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.”“What?”Gage nodded knowingly.“You’re scared.”“They will torture you for that amount of money, Hartline.It will be worse than anything you could ever dream.”“Tell them to have at it.I’ll die before I give up the money.That’s my guarantee.” He pointed at her, making his grin menacing.“Try me.”There was a lengthy period of silence that made him feel better—for now—about the decision he’d made.When de la Mancha finally spoke, her tone was reasonable.“I honestly don’t think they’ll kill you if you pay.Especially if you insist that you sent another copy of this paperwork by…say…courier.Los Leones may be savages, but they don’t want to make an enemy of the U.S.”“You’re wrong,” Gage said.“They will kill me because they know, if they release me, I’m more dangerous to them than the U.S.is.The U.S.will play by the rules to avenge all of this—I won’t.”A torrent of emotions flashed through her expressive face, ending with exasperation.“And what if I can broker some sort of deal?”“Why do you care so much?” Gage asked, narrowing his eyes.“I know you’re getting a cut, but is there something more?”“I’m scared, cabrón! I was vulnerable when I took this job and they took advantage of that.Every day of my life, I wonder if I, or my family, will be murdered due to some misstep I’ve made.” Her eyes welled with tears.“And if you don’t get them that money.”She wept.“So I was right?”“You have to give up that money,” she mumbled, a tissue over her eyes.Gage didn’t respond.* * *Monte Carlo, MonacoThe complimentary drink, a Bombay Sapphire gin with a splash of tonic and extra lime, was placed on the subtly-branded casino coaster next to Xavier’s right arm.It was daytime on the French Riviera and, despite his presence at the highest minimum Baccarat table, Xavier’s time there had already grown boring.He’d had his fill of fine meals and certainly enjoyed his romps with beautiful, store-bought women.He’d gambled away nearly a quarter-of-a-million euro but, especially without that little shit Garcia around, even such a loss wasn’t enough to get his blood moving.Was this how life was going to be now that he’d toppled Navarro? Was it going to be a struggle to find something to get him off?He already knew he could have damn near any woman he wanted.And killing didn’t do it anymore—oh, sure, the occasional murder was a useful tool, but Xavier wasn’t a savage.Sonofabitch, he realized, the realization hitting him again…I’m done.There’s nothing left to conquer.“Monsier?” the croupier asked, gesturing to Xavier’s cards.Xavier stared at a king and a 3 in this thousand-euro hand.He nodded.The bank was showing a jack and a four, meaning a third card was coming for the bank as well.As the croupier went to the shoe, Xavier could feel his phone vibrating inside his jacket.He ignored it, glancing around the half-empty casino, pondering what to do next.Earlier in the day he’d briefly flirted with changing his yachting plans, thinking of crossing the Ligurian Sea to La Spezia, in Italy.He possessed a few arm’s length La Cosa Nostra contacts there and, on his last visit, had secretly bedded the local don’s seventeen-year-old daughter.Unquenchable and deliciously curious about the taboo, she’d clawed his chest upon his leaving, vowing to Xavier that he could take her anytime he pleased, even after her papa had pledged her hand.“A good way to get killed,” Xavier whispered to himself, remembering Camilo and the lobster cracker.He glanced down to see a 3, a loser, as the croupier slid the stack of chips away.The phone buzzed again.“Joder,” Xavier muttered, retrieving his phone with one hand as he waved his other hand over the table.Once he was beyond the red velvet rope, he glanced at the number, not immediately recognizing it.“Yeah?”“Señor, this is El Toro.I was told to call you directly.”“Right,” Xavier said, using his curt “don’t waste my time” tone of voice with his underling.“I told him to have you call me.Speak.”“Well, señor, it is an honor to finally talk with you after so long,” El Toro said with annoying and highly obsequious gravitas.“Skip the dramatic salutations and just bring me up to speed.I’m quite busy.” Xavier winked at a bikini-clad woman who was passing by with her male companion, headed from the pool to the elevators.“The son is gone, señor.”“Then it’s done,” Xavier said with finality, his thumb preparing to end the call.“Please, wait, señor, there’s one other thing.”“Hurry,” Xavier snapped, focusing on the derriere of a lady who’d just taken a seat at his baccarat table.“Señor, it’s the American, the most recent one who was brought in, the one who we took the signal from.”“Yeah?”“Señor, under advisement from my superior, we are to make him believe that we’re willing to cut a deal with him.”“I heard about this.I want the warden to get the money.”Xavier motioned to the croupier to play the hand without him and ascended the carpeted stairs, looking at the rear pool and the assemblage of hot-tubs arranged in a pattern.There were a number of oiled women sunning themselves and suddenly he didn’t feel quite as jaded with his vacation.“Señor, should we trust her to handle this?”“She knows what will happen if she screws up.”“Yes, but I have never truly—”“I already told Vasco this,” Xavier said, cutting him off.“Do it my way.”“Of course, señor.It will be done.And it has been good to—”Xavier clicked the phone off as El Toro was speaking.He headed back to his table, deciding that he would play another hand or two before donning his swim trunks and bathing in the sun.The sight of the thong bikinis had gotten his blood moving.Chapter TwentyThere had only been a brief gap of time since Gage had told Capitana de la Mancha that he would not make a call to retrieve the money.Since then, she’d done a poor job in remaining calm, crossing the room to a wet bar, running water in a tumbler and guzzling it so fast a stream ran down her neck and into her blouse, temporarily marking it with a dark stain.She must not have feared him rushing her because she showed him her back, muttering curses in Catalan.While her attention was diverted, Gage flirted with the idea of diving for the other handgun, the one in her drawer [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.”