Relic Page 9

  Now the city brought back a thousand memories that she loathed. All the memories that she used to cherish had turned to acid when her husband betrayed her. He threw her away like trash. All her old friends were reminders of the life she had lived—all leading up to her massive devastation, her complete abandonment when she became a scorned and jilted woman who felt like a worthless nobody. Oh, the humiliation couldn’t have been worse had she been condemned to the deepest, blackest pit in the world. The absolute shame. Her own husband Nick had been willing to sacrifice her life—her life—all to get himself off the hook for what he had done when he sold out his father and gave the banking tycoon’s schedule to an assassin who had a contract on El Jefe.

  Now she was going to meet El Jefe. He had agreed to meet in a neutral place so that she felt comfortable. Her bodyguards were well armed, and it was agreed they would remain that way.

  Irina pulled her gold-threaded headband out of her purse and put it on. She opened her little folding makeup mirror and checked her makeup, which was fine. The dark make-up at the corners of her eyes looked good. She put the mirror away. The limo was arriving.

  El Rosedal was an iconic park in Buenos Aires. In the old days, Irina used to come here with friends and take walks. She enjoyed the red gravel paths that wound through more than 15,000 different rose bushes. She used to come here alone and read on one of the green wooden benches, enjoying the scent of the roses. Now as she got out of the limo, she could smell the roses, but they were as roses on her own casket at her funeral. They were the roses of death—death of her marriage, of her influence over her son, over her entire past. For her, this place was a funeral for memories. These roses were also the roses of romance. Two suitors were romancing her for a better future. They were power and revenge. She had been plucked like a weed and thrown in the trash, but she was not a weed. She was a little rose, a rose with thorns.

  She found El Jefe sitting on one of the little park benches lining a red-gravel path. He didn’t look any older to her. Despite what she’d heard about him suffering pain from the assassination attempt five years ago, he looked as good as ever. Didn’t even seem to be in any pain. He sat there smoking a big fat cigar, gray smoke rising in front of his gray stubble and gray hair. He was well tanned. It didn’t look like he’d been spending his days in the corporate office. Even at his age, he was muy guapo, a very good-looking man—this man who’d accepted her death as penance for her husband’s crime.

  He got up and kissed her on both cheeks. “Irina,” he said, “it’s so good to see you again. This is a big surprise, you understand. I attended your funeral. What a tragedy that was for us all. I won’t even ask how you survived the explosion. Divers said the yacht was blown to pieces. I never liked what happened before. I hated everything about it.”

  “I’m sure you and Nick got along just fine without me.” She adjusted the shoulder strap of her purse.

  “Irina, you have to understand, you were always precious to me. I hated to have any part in what happened. But you have to understand, that was a very serious situation. I was just out of the hospital. I was ailing. Some people thought I wouldn’t make it. Others thought I’d make it, but I’d be a ghost of my former self. These are high-power people, Irina. They only respect three things in life—power, money, and charisma. You have to have all three to lead the Augean Command. There is no more powerful position in the world. Remember, I lead a network of the most powerful people alive—billionaires and people with massive egos and no principles. If they smell weakness, they move in life a pack of wolves. Believe me, Irina, after the assassination attempt, they smelled weakness. They knew my own son had tried to kill me. It can’t look any worse than that. If I let it pass, there were certain players eager to finish the job. They would get rid of me and seize my market share. They would ruin the Rosario organization with every trick they knew. There had to be a severe consequence if I was to be respected. Nick had to pay with his life, but he was the only son of mine with the right temperament to lead the organization. I’m sorry for what happened. It was a matter of survival.”

  “I guess you think that makes everything all better, don’t you?”

  El Jefe puffed on his big fat cigar and blew smoke on the nearest rose. “Why did you want to meet with me, Irina?”

  She looked around at the place that she used to love so much. She saw the islands of perfectly manicured lawns, the artificial lake, picnickers along the shore... For Irina, there was nobody to picnic with anymore. It was so hard for her to see the children walking over the beautiful white bridge, to hear their shouts of joy. She could not relate to feelings of joy anymore. Those children had no idea what a horrible world they were growing up in. They just had no idea. They thought the world was fun. Actually happy times had a purpose, and that was to make the dark times even more painful because she could compare them with a time that was no longer possible.

  “Santiago,” she said, calling him by his first name, “you threw me away like trash. You threw away family, the only thing that matters. Now I’m back, and I’m not gonna take it anymore. Do you understand? I deserved so much better that I got. My son is crippled because of you and Nick. Crippled! Your own grandson. I will not be disrespected any longer. Got it? I’ve heard that you have been dealing with a lot of pain from the assassination attempt. I’ve heard that you’re considering appointing a new leader of the Augean Command. I want control of the Augean Command until your own grandson Francisco is properly groomed to take over. I deserve this as reparations for all I’ve suffered.”

  “Irina…” He shook his head slowly. “Irina… You don’t know what you’re asking me.”

  “I know exactly what I’m asking for, and it’s very little to ask compared to my life.”

  He considered this for a moment as he meditated on the ashes on the end of his cigar. He said, “Maybe there is something I can do for you, but not that.” He put his cigar to his lips.

