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“Well, we’re certainly open to negotiation. Let’s see, shall we?” I smiled and clicked my pen.
We spent nearly two hours working on the ins and outs of a contract. Bronson was smart and quick, which was refreshing. Niccola added a point here and there, making sure nothing was forgotten as he kept a close eye on his phone.
“Well, that’s it, then.” Bronson pushed the freshly signed paperwork away from him and leaned back with a smile. “Let’s have a drink to seal our new business deal, shall we? What’s your poison, gentlemen?”
“What do you have?” I didn’t want to waste any more time here, but we hadn’t heard anything from Vinni yet, so I needed to buy more time.
Bronson pushed the intercom, and moments later his assistant came in pushing a cart. “Twenty-five-year Dalmore,” he said with a satisfied lip smack as he opened the top, and after we both nodded, he poured out three healthy glasses. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know a lot about single malts, but I’ve tried this one, and it’s exceptional.”
“It is.” I took a small, appreciative sip and thought for a moment as I admired the grooves in the glass. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Though I’m happy we could make this work, I have to ask, why not the Coppolas? They’ve worked with your father before. Why make the jump back to us?”
“Ah,” he chuckled darkly and twirled the glass between his fingers, “I was brought up to do business face to face.” He cleared his throat and shrugged. I sensed he was making an effort not to say much more. He seemed to make a decision and leaned in slightly as he spoke. “Let’s just say I’ve been burned by Mikey Coppola more times than I’m proud of. Fool me once…” He gave me a look, not finishing the famous saying.
I froze as I felt that name burn through my brain. Mikey Coppola was the M in Stefano’s notebook, the very man he was terrified of, and who was now apparently making bad deals. Niccola shot me a knowing glance when Bronson looked away.
“Fair enough.” I glanced at Niccola again when he tapped the table once, letting me know Vinni was finished. “Well, I’m pleased we did this.” I closed my folder and slipped my pen back into my breast pocket then stood and offered my hand. “If you ever plan a trip over my way, please let me know. I’d be glad to show you around.”
“I will.” He walked us out, and my soldiers materialized around us as we heard the ping of the elevator. Vinni smoothly stepped in without drawing any attention to himself. We didn’t speak a word to each other until we were behind the protection of the bulletproof SUV.
“All right, Vin.” I nodded for the driver to ease into traffic. “What did you find out?”
“I like this company, not just because they seem pretty legit, but their staff are chatty.” He pulled out his phone and checked his notes; his job had been to gather information. “Cooper Industries goes way back, and the old man likes to do things the old-fashioned way, face to face. His son, Bronson, seems to respect that, and it works for them. Apparently, a Mikey Coppola was the one they were dealing with, and he refused to even talk on the phone, just strictly used email.”
“That’s odd,” Niccola thought out loud. “What else?”
“They had three contracts in the last while. All of them were signed off for at least five years, yet one ended after only two. Another deal went a bit longer, but the last one was dropped after only three weeks.”
“Interesting.” I rubbed my chin as I continued to strain to watch a red sports car in the side mirror. I had noticed it when we left, and it had just made the same two turns we’d made.
“Yes, and all three were terminated by Cooper Industries. Apparently, the Coppola half of the buy-in vanished, and the profits never materialized.”
“So, they faked their accounts, moving money in and out while the contracts were being signed,” I muttered as I caught the eye of our driver, and he nodded. I knew he’d also been watching the red car that tailed us.
“Yeah,” Vinni opened his jacket and stretched his neck, “they’ve been blackballed and have been spreading the word ever since.”
“Then why would Cooper go to the Coppolas with an offer?” I said, even as I realized the obvious.
“I don’t think they had any intention of signing with them. I think they were hoping to flush out this Mikey guy.”
“Yeah, I would have done the same,” I replied as I put a finger to my lips, and both Vinni and Niccola stopped talking and looked at me. “I’ll be right back. Nothing to worry about.” I stepped out of the car and spoke quietly to the lead soldier, Gain. “Let me deal with this.” I smiled knowingly at him. I knew who it was.
“Sir?”
“Just give me a moment. It’s all right.” He spoke to the men, and they stepped back but didn’t stray too far from the car. They knew as well as Vinni and Niccola not to question me.
I whirled around just as the red car squealed to a stop at the curb. I grinned as I approached knowing, it would be Eli. He was the stepson of the owner of the Wynn hotel chain and happened to be a good friend. He was rich, reckless, and drove that exact souped-up car. When Eli heard I was in town a year or so ago, he’d made a point of pulling me over to ask me to go for a drink. He was crazy but had a heart of gold and was a great man to know in Vegas.
The window rolled down, and he grinned at me like a sixteen-year-old who’d just gotten his first new car.
“When they told me you reserved a room, I made sure to let our friend know you’d be in town. He wanted me to give you these.” The woman in the passenger seat had been eyeing me up and down, and she smiled with lips that were as red as the car. She showed me she liked what she saw as she held out a gold-colored envelope.
“You’re lucky I called off my soldiers.” I took the envelope from her manicured nails and checked the contents. “Is he?” I raised my eyebrows at Eli.
“No, not him, but it’s supposed to be the biggest night of the year, and he’d sure like it if you came. It’s going to be Cavendish and Giro.” He gave me a knowing smile. Yeah, that would be a big night.
