Jet said.
“How can you sleep after all this?” Alejandro asked, frank curiosity in his voice.
Jet considered the last few days – gun battles, the kidnapping, the plane crash, the showdown with Tara, the full-scale war at Dante’s factory – and smiled sweetly.
“It’s been a long week.”
Chapter 16
Santiago, Chile
Leonid ran from the bathroom to where his cell phone trilled and vibrated on the hotel room table. He snatched it up and held it to his ear.
“Yes?”
“Congratulations. Your problem is solved, which means you owe me half a million dollars.”
Leonid absorbed Antonio’s words. “Please explain.”
“Your woman was in a car with two of my enemies. They were being chased on a mountain road and met with an accident in the form of a ten-story drop. They went over, and the truck blew up.”
“Where?”
“About sixty kilometers north of us. A city called San Felipe. The crash took place in the mountains outside of town.”
“I want to see for myself.”
“I thought you might. I have arranged for one of my men to meet you up there and show you the wreck. Or if you want to forego the formality, I have photographs.”
“All due respect, photos don’t tell the whole story.”
“Just so. When would you like to meet my man?”
Leonid checked his watch. “How long will it take to get there?”
“No more than an hour.”
“Where do I meet him?”
“I’ll send someone to pick you up. I presume you’re staying at the hotel where we met, Mr. Ross?”
“That’s correct, but unnecessary. I can make my own way.”
“Ah, yes, but now I feel like I have five hundred thousand reasons to ensure that you don’t encounter any difficulties getting there – or returning.” Antonio’s message was clear: he wasn’t going to let Leonid out of his sight until the wire transfer was completed. It would be too easy for Leonid to verify the woman was dead, and then disappear, having acquired a half million dollars of value for nothing. “I will have a car there in twenty minutes, yes?”
“That’s very gracious of you. However, I have several men who are part of my team who will want to come.”
“The more the merrier. Just see that they’re on their best behavior. We don’t want any misunderstandings, do we?”
“Of course not. Twenty minutes.”
“Look for a white Chevrolet Suburban. The driver’s name is Carl.”
The phone went dead. Leonid called his men and told them to be in the lobby in fifteen minutes and to come armed. He didn’t trust the slick Chilean and wanted some insurance against a possible double cross. But based on the man’s description of the crash, it would be the easiest ten million Leonid had ever made.
But Filipov, the attorney who had contracted the hit, would want definitive proof before he paid, which meant that Leonid had to get it, one way or another. The man wouldn’t take a few snapshots and Leonid’s word for it – he’d want her skull. Which was as it should be, Leonid thought. The customer was always right.
Leonid did a quick calculation of time zones and decided not to call Filipov until he had the evidence he needed in hand. It wouldn’t do to get the attorney’s hopes up only to dash them. No, better to appear on his doorstep with proof in hand and wait for payment in his office. Not that Leonid didn’t trust him, but prudence dictated that he eliminate any temptation not to pay, and it would be impossible to argue with Leonid parked in the man’s office with a body bag or a test tube containing the last of the woman’s essence.
Carl was on time and showed no interest in talking, which was fine by Leonid. Half an hour outside town, they were blinded by police cruisers in the road. Spotlights roved over the Suburban as it drew to a stop. A uniformed officer took Carl’s ID and radioed it in, and Leonid eyed his men in the back seat, who appeared relaxed, but who he knew all had their fingers on their pistol triggers out of
“How can you sleep after all this?” Alejandro asked, frank curiosity in his voice.
Jet considered the last few days – gun battles, the kidnapping, the plane crash, the showdown with Tara, the full-scale war at Dante’s factory – and smiled sweetly.
“It’s been a long week.”
Chapter 16
Santiago, Chile
Leonid ran from the bathroom to where his cell phone trilled and vibrated on the hotel room table. He snatched it up and held it to his ear.
“Yes?”
“Congratulations. Your problem is solved, which means you owe me half a million dollars.”
Leonid absorbed Antonio’s words. “Please explain.”
“Your woman was in a car with two of my enemies. They were being chased on a mountain road and met with an accident in the form of a ten-story drop. They went over, and the truck blew up.”
“Where?”
“About sixty kilometers north of us. A city called San Felipe. The crash took place in the mountains outside of town.”
“I want to see for myself.”
“I thought you might. I have arranged for one of my men to meet you up there and show you the wreck. Or if you want to forego the formality, I have photographs.”
“All due respect, photos don’t tell the whole story.”
“Just so. When would you like to meet my man?”
Leonid checked his watch. “How long will it take to get there?”
“No more than an hour.”
“Where do I meet him?”
“I’ll send someone to pick you up. I presume you’re staying at the hotel where we met, Mr. Ross?”
“That’s correct, but unnecessary. I can make my own way.”
“Ah, yes, but now I feel like I have five hundred thousand reasons to ensure that you don’t encounter any difficulties getting there – or returning.” Antonio’s message was clear: he wasn’t going to let Leonid out of his sight until the wire transfer was completed. It would be too easy for Leonid to verify the woman was dead, and then disappear, having acquired a half million dollars of value for nothing. “I will have a car there in twenty minutes, yes?”
“That’s very gracious of you. However, I have several men who are part of my team who will want to come.”
“The more the merrier. Just see that they’re on their best behavior. We don’t want any misunderstandings, do we?”
“Of course not. Twenty minutes.”
“Look for a white Chevrolet Suburban. The driver’s name is Carl.”
The phone went dead. Leonid called his men and told them to be in the lobby in fifteen minutes and to come armed. He didn’t trust the slick Chilean and wanted some insurance against a possible double cross. But based on the man’s description of the crash, it would be the easiest ten million Leonid had ever made.
But Filipov, the attorney who had contracted the hit, would want definitive proof before he paid, which meant that Leonid had to get it, one way or another. The man wouldn’t take a few snapshots and Leonid’s word for it – he’d want her skull. Which was as it should be, Leonid thought. The customer was always right.
Leonid did a quick calculation of time zones and decided not to call Filipov until he had the evidence he needed in hand. It wouldn’t do to get the attorney’s hopes up only to dash them. No, better to appear on his doorstep with proof in hand and wait for payment in his office. Not that Leonid didn’t trust him, but prudence dictated that he eliminate any temptation not to pay, and it would be impossible to argue with Leonid parked in the man’s office with a body bag or a test tube containing the last of the woman’s essence.
Carl was on time and showed no interest in talking, which was fine by Leonid. Half an hour outside town, they were blinded by police cruisers in the road. Spotlights roved over the Suburban as it drew to a stop. A uniformed officer took Carl’s ID and radioed it in, and Leonid eyed his men in the back seat, who appeared relaxed, but who he knew all had their fingers on their pistol triggers out of
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