  “That’s all I want. I want power because when my life was valued as worthless I had no power. I was helpless. I will never be without power again.”

  El Jefe blew out a little cloud of cigar smoke. “Your request is denied. Furthermore, I warn you right now that I don’t like your tone. It concerns me. One thing we haven’t discussed is the fact that you stole the Confession. That belongs to me. That is my right as grandmaster of the Augean Command.”

  “No, Jefe. It is my right because I deserve to be the grandmaster of the Augean Command.”

  “What have you done to deserve that? You’re not even part of the—”

  “Family! Is that what you were going to say? How dare you insult me! How cruel can you be?”

  “I want it back, Irina. I won’t take no for an answer. You will return it to me.”

  Irina waved her bodyguards over.

  “I don’t like this, Irina.” He pointed his cigar at her and jabbed the air. “Tell them to back off now.”

  “You need to understand that I’m not working alone, Jefe. I have muscle behind me. I get whatever I want.”

  The bodyguards stepped up next to her.

  El Jefe looked right at the big man and didn’t like the angry look on his face. “You get your ugly face away from me,” El Jefe said. “Turn around and walk, you piece of garbage.”

  “Don’t talk to me like that, old man.” Luciano stepped toward him, but suddenly jerked and collapsed. He fell on his back and Irina saw the bullet hole in his chest. He was still alive when the second bullet hit his face.

  A woman walking her dog not far off pointed and screamed. Irina’s remaining bodyguard grabbed her arm and they ran for cover behind the nearest tree. Bullets hit the tree and tore away bark.

  “Get ready,” the bodyguard said. “Now.”

  They sprinted from tree to tree until they were out of the line of fire.

  They sprinted to the limo and got in. Irina glared out through the tinted, bullet-proof window. “You’re going to regret that, Jefe.”

  CHAPTE
R 24

  Ajax was sitting in the dining room of the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires under a beautiful chandelier and in front of a twenty-foot high window. He was tired from the long flights, from the Middle East and then from Canada, tired because he’d just got off the phone after listening to Irina’s angry call. She’d been fuming about how El Jefe’s shooter had killed her bodyguard and nearly killed her, too. It was the kind of story that made Ajax crave to put a bullet in the old man. Ajax was so tired, but now his adrenaline was surging. This was getting dangerous.

  Ajax was now a long-term resident of the hotel. He’d rented an executive suite for a full month. That way he wouldn’t have to commute for over an hour from his multimillion-dollar estancia.

  He dialed a number and got his bounty hunter on the phone. This guy was very, very good. He had been recommended to Ajax by people who accepted nothing less than the best. This guy had a ninety-five percent success rate—and that was with people that other manhunters had failed to locate. He only took the hard cases that paid higher fees.

  “José, this is Ajax. What have you found out?”

  “I found Jake Sands’ assistant, but unfortunately she got away.”

  “What?”

  “It was just bad luck. I was following her and ran her off the road. I was going to grab her, but several cars showed up on a road that’s normally quiet. I had to get out of there.”

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me. And where is she now?”

  “I don’t know. I’m back to square one.”

  “You don’t know? I thought you were the best.”

  “Look, I just got off to a bad start. Don’t worry. I’m just getting started here.”

  “Hey, I don’t have time to waste.”

  “I’m not messing with you. Trust me, I will solve your problem very quickly. At this point, I can tell you that Sand’s boat was dry-docked in Bellingham, Washington, and the body of a known street person was found next to that boat. Look, I get the feeling you haven’t told me everything, and that makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Get over it.”

  “Really… Irina’s enforcer has not surfaced. He is still missing. These are facts. These are not good facts.”

  “That’s your job.”

  “He is missing. Therefore, I have to assume that your player is more dangerous than you mentioned. I want an extra fifty grand.”

  “Do not waste my time. Get it done!”

  “Then give me fifty grand more because I will find this guy quickly, but the chance of me getting killed when I find him just went up.”

  “Fine, but hurry up.”

  “Put it in my account. When I see the balance change, I will get to work.”

  “I’ll do it now. Get to work.” Ajax hung up.

  CHAPTER 25

  The Port of Buenos Aires was at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, which separated Argentina from Uruguay. There was more going on there than just shipping activities. The Puerto Madero neighborhood clung to the fringes. It was an area undergoing renewal and was very cosmopolitan. There were beautiful colonial buildings, red-brick warehouses, a miles-long row of dockside warehouses that had been converted into offices and expensive restaurants.

  Jake drove past one quay-side warehouse that had been converted into a nightclub. He was still driving when he got a call from his ship captain.

  “Where are you?” Jake said. “I need you to hurry up. I need you here tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow, I thought—”

  “Things have changed. I’ve got a lot riding on this.”

  “Look, we’re held up in port. Nothing I can do about it. The customs authorities are holding us up without giving any reason.”

  “Then get a reason. Speed this up. Do whatever is necessary. I need you here tomorrow.”

  “It’s out of my control.”

  “You will be here,” Jake said. “Think about that and call me later.” He hung up.

