Victor doesn't look up from his tablet. He's seated across from me, impeccably dressed as always, scrolling through something I can't see.
"Yes," he says, his voice calm and even. "He’ll be there. He's acting ambassador from Moscow. The real one can't make it, apparently. He's attending the summit under the guise of diplomatic relations. It's the perfect cover for whatever he's really up to."
I nod, looking back to the photograph.
"And we don't know if he's the one who has her, right?"
Victor finally looks up. His gaze is steady, calculating. "No."
I close the folder and toss it onto the seat beside me.
"But," he continues and leans toward me, "his family bought her, so he's the thread. I wish I could have confirmed more."
So do I, but I know he's been doing his best.
"I know, brother," I say and lean back, letting my head rest against the seat and sigh.
There's a moment of silence, and then I look back at him.
"Victor."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He raises an eyebrow, a subtle expression of surprise. "For what?"
"For what you've done. Getting us inside."
He sets his tablet down, rubs his chin. "Adrian, you're my brother. You think I wouldn't?"
"I know you would. But this…" I gesture vaguely toward the window, toward the mountains, toward the château hidden somewhere below. "This is different. This involves politics. Diplomacy. Your world."
He smiles and nods. "And you're about to walk into it."
"I know," I say and shake my head.
Victor studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he leans back, adjusting his cufflinks.
"With that in mind, let me explain again how this works."
I nod, waiting for him to speak.
"We're not going in as criminals," he begins. "We're not going in as the Ionescu Syndicate. We're going in as legitimate representatives of the Romanian government."
I laugh, and he continues.
"I'm the liaison to the Romanian ambassador. Officially, we're seeking a backdoor meeting with Germany," he says and waves his hand, "trade negotiations. Boring political shit."
"So what, you're like the Romanian ambassador then?"
"For the purpose of this event, sure, but we're down a day. Since we were a last minute addition to the guest list, we missed the first day of the three-day summit."
I process this, turning it over in my mind. "So we're walking into the middle of it."
"Exactly."
"How many people?"