Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rafael sat with his buyers at a large round table in a corner of the hotel’s five-star restaurant. Karolyi Potapov was into his second bottle of vodka and what had to be his tenth story of the night. He was currently slurring his way through some ridiculous tale about his family somehow being related to the infamous Romanovs.

Such a ridiculous notion.

The other men—Santiago, Fontanelli, and Garavano—didn’t seem to mind, as long as the waitress kept refilling their drinks. With top-shelf alcohol, of course.

He turned his wrist to check his watch.

“Well, gentlemen, I must leave you to the festivities.” The festivities being the four young women set to meet them in a large suite upstairs. “I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

“You will to keep us updated, da?” Though Potapov posed it as a question in his broken English, it was definitely a demand .

“Of course.” He set his napkin on the table, pushed his chair back, and stood. “Have a good evening, gentlemen.”

They dismissed him with their silence.

Rafael started walking out of the restaurant and glanced over at Lorenzo, who’d arrived a short time ago. A few minutes later, they met at the main entrance to the hotel, where the valet stood in a red, hooded raincoat.

“Here you go.” He pulled his money clip from his pocket, slipped out several hundred-peso bills and exchanged them for the key fob to his Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. “Thank you for parking it beneath the overhang.”

The valet’s eyes lit up, and his mouth gaped at the wad of cash in his hands.

He’d promised a healthy tip if the kid left his car near the front entrance and kept a close eye on it.

“Gracias, se?or.” He’d just been given the equivalent of fifty US dollars, which was probably more than he made in a week.

“Mine’s the black Suburban.” Lorenzo handed his claim ticket to the valet.

The kid grabbed the key fob from beneath the podium and dashed out into the heavy rain to retrieve Lorenzo’s vehicle.

“Is everything arranged for tomorrow?” Rafael spoke as he circled to the driver’s side of the car. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the storm .

“The boat is fueled up and ready to go.” Lorenzo glanced around and stepped closer. “The bar is stocked, and the hors d’oeuvres will be taken aboard just prior to their arrival at the marina.”

“Good.” Rafael opened the car door. “And what of Paloma? Has she been helpful?”

“Sure, I guess.” Lorenzo seemed hesitant.

“Even though she is my daughter, I would prefer the truth from you.” Last thing he wanted was for her to get in the way and create additional problems.

“She seems eager to learn, and she certainly asks a lot of questions—”

“But?”

“Are you not suspicious of her sudden attitude change regarding your business? Also, and I mean no offense, of her attitude change toward you?” he continued. “Only a short time ago she wanted nothing to do with either. Are you certain you can trust her?”

“I never fully trust anyone.” After all these years working for him, Lorenzo should know that. “Having said that, I am willing to give her a chance, and her being on the boat and playing hostess to the buyers’ representatives seemed like a good place to start. Especially since I will be there to oversee everything.”

“That is another thing, sir. Do you think it wise for you to go with us tomorrow?” From the beginning, Lorenzo had been concerned about that detail. “Perhaps it would be best if you remained behind at the hotel with the buyers.”

“No.” He refused to spend any more time with those boorish men than absolutely necessary. “I’ve made arrangements to have the payment electronically deposited the moment the transfer of property occurs, and I want to be there to ensure that happens.”

“Will you at least carry a weapon?” Lorenzo’s tone was insistent.

“If it will make you more comfortable, I will carry my pistol.” He would take the pearl-handled Colt revolver Julieta gave him for his fiftieth birthday. She’d liked how shiny the nickel plating was.

It had been a while since Rafael had killed anyone himself, but he wouldn’t hesitate to do so if necessary.

“Good.” Lorenzo nodded.

“What of our other … issue?” The person or persons trying to destroy Rafael’s organization.

“I found out that the American didn’t just happen to be at the bar the night the Alcarez brothers disappeared—he’s a regular. So I spent the evening sitting in my car down the street until he finally showed up.” He held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I made sure he didn’t see me. Let’s face it, if by some strange chance that drunk is the one taking out my men, I can guarantee you he knows who I am. Hell, I’m sure I’m on his list.” He chuckled at the thought. “My source said he was a big man, and he was right. But he’s got shaggy hair and dresses like some sort of beach bum.” He pulled a blue, plastic lighter and a tarnished silver cigarette case from his inside coat pocket. He flipped it open and gently pulled one of his hand-rolled cigarettes from beneath the clip. “Anyway, there were other people in the bar, so rather than draw attention, I figured I’d wait until he left, follow him, and then take him out. Might as well play it safe, right? About ten minutes after he walked in, some hot chick with long braids showed up and—”

“Is there a point to this rather long and laboriously detailed story?” Rafael asked.

“She went inside and came back out a few minutes later, with him not far behind.” Lorenzo wedged the cigarette at the corner of his mouth. “They exchanged a few words I couldn’t hear, then started making out, right in the middle of the street.” He flicked on the lighter, cupped his hand around the end of the cigarette to light it, and inhaled a solid breath. He tilted his head back and blew smoke in the air. “They did that for a few minutes, then he got in his truck and she followed him in a minivan. I followed them as far as I could but had to break off so they wouldn’t spot me.”

“Dammit.” Rafael thumped the hood of his car with the butt of his fist. “You are certain neither of them saw you?”

“Yes.” Lorenzo held the cigarette between two fingers and picked a speck of tobacco from the tip of his tongue.

“And you are certain we need not worry about him? ”

“My source told me he’s at that pub a lot and just sits in the corner alone, drinking. He’s there so much he’s friends with the owner.” He took a long draw on the cigarette and blew it out. “I just can’t believe he’s capable of taking out my men. But if it will ease your concerns, I will head back there, find him, and—”

“No. Do not do anything.” If the US government connected Rafael or anyone within his organization to the murder of any of its citizens, no amount of money in the world would protect them from the hellfire that would rain down upon them. “If you truly believe he is not someone we need to worry about, then I will trust your judgment. However, Lorenzo, if you are wrong, I will hold you personally responsible. Is that understood?”

Headlights from Lorenzo’s SUV appeared on the far side of the parking lot as it made its way to the circular driveway leading to the hotel’s main entrance.

“Yes, sir.” Lorenzo took another long pull on his cigarette, then blew out the smoke as he dropped it on the blacktop and ground it out with the toe of his boot.

The SUV rolled to a stop in front of the doors. The kid put it in park and hopped out.

“I will see you in the morning.” Rafael opened the car door, settled onto the supple leather seat, and drove off.

In less than twenty-four hours, Rafael’s financial concerns would be laid to rest. Then he would focus his attention on finding the people responsible for the near-destruction of his organization.