Devil in a Black Suit: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “Yes…you did.”

  He smiled, and they started down the hallway to Manetto’s office. “Are you ready for today?” Shelby nodded, but from her hesitation he could tell she wasn’t too happy to be there. “Hey, this meeting should be easy. You probably won’t even have to say anything.”

  “Oh. That’s good to know. So how are things with you? Are the ribs all healed up?”

  “Yes. I’m back to one hundred percent.”

  “Good to hear.” Her forehead wrinkled with concern, and her lips quirked into a frown, but she didn’t say anything.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Oh…I’m just…you know…concerned.”

  “About what?”

  “Um…well…you haven’t heard from Sloan lately, have you? Not that I’m prying or anything, but you know she hasn’t got your best interests at heart, so I hope if you do hear from her, you’ll tell her to get lost.”

  Ramos hid a smile. “No, I haven’t heard from her.” Then he thought it’s nice to know you care.

  She got a little flustered, but shrugged it off and smiled. “You know it.”

  They reached Manetto’s door and strode inside, finding Manetto on the phone. He hung up and smiled at them. “Thanks for coming Shelby. Colin King will be here in a few minutes.” He rubbed his hands together, and Ramos knew from experience that it meant he was looking forward to the meeting, especially with Shelby on his side.

  “Let me tell you what this is all about,” he began. “I’m thinking of selling a piece of property that I’ve been sitting on for a long time. I got an offer a few days ago from King’s company to buy it. The location isn’t the best for development, so I thought I might as well cash it in. But I want to know if he has any ulterior motives, and if it’s a good idea.”

  “Okay,” Shelby said. “Makes sense to me.”

  “Good. Let’s sit down at the table.”

  While they got settled, Ramos stood at the door, watching for King. Manetto had told Ramos to stick around, just to make King sweat a little, and Ramos never objected to playing his part. Manetto had never met King, but his reputation as a slick operator had preceded him, and Manetto wanted to make sure King knew who was boss.

  A moment later, King entered the office, wearing a business suit and sporting a short beard, heavily doused with gray. He carried a leather briefcase and walked in like he owned the place. Ramos could see that he was definitely someone who knew how to sweet talk his way around the business elite.

  Ramos took an instant dislike to King’s cocky attitude, but knowing Shelby would make mincemeat out of him lightened his animosity. Even so, Ramos wasn’t about to be nice, and he sent King a hard stare before ushering him into the room.

  Keeping up appearances, he stepped inside as well and shut the door behind them. Then he stood against the door with his feet braced in a watchful stance to set the tone. King sent him a wary glance before greeting Manetto.

  “Thanks for coming,” Manetto began, standing and offering his hand to shake. “This is one of my financial planners, Shelby Nichols.”

  By her widened eyes, Ramos knew that the introduction as a financial planner had taken Shelby by surprise. Which, considering her mind-reading abilities, was a hard thing to accomplish. Still, her lips turned up into a quick smile, and she graciously shook the hand he offered.

  “Nice to meet you, Shelby,” King said. “Who do you work for?”

  Shelby’s brows drew together in confusion. “Uh…him,” she said, pointing to Manetto.

  “Oh, of course,” King said. “I just thought you might work for one of the investment firms as well, like Life Funding, or AmeriPrize?”

  Shelby shook her head. “Nope. Just him.”

  “Let’s take a look at your proposal,” Manetto said, taking charge of the conversation. Ramos tried not to smile, but Shelby must have picked up his amusement because she sent him a frown. He winked at her, but otherwise kept a straight face. She glanced up at the ceiling, but kept from rolling her eyes, impressing him with her restraint.

  King didn’t waste any time. He pulled out a large file and proceeded to go over each page. Ramos could tell that King had done his research, and he brought some compelling facts in favor of the sale. Still, Ramos hoped Shelby picked up what was really going on, because this guy had to be hiding something.

  After showing them the worth of comparable lots, and offering Manetto a sum of one-point-five million for his property, Shelby spoke up. “Why do you want this property so much?”