  Jake parked his car at the nightclub as instructed and got out. A kid was playing a bandonian, an accordion-like instrument. Jake walked over and listened for a few minutes, then left the kid some money. A black SUV pulled up by Jake’s car. He walked over. Somebody rolled down a tinted window about an inch and said, “Follow us.” The window closed before Jake even got a look at his face.

  Jake followed the SUV to one of the same warehouses he had just passed. He had to inspect the merchandise or he’d look like a fraud.

  A young guy with curly hair gestured for Jake to follow, but never looked at him. Jake followed, seeing mostly his curly hair and his back.

  “In there.” He gestured then turned away.

  Jake entered the warehouse into a dark hallway. He’d gone halfway when two guys piled out of the shadows and slammed him against the wall.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Shut up.”

  They patted down every inch of Jake’s blue jeans for weapons. They practically tore off his black leather jacket and ripped open his button-down shirt looking for wires. They even turned up his shirt-collar.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Jake said.

  He was punched hard in the kidney and doubled over.

  A thug dialed on his phone. “He’s clean… Claro.”

  He put away his phone. “Okay, go through the door at the end of the hall.”

  “Sure, I hope they smell better than you do.”

  “Watch your mouth.”

  The warehouse was just like any other, except there were no shelves and no racks. Half a dozen picnic tables were set up and covered with weapons. A van with the back door open was parked at the end of the tables. Three toughs were unloading weapons and spreading them out on the tables. A Land Rover Multi Role Combat Vehicle was parked by the van.

  Wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and tinted glasses, a man walked out of a little office. Jake recognized him as Nick Rosario by his slick salesman look and the greased-back hair.

  Nick yelled at his men: “That will do. You don’t have to lay out all 3,000 AKs. I think our client will get the point. He cursed. “Mr. Sands, you’re right on time. Feast your eyes on the merchandise. I think you’ll be very happy.”

  Frowning, Jake walked along the table and picked an AK-47. He thumbed the release lever and then pulled the magazine out, finding it loaded. That meant there could also be a bullet in the chamber. He noticed that Nick was standing off and behind him. It occurred to him that if he just turned and tested the weapon out on Nick…No, he couldn’t do that. He pulled the slide back. A chambered bullet fell onto the table. He hooked in the magazine, and clicked it into place. He moved the safety lever down so the safety was no longer engaged. He racked the slide and glanced down at the far wall of the warehouse where he saw man targets hanging on wires. “May I?” Jake said, aiming the gun.

  “Of course,” Nick said. “The warehouse is soundproofed for—”

  He never finished his sentence. Jake unloaded several bursts at the man-target, riddling the paper. He then switched to single shot and fired nine shots at the face. His shots punched holes for two eyes and a nose, plus six teeth holes made a smiling mouth on the target.

  “I see you can shoot,” Nick said. “That’s quite a trick. I guess this isn’t the first time you’ve used an AK.”

  “Obviously,” Jake said. “Let me concentrate.” He put the gun down and sidestepped down the table. He saw more than just AK-47s. He inspected a 175-milimeter artillery piece, a Rascal Panther Frequency-hopping radio, a Senapan Serbu 2 Indonesian assault rifle, and an FIM-92 shoulder-launched Stinger missile. Finally, he looked over the Land Rover Multi Role Combat Vehicle.

  “Alright,” Jake said. “This all looks good.”

  Nick gestured to his toughs. “Put it back in the van. Take it away.” They went to work.

  Nick crossed his arms and turned to Jake. “I’ll hold all of this for twenty-four hours. After that I’ll have to release it to another buyer.”

  “What are you talking about? We just s
igned loan papers.”

  “The loan is not final until I approve the collateral. I trust your ship will be here on schedule.”

  “It’ll be here.”

  “It better be. Otherwise, the deal is off.”

  “Look, I can’t control everything that happens at sea. There are a lot of things that can cause a delay.”

  “I understand,” Nick said. “There are also a lot of reasons why arms deals fall apart.”

  “What? You found another buyer who wants to pay more, is that it?”

  Nick patted him on the back. “No, my friend. I want you happy because I want repeat business. I just need you to stick to the terms. I need you to prove to me that you’re dependable and someone that I want to work with. This is a business after all. I don’t get paid to keep inventory in the warehouses.”

  One of the toughs looked over at Jake. He was pretty sure it was the thug who’d roughed him up in the dark hallway. The man was chubby-faced with an offended expression that never went away. “What?” Jake said. “Did you forget to steal my wallet? What’s wrong with your face?”

  Nick shook his fist at the man. “Get back to work! Hurry it up.”

  “I can find my own way out,” Jake said. “I hope you don’t mind if I pass up getting frisked a second time. Your boy seemed to enjoy it so much.”

  Suddenly, the thug with the offended expression pointed the AK he was carrying at Jake. “You wanna say that again?”

  Jake shook his head.

  “Put that down!” Nick yelled.

  The thug didn’t listen. “No, he insulted me and my family.”

  “I never mentioned your family.” Jake shook his head. “I would’ve if I’d a known you had one.”