EARING HER SUNDRESS, sandals, and a bright blue kerchief around her hair, Reggie unlocked the door to her villa, stepped through, and nearly bumped into him. She looked up at the man and confirmed for herself that he looked even more intimidating in person than he had in the old photos. He was dressed in black slacks and a white short-sleeved shirt that he wore tucked in and that showed off his trim waist. Though in his sixties he had retained a great deal of the muscle of his youth. His shoulders were broad, his arms sinewy, and his thighs hard under the black fabric. And yet what drew her attention were the eyes.

She’d beheld the gaze of many mass killers, but the power in Fedir Kuchin’s eyes was something at a different level. They seemed capable of snatching every secret she’d ever kept right out of her soul. Compared to him the old Nazis were scared children.

He put out a hand. “I appear to be your neighbor,” he said. “Evan Waller.”

His Ukrainian accent was gone now, buried under decades of a homespun Canadian cadence.

She shook hands, his long fingers enveloping hers. “Jane Collins.”

He stood uncomfortably close. He was four inches shorter than Shaw but still towered over her.

“I understand you had a little misunderstanding with one of my men last night. The fault is entirely mine. Rest assured it will not happen again. I would like to make it up to you. Perhaps dinner tonight? At my villa or in the charming little village up the cliff?”

His big body seemed to press in on her while she thought this through. She gazed for a moment over his shoulder and saw two of his men staring at them. One had a little smile glazed onto his mouth. He was probably the one who had seen her naked by the pool, she thought. Male lust was as easy to read as alphabet blocks. And then there was the smaller man from the night before. For some reason she was more leery of him than the bigger man.

“Well, that’s very nice of you, but—”

He smiled disarmingly as he interrupted her. “No, no, before you reject me, think about it. I didn’t even allow you to lock your door before pouncing. My apologies. I will await your answer later.” He eyed her straw basket. “You are going to do some shopping, I see?”

She nodded. “They have a wonderful market twice a week in the center of town. Everything from clothes to vegetables.”

“Well, I must investigate this market for myself. Would you mind if I walked with you? It’s a lovely morning and I would like to stretch my legs.”

“Did you just get in?”

He slipped an arm through hers and she was forced to walk next to him. His action was gentle, seemed natural, and yet Reggie found no viable option of resistance without ripping her limb free.

“A long flight, yes. I live in Canada, my homeland. Before that I was in Hong Kong. Another even longer flight. Have you ever been there?”

Reggie shook her head.

“A city more full of energy than any other.” He smiled and added, “And a place where one can get anything one wants. But you are American, correct? You’re used to getting what you want.”

“Why do you think I’m American?” she said, feigning suspicion.

“Merely a reasoned deduction based on your accent and appearance factors. Am I not correct?”

“No, I am American.”

“Then we are neighbors in that way too. Our two countries. I see providence at work here.”

“When I came home last night your men knew my name.”

Kuchin waved his free hand carelessly. “Standard security procedures, I’m afraid. You see, I am a very wealthy man. I live a very boring life and I have no enemies of which I’m aware. But the company I head up, they insist on these precautions.” He laughed. “I’m Canadian after all; a peaceful hardworking people.” He patted her arm. “I can assure you that there will be no more intrusions into your privacy.”

Really, thought Reggie. Does that include spying on me while I’m swimming? She hadn’t the benefit of Shaw’s night optics, but from the corner of her eye she had observed him watching her last night from over the wall. And Dominic had confirmed this through her earbud. Alerted by Shaw’s information of the peeping guard, they had set up an observation post barely a half kilometer from where Shaw had been watching from the cliffs. However, Dominic and Shaw had been totally unaware of each other’s presence.

“Are you really sure about that?” asked Reggie. “Your security person seemed very persistent.”

Kuchin was beaming as he rubbed her arm. “I am quite sure. He works for me. And I can see that you are a delightful young woman whom I feel quite safe with.”

I look forward to proving you wrong on that, Fedir, thought Reggie.

“And I understand that you were with a man last night? Please tell me he is only a casual acquaintance so that I have some hope of seeing you on occasion while I’m here.”

“I just met him recently.”

“Wonderful. So no husband or longtime beau then?”

“No.” She looked up at him in feigned perplexity.

He seemed to interpret her look in just the way she desired. “No, no. I am single but I could have children your age, my dear. Just indulge an old man who desires the innocent company of a beautiful young woman and nothing more.”

She said playfully, “You don’t look that old.”

“You just made my day far happier.”

“And you’re sure nothing more?”

“You’re playing with me, is that right?”

“Maybe a little.”

“Good, that is a good first step. Have you been to Provence before?”

“Once.”

“I have been here often. If you would permit I would take it upon myself to show you some of the beautiful sites near here. The Palais des Papes, or Popes’ Palace, in Avignon, the finest example of a Roman aqueduct in all of France at Pont du Gard, the photo exhibition caves at Les Baux-de-Provence, the beauty of Roussillon, and the wine country to the north. In fact, I know a café in Gigondas where the pastries alone are worth the trip.”

“My goodness, you certainly don’t waste any time, Mr. Waller.”

“And why live if one desires to waste time? For me life is precious. I go, go, go because I know one day it will be over. And no matter how much money one has, or fine houses, or anything else, it will all be gone when you breathe your last. And please, it is Evan. You embarrass me by using my surname.”

“Well, Evan, let’s start with the market and go from there, how does that sound?”

“Perfectly logical.” He squeezed her arm in a way that indicated his insistence on “nothing more” was a lie. “Off to market we go.”

Reggie could now understand what the professor had meant by the charm of the man. If she didn’t know of his past, she could find him intriguing, fascinating even. But she did know of his past and this allowed her a way around the charm. And from there it was but a small step to ending the man’s life.