He flicked a gaze at Rice. “In all the excitement you have not explained how you were able to rescue me, Alan,” he said, his damaged mouth moving slowly.
Rice gingerly removed the ice pack and glanced at his boss. “I followed the woman to the church one night.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t trust her,” he said simply. “That’s why I tested her.”
“Tested her?”
“When I pretended to warn her off. I lied to her and said that you had become infatuated with women in the past. I wanted to see if she would do the rational thing and leave you alone. She didn’t. That, coupled with her late-night excursion, made me even more suspicious. I also didn’t like the way she was playing you off against that other man.”
“So you followed her? But how is it that you were in those catacombs waiting for us?”
“I also saw who she was meeting with that night. I had him followed.”
“You did all this without telling me?”
“I wanted to be sure, Evan. I didn’t want to turn out to be wrong. I am a smart man, meaning I am terrified of you.”
Kuchin leaned back into the leather of his seat. “And then?”
“And then we saw them go into the church and down to the catacombs. When they came back out to get something, we snuck down there and took up position. I was very afraid because they had guns, and I have never even fired one. Witness my poor shot today.”
“You saved my life.”
“I’m glad I could be there for you. Had I known what this was all about I never would have let you go with her to the market today. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late. They were cunning. I assumed the two guards with you would be sufficient, but I was obviously wrong.”
“So I struck you in error earlier?”
“You had every right. I appeared to have overstepped my bounds.”
“I was surprised by that.”
“I’m sure. But I was just trying to protect you.”
Kuchin turned away, stared out at a cloud. “I’m sorry, Alan. I misjudged you. I saved your life, now we are even on that.”
“Well, thank God it ended all right.”
“End? No. This has not ended.”
“You’re going after them?”
“You had doubts?”
“No, no doubts,” Rice said nervously.
“The tall man? Why do I think he was not with them?”
“But he was there.”
Kuchin said, “I think he followed you into the church.”
“Me?”
Kuchin ran a finger along his battered jaw. Talking was painful but he was focused on something else. “You heard what they called me?”
“The name?”