Judas and the Vampires Read Online Free PDF Page B

preening Michael insists upon, he hardly fits the profile for a spy—much less the boss of a small army of miscreants steeped in espionage. I figure his infectious charms are what have gotten him this far in life. When I’ve been near him at the D.C. spring and fall galas, I often see a heated sparkle glistening within his deep-set brown eyes. Women love this perpetual playboy bachelor nearing his forty-fifth birthday. Well, I’m sure they love him until they learn how deep his narcissism runs.
    “Oh...so this is the best the temp agency could do in the meantime?” My playful barb brought an angrier glare from Ted.
    “Let’s get to why you’re here,” said Mike, coolly, motioning for his driver to turn away from us while he scooted closer to me with his open laptop. “I’m calling on another return favor to do a little surveillance for us while you vacation in Iran. Just a couple days of actual work between exploring the Alborz Mountains or catching some rays on the better beaches along the Caspian Sea.”
    His turn to poke some humor, I suppose, since he knows full well that I’m not interested in having traditional fun when I travel. He may not know exactly what I’m looking for, but he appreciates my passion for exploring ancient sites around the world. It most certainly is why he approached me nearly sixteen years ago to help him out—to run a few extra errands when abroad as a way to ‘pay the U.S. of A. for the privilege of globetrotting unfettered’. That’s really the way he put it.
    So, from time to time I have helped out. Usually it’s easy tasks such as capturing a few photographs or stealing a quick look inside secure files. Things I’m especially adept at. However, every once in a while there is more danger involved. And yes, I have been forced to kill someone before. It was in self-defense. But if not for being put in a precarious position—the wrong time and place by Mr. Lavoie—it wouldn’t have happened. I’ve worried ever since what might come next in terms of favors requested by the ‘U.S. of A.’
    “I’m traveling with Alistair. So, just as long as whatever you want doesn’t put his safety at risk I’d love to hear what you have in mind.” I moved closer to get a better view of the image on his laptop screen.
    “As if traveling to Iran is on the same level as visiting Waikiki.” He pushed the laptop closer to me. “Petr Stanislav is the subject’s name. Perhaps you’re familiar with him in some way?”
    The image on the screen actually was familiar. A typical Stanislav male: prominent brow, blonde bushy hair, and intense gray eyes. That along with a big-boned stature, as it appeared the stout middle-aged man on the screen was at least six-feet five inches in height...maybe even bigger, since the juniper shrub in the foreground could be somewhat shorter than it appeared. Same scowl that his grandfather often wore, and even a little like the expression worn by the family’s patriarch several centuries earlier. Romanov third cousins at one time, it meant Petr’s net worth should be many millions—based on my dealings with Vladimir Stanislav in the mid nineteenth century.
    “I see it in your eyes, William—you know this man, don’t you?”
    Mike could scarcely contain his excitement. Or, maybe it was more a sense of relief, knowing whatever he wanted in regard to this person was now an easier sell. His eyes glistened in the backseat’s dimness, illuminated by the laptop’s glow.
    “Yes, I know the family….” I paused to study Petr’s image again. “If he’s anything like his father, this man should be up to his ears in weapons and selling anything he can under the table. He certainly has the millions to do it with.”
    “Try billions,” Mike advised, drawing a surprised look from me. “Twenty-eight billion to be exact, which makes him one of the wealthiest people in the world—and one of the most dangerous.”
    “Is he dealing arms to Iran?”
    “We’re