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“Gentlemen. Tell me what’s happened in my absence,” I said, sitting in my chair.
They both looked like they were scared to speak in front of Sephie. Shifting uneasily in their chairs, the silence lasted for an uncomfortable amount of time.
“Now you’re worried about speaking in front of me? I’m sorry, should I serve you a drink so you’ll think less of me and feel more comfortable talking then?” she asked. I could hear the anger just below the surface in her voice. I was struggling not to smile in front of them. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. I knew that Viktor and Ivan were enjoying this just outside the door. They could hear everything, as I had the intercom on. “You boys are a little late to that party, considering I know where the bodies are buried.”
Both cursed under their breath. I very much enjoyed the looks on their faces. I waited for one of them to speak. Massimo was the first to break the silence. Dario still looked too stunned to speak.
“Boss, forgive us. We didn’t know.”
“Clearly,” Sephie said quietly.
Massimo continued. “Salvadori has been mostly quiet since you’ve been gone. We did have a chance to speak with Vito. It doesn’t make sense that he’s siding with Sal. Vito is an odd man, but he’s usually pretty neutral. Sal is holding something over him, but we don’t know what. We’ve got guys looking into it. If we can get Vito to abandon Sal, that will make him weaker. Vito might not be the strongest boss, but he’s got great men working for him. We think Sal is after Vito’s men more than Vito.”
I counted the number of times Massimo blinked while he was talking. So far, so good.
Dario finally composed himself enough to speak. “We got word that Anthony and Lorenzo were supposedly coming to the city, the day before you got back, Boss. However, they changed their flight plans at the last second. They flew to an airport further south, refueled, then kept flying south. We can’t be sure, but we’re thinking they’re meeting with the Colombians.”
This was a disturbing twist. I had a good relationship with the Colombians. We had a very lucrative deal worked out. It was concerning that they would meet with Anthony and Lorenzo without consulting me first, but they might be under the impression that I’m still dead. Even still, I wasn’t sure how far Anthony and Lorenzo would get with the Colombians. Interesting.
“Why do you think they’re meeting with the Colombians?” I asked.
“Why do I think they’re meeting with the Colombians?” Dario asked. I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to answer. “I’m not sure, sir. The existing deal with the Colombians is a beneficial one. None of us has a reason to meet with the Colombians,” he said. Interesting.
I looked to Massimo, expecting him to answer, waiting to count the number of times he blinked when he answered. “I’m not sure either, sir. I can’t imagine why they would need to meet with the Colombians.” Not a single blink. Interesting.
“Have you spoken with Armando?” I asked Massimo, trying to see if I could get him to blink more than anything.
“Not for a few days, no,” he said, without blinking. I looked to Dario, who simply shook his head no.
I stood up, “Gentlemen. You will tell me when you hear anything on Anthony and Lorenzo.” Viktor opened the door, waiting for them to exit my office. He and Ivan would escort them out and come back. Once the door was shut again, I paced the floor. Sephie was still sitting on the cabinet, watching me. My anger was threatening to come to the surface. It appeared that Armando was the only one I could trust at the moment, and he was the only one not in the city. I was suddenly worried for his safety. I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling.
“Do you think Armando is safe? I suddenly feel like he should’ve come back with us,” Sephie said, still sitting on the cabinet.
I looked at her, somewhat stunned. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You just read my mind. Again.”
She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s a gift.”
Viktor and Ivan walked into the office and sat down in the chairs across from my desk, both looking at Sephie with smirks on their faces.
“What? They were rude first,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Both of them just shook their heads, laughing. She did a great job of keeping us all entertained.
Viktor looked to me. “We couldn’t see, but I’m guessing they were lying at the end there? At least about talking to Armando.”
I nodded my head. “I’m worried for Armando’s safety now. Sephie just said she thinks he should’ve come back with us. We need to contact him immediately and get him here. He never thinks he needs security. He’s too exposed there.”
Ivan nodded his head. “Agreed. A couple of us could go back and get him. If Dario and Massimo are lying, then Armando is the only one you can trust at this point. You need him here.”
“Get a fresh pilot and you two get back there. I’ll call him and let him know you’re coming. Take Andrei if you need to,” I said.
“What about the Colombians?” Viktor asked.
“I have a good relationship with the Colombians, but they might be under the impression that I’m dead. One call will fix that, but I want to give them time to meet with Anthony and Lorenzo first, if that is indeed where they’re going. I want to know what their next play is.”
