“Who?”
“Con—Connor Murray, the Wall Street guy.”
Juan smiled. “Good. At least we’re getting somewhere. Now tell me where you got the recording from.”
“Penélope dropped it at my friend’s place by mistake, I think.”
Juan shot a sharp look at the middle-aged man holding Annabel hostage and turned back to Tobias. “So Penélope was the one with the recording. Did she say how she got it?”
He didn’t know Penélope was definitely the one who had it. Maybe it’s not even him who killed her. Think, Tobias, think. He shook his head.
“It must have been your nephew, boss,” the man with the shotgun said.
Juan nodded, staring intently at Tobias before pulling a jagged blade from his pocket. “Now you’re gonna tell me where that recording is or I’ll make you and your pretty girlfriend suffer.”
Tobias bit his bottom lip, his hands trembling uncontrollably. “I gave it to someone to look after.”
“Who?”
“A good friend of mine. He took the recording to Canada. He won’t do anything with it as long as I’m safe.”
Juan looked at the narrow-faced man again, who nodded. “Fuck,” the gobernador shouted. “He pulled his gun out and cocked it again. Well, that’s not good news for you, Tobias. You’re no good to me now.” He extended the gun and put his finger on the trigger.
“Wait,” Tobias shouted. “Wait, wait. That recording will go with me to the grave. You have my word on that. I’ll never give you up, even if it means going to jail.”
Juan looked at the other three men, dumbfounded, and laughed. “And why would you do these nice things for me?”
“Cause you’ll help me leave the country and get a new identity.”
Juan laughed again, this time much harder. “I don’t know what this hotel puts in their showers, but you’re in dreamland, my friend. Why the fuck will I help you disappear?”
“Because I’ll pay you $50 million.”
Juan’s eyes widened. He walked past Tobias and exchanged glances with his men before stopping in the center of the room. “Say that again.”
“I’ll give you $50 million.”
“Yeah, I heard you, but I didn’t believe you. Where the fuck are you going to get that from?”
I’ve got to play it. I have no other cards left. “I’m the heir to Albert Eichelberger’s empire.” He paused to study Juan, who looked at him with his mouth half-open.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. He was my grandfather. Check him out. He just died and left his estate to me. I’ve got an appointment to collect my money at the bank tomorrow. I can wire it to any bank account you want.”
“You’re Albert Eichelberger’s grandson. The Albert Eichelberger?”
Tobias nodded firmly.
“Then why do you have an American name?”
“He was my mother’s dad. My real name is Siegfried Eichelberger. I changed it to get away from him. I wasn’t interested in his money, but when your life takes turns like mine has, you become like anyone else in my situation would be, desperate.”
Juan walked back and forth, a scowl on his face, before looking at the tall man in the corner of the room. “Check it out, Nino.”
The dark-haired man opened a small carrier bag and pulled out a computer tablet. He pressed a number of buttons while silence filled the room. “Shit,” he said. He walked toward Juan and turned the tablet toward the gobernador, who looked at it for a few seconds before turning to Tobias.
“You’re not fucking kidding,” Juan exclaimed. “The picture on the Internet is you. All this time we’ve been after you, we were thinking you were just another punk, but you were Albert Eichelberger’s grandson. Quite a man your grandfather was. Powerful, too. You should have just introduced yourself. We could have worked this out.”
“Yeah right. So you would kill me like you did him?”
Juan’s face tightened, and he moved closer to Tobias. “You think I had your grandfather killed?”
Tobias met the gobernador’s glare with his own. “You telling me you didn’t?”
Juan placed his gun by his side and clenched his left fist. “Listen to me, boy. Albert was a friend, a true friend of mine, and I’ll happily put a bullet in the head of whoever killed him.”
This is trippy. He sounds so convincing. “But so was Connor Murray, and you still killed him.”
Juan took a few steps back and raised his voice. “Murray was a pig. He was about to start singing about all of us. If I didn’t put him down, someone else would have, maybe even your grandfather. I didn’t kill Albert, son. You have to know that.”
