McKinley took over. ‘Which I’m sure you two know about.’
Cam nodded. ‘Money laundering, diamonds.’
‘Indeed. Turns out Victor wasn’t just dealing in art, he was trafficking diamonds from Angola, laundering money for the Mob and double-crossing everyone involved.’
‘Not to mention cheating on his wife,’ I added, in case they’d all forgotten that part. McKinley gave me a small smile.
‘That too. So we decided to bring him in.’
‘You what?’ Cam sounded shocked.
McKinley nodded. ‘And we offered him a deal.’
‘Wait, you offered Victor a deal?’ I asked.
‘What kind of deal?’ Cam added.
‘He agreed to cooperate. To organise one final diamond sale in exchange for a reduced sentence and keeping his assets unfrozen – he wanted his wife and companion well provided for.’
‘Oh! Wow, how considerate of him,’ I said.
McKinley chuckled. ‘A man with principles after all. But he also wanted one last holiday, so that’s why he set the deal up here. His final getaway before five years in jail.’
‘Only five?’ Cam said.
‘Trust me, to a man like Victor, who’s accustomed to a certain lifestyle, five is going to feel like a lifetime.’
Cam ran a hand through his hair. ‘So . . . he’s been working with you this whole time?’
‘Yes. We were watching him, but then quickly realised we weren’tthe only ones. You guys were also watching him, as was a Mafia assassin who’s been on our radar for years.’
I felt Cam stiffen. ‘And you didn’t think to tell us? You let us stay out in the field?’
‘We thought it best to keep you guys in play, so it would be more authentic. Besides, you were never in any danger; we kept close tabs on you.’ McKinley turned his head and beckoned for another agent to come over. An intimidating man with a dark gaze walked up to us. He was the only person here not wearing a suit.
‘Meet Vasha. You might remember him. He’s been undercover in the Mafia for months.’
Vasha offered a firm handshake, first me and then Cam. ‘Don’t worry, if things had gone sideways, the Blade would’ve been my target, not you.’
‘We were drugged and locked in a cupboard. I’d consider that very sideways,’ Cam said.
‘You were only out for six hours. I made sure you only got a small dose.’
‘That was a small dose?’ The words flew out of my mouth.
Vasha smiled. ‘Turns out I’m a pretty good drug dealer after all.’
‘So . . . what happens now? Where’s the Blade? Where are the diamonds? Where’s Victor? Where’s Amber?’ The questions tumbled out of me.
‘Well, Victor carried out his end of the deal and set the whole thing in motion. We apprehended a high-level Angolan diamond smuggleranda major Mob assassin, and Victor’s now in custody.’
‘And Amber?’ I asked.
‘She’s on a flight back to South Africa – likely just as confused as you are, but a lot richer for it.’
‘And the Picasso?’
McKinley shrugged. ‘That’s the only piece still missing. We’ve got an unconfirmed tip that it’s in a private collection in Malta. We’ll pursue it, but when someone is trying to hide a fifty-five-million-dollar painting, they usually go to great lengths to conceal it.’
