Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

"I want one of those," Svetlana said as Castillo opened the lid of his laptop. "Will you get me one, Charley?"

"No," he said simply.

Pevsner chuckled.

"Then I will buy one myself."

"I don't think that's very likely," Castillo replied. "But speaking of money, as we were when we were interrupted--"

"What about it?"

"Those bank account numbers you told Alek you have memorized--"

"What about them?"

"I've got them in here," he said, tapping the laptop. "Why don't I just put them on a CD if Alek needs them?" He was looking into her eyes and hoping he was at least somewhere close to matching the icy looks Pevsner was so good at.

And I hit home. Her eyes show it.

"Or are we talking about bank account numbers you somehow forgot to mention when you were telling me everything, Girl Scout's Honor?"

"Oh, God, Charley, I was going to tell you about them!"

That look of genuine remorse is either genuine, or she should be on the stage.

Svetlana looked at Pevsner for support and, Castillo saw, got none.

"Before we get into what else may have slipped your mind and you didn't tell me," Castillo said, "what are the memorized account numbers?"

"That's where most of the money is," she said. "Most of it in Lichtenstein, but some in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. There are five accounts in all."

"And the numbers you gave me?"

"What we did, Charley, is put a little bit of money in those accounts, so in case we were found out, they would think they had found the money and stop looking. You understand?"

"Define 'a little bit of money.' "

"Usually never more than a quarter of a million dollars."

"Looks can be deceiving, Svetlana. I'm not really stupid enough to believe that."

"Before God, it is the truth."

He did the math in his head before going on. "You expect me to believe that whoever chases after dirty money in Russia is going to come across your lousy eight thousand dollars and say, 'Eureka, we found it. Call off the search'?"

"Eight thousand dollars?" she asked in what seemed to be genuine confusion.

Pevsner laughed.

"This is not funny, goddamn it, Alek. First she lies to me, and then she insults my intelligence. What happened to the 'we're all family and have no secrets' bullshit?"

"A moment ago, Friend Charley, you owed her an apology. Now you owe us both one."

"How?"

"First that I consider you family is not bullshit. You have wounded me by thinking that."

"And?"