Bad Men - Piper Stone Page 0,37

In addition, his compound located in the middle of a damn jungle can’t be breached. Others have tried it and died.”

Dante grinned. “You never cease to amaze me, the vast amount of information that you know. You are correct.”

“Let me guess. You expect me to take on this operation given those odds.”

“You are the best, after all. The owners have total faith in your abilities.”

Oh, dear God. An attempt to stroke my ego. The owners were desperately hungry. I found that fascinating.

I chuckled, staring out at the ocean as I took another sip. The man also knew how much I enjoyed a challenge and was banking on the fact I couldn’t resist. “Who is this woman?”

“The daughter of a prominent surgeon in Washington.”

For some crazy reason, I expected her to be Russian royalty or the daughter of the president, not a prominent doctor. That was enough to raise red flags. Something was off and Dante wasn’t authorized to tell me the truth. “I’m not interested.”

“You don’t even know the particulars.”

“I don’t need to know them, Dante. It’s my choice what assignments I choose. I’ve earned that right and I choose to let this one pass. I might enjoy the art of murder, but I’m not into walking into a death trap. Fact is I enjoy living at the beach. And in one piece.” I moved to a standing position, walking toward the open doors.

I knew how Dante operated. He would enjoy the rest of his drink then quietly say a last few words before leaving. This assignment had bad news written all over it. There was also something he wasn’t prepared to tell me. Or was worried that it would push me away further. I could almost feel his tension increasing. The Specialists had a lot riding on this. Hmm…

True to form, I heard the ice clinking in his glass a few minutes later. When he flanked my side, the file wasn’t in his hand.

“This particular assignment is important to us, Jack.”

“Aren’t they all?” I huffed.

“Consider it a gesture of good will. Or you could think of it as a gift to the people who literally dragged you out of a vile prison, providing you with seed money to get your shit together. Of course, you’ll be paid handsomely. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I remained quiet, even though I’d bristled hearing the words. I’d wondered when I would need to repay them for dragging me out of the pits of hell. I should have walked away back then but I’d had no other choices.

“Well, I’m going to leave the file for you. Everything you need to know is inside, including the full documentation on the woman. If you’re not interested, I’ll simply try and explain to the powers that be, although that will be… difficult. However, if you are willing to handle the case, I’ve made arrangements for you to fly to Italy to receive the rest of your assignment. You’ll go from there to your destination.”

The bastard knew I’d be curious. I said nothing. Why give the man the satisfaction?

“You have forty-eight hours to decide. As you might imagine, time is of the essence.” Dante exhaled when I said nothing.

I shot him a sideways glance, my hand tightly fisted around the glass to the point I feared it would crack.

“I appreciate your time, Jack. Thank you for your hospitality.” He moved away and I was able to hear the sound of the glass being placed on the table.

I closed my eyes, trying to control my anger. I’d certainly had fewer rules being on my own. Then again, I’d also had zero backup, something that had nearly cost me my life more than once. The prison term in a third world country had been unexpected. Yeah, maybe I did owe the organization my life and some amount of loyalty.

“Oh, and Jack, I do think you really need to think about the merits of taking this assignment. It could be very beneficial to your… health.” While Dante’s voice was strained, an obvious statement he’d objected to making, my anger toward him increased.

Yet I chuckled under my breath as he headed for the front door. While those in what I called the inner sanctum of the Specialists remained anonymous, I knew enough about their identities to understand his threat wasn’t idle. The various mafia kingpins, influential politicians and wealthy moguls had the world in the palm of their hand, only very few people understood just powerful they truly were.

When I