have a choice, now did we?” Diego asked. My friend had suggested the bar in the hotel where he’d been staying, allowing us the ability to monitor Lindsey at least from a few floors away. The change pissed both of us off.
Dante smiled, glancing from one to the other. “That is correct. Why don’t we talk in my office?”
I allowed Diego to go first, trailing behind the Italian as he walked down a labyrinth of hallways. While I wasn’t surprised to see there were actual employees, not one of them bothered to look in our direction. They’d obviously been trained well.
He closed the door behind us, motioning toward the two plush chairs opposite his desk. All three of us remained standing.
“I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered,” Dante offered, his eyes penetrating mine.
“I’m just fine, but we’re not here to talk about my health.” My answer was curt, my patience already wearing thin.
Dante exhaled as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. “The work you both did was extraordinary. The board wanted to make certain that you were made aware they are pleased.”
Diego laughed softly. “We’re not here for compliments, Dante. We’re here for answers. Why the hell didn’t you tell us about the Mancini syndicate’s involvement or the fact that Mr. Walters has been their go-to doctor for years? And why wouldn’t you share with us that his daughter had been promised in marriage to Michael Mancini?”
I was always surprised at Dante’s ability to keep cool no matter the challenge presented. Today was no exception.
“I think the more important question is who is the Serpent to either family and what does it have to do with Luis Diaz, the man Diego used to work for? You know the one I’m talking about. The scum who attempted to have him killed after Diego spent time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. All in the name of loyalty.” I could tell my words finally ruffled his feathers. I’d been right. Everything had been connected together.
“While you are aware that often some of the details are ones that either we weren’t told or don’t come into play with the assignment, in this case, we were not given the truth. Lindsey’s father came to us expressing his concern that his daughter had been reported as being kidnapped.” Dante kept his words even.
“How did you know the Serpent was responsible?” Diego asked.
“His reputation. His penchant for beautiful women. And what limited information Dr. Russell had provided to her father. However, we weren’t certain until we sent surveillance in the way of drones, finally catching an image of her. At that point, we thought it was a simple case of kidnapping, an addition to the Serpent’s collection of women. As both of you learned, Fernando Calderone is a formidable man.”
I stared at Dante, resisting laughing. “Keep going. Who is he to Luis Diaz?”
Dante shook his head. “I knew that by working together, you would be successful.”
“Cut the crap, Dante. You asked for me directly, pulling me off another assignment. Why?” Diego insisted.
“Because we’ve been made aware that Mr. Diaz had been preparing to retaliate against the Serpent given Mr. Calderone invaded his territory almost six months ago.”
“This has nothing to do with gold,” I hissed.
“Oh, it very much does. While the Serpent’s idea of how he mines for the gold is reprehensible, it’s a commodity in almost every country, including the United States. However, his bread and butter are all the narcotics he sells. He saw an opportunity and he took it.” Dante tilted his head as if waiting to see if we would get it.
“He’s hiding the drugs under the bars of gold,” Diego stated.
Dante nodded. “Precisely. Virtually untraceable through customs. As you might imagine, both products upset the current balance of various bank accounts.”
“Including the Specialists.” I inched closer to him, studying the look on his face. “An influx of gold would interfere with the gold markets, which in turn alters the stock market, even real estate.”
“You’ve been reading up on your economics, Mr. Rivers. Yes. The members of the board of directors of the Specialists couldn’t allow that to happen. That’s the very reason we accepted the outrageous claim provided by Dr. Walters with regards to his daughter. As far as Diaz, he hasn’t taken kindly to his world being interrupted by what he calls a slimy Brazilian. Diego, we knew that if anyone could handle his particular business tactics, you could if necessary.”
“Meaning, you wanted me to kill him,” Diego said,