Free Foreign Affairs by Stuart Woods Page B

get to the point.”
    â€œWe know that Casselli has agents in Paris already who are attempting to winnow their way into French society, but we have had trouble identifying them. Now, however, there is someone in Paris who is of great interest to them, someone who might coax them out of the woodwork and into the light, giving us a rare opportunity to identify them and penetrate their organization.”
    â€œAnd that would be me?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œSort of like the goat that would be staked out to attract the lion?”
    â€œThat’s not a comparison we’d like to draw.”
    â€œNevertheless, the comparison is apt, is it not?”
    â€œNeither Lance nor I would be comfortable with that. We know that Casselli is doing his best to locate you—we just want to make it easier for him.”
    â€œRick, you realize, do you not, that sometimes, in spite of the hunter’s best efforts, the lion eats the goat?”
    â€œAll we want you to do, for the present, is to start using your old phone again.”
    â€œJust long enough for Casselli to deduce my street address in Paris.”
    â€œWell, yes. We’ll take care of the rest, and we will, as we have done in the past, protect you.”
    Stone sighed. “I don’t know why I don’t just go back to Rome.”
    â€œBecause in Rome, in spite of the Italians’ best efforts, the lion would eventually get the goat.”

19
    S tone stared at Rick LaRose. “You want me to risk my life—and, incidentally, the life of my girlfriend, who is also here?”
    â€œStone, I’ve said we will protect you. There is little risk involved for either of you. Right now there are half a dozen of our people on the street and rooftops whose only purpose is to keep you safe. And right now, all Casselli knows is that you are in Paris, no more. And there’s something else: for all practical purposes, this house doesn’t exist.”
    â€œHow is that?”
    â€œWhen we owned the property we had it erased from all civic records—city directories, maps, even tax rolls. Have you ever received a bill for taxes for the house?”
    â€œJoan normally takes care of those things, I’d have to ask her.”
    â€œTrust me, you haven’t. And we sold the house, not to you, personally, but to a French corporate entity your attorneyscreated for the purpose, so your name does not appear in any list of property owners.”
    â€œWell, that’s a high level of anonymity,” Stone admitted, “and it could be very useful. I’m not sure I’d want to give that up. Are you going to notify the French authorities that this house exists?”
    â€œStone, if we wanted to force you to cooperate, we could just let Casselli know where you are. He would kill or kidnap you and we would follow his people to the source and erase him. But that’s not how we deal with people we like and who are of value to us, as you have been on a number of occasions.”
    â€œI had no idea the Agency was so fond of me,” Stone said wryly. “What do you want me to do?”
    â€œWhere is your old phone?”
    Stone opened a drawer in the table next to him and handed Rick the phone.
    â€œMay I have your new phone?”
    Stone removed it from its holster and handed it to him.
    Rick removed the SIM card from the new phone and installed it in the old phone, then handed it to Stone. “Why don’t you check in with Joan, see how things are in New York?”
    Stone called the number.
    â€œWoodman & Weld,” Joan said.
    â€œIt’s Stone.”
    â€œAre you safely in Paris?”
    â€œI am. Thank you for alerting Marie of our arrival. How are things in New York?”
    â€œUnder control. Strangely, it gets easier to keep it that way when you leave town.”
    â€œDino and Viv are here for the weekend.”
    â€œGood for them. You seem to be rambling, Stone, is there something I can