“Well, there is a kind of logic in that,” she admitted.
Stone’s cell phone rang, and he reached for it on the bedside table. “Hello?”
“It’s Rick. Why are you still there?”
“I live here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Nobody lives in a safe house—you stay as long as you’re safe, then you move to another safe house.”
“This is no longer a safe house.”
“That’s my point.”
“No, I mean it’s my house—I bought it from Lance.”
A short silence. “Lance doesn’t own it.”
“The foundation owns it, and Lance is the head of the foundation’s board of trustees and has the authority to sell it. In fact, it will be the second house the foundation has sold me. A contract is being drawn as we speak.”
“I’m sorry,” Rick said, “I’m getting dizzy.”
“Focus on a fixed object, like my presence in this house.”
“It’s dangerous for you there.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ve spotted some of Majorov’s people cruising the seventh arrondissement, looking for you.”
“They haven’t found me yet, but if I leave here, that gives them another shot.”
Rick sighed. “All right, then I’ll send some firepower over there.”
“I just started refurnishing the place, and I don’t want it shot up.”
“Then I’ll place them on nearby roofs.”
“You’ve already got two of your boys on me—three, with Holly.”
“Thanks a lot,” Holly said. “I thought you knew the difference between boys and girls.”
Stone bit her on a nipple.
“Ow!”
“You loved that.”
“I loved what?” Rick asked.
“Never mind. May I suggest that you stop concentrating on defense and switch to offense. It’s time to stop screwing with this guy and put him permanently out of business.”
“There are more where he came from.”
“If they keep losing management, they’ll eventually get discouraged and look for somebody else’s hotels to steal.”
“I don’t know about that, they’ve been remarkably persistent.”
“Tell me about it—that’s why I want it ended, and I don’t care if the gutters of Paris run red with their blood.”
“I also have to keep your blood out of the gutters. Going to war with these people won’t fix it.”
“Cutting the head off the snake might.”
Rick made a strangled noise. “I’ll talk to Lance.”
“You do that. Bye.” Stone hung up.
“I guess we’re hunkering down here,” Holly said.
He kissed a nipple. “And we hunker so well, don’t we?”