The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 39

He didn't respond, but he didn't need to. He could see on her face that she already knew.

"Bloody hell." She laughed and flopped into a high-backed velvet chair, the seductress façade falling away like a shed skin. "Well, that just shoots my night to shit."

"I'm not giving up on this."

"Piece of advice: forget about the kid. She's untouchable."

"But Brunner---"

"Is far more connected than he used to be. You have no idea what kind of hornet's nest you're poking." She drew deeply on her cigarette and looked away. "You can leave."

Jason stood perfectly still, glaring at her. Her whole demeanor aroused a deep and fiery loathing. As she continued to shun him, the loathing turned to fury, and he could no longer contain himself. He stomped over to the chair and hauled her roughly to her feet. The cigarette fell from her hand and rolled away on the marble tiling.

Something akin to fear arose on her face as she looked up at him.

"You're hurting me," she said.

His iron grip around her arm tightened, and she whimpered. He pulled her in closer. His face was inches from hers, and he fixed her with a malevolent stare. "So help me God, when I find out what this is all about, you'll pay for your part in it."

"You can't touch me," she protested. The look on her face said she wasn't quite sure.

"You tell me where Brianna James is and I'll give you enough time to run before I drop my file in the bureau chief's lap."

Tears stood out in her eyes. She would likely have bruises on her arm from his strong fingers digging into her tender flesh. She forced a fake, overly confident laugh. "You really think I'd tell you and let you leave here in one piece? I have interests to protect. Right now, you don't know enough to be a threat, but if that changed... well, you'd never make it out of here alive."

"If I don't walk out onto the street in fifteen minutes, completely unharmed, the FBI will be on this place before you have time to ride the elevator to the ground floor."

"You're bluffing. You haven't been anywhere near the FBI. I've had you watched from the minute you stepped off the plane."

"Curt and I have a code we use to pass messages. You're so well-informed, why don't you check his phone records? You'll find he's been in touch with his father since we spoke." It was a fair guess that Curt had called Frank the second they parted company. The affected smugness evaporated on Hopkins's face, and she didn't even bother to hide her rising anxiety. "Why don't we wait it out together and see? Either way, I walk away without a scratch."

She reeled back with her free hand to slap him, and he caught her midswing. "Damn you," she screamed.

"Why don't you have a seat?" He shoved her into the chair and towered over her menacingly. He raised his arm and glanced purposefully at his watch. "Clock's ticking."

"You don't have any idea what you're dealing with, Kingsley."

He smiled. "You're wrong. But it's not me you should worry about.

You're facing a list of federal indictments so long they'll need an archaeologist to cart your ass out of the pen at the end of your term. Cross made sure of that."

Now she looked truly frightened. Her eyes widened, and he could see her gloved hands trembling.

"Cross is dead," she whispered.

"Doesn't matter. I have what I need."

"Brunner has an enormous investment riding on this. His backer is dangerous, much more dangerous than any federal agency."

"Just point me in the right direction. I'll lay down a trail so it looks like I got the information from another source. Tell me where Brunner is."

Her eyes were wild and darted from his face to the elevator. "He's at the Bellagio, goddamn it."

Jason gaped. "He's here? In Las Vegas?" Hopkins nodded. "You're sure?"

She nodded again, her dismay increasing. He could see her working through plans for a hasty escape. "Yes, I'm sure. He's in a suite at the Bellagio."

"And the girl?"

"I can't," she moaned and brought a fresh cigarette to her lips. She lit it with a trembling hand. "They'll know I put you onto them. If I tell you, I'm a dead woman."

"The name."

Her face was white, and her expression was grim. Sylvia Hopkins wasn't faking it. She was terrified. He glanced at his watch again. Right on schedule, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He withdrew it and thumbed on the speakerphone. "Kingsley."

"It's Lisa."

"Send the files."

"You got it."

"No!" Hopkins leapt out of the chair and clawed at the phone.

"Mariano. The Mariano family has her. It's a temporary arrangement. Brunner called in a favor they owe to someone. I don't know who, and I don't know the details."

"Cancel that file, Lis, but keep your finger on the button. I'm going to need an escape clause."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Standing by," she finally said.

Jason turned to Hopkins. "She's here in Las Vegas too?"

The woman stared back at him. Her lips trembled, and her eyes darted around the room. Who were these people, the Marianos, who could make someone like Sylvia Hopkins so afraid? To Lisa, he said, "Stay on the line with me until this is over."

"You got it."

"Anything sounds funny, hit send. Frank will know what to do."

Sylvia Hopkins was a very different woman than the one who had ridden the elevator to the top floor. "Give me a day. I just need a day to get the hell out of here. Twenty-four hours before you make a move."

Jason winked at her. "I'm a generous guy with a very busy schedule. I'll give you two."

"Now get the fuck out of my penthouse and pray to God I don't change my mind."

"You hear that, Lis?"

"Every word."

"You know what to do if anything happens to me." Jason smiled benevolently at the trembling woman. He had to give her credit---she was holding it together pretty well considering that,