Tobias nodded.
“But know this: Being his grandkid doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference. We have unfinished business, and I don’t like loose ends.”
“As I said earlier, help me disappear and the fifty million is yours. You’ll never hear from me again.”
Juan scratched his head, worry creeping into his eyes. “Of course, you know that by taking Albert’s money from you, it’s similar to an act of war. You see, Albert and I had a lot of mutual friends, and he made us all quite a bit of money. My taking of his cash without involving some of my associates won’t exactly go down well.”
“You don’t have to be involved,” Tobias said. “Annabel and I will go in and I’ll get you your money. I can transfer it where you tell me to.”
“And why would you do that for me after I came in here trying to kill you?”
Tobias moved closer to him. The man wielding the shotgun raised it, but Juan motioned for him to relax. Tobias stood in front of the gobernador and spoke firmly. “I’ve never cared about my grandfather’s money. If I didn’t need it, I’d burn every last cent. I need you because I know if anyone can make someone disappear, you can. Right now, the only thing that matters is living somewhere in peace. I’ve had enough of running.”
“Then why are you trying to stiff me, kid? You shouldn’t have told me who you were. I know your grandfather left you much more than fifty million. His fortune is nearly 2 billion.”
“But if you know my grandfather like you say, you know nothing’s easy with him. Fifty million is all I can take right now. I have to wait until my fortieth birthday to claim the rest.”
Juan scratched his head again. “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”
“What have I got to gain by lying to you? You’ll just kill me if you find out.”
“But you know I can’t enter the bank.”
“I didn’t know that five minutes ago when I first told you about the money. I’m telling you, I’m not lying.”
Juan walked toward the middle-aged man with the gun and they went into the other room. When they returned a minute later, Juan said, “Right, I’ll give you your new identity. Where I’ll send you, you’ll be the invisible man. Hell, the police could eat at your house with no idea who you really are, but this is how it’s going to go.” He cleared his throat. “You’ll make your appointment tomorrow. We’ll be your ride there, but you’ll go into the bank alone. The girl stays with us.”
“Then you might as well kill me now.”
Juan frowned and moved toward him. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve given you my terms, which I think are fair. I’m not going to sell her out to save my own ass. I’ll get you your money, but she has to come with me.”
“Then what’s stopping both of you from running?”
“The fear of knowing that you’ll always be on my back. By giving you your money, I’ll have your word that none of your people will come looking for us. And you’ll have my word that the recording will never find its way into the police’s or the FBI’s hands.”
Juan nodded. “You’re a businessman, that I can say, but are you willing to risk this whole thing for her?”
“Absolutely. If you don’t agree, we have no deal.”
Juan walked up to Annabel, who was still expressionless. “Annabel, A
nnabel. How long has it been, three years?”
The woman looked at Tobias and then back at Juan. “Something like that, yeah.”
Juan laughed. “It’s funny, but I always said to Jorge that you were a conniving one, definitely one to watch, and here you are, helping this young man you hardly even know.” He moved his face to within inches of hers. “Tell me, what will you do when he gets that money? I wonder.” He walked toward Tobias. “I’ll tell you something about women, my friend. You never know what they’re thinking. Are you sure you can trust her with that kind of money?”
“The trust between Annabel and I is none of your business. Do we have a deal or not?”
Juan shrugged. “I guess we do.” He walked toward the main door. “But just so you know, if you fuck me, I’ll kill you so slow, parts of you will be dead while you’re still breathing.” The gobernador smiled. “You might as well make yourselves comfortable. We have an early start tomorrow.”
He opened the door and signaled the two men beside Annabel to follow. “Pablo will stay here tonight, so be good.” He smiled and walked out behind the other two. Tobias walked toward Annabel, never taking his eyes off the man with the gun.
“You did real good,” Annabel whispered. “That was such good thinking.”
