That twisted his arm, and he gave us this address and a time — which is five minutes from now. His only stipulation was that we would both be unarmed, which I half expected, if I’m honest. It’s pretty common when two people in our world meet on business for them to show a certain level of professional courtesy and respect toward each other to compensate for the understandable lack of trust.
So we laid low, grabbed another bite to eat, and eventually made our way here.
As I’ve said, by all accounts The European has somewhat of a reputation for being a world-class piece of shit, but there’s no denying the man’s skills as a professional. He’s an all-rounder, adept in most methods of killing. He’s still young, compared to me at least, but he’s experienced and effective. Potential allies are few and far between at the moment, and if I can get him on board, we’ll be in a good position to move forward with my plan.
And I’m sure twenty million dollars will help convince him, if he’s reluctant.
That said, despite everything that’s happening at the moment I’ve not forgotten the fundamentals that gave me my reputation, either. Namely, my almost-perpetual cynicism and overwhelming distrust of anyone and everyone.
I’m looking over at the club, which is a nice building, as I’ve said. It’s a corner plot, with one main entrance guarded by a huge doorman. Presumably there’s a back entrance, too, but that’s it. No other way in or out. I have to assume The European is familiar with the place — Ruby said he’s been working exclusively for some gangster in the city, so he’s definitely going to know the area better than me. I’ll be meeting him on his turf, in his own backyard…
I don’t like it.
I was prepared for Jonas, using myself as bait to get to him. Ruby was pretty straightforward because if I had any doubts about her, I could simply leave her in her cell. But this guy… I don’t know… he’s got my spider sense jumping all over the place.
“You want me to go in and meet with him?” Ruby asks, presumably noting my visible hesitation.
I shake my head. “No, this is my responsibility. I just like to know everything about a new situation before I put myself in the middle of it is all.”
“What’s to know? He said he was interested in the work and said to meet him here to discuss it.”
“Yeah, I know…”
“But…?”
I smile and turn to look at her. “But… I don’t like it. Just my gut feeling.”
“Are you sure that’s not you ovulating?”
I roll my eyes. “Because I’m a pussy… Yeah, yeah — I get it. No, it’s because I’m incredibly good at what I do. I haven’t survived at the top of this business for as long as I have by being reckless, that’s all I’m saying.”
Which is a complete lie. I’ve survived at the top of this business for as long as I have because of Josh despite my borderline suicidal levels of recklessness.
But I’m not going to tell her that and ruin a perfectly good point.
She holds her hands up. “Alright, take it easy. So what do you want to do?”
I shrug. “I’ve no option but to go inside to meet him. I want you to stay here, out of sight. Give it fifteen minutes, and if there’s no sign. Come in, armed.” I fix her a look, staring right in her eyes. “I hope there won’t be any confusion or misplaced loyalties, should it come down to it.”
She shakes her head and shrugs casually. “Please… I have no loyalty to either of you. But you’re paying me a lot of zeroes to have your back, and he’s not. There’s my loyalty, okay?”
“Fair enough.” I reach behind me, take out the gun I stole from the cop, and hand it to Ruby, which she takes without question. “Right, I’m going in.”
I nod courteously to the doorman as I pass him and walk into the bar. The interior is artificially lit, but it’s bright and looks pleasant enough. It has a blue and green theme throughout, with neon highlights decorating the bar area. Tall bar stools are positioned around columns to the right as I enter.
There’s a small step down, and then the place opens up, expanding back with chairs surrounding tables down the middle and left side. The right is taken up by the bar, with the restrooms just beyond that.
The bar is half-full. Probably a bit early for the evening crowds to descend. I scan the room and see a mixture of people enjoying their drinks — a group of young women off to the left, some couples on the right, a large party in the middle laughing together… and one man sitting alone with his back to me, wearing a suit I can tell from here is worth a small fortune. Tailored with a shine, light gray in color.
There he is.
I take a breath and walk over, fighting to retain what little diplomacy I have left. I don’t like it, but I need him on my side in this, so I have to play this delicately.
I draw level with him, stopping and pointing to the seat opposite. “Join you?”
He looks up and smiles. “But of course.” His voice sounds slimy and fake, and his accent has a hint of French mixed in with it. “It is good to see you, Adrian.”
I smile humorlessly as I sit down. “I bet.”
“Please… There is no need for any hostilities between colleagues. Can I get you a drink?”
I hold my hand up. “I’m good, thanks.”
He nods. “Of course. Straight to business, then?”
I regard him for a moment. He’s a good looking guy, no denying that. Clean shaven with chiseled, boyish features. Thick, dark, styled hair, and… has he had a manicure? Christ!
In addition to his fancy suit, he’s wearing a black silk shirt with the top two buttons open. Resting on the table in front of him is a set of keys. There’s a keychain on it with the Ferrari logo.
He sees me looking and smiles. “It’s in the parking lot out back. The 488 Spider in British racing green. A beautiful machine. Zero to sixty in a fraction under three seconds. Six-sixty under the hood. It sounds like… like a tiger riding a bat out of hell.” He laughs to himself.
Prick.
I don’t care about your car, you fucking arrogant douche!
I clench my jaw muscles.
Relax, Adrian. You need to stay calm.
I sigh and offer a weak smile. “You should be a car salesman.”
He laughs again, clapping his hands together. “There’s that famous sarcasm of yours. Tell me, how is your British friend doing these days? John, isn’t it?”
“Josh. And he’s fine. Bit busy at the moment, though.”
He nods. “So what brings you to my city?”
“Your city? Okay… I’m here to offer you some work.”
“I already have plenty of work, thank you.”
“Mine will pay better, trust me.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know… I am paid very well.”
“Not this well.”
He strokes his chin for a moment in silence. “How much are we talking?”
I frown. “Aren’t you interested in what the job is first?”
He shakes his head. “I am interested in what the job is worth to me. For the right price, I will kill anyone. I do not care who.”
“Okay. Twenty million.”
A slight look of surprise reaches his eyes, betraying his otherwise calm and collected demeanor. “Dollars?”
“Yup.”
“That is an impressive payout. And this is just my share?”
I nod. “Everyone on the team gets the same twenty million, yeah.”
“And who do you have on this… team? Besides my darling Ruby, obviously.”
I roll my eyes. “So far, just her and a guy from New Hampshire called Jonas Briggs. Got one more stop to make after we’ve finished here, and then I can start planning the details. Are you interested enough to sign up?”