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As she turned and walked away, Marco gestured down the hall in the opposite direction.
“Max, I appreciate you coming at such short notice,” Marco said as they started off. “This really is extremely important. Would you like some coffee or tea?”
“No, thanks, I’ve had my coffee quota for the day,” Max replied, following Marco into a cozy lounge. “Like father, like son,” he remarked. “The couple of times I met with your dad here, he brought me into this room.”
“Really? It’s one of my favorite rooms. Perhaps because the ambience lends itself to quiet conversation.”
“Yes, it does, so tell me, what can I do for you?” Max asked, sitting down on the couch near the low burning fireplace.
“I’ll come right to the point,” Marco said solemnly. “I now know you and my father were very close, and I know you have also worked for Antonio Grassi. Probably many others as well. Now it’s my turn.”
“Is there something specific you need from me?”
“Max, I think the Zeppelin brothers are planning to assassinate me and disappear with the shitload of cash I’ll be carrying.”
Chapter 27
The night before, Marco had been unable to sleep. Slipping from the bed, he’d poured himself a glass of cognac and settled on the couch in the dark bedroom to ponder his precarious situation.
The more he’d thought about it, the more he’d doubted Oleg’s story.
A so-called ‘friend’ warning of a leak, prompting the Zeppelins’ unexpected arrival and the last-minute change in the delivery details was highly suspect.
Had the claim been a ruse?
Glancing across at the low burning fire, he’d let out a heavy breath. If so, what were the brothers really planning?
He’d cursed himself for allowing them into the compound, then downed the last of his cognac and climbed back in bed. Bringing Steph’s warm, luscious body into his arms, he’d finally managed to drift into an uneasy sleep.
Then he’d received the envelope with the map.
The abandoned farmhouse was too far away. It made no sense for a trial run to test his fidelity, or for the delivery. For the first time since he’d agreed to work with Liam to catch the Eastern European thugs, Marco was concerned for his life.
But he didn’t want to abort the operation.
Oleg and Ivan were evil psychopaths involved in the worst kind of crime.
Trafficking women and girls.
Marco was determined to save the helpless victims, and see the brothers rot in prison for the rest of their lives.
Leaving the security room, he’d walked down the hall and into the small den to think. Starting the fire and staring at the flames, a horrifying thought had blasted through his head.
Were the brothers planning to lure him out to the farmhouse, steal the suitcase of cash he’d be carrying, then put a bullet in his head? He’d been reaching for his phone to call Liam and set up a meeting when he recalled another of his father’s warnings.
When large sums of money are involved there’s no such thing as friendship.
Liam had set the operation in motion.
Marco didn’t want to consider the possibility of his long-time friend being involved in a villainous scheme, but he had no option. That’s when Marco had realized he needed an outside perspective and the fresh counsel of a smart, seasoned man. A man like Max Steadman.
Now Marco understood why his father, and others, had worked with him. When he blurted out,I think the Zeppelin brothers are planning to assassinate me and disappear with the shitload of cash I’ll be carrying,Max merely raised his eyebrows, then calmly asked Marco to start at the beginning.
Pacing around the room, he’d outlined how he’d met the Zeppelins and why he’d agreed to be involved in the operation.
“They’re delivering twenty-four girls, and I’m paying fifty thousand dollars each,” Marco declared. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”
“As it should,” Max muttered. “Did you offer a wire transfer?”
