted about a year. She found the work mundane and tedious, and so asked if she could work directly with me. I hired her as my personal assistant. During that time, I noticed that she possessed a certain unique set of skills, which could be invaluable to my ... side projects.'
'How long?'
'The last two
'You want Miss White to analyse the data I recovered from the company laptop while you and I sort through the scanned documents. It will save time, and possibly allow us to identify our shooter before the plane lands in Chicago.'
'Either you've developed psychic abilities, or I need to develop a better poker face.'
'You intended to use her from the very start, Ali. That's why you brought her along.'
'I've come to rely heavily on M's talents.'
'That is, of course, your choice. But I won't be joining you on the return flight.'
Karim's expression turned stoic. 'After all our time together, do you honestly believe I'd bring someone into the fold who would put your freedom in danger?'
'No, I don't. But you're not living under the sword of Damocles. A man in my position has to be careful.'
'I know this woman, Malcolm. I trust her as much as I trust you, which is considerably.'
'Be that as it may, the three-million-dollar bounty on my head might change her mind.'
'Your fears are unwarranted. Even if she knew who you really are - and she doesn't - M would never do such a thing. She's incapable of it.'
' "Passion persuades me one way, reason another." '
'I'm sorry, but I forgot to bring along my copy of Bartlett's Familiar Quotes .'
'Clearly this woman has cast some sort of spell on you. You should see the way you simper in her presence.'
Karim chuckled as he dropped the last of his cigarette.
'I'm not judging you,' Fletcher said. 'In addition to being attractive, she projects a rather intense magnetism. Your choice of paramours is your business, but I would suggest you exercise caution.'
'Oh, and why's that?'
'Ali, the woman is young enough to be your daughter.'
'That she is,' Karim said, stubbing out the cigarette butt with his heel. 'She is, in fact, my daughter.'
25
'My adopted daughter,' Karim said, fetching the crumpled cigarette pack from his shirt pocket. 'My simpering, as you called it, is nothing more than the expression of a proud father.'
Fletcher, taken aback by Karim's admission, said nothing.
During the course of their professional relationship, Karim had made it abundantly clear that he would never remarry, let alone have another child. Burying his son and having to endure the painful mental disintegration of his former wife had banished Karim to a private hell from which few emerged. When he had finally managed to claw his way back to the demands of the living, Karim made the conscious decision to conduct his emotional life from within a fortified prison. He kept people at a distance, and in his private life the handful of women who had aroused his interest had been amputated like a necrotic limb the instant they expressed the wish for a serious emotional connection. Fletcher knew this was partly a coping mechanism but even more an act of self-flagellation. Karim refused to forgive himself for having failed to protect his child.
'When did this happen?'
'The adoption? Officially, when she turned sixteen.'Karim lit his cigarette. 'No one knows about it. Not even Boyd. I took some rather elaborate and extensive measures to make sure no one could find out. You're not the only one with powerful enemies, Malcolm.'
Clearly there was more to the adoption story, and Karim's connection to a woman who had been born and raised on the other side of the pond. Fletcher's natural investigative instincts prompted him to delve further, but this matter was none of his business, and counter-productive to the issue at hand.
'How long has she been working with you?'
'Since she graduated from university,' Karim said. 'M came to the States and went to work in my IT department. She lasted about a year. She found the work mundane and tedious, and so asked if she could work directly with me. I hired her as my personal assistant. During that time, I noticed that she possessed a certain unique set of skills, which could be invaluable to my ... side projects.'
'How long?'
'The last two
Similar Books
