Eternal Empire Read Online Free PDF

Turning aside, she laughed, finally understanding why Powell had wanted to see her so badly. “So how is this supposed to work?”
    â€œNobody at Cheshire will know,” Adam said. “We can arrange for the interview, but the rest is up to you. Once you’re there, we won’t ask for much. We’re looking for documentation of cash flows, names of subsidiaries, a sense of how the funds are deployed. A foundation is an ideal vehicle for concealing illegal activity, but there are always records.”
    â€œAnd what if Tarkovsky finds out?” Maddy asked. “I like my head and hands. I don’t want to end up without them.”
    Neither man responded. At last, Powell spoke in a low voice. “Adam, I think we’re almost done. I’ll see you at the office.”
    Adam gave a surprised nod. Rising from the bench, he smiled awkwardly and headed alone down the path. Powell watched him go. “Adam’s a bright one. He’s young, with a sense of history, and he knows what is really at stake. Because this is about more than money.”
    Maddy studied Adam’s retreating back. “I don’t see how it’s about anything else.”
    â€œI can understand why you’d say that. And you wouldn’t be the first.” Powell glanced down at his hands, on which the scars of old burns were visible. “I’ve spent my life trying to protect a few basic values. If this deal goes through, Tarkovsky will become one of the largest shareholders in Argo. And I don’t want to see a British company in the hands of a possible criminal.”
    Maddy found herself resisting his tone, with its assumption of their shared concerns. “And why should this matter to me?”
    â€œTarkovsky has friends in the art world. Once you’ve obtained the materials we need, you’re free to do as you like. If you want to get back in the game, this is the best chance you’ll ever have.”
    Maddy felt a drop of water. As it began to rain, they rose and headed toward the edge of the park. Opening an umbrella, Maddy glanced down at her companion’s ruined legs. She knew the story. Powell had been on the plane that Lasse Karvonen had brought down. He had survived, but he had spent months in the hospital, and as she considered this now, she wondered how else it had changed him.
    As if reading her thoughts, Powell said, “I hear they’ve managed to restore the installation in Philadelphia. Of course, it isn’t so easy to restore a man’s body. Or a reputation. I did you a favor before. Let me do it again. The firm is more than willing to compensate you for your time—”
    Maddy walked at his side in silence, slowing her pace to match his steps. She knew that Powell had deliberately chosen to approach her when she was at her most vulnerable, but he was also right. There was nothing left for her in this city, and she was running out of second chances. When they reached the end of the path, she spoke at last. “What does Tarkovsky want to repatriate?”
    â€œIt’s a Fabergé egg. I’ll send you the details. I think you’ll find it interesting.” Powell paused at the gate, where he turned to face her. “I’ll leave you here. Give me a call when you’re ready.”
    With a nod, he headed away. Maddy stood there in the rain, watching as Powell continued down the street. She gradually became aware that her hand had crept into her coat pocket, closing around the object inside, which she had brought from home on an impulse that she didn’t fully understand.
    A moment later, Powell rounded the corner and was gone. Once she was alone, Maddy withdrew her hand, glancing down at the small conical shape she was holding. It was a chess pawn.
    Maddy found herself thinking of Alexey Lermontov, who had fled to London after his intelligence role had been exposed, only to be killed six months later. As she thought back to that