“I only lied to win someone’s trust. I’ll do much more than that to get us out of this mess.”
“Thanks for sticking up for me. You could’ve just saved yourself.”
“But I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” Tobias held both her cheeks and kissed her. “I love you, Annabel. How many other ways have I got to spell it out for you?”
She giggled happily and planted kisses on his lips. “I love you, too.”
“That’s enough,” Pablo hissed. “There’ll be none of that crap tonight.” He picked up the hotel menu from the bedside table. “Now, how about we get some room service?”
28. Time for Business
Jorge called Eduardo’s phone for the fourth time that evening. He had lost count of how many times he’d tried during the day. In the driver’s seat beside him, Rodrigo had hardly spoken for the thirty minutes they had been driving.
“Something on your mind?” Jorge asked.
Rodrigo shifted and stared at the comisionado. “No, boss. I’m just not sure about all of this. Maybe we should get more guys for this meet.”
“Why so nervous all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right, especially with Eduardo gone for so long without a word.”
Jorge placed a stick of gum in his mouth. “Hector will not jeopardize this deal. We go way back, me and him.” He smiled. “Did you know that me, Hector and Juan used to play baseball together when we were kids?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“It was like little league, the three of us. We were so close.”
“What happened with him and Juan?”
“I don’t know. Juan just wanted it all and forgot the part Hector played in getting us to the top. Well, Hector is back with a vengeance now, so Juan has no choice but to start listening to him again.”
Rodrigo stopped at a traffic light and looked at Jorge. The rain that had been falling had given way to a light drizzle. “Don’t you think it would have been better if Juan was here in person, you know, to show that there’s peace between our families?”
“Juan has his own problems.” Jorge frowned. “Apart from that scumbag nephew of his, he has this Tobias guy with whatever he has on him. No, I’ll be fine with Hector. Juan’s giving him the best deal he’ll get. He’d be crazy to say no.”
Rodrigo took a left onto Franklin Avenue and glanced at his watch—9 p.m. “Hector’s already here,” he said, pointing to a dark grey Mercedes stretch limo. Jorge gestured toward a space between two SUVs. Rodrigo backed the car in and switched the engine off.
“Are you sure we don’t need more people?” Rodrigo said. “One call and I can have twenty more guys watching our backs.”
“No. Hector will see that as a lack of trust in him. I’ll step in with you and we’ll walk out together.” He got out of his car and glanced at his sparkling black shoes, which had been polished the night before.
He looked through the windows of Kelso, one of his favorite Spanish restaurants. It was almost empty and exactly what he wanted.
***
Rain pelted down without warning, prompting Fernando to run back to the driver’s seat of the parked Chrysler sedan. He wiped his shaved head with a gray handkerchief and passed Rico a packet of cigarettes and a bottle of water. Rico groaned in pain as he stretched his neck.
“It still hurts, huh?” Fernando said.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Rico lit a cigarette and passed it to Fernando before lighting one for himself.
“Does Marie know you’ve started smoking again?”
Rico shook his head. “She’ll kill me if she finds out.” He smiled at the thought of Marie discovering cigarettes in his pants.
“About that thing,” Fernando started.
Rico cut him off with a wave of his hand. “There’s nothing to talk about. These are probably the worst times our family’s ever faced. Antonio had to check all the angles. You were just doing what I would have done.”
Fernando patted Rico on the back and smoked quietly for a few minutes. “Remember that time at the zoo?” he finally asked.
Rico glanced at him. “Which time? We used to go there every Friday, remember?”
“The time Antonio snuck into the python’s cage to impress that girl. What was her name again?”
“Selena.”
“That was it. Selena Andrews. How old were we again?”
“Twelve, I think.”
Fernando smiled as he took a swig from his water bottle. “I remember how you ran there and practically dragged him out. Making all that noise, the snake could’ve killed you.”
“I know, but we always looked after each other. He would have done the same for me.”
