Savage Redemption (The Caraksay Brotherhood #10)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

A dan

The heat hits me the moment I emerge onto the tarmac at Aeropuerto Tenerife Sur-Reina Sofia , the main airport serving the south of the island. I navigate my way through immigration control, courtesy of the forged passport kindly provided a year ago by Bartosz. I just brought hand luggage with me, so I skirt past the carousel thronging with excited tourists from all corners of Europe and head for the outside.

There’s no car waiting; I didn’t phone ahead so they’re not expecting me.

I could head for either the yacht or the hacienda. I opt for the hacienda and hop in a taxi. Of the two, my gut tells me that Bartosz might be marginally more amenable to reason with than his boss.

Half an hour later, we arrive at the main gates, which are locked, of course.

“I drop you here, se?or ,” the driver announces. “That will be thirty euros.”

I hand him a fifty and get out. He doesn’t offer me any change and disappears in a cloud of dust.

There’s a buzzer on the gatepost, so I press it and wait.

Less than a minute later, two guards appear in a somewhat elderly sedan. They emerge, guns at the ready.

“Esta es propiedad privada ,” one of them announces, warning me off with an ominous wave of his firearm.

I respond in English. “I’m here to see Mr Bartosz.”

The second guard steps forward, scowling. He answers me in stilted English. “Is he expecting you? No one tell us.”

“Tell him Adan San Antonio is here. He’ll see me.” I hope .

The guard radios the main house. A brief conversation ensues, then he steps forward and keys a code into the gate locking mechanism. The two halves slide apart on well-oiled runners.

“Come with us.”

His mate opens the rear door of their sedan and gestures me to get in. I sling my holdall onto the seat and follow it inside.

We pass lush meadows on either side of the sandy driveway. Clearly, Bartosz is not unduly concerned by the usual local restrictions on the sparing use of water — the sprinklers are in full swing. A dozen or so sleek Arabian horses chomp on the abundant grass.

I’m deposited at the foot of the stairs leading to the front entrance. The place hasn’t changed much in the year since I last saw it. It’s a graceful house constructed over two storeys with a wraparound veranda, elegant but not overly ostentatious. Several outhouses surround the property, stables I daresay, along with garaging for the vehicles.

“This way.” One of the guards nudges me with the barrel of his gun. “Se?or Bartosz is waiting.”

I obey, mounting the stairs and following the guard into the cool interior while the other one brings up the rear.

I recognise the housekeeper awaiting us in the foyer. “Good afternoon, Se?ora Hernandez. I trust you are well.”

She inclines her chin but remains silent, simply turns and marches away down the hallway, the three of us filing along behind her.

She reaches a door at the end and turns to face us. “Se?or Bartosz is expecting you.” She opens the door and stands aside to allow me to pass.

I thank her and enter Bartosz’s office.

Bartosz regards me from behind his huge, ornately carved desk. Kristian Kaminski lounges in a winged burgundy leather Chesterfield chair in front of the desk, his ankles casually crossed. I seem to have caught two birds with one stone.

“Good day, gentlemen,” I say and bow politely.

“San Antonio,” Bartosz growls. “This is unexpected.” His arctic tone suggests my presence is also an unwelcome intrusion into their world.

“I was keen to speak with you. I hope you can forgive me arriving unannounced.” Might as well try a little humble pie, at least to start with.

“That remains to be seen. What do you want?” Bartosz eyes me with undisguised suspicion.

I don’t beat about the bush. “You have been paid the money we agreed. I consider our arrangement to be concluded.”

“It’s concluded when I say it is.” This from Kaminsky.

“The ransom was five million,” I remind them. “Paid in full, along with your original stake of fifty thousand.”

“What makes you think we’ll be satisfied with that?” Kaminski demands.

“May I?” I gesture to the matching Chesterfield sofa on the opposite side of the office.

Kaminski waves his hand in agreement, so I take a seat. “I’m here to offer you a better deal.”

Kaminski’s eyes narrow. “What deal?”

“A partnership.”

“We don’t need partners,” Bartosz snarls.

“We all need partners,” I correct him. “You know by now I can make money for you. Good money. And fast.”

“And you will continue to do so,” he says.

I deliberately harden my gaze. I’m done with being affable. “No, I won’t. We’re square, I’m done.”

“That’s a shame. Poor Rosie.” His tone is low, ominous.

“One, I do not believe you will harm her, not now that you’ve been paid. And two, even if you did decide to do so, I suspect you’ll have to get past Ethan Savage first.”

‘Ethan is my ally,” Kaminski informs me. “Rosie is under his protection at my request. I can withdraw that protection as easily as I put it in place.”

Here goes. “Are you sure? Savage does not strike me as a man who is easily convinced to do anything he does not choose to. He likes Rosie and dotes on Erin. You sent her there to keep her safe from me, but as long as she remains on Caraksay she is beyond your reach, too. And perhaps you are not aware, Ethan has reason to be grateful to me, also. I doubt he will allow my family to come to harm.”

“What the fuck?” Kaminski is on his feet. “Ethan Savage wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire!”

“Well, it’s interesting that you should mention fires…” I begin.

Whatever Kaminski might have said next is forestalled by his underboss. “Are you saying you have met with Ethan Savage?”