  “I’m looking for investors to develop the area,” King answered. “It’s not much now, but I’m hoping in about one to two years I’ll have a plan in place to attract a big company who’s looking to expand. But before I can pitch it to anyone, I have to acquire the property. As I’m sure you’re aware, this also means I’m taking all the risk, because the location isn’t prime real estate at the moment. So…under the circumstances, I think I’m offering you a great deal.”

  Shelby nodded, but her eyes glazed over, and Ramos knew she was listening to his thoughts.

  A few minutes later, Manetto stood and ended the meeting. “Thanks for coming, King. After I talk it over with Shelby, I’ll let you know what I decide to do.”

  “Oh…sure.” King said, standing. His confused gaze that he’d been dismissed so quickly came to rest on Shelby. “Uh…it was nice to meet you, Shelby. I hope you’ll advise Mr. Manetto to take the deal. He won’t find a better one for that piece of land.”

  “I’ll be in touch,” Manetto said, dismissing him before Shelby could say anything.

  Ramos opened the door and ushered King out, then came back inside and sat down, eager to hear Shelby’s take on the situation.

  “Okay, Shelby, what did you get?” Manetto asked.

  “Well, first off, I think King has an inside track to a development. From what I could gather, I think it has something to do with a metro station.” She shook her head and let out a breath. “It’s a little confusing, but I did see a picture in his head that looked like a drawing of a bunch of buildings next to some tracks.”

  “Like a mixed-use development?” Manetto asked. “A lot of times, when they put in a new metro line, they look around for adjoining property to build apartments or condos, and stores for shopping, that sort of thing. Is that what you saw?”

  “You know, that might be it,” Shelby agreed. “King has been buying up all the property in that area, so it makes sense.”

  Manetto smiled. “Did you pick up anything about who gave him this information?”

  “He kept thinking about his partner at the transit authority, so it must have come from there. I only got a first name, Richard, but it sounds like they do this sort of thing a lot. I think Richard works for the transit authority, so he has the inside track about where they’re going to put stops on the metro line. He passes that on to King, who can then buy up all the property before it becomes public knowledge. Oh…and I caught that they were silent partners, whatever that means.”

  “That’s good information. Has he already bought the adjacent properties?”

  “Yes, I think so. But he wants yours the most, because it’s the biggest piece of land. It’s also the key to his success in selling the whole package to investors to develop the area.”

  Manetto let out his breath, then a satisfied smile tilted his lips. “It’s nice to have the inside scoop. I can definitely work with that. Thanks, Shelby. See? You are a financial advisor. One of the best. Am I right?”

  Shelby smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “If you say so.”

  Manetto nodded. “Then I guess that’s all for today. Thanks for coming in.”

  “You bet.” Shelby stood. The smile stayed on her face, and Ramos could tell that she had enjoyed using her talents. She caught his gaze and nodded. “I do enjoy it, mostly because that guy was trying to pull something over on us.”

  “True,” Ramos agreed. He wasn’t about to point out that Manetto wasn’t much different a
nd ruin her sense of fairness. She must have heard that from his mind though, because her widened gaze caught his, and her lips twisted into a pout, but she just shook her head and stood.

  Manetto thanked her again, and Ramos opened the door. He walked her down the hall to make sure King wasn’t sticking around to ambush her. With the coast clear, he turned to her. “See…that wasn’t so bad.”

  “You’re right. I guess I shouldn’t be so nervous about working for Uncle Joey. I mean…most of the time nothing bad happens, so I should remember those times instead of all the other times.”

  “Exactly,” Ramos agreed. “And he’s not so bad for a mob-boss.”

  Shelby nodded, but he didn’t think she was convinced of that fact. Maybe someday she’d realize that, of all the mob-bosses, Manetto was probably one of the better ones to work for. At least Manetto wasn’t as ruthless as most. And he didn’t kill a lot of people. “Bye Shelby.”

  She chuckled. “Bye.” As the elevator doors slid shut, she sent him an appreciative smile.