“What?”Gage nodded knowingly.“You’re scared.”“They will torture you for that amount of money, Hartline.It will be worse than anything you could ever dream.”“Tell them to have at it.I’ll die before I give up the money.That’s my guarantee.” He pointed at her, making his grin menacing.“Try me.”There was a lengthy period of silence that made him feel better—for now—about the decision he’d made.When de la Mancha finally spoke, her tone was reasonable.“I honestly don’t think they’ll kill you if you pay.Especially if you insist that you sent another copy of this paperwork by…say…courier.Los Leones may be savages, but they don’t want to make an enemy of the U.S.”“You’re wrong,” Gage said.“They will kill me because they know, if they release me, I’m more dangerous to them than the U.S.is.The U.S.will play by the rules to avenge all of this—I won’t.”A torrent of emotions flashed through her expressive face, ending with exasperation.“And what if I can broker some sort of deal?”“Why do you care so much?” Gage asked, narrowing his eyes.“I know you’re getting a cut, but is there something more?”“I’m scared, cabrón! I was vulnerable when I took this job and they took advantage of that.Every day of my life, I wonder if I, or my family, will be murdered due to some misstep I’ve made.” Her eyes welled with tears.“And if you don’t get them that money.”She wept.“So I was right?”“You have to give up that money,” she mumbled, a tissue over her eyes.Gage didn’t respond.* * *Monte Carlo, MonacoThe complimentary drink, a Bombay Sapphire gin with a splash of tonic and extra lime, was placed on the subtly-branded casino coaster next to Xavier’s right arm.It was daytime on the French Riviera and, despite his presence at the highest minimum Baccarat table, Xavier’s time there had already grown boring.He’d had his fill of fine meals and certainly enjoyed his romps with beautiful, store-bought women.He’d gambled away nearly a quarter-of-a-million euro but, especially without that little shit Garcia around, even such a loss wasn’t enough to get his blood moving.Was this how life was going to be now that he’d toppled Navarro? Was it going to be a struggle to find something to get him off?He already knew he could have damn near any woman he wanted.And killing didn’t do it anymore—oh, sure, the occasional murder was a useful tool, but Xavier wasn’t a savage.Sonofabitch, he realized, the realization hitting him again…I’m done.There’s nothing left to conquer.“Monsier?” the croupier asked, gesturing to Xavier’s cards.Xavier stared at a king and a 3 in this thousand-euro hand.He nodded.The bank was showing a jack and a four, meaning a third card was coming for the bank as well.As the croupier went to the shoe, Xavier could feel his phone vibrating inside his jacket.He ignored it, glancing around the half-empty casino, pondering what to do next.Earlier in the day he’d briefly flirted with changing his yachting plans, thinking of crossing the Ligurian Sea to La Spezia, in Italy.He possessed a few arm’s length La Cosa Nostra contacts there and, on his last visit, had secretly bedded the local don’s seventeen-year-old daughter.Unquenchable and deliciously curious about the taboo, she’d clawed his chest upon his leaving, vowing to Xavier that he could take her anytime he pleased, even after her papa had pledged her hand.“A good way to get killed,” Xavier whispered to himself, remembering Camilo and the lobster cracker.He glanced down to see a 3, a loser, as the croupier slid the stack of chips away.The phone buzzed again.“Joder,” Xavier muttered, retrieving his phone with one hand as he waved his other hand over the table.Once he was beyond the red velvet rope, he glanced at the number, not immediately recognizing it.“Yeah?”“Señor, this is El Toro.I was told to call you directly.”“Right,” Xavier said, using his curt “don’t waste my time” tone of voice with his underling.“I told him to have you call me.Speak.”“Well, señor, it is an honor to finally talk with you after so long,” El Toro said with annoying and highly obsequious gravitas.“Skip the dramatic salutations and just bring me up to speed.I’m quite busy.” Xavier winked at a bikini-clad woman who was passing by with her male companion, headed from the pool to the elevators.“The son is gone, señor.”“Then it’s done,” Xavier said with finality, his thumb preparing to end the call.“Please, wait, señor, there’s one other thing.”“Hurry,” Xavier snapped, focusing on the derriere of a lady who’d just taken a seat at his baccarat table.“Señor, it’s the American, the most recent one who was brought in, the one who we took the signal from.”“Yeah?”“Señor, under advisement from my superior, we are to make him believe that we’re willing to cut a deal with him.”“I heard about this.I want the warden to get the money.”Xavier motioned to the croupier to play the hand without him and ascended the carpeted stairs, looking at the rear pool and the assemblage of hot-tubs arranged in a pattern.There were a number of oiled women sunning themselves and suddenly he didn’t feel quite as jaded with his vacation.“Señor, should we trust her to handle this?”“She knows what will happen if she screws up.”“Yes, but I have never truly—”“I already told Vasco this,” Xavier said, cutting him off.“Do it my way.”“Of course, señor.It will be done.And it has been good to—”Xavier clicked the phone off as El Toro was speaking.He headed back to his table, deciding that he would play another hand or two before donning his swim trunks and bathing in the sun.The sight of the thong bikinis had gotten his blood moving.Chapter TwentyThere had only been a brief gap of time since Gage had told Capitana de la Mancha that he would not make a call to retrieve the money.Since then, she’d done a poor job in remaining calm, crossing the room to a wet bar, running water in a tumbler and guzzling it so fast a stream ran down her neck and into her blouse, temporarily marking it with a dark stain.She must not have feared him rushing her because she showed him her back, muttering curses in Catalan.While her attention was diverted, Gage flirted with the idea of diving for the other handgun, the one in her drawer [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]