“I have. I spent a couple of weeks, in fact, on Caraksay getting to know my daughter. I should thank you, Mr Kaminski, for making me aware of her existence.”

“You’re lying. Ethan never lets anyone visit his island.”

“I did not exactly announce my presence, this is true, but secrets have a way of getting out. Are you aware that there was recently a fire in one of the cottages on Caraksay?”

“We are aware, yes,” Bartosz replies. “Two children narrowly escaped with their lives.”

“They escaped because I rescued them. As I have said, Ethan was most appreciative, so much so that he was able to overlook my unorthodox presence in his domain and allowed me to leave to come here. So, you see, the goalposts have shifted considerably since I was last here.”

Kaminski glares at me as the truth of my words sinks in. I follow up with my trump card. “And let us not forget, Rosie and your wife are old friends. Even if you could square it all with Ethan, how will Janey react to you threatening her? Harming her or her child?”

I can hear his teeth grinding from here. Bartosz is the one to break the tense silence.

“You mentioned a deal, se?or . What exactly do you have in mind?”

Ah, so we are negotiating at last. “You agree to leave me and my family alone, and I will offer you first refusal on a range of lucrative investment opportunities.”

“What opportunities?” Bartosz wonders.

“Currently I am looking at a variety of property development options. Retail outlets in the main in European capital cities. Rome is first, then likely Paris and Brussels. You know I can pull this off, the question is, do you want to be a part of it?”

“Why would I trust you, San Antonio? You’re a lying, self-serving lowlife who already tried to kill me once.”

“We’ve all moved on since then, Kaminski. My agenda has shifted.”

“Mine hasn’t, and you’re a risk I’m not prepared to take.” He glances at the door. “Guards,” he shouts.

My two surly companions from earlier must have been waiting right outside. They burst in.

“Take him downstairs,” Kaminski orders. He levels a cold smile at me. “I thought you’d be back. We kept your old cell warm for you.”

The guards grab me and haul me towards the door.

I still try to reason with him. “You need to talk to Ethan, Kaminski. Don’t be a fool.”

“Fuck you. Enjoy your stay. It won’t be a long one this time. I thank you for the five million, but I’m afraid you’ve outlived any usefulness you may once have had.”

I make one last attempt to appeal to his second-in-command. “Bartosz, you need to?—”

Bartosz shakes his head. “Get him out of here.”

Rosie

“It’s been four days and not a word from him.” I take Erin from Eva and hug her to me. “I should have heard from him by now.”

Calm as ever, Eva does her best. “Four days isn’t long. It would have taken him a day to get there.”

I shake my head. “It’s only a four-hour flight. He should have been there and back by now.”

“Please, try not to worry,” Eva replies. “Give him time.”

I can’t ignore the gnawing in the pit of my stomach, this unshakeable dread. Something is horribly wrong. “He’s in danger, I know it. I can feel it.”

My dad manages to keep his opinions to himself, just, but his expression speaks volumes. He sincerely hopes we may have seen the last of Adan San Antonio. I’m not rising to it. I’m done talking, it’s time I did something.

“I need to go after him, find out what’s happened.”

Now my dad does have plenty to say. “No! No way are you going there. That lot, they’re… they’re fucking criminals. It’s too dangerous.”

I ignore him. “Could you look after Erin, please? I’m going to talk to Mr Savage.” I pass her to Eva.

“He’ll tell you the same as I just did,” my dad announces to my back as I head for the door.

He may be right, he usually is. But I have to try.

“I’m sorry, Miss Darke. He isn’t here.” The man — Tony, I think — seated at Ethan’s desk looks up when I enter the office, demanding to see his boss. “Can I help at all?”

I shake my head. “When will he be back?”

“I’m not sure. Tomorrow, perhaps.”

“I need to speak to him. Do you have his phone number?”

“I’m sorry, miss. That’s not information I can give out. I could pass on a message, perhaps.”

“No. I need to speak to him.”

“That’s not possible today. Are you sure I can’t?—?”

“I need to go to the mainland,” I blurt. “Now.”

His brow furrows. “May I ask why, miss?”

I think fast. “Shopping. I need to buy a present for… for Eva. It’s her birthday next week.” At least that much is true. “I need to go to Glasgow.”

“Why the urgency?” he persists. “If it’s not until next week?”

“I ordered a pair of earrings. They’ll only hold them until today.” Such a slick liar. Where did I get this talent from?

Tony’s eyes narrow. Maybe I’m not such an accomplished liar after all. He clearly doesn’t believe me.

“Look, if you like, I can take a guard with me. Do you have anyone to spare?”

“No, I’m afraid not. Ethan took most of the men with him.”

That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I summon up my finest disappointed expression. “Please, surely, I can just nip over. I won’t be long, and I’m not a prisoner here. Am I?”

“No, you’re not. But I’m responsible for your safety.”

“Just there and straight back,” I plead.

There’s a pause, then, “Okay. As it happens, Magda will be flying over on the school run in an hour. She can drop you off, you do your shopping and be ready for her to pick you up half an hour later. Will that do?”

“Yes! That’s brilliant. An hour, you said?”

“An hour. Be out on the forecourt ready to go.”

I thank him and dart from the room. I have stuff to do, and only one hour to do it in.