  He hurried back to Manetto’s office and took a seat in front of his desk. “That went well.”

  “Yes it did,” Manetto said, a satisfied smile on his face. “We need to find out exactly who King’s partner is. But that shouldn’t be too hard now that we know his name is Richard and that he works for the transit authority. This is good.”

  “Want me to get started on that?” Ramos asked.

  “Yes I do. Once we know more, we can meet with King again and make him a proposition he can’t refuse. I’m pretty certain that what he’s doing is illegal, but I’ll check with my property attorney just to make sure.”

  Ramos got to work, spending the rest of the day looking into King’s dealings and making a few phone calls. At the end of the day, he had the partner’s full name and all the pertinent details. He joined Manetto in his office.

  “This is the guy,” Ramos said. “I’m sure you’ll recognize the name now. He’s that real estate developer who got appointed to the transit authority by the state legislature. It all looks pretty dirty to me.”

  “I think you’re right. It’s also enough information for me to ask for more money, or even get in on the development. What do you think I should do? Develop or sell?”

  Ramos shrugged. “It depends on how involved you want to be with these guys. Developing the property might make you a lot more money in the long run. But if he already has investors, it might be easier to just ask for more money now.”

  “That’s true,” Manetto agreed. “I’m already up to my neck in the Riverside Plaza Development and that new grocery store next to it. I think I’ll just go for the money.”

  “Makes sense to me.”

  “I’ll have Jackie set up a meeting with King for tomorrow morning.”

  “Do you want Shelby to come?” Ramos asked.

  “Hmm. Maybe not this time. There’s not much more she can tell us that we don’t already know, and I hate for her to see too much of my bad side.”

  Ramos chuckled and shook his head. “All right. See you tomorrow.”

  The next day, Ramos looked forward to their meeting with King. Trying to pull one over on Manetto was never a good idea, and putting him in his place would be sweet revenge. King showed up looking hopeful that he could make the deal.

  Ramos almost wished Shelby was there, just to know how badly King wanted Manetto’s property so they could get more money out of him, but he had to agree that Manetto had a point about keeping the worst side of their business from her. She already had plenty of misgivings about working for Manetto without knowing all the details.

  “Thanks for inviting me back,” King began, sitting down. “Are you ready to sell?”

  “Yes, I think I am,” Manetto answered. “But I’ve come across some information that’s a little disturbing. Maybe you can clear it up?”

  “Uh, sure,” King said. His enthusiasm turned to wariness, and he sat up straighter in his chair.

  “Good. Then I won’t beat around the bush. I’ve found out that you have a silent partner who just so happens to work for the transit authority. It looks like he has the inside track to assigning metro stops in specific areas where you’re buying up the properties. That could make both of you a lot of money.”

  King’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

  “As I’m sure you know, there is some concern about the legality of your whole set-up. So here’s what I’m going to do. Since my property is central to your plans, you can either pay me what I think it’s worth, or I can call a certain nosy reporter and tell her my suspicions. Anonymously of course. I don’t imagine your silent partner would be thrilled to know he’s been found out. Just think…you could both end up in jail.”

  “What? How did you…this is insane. There’s no connection between the two of us. There’s no way you could prove any of it.”

  “I think you might be mistaken,” Manetto replied. “I have resources in places you don’t even know about. Do you really want to take me on?”

  King swallowed and let out his breath. “All right. What do you propose?”

  “I’m willing to sell you the property, but at a higher cost.”

  “How much?” he asked.

  Manetto’s lips turned up into a predatory smile, reminding Ramos of a wolf or lion playing with his food before going in for the kill. “How much do you think it’s worth?”

  King frowned and pursed his lips. He didn’t seem to like being put on the spot. Ramos watched him closely. He’d been studying King just like he would if they were playing poker. It was something he’d always been good at and, from King’s expression, he was pretty sure he’d know if he was bluffing.

  “All right,” King said. “We can go five million, and that’s being generous.”

  Manetto glanced at Ramos. He shook his head.

