Silent Night - By Tom Barber Page 0,57

owed and he would figure out a way to pay it back. Hell, he’d win it back. But right now, he needed to be alive by this time next week to do so. Survival was his priority. He’d met with Lloyd and Garrett on Thursday night and asked them outright. He didn’t mention who he owed the money to though. Both partners had been aghast. Seven million dollars? Lloyd had repeated, incredulous and horrified. Garrett had just looked at Jacobs and shaken his head, speechless. Both men had not only refused point blank. They’d also said that they were going to take steps to secure the firm’s reputation.

That had been Thursday.

Payment was due this Tuesday.

Both Lloyd and Garrett had walked out that night and left Jacobs alone in his office. He’d sat at his desk completely out of ideas and with nowhere to turn. His last option was to gamble what he had left and hopefully win a load back. But even as the thought crossed his mind he knew he would have to go on the streak of a lifetime. Alone, scared, in debt and with his life in danger he’d sat there in his office with the photograph of his son on his lap. His only other resort was to flee the country with the boy, but then he’d be hunted for abduction seeing as his wife had custody.

But as he sat there, a miracle had happened. It was like a gift from God and from the most unlikely of sources.

His janitor had walked into his office to empty his trash.

Jacobs had seen the man around although he’d never taken much notice of him. He was pudgy, scruffy and looked bad-tempered. He worked the nightshift, cleaning the offices and emptying the rubbish every weeknight. It was out of character for Jacobs to be sitting there doing nothing at that time of the evening and the janitor had noticed the Englishman’s unusual agitation. He’d asked if everything was OK. More as a throwaway comment than anything else and with two glasses of whisky in him, Jacobs had asked the guy if he had any idea how to make seven million dollars in the next five days.

But it was as if fate, or luck, or something higher had sent that man into his office that night. Jacobs still couldn’t believe it. The janitor didn’t just look at him as if he was mad.

He’d said Yes. I do.

Jacobs had assumed the man was joking, but his face was serious. Unbelieving and more out of curiosity than anything, Jacobs had asked the man how.

The janitor had placed his bag on the ground, then stepped forward and offered his hand, introducing himself. Paul Bleeker. Taking a seat across the desk from Jacobs, Bleeker told him that he knew two men who were about to get a hold of something that was worth a hell of a lot of money. They’d put an asking price out on the street of two million dollars. Bleeker snorted, saying it was worth ten times that and proposed that if Jacobs put the money up for the item, Bleeker could purchase it then let it be known in the right quarters that it was available and sell it on. They’d make enough to not only cover Jacobs’ debt but a whole lot extra.

It’ll happen fast, Bleeker assured him. Opportunities like this come along once in a lifetime.

Jacobs’ gambling instincts had been instantly aroused.

He’d asked Bleeker what was in it for him. The scruffy janitor had simply asked for a 50 per cent cut of the profits Jacobs would make when they sold it on. In return, he would act as a go-between and set the deal up. Bleeker wanted money. Jacobs wanted to save his son. He’d asked Bleeker what this mysterious item was. Apparently it was some kind of deadly virus.

Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, he’d suppressed any moral objections, agreed to fund the purchase and had gone to bed that night both relieved and slightly bewildered at his sudden good fortune. And yesterday, everything had gone according to plan. Bleeker had messaged him saying that the sellers were in town.

But then Jacobs and Bleeker had been scheduled to meet at his office last night to discuss the details of the trade.

And Bleeker had never showed.

Now, the day of the planned exchange, Jacobs was nervous and confused. His gambling addiction had led him into dangerous waters in the past, but the illegality and danger of