The First Billion

"This is Kirov," he said. "Get your boss on the line. Now."

Gavallan might be in Russia, but Kirov was not going to take any chances. If he could get away from Boris, he might be capable of any number of things. The American was more resourceful than he had anticipated.

A familiar Russian voice came on the telephone and Kirov explained what he wanted. After haggling a few minutes they settled on a price. Satisfied, Kirov hung up, then punched the console for a new line. The hotel operator answered immediately.

"Room 544," he said.

The phone rang three times, four. Finally, a groggy voice answered. "Yes?"

"Some news concerning Mr. Gavallan. It seems he is no longer with my people in Moscow. Are you sure you haven't had any word from him?"

"Lord no. Not a whisper. You're certain he's gone?"

"Still in Russia, no doubt, but out of my control."

"Damn it, Konstantin…"

"Shut up. I'm calling to tell you to be prepared, that's all. The offering will go through. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Hanging up the phone, Kirov turned off the lights and went back to bed. It wouldn't do to look haggard on the most important day of his life. Sleep came easier than expected. It helped immensely to know that when he visited the New York Stock Exchange in the morning, he would have plenty of friends with him.

Gavallan paced the tarmac at Sha

Delays. Delays.

They had landed at two o'clock local time to top off their tanks before crossing the Atlantic. Three hours later, they were still there. A bulb in the starboard fuel gauge had burned out and the pilot had refused to take off until it had been replaced. Gavallan had tried to bribe him, but such was military operating procedure that the pilot would not consider the proposal for all the money in the world. The future tottered on the availability of a lousy ten-cent part. Gavallan wanted to scream.

A mist was building over the grass that bordered the runways. Soon it would turn to fog and the airport would be socked in. He looked up briefly, catching the blinking lights of another plane flying high overhead. He couldn't know it, but inside the plane a short, wiry man slept, a blanket pulled to his neck. He was traveling to America for the first time. In fact, it was the first time he had ever traveled anywhere outside of his country. A matter of some importance had forced a hasty and unpla

In his sleep, he was dreaming of the old country. Of the rough mountains where he had grown up. Of the rocky soil and rushing streams. Of the impoverished villages and the indomitable people who inhabited them. Some called it the "bandit country," and in truth it was a land that robbed its people of much. But out of nature's cruelty, they had learned to rely on themselves. To count on one another. In these mountains, a man's word was his most valuable asset. He gave it sparingly and with his fullest commitment. While nature was capricious, man had an obligation to be steadfast. To break one's word, then, was to break with his fellow man. Nature could not be punished for its whimsy, but a man could. And the punishment would be awful.

The man dreamt of such punishment.

In his sleep, he smiled.

Gavallan lowered his eyes from the sky. The twin beams of an airport jeep cut through the light fog, advancing rapidly on him. It was the pilot, and as he passed he held up a small cardboard box for his passenger's inspection. "Five minutes and we're out of here."

Finally, thought Gavallan, jogging toward the plane.

64

Grafton Byrnes passed through the revolving doors of the Banque Privé de Genève et Lausa

There was a soft knock on the door, and a hunched, portly figure clutching a pad of paper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other hurried into the room. "Hello, Mr. Byrnes. I am Pierre Pillonel. Welcome to our bank." He stared at his visitor through thick, owlish spectacles. His hair was mussed and his cheeks flushed and red-veined. If his demeanor was timid, his voice was anything but- a rolling, confident baritone that a politician would kill for. Setting down the paper and coffee, he extended a hand, pulling it back at the last moment. "Excuse me, I see you are injured."

"It's nothing," said Byrnes, turning his hand this way and that to show he was in no way hindered. "A mishap with my car. I find I'm getting clumsier with age. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"A friend of my brother's is a friend of mine. Excuse me if I'm not quite myself. I'm still reeling from the news."

"I'm afraid I don't…" It was then that Byrnes noted the beleaguered cast to Pillonel's eyes. They were red and puffy. His nose was ru

"You have not heard? Jean-Jacques is dead. He was in Zurich on his way to a short vacation. A robber surprised him and Claire in their hotel. They were both killed. It's terrible. I shudder." The baritone cracked and a tear rolled down Pillonel's cheek. He tried to keep a brave front, but a moment later a sob racked his chest, his stern mouth quivered, and he began to cry in earnest. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping at his eyes. "I don't know why I came to work. My wife told me to stay home. She said I was a fool to come."

"My condolences," said Byrnes, without sympathy. He wasn't surprised Pillonel was dead. The news hadn't hurried his pulse a beat. If anything, he experienced a brief and satisfying surge of justice done, even if it was cruel on his part. Jean-Jacques Pillonel was as responsible for his ruined thumbs as Boris. He deserved partial credit for the deaths in Florida, and if things didn't turn around quickly, they could stick him with the dismantling of Black Jet Securities, too.

Cautiously returning his gaze to his host, Byrnes caught a passing glimpse of his own reflection in the window. Dressed in a charcoal Brooks Brothers suit, hair neatly combed, thumbs discreetly bandaged, he actually looked presentable. A short discussion with the embassy's legal attaché, a man Byrnes pegged as the local CIA resident, had produced a diplomatic passport, an interest-free loan in the amount of a thousand dollars, and a ticket to Geneva the next morning with an onward co

"There, I am better," Pierre Pillonel said after a minute, taking a last swipe at his nose. "Please excuse me."

The two men sat at a lacquered maple conference table, taking their time to unbutton their jackets and nap their slacks, uncap their pens, and take a sip of the mineral water that had been poured for them prior to their arrival.