  “You disappoint me,” Manetto said. “I’m not unreasonable, but if you wish to continue your scheme in the future, I need more than that.”

  King huffed out a breath. “But we need to make some money on this deal. You have to give me that.”

  “Make money? I think you’ll do well to break even, especially if you want to stay out of jail. I would think your freedom would be worth a few million more.”

  King squirmed in his seat. But in the end, he admitted defeat. “How much do you want?”

  Manetto smiled, knowing he had him right where he wanted him. “I think ten million will do.”

  “Ten! But that’s too high. We’ll barely make that amount.”

  Manetto shrugged. “It’s up to you. Take it or leave it. It’s all the same to me.”

  Ultimately, King left with an agreement to pay Manetto ten million for the property. He had figured out that the exorbitant price included hush money for the project. That was a little hard for him to understand but, in the end, it finally got through to him.

  “Do you think he’ll cause any problems?” Manetto asked Ramos.

  “Him? No. He’s all bluster and no bite. I can’t say the same for his partner, but it might keep them honest in the future.”

  Manetto chuckled. “True enough.”

  Manetto’s phone rang and he picked it up. He spoke for a few minutes. From what he said, Ramos knew something had come up that wasn’t good. He hung up and glanced at Ramos.

  “That was Bruno in Orlando. Zack stopped by yesterday like he was supposed to, but Bruno thought he wasn’t as forthcoming as he should be. He called to tell me that I should keep an eye on Zack, because he might be scheming something of his own. Zack should arrive in Miami tonight to meet with Saunders tomorrow morning. I might need to send you down there to check up on him and find out what’s going on.”

  Ramos’s gaze narrowed. Zack was the mastermind behind the bomb that blew up the Passinis’ yacht. Zack had hoped to kill both Ramos and Manetto and blame it on the Passinis. With Shelby’s help, they’d figured it out and confronted Zack.

  He’d confessed to the whole thing but, instead of k
illing him for it, Manetto had decided to put him to work as a courier. It was a dangerous job, but better than being dead. Still, Ramos wasn’t sure Zack could be trusted. “Of course. I’ll get a bag packed.”

  “Good. Don’t be too rough on the kid. He’s not familiar with how I do things, so that could be all it is.”

  “I won’t. But what about Bruno? Are you sure you can trust him?”

  Manetto’s brows rose, then he nodded his head. “I suppose that’s a concern. Bruno is new, but I don’t think he’d want to jeopardize our relationship, or his reputation, at this point.”

  Ramos nodded. Bruno had taken over Carson’s empire after Ramos had taken Carson out. The organization had needed a complete overhaul, and Bruno had been more than pleased to keep the business going with Manetto, so it didn’t make sense that he’d try to sabotage it now. “I’ll find out what’s going on and let you know.”

  “Good. I’ll make the arrangements. The jet should be ready to go in about an hour.”

  Ramos didn’t waste any time getting ready. He was used to these overnight excursions, and already had a carry-on bag packed with essentials. He only needed to add a few clothes for the trip. Within an hour, he had boarded the plane and was in the air.

  At the Miami airport, he rented a car, remembering the last time he’d been there with Shelby. His brother, Javier, lived in the city, but he thought Ramos was dead. As much as Ramos would like to change that, he knew it wasn’t a good idea. Having a family could be used against him. It was a liability that could get Javier killed, and he wasn’t about to put his brother in danger.

  It reminded him of the information that Sloan had given him about his father. He’d tried to put it from his mind, but what if his father was alive? The odds against that were almost one hundred percent. But with Cuba only a hundred miles away from here, he wondered if he should call Sloan and see if she’d found out any more about him. Maybe he could take an extra day or two and visit Cuba?

  Ramos drove to South Beach and turned down Ocean Drive. The sun had set, and dusk turned the sky gray, but here on Ocean Drive, all the lights kept it bright and vibrant with plenty to see and do. Zack’s itinerary called for him to stay at the Park Hotel for the night, so that’s where Ramos headed.