Free The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich Page B

material.
    Litija came up behind Nick and bent down to kiss his cheek. “Nick, you devil. Who let you out?”
    “She did.” Nick tipped his head to Kate and stood up to pull out a chair for Litija. “I’d be under lock and key if it wasn’t for Kate.”
    “Proving once again that behind every great man is a resourceful woman,” Litija said, offering her hand to Kate as she sat down. “I am Litija.”
    Kate shook her hand. “So, does this mean Dragan has you to thank for his success?”
    “I wouldn’t be that presumptuous.” Litija smiled, plucked a grape from the fruit bowl, and popped it into her mouth. “He has lots of women. I’m just here having a little vacation after spending months in dreary Antwerp.”
    “Will he be joining us?” Nick asked.
    “Don’t be ridiculous,” Litija said. “He can’t take the risk of being seen in public with you. You’re a wanted man.”
    “So is he,” Nick said.
    “But he didn’t just escape from Belgian police custody. You’re the most wanted man in Europe right now.”
    “He put me in that situation.”
    Litija took another grape. “That’s something you two can discuss at his villa. It’s beautiful, right on the coast. His boat is waiting to take us there.”
    “I don’t think that’s a wise idea, based on the welcome we got last night,” Nick said.
    “That was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Dragan is a careful man and all he wanted to do was invite you over for a drink,” Litija said. “His overly cautious approach can sometimes come across as unintentionally rude.”
    “At least it was more polite than kidnapping Nick at gunpoint and shipping him overseas in a coffin,” Kate said.
    “That’s true!” Litija laughed and wagged a finger at Kate. “I like the way you think. But I wouldn’t talk to Dragan like that. He doesn’t have a great sense of humor.”
    “I’d really like to avoid another journey in a coffin, especially one that lasts an eternity,” Nick said. “That’s why I’d prefer meeting him in daylight in a public place.”
    “You won’t be in any danger at Dragan’s villa,” Litija said. “If you’re worried, bring your weapons. You can have a gun in each hand and a knife in your teeth if that makes you feel better. Nobody will take them away from you.”
    “I can guarantee that,” Kate said.
    “That’s what I’ve heard,” Litija said, then turned back to Nick. “So, really, Dragan is the one who should be concerned about his safety, not you. What possible reason can you have for not accepting his invitation now?”
    “None at all,” Nick said. “Shall we go?”
    “He can wait.” Litija reached for a croissant. “I haven’t had breakfast and I love the
sfogliatelle
here. Have you ordered a bottle of champagne yet?”
    “Coming right up,” Nick said, and waved to the waiter.
    Kate didn’t know what the heck a
sfogliatelle
was but she suspected it would be expensive. And champagne.
Ka-ching!
She hoped there was a lot of space for itemizing on form HB7757Q.
    —
    Dragan’s fifty-foot open-air yacht was classically Italian in its styling, rich in polished mahogany and supple leather, with the sculpted lines of a sports car and the iconic aura of a movie star. The pilot and deckhand, nautically dressed in jaunty blue sailor caps and white Paul & Shark polos and shorts, were the two men that Nick and Kate had confronted the previous night. If the men held a grudge, they didn’t show it, though they definitely seemed uncomfortable in their uniforms.
    Kate thought they looked like they were auditioning for jobs at Disney World, all suited up in Mr. Smee outfits.
    The men seated Nick, Kate, and Litija on board, untethered the lines from the dock, and steered the boat out of the marina. They maneuvered past the anchored yachts and around the coming-and-going ferries that served Naples, Capri, and the resort towns further south along the Amalfi Coast.
    “This is the scenic route to Dragan’s villa,”