DDD

Nottingham was not pleased. The file that McCarty had in his possession had even more information than he had feared, and went back almost two years. For several minutes he considered killing the younger man and destroying the file. It would be a moment's work. Jake might be an experienced Federal Officer instead of a rookie detective, but he was still no match for Ian.

Only two things stood between McCarty and death. First and most importantly, although Vorshlag subsidies were implicated, there was nothing pointing to Irons directly. Secondly, Nottingham knew that it would not end there. A dead federal agent and a missing information packet would be the stick that beat the FBI into frenzy. In the ensuing witch-hunt, no avenue of investigation would be ignored.

Vorshlag Industries could find it necessary to cut loose some of their more lucrative projects to cover their ass. Worse than the lost revenue would be the research setbacks. The amount of data lost, not to mention research models that would have to be destroyed, would irritate Irons to no end.

Which meant McCarty could not die here. Later, perhaps, when his death could be conveniently placed at the foot of someone Irons would not miss. Until then, the blonde was granted a reprieve. Nottingham looked one last time at the data, checking his memory against the paper. Ian had been trained for total recall, but he hardly had any reason to use it these days. The advent of the copy disk had largely cut down on his need for this skill, so he liked to check himself from time to time.

Now it was time to quit procrastinating and report his findings to Irons.

Pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

"The file was very complete. Some of our own people were implicated. Granted, they were mostly intermediaries for projects that we received special considerations for by the city, but the connections are there. That is easy enough to deny personal culpability for; Vorshlag is a huge company." Ian paused. Until now his head had been bowed in his customary posture.

His dark head lifted, and his eyes were lit from behind with a kind of cold hunger, "But Dante and Siri are also named on the file. Both of them have had personal contact with you, and may choose to make a deal in exchange for a lighter sentence. I think they are a security risk, and should be permanently silenced."

Irons locked eyes with his servant, faintly surprised by the personal interest hiding inside a clinical assessment. Why else would Nottingham want the two men dead? There was something else here, and for some reason Kenneth thought it had to do with Sara. Well, well, well. It would seem that Ian was still moved to protect Pezzini, even though she no longer carried the Witchblade.

Filing that bit of information away, Irons shrugged negligently, "That is done easily enough, yet stay your hand a little while. They have a purpose yet to serve."

"As you wish. Yet I ask for permission to kill them if they seem to be preparing to betray you." Ian pressed, not trusting Dante any further than he could see him. The man bothered him excessively. Siri he was not as concerned about, the only way he would talk would be if his conscience suddenly made an appearance. After all these years, Nottingham did not think that would be an issue, but he had known better than to single Dante out with his request.

"Of course you may act in such a circumstance, but I would prefer it if you made any deaths easily linkable to the mayor. That will keep the FBI far away from my business, and besides, the report does detail an unexplained funding shift to the 11th Precinct. Give them someone with a clear motive, and they never look any deeper." Irons shook his head. "Deplorably lazy of them perhaps, but I see no reason not to profit from their nature."

Ian nodded and stepped back, preparing to leave. He had a few more things to arrange before they left for the hospital.

"Ian," Kenneth called in a purring tone, "Let Sara have her father's tape. Leave it for her so that she finds it after we depart. She should be given the opportunity to learn what happened, and where the blame for his death truly lies. Let her confront her father's murderers. I believe the dear woman deserves closure, don't you?"

Nottingham halted his exodus and lowered his head, not wanting Irons to read the anger in his eyes. If he gave Sara the tape, she would pursue the new angle on her father's death. Without the Witchblade, Pezzini had no chance against the White Bulls. They were too many, and their reach too far for one woman to tackle alone. For a moment he entertained the thought of disobeying his orders and taking the tape to McCarty. Let it become part of the FBI's investigation.

Then the moment passed. Ian knew he would not disobey, however much he might wish to. The only chance he saw was in trying to find out why Irons wanted Sara to know now, after all these years. If he could see the trap, perhaps he could steer Pezzini clear of it. "Of course she does, but will it not keep her from accepting your proposal? Sara will have only one thing on her mind, and it will not be romance. She will hunger only for vengeance."

"Yes, but once she realizes that her mentor and her new boss were involved in Detective Pezzini's untimely demise, Sara will turn to me for aid. Which I shall grant... for a price. Once she agrees to my terms, her father's murderers will be brought to justice with my help. Her gratitude will know no bounds, and even if it does, she will still be bound by the debt owed." Irons leaned back in his chair and smiled.

This was chess at it's finest. His knight was about to pin two pieces in place for his queen to come across the board and destroy. It would leave his knight in place to curb her motion as well, to herd her in the direction of his choosing. If she happened to break his knight in the process, well, there was always the other to be put into play.

One way or another, Sara Pezzini would be his.