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“I ended up having to admit I’d caught her and she was still with me. He didn’t react—not that he ever does—but Ivan did. He was pissed. There was this awkward moment, then his hands disappeared under the table.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Marco remarked. “Right away Oleg coughed. I’m not sure what that was about, but Ivan looked at him, then everything was cool… unless…”
Suddenly putting down his glass, Marco walked quickly around to where Ivan had been sitting and ran his fingers beneath the table. Staring across at Joe, he nodded his head, mouthing the words,a bug, then gestured to the cameras in the ceiling to let Benny know what he’d found.
“Unless what?” Joe asked, giving Marco an opening to cover himself if Ivan was listening.
“Unless nothing,” Marco said, picking up Joe’s cue. “I must be getting paranoid. It’s been a difficult few days. I don’t blame Ivan for being wary. I would be too, and that girl’s been nothing but a nuisance. Let’s go to the kitchen and rustle up something to eat. I’m hungry.”
“Yeah, I could use a bite myself,” Joe replied as they left the room, but the moment Marco closed and locked the door, he stopped and ran his fingers through his thick mop of black hair.
“They came here to plant that device,” Marco muttered. “This isn’t good, Joe. This isn’t good at all.”
“Maybe they’re just taking extra precautions because the exchange is about to happen,” Joe suggested.
“It’s more than that. You heard him. Oleg claimed one of his contacts told him the FBI knows about our operation. Liam has a leak… or we do.”
“Shit. Do you think Oleg knows we’re setting him up?”
“He has to suspect it,” Marco said with a worried frown, “and not telling him about Steph right away wouldn’t have helped. I need to talk to Liam. We’re already on alert, but talk to the guys. Make sure they stay extra vigilant.”
“Will do, boss.”
As Joe strode away, Marco walked a short distance down the hall, entered a cozy den, and flopped into a chair.
He needed to think.
Liam had assured him the details of the sting had been kept top secret, and Joe and Benny were the only two men in Marco’s organization who knew he was working in concert with the FBI. For a fleeting moment, he wondered about his two loyal capos, then quickly dismissed the idea of their betrayal. Retrieving his burner phone, he called Liam and gave him a rundown of the meeting, but at the last minute, he decided not to tell him he’d found the listening device Ivan had left behind.
“Let me get this straight,” Liam said solemnly. “Oleg thinks the FBI is on to him.”
“Yeah, and he claims his source is reliable.”
“I don’t care what he claims, there’s no way I could have a leak. I’ve never been on an operation like this. It’s completely out of the box. There’s just Jack and me. No team, no specialists, nothing, not until we need to call in the troops. What about you? Have you brought anyone else in?”
“No, but something has just occurred to me,” Marco muttered thoughtfully. “Oleg has a calm veneer, but he could be just as paranoid as his lunatic brother. It’s possible they’re just trying to rattle my cage to see what flies out. Maybe there is no friend with information and it’s just bullshit.”
“That’s an interesting theory,” Liam remarked. “We should meet up, but we should change venues.”
“I was about to suggest the same thing. Let me think about that. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good, Marco, speak to you then, but watch your back.”
“I always do.”
Ending the call, and continuing to contemplate the odd events of the evening, Marco left the intimate den and headed back to the security room. As he pushed open the door, Benny looked up at him expectantly.
“Damn, Marco,” he exclaimed, rising to his feet. “When I saw Ivan’s hands drop below the table I didn’t know what to do. Your bodyguards were gone and I thought he was about to kill you. I couldn’t think why, but with a guy like that you never—”
“Someone tried to kill you?”
Turning around, Marco saw Steph hurrying across the room.
“Not even close,” he replied quickly, silently cursing Benny’s thoughtlessness. “Ivan, the younger brother, he’s always twitchy, and there was a moment when his hands slipped out of sight. It’s kind of an unspoken rule for everyone to keep them visible. As it turned out he was planting a bug. I left it in place. I might be able to use it, but they’re gone now and the drama is over. I’m going to get myself something to eat. Are you hungry?”
“I am, as it happens.”
