The moment Dominic appeared on the porch, Leo stopped pacing, swung around, and walked to a gray sedan idling in the courtyard.

In front and behind the gray Mercedes were two black Mercedes SUVs, all three cars armor-plated at the factory, all with bullet-proof glass and tires, all with professional drivers at the wheel. The three-car formation was standard for travel in dangerous situations. Dominic had had the cars flown in by one of his transport planes; he also had vehicles permanently at his homes in London and Rome. These had come from Hong Kong with Leo and Danny.

On reaching Leo, Dominic said under his breath, “Tan seems to have things in hand.”

“No shit.” Leo opened the sedan’s back door. “It’s like party time in there.”

“They know what they’re doing though,” Dominic noted, bending his head to step into the car.

“Understatement.”

Leo shut the door once Dominic was inside, took his place up front in the passenger seat, and gave Jake, the driver, a thumbs-up.

Jake flicked his lights, the lead SUV moved off, the heavy timber, iron-strapped gates began sliding open, and seconds later, three cars issued from the compound, maintaining a tight car’s length between them, traveling fast.

Danny rode shotgun in the lead car, with a man in back, the same configuration employed in the vehicle following the sedan. Two of Dominic’s crew were guarding his plane. Everyone was armed to the teeth.

Dominic was settled in the back of the sedan with Kate in his arms, pleased that she hadn’t required a detailed explanation for their precipitous departure. The less she knew the better. He’d resolve the mafia issue. All it took was money and enough muscle, persuasion, and ruthlessness to strike a bargain with his adversaries. He wasn’t worried. After a decade in a pitiless business, he’d mastered the art of arbitrary power.

At that time of night traffic wasn’t an issue. Also, according to Leo, the Balkan mafia wasn’t fully mobilized yet. The seventh and eighth man had just arrived in Singapore that evening; the advantage was still theirs.

The cavalcade moved at high speed down the city streets until it reached the freeway, where the drivers promptly accelerated, sinking the speedometer gauge into the red zone. One brief moment of concern arose when two trucks entered the freeway at the last entrance ramp before the airport. But the drivers simply swerved around the trucks as though they were standing still and moments later brought their cars careening through the gates of the private plane terminal in a trail of smoking rubber.

The SUVs took up defensive positions on the tarmac between Dominic’s waiting plane and the gate while the sedan rolled up to the ramp of the 747-8. Two armed guards stood on either side of the ramp as Dominic quickly mounted the stairway with Kate. Once he was inside, all the men save the drivers came on board. The aircraft door was shut, one of the drivers pulled the ramp away, and seconds later, the plane was cleared for takeoff and taxiing down the runway to the low throttle roar of GEnx-2B67 engines.

Just as Dominic was putting Kate to bed, the plane lifted off in a scream of jet engines. “It’s takeoff, that’s all, baby. Everything’s good,” he soothed as she came awake with a start. Tucking the quilt under her chin, he lowered his head and gently kissed her. “We’re in the air for fifteen hours, so sleep as long as you can. You’re not missing a thing.”

“Are you coming to bed?” Her voice was thick and syrupy.

“In a few minutes.”

“Hurry…” she said, the word trailing off.

Her eyelids slowly shut as she spoke, but he sat with her until her breathing deepened into full REM sleep before leaving the bedroom. Moving through his office next door, his mind on logistics and scheduling, on all he had to clear up before landing, he entered the outside corridor that ran the length of the 251-foot fuselage. Swiftly making his way past the six bedrooms with twin beds, he came to a skidding stop at the kitchen doorway when he saw his cook putting away supplies. “You don’t have to stay up, Sese. We won’t need anything until breakfast.”

The big Tongan turned from the cupboard and smiled. “You sure? Those guys upstairs are smokin’ kif. That means the munchies.”

“They can eat snacks—chips, cold cuts, whatever. I’ll tell them they’re on their own. You’re off the clock.”

“You want anything special for the lady’s breakfast?”

Dominic looked at a loss for a moment. “Do we have chocolate milk?”

“You bet. I heard the lady enjoyed her chocolate milk the last time.”

Dominic smiled. “Efficient.”

“Did you think I wasn’t? And since you don’t seem to be on top of this, I’ll see that I have some bacon sandwiches on hand just in case. Leo told me to talk to Deshi, so I’m clued in. And I know your tastes. Although, if there’s anything else you want in the morning, just ask.”

“Sounds like you’re ahead of the game,” Dominic said pleasantly.

Sese gave a little bow. “I’m guessing you have to keep up your strength. As for the lady’s wishes, I’m all ears.”

“We’ll let you know. With the time zone changes”—Dominic shrugged—“I don’t know when she’ll wake.”

“Not a problem. Leo tells me I have a couple days off to visit my relatives once we land in San Francisco.”

“I’m thinking a week.”

“Sweet.”