“You do know we’re still the same people. The other day was just business. We change the minute we start this job. None of what we’ve been through matters anymore.”
Rico stared toward the heavens. The rain had turned to a drizzle. “But don’t you sometimes wish we could be 12 again? Even if to just sit at home watching movies and goofing around and sneaking to hear Juan talking business like we used to.”
“I think about that every day.” Fernando turned around and looked Rico squarely in the face. “Let me ask you something. Do you think we’re doing the right thing here?”
“If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t be here.” He glanced at his watch—9 p.m.
“They’re here,” Fernando said. He quickly turned the windshield wipers on to clear their view.
***
The waiter recognized Jorge upon seeing him walk through the door with Rodrigo. The comisionado wiped drops of water from his burgundy suit and scanned the tables. The restaurant’s food always struck a chord with him, as did the décor—old-fashioned wooden chairs and tables and dim lighting. It was a place where he could happily collect his thoughts, and he had access to it long after closing time if necessary.
“Mr. Huerta,” the waiter said. “You’re favorite table again?”
Jorge patted the waiter on the shoulder as he continued to look around the room. He spotted a corner table seating six men, all in black suits. “It’s okay, Alejandro. I’ve found who I’m looking for.”
The comisionado glanced at Rodrigo and nodded toward the men at the table. Rodrigo’s face tightened as he looked at the well-dressed men. They walked quickly to the table, which was occupied mostly by young, dark-haired lothario types, even younger than some of los corredores in Rodrigo’s crew. All except the only person actually eating, who had his back to them. He had a large bald patch in the middle of his head.
“Hector Guerrero?” Rodrigo said, ignoring the piercing stares from the young crew.
The bald man turn
ed. “Jorge,” he said with a thick Spanish accent. He pushed his seat back and stood up. “Come here, you.” He embraced the comisionado, his large frame easily dwarfing his old friend’s.
Jorge gestured toward his ejecutor. “You remember Rodrigo, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Hector embraced Rodrigo and turned to the seated men, his face hardening. “Why are you still sitting down like that? Get up and let our friends sit.”
The two men sitting beside Hector quickly rose and walked past Jorge and Rodrigo, nodding as their eyes met. The two Americans sat down and watched as the bald man devoured a king prawn. Hector wiped his hands on his napkin and picked his teeth before speaking. “It’s so good to see you, Jorge.”
“And you, too, Hector.”
“I’m so sorry about Reynaldo.” Jorge nodded somberly. “I know he was like a son to you. It’s such a shame to work so hard in life and then get killed by a mindless thief.” He picked up another prawn and sucked on it.
“Well, Reynaldo’s death shall be avenged.”
Hector put the empty prawn shell on his plate and sipped on his red wine. “I would expect no less from you, my friend.” He wiped his mouth and folded his arms. “Anyway, I’m here now. What have you got for me?”
Jorge leaned forward and looked around the table. “Juan wants this deal to go through and is prepared to meet any of your demands.”
Hector laughed loudly and nodded to his men, who joined in the laughter. “My demands, you say.” He picked up another prawn and held it to his mouth but put it back down. He pointed at Jorge. “Remember one thing, my friend. I didn’t break the truce, Juan did. I’m here against the advice of my people. They tell me that your family is losing control of New York.”
Jorge’s eyes widened.
“Don’t give me that look, Jorge,” Hector snapped. “Remember that I’m no midlevel boy. I started out in this business with you and Juan. We took our business to the heavens. We are the people that will be talked about when students write theses on our businesses—me, you and Juan.” He leaned forward, his chest knocking some empty glasses over. “But remember that you’re no better than me. I hear what you hear. I know what you know. And I know your family is in the middle of a war with the cops and the FBI. I know Juan is having problems with some parts of the family. I’ve been hearing other things I would rather not mention here, because if they’re true, it would mean that you lied to get me to America.”
The Kiss after Midnight (The Midnight Trilogy) Page 25
